TruckersReport.com Trucking Forum | #1 CDL Truck Driver Message Board - Blogs - Blank Blog by Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/blog.php?u=68643 Join the largest trucking community online. Get advice, find out how to become a trucker, and which trucking companies to work for. Discuss trucking issues and news, and find solutions to your problems. en Tue, 21 May 2013 18:04:36 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/images/truckers/misc/rss.jpg TruckersReport.com Trucking Forum | #1 CDL Truck Driver Message Board - Blogs - Blank Blog by Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/blog.php?u=68643 <![CDATA[Schneider - Breakdown & Recovery]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5524 Sat, 08 Dec 2012 05:46:43 GMT Last Thursday I suffered my first breakdown. I lost my rear drive shaft near Temple, TX. Monday they rented me a car and sent me to Carlisle, PA to... Last Thursday I suffered my first breakdown. I lost my rear drive shaft near Temple, TX. Monday they rented me a car and sent me to Carlisle, PA to recover another truck. They said the driver was flown to a Dallas hospital. The truck is three months old, Cascadia. I don't like it. My DBL told me to expect to have a newer truck when I get back. Yay, now I can go slow like a real Schneider driver.

They loaded me with a relay to NC. So today I finally got to meet up with a guy I met through these blogs. He was pretty cool and I appreciate him taking the time to show me around Raleigh and giving me a couple of gifts. Nice vest, now I can look like a biker.

My backhaul goes to Del Rio, Texas. I expected to be bringing the truck to Dallas, but I guess I'll take this 1,500 mile run in the spirit of Christmas.

This morning I rolled into the Flying J in Raleigh and met up with the Oak Ridge Boys. Actually, they were still in bed, so I jawed with their bus driver for a couple. Singer Dwayne Allen went to school with my parents, so I passed on a hometown greeting to him.

I recently joined the Trucker Buddy program. Neat kids, they seem really excited to have a trucker pen pal. They're in St. Paul, MN. Poor Yanks, LOL. I'm actually surprised I haven't heard much teasing about Texas. One kid said his sister is in college in Texas and now says "y'all" & "ain't" a lot.

Moving on, y'all have a good un. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5524 Schneider - Stuck Like Chuck http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5494 Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:01:02 GMT A couple days ago I made delivery in Olive Branch, MS (just south of Memphis.) They had me another pick up set for a 1300 appointment. My drop... A couple days ago I made delivery in Olive Branch, MS (just south of Memphis.) They had me another pick up set for a 1300 appointment. My drop location didn't have MTs. So I called in to let them know I needed an MT and that I didn't have the hours to make the 1300 appointment.
They said they would pull my load and find me something else. So I told them in that case I needed to head over to the W. Memphis OC to get a coolant leak fixed. And then it went downhill from there.

I checked my truck in with the service writer and slept for a couple hours until they came for it.
A bit later I checked in on the progress and they had not even touched it. So?
Well, the truck is flagged for trade so they can't perform any work unless "they" are going to let me keep the truck. Who knows how long it'll take for whoever to make that decision? :dontknow:

So I checked back periodically with still no word. I called in to let my DBL know what I knew. Later it came time to just go to the motel. I called in for a ComCheck and the support shift lady informs me that I have a load on me. "haha... I dunno what to tell you about that."

She: "Let's get you a loaner. ... Here's two truck numbers. Pick which one you want and call back in. We'll get it assigned to you and you can get rolling."

So I check with the services desk to verify the trucks are on site. That lady tells me I can't have them cause they are training trucks. After a bit of back & forth they finally get me a truck to go make the pick-up and bring back in for relay.

So I did that. On the down-side, as I was rolling down a city street I had a light turn red on me. It had cameras. So, I guess I can expect a ticket soon. Dangit. :smt100

In the end, they decided to repair my truck. They said they also found a transmission fluid leak that would have to be repaired. So that's fantabulous. I'm in the motel lobby right now waiting for the shuttle back to the OC. They said it would probably be close to three before it was ready. I'm holding my breath.

To make it all better, I'm bobtailed, of course. And I've seen many drivers trying to find MTs that aren't there. Nooooo empty for YOU! :laughing3:


And on a completely different topic, since the presidential election the Texas Nationalist Movement has experienced a 9,000% increase in web traffic and a 300% increase in membership and several radio stations and a few publications are reporting about how many calls for secession have pummeled Gov. Perry's and Atny. Gen. Abbott's Facebook pages. :smt038

So there's that fun tidbit. :thumbup:


Adieu, yall. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5494 Schneider - O/O, I Dunno http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5492 Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:25:23 GMT Times is tough all around. The wife has been unemployed for a few short months and it's now showing. Then she gets notice that her unemployment has already expired and she can reapply in July. (Convenient to show unemployment rolls down right before an election.) To make matters worse I was taken off salary and that's showing. So, I told my DBL to forget home this weekend and keep me moving. It still worked out that I got to spend a night at home, then I was sent to Minnesota.

Last night my wife tells me that she'd like to carry on being a full-time stay at home mom. I don't really have a problem with that, but it will demand a severe change in how we live. Our lifestyle is currently based to include her income of $20+ an hour as a pediatric home health nurse. So what to do? Naturally the first two things is a cheaper place to live and cheaper car payment.

But the income? What to do there. I've been seriously kicking around in my head going O/O. But how to do that and is it worth it?

I argue in my head that it's very possible to make a living as an O/O else there wouldn't be so many of them out there. But that in itself really isn't enough. My wife points out our poor money management and that's a valid point. Lesson there is to learn from that, get with the program and control the money, not let the money control us.

I spoke all to briefly with a Schneider O/O and it only fostered my want for my own truck. He talked of how once he became an I/C he'd never again go back to the company side.
I realize there's the "freedom" of choosing (or competing for) the loads you want rather than taking what's assigned. But I try to remind myself of what Dave Ramsey says about when you sign on the line you become a slave to the debt.

So, I can get my own truck and become a slave to the debt by being free to choose my own loads. Or, I can stay a "slave" to the company and the cost of business is their problem but I can walk away any time I choose.
What's the most profitable? If I stick to it, the debt will be paid off and I will outright own the truck only wanting for fuel, repairs and insurance. If I stay company side I will never get out from under their rules/regulations, etc.

Then HOW to go about getting a truck? I don't suspect my credit is good enough to warrant that heavy of a risk. I just don't know, not without checking.
Otherwise, that only leaves company lease-purchase. I've been repeatedly warned against that as being a set up to fail from the get-go.
One friend told me "Dart is one of the best companies to go through for that." I read on the forum here how horrible Dart is. Some have good experiences. Some have bad. What to do? What to do?

On top of that, today is election day. I missed it. I went to early vote Saturday only to find out early voting was over. I feel so disenfranchised. Why does the government hate truckers voting? LOL

In other news, I've began corresponding via email with my son's second grade class. I hoped letters between us might make him feel less abandoned. I've sent them three letters. They've sent me one.
I applied to the Trucker Buddy program today, but I dunno if they'll have me since I have a felony. They said "no felonies" on the application, but I requested a waiver since mine was twenty years ago and I'm already writing to my kids class. We'll see.

So, what say you guys, getting my own truck: Worth it? No? ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5492 Schneider - Moving Up http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5479 Sat, 03 Nov 2012 07:07:29 GMT Recently I picked up a hi-valu load. Over a million dollars worth of Nintendo Wii's. Man to have a pallet of those to sell.... A driver friend of mine who is a retired deputy said he worked a case once involving a full load theft of Playstations. He said the driver was FOS, had to be in on it.

Another case he worked a full load theft of .... stuff. The driver said he parked it at the Petro and went home. When he came back it was gone. So my man does his thing and gets his Spidy Sense tingling that something aint right. He gets in touch with the company and they ping his last reported drop location. Not the Petro. Turns out to been about a mile from his house. My man soon gets a call from NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) thanking him for doing all the hard work for them and they were about to bust this driver. Turns out the load he was carrying (for the Navy) contained the tile doo-hickie-thingies that help cloak submarines from radar/sonar/guitar/vodkar and stuff like that. Apparently the Navy frowns on things like that missing.

Times is tough. Since my switchover back to mileage pay I just aint cutting it. I've been diving back into the cash advances and that's flipping my pay upside down. My wife aint had any luck finding work and just received a notice her unemployment was expired. (That way Obama gets those numbers down for his polls.) She requested an extension and it came back that she could reapply next July. Nice. A flat out denial would be less insulting.

So, I've told my DBL to cancel my home time and keep me rolling. He set me up all right. He handed me a load to Minneapolis, MN. Tidy lil 851 (household) mile run. But as it turned out my drop-p/u were close to home. And I got an extra day before I have to hit the road with it. So I came on home.
Good timing too. Shortly after going to bed :biggrin_25525: my wife's phone rings. Her sister. I decline the call. She calls right back. Wife says,
must be important." Yeah. They were at the hospital. The doc discovered a tumor in her aunt's head and called for CareFlite to take her to Dallas.

Anyway, that's about the most excitement I got for now. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5479 Happy First Anniversary! http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5467 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:42:18 GMT As of October 21 I have officially been with Schneider one year. My, how time flies and what a ride it has been so far. Any of you who have kept up... As of October 21 I have officially been with Schneider one year. My, how time flies and what a ride it has been so far. Any of you who have kept up with my past blogs know where I've come from to get to this point.

So, the question I know that's on errbody's mind is "How did Schneider commemorate our first anniversary in our loving relationship?" With cake and Ice cream, balloons and streamers, of course!

Naw just kidding. They called me in for recertification and to slap my hand for the naughty things I did wrong. They wanted to discuss my log book falsifications. Funny thing there is they couldn't really point out to me what they were. "There's some here somewhere. Oh, like here where it shows you were off duty for about 45 minutes but you have a note for scaling. That should have been on duty time."

Ok, so what you're saying is that I have "errors" not "falsifications." Because to falsify something means to intentionally alter information in attempt to hide something. Ok, got it. Sorry about my mistake.

Next is to discuss my critical event reports. Well, they didn't really want to "discuss" it. They just wanted to point out that I am obviously driving recklessly. Anytime I tried to explain what happened at those times in question, "moving on then."

I finally just had to pin him down and say, "Look, I don't understand this report system. What happened in those moments is this..... The little light came on. What am I supposed to do?"
Sheesh, talk about imposing.

I had to take a trainer out on a run to demonstrate my skills (or lack thereof.)

While waiting in line to get out the gate he pointed to the dash in front of me and asked, "What's that."
"A pack of crackers."
"No, that black thing."
"My phone."
"Ooohhhh."

After a couple minutes of eating at him he finally came out with, "You know.... When you're driving..... It's probably best if you leave your phone in the sleeper. New regulations blah, blah, blah. And Schneider policy yadda, yadda."
I said, "ok" and tossed it on the bed. Not ten minutes later it started ringing. He looked kinda fidgety and watched me to see if I would appear concerned about "who's calling." I just went on like I didn't hear it.

When we got back he went into his critique. Overall, excellent driving and great turns. On a couple of occasions I didn't shift at the same time he would have. Fuel consumption blahdy blah. (At one point he DID tell me to shift. I wanted to stab him in the eye. It's my dam truck. I know it by sound. She'll tell me when to shift. You just sit there and clap for the rodeo star and let me ride this horse.)

As one friend pointed out, "Sounds like retention." I guess the theory is, make the rookie look potentially hazardous so other companies won't hire thereby forcing the rookie to stay put. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5467 Stuff Changes http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5456 Sun, 14 Oct 2012 02:02:02 GMT Aint written in a while because things have been pretty mundane. But have had a few interesting things as of late. A little over a week ago while... Aint written in a while because things have been pretty mundane. But have had a few interesting things as of late.

A little over a week ago while I was parked at the OC a fellow Schneider driver backed into me. I had just closed my curtains to change clothes, so I didn't even see it coming. He cracked my hood and knocked my headlight out of adjustment.
A few days later another driver backed into me at the F-J. Again, my curtain was closed. I was facing west and was keeping the sun off of me. Plus, I was watching netflix on my phone. I think his trailer bumped mine because I couldn't tell any damage. But he said he just didn't think he could get in. I wanted to offer to help him because I didn't see any reason he couldn't. Just a pull up and adjustment ought to do it. But being a rookie, I didn't feel right about that offer. So he left and another driver immediately took it. The place was packed.

I've become a Trucker Buddy... sort of. I'm not in the Trucker Buddy program. I contacted my second grader's teacher and we are dealing directly with each other. Hopefully this will help him feel a bit more connected with me and a little less abandoned. I sent my first letter to them just a little bit ago.

A little over a week ago my DBL asked if I'd like to make an extra hundred bucks. I told him sure, as long as it doesn't involve me getting under his desk. He sent me to Texarkana to recover a truck left at a rest area. I just looked at my pay statement. It appears they added the hundred bucks to my statement as "Training Pay" and adjusted my pay to hold me at my salaried rate. Gonna hafta call BS on that.

Last week my DBL contacted me concerning a change to my pay structure. They have decided they were paying us for more work than we were actually doing. This didn't come as a surprise to me. What he told me was they were going to set me a flat rate for local runs under 25 miles, a dollar/mile for 26-50 miles, 50 cpm for 51-100 miles and 20 cpm for anything over 100 miles. The offset will come in an increase in local runs. I told him I don't see how that's gonna pan out too well for me. He said they run many numbers and this seems to be able to work out best. That way they will get more work out of us. I told him I didn't mind doing more work, but that pay just don't sound right. He said let's just give it a couple weeks and see how it looks.

So a couple days later I called him and voice concern again because we're tight on bills and it's getting too close to Christmas to risk my money just to see how something will look. He agreed with my concern but asked I just give a couple weeks. I agreed.
Come Wednesday I had zero local runs and had figured my actual miles to be perhaps a lil over 1,700. I sent him a message to inform him that according to my calculations this was not going to work. Therefore; I officially requested to get my 31 cpm back and go back to regional. OR give me my $750 salary back and just give me more work so I can be more beneficial. A couple hours later he sent me a message to call him.

So I called. He immediately offered an apology because HE misunderstood the new pay structure. He took my letter and math to his boss and agreed with me that my pay was no good. They showed him what he misunderstood. My original pay was 32, not 31 cpm. I'm back on that. The 20 cpm is in ADDITION to my 32 cpm because I'm running short hops. Therefore; the additional cpm should offset the loss of long haul miles and a perk for staying available for my priority account.
So, running at 52 cpm changes everything. Yeah, I can handle that a bit better. And it's preferable because it ensures I stay on an active account with less worry about a lack of freight.

A friend of mine who is running dedicate auto-parts in Idaho right now is also doing college work in law enforcement studies. (He's a former Marine and retired El Paso deputy.) They have writings that they share with the class. He sent me three of them. HOLY F()K! I would rather be sent straight to the chair than have these morons do ANYTHING with my case. These people have absolutely NO grammar skills. And I mean nothing. I'm not complaining because they just didn't know how to write a professional letter. I mean piss-poor grammar from the bottom to the top; run on sentences, poor spelling, improper punctuation.... I feel sorry for the teacher having to read through this crap. One girl's greatest accomplishment was getting a high school diploma followed up by a hair cut license. That must be a helluvan accomplishment considering she has no writing skills. Another guy went on and on about how much he knew about Florida law. He looked forward to becoming a paralegal. After reading this, I'd beat my attorney to death if she had this idiot working my papers. Then again, the judge may beat her to death before I could.

Aiighty, that's it, I'm out. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5456 Delivering...... Eulogy http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5423 Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:09:15 GMT Recently I reported on my Papaw breaking his neck. A couple days later they had a feeding tube in him. A nurse crushed his pills and administered the... Recently I reported on my Papaw breaking his neck. A couple days later they had a feeding tube in him. A nurse crushed his pills and administered the meds through the tube. He regurgitated the meds, inhaled them then aspirated and went into A-fib.

We buried the old soldier yesterday. They asked me to deliver the eulogy. Man, I was nervous, but pulled it off. An interesting tidbit on Papaw: in Italy during World War 2 he fell from a water truck. The truck ran over his leg. He refused to let them amputate it. He became one of the first in the world to undergo a total knee replacement. To my knowledge, he never limped a day in his life. Well, except maybe the time in 1988 when he accidentally shot himself in the leg with a 9mm then drove himself to the hospital. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5423 Break Neck http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5418 Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:35:06 GMT Saturday night/Sunday morning they had my load set up with a return trip out of the routine. I was returning with a load of pallets to Dallas, relay... Saturday night/Sunday morning they had my load set up with a return trip out of the routine. I was returning with a load of pallets to Dallas, relay drop at the OC. Having to go to the OC is a nightmare in and of itself. But, you'll have that on them bigger jobs. It turned out to be a blessed twist of fate.

Saturday night I got a call that my grandfather had fallen and broke his neck. They flew him to a Dallas area hospital. I made my run and it appears my return trip would just barely get me back to Dallas before my clock ran out.

No dice. I had a blowout in Waco. I never heard nor felt it. A car came by me pointing at my rear and yelling. I stopped and looked but still missed it. I figured from their side... I went on. A moment later a driver came in the CB informing me it was on my passenger side. I knew the outside tire had a nail in it, but it appeared to be holding up. It was the inside tire next to it that blew.

So that shut me down for my ten.

While chatting with the WingFoot guy he asked my weight and cargo. I never thought anything of it. Figured he was just asking about how much weight was on his jack and making idle chit chat. Later the thought occurred to me, "He knew I was down for my break. What if he had been unscrupulous and was involved with cargo theft? What seemed to be an innocent conversation could have been a bad situation if I had something of value."

So this morning my wife came to the OC to take me to the hospital. As it happens, it seemed my grandad (who forgets he can't walk on his own) fell from his wheelchair twice. The nurse in his assisted living place put him back and on with their day they went. He had hit his head on the dresser. When he tried to eat at supper he began convulsions like having a seizure. They called the ambulance, went to the hospital and then discovered he'd been sitting all day and people moving him around while he had a broken neck in two places.

He's around ninety years old. Surgery is out of the question. He'll spend the remainder of his days in a neck brace and have 24/7 care. I'm glad ObamaCare ain't kicked in yet. He hurts, but he can swallow, move his toes and still has a pretty tight grip. He's aware of what's going on. My brother said Papaw wanted them to keep blankets on him. He was afraid the nurses would see his balls. LMAO

And that's our adventure for this weekend. My wife brought me back to the truck and took a nap with me. She only charged me $100. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5418 Schneider - Ship Happens http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5410 Fri, 31 Aug 2012 02:07:29 GMT Yo gang. If you read my last post you are aware of the type of nightmares I've been having. Last night they caught up to me.

I set my alarms for midnight-thirty. Had to run from Dallas to pick up in Mt. Vernon and deliver in Houston by 1300. No problem. At 0730 this morn my DBL calls to ask if I'm ok because I show to still be in Dallas. I tell him I'm feeling a lil bit stressed from being woke up so early. I hate early morning phone calls.

Needless to say I was a lil late on delivery.

The reason I was still in Dallas is a piss off on its own. I might could have made it to the house before Mt., Vernon, but nooooo. This trailer had FIVE bad tires on it. FIVE. How many drivers have these tires been thru? And the DVIR indicates "no problems."

Later my wife calls asking why I'm not coming home.
Because I got these tires replaced and now don't have the hours.
So she asked why I didn't just blow them off like everyone else.
Because I'm not like everyone else. This is the right thing to do no matter how inconvenient. What's more, it's going to a service sensitive customer that really can't risk break downs. And more than that, it could be ME that picks it back up.

My DBL said we were going to get back on our routine. I made the mistake of thinking that many straight away. Apparently not. Instead they got me running around a couple more days. That's pretty inconvenient considering I'm accustomed to being home on Friday so I don't bother informing him of Friday plans. As it happens, my elder daughter being in color guard, we're planning on football Fridays. To boot, this Friday, tomorrow, is "senior night" where parents present their child for their accomplishments. That's gonna present a difficulty for me if I can't be there.

Onward and upward.

**note-Just got a text from my daughter that they postponed senior night. There's that issue resolved. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5410 Publishing and Nightmares http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5405 Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:10:00 GMT Man it's been a while since I've been on the Report. I quit posting mainly because I felt I had nothing new to say. Then some other things began to really occupy my mind.

My DBL was on vacation last week, so everything is pretty jacked up. My entire routine gone to #&$@:-&:!$ Where I was hitting the house every other night, now I've only made the weekend. That's a tough turn. Repeatedly I would call in and ask what's going on, "what we NORMALLY do is this...... Can we not keep doing what we NORMALLY do?" Apparently not. Not while my DBL is away. Sucks that because of it I missed Parent Night at the school. So, didn't get to see my girls band performance.

Making things far worse is that almost every night I dream about driving. Either I'm driving when I'm supposed to be on break so it's a mad dash to find someplace to stop before my computer detects I'm driving. Or, more often than not, traffic is intense and I have difficulty controlling speed, having to use hard brakes or swerve, sharp turns that I can't slow down in time for. Missed turns that I can't seem to get back to.

Even recently I dreamed I missed my turn so went into a shopping center to turn around. Middle of the night, all these black guys start harassing me about being in their place and I can't be there. They start jumping on the truck and distracting big time and I hit a parked car. It only got worse from there. I call 911 & they ask for my pass code before they'll help me.

To add insult to injury, most of the time I am lucid, I know that I'm dreaming. I may even sit up and look around. But the dream continues, or starts over. It's usually so intense and so stressful that I don't even really want to go to bed because it's more work than actually working. I need Hypnocil, that dream suppressing drug they gave the teens in "Freddy vs Jason."

**********

On to the cooler news. Recently I got into an....exchange with an online newspaper on their Facebook page, Texan Post. I told them the more of their stories I read the more of a leftist rag they seemed and that just offends my Texan spirit and I was gonna hafta dislike them.

They actually responded. They claimed they are fairly balanced but if I can't figure that out on my own them I probably didn't belong with them.
I thanked them for a classy response.

They came back with an offer I couldn't refuse: If I wanted to see something "not left" in their paper, write it myself and they'd print it.

They did. Exactly as I wrote it.

Since they ran it, they told me they didn't expect it to do very well but they were surprised that it had over 100 "shares." Since then it has grown to over 1,000 shares, two other websites have featured it and a magazine has indirectly requested to print it. One lady told me she used it in a training session, but I dunno what kind of training. I've had another request to use it, but no specifics. Kudos from a small town newspaper editor. A model in New York shared it to the Philippines. And heck, even NBA rookie Kevin Durant shared it.

Hope you enjoy it.

Here it is: http://www.texanpost.com/2012/08/24/...s-nationalism/ ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5405 TX DOT on Firearms http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5367 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 00:08:42 GMT This morning (July 29, 2012) I got stopped for a roadside inspection. It was educational for both of us. I learned that when they are looking for a... This morning (July 29, 2012) I got stopped for a roadside inspection. It was educational for both of us. I learned that when they are looking for a quickie inspection they target mega carriers. Our trucks are usually well cared for and compliant so they aren't worried about violations. We run e-logs so he's not worried about false logs. We're just easy targets for a quick inspection on the books. Nice.
At least I get good marks on my CSA.

So I tell him that while I gave his attention he can answer a debate that I've had a couple times this past week about the legality of carrying a gun in the truck.

He replies that in the state of Texas it is perfectly legal to carry a gun in the truck; the Castle Law extends to truck drivers. Furthermore; there is no federal law prohibiting truck drivers from carrying a gun.
I said, "Really? We're trained to think it's illegal."

He said, "Well it may be against company policy. But in the past seventeen years I've been cover-to-cover through the FMCSR and there's not a thing in it against carrying a weapon. However, STATE laws may vary. But federally, we look at it as you are engaged in interstate commerce, you are carrying important documents such as your BOL (especially important for hazmat), your state permits, your logs (which are federal documents), and to top it all off it's your home. We feel you should have the right and ability to defend all that."

He went on to say that there's also the rule in Texas that allows people to carry a gun in their vehicle while traveling. That's not a law, it's an attorney general opinion. So if some local yokel DID arrest you, you'd beat it in court.

So I ask, "Ok, well I have a felony....."
"Well your excluded."
"Well, I've long been released from supervision. Texas has restored my firearms rights in limited capacity to allow me to have a gun at home. So wouldn't the Castle Law cover me?"

He said, "I have no idea what you're talking about." So he opened his penal code book and looks up the law, I believe it's Sec. 43.4. He skims over it and says, "Huh! Well you're right. I didn't know that. I'm gonna hafta study on that a bit more." (I tried not to get the fat head. It's pretty cool when you get to school a state trooper.)
He went on to say, "You'll have to forgive me. People call me all the time with questions and I have to tell them 'I don't know. I'm a DOT enforcement officer. Transportation laws are my sole focus. So all these new state laws; I just don't have time to keep up with them.'"
:smt071
So, there ya go, straight from the TX DOT man; they can't keep up with all the laws. You have to know your own stuff. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5367 Schneider - Still Got Nuthin http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5354 Fri, 20 Jul 2012 03:28:15 GMT It's been a while since I posted because I really didn't have anything new to say. Plus I have been preoccupied with something else I have gotten involved in. But my wife tells me to shut up about it; so I won't talk about the Texas Nationalist Movement here.

So cool stuff. Well, by my last post you know I had a lil bit of a layover in Round Rock and got to see the new Spiderman movie. Recently I saw a car fire; so that was cool. For me anyway. I bet it sucked for the car owner.... unless they needed the insurance money.

I almost had the dishonor of wiping out a flagman. Two-lane state highway, small construction zone narrowed to one lane, no warning signs of an upcoming construction zone. I just barrel upon a black guy frantically waving a stop sign above his head. As I began breaking his eyes got wider and he backed up off the shoulder. I was heavy-loaded. Not stopping quick & easy. Luckily I was going up a small hill, so that helped some. :stop: :stop:
I managed to come to a stop with my nose just past where his "standing zone" is. Apparently he wears a shock collar that restricts him to a very small area. Because rather than move to where I could see him when he was ready to let me go, I had to crane my neck to see him over the QualComm.

Maybe he was embarrassed by the pee in his pants? I was.

I passed by a couple bus loads of high school kids. :Bus v2: Naturally they were wanting me to honk.... I began making faces at them. It was funny. They fell over laughing. How often have you ever seen another driver, much less trucker, start making dumb faces?

At the Flying J in Baytown I came upon something unusual. I was heading in for a shower and at the nearest to the store fuel pump was a truck pulling away. Oddly, the door was open. I figure teams: one guy's pulling up another is airing up tires. I look around, no one behind the trailer. I walk to the front, no one in the truck. Weird. I run up and mash the break and kill the rig. The brake buttons where in a different place than mine, so on the fly I dunno where they are or how to reach em, so I just yank it into gear.
:Trailer:

Behind me I hear a Hispanic guy ask if it was rolling. "Naw man... I just have a thing for jumping into other people's rigs. The risk is such a rush."
I turn around and it's a guy I saw wondering around the other end of the fuel aisle. He hops in and pulls the break then, without a word, follows me up to the store. Another Hispanic guy comes out and they go to jabbering at each other.
Right hand? Meet left hand. Now lets work on our communication skills, eh.

No "thank you." No "stay the eff out of my truck." Nothing.

Another driver following me in said he was at a TA once that left the fuel aisle and went downhill to the service shop. A US Xpress truck decided on it's own to go to the shop while it's driver was inside. He said that was the kid's first and LAST day on the job.

And now I'm back at the house with a slew of kids making all kindsa racket and mess reminding me of how good life is. I sat down at my PC this morn to find my niece had been on it; all kindsa crap installed. I finally gave up and just did a system restore. Got rid of everything but a "mysearchresults" search bar. I can NOT find a way to get rid of this. Everyone has standard answers that don't work for me.

And I just noticed that this month is my one year anniversary to Trucker's Report. :occasion9:**party whistle** :occasion5: ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5354 Amazing Spiderman - 3D http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5352 Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:36:52 GMT Recently I was tormented by the new Amazing Spiderman - 3D by director Marc Webb. Here is my review. (warning: contains spoilers/cynicism) ... Recently I was tormented by the new Amazing Spiderman - 3D by director Marc Webb. Here is my review. (warning: contains spoilers/cynicism)

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First, the theater: Flix Brewhouse in Round Rock, Texas. A pretty neat place. Tip one: Before the movie starts they will take your food order. If you would like to eat your meal during the movie then wait until the movie starts. Otherwise; they will bring it on out and you will have most of it gone before the movie starts.
I had the tater skins. If you also like tater skins then save your money for a box of TGI Fridays frozen tater skins cause they are a helluva lot better than the sht-on-a-shingle that Flix serves.

As the movie began I notice the right lens of my 3D glasses looked more like shades. After about 5 minutes I was developing a headache and had seen no appearance of a 3D effect. I paged the usher. He walked up and said, "Is it the glasses? I'll take care of it right away, sir." Cool, I'm not the only one. We all got a bad batch and he's getting us more. There was only a handful of people in this first run of the day.
After about 20 minutes and no more sign of this guy, I call him back. I ask him what's up with the glasses and he tells me the problem is fixed.

I dunno how they mess up or fix the new 3D stuff. But it'd be nice if he'd let us know up front, "It's NOT the glasses. I just dunno what I'm doing so I gotta get a pro to show me where the 'turn on 3D' button is on the projector."

And THEN we had 3D... sorta. Or not. I'm through with 3D movies. Don't get me wrong, I love 3D movies. But the only person who has actually gone out of their way to produce one is James Cameron's Avatar. James and his movie is a worthless sack of beetle juice; but the movie FX were well worth overlooking Cameron's cynical view of evil humans to see it in 3D. Every so-called "3D" movie since then has been a 2D movie with some lazy 3D FX scattered around the movie. If you saw the 3D trailer, you probably saw all it had to offer. That'll be an extra $4, please!

When I saw the previews I thought it was about "what happened to Peter's parents." Yes and No. Sam Rami spent 3 movies weaving a storyline with some cool characters and FX. Along comes Marc Webb and says, "Sam Rami... his work is crap. I bet I can eff it up real good." Everything about the Spiderman story you learned from Sam, Marc screwed it up. It's a whole, brave new world. Everything you know is now wrong. That's one reason I quit watching BatMan. How many friggin ways can his parents die and he meet the Joker?

How did Uncle Ben die? What all really happened? Sam tied it all together in three movies with a twist here and there. Marc said "Screw a twist. Let Peter watch the old man get killed and be done with it." The only twist is, where did the dude go? No one knows.
In the first SpiderMan Peter went to college. We met a professor; one armed Dr. Conners. Apparently in the comics Dr. Conners becomes the Lizard. In Amazing Conners is a scientist for Oscorp who used to work with Pete's folks. No Norman Osborn nor his son in this movie. No newspaper nor Jameson. No Mary Jane Watson.

Mary Jane is replaced by Gwen, a gal that Pete is not supposed to meet until he and Mary Jane break up and he discovers Gwen, Jameson's secretary. (or however the details panned out) I gotta say that the gal who played Gwen was very cute and played a very sweet character.

In every movie based off a Stan Lee creation, Stan gets a cameo, maybe two seconds at most. I'll give a wink and nod to Marc for giving Stan more play time in Amazing. And it was pretty amusing too.

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Aunt May and Uncle Ben are played by Sally Field and Martin Sheen. They shove some Mr. Ed teeth into Sheen's head for some unknown reason. Consistency! Uncle Ben is still and pantie-waste! He may now look like an inbred redneck but he still holds true to liberal sissy philosophy. "Is that big bad Flash still being a bully? Did you beat up the bully? Wow, you suck as bad as bullies do now. Fighting is never the right thing to do. You hurt my lil heart. Now I have to go take some ecstasy."

But gee, when Ben "thou shalt not fight" Parker runs into a robber with a gun, well you gotta disarm the bad guys!

Pete still gets bit by a genetically modified spider. But first off, here's something I never understood: spiders don't sling web out their wrist, they shoot it out their @$$. So what's up with Peter? Why isn't he swinging from skyscraper from skyscraper by his @$$?
And another thing on this topic: Spiders don't shoot out "web." They produce a string. The web is a tedious creation. So why is it Spiderman can, at-will, shoot a web or string or a web-glop that glues folks' mouths shut or hands to the wall or whatever?
And why isn't Spiderman bent over and running around bad guys farting a spider web all over them?
You ever see a spider go down a web string and go back up? How does he do it? He goes down then climbs back up leaving string behind him. I've always wondered how it is that Spiderman's web will let him ease down to do things like swap slobbers with some chick in an alley then once he's done playing tonsil tag be springs back up. WTF? An at-will retracting web?

What's more; how many of you have ever fought a spider? Probably not many. Why? You see a spider. You step on it. It dies. You go on with your day without giving it another thought. So why is Spiderman able to accept such brutal beating from super-villains?

In Amazing Spiderman Peter doesn't form the ability to produce a web. It's a scientific gadget he steals from the lab. (see his wrists in the image above) That's at least two thefts in this movie that Parker commits. (the other theft, he steals a bottle of milk from the store when the robber leaves. Hey, it does the body good.) This web gadget has a limited ability only good for so many shots like a gun. But in true Hollywood fashion, like any "hero gun," it'll never run out of bullets unless the script needs it to.

And of course the battles still cry out in true French philosophy. What? What's that mean? Well, all the people band together to help Spidy out. They chunk sht at the bad guys and yell taunts like "You mess with one of us you mess with us all.... that's right!" But the truth is all these bystanders are of little consequence. Just like the French. But they like to claim a victory when someone else does most of the fighting for them.

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The bad guys of Spiderman, Amazing is consistent on that point. The bad guys go tearing shat up and killing everyone in their way. But then, after an insufferable battle that doesn't kill the teen known as Spiderman, Peter remembers what his horse-faced uncle told him. Fighting is not the answer. You just gotta sit down over a mocha latte and talk this sht out, bro. If you'll go all Care Bear all over these pricks and just open your heart to understanding, you'll realize that these bad guys aren't really bad. They just got some coping issues that would challenge Dr. Phil. All the devastation and death is an unfortunate byproduct of a grave misunderstanding. Once Spiderman "gets it" the bad guys are like, "Ah crap. Yeah, um... my bad on all that death and destruction thing." Then they submit themselves to jail or suicide to make it all better.

Then Michael Moore produces a documentary giving his spin on the facts of how all this could have been avoided had the Republicans not cok-blocked Universal Health Care years ago.

Had only Rosie or Oprah been there to get the bad guys to cry on TV at the start of the show, they could have pulled million$ in donations, this waste of a feature film would have been shorter and almost as entertaining as the TeleTubbies and I could have gone on with my life.

That's my review!

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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5352 Schneider - And the Pumpkin Rolls (and hoe pix) http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5326 Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:47:02 GMT Been making pretty good work this week. Zero time on the phone with support shift. Prompt loads. It's been ok.

Yesterday, at nearly 1400, I eased into the J at Baytown again for my 10. As I parked I got to talking to a friend on the phone. Soon after come the knock on the door. I tell my friend "here we go" (he's a trucker too.) This skanky lookin gal asking if she can use my CB. "Sure you can!" heheh

She starts in complaining about all the **slang term for blacks** out here and she'd just feel more comfortable being with a white guy for a bit. *uh-huh* Then she starts in with, "I aint a lot lizard... this aint what I do. I'm a dancer. Just my car is broke down in the shop over there and I'm about $16 short of having what I need to get it out."

I'm like, "Oh yeah.... still? That's what was wrong last time you saw me.... about 4 months ago."

My friend on the other end of the line wanted a picture. Since we were on the phone it was perfect. My phone makes a shutter click sound unless I'm on the phone. So it just beeped in my headset. She never knew I took the pic.
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The shiny thing in her mouth was aluminum foil wrapped around her teeth. I didn't ask why but I assume it is some sort of poor persons "grill bling."

She gets on the radio and the girl who doesn't normally do this starts in like a pro, "Anybody need any commercial company out there?" Some guy at a nearby Love's responds and she asks me to take her over there... "ehhh, nope." **Do I look like her friggin business partner? Or maybe "Hoe Daddy's taxie"**
Some other guys respond wanting to know what she looked like. heh... I was lookin at her at it SOUNDED better. One guy asked if she had all her teeth. HAHAHA.... She said yes. Of course, I wasn't counting. Maybe she did have them all; she just didn't have all of what was there!

So after a few tries on the radio she gets out to wonder around some more. She left her bag in my floor. Not sure how she did that since she had to step over it to get out. I was half tempted to keep it out of oneryness. But I figured there was nothing in that bag that I wanted in my truck. I honked to get her back for it. I glanced in the bag. I caught site of an ill used make-up brush and some beat up porn mags.

Other than that, pretty uneventful. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5326 Schneider - How Cool http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5323 Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:25:52 GMT YES! The A/C is finer than frog's hair now (compressor went out.) I be chillin'. Thank God I'm salary.

I've taken a new job. I took it last night. I am now a professional "Nay Sayer." What with all the friggin bums at the Flying J in Baytown beggin for cash or the opportunity to shine my wheels. I've become very proficient at going, "NAY.... Nay I say!" A couple guys wanted to shine my wheels. I told one I just had it washed (yay.) "So what? You don't want your wheels shined?"
"Naw, they're shiny enough for me."
"Pshh.. ok."

Next time I'll tell them "I hate shiny things. It makes my Agent Orange act up. Reminds me of the brilliant flash of the Daisy Cutter that mis-dropped near my platoon in Desert Storm. It was horrible. HORRIBLE I tell yeh..... **twitch-twitch**:biggrin_2552: Burnt elbows and a-holes flying everywhere. A finger stuck me in the eye. I still remember the shrill of forty grown men dropping the poppy plants they were collecting as souvenirs and suddenly crying for their mommas. **twitch** Shiny? You want my stuff shiny? I seen what shiny kin do. And it aint purty, boy." :biggrin_25523:

One of them acted like I passed up the deal of the century cause I wouldn't palm him $5 a wheel for some shine. Since I wouldn't go for that, least I could do was give him a smoke for his troubles. :smt028
Some other guy showed me his driver's license. I aint sure WTF that's supposed to do to support their case. But I think next time I'll ask to take a closer look then start laughing at his pic, etc. But anyway, so he hands me a story about how his truck broke down on the road and in less than two hours DOT had his truck towed, leaving him stranded. The manager at Valero said he could get a bus ticket somewhere near us rather than having to go to the terminal in downtown Houston, which is convenient. And now he's got all he needs but $11. So I bid him good luck coming up with it. :Bus:

My favorite was "Keith." He's hit me up before; I remember his pitch. "I don't mean ya no harm. Hi, my names Keith. (A.A. crowd in unison: "HI KEITH!") I aint gonna give ya no story about no wife and kids or anything. I'm just gonna tell ya straight up, I'm homeless and I'm hongry. And if I could just......"
"Keith, are you hungry?"
"Yeah man, I really am. And if I could jus...."
"Keith, gimme just a moment and I'll take ya into the store and I'll buy you something to eat."
"Naw, man... we don't need to do that. If you can just gimme a dollar or two.... I just wanna go to McDonald's where it's cheap." :jerk:
"Sorry Keith.... I carry no cash."
"Maybe some change.....?"
"Sorry Keith, I operate on the card alone."

And the hoes were busy. There was one gal that had a few different descriptions.... like she'd been beat with the entire ugly tree. Like she'd crawled right out a horror movie. Like menopause itself tackled her and beat the piss out of her.


I met another of our account's drivers today. Turns out he lives near me. He was an interesting guy, pretty cool. About every 4th word was "f**in;" .... "So I pulled my f**in truck into the f**in parkin lot. And this f**in b**ch......"
He's none too impressed with our DBL.



The day the Supreme Court upheld ObamaCare:pukeleft: my wife found this cool pic on FaceBook:

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Yes, I'm a secessionist. I think Texas is awesome. Yadda, yadda. heheheh That's why I made THIS pic:


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For anyone contemplating becoming an :Driver: O/O: When I was stranded at the OC last week I scored a few minutes to chat with my recruiter. She mentioned if one is to be successful you gotta be organized to keep all your stuff together, bills paid, GET paid, etc. She mentioned that you can make pretty good money, but if hometime is very important, O/O may not be the right choice because it's hard to make money when you're at home.
Another interesting thing she brought up, which I wouldn't have expected to hear in a trucking office, she said that things in the trucking industry are "ok" right now and seem to be looking up..... but keep an eye on what's happening in Europe because you never know if their mess will collapse and fall over on US.

So at the J yesterday I met an I/C and talked to him for a moment. He was having to have WingFoot jump his truck because he left his 4-ways on (unanticipated expense.) He advised the following: Stay AWAY from the company lease program (OOIDA financing may be a good option) and he gave me a couple locations to check for reliable used trucks. He was on his second truck in the last few years: first was a 2000 Volvo and this is a 2007 (?) Freight.... both he got for around $25k. He said to check with Truck Nation and the other place he couldn't remember but he told me where it is. By the directions I think he was meaning Texas Truck Sales, which also has a location in Dallas.


Aiighty, I'll catch ya on the flip-side. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5323 Schneider - Not Goin Anywhere http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5319 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 23:51:05 GMT I thought I had posted on here last night. Doesn't look like it though. But I was so tired I kept zoning out. Figured when I kept bouncing my head on the keyboard I should probably go on to bed.
Now that I think about it.... I had typed out a blog. I vaguely remember bits of it. Apparently I failed to post it. Hmmm.... maybe that's a good thing.

So yesterday I bring my truck into the OC. I walk into the shop and start screaming and cussing and throwing things about..... heheh... bet that'd go over like a turd in a punch bowl.
So I explain to the service writer my issue. He pulls it up on the computer and rattles all this stuff that was done that checked out ok. So I calmly reach over the counter and pull his face up into the monitor and tell him "I don't give a good God d&*n what that computer say I'm effing hotter en hell and I'm sick of it. The thing is like a man with E. D., it aint performing!"
Or... mmm.. maybe I more calmly told him that whatever they did that checked out right, someone unchecked it because whatever was right before it came into the shop it's all made worse since then. So, sir, I respectfully beg to differ.

"Well, the soonest we can get to it is Friday afternoon."
"Ok."
"We have a double crew set for Friday morning. We MIGHT can get to it then."
"Ok, set it up. I'm not in Dallas on Friday's, so just do your thing as soon as you can."
"Well, I can't write it up now. If I do you won't be able to leave with it."
"I don't care. I don't want to go anywhere else in it until the a/c is fixed."
"Well... okayyyy....," he replied looking a lil disappointed.

Next up, talk to the DBL. He looked just as wearied. He went to scouting out a loaner. One in Houston, one in Virginia and an abandoned rig in Duncan, OK...but no drivers are bound for that area. That left one option: the Ultra-Shift (automatic.) However, I have to go thru a training video and road test on it. One of the trainers said he'd squeeze me in if I came it at 0700 the next morning (which turned out to be today.)

The thing looked like someone had gotten really pissed at it..... several times. We head out to pre-trip it. No oil in the tank. Driver corner of the bumper is missing. Buttons on the dash mashed through the console. When I brake it dumps about 60 psi. Won't go into gear. All kindsa lil things like that.

So I go report it to the shop. They lookit up on the computer and it shows an open work order already and is due for a PM. So we wouldn't have got out the gate anyway.

So now I'm back at the hotel for another night. My DBL talked to em and they told him they'd have my truck ready in the morning.

The wife lost her job, found out she has a broke bone in her hand, had a scheduling assignment dispute with her college teacher and apparently the IRS thinks we still owe them some money.

And in a happier surprise, my wife and kids showed up here at the hotel. SO now we party our blues away! WOOT!

Oh yeah, and your favorite blogger was the photo feature for the topic of the day on Schneider's Facebook page.

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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5319 Schneider - NOT Chillin Like a Villain http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5318 Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:23:35 GMT Attachment 32354 (http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=32354) WOO-HOO! Gonna git down to 77 degrees...
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WOO-HOO! Gonna git down to 77 degrees tonight! I feel a party in the making! BRing on the LOT Lizzz..... ehhh n/m.... too hot and tired for all that crap... Meh.

I've been goin in and out of the Pilot to cool off. Last time I went in I attempted to get a Mt. Dew Icee. But all the machines had been so used that they were freezing up. What lil bit I did score the manager just let me have. I got what I paid for; it kinda tasted like Nyquil.

Now check this out.... One day last week I pick up an MT trailer. I have to use it to swap for loaded at my main gig. It needs a new tire and all three marker lights do not work. I'm parking at the house for the day. Since the trailer is OOS for the day I figure it's a perfect time to get it fixed. Especially since when I drive it next will be at night and ID lights not working is hard to hide from cops at night. So I call SEM.

They tell me no tire gets repaired outside a tire bank unless it's a blowout. As for the lights, well, there's a Wingfoot 45 minutes away from me; they can repair the tire and the lights.
"Yeah, but it will be dark when I start driving again.... and they'll be closed."

So what's the verdict? Well, they aint sending a service call to my home location. But they will send one to my drop location. So just take it to my drop and they'll send someone there to fix it. Well that makes a lot of sense. You don't mind risking ME getting pulled over because .... I don't get it. Either way they are paying a service call. They just won't order it where it keeps me legal? WTF? I'm gonna break out a Ouija Board and have a heart-to-heart with Don Schneider.

A couple days ago I was cooling off in a movie theater. While waiting for the movie to start a waiter asks if I'd like anything. "Just ice water." (I still aint used to theaters with waiters and plate dinners... and beer..mmmm)
"We have a special today: 3 cookies for $3."
"What? Those better be big cookies. I can get a whole pack of Chips Ahoy for that price."
"They're about this big," he says while holding his fingers in a circle.
"That aint a very big cookie."
"But they are oven baked, sir."
"So are Chips Ahoy... in a bigger oven."

My head is throbbing. Gonna go back inside for a bit. Maybe find a nice quiet corner and doze off.

P.S. - Ha... I found this link on Google. This guy starts ranting about what a scam TTR is.... then suddenly it becomes a Ted Nugent love fest! heheh... What can ya expect from Topix, right?

http://www.topix.com/forum/business/...1L7OOSV298875J ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5318 Schneider - In the Hot Seat http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5317 Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:27:27 GMT My DBL informed me we now have to abide by the P/U window on our list. I asked if the load planners or customer sets that. Customer. I called BS on... My DBL informed me we now have to abide by the P/U window on our list. I asked if the load planners or customer sets that. Customer. I called BS on that on count that it will waste 2-3 hours of my day because I will deliver that long ahead of delivery window; I'll spend that much time waiting. He agreed and said he was fighting on that account.

However; last night I'll have to give a slight pass, begrudgingly. The trailer I picked up had two faulty lights. (Thanks, guy who dropped it.) So, I had to call in and let support know I would have to go to the OC for repair. He asked if I could just get another trailer from the customer.
"Well, I doubt they want to empty this trailer and load it on to another."
"Oh yeah, you're loaded. I knew that. Well, I don't want you to risk getting pulled over. Call emergency maintenance before you you anywhere."

So SEM says, "So what if you get pulled over? You'll just get a 'fix it' ticket. Let them know you've already reported it and are en route to a service center. I'm not spending $250 on a service call for a light. Besides, they won't even repair the top one because they don't carry ladders."

Recently they PMd my truck. I requested a check up on my a/c. Besides make it worse, I dunno what they did. Now my rig is an oven by day and a sauna by night. They left me a professionally prepared excuse. It's really cute. It begins with "It can only do so much!!"

Apparently the a/c system is so complex that it is helpful if we can tell the mechanics what the problem is and when it occurs. (no kidding? Mechanics need to know that stuff? I thought they were wizards who just knew these things.)

What's worse is they say the system can only moderate temps to about 15° cooler than outside air. "So if it's 100° outside the lowest you can expect is 85° our so inside the cab." I wonder if Freightliner agrees. I can hear their service dept now, "Yeah, a/c just ain't what it used to be. We quit making them get comfortable because the EPA just makes it ridiculously expensive. So just appreciate the fact that it's not quiet the same as the outside air."

For those unaware, Texas is not only so humid it's crazy, but it's already topping 100° with around 110° index.
Meh!

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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5317 Schneider - So it Continues http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5311 Sat, 23 Jun 2012 02:55:56 GMT A few days ago it came over the QualComm that another customer is being placed into the quasi-dedicated area of service like what I am doing now. Two... A few days ago it came over the QualComm that another customer is being placed into the quasi-dedicated area of service like what I am doing now. Two things about the notice really stood out to me:
1) From Corsicana, TX (maybe 100 mi SE of Dallas on I-45) to Houston area.
2) Pay is mileage based.

I guess that's gonna be a total rookie run. And I mean total rookie; right out the egg. I'm only about nine months in and I wouldn't take a crap line like that. Corsicana to Houston and back paid on Household Movers Miles? HAHAHA... riiiight. That's gonna be about 185 miles X return trip = 370 X 5 days a week = 1850 miles X 28 cpm = $518 before deducts. That's all guess work, naturally. But still; considering how well it started out for us going from Mt. Vernon, TX to Houston at about 285 miles one way? Or to San Antonio at about 380? Doubt the drivers on that account will be happy with mileage pay very long. I wanted to reply to the notice with laughter.

When at the OC to get my PM done, I found a prime spot to drop my trailer. As I was pulling up to set up another driver eased up from my right ahead of me wanting to corner around me. No problem. I stopped and waved him on around. He waved back real friendly like and came on around. He dang near removed the front of my truck! He never slowed down. Glad one of us was watching because he woulda dragged the front left corner of my truck off if I hadn't thrown it in reverse and moved quick, fast and in a hurry. Dang Schneider drivers!

So I finally hit the road about 3:15 a.m. Around 2:30 a.m. they called me to let me know it was ready to roll. I grabbed my laptop and headed out. They gave me 8 new drive tires (I was very happy about that,) a new grill (dunno WTF that's all about,) replaced a mudflap, and checked my a/c. They had to check my QualComm because in the last couple weeks it has sporadically cut out. They checked the plugs et al, but since they couldn't re-create the problem they had to let it go.

I had a letter in the mail today from Schneider informing me of some set up with QualComm which offered me my logs to save and/or print from PDF. The website is https://dhos.myqualcomm.com/dhm/ . The letter gave me a password to log in. So now I can trace my steps back to my infancy with Schneider. Was kind fun to look at it and mentally trace where I was at that time. Also, now my wife can babysit me from afar. It shows current duty status as well. It looks like I'm off duty and have been for a while.

While walking from my truck to the house I gave my DBL a call to request a route through a certain area, knowing what my route and hours will likely be, I'll be able to finally get my truck washed. He asked what took so long to get my truck out the shop. I said, "Well sir, what we have is a shop full of guys who get paid by the hour instead of by the job; so they don't give a crap. Once you change that, you'll change how fast you get trucks back on the road."

Earlier my eight year old boy came in wearing camo shirt and shorts, a Superman cape and a blue/red "Lone Ranger" style mask, slightly cockeyed. He stood up on the bed and looked into my mirror and got upset because his shirt had "Toy Story" on it and made him look ridiculous. I told him I didn't think it was the shirt that did it. He insisted, turned the shirt around and was satisfied.

Now that I've put away some steak and taters and blogged, think I'm gonna look for Photoshop inspiration. Later, driver! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5311 Schneider - A PM a Quarter.... http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5307 Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:34:13 GMT With more time to kill, enter my PhotoShop drawing room.... I got ready to ease on over to the OC this morning to sign in for my quarterly PM. As I... With more time to kill, enter my PhotoShop drawing room....
I got ready to ease on over to the OC this morning to sign in for my quarterly PM. As I stepped out the truck I found a large puddle of oil running out from under my truck and down the lot. That's a bit disconcerting. But my dipstick showed full.

I mentioned it to the mechanics. They said, "Well, it's a weird thing, but a teaspoon of oil can make a large puddle. We'll check it out."

So now I sit here chillin the day away. Fortunately I scored a free meal because it's "Employee Appreciation Week." My wife has been bugging me about requesting a loaner so I can come on home. Part of me wants to. But an overwhelming part of me screams, "DON'T DO IT MAN! YOU KNOW IT WILL MEAN HAVING TO COME BACK AND SPENDING ANOTHER WHOLE DAY HERE TRYING TO GET BACK INTO YOUR TRUCK!"

So, with nothing but time on my side, I did this:

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**Update - 20:00**

At 5:30 I checked in with the shop to get an ETA on how long they'd have my truck. He told me to check back in a couple hours. So I did that.
When I inquired he replied, "It should be done by now. Let me check..... wow... umm... ya know they still have several things to do. Why don't you check back in the morning?"

WTF? You got my bed! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5307 Schneider - A Tyme 2 Kill http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5304 Thu, 21 Jun 2012 04:47:37 GMT Thought I was doing all the good today. And I guess in a way I was... did... whatever. Periodically, on the way down to Hutto (about eight miles... Thought I was doing all the good today. And I guess in a way I was... did... whatever.

Periodically, on the way down to Hutto (about eight miles east of Round Rock, 20 miles or so north of Austin) we kept hearing reports of a major accident on 35 that had all southbound shut down and most of northbound. Drivers were warning, "Take the toll road! It's worth it!"

After making my drop in Hutto I checked my next assignment. Just as I figured it would be, East 6th St, Austin. I dreaded this move. I was checking Google maps for an alternate non-toll road and just couldn't find anything that looked suitable. So I went back in to the store and asked some guys working in there. Some repairmen had just come through Austin and reported it clear now. What a relief!

Here's what the damage was in summary: about 1:40 a.m. a pedestrian made the bold attempt to cross the road. A SWIFT driver swerved to dodge the walker. I can't say anything cause maybe I'd react the same way. But rationally thinking, I KNOW if you yank a long object to the side all you accomplish is turning said object into a bowling lane sweeper. And that's exactly what happened; he turned the whole truck sideways and rolled it; effectively smearing the pedestrian and blocking the entire roadway for seven hours.

Here's the Link.
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He was carrying empty glass bottles. I've had the pleasure a few times. Makes for a heavy load.


I made it to the next p/u. Coming in we pull right onto scales. The lady asked for my p/u number then said, "Did they tell you to come here today? I show you scheduled for tomorrow."
And I said something like, "Don't effin worry about schedules. Just load the dam truck and lets get some business done!"
No.... wait a minute. Sorry, life is so much different in my head. What I actually said was, "I'm sorry. I'm so used to coming straight here after my last drop I didn't even look. But you are right, it does show a p/u date for tomorrow."
And she says, "I just wanted to make sure because we've had some confusion on this a lot lately. But you're in luck. We already have your product ready. So we can go ahead and load you today."

Now that's what daddy's screamin about!

As I parked in the dock, it was a bit tight. Someone thought it a nice place to leave a support beam. It was tight, but doable. Only real trick was leaving; I had unchain the door to let it free swing so the pole wouldn't rip it off.

I made it all the way back to Dallas; even through a bit of heavy rain.

When I got into the Pilot there came a gal on the CB selling movies from the lot of the Galaxy truck stop across the block. I'd been thinking on getting me some new scenes to watch so I hit her up. Since the airwaves were so busy she gave me her phone number and asked me to call her. Ehh... aiight. I was thinking about walking over there anyway for some different kind of cooking from the same ol-same ol (Dennys, Wendy's, etc...)

So she shows me her stash. Not a large library. But just as well because I don't have a large wallet. She said she sells 8 for $10. Good for her. Fortunately I positioned myself first. "How's business?"
"Awful. Very slow."

Now all I got on me is $5 cash. So I was prepared to haggle a bit, since business is so bad for her and all, ya want another $5 or not? "So will you let me take 2 for $5?"
"Ohh.. I'm not supposed to do that. But I guess I can. Just don't tell no one."
"Ok." And so far I haven't other than my wife. And by golly I don't plan to tell anyone else that she'll cut a deal. I hate the idea that she'd get into trouble with.... whoever it is pulling her strings.

I look at these guys and gals peddling around the parking lots and can't help but wonder what happened in life to lead them before my eyes this day. Knowing that at this moment, as I sit here and write this in the comfort of Schneider's rig, 150 yards to my north is some guy selling drugs and some gal renting out herself.
I know life can change in a heartbeat. But sometimes their story is of a little interest to me, "Why are you here? Do you want out? Would you accept sincere help if it was offered?"
Thank God it aint me.

So I get in touch with my DBL to remind him I got a PM scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Would he rather me relay this load or run it down tomorrow and come back; cause since I'm in Dallas with it now I got the hours to make the round trip.
"No," he says. "Sit on it. We'll see how your PM goes. If we have to get you a loaner then we'll do that and you can pick up your truck on your way back through."

This is my load home, so he wants to keep it on me. I get it. But the idea of going through the crap of another loaner? I'd rather not. That means another visit to the OC. That means several more hours wasted.


I've been thinking more about this whole "left lane = truck lane" idea. The more I think of it the more I like it. I need to work more on getting the idea into the public forum. Upon further contemplation, I came up with a couple of reasons why the State wouldn't want to do that. (I mean besides the oh so obvious fact that the status quo is vastly safer.) If DOT wants to pull a truck over, he's got to get him all the way across traffic every time.
But also the scales are already in place.And it's far too much money to set up ONE scale house in the dividing part of the highway as opposed to one on each side of the road. Also that whole PrePass thing might be handy, but it also costs money.
So there's that.


Buying DVDs from a truck stop parking lot is like a box of chocolates: ya never know wut yer gonna git.
It was amusing to hear the Chinese people chittering away only to find the subtitles also in Chinese. Just furthered my belief that Chinese really is a made up language with no meaning to it. Chinese people just have no idea how to verbally communicate. All they know is that the guy with the gun means no more babies and make more plastic crap for American pig-dogs.... add lead.

And now, I kill time. Night yall. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5304 The Indomitable JSBS http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5302 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:33:57 GMT Around midnight thirty I was getting settled back into the truck. Knowing the chances of a quick response from support shift, I go ahead and dial... Around midnight thirty I was getting settled back into the truck. Knowing the chances of a quick response from support shift, I go ahead and dial their number whilst I get ready to roll. Then I take off. About thirty minutes later it rings through then goes back on hold. After fifty minutes I get the same girl I recently had the displeasure to speak with whom informed me we could not conduct our business while I parked on the shoulder.

I tell her what I'm calling for, our three some with customer service. She puts me on hold for a few minutes. By now I am about 7 miles from my P/U.

She comes back online and informs me I am late for my P/U.
"No I'm not. I set my ETA for 2:15."
"Well there's a P/U window. You're beyond that window. Did you not look at that?"
"No. I never do. Why? Because the trailer is setting on a DC lot. It doesn't really matter when I pick it up. It matters if I deliver on time, which I will."
"No, you have to go by the P/U window also. This is a service critical customer. How are you doing your trip plan?"

"I look at when the delivery window is and I decide from there what time I want to leave the house. That's how I've always done it."
"Well you can't do that."
"Watch me. Who's driving this truck? Me or you? Who's planning this trip? You? Survey says 'Nay!'" :biggrin_25513:

After the fact a previous conversation with my DBL came back to mind that would have been very handy in this conversation. He told me, "I don't care when you pick it up. If it's ready, you can pick it up before you go home. If you want to sleep late, fine. It doesn't matter as long as you DELIVER on time."

Then she says, "Why are you just now calling?" :scratch:
"Um, well, I guess because y'all keep telling me I need to waste our time with these phone calls. So, I always call before I leave."
"Well you're supposed to call within two hours of receiving your assignment."
"Really? No one has ever brought that to my attention. I've always been told to call before P/U."
"No, within two hours of receiving your assignment."
"Oh, well I'll definitely try to do better from now on. Because if there's one thing I hate about being at home, it's that disconnected from work feeling that just nags the ever living shat out of me."

At this point I am on the verge of hanging up on her.

Next: "Are you driving?"
"No."
"You're not? Are you parked someplace safe and legal; like a truck stop or something?"
"Yup."
"Strange. You need to check your Qualcomm. It still shows you driving. Ok, I'll get CS. Hold one moment."
DOH!

So, as usual, CS asks if I've ever made these runs before. For Kim's benefit I reply, "Yes, many, many times."

Ordinarily after the chat with CS, the dispatcher will come back on the line and ask if I need anything else then courteously close the conversation. I guess Kim feels about the way I do; that our relationship is severely strained and has little hope of a fruitful future. She just hung up on me. :crybaby:

So dear, sweet Kim, I dunno if you are just new at this and so you feel you just have a lot to prove....or if you are just overzealous..... I dunno anything other than if you keep talking to me like I just walked in the door while everyone else on your shift just tries to help me get moving.... Lady, I'm feeling the urge to proffer you with a swift and decisive JSBS (Jumping, Spinning Back Slap.) :smt075


**disclaimer to authorities: that is not a threat. Just an expression of exasperation. No need to make mountains of mole hills. That is all.**


I truly hope that phone call is not setting the tone for the rest of the week. If I get Kim on the phone again, I may just hang up and call back in hopes of a different Schneider zombie.


Hope everyone had a good Father's Day.

One nice thing about my day was getting to spend some time with my father-in-law. He explained to me in more detail why I can't use his truck. Long story short: it's farm tagged.

He reminisced about the only company job he held. At 21 he was the youngest hired driver for Merico (later Earth Grains then Sara Lee.) I had heard they were Teamster. He said they went Teamster about eight months after he hired in.

He said they came to his house wanting him to sign a card. "Hell, I had no idea what a union was. They was telling me about all these raises and bonuses and better vacations we was gonna get. Sounded good to me. Before we went union we had company picnics almost ever week. They always gave out shot guns and prizes like that to the drivers with the best fuel mileage. All kind of good stuff. All that stopped the day we went union. Only difference I ever seen was $30 a month missing from my check."

He jawed a bit about what a headache it is to own a truck and how expensive it is. He was basically telling me how good I got it and should not be considering becoming an IC. To which my wife scratched her head and said, "You shouldn't but he just bought a second truck?" I dunno. She's got a pretty good dad. He's got his reasons, no doubt.

Aiight, I need to get on to bed. Be chill, pickles! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5302 Schneider - Company vs IC http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5298 Thu, 14 Jun 2012 20:06:40 GMT IC is what Schneider calls O/O, Independent Contractors. It is probably a safe bet that every driver considers the possibility of owning their own... IC is what Schneider calls O/O, Independent Contractors. It is probably a safe bet that every driver considers the possibility of owning their own truck and earning their own money. Now that I'm getting fairly comfortable with my driving I have to say that it is now rolling around in my head.

I questioned my father-in-law about using his truck when he's not using it, kinda like leasing it from him, that way it can be earning him money when he's not using it and I can work my own pace and bring it back to him when he needs it. That way I have no payments; just cut him a percentage of the loads.
He said his truck is fine for what he does, but for what I do we'd need to look at getting me a newer truck that gets better mileage. I told him that's too much to ask, to expect him to help with that kind of money.

So I've been reading about ICs on here. It seems there are two classifications of IC, Choice and Company Dispatch. Today, since I'm stuck in Dallas for ..... all friggin day, I spoke with my DBL and the lady over the IC dispatch. She said the Choice drivers are operated out of Charlotte, NC; so she can't offer much help on that.

She, K. C., was on her lunch break, so not very talkative. What she did offer was these few tid-bits:
  • Before you transfer over to IC; Schneider prefers you to have at least a year of driving experience; and preferably with Schneider.


  • You will be a business owner; so start thinking in that manner. As you operate your company truck, think of it as your own: associated costs, out-of-route mileage, fuel consumption/idling, etc.


  • Start saving money.


  • You will run under Schneider's authority; so don't worry about those numbers. However; Schneider will charge you a fee.


  • Under the Choice program you would pick & choose the loads you want. FCFS. You work when you want; go home when you want. (I understand some family's will partner on this; the wife will be the DBL, selecting the loads for the husband, routing him to make money and back home for a sugar tank refill.)


  • Under the Company IC "we don't like to say forced dispatch." Your loads are assigned to you just like a company driver, however; there is a lil more discretion in being able to refuse a load. You can't just say, "I don't like this one. I don't want that one." But if there's a legitimate reason you need to refuse a load, such as it being too heavy, you are down for repairs or you have a home time request in and the load takes you away from home time, then that's ok. (so basically that's a company driver; just the driver absorbs the cost of maintaining the truck. Not going that route; my truck? I'LL decide what it'll carry and where it'll go.)


Then the question of do I plan on getting my own truck or going thru Schneider's LPP (lease-purchase program.) When my DBL asked that question I told him I'm a bit apprehensive about a LPP because I've never heard anything good about company LPPs. I'll withhold my DBL's reaction to that.

K. C. said there's no particular age limit to what trucks can be used; but they do need to be new enough to be compatible with QualComm because my truck will still be used for electronic logging and load dispatch. If I prefer to go thru Schneider for a truck I will go thru Schneider Finance, a separate company under the Schneider umbrella (to which I guess the truck would come from Schneider Leasing; who Schneider National Carriers leases their trucks from.) She gave me the website so I can look into it: Schneider Finance.

To my understanding, the payments are kept low with a "gotcha" balloon payment. Suspicion is the balloon payment is so massive it, in itself, requires refinancing..... unless you are good with money and can actually save it up and got a decent truck that was minimal on breakdowns.

Personally, I think I would not want a truck that was a company truck; but one that belonged to a private owner. I suspect it would have been better taken care of.

On the upnote: My DBL said, "I think you'd be a good IC. One of the main things is you have to be well organized; and that's you."
To which I questioned that observation. He responded, "No, you are. Especially about your paperwork; which is where it really counts. I hardly ever get a call on your paperwork."
That's appreciated. I couple that with what the guy a while back told me about my violations on updating ETA and NAT, he said out of the ones that made his list, I was near the top of the list of proficiency. I just need to improve. The worst offenders have a 0% accuracy or they don't even bother.

Guess I'll get ready to mosey on. They set my next p/u by 1600 appointment which burnt up all my hours today. I come up from New Braunfels for a 0900 unload appointment. I'm going back to Houston. Then home from there. Saturday. Psshhh.... My DBL asked if I wanted to leave back out Saturday or Sunday. I said, "Monday."

Wrong answer. So I said "Sunday since I won't even get home until Saturday."
"Why?"
"Dude! Do you not even look at our friggin assignments? Have you no clue what your drivers are doing?" It's no wonder we get asked stupid questions like, "How much time do you have left to run?" They don't look at the shat we submit. Meh! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5298 Turtles and Testimony http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5293 Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:32:25 GMT In a recent blog I received a comment complimenting some fan art of my illustrious carrier and mentioned I could be a candidate for work in the... In a recent blog I received a comment complimenting some fan art of my illustrious carrier and mentioned I could be a candidate for work in the marketing department. After another comment teased him regarding the content of my writings he rescinded most of his compliment to leave me only with "photo editing." While that's fine and well I must bring up two things two other business people (former business owners) have told me.

1) First had owned a carpet store. One day he was approached by someone whom he had continuous quarrel with. The guy said, "Ralph, I don't like you. I think you're obnoxious and arrogant. However; I like your prices and I like your work. Despite what I think of you, you seem to do honest work. Now I know you probably have the same opinions of me. Fine. I don't care. Despite our personal feelings you have what I need and I have what you want. I need your carpet and labor. You want money. I have money. Do you have a problem with taking my money?"

"I don't have to like a man to like his money."
From that day on they did a great deal of business and rarely spoke to each other unless they had to.

2) If you're gonna do some selling, you gotta have your BS on the tip of your tongue.

Now look, straight out of high school I had a drama scholarship. I'm not too good at improv, I'm not as witty as I'd like to be on the spur, but I can write some. Try this out... I got my BS at my fingertips.

"Only a few short months ago I was unemployed. Out of work and desperate, I didn't know what to do. How to keep a roof over my family's head? How to keep food in my babies' mouths?
Then it seems the heavens parted and a great orange hand reached down from Heaven and heaved me high. Schneider National Carriers lifted me from the dregs of unemployment. They put me to work so I could earn an honest 1/2 days pay for a weeks work. Now I make enough money that I no longer qualify.... or rather have to depend on food stamps, medicaid or government housing....

Attachment 31899

But I've not yet earned enough to get out of the slums....

Attachment 31900

But I DO know I couldn't have done it without Schneider."

**Disclaimer: Schneider is not for everyone. Check with a doctor, lawyer, CPA and parole officer before taking Schneider. Individual results may vary. Reported side effects are, but not limited to, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, restless leg syndrome, uncontrollable twitching, suicidal tendencies, homicidal tendencies, depression, strained relations with loved ones, strained relations with complete strangers, delusions of grandeur, alcoholism, fear of inmate jumpsuits, luditism, desire to destroy orange crayons from your kid's crayon box, etc. - End Disclaimer**

"I'm Blank Look; and while others are wishing they could upgrade to orange, I was blessed and privileged to have started my career by bleeding orange! Thank you Schneider!"

This past weekend the family & I took an excursion to S. Padre/Mustang Island. We saw a once in a lifetime thing...... Here's some of the video I recorded....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Cdo...1&feature=plcp

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This sea turtle laid 78 eggs. After she packed them into the sand the Texas Parks & Wildlife workers held her back from re-entering the sea while they tagged her and took a DNA sample. They said she was fairly big for a female. After they cut her loose they collected her eggs to take to a hatchery to keep them safe until they hatch. They said this was only the third sea turtle discovered on Mustang Island in the last.... I dunno... many years.

And I must have espn or something. Maybe I'm a turtle whisperer; because I could hear her thoughts. She was thinking; "I been doin this schiz-nit for fifty years and the government intervention gets worse all the time! I been up here in the blazing hot sun in labor all day long with a crowd of fools staring at me. All I want is to get back in the water and have a friggin taco. But noooooo...... corn-holio back here won't let go of me!"

We visited the U. S. S. Lexington. The beach was teeming with jellyfish. Spongebob lied. They aint pink or purple.


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While touring the Lexington we made way up to the bridge. Ethan sat in a commander's chair and grabbed the red phone. I gotta tell ya, I know I'm biased.... but dang I gotta cute kid!


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In one section they had cut-away bombs so you could see what they look like on the inside. I took a picture because people just don't realize what's inside these things that makes them so destructive.

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My red-head was needing a nap. He was bombed out. Or something. I couldn't help but wonder how many other kids have walked past this bomb and thought, "Ya know... that looks like a comfy place to crash."

I woke up around 10 a.m. Sunday morning. After we left the beach we headed home. My wonderful and adorable wife insisted I sleep because as soon as we get back, I gotta get in the truck and git back to work. Well, it's about a 9-10 hour drive from S. Padre to Paris. That's not counting any potential stops. So she's insisting I sleep; I'm thinking grub. Finally I tell her to pull into the DQ; I needed to pee anyway. And so did a couple of our kids. So we go in and do the potty thing. Then she goes in while I go to get the other kid out of the truck. After my wife walks in, a lady walks up and locks the door and starts turning out lights. It was only nine p.m. She said they normally close at 10, but they had been so busy they were running out of food.

So we moseyed on. We were about 30 minutes from San Antone. We hit a Jack in th Box. Worst one we ever been to. They messed up Shana's order.... so she went somewhere else. Soon I somewhat dozed off. As we eased past Austin Shana apologizes, but she's too sleepy to continue driving. So I hit the Flying J at Jarrell and grab some pep juice and away we went. This was Sunday into Monday morning. I finally got to bed about 9 p.m. last night.

As for the ads, I made a new one today. Enjoy....


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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5293 Break Time http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5285 Sat, 09 Jun 2012 05:36:00 GMT Finally made it to the house. I set my next available time for Monday morning. As soon as my wife got off work this evening we loaded up the kids and... Finally made it to the house. I set my next available time for Monday morning. As soon as my wife got off work this evening we loaded up the kids and are en route to Corpus Cristi for the weekend. Her sister is already on their way, in San Antonio now. Were only in Hillsboro.

Last week I posted a Schneider pic I created. Today I took that same pic a step further. I posted it on Facebook and my brother commented that it made him "want to drive for Schneider. Bad ash!" I dunno about all that, but I hope you enjoy it.


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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5285 TX DOT on Truck Lanes http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5282 Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:38:17 GMT Recently I wrote to my state rep and Tx-DOT concerning the idea of truck only lanes. Following is my letter and the response from TX-Dot. For... Recently I wrote to my state rep and Tx-DOT concerning the idea of truck only lanes. Following is my letter and the response from TX-Dot.


For long I have considered this; and now that I drive a truck it is ever
more prevalent in my mind.
Many sections of the highway system have truck restrictions declaring "No
Trucks in Left Lane." Allow me to propose the opposite, "No Cars in Left
Lane."

Reasoning; trucks are typically passing through unless they have business
in said area. It is more hazardous TO truckers and to other motorists for
trucks to be confined to lanes where traffic is merging onto and off of
the highway. Trucks, being large, restrict the view of motorists who are
watching for signage and exists and increases motorists aggravation as
well as chances of driving erratically in order to get to their exits.
This is also the case because of the large amount of space trucks take up
on the roadway. (I can easily attest to this in light of people who cut
across me and two lanes of traffic in less travel space than my truck is
long.)

This situation is exacerbated by the fact that more and more trucking
companies are governing the speed of their trucks to less than 65 mph
while speed limits are increasing.

In light of this; it would be better for the commuting traffic as well as
for truck drivers to be confined to the left two lanes unless they are
entering or exiting the highway; and even safer if passenger vehicles were
prohibited from the far left lane where only trucks were allowed.

In closing, please allow me to share with you a website where Missouri is
putting into plan "Truck Only Lanes" on Interstate 70.
http://www.moreproductivetrucks.com/...nly_lanes.html

Thank you sincerely for consideration,


And the response from TX DOT:


Thank you for your May 25, 2012, comment provided to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) regarding truck lane restrictions within the North Central Texas Region. TxDOT has forwarded your comment to us, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), because our agency conducted the initial pilot study in 2005 and 2006 regarding truck lane restrictions and we continue to be the lead agency in implementing new corridors.

While we can certainly understand the frustration of truck drivers with unsafe passenger vehicle drivers, our study found that restricting trucks from driving in the far left (passing) lane improves both the safety and travel time in the corridor with the restriction. The study also looked into whether such restrictions would create a so-called "wall of trucks" where it was difficult for non-truck vehicles to maneuver onto and off of the highway, but found no evidence of this effect due to truck lane restrictions on test corridors.

The final study report is posted on our website at http://www.nctcog.org/trans/goods/tr...COG_Report.pdf. There is a brief Executive Summary that explains the questions posed and the answers to those questions on pages 7 through 9 of the report. Thank you again for your interest in truck lane restrictions and for your important work delivering goods to consumers.

If you would like to receive notices of transportation-related public hearings, feel free to sign up at http://www.nctcog.org/trans/outreach...e/notifydb.asp.

Thank you,
Amanda Wilson


Amanda Wilson, AICP
Communications Supervisor
North Central Texas Council of Governments
Transportation Department
616 Six Flags Drive
Arlington, Texas 76011
(817) 695-9284 - phone
(817) 640-3028 - fax
awilson@nctcog.org


So there we have it folks; we must create a "wall of trucks" and block all the entry/exit ramps to encourage the highway department to create "truck only" lanes to keep dangerous passenger cars out of our way. And on the in-case that someone thinks I faked this, go right ahead and and contact Amanda Wilson and find out for yourself that she's "fer real."


Wall of Trucks

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Wall of Trucks in the future

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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5282 Schneider - With the Bad http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5280 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:34:34 GMT This has been the worst day in a while. I shoulda stayed in bed at least another 30 minutes. It would have made all the difference. Actually,... This has been the worst day in a while. I shoulda stayed in bed at least another 30 minutes. It would have made all the difference.

Actually, yesterday..... On my way to pick up.....we have to call for a "pep talk"; every single load we have to call in so they can read a script to us about how important this load is. So on my way there I call. I ain't gonna sit around waiting for them to answer the phone. It's against company policy to even use a hands-free phone while driving. So, knowing how long it takes them to answer and that I'm pushing it to be on time, I figure when they answer, I'll pull over.

About thirty minutes later she answers. As we get to business she asks me if I'm driving. From now on the answer is "no." Just gotta make sure the volume is off on the GPS or it'll tattle tell on me.
I told her, "I am driving, but pulling over."
"Well call me back when you are someplace safe & legal."
"No, no...I'm stopped. Go ahead."
"You're already stopped? This soon?"
"Yeah, It's just how I roll. I'm good like that."
"Where are you?"
"Shoulder."
"No. You need to find a parking lot or some place like that; safe and legal. Then call me back."
"Uh, no. #1, I'm in the friggin Piny Woods of Texas. There ain't no parking lots here. Second, even if there WERE, I'm not gonna sit in some random parking lot for an hour waiting for y'all to answer the phone. Have a good day."

Today they set me up with a relay from the Houston OC to Dallas. I was at least an hour away, but ok. When I arrive I drop my empty and realize they don't have the trailer number that I'm supposed to pick up. So I call, thinking it was the right thing to do. Hey, trying to get home here. They've squeezed me out of home time a lot lately.

So after several minutes they tell me they are just going to remove this load and give me something else. A couple hours later it arrives.

Baytown Wal-mart DC to Weird-Name-Town, Louisiana. So I call back.

"There must be some kinda mistake. See, I'm supposed to be heading home. Louisiana, though very lovely this time o year, is the WRONG FRIGGIN DIRECTION!" (ok, I may NOT have said it that way. Maybe I did. I dunno, I'm on anti-psychotics.) Anyway, "Look I'm on a specified tour and we generally run back-n-fourth. Usually when I'm in this area they have me pick up here and go here which basically takes me right to my front door so I'm ready for the next weeks load. So is that available?"

"I see. Let me check with the planner." I bet all these fuggers sit right next to each other all night and just change hats for each others calls. "Naw Bill, he's gotta take that load because I'm headin out fer a smoke! .... Oh, and a cookie. And a big gulp."
He comes back with, "we really need you to pick up this load cause it's due by 0520."

Lack of failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

Against my better judgment, I press on. I pick it up and head to lovely Louisiana. Being almost seven, I call my wife. I love her.

A few minutes later I'm sittin at the Flying J with my DBL on the phone. "Look my man, Louisiana....."
Him: "WTF?"
Me: "DUDE!"
Him: "Aiight. Cool it, dawg."

Maybe it sounded more human than that. But anyway; Especially since Road Check is goin on and I gotsta hit the scales and could get picked for a random inspection and I have an outstanding ticket in Louisiana....... Bad day there.

Anyway, he had me back at the OC to drop for a relay. That was nice.

What wasn't nice was what he set me up with began with "P/U mt" from the OC. That is never a happy idea.
Again it proved true. I grabbed an mt and, as usual the computer said it was unavailable. After a while of going back-n-fourth on this matter I went in and had a DBL assign it to me so I could get out the gate.

The gate keeper came over the speaker and said, "I see an open work order on that trailer. You'll need to go to the shop first before I can let you out." BAAAAHAAHAAAsheet

After about another 45 minutes and four trailers later they let me go.

Took a couple hours to load, no chance of making Dallas today. Knowing my DBL was at lunch, I message him to let him know I won't make the 2300 delivery time.

At 1500 I see new preassignments built on the idea I would be in Dallas. I call my DBL and get support. Odd.

I tell them the Ft. worth run is not doable because it will run me out of hours before I get home. Long story short: "This is set up as a line to get you home."

"Yeah, assuming I was in Dallas. I'm not. That won't get me home."
"Where are you? Houston? Yeah, that could be a problem. Well, after you drop this load call your DBL and see what he wants you to do."

"When I drop this he will still be asleep."
"Yeah, that could be a problem too. Just go on to Ft. Worth and call him from there."

I would like to make a lot of comments about how ludicrous this all is, but...... I overdosed on happy pills. So now I just sit here and laugh.

I wait a bit and send a message that I am refusing this load on grounds of stupidity.... Or something like that.

A couple minutes later my DBL finally returns my call. When I explain what's going on he says, "Well you can't go to Ft. Worth. Call them back and..... Blah, blah, blah...... Nevermind. I'll call them."

Soon I get a reply message that my loads are planned as best as can. Sorry I'll be late getting home.

I immediately reply, "negative....blah, blah....stupid incompetence..... Blah blah....ignert goat turd....blah...yo momma...."

A Lil while later the assignment was withdrawn. I think it was the "ignert goat turd" remark, but it could be that my DBL called.

So now there are fluffy bunnies and rainbow gum drops here at the Flying J. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5280 Schneider - I dunno http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5267 Tue, 05 Jun 2012 04:11:09 GMT I dunno what to say. Ef it?

I didn't get in until Friday sometime. They had me another assignment heading out Saturday night/Sunday morn. I called my DBL and asked him WTF, wife is feeling jilted cause they've had me running like crazy and days jacked up lately. He said, "I didn't do that. I'll get with the load planner and see about switching you off a day so you can be home another day."

Didn't happen. I even messaged him a bit later asking about a status update on it. Guess he was really busy cause he never responded. So I get to Hutto and make my drop by 8 on Sunday morning. I ease over to Round Rock to chill and send in a message asking about my return trip. I want to get a jump on whether or not I'll be sitting for another two days.

Soon they have me a new load picking up after midnight at Wal-Mart in Temple going to Garland. That'll do, Donkey. That'll do.

I get to Wal-Mart around midnight-thirty and they have no idea what I'm talking about because they don't load Schneider. After some phone calls and prayer it turns out I'm picking up pallets.

After dropping my pallets I was cursed with picking up an empty that's a new trailer. Almost every new trailer has been a problem child. I went to my next pick-up and, same old song & dance, kingpin won't release. I yank, I move my trailer back & forth trying to release it in various positions all to no avail.
The only thing I accomplished was a blister on my finger that was exacerbated by a softball bat this evening (trying to collect on some outstanding debts.) Lord OTRA says that qualifies as an on-the-job injury and I should begin compensation proceedings.

So I call SEM, he starts reading from his script on steps I should do to release the kingpin. :biggrin_2552: Finally he gets to something useful and new. He says to go to the passenger side of the 5th wheel and find the "mushroom" pin. Take my hammer....
"I don't have a hammer."
"Why don't you have a hammer."
"No one ever told me a hammer may be useful while driving a truck."
"You should get a hammer. Is there another driver nearby you can borrow one from?"
"No."
"Well, you should get a hammer."
"Well I don't have a hammer. I DO have a steel bar. I can hit it with that."
"..... uh (back to the script)..... Hit the mushroom pin with a hammer and that should force the lock jaws to release."

Annnnnd it worked.

So, how bout that Road Check 2012? We geared up for that or what?
Lord OTRA is opposed to this practice. He says he slows down the delivery of merchandise and impedes traffic. Not to mention the headache and hassle it causes hardworking drivers to deal with hourly government employees who are taking advantage of an opportunity to spend 72 hours letting their trainees comb thru private property and pick on drivers just so they can prove to their superiors that they learned how to properly piss off the public and make the government some money in the process.

Friend of mine was resting in Amarillo, TX a few days ago and got these two pix:


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And a few days ago I was jacking with my favorite pastime, Photoshop....


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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5267 Low Blog Volume http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5263 Sat, 02 Jun 2012 22:47:10 GMT I notice that since TTR changed up there seems to be a low turn out on the blogs. They admins said they relocated the buttons because it was in the... I notice that since TTR changed up there seems to be a low turn out on the blogs. They admins said they relocated the buttons because it was in the way and not many people used the blogs. Well, it seems that hiding the button at the bottom of the page has discouraged fewer people to use it. Shame, cause I got a release from the blog.

Recently I picked up a trailer that had a bad slick spot on it. I picked up my load and headed to WingFoot at an FJ. They were completely out of Schneider tires. They directed me to another WF a few miles away that was on my route.

I got parked and checked in and went back to the rig. A few minutes later a saw in the mirror a couple guys standing near the back of the trailer, so I went to join them. One guy disappeared before I got there and the other was sitting down talking on his phone.

As I approached he asked, "Are you with Schneider?"

"Dang, nothing gets by you, Slick? What tipped you off; my Schneider hat or that I just got out of the Schneider truck? Or did you just put two and two together?
You should start a private detective agency. Call it something catchy like 'Diamond Dix Detection' or 'Irritable Ike's Investigations' or something cool like that."

They were only half as slow as the WF I go to at the J.


Below is a couple pics I found. First one happened in Oregon at a paper mill (according to the post where I found it.) He detached his trailer but didn't pull far enough off of the dump ramp.

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And of course in this shot we simply have an insecure load. Someone pulled them over and gave them a hug and they felt a lil more secure after that.

Click image for larger version.  Name: overloaded truck.jpg  Views: 15  Size: 89.0 KB  ID: 31541 ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5263 All Gassed Up, Nowhere to Go http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5259 Mon, 28 May 2012 15:38:53 GMT I've been dead in the water for over 24 hrs now. Strange how things work. I had a load for Sunday morning to Houston. Support calls me and asks if I mind switching to Round Rock because the driver on that run doesn't have enough hours. It delivers earlier than mine.

Ok.

So here I set ever since. I updated my time a couple different times hoping it would come back to their attention. I sent in a message to which I got no response.
I understand, it's a holiday weekend and I run a pretty tight area and the shippers to that area may not be open. But dang, some form of communication would be nice.

So, being Monday, I call my DBL. After being on hold for a while I finally get someone who tells me my DBL is off today. How can she help?

I explain what's up and she says, "Oh yeah, the girl covering that isn't very good." I wanted to laugh or something because I get THAT remark out of the girl who screwed up last week scoring me another day off midweek.

Oh the joys of competence.

So I'm sittiin here with my thumb up my.... Last night I moseyed over to Walgreen's and bought a small speaker to plug into my laptop & DVD player. I can plug them into my stereo, but I have to kill the truck else it makes a loud squeal thru the speakers. So, this way I can keep my air running.
But it wasn't loud enough. Got to find something better.

I went into to GNC to try some meal replacement shakes. I need something to give me what my body needs, help me feel like I've eaten yet not add pounds to me. Maybe it'll help; we'll see.

He pointed me toward some "natural energy" supplements as well. But I can only afford so much at a time. The bottle he was handling was just over $30.

Then he tried to sell me on some vitamin d3 candy. Just a couple a day, the bag should last a few weeks. He told me the vitamin d3 aids my body in giving proper instruction on where to store fat so it doesn't build all in one inconvenient location.

I did a lil research on VD3 and found nothing of the sort. However; I did learn that VD3 is very important in a variety of things in our body. Deficiency increases depression, mental impairment, bone degeneration, increased back pain, diabetes, lower immune levels and more. The primary source for obtaining VD3 is simple: sunlight; without sunblock. A few minutes a day in the sunlight can allow the body to produce enough VD3 to do what your body needs. The other main source was oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines...) So no wonder Dracula is so pale; he's deficient in VD3.

I then took in a movie at Flix Brewhouse & Theater. I watched Men in Black 3: 3D. Well, that made my eldest boy cry like a lil girl because he wanted to see it and I went without him.

The theater was pretty nice. I've never been to a theater like this. We could order drinks/food at our seat. So I ordered a couple beers and some potato skins. I never got my skins. Later on I paged the server and handed him a note that I never received the food. Since the movie was nearly over I scrapped the order and he comped me the beers!

So I went next door to the Homefield Grill, which I guess is owned by Nolan Ryan because everything on the menu was baseball themed and had Ryan's name all over it. I got a bacon & pepperjack burger and chili-cheese fries & water. The fries weren't bad. The burger? One of the best I ever had!

And I just now learned I've made my middle boy upset because today is his birthday and he wants me to take him bowling.

Dare not I ask "what next." I still sit here with no assignment.

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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5259 Slow Hoe Combo http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5257 Sat, 26 May 2012 05:09:33 GMT Today I was called in to the OC for a Safe Track assessment that was supposed to be done months ago. Ergo, I was shut down for the day waiting on... Today I was called in to the OC for a Safe Track assessment that was supposed to be done months ago. Ergo, I was shut down for the day waiting on class (or whatever you call it.)

The instructor went over log violations with me, not logging feuling (which had already been discussed with me,) some incident that occurred recently where a load shift had caused product to fall from the back of my trailer when we opened the door; someone entered it as "logged off duty during accident." Which I promptly called BS on.

The main thing (and a long list it was) was not entering my manifest. I told him I hadn't thought of that in months; just kinda figured WorkFlow had it covered. He said, "You mean that $40-$50 million system we are implementing? You think that just because your work assignment and all the pertinent information is THERE you think you should no longer have to enter it in that other part of the same system? Huh? Well, after $40 million you'd THINK so, but no, it's still on you."

Last week I had already taken care of the other things they wanted me to do today; so we moved right on to the simulator. These are my scores from the city driving.

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They said most guys hose this up by going too fast. Apparently the faster you drive the more random events it triggers to make it more difficult.

And then I finally got to leave. I decided to hit the Pilot at 470 (by the Werner terminal) and grab some grub from Wendy's. While sitting at the light waiting to pull up to Pilot I noticed another small truck stop right next to me sporting a sign that declared "Trucker's Cafe- Home of the Biggest Mother Trucking Burgers!" I decided, what the heck? How can I go wrong with an offer like that? Besides, I'd like something other than chain food. What a place!

When I pulled in there was about six open spots in a line. I sucked at getting one. It seems I'm too accustomed to having a trailer to guide me. I couldn't pick a spot and line up. Once I finally settled in, I hopped out and headed in. Then it gets fun.

I round the corner and there's a chunky chick rubbing sweet scented baby oil all over herself. She sees me and opens her hands like "what?" and asks, "You want some company?"

Why hell yeah! I've long been in search of someone to share their chlamydia with me.
"No thanks. I'm just here to grab some food and go."

Now, it's understandable that hoes gotta do something to mask the smell of sweat from the Texas heat and God knows what else they're covered with, but even if I were inclined to prostitutes, I wouldn't want baby oil all over my sheets.

I get inside and it seems I'm the only cracker-head in this place. The man working the register appeared Hindu. The cafe part full of "soul brothers" on both sides of the counter. They were friendly enough, didn't seem to give me any looks like "wudduh kwackuh doin heruh?" They had about 20' of cooler space; 16' of which was packed with alcoholic beverages." And to make it all better, you KNOW you're in a great place when they honor the world's oldest profession by naming a combo meal after it.....


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mmmm... Lot Lizard chicken basket. Finger lickin good stuff, that is!

After a long time, they finally had my grub ready. As I was getting into my truck another gal approaches me. Dang... two in the same hour. I'm startin to feel desirable! She wins though. She said the right thing to get me to open my wallet... "It's for the kids." HAHAHA no, just kidding, that aint what she said. She asked if I would buy her something to eat.

I can turn down beggars. I can say no to hoes. But when someone tells me they're hungry and asks me to feed them, no matter the situation, if I can, I'll feed em. It just kinda feels like my Christian duty.

I'm sure of arguments against it and that's fine. But hey, I've offered to pay for meals for people who have lots of money before. So to buy food for one lowly hoe aint gonna break the bank. So I said, "sure, if you're hungry, I'll buy you food."

Of course, if you give a mouse a cookie he'll ask for a glass of milk. Next thing ya know she wants a drink. I dunno what that was, but it wasn't diet soda. And a box of condoms. I'm like, "I aint investing in your business."

She says while she's waiting on her burger we can wait in my truck and use one. "Nooooo we can't! I'm buying you food like I said and I'm outta here. So you be safe and have a good evening."

I can't imagine a quickie in the world good enough to make me wanna give up my family.

But hey, the burger was good. They used real hamburger and bacon; not that thin, flimsy fast food excuse for food.

Now I'm outta here again. Be safe, yall. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5257 Schneider - Down Time http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5256 Fri, 25 May 2012 18:20:31 GMT Earlier in the week my DBL was on vacation. You know how it is when someone tries to do someone else's job? Yeah. The lady filling in screwed up. Someone changed my NAT (Next Available Time) to four a.m. the next day. So I scored a whole other day off. Glad they are switching me to salary.

Now they killed another Friday off because my DBL forgot a long time ago to sign me up for some safety class. So instead of being home right now, I sit in Dallas waiting class time. He's followed it up with a load that delivers Sunday. So my wife aint too happy by that. She scheduled herself to work Sunday because she expected me to be home.
Ah the life of a trucker.

I woke her up in the middle of the night with one of my driving nightmares. I was pulling at the air with my left hand (horn), yanking with my right hand (steering) and kicking with my right foot (braking) and yelling "OH NO! OH NO! NO! NO! NO!"
She woke me up and asked what was wrong. Some dumb@$$ dump truck driver pulled in front of me from the shoulder and I couldn't get over because a car was next to me.

Freddy Krueger once warned about dreaming and driving.

A friend offered some not too encouraging words about this. He said when driving flatbed he had repeated dreams about spilling a load. After it happened, the dreams quit. Nice. Thanks.

He said he was delivering to a Home Depot warehouse in Houston. They made them unstrap then move into the warehouse via a 90 degree uphill turn. He told them that was not a safe thing to do. They said he wasn't allowed outside his truck in the warehouse. So yeah, he dumped his lumber in that turn.

I sent letters today to my senator, Lt. Governor and TX DOT encouraging them to consider truck only lanes. After a Google search on the subject, it seems the DOT has been considering this for years. A big problem is we have a president hell-bent on bankruptcy; so the ability to pay for the construction is lessened.

And with that, I bid you adieu for now as I return to exploring the new look of TTR. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5256 OTRA - Truckers Against..... http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5242 Tue, 22 May 2012 21:45:50 GMT OTRA is joining forces with other organizations to improve the lives of American, English speaking truckers all over the nation.... even in Hawaii,... OTRA is joining forces with other organizations to improve the lives of American, English speaking truckers all over the nation.... even in Hawaii, but we are suspect of them.

OTRA has come to realize that "CDL Protector" pre-paid legal services is a scam derived to drain truckers of their Iron Skillet dollars and OTRA will no longer put up with it. Using the federal government's own NAFTA legislation against them we will obtain diplomatic immunity for our constituents. This major effort has been put forth by the superb organization ....

"Truckers Against Traffic Tickets."
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Another fine organization the OTRA is working with will improve highway safety for all motorists, we welcome cooperation with
Truckers Against Traffic.

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This image is provided by More Productive Trucks.com.
]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5242 All Random http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5238 Tue, 22 May 2012 00:50:42 GMT This being election season one can't help but notice the eye pollution that is plaguing the roadways: a barrage of campaign signs. I have noticed two types of signs for the most part: "name - party (Republican) - and office" and the other reads "name - office."

It seems to me that candidates who are "other than Republican" appear to be ashamed of their party affiliation and refuse to put it on their ads in hopes that they will get elected on the idea that they are "good guys" and "not Republicans."

My dreams are becoming worse. Now they've become intense, frustrating, and at times scary. The dreams involve not knowing where I am nor how to get back on track and difficulty controlling the truck. I experience speed control issues and handling issues where I fear rollover onto neighboring cars; including Hy-Po.

In today's dream (due to appointment time, I was forced into my 10 during daytime, makes for HORRIBLE sleep day) I was in heavy traffic and trying to get to a Wal-Mart to park. Due to construction the roads and detours were all kinda screwed up and I made a giant three mile circle repeatedly and still no luck getting to the correct exit. Didn't help that a Hy-Po (Highway Patrol) even cut me off once. I finally gave up rationalizing that since I am already stopped near my next shipper I really didn't need this aggravation of trying to park in this hellhole so many more miles away from where I need to be anyway. Of course I woke up with a "WTF was that all about?"

I occasionally get a phone call from this one number, 360-529-6901, that hangs up when I answer. I decided to google it. Turns out it's that survey place that called me recently. According to what I learned from one person's comment, naturally it uses auto-dialers, and it's a scam that uses the "election survey" loophole in the "do not call registry" to reach people.

Which lead me to another discovery: the day they called, every time I dialed "4" for my answer, I noticed my phone would say "call is now being recorded" or "recording has been stopped." Of course that was a head scratcher for me. With another friend on the phone, I tried that again and it worked the same. So I gotta look into this more. I have an HTC Evo 3D. I looked through my phone but can't find where these recorded calls are stored. Hmmm....

This morning I got to visit with a McElroy driver. I approached him in jest with "I dunno why you do this. Everyone knows McElroy sucks."
I didn't expect his answer: "I know it!"

His most current gripe is McElroy has begun requiring double tarps on all loads. Dang I'm glad I didn't go back to them. One tarp was a bad enough thought; but redundant double-tarping? Forget it!

I wonder why it is God hates white men? I mean, it's not all white nor all men... but for the most part it's what I see at the intersections holding the "give me your hard-earned money" signs. Occasionally I see a non-white and even less frequent I see a female. So it leads me to believe that the economy must be far worse for cracker-head males.

Those that use the signs "Will work for food," I appreciate that. I give them a Schneider recruiter card and let them know that Schneider will work the heck out of them for peanuts. AND if they stay for so long, then we both get an extra cup of peanuts.

Speaking of which, the Occupy Protestors, perhaps we could toss come recruiter cards at them. Then they can occupy a driver's seat and soon occupy a bank account. Lazy ########.

Friend of mine told me this weekend that DOT can fine you if your bed is not made. He said "Look it up in the FMCSR." I will when I get another chance. I'm about to hafta roll.

Before I go I wanted to share some photos I had come across. Some are funny, some are reminders of why tailgating is a bad idea. So please, don't ride me about my driving. "S.W.I.F.T.", Sure, We're Insured For That, but we'd rather not go thru that that hassle.

Have a great evening!
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5238 Hobbies http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5228 Sun, 20 May 2012 05:26:42 GMT What are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing when you get home? I mean besides spanking the spouse and loving on the kids; what do you enjoy? ... What are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing when you get home? I mean besides spanking the spouse and loving on the kids; what do you enjoy?

Allow me five and a half minutes to share with you MY passion: photo/video editing. In THIS case- RockStar Games' hit "Red Dead Redemption" produced to Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" from the "Young Guns Two" soundtrack.

[ame]http://youtu.be/USgAN9kjheA[/ame]

I wanted to just embed the YouTube code, but it seems to be disabled. Hope you enjoy it!
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5228 Schneider - Dream Job http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5223 Sat, 19 May 2012 17:51:18 GMT Things, for the most part, have rolled well and not much interesting to say. Hence; my absence. Typically, when I dream about work :disgust: ... Things, for the most part, have rolled well and not much interesting to say. Hence; my absence.

Typically, when I dream about work :disgust: it's almost always the same thing: I have taken off driving and realized my 10 was not over yet so quickly must find another place to stop before my QualComm logs me driving and violating HOS.

Of course I wake up in a panic and have to look around to make sure I didn't really drive.

Recently I was graced with a couple different job dreams. In the first; I was almost to my consignee and was proud of what great time I was making; about an hour ahead of schedule.
Suddenly I realized I had gained that hour because I forgot to go pick up the load! :biggrin_2556: I didn't know how to explain that one.

Of course; I woke in a panic and had to look around to confirm it was all crap. Then back to sleep.

The second was scary in a more real way. And forgive me the detail. My wife always complains I am too detailed about my dreams.

I'm rolling in the right lane on a state highway; four-lane, divided, grass median, goin uphill.

At the top of the hill is a crossover-intersection. A light blue, long nose Pete pulling a gravel trailer starts across from my right, about 50 yards ahead of me. There's a car to my left just behind my trailer.

It's crazy how so many different thoughts and calculations cross your mind at the exact same instant.
I immediately debate if I should hit my brake or swerve.

If I hit my brake my load will slam into the front of my trailer and jar me forward. Either way is of little consequence because I can not stop in time to not hit him.

If I swerve, do I go right or left? If I go right I will hit the culvert and trees and risk death.

If I go left, there's a car right behind me but they see what I see and will brake before I can move.
The other driver will see what's coming and freeze. I have a chance of missing him on that side. But then I go into oncoming traffic over a hill.

In that light, since he was pressing forward, he was most likely looking that direction when he pulled out, and moved because it was clear.

All these thoughts seemed to occur at the exact same moment. With that: Which course of action would you take?

I went left. I barely grazed the nose of his truck. I gambled right, it was clear. Of course, I had only taken my foot off the gas; not hit the brake because I was afraid the braking action and the swerve combined may lock my wheels and roll me over; so I still rolled past him and crested the hill at about 50 mph.

I coasted on the brake down the hill and pulled it to the outside shoulder, applied my 4-ways and attempted to lower my heart rate.... and wondered how long I should sit there before changing my underwear.

I looked in the mirror and the other truck sat for a moment then went on. I had to figure out the best way to get back on the side of the road I belonged on. Since I was facing a left curve, it wasn't safe for me to turn around. I couldn't cross the median cause it was a ditch. I couldn't go to a ramp because that could be even worse. I decided probably the best thing to do was stay on the shoulder and ease around the curve to where it was clear to turn around and go back to the crossover.

Then I woke up.

I got a cool phone call today. Normally I don't answer calls from unknown numbers. But occasionally I get bored and decide to have some fun with them.
This one was a recording informing me they know how frustrated I must be this election season and if I will take a brief survey I will be awarded a trip for two, a cruise to the Bahamas. Hell, I'll tell someone what I think for free. A Bahama cruise? AWESOME! Riiiight.

Anyway; I guess I didn't play the game right. I failed on the first question.
"Which issue should be the main focus of the candidates?
1) Rising gas prices 2) U.S. involvement in the Mid-East 3) staggeringly high unemployment or 4) healthcare reform?"

Being the right-wing putz that I am, I selected 4. The computer told me I selected an invalid entry and started over. After doing this about four times it hung up.
Now where's my dang cruise? I answered the question! :biggrin_25523: ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5223 Legislating Compliance http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5178 Thu, 10 May 2012 00:53:37 GMT I saw a prime example today proving once more that no matter how much legislation is passed you can't make people comply with the law. All you can do is punish them if you catch them.

About 11:30 a.m., west Houston, I-10 eastbound, a paramedic driving an ambulance (non emergency) and texting.

He was probably on his way to a school function to warn of the dangers of texting and driving and had to check in with his boss on his ETA. That's understandable. :smt120 ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5178 Schneider - Pit Crew http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5176 Wed, 09 May 2012 03:22:03 GMT While at the Canton, TX First Monday Trade Days this past weekend my parents scored a purportedly authentic NASCAR Schneider National pit crew shirt.... While at the Canton, TX First Monday Trade Days this past weekend my parents scored a purportedly authentic NASCAR Schneider National pit crew shirt. Comes complete with grease stains across the shoulder blades.

Said the vendor was wouldn't budge on the price one cent.

]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5176 <![CDATA[It's All Good in Duh Hood]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5175 Tue, 08 May 2012 22:06:17 GMT Lately things have been pretty good; considering I have been completely upside down on my days. I have been taking off before midnight which puts me... Lately things have been pretty good; considering I have been completely upside down on my days. I have been taking off before midnight which puts me ending my day in the afternoon. It's cool because I have no problems getting decent parking nor waiting for a shower. But it sure throws me off because it's a highly irregular bedtime. :sleepy3:

I look at another nice side if it though, when I hit the road again, I get to open a parking spot for someone else needing to get some rest.

Yesterday my DBL tells me we're about to start getting paid for real for this job. :biggrin_25511: We shall see. Oh yes, we shall see. He says they are still working out particulars on how exactly to pay this. That's just effed up if they can't figure that out in a month's time.

Nonetheless; he says that in the meantime he's been authorized to adjust my mileage to a respectable amount of pay (the salary amount he originally told me.)

AND (which is code for "There's more!") he says that since this has worked out so well thus far, and our customer is VERY happy "and for that, I thank you VERY much" says he, I am trying to get you back pay. :smt023

This is coming out pretty well; making a 24 hour turn-around.

Had the inevitable happen yesterday. At the consignee, for some reason they had a guy stand around outside watching everything I did. That was unusual. I backed up near the door, got out to pull my tandem pin. On my way back up to the cab he was kind enough to inform me that "you gotta open the doors."
"I know," I replied. :drunken:

There's a reason for silly things I do like not opening my doors until I'm ready to hit the dock. The whole run my tandems back and the trailer jerk and spill my load comes to mind about why I don't open the doors until very last thing. THEN remind me because by then I probably really have forgotten. :help:

When I open the first door, ayup, "Houston, we have a problem." I call the guy over and he looks it and utters a few choice words. The items are always braced with a cardboard wall and a 2x4. The board had fallen.

He tells me to open the other door and we both hold against it. Yeah, it's all coming down. So he tells me to close the door back. HAHAHA.... yeah right. What? Really? No can do, Cochise. So he tells me to just let it fall. So the crap fell. :pottytrain4:

In other news; the wife has gotten pretty serious about cleaning up our credit so we can buy a house. She signed us up with Sky Blue Credit Repair. They managed to get several things removed from my credit report which has given me a big boost in my score. So that's nice. :glasses1:

Annnnd with that, there's not really much more to go with. It's been fairly uneventful. Oh, I still gotta get a better grip on parking at an angle. It looks like it would be pretty simple. But I seem to have better luck hitting a 90 than 45. Then again, I've had a lot more practice.

Aiighty, gotta t-ball game. Yall be cool! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5175 OTRA vs FMCSA http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5170 Mon, 07 May 2012 21:38:23 GMT Ad slick depicting Lord Otra fighting for American drivers. Ad slick depicting Lord Otra fighting for American drivers.
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5170 Not the Career http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5161 Sat, 05 May 2012 22:30:34 GMT Obi Wan Kenobi advises on how to proceed with trucking. Obi Wan Kenobi advises on how to proceed with trucking.
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5161 Driver Pay http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5160 Sat, 05 May 2012 21:06:28 GMT Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6999553882_b4dc50c4df.jpg ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5160 Trucker Myths: Busted! http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5155 Thu, 03 May 2012 23:49:49 GMT I meant to share this with yall. It's from CDL Life's website (Truck Driver Myths: http://www.cdllife.com/2012/trucker-...-driver-myths/)

Here's the info-graphic they display:

]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5155 Schneider - Where Was I Again? http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5154 Thu, 03 May 2012 23:21:52 GMT Hello all you happy truckers. Hello to you not-so-happy truckers also. In effort to try to make some family events this week, I started my week... Hello all you happy truckers. Hello to you not-so-happy truckers also.

In effort to try to make some family events this week, I started my week out about five hours earlier than usual. I have totally rocked the clock and made my hits in good time, even when it didn't seem real. I wrap it up, get ready to find a place to park it, and realize I got more time than I thought to bang out some more miles. (starts helping Azazel sing "Time is on My Side" from the movie "The Fallen.")

But I've been paying the price as well. It's true, Ive been getting to the house every two-three days, but that's not turning out to be so healthy for me. My days are completely upside down and I'm all jacked up like Bozo on some serious clowners.
When I get home, I'm needed. Granted, wife has been pretty good about trying to get time with me and let me rest. It's tough. I managed to get to catch my three year old's t-ball game and my seven year old's first drum lessons (have mercy.) The wife complains "you sleep a lot."
"Well, dear, I AM on my ten hour break." Albeit, the way I've been timing it, I get more like a sixteen hour break.
And I've been turning rubber to try to make it home tomorrow for the school field trip to the zoo that I've been begged to attend.

Looks like I may make it. It looks like it will be close. And I mean CLOSE; like within an hour or so. So God willing all goes well with no delays.

AH and some big, fat stupid ^W#&*W#QW*$^ idiotic freak of nature wh&$^$&(@* cut me off a couple days ago! I don't mean she just jumped in ahead of me. Oh nooooo... not this fat who%e! She eases up in front of me and I guess the voices in her head told her "Hey... that big orange truck you just passed... we're gonna FK with him hard! yeah!"
So #&^%&Q$% she eases up past me then BAM she's two foot ahead of my bumper. I was like WTF?!?!?!
But that's not all folks. No no, the demons possessing the road heathen had even better stuff in store. Now, the B&*$h hits her frkkin BRAKES! Then checks to see if the next lane is clear so she can blow past it to the exit ramp!

I was hotter than the fiery pits of Hades having a BBQ in the mid summer dessert. I spilled my beer! I missed the money shot on the porn flick I was streaming! Dropped a lit cig in my lap. And to add insult to injury, while I'm blowing my horn, this stupid stupity idiot won't even have the decency to look at me so I can flip her off good and proper! FAT FKN @#(&*^&*WER&^*%!

Kinda makes me wish idiots like that would go ahead and clip my bumper and spin sideways so I can park 40k pounds of product on their ### and yell "THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T DO SHT LIKE THAT! YOU BIG FAT STUPITY STUPID... PERSON! GOD HATES YOU! DIE IN A FIRE!"

But it's ok. That's in the past and I've had a pill since then. Daddy's good now.

Even better now that payday is looking up! Yes, you heard (sorta) right. No, they still aint figured out the best way to pay us and screw us out of it yet. They said "hopefully by the end of the week we'll know something" (again.) What they DID do is finally get me out of per diem pay and.. yes AND gave me a raise. You read right, I got a TWO CENT RAISE! EVERYBODY DANCE! Drinks on me! Well, mine is anyway. Two cents really only nets me about two more drinks a week... maybe less.

Yeah, my DBL said "That's for just doing what ya do."
I said, "WTF does that even mean?"
"Well, just doing your job good, like ya supposed to."
"Oh, a merit raise. Cool. You know what waitresses say when someone gives them two cents? So that'll get me, what, another $25 a week, if I'm lucky?"
He said, "That's one way to look at it."

Here's another way to look at it: For a month now they been "trying to work out" how to pay us on this account. At first it was settled, then not... now maybe.. again. Oddly enough, HE brings up a CPM raise and ending my per diem pay at the same time? If any of you are about my age you may remember the bicycle riding movie "RAD." I remember a specific line from that movie that is so easily used almost anywhere, "You're beginning to remind me of something I stepped in; and I'm not liking the smell of it."

Wife has been discussing ways to trim the budget and cutting off cable came up; it hardly gets watched so with all the money we spend, we could make a one-time investment on a bunch of DVDs for the kids and be done with that bill for a while. Meanwhile; I got a free subscription to Crackle streaming movies and a paid subscription to Hulu. Between those two I can watch some shows away from home... or at home for $8/month.

It's a great way to keep awake when you're driving those wee hours of the morning. HEY the law banned handheld PHONE CALLS/TEXTS while driving. It didn't say you can't keep up with the latest happening abouta Lindsay Lohan with Hulu Plus Totally Fab Celeb News Update! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5154 Keeping Fit http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5124 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:05:45 GMT I had told you about a driver I met who had this sweet idea of installing workout centers at or near truck stops.

I had asked him, "Wonder why the chain gyms like Gold's or 24 Hour Fitness haven't thought of this?"

He replied, "Oh, they don't care about truckers. They just see truckers as dirty ol drivers. They focus on 'pretty' people."

Perhaps he's right. Maybe not. Either way, I gotta show you something.....



Look what the tornado blew in! Introducing Snap Fitness workout center at the Flying J in Dallas, I-20, exit 472.

In other news, somewhere out there is an unhappy car dealer....
]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5124 more Fantabulous Ideas http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5116 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:51:50 GMT I recalled a couple more ideas that genius had that I know yall would be fascinated to hear. I'll share them with you, but you have to promise not to steal his ideas. After the auto industry shafted his granddad, yall take pity, don't take this man's dreams away from him.

Idea 1) He said in flood prone areas, like New Orleans, floatable houses. Yeah, it's the wave of the future. See, when these floods come, the house is built on a floating platform that rises with the water instead of damaging the house and furnishings.

I told him, "yeah, except the people in New Orleans got what they deserved."
HAHA, he got a stern look on his face and paused... then said, "Did they now."

I says, "Yeah they did. God hates them. Everybody knows that."
He looked at me funny for a moment then a smile cracked across his face.

Looks like he's got some advanced competition with real architects...


Idea 2) And this is pure genius...
In areas prone to wildfires, an idea to shield homes from the fires.....
I said, "build them out of asbestos?"

He said, "No, asbestos could still burn at those temps."

No, what fire can NOT penetrate? Water. Yeah, we build these water vapor type shields that would prevent fires from reaching the homes.

So I said, "well that is interesting. But wouldn't you then have concern of water damage or flooding from these water shields?"

He stumbled, "Now driver....."

I picked him back up, "I guess it would be good for insurance companies to sell more flood insurance." He perked back up on that one.




I wonder how he would have responded if I pointed out that if asbestos can burn at those temps, wouldn't the water evaporate? Or if they're encased, wouldn't the casing fail?

No, instead, I concur it's a swell idea. And since he cited California as an example: While the fire's burning, the stoners can stand behind this water vapor shield and use it as a giant water bong and laugh at the fire.
:smt033 ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5116 Schneider - New Friends in Low Places http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5110 Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:43:41 GMT I met an interesting fellow today. He spent too much time rollin doobies and smackin crack in the hood in California. :smt033 He was complaining... I met an interesting fellow today. He spent too much time rollin doobies and smackin crack in the hood in California. :smt033 He was complaining about how his grandfather had invented the little ball bearing in carburetors that prevent gas leakage in a rollover event. But those dang car companies stole his design and hung him out to dry and his grandmother didn't believe in lawsuits. That wench.

So now after all these years he's rolled and smoked away his money and has nothing to show for, so at 50 it's time he get real and get moving and get a real income and retirement plan! **HEAR-HEAR** :thumbright:

He's got a ton of ideas. One is a workout facility attached to or near the truck stops. People are becoming more health conscious, so it'll fly. But where to get the capital? What ideas have I?

Well, Lord Otra says.... "google" grants for start ups; DUH!

Another idea, #### if only he could win the lotto, would be a five star hotel for rich people. He would pamper them with private massages, pet care centers, limos, fine dining and room service, in room hot tubs.... the works!

With people like this, I try to just smile and nod. It's no use to disagree or bring up reality. Just smile and nod; sounds like a fantastic idea. Those stupid hotel chains are too focused on middle and lower class people with crappy Super 8 and Hampton.

If only rich people had some place THEY could get away from it all, some place like a Waldorf-Astoria, Biltmore Estate or Bilderberg Hotel... pshaw! No one cares about the rich. That's why it's lonely at the top. But this dude.... he'll smoke a fat rock and kiss their rich behind! YEAH! :smt064

Biltmore Estate - The largest private estate in the USA. This family had no where they could get away to.


Meh, a couple days ago, prepping to fuel and fly the J, I had a problem with the pump. The card reader seemed gummed up, but once I got past that, the "remove nozzle" screen hung and would not start the pumping process. So I went in and she tried to activate it from inside, to no avail.

When I went back in, some guy, I dunno if he was Woodward or Bernstein, but he was reporting about someone trashing the bathroom and writing something vulgar on the wall. They must not have understood him the first 3 or 4 times, so he kept repeating how they should take a picture and send it to the FBI for handwriting analysis so they can "prosecute that mo-fo." :glasses4:

Sounds reasonable to me. Cause after all, Since Unca Obama took over, he's wiped out 99.9% of crime in the U.S. The FBI really no longer has anything more to do than pursue cases against bathroom bandits and vandals. If this keeps up, the FBI could be abolished. Think how horrible.... :O_o_1PIRATES25:

So the lonely bathroom reporter decides to follow me and the attendant out to look at the pump. As the worker opens the control board, Mr. Wizard dives into his bag of wisdom and offers free consultation services on how this problem should be remedied. :read:

Then he turns his attention to Schneider. He mentions that Schneider "no longer has a terminal in Ft. Worth."
Me: "Really?" I didn't know they had one there. Dallas is the only one I know of in that area."
Him: "Oh? They moved it over there?"
"I guess. It's been there longer than I have."
"Oh man, it aint there anymore."

Ok, again, this guy is one of those people I generally smile and nod at.... but here he's crossing into something I have no doubts about my FACTS. If he said, "Fontana OC burnt to the ground" I would have to reply, "I hadn't heard about that. Normally they would send an alert to avoid the OC. Maybe they haven't gotten to it yet." But Noooo... Dan Rather is talking MY turf now.

"Really? Not there? How?"
"Oh man! I got blowed away by a friggin F-4 tornado." (This guy is super excited to find someone who hasn't heard his three week old misinformation.)

"Uh, no man, it's still there."
"Well, they had to shut the place down cause it destroyed everything."
"Noooo... I was there just a few days ago. It was fully operational within 48 hours of the tornado."

With a look of defeat creeping across his face he asked, "So the tornado didn't level the place?"
I waved him off at that point, "no, it crossed the employee lot and destroyed several trailers and trucks. But it's all good now."
**Darth Vader chastising Obi Wan - "Now I am the master and YOU are the student!"**:whdat:

He complained he was stuck here for four days and walked off. He's got time to become everybody's friend. A walking newspaper...propaganda rag... something.

So I met another guy at my shipper that, it turns out, is also from my hometown and is running the same "dedicated" account as me. Our pay is still screwed up. If we end up getting paid more, it may be thanks to him because he refused to do it for what they said they would set us at on salary. Because the Household miles are sucker-punching the crap out of us. We're getting jacked for about 300 miles a week.

I chatted with my DBL earlier and he said they are very aware of this. And so they are really, really trying to get this hashed out as to the best way to pay us and make it right. So he was asking how many miles I am actually driving; how often I actually get back to the house, etc. ("Oh, I never make it back to the house. My wife is so heartbroken." :smt022 )

What really floored him, when we delivered to the consignee on back haul, it's a secured load. We asked if we could get some of our straps or load locks back.
"Uh, I dunno if we have any. Let me check."
They had some, cool. But what they said they've been doing with them is tossing them all into a box and when it gets full they trash em.

What?!?! :biggrin_2556::biggrin_25513: We're like, "Those are perfectly good straps.... at least $25 bucks a pop... and yall just throw them away?"
"Yeah well... we don't need em."
"Can you not just throw them back into the trailer after it's empty?"
"Naw, I don't think so..."
No.. of course not. Cause it's a helluva lot easier and funner to throw a whole box full of them away than toss them one at a time back into an empty trailer.

So yeah, my DBL was dumbfounded to hear that. :smt105

But this new running mate has been with Schneider for 15 years, interesting things he had to share.
Schneider, he says, was at one time 100% union, Don Schneider was a big supporter of unions... until the bad happened. A strike, he said that nearly bankrupted Schneider.
Then Don swore that'd never happen again. He started Schneider National Carriers, a non-union company and paid the bribes to the unions to keep away.

They still have the union "Schneider Transport" side.



But as writing this, I looked at the company history page, it hit in 1976 when Don became president, the strike occurred and the bulk unit broke off into a separate non-union side. By 1985 all of the Schneider acquisitions from the last 20 years were folded into the new "Schneider National Carriers."

Anyway, enough of all that. EVERYBODY DAAAANCE! :headbang::hello1::love1::smt109:wav: ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5110 Schneider - All Hits, All the Time http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5097 Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:44:15 GMT Well, another fabulous pre-Monday! It all was going so well until I got into the truck. I called in for my gratuitous 3- some phone call over how... Well, another fabulous pre-Monday! It all was going so well until I got into the truck. I called in for my gratuitous 3- some phone call over how important this load/customer is, blah, blah. However; the system was down again. So I told the shift clerk that I know the schpeal, yes I know how the load works and yes I have plenty of time. If he'd just jot that down in his handy-dandy Blue's Clues NotePad and add that in when the system is working again, I'd just be ever so grateful and will hunt him down and give him a noogie.

From there, all went well until reaching the consignee. (note: if you're traveling I-45 south of Huntsville, TX on Monday-Tuesday [April 23-24, 2012] then prepare to stop for very long delays for construction & lane closures.)
Once I got to the consignee, I find my MT missing. Apparently an O/O hijacked it about 15 minutes before I arrived.

With my mind on that, I droped my loaded trailer. Almost literally. Forgot to lower landing gear. Fortunately I'm in the habit of easing out and watching my trailer; so I caught it.

But now it's my turn to join the ranks of drivers waiting for a load. I invested 54 free minutes waiting for someone to answer the phone. I'm gonna complain to Lord Otra.

Also, it seems the memo on me going salary was hidden under some papers in a can by someone's desk. Not only did they not pay me the salary; there's several errors that shorted my already low per mile check. So there's that.

Have a wonderful day! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5097 OTRA - Old and New http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5074 Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:12:00 GMT Ever since Lord Otra transcended up to Val Haul-uh he has communicated with me through visions and dreams. This morning, while sitting in the fuel... Ever since Lord Otra transcended up to Val Haul-uh he has communicated with me through visions and dreams. This morning, while sitting in the fuel aisle at Flying Pilot waiting for someone to finish taking a dump and clear the path so I could be on my way, Lord Otra appeared to me in a sparkling vision. Or it may have just been the sunrise shimmering through a construction fence. Either way, I got the message.

There are two breeds of trucker; the first is, as Red Hot Mess fondly refers to them, "The Ol Crusty." These guys learned how to drive a truck when they were four years old, standing between the buckets and yanking as hard as they could on daddy's grinding stick.

The other breed is the New Wave. This group, such as your humble correspondent, learned later in life by attending an Ivy League CDL Academy. The academy that I attended proudly proclaimed, or at least the instructors that sat under a shade tree all day and played on their phones, "We already got your wallet. Now we'll teach you how to pass the test. You'll learn how to drive once you get a job."

Thus we have a major gap in the breed of trucker. Of course this does not apply universally; there are exceptions, especially for those who earnestly apply themselves to improvement.
But there are several new drivers who don't comprehend that there's more to it than "seeing the country." Lord Otra recognizes this and wishes to ease the suffering of New Wave truckers. He understands that you already have so much on your mind while you are driving; such as texting, downloading music or porn, emailing your senator to complain about over regulation, taking pretty pictures, wondering what (or who) your significant other is doing while you are away, wondering where the lot lizards are, flipping through your truck stop guide, suspiciously eyeballing your fellow truckers and wondering if they are trafficking sex slaves (and if so, how you can get them to pull over and get you involved,) looking at a paper map and comparing it to the GPS to determine which is "righter," or even contemplating the best approach to maximizing the full potential of the Truckers Rock Hard Weekend pill.

With so much on your mind in this modern age, who really has time to bother with petty things such as trying to safely back your truck to a giant hole in the wall? The liability is too great. The paperwork is too much. The time lost filling out insurance claims is draining on our nations productivity.

With all this in mind, Lord Otra wishes to implore all shipping locations to introduce "Dox 2 U." DTY simplifies the entire process. You, the New Wave driver, simply park anywhere you feel comfortable at the shipping location. (Hint, look for the best wi-fi signal when parking.) Open your trailer doors and stand idly by with a dazed & confused look to signal the shipper/receiver that you are ready to begin the Dox 2 U process.

The S/R will recognize that you lack skillz and have a forklift bring a ramp to your trailer and begin (un)loading you. Since this may be somewhat of an inconvenience to the S/R, be prepared to wait a while. After all, you are burdening THEM, so be patient as they will most likely take their time. While you wait, feel free to ponder the wonders of the universe, get online and engage in invigorating debate over which is better "fake or real," take time to study and get to know the real Bart Simpson. Meet the Fokkers.

Take time to thank Lord Otra for making your life easier.
**Lord Otra just said that no thanks is necessary; it's what he's here for. But if you insist on showing your gratitude, he begs you remember "cash is king."**

Roll well and keep the paint off the pavement! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5074 To the Wire http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5067 Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:11:34 GMT Yesterday, what started out as a seemingly normal day turned out to be frantic at the last minute. My day plan would have me dropping in Paris and... Yesterday, what started out as a seemingly normal day turned out to be frantic at the last minute. My day plan would have me dropping in Paris and home by four. My kid had a music performance at school at 6:45.

I get rolling on my longest, yet final, leg of the trip to the consignee when I hear the "boom." Checking the mirror, rubber flying everywhere. That killed about 2 1/2 hours of my day.

I arrive at the consignee to make my drop. Normally, I go in the s/r office and drop my papers, go drop my load, find an empty and back into the s/r office for my gate pass.
Not this day. It's six p.m. and my wife is calling every two minutes panicking that we're gonna miss the show; "I can't believe you went there. Things never go right and you'll be later. Why is that load more important than your kid. You're always either late or a no-show." (that all sounds a lot funnier in my head when I have a fake voice to go with it)

When I get into the s/r office an England driver walked in a moment later. "Schneider? When you left your truck it started rolling."
I was a bit dumbfounded. "Did you pull my brake?"
"No, your spring brake kicked in."

I told him that after Schneider's recent tests in aerial freight transport, we're now experimenting with automated delivery service. Then I explained my rush to quantify the statements "haste makes waste" - "urgency causes injury."

I was in and out of that place in twenty minutes. The biggest hold up was waiting for the shift changers to clear the crosswalk.

My wife met me at a store. In her haste, she backed the pick up into a pole. We got seated just as they opened the curtain.

After all that, I went back to the truck to get my stuff logged into the computer. I am already set for my critical load and a return trip, which is the exact trip I just completed. Cool. Maybe I can just barely make it to a t-ball game tomorrow. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5067 <![CDATA[OTRA - Driver Entertainment & Food Improvements]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5061 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:00:05 GMT Greetings Drivers! OTRA here to share some exciting improvements we're working on for our fellow drivers! We know you're going to be as excited about these developments as we are.

First; we're kicking around some ideas with America's favorite truck stop, The Flying Pilot, on how to enhance the lives of drivers. Then it occurred to us: Truck Stop Drive-In Movies Theaters! Come in for your ten and enjoy!

Next on the list is an advancement that's sure to tingle the taste buds. Modern food sciences have often been geared toward astronauts. But since the president decided that Obamacare was more important than the hunt for E. T., those advancements in the works had to look for another place to belong. Here we are.

In a multi-venture partnership, we are excited to announce the Taco Bell Patch! When you're at the Flying Pilot you can pick up a sheet of these delectable delights, slap one on your forehead and within moments your mouth will start watering with the irresistible flavors of your favorite Taco Bell treats.

These handy patches will provide Taco Bell goodness to your taste buds while at the same time allowing your body to absorb all the nutritional value that Taco Bell has to offer. But as an added bonus, food scientists have engineered the Taco Bell Patch to delay the diarrhea normally associated with Taco Bell consumption until the end of your shift.

After simulating food, slap on a nicotine patch and simulate your after meal smoke.

On another note: It has come to the attention of OTRA that there seems to be a vast government conspiracy. It seems the fed has mandated that cash registers use a special kind of quick-fading ink. In this case, unless special precaution is taken, our receipts will vanish before we can itemize them for tax breaks. FIGHT THE POWER with OTRA!

Later drivers! And remember, we haul it all; we can put a stop to it all! Be safe. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5061 Schneider - Happy Monday, Yall! http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5060 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:33:56 GMT I've got some new pix of the tornado damage. I'll add them in at the bottom.

Today was a hurried day. I woke dark & early in Huntsville and boogied back to Dallas to make my drop and get my truck back.

Turns out there's more to that self serve p/u than I thought. I apparently got the wrong bill. I checked in at seven and he tells me I have an 11 appointment. What? Yeah, this bill is for 11. So I had to call and get them to change it so I could mosey on.

I get back to the yard and walk in and my DBL tells me to get moved back into my old truck. As I'm walking off he hollers, "Hey, when are you going to get to Houston?"
"For what?"
"To deliver that load I sent you."
"I said; man, there's a million comedians out of work and every body thinks they have a funnier joke than me."

I got my stuff transferred and went back in to see what load he may cook up. Turns out he was serious about me going to Houston. It just hadn't come thru yet. He writes down the trailer number and tells me to get lost.

There was about twenty trucks lined up to leave, had the place backed up worse than a sewer line with tree roots. I cruise the lot three times, no trailer.

I go back in and have to wonder if my DBL needs a pay raise or cut cause he's the only one with a line at his desk. He sees me and just drops his head. So I wait. I wait a lil longer. Another guy walks up behind me. My DBL says, "that's him! He's got your trailer!"
I said "ok, but just know I can't make it by three. It's too late in the morning and there's too many people waiting to leave."

When I get to the gate I message him I think I can make it by 3:45. I hammer down as best a Schneider truck can. When I get to Houston, I start to hit 610. Then I remember yesterday, it was narrowed down to a stuffy two-lane construction zone.. I decide to head on to 10. FUBAR!

I spend over 45 minutes tying to accomplish two miles. 610 would have been better. As it happens, some dumb eastbound truck driver decided to play chicken with westbound traffic. He managed to jump the wall and screw up everybody's day. It takes a special kind of stupid to drive over a concrete wall. I make it at 4:30. :biggrin_25510:

My wife said she saw a Swift truck do two u-turns on the SW loop back at home. I dunno about Swift, but at Schneider that's a firing offense.

And the pix I promised -

This rig suffers from severe depression since he lost his better half.



This is on the training lot. Not sure if this is tornado or rookie damage.



This guy is laying down on the job. I suspect he's just tired from flight training.



These trailers slightly exceed the high standard specs of some of our competitors.



This trailer is doing the centipede.



Damaged trucks.



The Schneider eggs have hatched!


]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5060 Schneider - pskhshk Houston, we haaave a problem. http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5051 Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:25:42 GMT It was nice to score a couple days off. Even got to see my first born off to her first prom. :biggrin_2553: Image:... It was nice to score a couple days off. Even got to see my first born off to her first prom. :biggrin_2553:



Before that, I checked in on the truck to see if they had dispatched my work assignment. All I had was an email telling me to call in for a three way service chat (just some BS read off a script for EVERY single one of these loads.)

I replied I did not yet have an assignment to go with that email. I would check back later or they could call me when it is ready; cause I dunno if it's a 9 p.m. p/u or 4 a.m.

Figuring it's 1,000:1 it's 4 a.m., I feel no pressure. I check back at 8:30. Another e-mail saying basically the same thing, no assignment.

So I call. 45 minutes later someone answers. This fine lady who sounds like she just got out of bed with Mr. Flu says, "I dunno why they didn't send your assignment earlier. They've known all day the systems would be shut down from 9-5 for maintenance. I can not access any of your information. Sorry, I can't help you."

So I say, "Well.... this is a critical load. What do I do?"
"Call back after 5."

So I call my dbl at home to let him know. He nearly hit the roof. But since the system's down, he can't even help. Only thing he could tell me was it's a 5 a.m. p/u to Houston. All I need is a p/u number, I can wing the rest from there until systems up again.

But NOOOOoooooo.... we can't do that. All we can manage is a friggin useless e-mail telling me to call someone who can't help me until the friggin #### crows! (no puns please, I've already got enough of em in my head)

So at 5 a.m. I arrive at the shipper and call. I enjoy watching the sun rise in the hour and forty minutes I spent on the phone contemplating the cosmos and wondering where oh where could Lord Otra have gone.

At six I text my DBL asking if he was in the office. No. After informing him of what's up, he sends me a load number. Thanks. Still no good cause I need a p/u number. Our customer has no clue what Schneider code means.

Soon, my system updates. It all comes in. Miraculously someone answers the phone about that time. All happens as should and I proceed.

The shipper assigns me a slot for my MT... which turns out to be occupied.

I get away by eight.... heading to west Houston. Gotta be there by 1300. Guess what? I pull in at 1315.

My return load was odd. Self serve. I pull up to the gate and the guard tells me where to go. I go in. No one's there. Just a binder full of BOLs. Just pick one and go. Cool. Why can't it all be so easy?
Get back to the guard house and he never gets up, just waves me on.

I get to the Pilot for my 10. I tell my wife there's finally something different. There's a Mexican restaurant next door. I walk over there but they refused to serve me. Apparently there had been a fire some time ago and they relocated.
So I went one more door over for some Chicken Express.

Speaking of Mexican, earlier I was talking to a Hispanic friend of mine who used to be a cop in El Paso and this came up: A hundred years ago when the US assisted the Mexican government in it's hunt for Pancho Villa, the local Mexicans eventually got tired of seeing Americans and began putting up signs reading "Yankee Go Home" and refused goods and services to the Americans.

So, here we are a hundred years later... seems some activity that could surly keep a night from getting boring while in Laredo, get a bunch of Mexican flags and set them on fire while yelling "Brownie Go Home!" Bet that'd keep it real.

I told mi amigo that years ago I had seen some show that was a mish-mash of satire and other dumb stuff. There was a segment called "The Amazing Racist."

This scrawny white dude walks into a black owned dry cleaner and asks if they can clean and press his sheets.
"Yes sir, we can do dat."
"Great!"
He lays his white sheets on the counter and the owner asks if there's any stains or spots.
He replies there may be some blood spots, but he doesn't remember for sure.

So the clerk unfolds the sheets to reveal a Klan logo. Yeah, the dude's Klan sheets. Naturally the shop owner goes ballistic. :angry5: Ol white boy's like, "Look, you don't hafta get loud, boy. Can ya do it or NOT? I need 'em by tonight!"

Later, at a "hood" gas station, here comes our fearless... whatever you call him. He's walking up to the gas pumps while wearing his Klan garb. :icon_jokercolor: He's got a cross over one shoulder and a gas can in his other hand.

The black guys all freeze and stare at him like "WTF is THIS?!?!" :rr:

Cracker says, "Hey... homies. Look, I'm late for a meeting. Can you spare a couple bucks for some gas to go in my can? And if it aint too much trouble, could ya give me a lift?"

Annnd of course a lot of cussing ensued. :smt067 He replies, "Look, if ya can't help that's fine. But sheesh, you don't hafta get all vulgar about it!"


]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5051 FMCSA - How Does Your Company Rank? http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5036 Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:13:05 GMT Here is the link to the FMCSA (http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/Data/Search.aspx) Carrier Overview Search page. How does YOUR company rank to the... Here is the link to the FMCSA Carrier Overview Search page.

How does YOUR company rank to the FMCSA? Click the name or Click Here to go to the main search page.

Schneider-
Swift-
Werner-
Stevens-
JB Hunt-
US Xpress-
C. R. England-

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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5036 New OTRA - Over The Road Association http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5034 Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:24:26 GMT Welcome to the NEW and totally unimproved Over The Road Association! Serving driver's interest, needs, desires and whims since.... NOW!




So what is OTRA? Allow me an introduction. OTRA traces it's humble beginnings back to an excited rookie driver with a dream and has now been hijacked by a bored rookie driver with a nightmare.

(you can copy/paste this link to read the first entry- http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tru...log.php?b=4990)

The founder of OTRA made his mark and then mysteriously vanished. He never returned to defend his ideas from critics. Who was he? Where did he go? No one seems to know. He never identified himself; therefore, I refer to the wise one as Lord OTRA.

Where did he go? Did he roll his rig into a field full of marshmallow cream? Did he transcend back into trucker heaven knowing his good work has begun? Did he crawl into a corner, curl into the fetal position and cry like a baby because critics dashed his dream upon the rocks of reality? No one knows. But this we do know, he has begun a movement that will not be squandered nor squashed.

I am Blank Look, the self-appointed vice-president and official hijacker of OTRA. Like in Lord of the Rings, Denethor was the Steward of Gondor, guardian of the throne until the return of the king, I too, shall guard the throne of Lord OTRA until his mighty return.



I so believe in the cause of Lord OTRA that I stop my rig for at least an hour a day to devote time to his following. My most current project is to build a larger-than-life statue of what I imagine His Excellence to appear. The problem I have is my rig has no air conditioning, so my wax molds keep melting and I have to start over. MAN if only Lord OTRA had appeared in the winter!

OTRA exists to serve drivers everywhere... as long as they are legal residents of the United States. Cross border drivers and green card holders are exempt. When offered the amenities due to OTRA drivers we expect you to respectfully decline.

Also, union drivers are exempt. Your organization gets you your own perks. You may acquire OTRA benefits by publicly denouncing your union, cutting up your card, setting it on fire then peeing on it.
For bonus blessings from Lord OTRA you may go to your local union hall, strip naked and dance around the perimeter while singing praises to Lord OTRA. Lord OTRA will be especially pleased if you cut off a chicken head and sprinkle its blood around as you dance and then throw the bones through the windows.
(Editor's note to PETAphiles- Lord OTRA does not condone the killing or mutilation of innocent animals. All animals used in this process must first be found guilty in a court of flaw.)

Current projects for drivers:

It has been determined that many drivers consider their truck to be their home. With that, OTRA has determined that the FMCSA is in gross violation of homeowner/private property rights.

Course of action: Legal injunction is being filed against the FMCSA. Our demand is simple: Request the FMCSA to publicly apologize to all drivers and disband the FMCSA. We feel this demand is so simple that any congressman with a crayon can understand it and it should be easy to accomplish in no time. We refer to this as "the Castle Clause" since a man's home is his castle.

However; still lawyers don't come cheap. Anyone wishing to give offering to Lord OTRA may donate their non-tax deductible gift to offset costs.

Considering the Castle Clause, we realize that drivers may like to have a drink after a hard day's work. We insist that truck makers equip as a standard feature drink dispensers.
(Editor's note: Lord OTRA does not condone drinking and driving. You may hit a bump and spill your drink. Please pull over to the shoulder or into the nearest handicap spot [vacant or not] to enjoy the frosty goodness of your choice.)

OTRA feels that a new policy should be enacted: Driver's Choice Sampling. Since we haul all this merchandise, we should get free samples of it.

I began this activity yesterday. As soon as the retailer cut the bolt and I opened the doors I began sampling some bon-bons and a laptop. As it turns out, neither the retailer nor police have heard of OTRA nor the Driver's Choice Sampling policy. I was escorted off property and asked not to return.

I'll show them cops. Next time they want a new shipment of guns, I'll sample the heck out of them all until the firing pins wear out.

At the next shipper, they began loading barrels of liquid onto my trailer. Suspecting this must be secretly moonshine, I grabbed my cup and tore the lid off a barrel and sniffed the steamy goodness. The dock hands began freaking out. I told them not to worry, I won't tell on them, I'll be as discreet as they are. Then I took a big gulp of the intoxicating sweetness.

mmmm... Turns out it really was hydrochloric acid. The doctor says that with modern advancements in medical technology I should be able to take solid food again with the decade.

That's it for now. Tune in later as we discuss new ways to cut fuel costs by replacing fuel guzzling engines with giant genetically modified hamsters on wheels.

Also, making load assignments even easier to procure and verify with QualComm® implants.
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5034 Shcneider - Land Hoe! http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5027 Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:23:42 GMT I am traditionally a night owl. Up late, up early. That's just how I roll. After a few days I crash and catch up on my sleep debt; reset and start all over. And now that I'm driving, odd hours just... well, makes it odder because bedtime at 1900 just doesn't make sense in my mind.

However; last night was just such a night. I ended work around 1800. I was bushed and I felt every inch of it. However; as bad as I need it, I still can't make myself go straight to bed.

I turned on a movie and ate. Then the phone rang and I spent a while on the line. Right after that, my other consistent phone friend rang and another while. However; he didn't keep me very long; said I sounded too tired. He'd still be driving when I get up, so give him a wake up call when I get rolling.

I piddled on my phone a bit, updated Trucker's report, etc until my wife called. She didn't keep me long and I went to bed right after. This was around 1915.

Roughly 2030 my wife called needing to talk to me for a few. So I laid the phone on my face and let her talk until she realized I was still sleeping.

Later I hear a knock on the door. I open the curtain and there's a female standing outside looking up. Oh boy! Cooties!

She says her car's broke down and needs to get a hold of somebody, can she borrow my radio. I'm in a total twilight zone. I dunno WTF is going on. Thinking **if whoever you need to reach is within radio distance, they're most likely within walking distance.**

"Sorry ma'am, but my truck is in the shop. I'm in a loaner and it doesn't have a radio."
"Can I use your phone then?"
**F^^K no** "Uh, ok, I guess so."

So I go back to the bed to get the phone. Next thing I know she's sitting in the driver's seat. I lock my doors EVERY night. In my Century, the lock peg is right under my elbow. So I lock it always just to keep it from poking my arm.
In this Cascadia, it sits behind my elbow. So I guess I can allow for the possibility that I forgot.

Or, then again, the window was down. Guess she coulda opened it. Anyway, I decide that's much better cause now I know she won't run away with my phone. She says, "I gotta call my pop to bring me some money to pay these people so they won't tow my car then get a ride back with him. Can I just stay with you until he gets here?"
**HELL no, I was sleeping. I can't have a woman staying with me. My wife will kill me. yes, I would tell her. Hoe.**
"Uh, I suppose." (mind you, I am still foggy headed. I hear these voices in my head, but I can't verbalize them. All I can do is smile and nod.)

She says, "I'm not a lot lizard, so don't think that's what I'm here for. **Of course you're not** I'm a dancer. **And a darn fine one, I bet** And now my car's broke down and I'm late for work. God, what will I do?"

**I dunno, look for another job. I suspect, since it's 11:30 and the bars won't be open much longer, you're late and fired. You look like you don't work in a high class joint. I bet the boss won't miss you much.**

So she calls and no answer. Man. That totally blew my mind. I didn't see "no answer" coming. What kinda jerk won't answer the phone when his precious snowflake calls in the middle of the night when he knows she works in a dangerous environment such as a Houston suburb poverty level "gentlemen's" club?

"And now they are saying they'll tow my car if I don't come up with some money. I got most of it. I just need another $27.50. Can you help me out with that? I can make it worth your while."
**I bet you could. Give me something anti-bacterial soap won't get rid of?** I ignore her.

"Can they do that? Tow my car, legally?" And she tells the name of the company.

I can't friggin think. I wanna offer her some pearls of wisdom but every time I move my head a fog swirls around my brain. All I can come up with is, "I guess they can. I don't have any cash on me so I can't help you."

HOWEVER; had I been on my toes, I woulda said, "Oh, I know him. Let me give him a call!" *pretend to dial* "Yo! Yeah. No, not yet. HAHA That aint what he said. Yup. Hey listen, I gotta slight situation here... **explain** .... Ok. mm hmm... ok, sure, I'll tell her. Yeah, no no... I'm sure she'll be happy to do that. Ok, I'll tell her. Uh huh. Yeah, next weekend. Oh yeah, I'm amped. No, not with her. I aint going anywhere with her. Gotta jet bro. Ok, bye. What? No. No. NO! hahaha Bye!"

Turn back to the girl and inform her...."Good news! He says if you do for him what you offered to do for ME, he'll waive the fee. What awesome luck for you."

Anyway, she says, "What am I gonna do?"

"I dunno. Sorry I can't help."

Finally she apologized for waking me up and left. I copied the number she called on my phone and pulled up the web and put it in Google search for a reverse look-up. All I could get on it was a cell phone near downtown Houston.

I hunker back down and a knock on the door again. **WTF!?!?!** It's her again.

"Sorry to bother you again. Do you have any change saved up? Another lady had some and now all I lack is about $7." **Dang! You counted $20 in loose change THIS fast?**

"No, sorry."
"None at all?"
"In MY truck, yes. But as I said, I'm in a loaner and only have bare essentials."
"Ok, sorry to bother you." And away she went.

This morning while I was looking back at my call history I noticed she had called my wife four times in the same minute. I've pondered that on and off for a while. Best thing I can think of is she was trying to redial the number and kept tapping my wife's number which was right below the number she was dialing.

Either way, my wife was sacked out and never heard the phone. That woulda been interesting to explain in the middle of the night. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5027 Schneider - Finito foro Nowo http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5021 Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:34:19 GMT This morn I scaled and fueled; went in to grab coffee. On my way in I noticed a couple of buses in the fuel isle; very sharp, sleek, shiny black... This morn I scaled and fueled; went in to grab coffee. On my way in I noticed a couple of buses in the fuel isle; very sharp, sleek, shiny black buses.

Inside I see a group of guys wondering around grabbing snacks and souvenirs. They're dressed in dark clothes, covered in tattoos and piercings.

At the counter I ask one if he's with a band. He looks around and says, "Uh... I'M not in a band."
"I didn't ask if you are in a band. I asked if you're WITH a band; the black buses outside."
"Yeah, those are our buses. But I'm not in a band. But I CAN tell you there IS a band in the vicinity."
"Can you tell me WHO?"
"I CAN."
"But WILL you?"
"It probably isn't the answer you're looking for."

I let it go. When I leave another band guy follows me out. I can't let it go this easy. He's wearing a Pearl Jam tee. Though I doubt it's PJ, I turn around and point at his shirt and ask, "Is this YOU guys?"

He laughs and says, "No." He holds up a stage pass clipped to his belt and says, "We're a heavy metal band: The Black Dahlia Murder."
"Ok. Thanks for answering."
He shook my hand and we parted.

Very friendly guy. Very soft hands. Interesting looking character. He had these things in his ear that made an opening large enough for a small ding-a-ling to pass through. I guess that's for "head banging."

I made my drop in home town and call my DBL to ask about something. He lets me know to head on to the house. He's working together a load plan for me and he'll let me know when we're all together on it. He says probably my next load will be set "for Saturday night/Sunday morning. Go home and enjoy the family."

BOO-YAH! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5021 Not Deer Bait http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5018 Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:47:12 GMT Let me know how this works out for you. Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6922465200_27959fcdc5_z.jpg Let me know how this works out for you.

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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5018 <![CDATA[I Don't Have a Title for This One]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5017 Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:05:35 GMT Heh, this morning as I'm scaling at the shipper I notice a long black streak across the parking lot, across the scale and out the gate. There's no mistaking a dragging tire track.

When I get to the gate I inquire with the guard about the mysterious creature to have left so ominous a track. He want happy about it, especially dragging over the scale. He said they made it out the gate before the tire blew.

I asked who it was. Any guesses? He said it was two females. That's all I'll say. I'm not going to tell you the company because I don't exploit poor, defenseless companies that start with a "W" and end with "erner."

I just suspect one was a trainer.
I can hear it now, "Git yo #### furut off th clutch." :biggrin_2555:
"Girl, my furut ain't on no dayum clutch. Yo truck is raggedy n busted." :biggrin_25524:
"I'll call deespatch in th moanin an tell em they gone hafta fix my sheet." :biggrin_25510: ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5017 Schneider Dallas Twister Benefit http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5016 Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:45:50 GMT FYI- Soon Schneider National will be hosting a benefit concert for victims of Dallas' recent tornado. Headlining the act will be none other than quasi-famous rap band (or something, I dunno what they sing. I never heard of em) Smashing Pumpkins!

Keep an eye out for specifics in an upcoming edition of OTRA Newsletter.

(thanks Pumpkin King for the inspiration on this one. "looked like a squashed pumpkin", ha!) ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5016 Murphys Flaw http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5008 Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:42:38 GMT Well today sucked straws. As posted earlier, you know how the day started. Now comes the rest of the story. They got the light repaired over my... Well today sucked straws. As posted earlier, you know how the day started. Now comes the rest of the story.

They got the light repaired over my cab. Looked to be a wiring issue. Come for the light, stay for the PM. I told them I was under critical load and would have to check with my DBL. A half truth, to be sure. This load wasn't critical, but it was the load to get me to my critical, dedicated load.
And home for the night, which I find critical.

My DBL says, well it's overdue; it's gotta be done. I wait out the two hour minimum and follow up. They tell me it's got stuff written up, so it'll be a while. I report back and my DBL starts trying to set me up with a loaner. I told him he can't give me a loaner; they all got blowed away. He said he'd piece two of them together for me. I tell ya, the man is all heart and soul.

All that's fine and well except, it's a newer model Cascadia. That means I have to watch the training videos, which is essentially a familiarization film. That sets me back about another 40 minutes or so. Then I gotta transfer some stuff and find an mt while he gets the truck assigned to me, then the trailer. By the time all was said and done and I could get out the gate I had about an hour drive time left.

The trip plan was to get the load delivered and head to the house in time to make my boy's first t-ball game, get my ten then head to my critical P/U. Instead, I miraculously made it out the gate and to the Pilot where I could grab some grub.
We have a nice little cafeteria, but I don't have any cash and the only plastic they accept is ComData; and as good as their burgers are, I don't feel like paying three times for one. Thank you very much.

By the time I head out for my P/U, my rig will probably be road ready. I just hope they remember to put oil in it this time.

I conferred with my DBL about me making my drop and deadheading straight back for next P/U, but he said no dice. He tried for that, but our customer is not paying for dedicated service; we are doing it on our own; therefore, I have to have a return load.

That means, in my humble opinion, he has to stay a step ahead of load planners and support shift to ensure me a return load or that I don't get sent astray.

But hey, at least I'm still alive and relatively healthy! And my Sprint phone gives me an occasional signal here in the desert plains of south Dallas. Hoorah!

And I dunno what's up with the OC, if they are doing some remodeling or what, but it looks like a friggin tornado blew through there. Insurance adjusters lurking about. Fence construction crews leaning on shovels. A bunch of wrecked trucks hanging around.... ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5008 Shoulda Hit Snooze http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5005 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:09:15 GMT What a magnificent day this has started out to be! Hit the road from Houston by five heading to OK. Not long after a Hy-Po pulls along side me and... What a magnificent day this has started out to be! Hit the road from Houston by five heading to OK. Not long after a Hy-Po pulls along side me and turns his lights on. I'm doing the limit or less and know I've done nothing wrong and don't have time to fool with him. So I run him off the road and carry on with my day.

Wait! Oh, no I didn't. I pulled over. He asks for my license and my "11-14-70." That gave me pause. I started to ask "what?" When it occurred to me he meant my HOS. So I pulled up my summary and handed him Captain Qualcomm.

Once satisfied he informs me I did nothing wrong, he just wanted to let me know I had an ID light out over my windshield. Thanks officer.
So I write in to dispatch that I'm diverting to Dallas for repair.

Soon I came to the scale south of Huntsville which is now set up for PrePass. I get a red light. Awesome. Then I get the yellow arrow directing me to the inspection area. The friendly inspector lady informs me I'm getting a level 2. All's well so she tells me to park and come inside to finish up.

I greet the other driver signing his paperwork and tell him I wish I'd hit the snooze button. His inspector said, "why? If you'd just started an hour earlier....."
I told him I would have if they wouldn't complain about me violating HOS; that'd be an hour sooner I'd get back to the arms of my loving wife.

Then, the stranger occurrence rears it's head: my BOL. It's not really a BOL. I have to get with my DBL on this. Rather than a BOL, they gave me some kind of email memo from one person to another that vaguely references a load number similar to mine and a week earlier date. *Shrugs* I got nothing more on that. But there was addresses, so they went with that.

They barely spoke English at the shipper, so what can you expect?

They were pretty good natured and friendly.

They asked what I'm hauling. I tell them I'm smuggling chicken feed.
"From a recycling center?"
"Was so nice we'll use it twice. It's that good."

On down the road I get passed by a flatbed driver who had a phone pinched between his ear and shoulder and weaving all over the road. That was bad.
Worse? Some of his boards were hanging about four feet out the passenger's side of his trailer. He's on the phone so there's no getting him on the CB. I can't go any faster to get his attention. I suppose he thinks I'm a ####### for continuously flashing my brights at him.

I warn drivers ahead to watch out for him. A moment later he nearly takes out the tires of another flatbed. But that driver saw the boards and served over to the shoulder just before impact.

Soon a sheriff van comes up behind him and puts an end to that mess. Now I'm in Dallas waiting to get my light replaced and maintenance wants me to stay for an overdue PM.

The day is early. Can't wait to see what the rest of the day holds! WOOT! WOOT! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=5005 Schneider - Totally Dedicated..... Sorta..... http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4999 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:35:40 GMT Friday my DBL called me to let me know I would be starting the dedicated account. He informed me I am required to be available five days a week (ok)... Friday my DBL called me to let me know I would be starting the dedicated account. He informed me I am required to be available five days a week (ok) and that I would be salaried (nice.)

As we had discussed before, this is a brand new gig, so we'll just see how this works out. Not a problem. I'm game to work it out. It seems to accomplish all our desires; I get a predictable schedule/paycheck, increased home time, they get an important account promptly serviced. Win/win, right.

So today I make delivery, promptly, cuz that's just how I roll. En route they update my preassignment. He told me they'd be looking for return loads so I wouldn't have to deadhead all the way back. So I think nothing of it.

When I make my drop I start trying to piece it all together because there's three assignments. They are a return load, my dedicated load and another return load. Cool. I absent-mindedly start going through the motions. Then, as fate would have it, my wonderful wife calls to ask what the plan is after I leave the consignee, and did I do a trip plan? I'm like, "who made you a DBL?"
But my plan is, since I have a live load, go from there because it could take them thirty minutes or three hours and it's difficult to plan around live loads.

She gets on her computer and promptly informs me that my trip plan is null and void, that even making the trip to P/U puts my dedicated in peril and I should call my DBL immediately. Well holy crap, yes ma'am.

So I call and get another DBL, mines out to lunch. I explain my predicament and says he gave me his cell in case of emergencies on this account but what say you? She says, "call him."

I text him. I hate to call anyone when I know they're eating, but still.....

He calls me back and I explain to him that if I head straight back now I can get my ten in before I pick up the next critical load. If I pick up the nearby load, even for a relay, I can't make the critical.

He informs me the load planner put it together, he didn't even look at it, just sent it out to me. Swell. Buck passing is a fun game. I've tried it for years. Sometimes it works out, others, not so well. My wife deserves a consultation fee.

Long story short, this dedicated run; I'm going to have to make my drop and shag straight back for the next pick up, no delays. That will cover my ten and the customer. I'll bust my ###, but it should work out, barring unforseen circumstances.

He sent me on to pick up the other load and said they'd set me up for the next pick up. With that, I should get a break at home if all goes well.

It's fun to go on the learning curves with the boss. Heh. No really, this is right up my alley, working out a new game plan and figuring out what works and what don't. Since I'm salary now, I don't need to care if I run 500 miles less or whatever. This, I can do. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4999 Health Insurance woes http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4979 Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:56:05 GMT I got a letter from my company health insurance saying that since I'm a smoker I am either required to pay $100 more a month in premium or enroll in a Quit Smoking program. Well, I call BS on that and here's why:

Economics. It is said that smoking increases healthcare costs. Therefore; smokers must pay more. Ok. (Or not ok.) HOWEVER; non-smokers cost the healthcare industry MORE than smokers. How? Because they live longer to rack up a higher bill. That's it in short as reported by the New England Journal of Medicine.

So I propose this (unpolitically correct) argument, homosexuals, particularly males, have a medically proven increased risk of disease. Therefore; THEY too should pay higher premiums. Or they can enroll in "De-Gaying" programs to cease and desist in their unhealthy lifestyle.

OR perhaps the insurance industry can cease and desist in trying to control our lives and simply do their job; which is, I pay you a "savings account" of sorts to cover costs that may be associated with my life. Just do that. Stop trying to tell me what I should do with my life. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4979 Schneider - All Systems Go.... down http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4978 Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:30:21 GMT I dunno what to think. The "Dedicated" run I was offered was understood to be a trial to see how this new run would work out, but getting everyone on the same page is a great task indeed when you have so many hands on one project.

A company as large as Schneider appears to have far too many people with power to make assignments and changes. Right Hand? Meet Left Hand. Yall shake and get to know each other. Work on your communication skills and let each other know what's going on. It'll be good for everybody.

I took assignment from Houston to SE OK. En route was given assignment from same location to Colorado. Nice. I messaged my DBL asking him to verify that assignment. Since the tornado in Dallas, I know things are a bit chaotic. If he needs me to stay in the area for the dedicated, perhaps he should let someone know to reassign me.
He messaged me back informing me that I may not be taking the load to Colorado.

I never heard another word, so I took the assignment. Since I was close to home, I stopped for lunch with the family in Hugo, OK. (I gotta add, if you get a chance to stop in Hugo, go eat at Molinas Mexican near the town square. EXCELLENT enchiliadas!)

When I got ready to haul @$$ I received a message to call my DBL ASAP. So I call and get told to relay my load in OKC. Swell. Then I get assignment from OKC back to Dallas. Aiighty.

So this morn I drop my trailer, grab an MT and head over to the shipper. The shipper informs me, "Someone's already picked up that load." BAAAHAHAHAHA oh how AWESOME! I didn't even want that load anyhow.

I call my DBL and he tells me, "Well that don't surprise me. Our system's are down and everything's screwed up. I'll call you back when we get things back in order."

Oh, ok. Good. Because I hate making money. I prefer to spend all my time sitting at a truck stop blogging on the Trucker's Report anyway. So thanks for the free time.
Meh!
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4978 Schneider - Roll With It http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4969 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:49:28 GMT Last couple of weeks have profited fairly well. I had an eye doc appointment Friday afternoon so my DBL assured me he'd work it out with me.

F-A-I-L! But it wasn't his fault. I had things pretty well paired out where I'd be cutting it close when the unexpected happened.

I was loaded from one shipper with a double drop; a partial live unload with a drop and roll to follow. As it turned out, the first drop was overshipped by one pallet, and they refused it.

That left me in limbo until it could be determined what to do with that one pallet. With a couple hours lost on my day, it was decided the lone pallet could be dropped at a local warehouse.

My wife decided to come to Dallas to get me to save time on my ride to the appointment. I figured I could get a PM done over the weekend. She bumped back my appointment by an hour, but we still couldn't pull it off. The doc rescheduled me for Monday.

So that pallet cost me a whole other day's work. But we had a great weekend, nonetheless.

As I was preparing to leave the OC, my DBL caught up to me and asked if I'd be interested in a dedicated run. There's a trade-0ff, he says, mileage will be limited to "X# to Y#" BUT you'll probably hit the house about twice a week. And, depending on what time you start your week, you should be home every Friday by maybe 3 p.m., guaranteed home every weekend. Reason is, we want to pay special attention to this account and take good care of this customer. SO, we are preferring drivers who live in the area that can attend to it easily."

I said, "Sign me up."
Wife and I talked figures, and there's a fair chance that what I'll miss in earnings will make up in home time. Meaning, Those particular times I can easily eat at home and the route is guaranteed rather than hit-or-miss runs. So, it also affords the comfort of predictability because it operates on a near fixed schedule.

On this particular account, we pick up from a D.C. and drop at a store. They have an empty ready for us to trade out. So today I pull the empty away from the dock and when I get out to close my doors, what do my wondering eyes behold?
They decided my trailer would be an ideal place to store their rollers. I find them falling out of my trailer. Swell.

While I was out the past couple of weeks I managed to get a few snapshots. I'll share em with ya. A friend suggested I stop in Arizona on I-10 and see "The Thing." So I did. It was only a dollar.
I'll warn ya if you stop, the Dairy Queen is not the best. It's "ok." But the cold fries kinda set me off. That added to they don't serve steak fingers, which is what I was hankering.

South of Phoenix from the Flying J.


Hot air balloon over northern Phoenix.
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4969 Schneider - Tornado Hits Dallas O. C. http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4967 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:20:32 GMT As most of you probably know by now, today, April 3, 2012, a tornado hit the Schneider O. C. in Dallas, Texas. Thankfully, I can report that, thus... As most of you probably know by now, today, April 3, 2012, a tornado hit the Schneider O. C. in Dallas, Texas.

Thankfully, I can report that, thus far, everyone is accounted for and no injuries are reported. Furthermore; the facility proper in undamaged. The yard is what took the hit.
Word is also, the Flying J next to the O.C. is in bad repair, but I can't find any definites on it.

With that, I don't know what else to say on the matter. Therefore; I'll just share some photo's that I've nabbed. Some are news pix, others were taken by a driver on the grounds and are credited to him, Napoleon Gutierrez. He posted them, and more, on Schneider's Facebook page.

Please note, I jest only because no one here was hurt. Less the injuries, I feel no shame in making light. So, please don't think I'm being cruel, mean or what have you. I just tend to look o n the lighter side and try to ease the tension. Especially since no one was hurt.

As for me, I was near Houston at the time.

First, a news video clip of the action in progress: Tornado tossing tractor-trailers into the air.

High Flying Action!


A worse than rookie mistake proves that tornadoes can NOT back a trailer.
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4967 To Do, and Not To Do http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4943 Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:07:52 GMT We all pick up some funny or scary stories from time to time. So here's some I picked up recently.


  • At the O.C. a couple drivers were talking about tires. Once commented he recently had fairly new tires all around, less than 25K miles. He picked up a nail in one.

The tech replaced it with a tire that was nearly out of tread. He had to hit em up a a tire that would closely resemble the tread on the remaining tires.


  • Another driver replied that a tech put recaps on his steer. When pointed out to him, he didn't understand why the truck couldn't have recaps on the steer.

The driver said, "Well, it's exceedingly dangerous and illegal. Other than that, I guess I don't have a good reason."


  • Not long ago a guy told me his former trainer/team runner had trained a guy that broke him from training for a long time.

The trainer had been with his student for several days. He had gotten fairly comfortable with him and began to trust him.

At this place, once you were trusting, you let them have the cab and operate as team. So, he went to sleep. For some reason he had a waking feeling that he was being watched. His eyes popped open.

There, standing right in front of him was his student, digging in the fridge. When the student noticed the trainer was looking at him he said, "Don't worry, boss. I got it on auto-pilot." (Meaning cruise control.)

The trainer flew to the wheel and seized control of the truck. Pulled over and rationally let loose a flurry of expletives, called in to the office and ordered a bus ticket at the nearest station for his student.


  • A friend of mine recently helped a female. He had just left said dock. He says it was a tough spot to hit. She was a fellow Schneider driver. He said the dock was so tight, it took him about 25 minutes to work into it, blind-side only.


She got out frantic and begging him to pull it in for her. He refused but promised to guide her. After she got in, he learned she was a recent hire with Schneider, but had five years experience.
Schneider hired her in at 36 cpm. But she complained she was only getting, maybe 1,500 miles per week (mpw.)

One moral there is, you may get the pay rate you want, but the trade off is you get more time to reflect on your pay rate than actually earning it. I call it, "pricing yourself out of a job."


  • And now to get some rest. I got a double drop tomorrow. Then to shag on home for an appointment. Follow that with a nephews b-day party.... follow that with the wife's birthday. I think I figured out what to get her for her birthday. She's going to get.... LUCKY! WOOT! WOOT! :biggrin_255:
]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4943 Schneider - Out of Cali http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4930 Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:12:28 GMT I skirted L.A. on I-5. It was a first for me to be in the area. I had hope to get a skyline pic. However; I learned that 210 goes WAY outside said... I skirted L.A. on I-5. It was a first for me to be in the area. I had hope to get a skyline pic. However; I learned that 210 goes WAY outside said area.

I camped out at the OC in Fontana and made on to Phoenix. I made it to my drop only to be told to come back at 0600. Ah well, I'm out of hours anyway, so I chill and enjoy the fine weather.

I have found myself feeling more and more withdrawn. I have three people I consistently talk to on the phone. Other than that, I find I am less inclined to even want to talk to anyone. Save my wife, at times I don't even want to talk to the other two people on the phone. Disconnected.

My wife talks about us getting together with others for a social time when I get home. I look forward to it; I really do. But the disconnected part of me dreads it. But I know I need it. It's like healing. Still... too much time alone.

However; I have gotten through some good books. And this weekend, I look forward to being home. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4930 Schneider - Go Further... West http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4922 Mon, 26 Mar 2012 05:56:21 GMT Regional? What a friggin joke. My weekend was again bypassed so I could quickly make Fido happy in California.

Now I've had the pleasure of seeing the Mojave Desert. The Mojave River was interesting. I crossed over it.... white sand as far as the eye can see. They shouldn't tease people with the word "river." But, it IS California. Mislabeling is a way of life.

As I left Phoenix, I saw a bunch of hot air balloons lifting off. That was cool. I stopped at the rest area on I-17 south of Flagstaff. Since time wasn't pressing .... I didn't press it. I wondered about a bit and took a few cool pix.

Ah, back in N. Mex I had stopped at the Pilot (which is where I was inspired for the "Dear Fellow Motorist" post, a T-Shirt) and they had a post office. So I sent a card to my parents and my wife/kids. My eldest boy was tickled to death to get mail from daddy.

When I received my assignment to drop here in Cali, I wrote in and asked if I needed a p/u or drop #. They responded with a p/u number but said I didn't need a drop number.

Well the consignee begged to differ. While I miss my daughter's induction into the National Honors Society, I get to spend over thirty minutes on hold with support shift to get a drop number.

I made my way to a little truck stop and called in. They said there wa no freight available at this time, "especially in California. Perhaps tomorrow."

How can there not be any freight in California? It's California! They are always belching their garbage out across the country!

Well, as long as I have to suffer it, I hope they make it cool for me and let me take 80 over to San Fran and down to L. A. Then HOME. I hear I-1 is a nice ride. Even better on a motorcycle.

I got an eye doc appointment Friday.

And on a gripe, joining the chorus against HHM, they are paying me for 777 miles. I clocked about 945. It's one thing to lay a ruler on a map and figure "as the crow flies." It's another to drive it.
One may drive 6 miles down a mountain and 6 miles up the next whereas a bird may only fly two from point-to-point.
So yeah, I call BS on the HHM miles.

Whoever the ####### was that came up with HHM should be strung up and beaten like a pińata. And if he's already dead, dig him up and do it anyway. Inform his family they're next. Bet they plead the industry's employees forgiveness and the industry companies to change their wicked ways.

Coming out of AZ I was passed by three other Schneider rigs. Depressing, yeah. As I got into Cali a short-short later I saw one of them on the side of the road visiting with CHiPs. Poor guy.

And with that, a bid a fond good night from near Sacramento. Meh. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4922 Schneider - Go West Young Man http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4913 Sat, 24 Mar 2012 02:52:12 GMT I finally scored a run out west. A 1,500 mile run to Phoenix, AZ. First I had to reconfigure for time zone change the other way. Then I had to... I finally scored a run out west. A 1,500 mile run to Phoenix, AZ.

First I had to reconfigure for time zone change the other way. Then I had to remember that AZ doesn't recognize Daylight Savings Time. So when I woke up, it was a trick to discover that I'm TWO hours, rather than one, off from home time.

The down side to a great run, it has costs me getting to see my elder daughter's induction ceremony into the National Honors Society.

And furthermore; either there's no freight, computer's messed up again, or they just aint getting my messages that I have been ready for another load for the past four hours and my clock is winding down.

On my way here I took a ten in OKC at the Pilot. I was parked facing away from the store. When coming out the store I just happened to notice my bolt seal wasn't intact. Upon closer inspection I realized that it had not been installed properly. The bottom part just fell right off.

Also, while there, I went across the road and got a new CB set up. Traded in my Cobra 29 for a Raptor that was customized with a linear giving about 80w of output and a Striker antenna.

That takes care of whatever it was the Schneider mechanics screwed up. Now I can reach a lil further than 50 yards. With my CB mic in hand, making noise just to hear my mechanical echo, I feel so much safer than talking to my DBL on a hands free headset while I drive. (Ok, I don't really call in to the office while I'm driving. But they DO call me from time to time.)

My wife suffered some sticker shock. She immediately tried to compromise with me by going online and finding CB's for $50 and antenna for $25. And questioning reasons etc.

I told her I realize she "don't get it" and that's ok. I don't really "get it" either nor can I adequately explain. Tim the Toolman, the mower works fine, but could be better. That's all I can relate.

At the same time, I told her I'm completely flexible. If it's a problem, I just won't buy it.
Well, she's flexible too (in multiple ways.) So sweetheart, thank you. I love you.

Now we need to set up a home base station so you and the kids can talk to me on that. hahahaha:biggrin_25523::biggrin_25523:
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4913 Dear Fellow Motorist, http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4911 Sat, 24 Mar 2012 01:26:58 GMT Dear Fellow Motorist,

Last night, while you slept soundly in your own bed, I drove for eleven hours non-stop. Then I slept in my "office" in a strange parking lot. As soon as I awoke, I drove another eleven hours.

I prayed some cop wasn't bored and pull me over for an inspection "just cause he can;" which would delay my arrival by at least an hour.

I didn't get to kiss my wife and kids "good-night" because I was 2,000 miles away from home.

Despite my best efforts, I still missed my daughter's graduation. I hope I can make it home for vacation before my plane leaves.

Truth be told, I don't get paid enough for all this, yet I still do it just so YOU can get your bag of chips.

So please excuse me if my "big, dangerous truck" is making you thirty seconds late for a ball game.

Sincerely,

America's Freight Movers ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4911 Schneider - Games Resume http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4887 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:35:06 GMT Hello my dear Monday. I've eagerly awaited your arrival. All thruout the awesome weekend I was forced to endure, I knew in the back of my mind you, dear Monday, held you're arms wide open waiting for me to draw near enough for you to fling dung at me.

I hop in my precious Schneider provided ride in the wee hours ready to rock and roll. Let's make some money! Oh, wait, Qualcomm says, "wait a moment..... Ok, screw you."

I was never able to "complete" my drop Friday because they couldn't seem to get it through Qualcomm that no empties were available. I figured, the way my DBL talked, it would be removed. No, it was still there in all it's annoying glory.... Plus the assignment to drop said empty at a different location.

After three different calls they finally advised me on what to do, "On our end we don't show that task. Fake the system, tell it you picked it up."
Ok, mission accomplished.

Until later.

At my next drop, I have the exact same problem err one difference, I picked up an empty. Almost didn't because it had a kingpin lock. Turned out to be the stores.

Here I sit now, having already made another P/U, but I can't show it on the computer because the "P/U empty" list seems non responsive. After multiple inputs and phone calls, no change. I dunno if the keyboard jockeys just ain't understanding me or if there's a glitch in the matrix.

After my last phone call nearly an hour ago I was told they will "complete" my assignment and make my preassignment active. Still I wait. I write in and asked if there was a problem with my system. A moment ago I got notice my preassignment had changed, but it never tells us what was changed. It's still no help.

At my last drop-P/U, the get in-get out was easy enough, walk in, sign papers, (preloaded) so drop my empty grab my loaded and have a nice day. My drop; however, was not so simple. Tight spot. But I managed and got on my way.

I headed to the nearest Pilot and parked with four minutes on my clock. I got right into a spot, but this little place is busy and filled up right after I got here. A truck broke down on the CAT, so that added to peoples misery. But all's ok I guess. Now to stay on top of them to fix my Work Flow so in the morning I can just go and hope to stay ahead of the storms.

Roll well. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4887 Dang Good Weekend http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4881 Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:01:28 GMT I couldn't help but wonder about this weekend, when I'd get home and what then. The last few weeks I've suffered a severe trade-off.

Since I went home with a load that didn't have an appointment, just drop by mid-night, I've stayed home as late as I could.
Downside to that is it's put me at hours like four a.m. searching for a place to stop for my ten. Come week's end, It's like two a.m. on Saturday morn before I get home. :biggrin_25526:

But this week scored me a hitch in my giddyup. I lost a day's work due to my appointment date being a lil further off in the future than I desired. Therefore; I ended up getting moving again in the wee hours.

With that; I found myself at two p.m. on Friday sitting an hour from the house asking if I could go home. Slight issue, computers were down. When the computers don't work, I guess the entire trucking industry just coasts to a stop.
My drop location had no empties. The office kept sending me trailer numbers for me to pick up and I kept replying "Trailer not found. No trailers available."

I called back in to my DBL to ask if I could head on home before my clock wore out. He said, "First, we're gonna have you drop an MT at brand X location. Then go home."
I asked where I was to get an empty from. He told me to go back to my drop and ask if they had one yet. If not, call him back. Which they did not, so he sent me straight home.
Worked out well, since I parked with about 25 minutes left on my clock. That other stop would have.... you know.

Anyway, we had a good weekend. A couple of couples over for a burger/beer fest last night. A good "phone friend" made it over. We talk to quite a bit on the road but we just hardly work it out to where we can get together. So it was good to have him and his wife over.

They (Schneider) called me yesterday to ask if I would be willing to take a load at four a.m. Monday morning. Nice of them to call. When they did, it dawned on me that I didn't set my NAT on WorkFlow. However; I had told my DBL to let me know if they'd need me since he pointed out that I was "going home early."

And they called again this morning to confirm when I would be picking up the load because "it's ready now." Guess they were worried I wouldn't make it on time. I'm not that far away.

All the same, it was a good weekend, lawn mowed, kids gratified.... and the wife....
Well, earlier she put some snacks in the oven. I asked he if she wanted to "go do it while that cooks." :biggrin_255:
My seven year old, playing HALO in the living room, laughed and yelled "Oh MY GOD!..... I know what yall are talking about. S-E-X." :biggrin_25523: ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4881 Schneider - All For What? http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4851 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:32:26 GMT Couple nights ago I parked at the FJ in Tulsa to kill time while waiting a new assignment. Whole backing into my spot, it was a little bit tricky.... Couple nights ago I parked at the FJ in Tulsa to kill time while waiting a new assignment. Whole backing into my spot, it was a little bit tricky. Another driver came over to assist. I don't often offer help because of a couple reasons: instinctively I feel every one around me is better qualified, therefore who am I to offer help? I know that's a bum thought and I strive to overcome it.

The second reason is more prevailing; I have mixed emotions when someone spots for me. On one hand, I appreciate the help, on the other hand, it's like they are breaking my flow. They don't just answer my question of "do I have room?", they take over the situation. And since they are there to help, they don't appreciate your non compliance.

As I was backing into said spot I noticed a driver flagging me to stop and he warned if how close I was on my blind side. Soon he nearly had me backing into the truck on my drive side.

Hence, my desire to help others is impeded by others who over help me.

This trip has brought me by the house. I got to eat some of the buffalo burgers I cooked Sunday for my daughters birthday, dig a splinter out of my two year old's foot (fun,) help the wife with some furniture, shower and mosey on. I hated to go; and perhaps could have tendered my 10 there. A big part of me wishes I did.

Alas, my "working man" side begged I press on. I went on to the Dallas OC to get my dolly handle replaced due to severe frustration it caused me. And tomorrow I need to inquire about my new PrePass unit. I honestly don't expect it in yet, but a show on my part will remind my DBL I'm tired of stopping at every weigh station. Such good as that may do, we shall see. A friend had been trying about three months to get his replacement.

I've been listening to audio books on my phone. I get free ones in the public domain from Librivox.org. Lately, I've been listening to The Count of Monte Cristo. It's not much like the movie. But still good.

I listened 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Not much like Disney's movie. I couldn't wait for the book to end. My mind was screaming and pleading with Jules Vern to shut the hell up. Totally ruined any thought of wanting to hear his other stories.

With that, good night and God speed. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4851 <![CDATA[What's to Say?]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4848 Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:22:00 GMT I ain't written for a spell, mainly cuz nothing much interesting to say. Makes me feel kinda bad. Seems upon reflection, if I don't have a complaint.... Well, I guess no news is good news. Our I just ain't been up to it.

LaSt week I got started late in the day, so it made most of my days upside down; hard to adjust to. Makes it even harder to find the end if my shift at 4 a.m. and try to get a decent parking spot, or ANY parking. But, thank the Good Lord I managed.

My "home run" landed me a relay to pick up, go home, then deliver to Laredo. Soon after my DBL called me to let me know I'd be relaying it at home; another driver was trying to get home, so a trailer swap was in order. No prob. Down side, it lowered my "first out" miles for when I went back on duty. But I'm all for helping someone get home.

I made up for it easy by managing two deliveries before this shift ended. So all is well.

A cool and rare sighting recently, a turkey flew across the road in front of me. Took me a minute to recognize it cause it was a first for me.

This past weekend the wife scored a nice deal. She came in from shopping and handed the kids a couple video games. Excited the older one said, "This says X box 360. Will this work on my X Box?"
I broke his heart to inform him I didn't think so. Wife then handed him a 360. Imagine the look on his face.

With that, my PS3 enjoyment was thwarted for the weekend. But that was ok. We had a blast playing the Konect games. He wore me out playing boxing, volleyball, track & field, etc.
He was jumping on me, hi 5's, hugs, etc. Then told me he wishes I'd beg for my old job back so I could be home every night to spend time with him.

Makes it almost impossible to tell my wife she can be mad if she wants, but I'm no longer working away from home. Even if it means suffering unemployment until something else comes along. Meh.

All the same, life could be worse. Despite the hardships of this type work, she could be unfaithful, mean, etc. But she's not. She don't like it, but we're making do, knowing God has better for us in the long run. I know it's hard on her, and I love and appreciate her. I hope she believes that. Cause I often think she can do much better than settling for the likes of me. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4848 Blow This Joint http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4827 Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:44:36 GMT Weeeee..... My first blowout. How very exciting from the norm. So nice to sit on the side if the highway and watch traffic. Quiet a hang out for... Weeeee..... My first blowout. How very exciting from the norm. So nice to sit on the side if the highway and watch traffic.

Quiet a hang out for Hy-Po. They're pulling people over like crazy here.

It's not so much a blow out. Just my fashionable retread separated. Now my tire is nekkid. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4827 Schneider - WTF? http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4825 Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:51:39 GMT I'm not all that smart a guy, I know. So I'm having some real difficulty understanding something. Maybe one of y'all can throw me a bone here.

So Monday around 15:30 I'm getting ready to throw some meat on the grill and have steak before I hit the road. My DBL calls and asks where I'm at.
That kinda caught me off guard because I've never covered the satellite on my truck, it can still be tracked. Doesn't he know the truck is sitting right where I parked it at 01:30 Saturday?

I tell him I'm at home. When will I make delivery? I expect by midnight.

He asks me, and I kid you not, "When will that be?"
Um, somewhere between 11:59 & 12:01.

"Crap, you did not update your NAT on the computer. We have another load on you and that customer is asking where you are."

I'm sorry. I did forget to do that. I can bite the bullet on that one. You can now tell them where I am at. What do you want me to do?
He says he'll try to find someone else to get it.

Soon he calls again, "I really need you to get moving ASAP on this. This next load, there's no one else available and this can't sit there over night." (deadline was 1400.)

Ok, where is it? South Louisiana? About 190 miles from my drop? Well, I'll get there when I can? When will I drop, uh, between 11 & 12. Ok? Cool.

Ha ha ha sheet. After I eat my ribeye, yo!

So I make it to my new pickup this morn about 5 a.m. (Apparently it CAN sit on their lot over night.) Only problem, they don't open till 7. But I get in and out with out a hitch. Truck stop less than a mile away, cool. Update the computer on everything, done.

Around 8 while I was on the phone with my wife before I bedded down and I get a message from DBL asking if I had picked up the load yet. Yup.

About an hour later I hear my phone and I think to myself, "dang, I feel like I've hardly slept. Can't believe the alarm is going off already." Then I hit the stop button. I suddenly realize that was a phone call, not the alarm.

It rings again right away; my DBL wanting to know what time I'll make delivery.

Here I ask "WTF?"
I forget to update the computer when I end work for time off. They don't bother to call to verify, they just put a load on me and it service fails.

I pick up said load and update everything as I should and they call to ask me what I already answered in the almighty computer they spent so much money to get them through their meager existence.

Perhaps their money would have been better spent on Qualcomm pagers to inform of new assignments rather than updating to software that's upset the very balance of the space-time continuum.

But I do have to say, that as much as we all enjoy or gripe fests, my lovely partner in life has pointed out that the last couple of weeks have actually kept me going with little to no downtime. So, it's not all bad.

And now, I'll part in song-

I saw you in blue.
I saw you in yellow.
But I picked you, Red,
Cause you remind me of jello.
Then I opened my mouth
And I start to bellow....

I hate you
Red Solo CUP!
You messed me UP
Last night at the party...
Last night at the partyyyyy! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4825 Hope for Change in Gas Price http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4795 Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:46:16 GMT Here's a sticky note someone left on a gas pump.


]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4795 Weee-Ooooo! Weee-Ooooo! http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4794 Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:42:19 GMT What an exciting morning. Yesterday was crap. I vote yesterday down. I removed it from my Friend List. I thought surly I would go to bed and the next... What an exciting morning. Yesterday was crap. I vote yesterday down. I removed it from my Friend List. I thought surly I would go to bed and the next time I opened my eyes it would be a brand new, better day.

Last night I parked myself at the Pilot in Marion, IL. If you have noted the news today, you know what that means.
Normally I sleep pretty hard. However; about four a.m. this morning I was rudely awakened by heavy rain, hail, high wind and tornado sirens.

Hopefully this won't be taken the wrong way, but I'm a tornado fan. I love videos of tornados, etc. Therefore; one might think I was excited.
No.
It's hard to get very excited about a tornado I can't see; which is usually a problem associated with darkness.

I sent my wife a text, which thankfully she did not see until after she woke up later in the morn. I checked the weather on my phone. Word was the twister was about 6 miles to my south east, too far away to worry about..... Unless it spawned another one. But since there's nothing I could do, I see little sense in fretting over it.

Soon after I heard a loud bang and my truck rocked hard. Great, someone hit me. I looked out the window and a truck is backing in next to me. I get dressed and go look, not a scratch. No idea what happened.

My wife asked why I didn't go into the store. Well, it's coming a flood and hailing like crazy. If there is a tornado, I'm safer in a truck than running across a parking lot. Even if we took a direct hit, the truck is some kind, even if not ideal, of a barrier. Whereas running in the open leaves me with no protection at all. Plus the truck has a better chance of weighing me down than my cutie bootie.

Cheers to excitement.
Y'all stay safe! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4794 Truckers Must be Crazy http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4777 Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:19:29 GMT In an observation I pointed out to my wife: truckers must be the most gullible employees in the world. Whether the nation realizes it or not,... In an observation I pointed out to my wife: truckers must be the most gullible employees in the world.

Whether the nation realizes it or not, there's not a single thing anyone owns that did not involve a trucker at some point.

We wake up and go straight to work. We stop work and go to sleep in our truck. We have very little down time between "shifts." We must often fight for time with our family. We worry whether or not we'll make it home on time for important events. When we do get home, companies treat us as if we are inconveniencing them. We constantly scrutinize pay statements to make sure we don't get shafted.

Adding insult, the government heavily (and increasingly) regulates us to wage suppressing pains. Relaxes restrictions allowing foreign truckers to cross into our freight lanes which decreases the amount of available work for American drivers.

All this for what probably amounts to less than minimum wage. As a further employer once told me, "There has to be a better way to go broke than this." ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4777 Back to it http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4775 Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:36:03 GMT As it turned out last Thursday, with all the delay with truck problems, I made it home for my ten hour break. My DBL told me he would have an... As it turned out last Thursday, with all the delay with truck problems, I made it home for my ten hour break. My DBL told me he would have an assignment to rout me back to the house.

When I looked up it, it made no sense. Friday was the 24th. But he had me doing this final run on the 27th. So I called support for clarification. They looked at it and were like "WTF?"
So they had me bobtail on home. Cool!

We went to Monster Jam. It wasn't as good this year. But on the way back to the hotel, it was dark, and I heard my 3 year old in the back complain, "Daaaaad..... I can't see my booger!"
I turn on the light and sure enough he's studying his finger.

On this trip, I had to pick up an empty locally first. As I was leaving the guard looked at me fir s sec then asked my name, quoted where I lived previously..... Then pointed out I am on her moms Facebook list. Small world. At least it was local. That would be weirder if it was cross country.

Right before hitting the Louisiana border we got a slight diversion. A Tango Truck was being pulled out of the trees. As one driver quoted over the radio, "I don't care who you drive for; that right there is a sad, sad day."
If that driver survived, he's probably hurting so bad he wish he didn't.

Other than that, pretty uneventful. Will finish this drop first thing in the a.m. then get ready to head to Lima. The joy just runs down my leg. At least I won't be sitting for hours wondering what's goin on.

When I see the bumper sticker saying "Don't Dodge it, Ram it!," I feel a compelling urge to comply. Especially if it's accompanied by a "Just Do It" tag. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4775 Schneider- Home for the Holi....... Home http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4763 Sat, 25 Feb 2012 07:04:44 GMT In case anybody actually takes the time to follow me or wonders, YES, I did get home this weekend, as promised. Had a very confusing work... In case anybody actually takes the time to follow me or wonders,

YES, I did get home this weekend, as promised. Had a very confusing work assignment, but I made it. (dang this is nice to do on PC rather than Evo.)

I actually was able to get HOME for my 10 hr break between 3:30-4 this morning. The delay was because of repairs needed that I reported on earlier.
Then I finished up and came back to the house.

Nonetheless, I was NOT on a hard deadline, so all was well. I did not sleep good. Even my wife woke me to question me about my restlessness.

Once I finally got moving about, we went and picked up my eldest boy from school before I left.

I did have a pre-assignment that I was anticipating. But I paid little/no attnetion to it until I was ready to give it some focus. Once I got ready to, it made very little sense. It seemed to have been put together by someone with dyslexia.

It showed me picking up a loaded by appointment between 8-9 Monday morning in Lewisville and delivering to Grand Prairie by 2300 before going home for the weekend. Hard dates, 2/27, ETA, 2/24.

I called support to clarify and even they were like "WTF?"
I verified with them what MT trailer I had hooked and they said they would be in touch. After getting my paperwork caught up I decided to get off site and head to Love's. As I hit the gate a note came in: ditch the trailer and bob home. So.... I did. Ohhhhh yeah!

Tomorrow? Monster Jam at the Jerry-Dome in Arlington, TX! :headbang: :blob6:

]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4763 Dumb Trucking Observations http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4762 Sat, 25 Feb 2012 06:33:16 GMT My only access to the web when I'm on the road is VIA my phone, unless I'm at an OC. And since I've not yet hacked my phone to make it a modem, I can't use my laptop.
And since mobile software is still not quite as capable as desktop, I've been having difficulty transferring this video to Trucker's Report.

But since I am home now....

While I enjoy my blogging, I do get tired of typing with my thumbs. I decided to give video-blogging a try.
Now that I'm at the house, I uploaded this "Dumb Trucking Observations" to Facebook and found the link that I could display here.
Since Trucker's Report does not yet support video, I could only link it.
On MY Pc, it only shows the video. On your device, I don't yet know how it may look.

Anyway, enjoy my retarded self.

Allow me to pre-answer your questions that my wife brought up:
1) No, I am NOT nekkid. I WAS topless. I like boobies.
2) The low light and sunglasses? No, I was NOT on drugs. I was fearful. I did not want to be identified. I am in the Jehovah's Witness Protection Program. (not my joke, but funny as hell, I thought)

Click here to view "Dumb Trucking Observations"
or you can copy/paste the following URL:
http://www.facebook.com/v/2694230442969

UPDATE: Video should now be available for public consumption. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4762 Holes in the Ground http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4760 Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:23:41 GMT THIS is why landing gear goes on the concrete instead of asphalt.
No, I didn't do it. I parked over it.

]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4760 <![CDATA[Schneider - Sit & Spin.... and Sit..... and Spin]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4749 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:25:00 GMT Yesterday I made my drop. While unloading, the dock boss made me come in and look at the trailer. There was a big hole in the roof where a forklift... Yesterday I made my drop. While unloading, the dock boss made me come in and look at the trailer. There was a big hole in the roof where a forklift hit it.

As I was getting ready to leave I tried to walk slow to avoid the Werner driver that talked way to much. No luck. Once he saw me he waited.

He did tell me something worth filing away for consideration. He said he had dropped here, went down the road to a parking lot and got orders to come back for load. He was ticked they didn't tell him that while he was already on site.

I perused my truck stop guide; small one 14 miles this way, medium one 20 miles that. I decided to just park down the road 7 miles that had some truck parking.

A little while later came my next load, pick up across the street from my drop. Glad I didn't go on. What's better is the place to repair my trailer sits right in front if the shipper.

Finally got my loaded and ready to roll when my "check/stop engine" light came on. So now I'm back at the shop I left this morning.

This morning a yard jockey from across the way came into the shop. She had complaints about Swift & Werner drivers; primarily that they often block the road and all too often they take too long/too many tries to hit the dock.
That's her story and she's sticking to it. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4749 Impossible True Story http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4739 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:13:50 GMT I am so totally blown away. I just watched the most impossible true story Hollywood/Disney has EVER produced! It says so right on the box! ... I am so totally blown away. I just watched the most impossible true story Hollywood/Disney has EVER produced! It says so right on the box!

Secretariat. Not too shabby of a movie. It wasn't as inspiring as The Greatest Game Ever Played, but still.....

Here's my synopsis, may be a spoiler.
The movie is about a rich girl who takes over her father's failing racehorse farm and turns it around to history making proportions.

Truly inspired me to feel like I could accomplish anything. Our at least something if I had a million dollars.

The movie also displayed how gambling can defeat communism. The rich girl's daughter appeared to cast on the shackles of capitalism as she abandoned her hippy ways to join her successful mother in front of the TV cameras.

I will soon be watching another movie that was based on a true story: Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2: The Family Just Got Bigger. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4739 Letting the Good Times Roll http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4725 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:29:52 GMT I have the Pandora Radio app on my phone. Occasionally I'll hook it to the radio and enjoy. I listened to some comedy. It was kinda funny, but pretty filthy.

So I searched for "clean comedy." One came up with "Christian comics." I thought, ok, I can do that. Didn't take long to figure out they lied. Almost as bad.

I searched for Mitch Hedberg. I get a kick out of him. Pandora posts an "Explicit Language" warning. Thanks guys, NOW you tell me I might hear wordy dirds.

So my promise to you is this warning; I promise to keep it clean. If that's unacceptable to you and you prefer something dirty and offensive, go change a diaper. All content henceforth is out of my own head, just like me. Even if it is inspired by other stories.

I used to think movies were an excellent way to learn about history. Bill & Ted: So-Crates was a most excellent philoso-phizer. Napoleon had his butt handed to him at Waterloo, but he enjoyed water slides.

Pearl Harbor, the one with Matt Affleck and Ben Damon. (Yeah, they got married and took each others name. Hollyweird. Psh.) Anyway, they mentioned in school a time or two that the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor so we invited ourselves over for a cookout.

So I thought this might be a pretty cool movie. I had no idea that Alec Baldwin led the daring Doolittle raid. How cool is that!

I had never heard of the Doolittle Raid. I was disappointed to learn Alec survived and went on to lead the F.ilm A.ctors G.uild in Team America. (Another must see and inspiring film.)

Another famous "inspired by true story" film that was "not true" is Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
The real story has nothing to do with Texas.... Or chainsaws... Or massacres.

The real story, if I recall correctly, was about a serial killer in Wisconsin. Not that I want to get into the difference between massacres and serial killers. But suffice it to say there's a slight difference between massacring a bunch of people at one time or one at a time. Numbers and timing, that's where it's at.

Point being, Hollywood, SCREW YOU! You have FAILED me as an educator. I no longer have faith in your ability to properly educate me.

What the heck is wrong with you showing me crap like Avatar? What in Gods name makes you think I want to see the smurfs all grown up, making out and fighting because they think humans are not environmentally friendly?

I noticed today that a section of I-10 in Florida is called the "Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway." I've seen many roads and bridges named in someone's memory. I don't get that. But ok.

It's great that Florida honors the Pearl Harbor attack. But really, shouldn't Hawaii get that one? How much further away could you get?

I was disappointed in Florida. For some reason they seem to worship alligators. Yet I never saw one. I expected to see road kill gator everywhere. Nothing. Leads me to think they may be smarter than deer.

I nearly killed a deer today. She came barreling toward the road. Fortunately my truck is the color of safety. Deer avoid orange. They know usually orange means death thanks to hunters.

But this deer saw me coming and ground to a halt. Brown stuff fell out the back side of her and she ran back to the woods. Disappointing. I love wasting doe. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4725 <![CDATA[Orange you glad I ain't a hoe.]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4718 Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:35:21 GMT Red Hot Mess- Hey girl, I beat ya to it. It finally happened. While getting ready to roll this morning, as soon as I opened my curtains, a gal walks... Red Hot Mess- Hey girl, I beat ya to it. It finally happened.
While getting ready to roll this morning, as soon as I opened my curtains, a gal walks up and asks if I'd like some company.
I started to jack with her and go all ADD and tell her yeah because of how lonely it gets and blah, blah then after ranting for a bit break down and cry and ask for a hug.

But I didn't. I was boring. I just said "no thanks, I'm about to roll."

I have to say, this gal defied the stories I'd heard. She was actually cute, maybe early 20s. Hate to see her go down this road. Ah well, times are tough. I bet she's just trying to work her way through college, on her way to a political science degree our something big. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4718 Schneider - Time Off http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4716 Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:24:42 GMT I called Wal-Mart and got a drop number myself yesterday. That went well and much faster than dealing with support. I got in and out in a couple... I called Wal-Mart and got a drop number myself yesterday. That went well and much faster than dealing with support. I got in and out in a couple hours.

Boogied on north to my next drop. Man they really spread them truck stops out here in Florida. After I dropped I was going thru my guide and it was 30 miles this way or 45 that. So I just eased on down the road expecting to find a wal-mart. I was into Gainesville before I found a place to stop.

From there, decided heck with it. Rolled on north about an hour to a Pilot on I-10. After a bit they sent me another load. Ha. Heh Heh. Ha ha ha. Ohhhh funny. It picks up right across the street from where I dropped. Monday morning.

Saw paramedics here last night. A driver fainted in the bathroom. Clerk told me it happens a lot. Drivers come in dehydrated cause they won't drink on the road to minimize bathroom breaks. At the same time they take these pep pills that jacks up their heart rate. Dehydration + accelerated heart rate = a visit from paramedics.

My biological mom and Aunt live around here somewhere. Couldn't remember where exactly. Was thinking near Ocala. Been over three years since I saw them last. So I called them last night. Turns out they live about 25 miles from my drop.

This morning they gave me a wake up call. I almost didn't answer. As it happens, they were in the parking lot trying to figure out which Truck is mine.
So we had the day together. That was cool.

Before they left, we sat in the Pilot and played some cards. There was a homeless lady outside. I saw her digging cigarette butts out of the can, grab her bag and walk off.
Soon she came in and sat near us. She kept watching the DAT board and singing with the radio, not bothering anybody.

So after the kin left I went and sat across from her and asked what she needed. She looked at me kinda funny then went on that she was just watching the weather on the DAT and trying to figure out where to go.

So I asked if she would like something to eat. She said no, she's fine right now. She commented on the weather and asked if I was going south. "No."

I asked again if she'd like food. She said no thanks. So as I was about to get up she asked if it was ok to get a snack to put in her bag for later.

She selected the dried banana chips, I got Corn Nuts. I asked if she'd like a drink, she got a coffee. That was all. Not very greedy.

We hit the counter and I got a pack of cigarettes. She just waited patiently. I asked if she'd like a pack and that seemed to surprise the heck out of her.
She thanked me and we parted ways.

I get back to my truck and do a walk-around. Niiiice scrape around the corner. Nearly took off my right turn signal. But it still works. Just cosmetic.
Would have been nice if the guy had left a note saying, "ha ha, I hit you're effing truck you ######" or something. Preferably more polite.

Heard this guy on the radio say, "prosthetics are expensive. They cost an arm and a leg."

Another guy was complaining about the lack of..... oral satisfaction since marriage began. He said stuff was so good he couldn't wait to sign on the dotted line and claim ownership of that.
As soon as that ring slid on her finger she said "I do...... NOT do that anymore. I win!" ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4716 Amusing Miles http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4705 Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:09:37 GMT Things to do to entertain yourself while driving.

Make faces at passing cars.

Detour through the hood and "throw gang signs."

Pass by golf course and blow horn during someone's back swing.

Blow horn at someone texting while driving.

Blow horn at sleeping passengers.

While in two-lane "no passing" zone, slow down to 25.
Speed up when someone decides to pass you anyway.

Write funny things in the dust on your trailer, see who's laughing when they pass.

Honk at people getting tickets.

Sing into the CB.

Call 511 and say random crap; see how long it takes for the computer to hang up on you.

Get on the CB and panhandle.

Call you're DBL and swear you're not driving.

Smile and wave at traffic cameras.

Cover your face at Border Patrol facial scanner locations.

Randomly honk at people.

Honk at school kids.

Blow horn and wave at funeral processions.

Call 511, report officer on side of road impeding traffic. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4705 Along Came a Schneider http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4704 Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:42:19 GMT Well I've been on the ball since I came back. Greetings from not-so-sunny Florida! As you can tell, once again I am beyond my "region." But as long as I'm home Friday, I don't care. They throw me a thousand miles out, they gotta buy me a thousand back. And that's ok for me.

So what's happening? When I awoke in Jackson, they had me lined up for more. Amen. Problem was their timing. I dunno who does the load planning or how they figure what, but they must be on speed and forget the law no longer allows us to drive for 48 straight hours.

I was tasked to make a P/U by 1600 last night and be in south Florida with it by 9:30 am today. But wait! There's more! It's a double drop with the second drop in NORTH Florida this afternoon. It just don't get any better than this, right! You can't make this stuff up.

Picking up an empty looked to be a whole other chore. Six on the lot. First two I input, the computer tells me I can't have them because they are over thirty miles away. Uh huh.
So I input three trailers in one message. One comes back affirmative. I hook it, go to the back to check my lights and make sure it's empty. SCORE! Straps. I didn't have any straps or braces, so I rolled em up and stowed em away for a rainy day. Or a sunny one. Our a slightly overcast day. Whatever.

I'm nearly out of hours yesterday, but make it to my shipper. It'll be tight, but if things go well, I'd get that trailer, head to Pilot and be ready to roll this morning.

But nay. The shipper says, "it won't be ready until morning. You MAY have to live load." Nice. Off to the Pilot I go.

I call support to update them and actually get through in under 45 minutes.
First thing he says, "tell me you're not driving."

That caught me off guard. I paused a moment then said, "ooookayyyy.... I'm not driving."
He goes on, "we can't talk in the phone, even with a headset."
Again, I pause trying to see where this is going, "ok?"
He says, "here's what I need you to do....."

I cut him off. "you think I'm driving?"
"Well it sounds like it."
"No man. I'm at a Truck stop. My window is open. The truck next to me is idling."

That made life all better for him.
But I tell ya what, I believe in any company's right to make rules and policy. Even if I don't like it. I believe in my right to try to change the company's mind on the policy.
But for a guy sitting in an office deciding what's distracting me, I call BS on. Even on the government. They, even our beloved socialist prick DOT Secretary, can not convince me about "safety" on the issue when I see cops rolling on the highway with a phone glued to their head.
If I were to be talking on the phone while driving, I'd still have both hands on the wheel.

Our how about this? Ray La Hood wants me to take him seriously that HE is serious about discouraging motorists from using the phone? Take down the road signs telling me to call 511 for traffic info.
How ya like them apples?

But I digress.

At the shipper, guess what, they are not ready. Paperwork; it's not in the computer yet. Imagine that. That #### computer again. But hey, what was cool? I had to strap it! An ol friend used to say, "God takes care of babies and dummies. And I don't wear diapers."

At 09:30 I call and get a random DBL and inform her that I am about to leave the shipper. My appointment is 9 hours away at 0930. Don't think I'm gonna make it. How about a reschedule? I tell her I anticipate driving around 18:30. She says ok, update it in workflow and they'll set it up. Well yippee. It's as easy as dat!

At 1830 I make my grand appearance. Any guesses on what happened next?

If you said I was turned away because my appointment was at 0930 then you win the opportunity to yell out, "I knew it!"

They said to call back after 0530 for a new appointment time. Well allrightythen. Take care now. Bye-bye.

What's weird, when I walked out the FJ I noticed a guy I recognized from in front of the FJ in Dallas. I had seen him there a few times just standing out front, smoking. I had about decided he may be a drug dealer.

Not sure I understood him right, but it sounded like he's a hitchhiker. He didn't ask me for anything. But after him saying he was at another truck stop until he got the boot, then he asked if I was heading north, I reckon he's a Hitcher.

Being near a Florida beach, I told my wife I'm developing a bad case of Ef-this. I ain't coming back. If she wants to be with me, load them kiddos up and come on down!

And Georgia: a few pockets of modern civilization in the north part of the state. The rest looks pretty run down and dirty. Reminds me a lot of Oklahoma; but with fewer liquor stores and better roads.

And you see all those stupid signs reading "speed checked by detection devices." No kidding? Well thank God you're not just eyeballing me and goin, "yep, I reckon he's uh goin too fast."
I could have swore, when passing through some waste water town in Alabama I saw a sign reading "speed checked by a speed checker thingy."

What really gets me is the signs that say "limited sight distance." You gotta be sh!11ˇng me! The government really felt it was a good deal to buy signs telling me "You can't see over that #### hill no matter how hard you try!

Thank you. No no, really. Thank you, dear taxpayer. Thank you for supporting businesses owned by Captain Obvious.

End rant.

Night y'all! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4704 Schneider - By a Thread http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4695 Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:28:40 GMT This morning I dutifully got up knowing there wouldn't be a load ready for me at 0345. But I checked anyway, cause that's my job. Surprise, surprise, there was a load.

2 minor issues with it. One, it showed my start location at the Dallas OC; only about a hundred miles off.
Second; a load going to Georgia. Ordinarily that is not big deal. In this case, I had told them Friday would be my last day in this truck. So why would they send me 900 miles away with no chance to get back by Friday?

I went in to talk to my DBL. Before I finalized jumping ship, it just seemed to me the right thing to do to go ahead and have a face-to-face chat.

Since his computer.... Well, everyone's computer, was offline, there wasn't much he could do anyway. I was the first if three drivers with issues lined up at his desk. Happy Wednesday.

He showed me how the hours are input. I'm still not clear if it was human or computer error. But he said my updates weren't coming through right.
He decided it was probably the times I put in. Even though I may have put then in right, the computer may have been rejecting it.
For example; if it's 8:30, don't input 8:30 or 8:31 because by the time the computer gets the update, it disavows it as a past time. Instead, put in 8:45. That way when it comes up in the computer it will read as an upcoming time and should be acknowledged.
Ok. Maybe it was a computer problem.

So, about my TAH; I ask whose fault that is that for three Weeks it was blown off. He accepted collective fault on that one, "all of ours."

Then he showed me how TAH is input. See, one problem here is that TAH was not incorporated into Work Flow. It has to be acknowledged by the DBL and manually put in. Scheming, I think.
And by default, it just inputs a two day time frame to get one home, not a specific time. For a specific time, that's another manual input which a busy DBL just doesn't need to be worrying with.
He demonstrated by putting in a specific time for me out and back next weekend since I have a paid for event to attend, Star Wars 3D! No, seriously, Monster Jam, an annual event for us.

Anyway, I told him if they can get it together and get me home like they're supposed to, I'll hang in there a Lil bit longer. He asked I just give it a Lil more time and things will start smoothing out. He said Schneider can't keep this up for long because we're service failing left and right and customers will only take so many apologies.

I asked him if I needed to rescind my notice by Qualcomm. He said no because he didn't take it serious anyway. Oh, well that's nice. Is that why TAH messages are ignored too? Cause you don't take drivers serious? He said he has 41 drivers and 30 want to go home.
So? Not my problem. I signed up for the "home on weekends" plan.

Bah.

I mosey on over to Jackson, MS for the night. I pull into FJ. Find a spot promptly and go for it. As I pull up I'm not too sure about my set up. I get out to scope it. Another guy offers to spot for me. As this wears on I'm getting less comfortable with this situation.

He points to another spot that would be easier to recover. As I pull around the corner to line up for it I spy another spot dead ahead. I get out to tell him I'm going for it. Another driver comes over to tell me about another place he noticed that's be easy to hit and goes back to his truck.

The guy spotting me? I thank him and relieve him of duty. Then I'll be #@&$%ˇ!ˇ!
He tells me he and his wife been living in the car over at Loves and can I help them out. WTF! I thought you was a driver helping me out! Can I get a smoke?
Then he heads right to the guy that just spoke to me.

I pull into the spot ahead, shut down and go to signing off on the computer when a knock on the door.... There's a black guy standing by. I'm thinking "not another beggar."
I roll my window down and he says we have an issue to discuss.He told me not to sweat it. Thank God, what a relief. I would like to add that I wish I would just always listen to my wife. Because she is always right. I've spent months even years trying to prove her wrong but she has never failed. :biggrin_25517: ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4695 Schneider - Heat http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4668 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:08:49 GMT Being home for a bit give affords me the opportunity to dabble with my favorite hobby: Photoshop! Image:... Being home for a bit give affords me the opportunity to dabble with my favorite hobby: Photoshop!

Attached Thumbnails
]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4668 Glad to be Home http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4665 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:24:17 GMT Dang glad I got to be home for THIS! Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6869592619_04750da750.jpg Dang glad I got to be home for THIS!

]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4665 Schneider - Home Bound, Sorta http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4648 Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:46:30 GMT After yet another hour on the phone (not like I has anything else to do) another random DBL asked how many hours I had. Same as I had two hours ago... After yet another hour on the phone (not like I has anything else to do) another random DBL asked how many hours I had. Same as I had two hours ago when I was told to update so I could get a load.

"Ok. Then we'll get you a load. Ok?"
Wow, thanks! I feel so much better about life now! You're a real sweetheart. A true diamond in the rough.

True to her word, soon orders came in. Pick up the trailer I brought and deliver it. Dead head to Dallas, drop the trailer and go home.

When I was about 15 minutes from destination my DBL messaged me to let me know what the problem was. (Really? We're communicating now?)
My time was input correctly. The load planner overlooked updating it. Therefore; they will have me do what I was told to do and they will find me a load home from Dallas.

First off, when load planners fmuck up like that; what say we take some of their pay and give it to the driver they screwed out of some pay. Just a thought.

Secondly, my work flow said drop mt and depart. Didn't say anything about "a load home." It'll be an uphill battle for Schneider to get me to accept another load at this point. Unless it is already AT the OC, or on my way to Paris, well I just didn't get that message.

Interestingly enough, they show my next available time (NAT) as February 15 at 3:47 a.m. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4648 Schneider - I Quit http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4645 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:41:14 GMT I have sent notice to Schneider via Qualcomm that I quit. I have given one weeks notice that Friday the 17th should be my last day. I have sat in one... I have sent notice to Schneider via Qualcomm that I quit. I have given one weeks notice that Friday the 17th should be my last day. I have sat in one place for over 24 hours. Still next to the trailer I was told to drop for relay to deliver 20 miles away.

My TE is parked next to me. She is none too thrilled how long I've sat here. She is just now coming on duty. My news means to her that she will be waiting a while.
She said she has repeatedly asked them to have a load waiting when she comes on duty. That's kinda the while reason of "work scheduling" and "load planning."

In any case, I was very polite and gracious in thanking them for the opportunity and experience.
In orientation they admitted that we can easily go somewhere else for better pay; but we won't get the superior treatment that Schneider offers. Perhaps that is so. And if being constantly ignored for my TAH schedule is superior treatment, then I truly hate it for anyone who does not work for Schneider. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4645 Schneider - The Forgotten http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4643 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:50:56 GMT Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6851635295_af56290940_z.jpg Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6851638325_b0da6ac51b_z.jpg ...

]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4643 Schneider - Stuck in..... Somewhere http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4640 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:45:19 GMT This morn they.... Well, I guess now it's yesterday morn, they tell me to bring my load to a drop yard for relay. Since I was, for all intents and purposes, abandoned, I had an early lunch with an old classmate in San Marcos. Was good to see him again.

I eased on over to Converse where I still sit. Hmmm. This is the life.

A guy picked up a trailer next to me and we talked for a minute. He's a Lil bit upset as well. Said he's supposed to be home this weekend..... In NC. He ended up down here from Oklahoma.

Said he'd had to work some things out with his DBL on home time in the past. DBL said he had to be back to work at X time. He said, "no sir. I'm going to be off until this day. When I get back into the truck, that's when I'm available. So don't waste your time sending me a load before then because it won't get delivered."

In the meantime..... Meh. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4640 Schneider - TAH Request http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4633 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:31:47 GMT I finally got a response to my TAH request. Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6847791049_1d4f1f7057_z.jpg Image:... I finally got a response to my TAH request.







No reply as yet. Don't really expect one. I figure it's going to be one of those "we'll show you who's boss" kinda things, regardless if they owe me the time or not. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4633 Schneider - Flawless Victory http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4631 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:39:44 GMT I would like to report that after all this headache I finally scored a flawless P/U and delivery! But I can't. Sorry.

I got to my P/U about 12:45. The guard said "were closing so try to be quick. You're to drop your mt in this spot. Your loaded is right next to it."

I parked the mt smooth as silk. Hooked up and my tandems wouldn't slide. Pin was hung.

So I decided to get out and try to fix it outside the gate. They had a scale on the way out. I was a few hundred over on tandem. The guard was cool about it and decided to try to help.

I have a Steele bar that finally broke the pin loose and I got legal.

I boogied on to H. E. Butt grocery warehouse. Denied entrance. I'm several hours past appointment. But I was sent a message at 7:40 p.m. that it was being rescheduled. Well, it wasn't. Go to.

I leave and call. "Oh, you're a work-in."
"Really? Well y'all forgot to let the consignee know that."
"There must have been a breakdown in communication."
"Ya think? There's been a lot of that lately."
"Well, we can't help you right now. Call back after 7 and talk to first shift."
"Right-O."

Call after 7 and get my DBL. "First off, I still ain't got my $50 Lumper pay from December. Second....." He says he'll get it taken care of and quickly tries to get off the phone.
"Wait a moment! You are getting me home this weekend, right?"
"I'll see what I can do. Bye."

Not good enough keemosabe. :biggrin_25513: You'll find yourself with an empty truck for one of those new suckers.

Update- they decided to relay my load. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4631 Schneider - Go With the Work Flow http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4624 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:44:15 GMT I have now sent two different messages pointing out that I expect to be home this weekend and two messages informing of needing a later appointment... I have now sent two different messages pointing out that I expect to be home this weekend and two messages informing of needing a later appointment time for the drop I had earlier. Both ignored.

Since my load was just a drop, guess that was good enough for the girl I go with so they didn't see a need to tell me anything. Even if it was just a drop, they showed an appointment time.
A nasty phone call saying, "####, I'm to busy to worry with your petty issues" would be better than being ignored.

So, I carried on. The unhappy receptionist checked me in and gave me bolt cutters so I can bring her the seal. She never checked the numbers; just threw it straight into the trash.

She told me what door, but no directions since it wasn't on our side of the building. Right in front of me it's a sign saying "no trucks" so that's easy enough. I turn around. Totally missed the signs on the other end also saying "no trucks." I was focused on watching my radius and making sure no cars crept around on me.

The I realize the back area is fenced in.

So onto the road and around the building. I see two driveways and head to the second so I don't have to blind-side. Uh, no. Next driveway is locked.
I find Place to turn only to find the first gate closed.

I get in and out well enough from there.
Went to Denny's and had, besides fuel, another prime rib skillet. Ate with my friend, Jose, who, after 9 Weeks, still can't get a load home to El Paso.

When I returned to the truck a new assignment came in about two minutes later. Needed to P/U about 50 miles away in 30 minutes and deliver by appointment at 2200 about 5 hours away.

They showed my P/U to be about 30 miles from me. Guess they thought I spent all this time during at the previous customer. Guess they don't look at tracking to see that I returned to the FJ next to the OC.

I only had just over an hour left on my day clock. So, I suppose they also don't look at that when I update my available time.
I updated it again to reflect a later arrival. Maybe since I've thrown that ball out there someone will catch it. But I dare not hold my breath. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4624 Schneider - Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4621 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:53:00 GMT I overslept this morning. I reset my alarm every time it went off for another ten minutes. Finally, I didn't here it again. I snapped up a few minutes before seven. I had planned to be on the road around four. Oops. No major loss. I had planned to be in Laredo earlier.

Just north of Austin traffic was backed up for a couple miles due to a wreck. We get up to the scene and the wreck is in the north bound lane. All our lanes were backed up because a cop sat blocking the inside lane and everyone else just wanted to gawk. I hate rubber neckers.

I get to the forwarding company around 3:30 and they ask for a trailer inspection sheet. Hmmm. No one said anything to me about that. He told me I ain't the first. Go to my OC and get one. Crap.

So I go to the OC and get my inspection. I head right back out the gate cause I got less than an hour before they close. Just as I feared; "I don't show this trailer assigned to you. Back up and call support for assistance."
Heh, Heh, Heh ahhhhhh ha ha ha ha I KNEW this would happen because Schneider has no idea how to keep up with their stuff!

I park. I call. Holy cow they answer in less than ten minutes.

The guy is going on like he's completely surprised I have this trailer. Not like, "ok, we'll correct this." But, "You've had this trailer since Detroit? Where did you get it? Well what happened to the one assigned to you?"

Me: Yes. I got it at the location y'all told me to go to. And that's a real good question. I have no idea what has happened to that other trailer. I picked it up and loaded it. The next day I woke up and all the numbers magically changed! How the f#&k do I know any thing about that other trailer?
I put it in work flow, "that trailer is not here. This trailer is."
And work flow said, "oh. Ok. Take that trailer then."
And I said, "ok. Thank you, oh great and mighty work flow."

Anyway, they fixed it and I got to the drop in the nick of time. I pulled up and he looked at his watch. 5 after, but he let me on in.

I got a load now from the OC to Arlington. Hope they let me out the gate with it. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4621 Schneider - Finally a Good Day Again http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4612 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:38:11 GMT Not a lot to report. Made a good trip and good time. I rolled non stop from from Mathews, MO to Dallas. Saw several Hi-Po on the road in AR and TX. ... Not a lot to report. Made a good trip and good time. I rolled non stop from from Mathews, MO to Dallas. Saw several Hi-Po on the road in AR and TX.

As I got about five miles from the OC there were several cops on the shoulder of the bridge. A couple of cars parked. A lady sitting on the ground crying. It didn't look like a wreck. There was a guy looking over the side, so it made me wonder if we had a jumper into the river.

I dare not take a chance with Schneider, so I parked at the Flying J next to the OC. Fueled up and went hunting for a parking spot. Even at 4 p.m. the place was a mad house.

A Covenant rig come from the opposite direction and turned in front of me and went in to park. I patiently sat and watched as he tried and tried but just couldn't get it. Granted, the way he turned across me, he had a bad set up to begin with.

He finally gave up. There was three guys standing around watching him. I decided I'd try my luck and hope not to embarrass myself in front of them. One of them looked at me like "oh boy, Schneider."

I pulled straight ahead, made my cut and started back. Only took me a second to realize I was one space to short. One of the guys looked at me and shook his head.

I pulled up a little more and punted again. BAM! HOOSIER DADDY!

What really made this day awesome wasn't just that I didn't have to jack with work flow or call in for help.
My wife and kids came down. We went to Texas Roadhouse for supper then over to Town East Mall for a bit. Our youngest boy has never been to a mall. It was a lot of fun to watch him explore. He was especially intrigued by the escalators.

But now, day is done. Tomorrow: Laredo.

On another note: do mind yourselves. Last night a driver friend stopped at a casino in Memphis. He won a little and left. Three guys followed him out begging. He was feeling good and gave them $20. They kept asking for more. He got in his truck & left. They chased him down on I-40 and fired three shots into his truck. Took out the back window.
He said the cops didn't really seem to care.

]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4612 Trained to Die http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4604 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:46:24 GMT Was talking to a friend who was in the Marines. He told me an interesting story about training. During war games the soldiers were being trained... Was talking to a friend who was in the Marines. He told me an interesting story about training.

During war games the soldiers were being trained that if you're "hit" then you're "dead." You fall and play dead until the exercise is over.

When these soldiers got into live combat they were dying from superficial wounds. Shot in the foot, they die; for real.

Psychologist concluded it was their mentality from training. So training was reformed. Now, it doesn't matter if you get shot, you have a war to win. Go kill!

The new breed of soldiers sustained multiple gunshot wounds before their bodies just couldn't take any more.

An example he cited: a female police officer in Florida who had gone through this training came home one day to find two men robbing her house. A gunfight broke out in her garage. She killed them both. However; she sustained eleven shots including one to the head. She fully recovered and returned to work.

In an instance where you wish that training would NOT kick in; another officer was being charged with loving kids more than the law allows.
He put a .38 in his mouth and pulled the trigger. He bit the bullet and survived. Albeit, he's s drooling vegetable now. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4604 Schneider - The Insanity Continues http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4603 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:28:09 GMT I am proud to report that I am finally on the go again. Since I slept at the shipper I got rolling with a fresh set of hours. I stopped only twice.... I am proud to report that I am finally on the go again. Since I slept at the shipper I got rolling with a fresh set of hours. I stopped only twice. Once to weigh, fuel and get coffee. I stopped again a little later.

I had roughly 30k on my drives and 33k on tandems. A friend suggested moving a few holes for better balance and traction.

From there I went nonstop to Mathews, MO. Hit the Flying J for the night.

I was on the phone with said friend who is a fellow Schneider victim. He picked up a couple days ago in Des Moines bound for Laredo. He stopped at the Dallas OC for the night.

Schneider wouldn't let him out the gate because his trailer wasn't assigned to him. He explained he picked it up loaded, came into the OC with it and told them he was keeping it. No, he had to call support to get it assigned. An hour later he got to leave.

I said I was glad to know about that. It's settled, I will not go to an OC if I can help it. It's too much a risk on time trying to get out. I've had all I can stand and just can't take the chance on having to call in again.

Friends have told me and my wife's friends tell her they can't believe the amount of patience I must have. I don't think it's so much patience as it is resignation. It is the way it is and that's all it is.

Fin.

On the road, I did nearly get to cream an idiot.
Construction zone. Southbound divided by concrete barriers; through traffic on the left, others to the right. Blind left curve at the great divide. As I corner what do I find? Someone backing up.

Sweet. I'm carrying over 40k lbs. of breakables and I got someone backing up on the interstate.
Lucky for that jerkoff I was actually slowing down. Still, I was afraid of blowing a tire or damaging my load our getting rear ended; but it turned out ok.

All I could think was, pay attention to the signs! We're all guilty of missing exits. It sucks but it's ok. But you don't fix it by backing up on the friggin interstate! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4603 Schneider - On the Road Again (NOT) http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4598 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:51:29 GMT This whole thing is a #### Greek tragedy. This morning I got up and hauled on to the shipper. My truck is usually a little sluggish in the morning... This whole thing is a #### Greek tragedy. This morning I got up and hauled on to the shipper. My truck is usually a little sluggish in the morning but today was especially bad. As I got closer to arriving there (which was only about 9 miles) in the back if my mind I began to get a nagging suspicion to what the problem was.

I get checked in because I'm in denial. "Naw, it can't be that! Surly not." They assign me a bay. I finally remembered to open the doors before I back up..... And there it was. My "empty" trailer was loaded. I always look. Always. But not this time.

I get a sick feeling thinking about all the time I'm going to have to spend on the phone because I know one call won't fix it all. So I dial them as soon as I leave knowing it's gonna be a while before I get an answer.

I get back and drop and start looking for a real empty and another driver stops me to chat. He's having a similar nightmare. Just got back from vacation and only moved 38 miles. Having hell getting an empty for a live load at a place that isn't open on weekends.

He starts telling me the horror stories of peoples "guaranteed time off." They got him back for vacation.... 4 hours after his flight took off. Another guy who was tardy for his surgery.

A team partner he had didn't make it to his own wedding. He quit and his father-in-law sued Schneider for the cost of the wedding including hotel bills, clothing costs, gas and airfare for the guests. No idea how it turned out. But the DBL got fired over it.

Anyhow, I'm looking at nearly a dozen empty trailers and the computer won't give me one. Of course.

Finally they answer and promise to fix it and buy me another hour with the shipper. They message me a trailer # that is due to be dropped "shortly", take it. "I want a definition of "shortly."

I cruise the lot to make sure it ain't there then park near the gate to watch for it. After a while I cruise the lot again in case it sneaked past me. Yup, there it is, hooked up to a rig with drawn curtains. Been there all day. I just hadn't thought to look at trucks that's been there all this time.

So I do all I can to try to wake this guy. Another driver informs me he's probably gone home. That's where they usually park. They "drop" the trailer in the computer so the task reads "complete." But they never unhook so they return to work with an empty.

Talk about wanting to engage in vandalism. A friend told me I shoulda just kept the trailer from earlier and sold the goods; make some money. After all, Schneider said it was empty. But that ain't how I roll.

Anyway, I make another call. Eventually they answer. Well, we'll work something out. I ask why I can't have any that I'm looking at. She don't know but if I give her a trailer # she can find out. The first one is sold.
The second one? Yeah we can do that one. Just give a little time for them to get it to me in the system.

I go to hook up; friggin thing is sealed!

I go to make another call. I have a message wanting to know what empties are there because they show none at the OC. I tell them about the loaded one and give them my list of empties.

At the same time they send me an update to P/U an mt at another location. Upon arrival I learn the one they assigned to me is not there. There's only one Schneider trailer and I hook that puppy. Amazingly, the computer okayed it. Not that I cared.

I return to the shipper. Oh, they've already gone for the day. The guard tells me to check back in the morning to see if shipping is working.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Life is just really funny sometimes. Gotta love it. My head hurts.

I've come to the conclusion that this is the reason firearms are outlawed in CMVs. Carriers were fearing for their life so they get a law passed. Make drivers afraid to carry arms.

In other news, thought you might get a kick out of this graffiti I saw here in Detroit. It's a message from the concerned citizens.

]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4598 Schneider - Miles of Smiles http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4595 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:13:22 GMT I give up. Can't take any more. My head is about to asplode and my eyeballs fly all over the place!

My wife sold crap out the garage and made more than I did.

I make my pick up this morning. The shipping lady tells me that they recently moved these orders to this facility, so this is only her second BOL to fill out..... And of course she's having a Lil trouble, but it all comes out.

I get to Pontiac, MI and the guard informs me I'm in the wrong place, this BOL says I'm supposed to deliver in Burton, MI. She calls receiving who tells me to go find out.

It seems my DBL was out today. The DBL I got tells me to call the shipper. Well it's lunch, so I leave a message then try back later.

They tell me I'm in the right place and to call Schneider. I call Schneider Logistics instead of DBL and get a different unhappy Lady. She tells me she'll call the shipper. When she comes back she tells me they'll accept a handwritten BOL, so just put the correct address on it.

I go back and the guard says, "I don't think they'll take a handwritten BOL." She calls receiving again and he sends me on back so he can look at my papers.

He accepts the load but tells me they have no empties.

So I put that in the system and start on to my next P/U. About 10 minutes later the update comes in for me to bobtail to shipper.

So I have to call because my thingy says "NO BOBTAIL." Yeah, it's ok, I'm set. Cool, in and out.

I drop the relay @the OC when it dawns on me, they never sent me orders on another empty for s live load. I've already hooked one but have no way to input it.

So I call. I want to choke the crap out of the friendly recording who keeps thanking me for my patience. After about 30 minutes, finally.

I explain my situation and he says, "yeah, it looks like someone really messed this up."
No kidding. Again?
I give him the trailer number I have so he can assign it to me or I'll never get out the gate. He says give him about 5 minutes and I should be set.

A few mins later I get notice of updates. So I jet, I'll only be a few mins later than I expected.
They won't let me out, trailer is not assigned to me.

Call again. 40 minutes go by. Then this guy says, "What do you mean you're still at the OC? I show you are at the shipper."

SURPRISE, MO-FO!

He informs me I have the wrong trailer. It's assigned to someone else. I'm to have THIS trailer. So I make him hold while I find it. Meanwhile, I ask how many people work support.

He tells me a lot of people. But every one of them is learning Workflow, simultaneously trying to help drivers.

After finding my trailer, there's just one more thing: is this P/U by appointment?
So he looks, dang, I was supposed to be there at 1400. Well, I was trying to get to my second P/U at that time. By now it's after 1800.

He puts me on hold, calls CS, then tells me I can load tomorrow between 5 and 11 a.m.

I have 3 aneurysms happening right now. A mini-stroke. And a mild heart attack. I called the Schneider mental wellness hotline. The lady told me that's just how Schneider is. Now be a good Lil soldier and quit whining because she really doesn't have the time to hear my crap. She's gotta get home and feed her kids and get a nice, long, hot bath before her favorite show comes on.

They've overshot my house by just a little bit. I'm heading from near Detroit, MI to Laredo, TX. Nice run for a change.

Since I'm stuck at the OC, I walked over to IHOP. Waste of money. Food was ok, I guess. Cheese sticks sucked. Just as hungry as I was, I got full pretty fast. Couldn't eat it all.

And now I sit another night. I'm sure tomorrow will be much better. Once I get away from the shipper, it'll be a few days before I have to deal with that #### Qualcomm again. That'll be nice.

I'm so fed up right now I'm seriously thinking on quiting. I'm not even supposed to be up here as a regional. But you know what, I really don't mind being up here. Just get me back.

I'm not OTR, I'm a Regional yo-yo; I go out, I come back. I go out, I come back. I don't go all over the place like a fire hose.

I'm exhausted. Reckon I'll bed now. Night, yo. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4595 Schneider - Another Day, Another 50 Miles http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4586 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:58:20 GMT Literally. I finally got two loads. I go in for some coffee before leaving. They're out, so I wait for more. Then I hit the road knowing I've got just enough time left on my clock for P/U, depending on how long it takes them to load me. Then wonder if I can find a parking spot for the night.

As I pull onto the road I notice my clock says "11 hours to drive." Huh? Apparently I sat "off duty" for ten hours and four minutes. The time it took me to wait on that coffee gave me my daily reset. Cool! Now I can make delivery tonight.

Drive my 50 miles to P/U, oh, they've gone for the night. Sweet.

But here's the problem: I have repeatedly sent in my TAH request. I spoke with my DBL earlier (again.) We spent an hour on the phone. Well, he had me on hold for forty minutes.
He tells me it appears we have everything fixed and can set me up with a new load.
I ask, "heading home, right?"

He replies, "we'll see what we can put together for you, sir."

Four hours later an assignment finally comes in. Ok, load planners are getting maps for Valentines Day. Picture this, I'm in "Ohio." I have repeatedly asked to go to "Texas." Michigan is "the wrong friggin way!"

After I get told I have to wait until morning to get loaded (Heh, I'd like to get loaded right about now) I call support. (couldn't believe they answered so fast) I tell them the situation and that I have 10 available hours, what else can I do?
Nothing. They've got everything booked.

Awesome! I'm in the money! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4586 Schneider - Show Me The Way http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4583 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:41:08 GMT Remember the movie "Jaws"? On the boat, the shark hunters had their bonding moment and sang "Show me the way to go home. I'm tired and I wanna go to bed. I had a drink about an hour ago and it went straight to my head."

I get up this morning hoping to see an assignment. Nay. Nay. So I finish up and leave heading to the T-n-A. Miss the turn. Apparently they feel that if you miss the turn then you have to pay a stupid tax and buy even more fuel. Next turn around, 10 miles away.

I turn around. Ah Ga Ga Ga Ga. Miss the exit again. Another 10 miles. So I pissed away an hour of my drive time going in circles.

I get settled in and call my DBL. About twenty minutes later he answers the phone. I start out with letting him know I've finished this assignment but need this extra stop for an empty removed.

No. We got bigger fish to fry. Let's talk about last Friday again. WTF?

What trailer did I pick up at.....? Are you sure? Positive? On hold a few times. Lather, rinse, repeat. Ef me. YES, I am sure. Hold please.

He comes back and says, "alright, IT is gonna look at this. Ok? Bye."

These suckers know what we want. We only want two things. A load. And a path home. A load going home is even better. So they hang up before you can mention it.

I finally sent him a message that I was thinking on heading on home and if a load comes up on the way, let me know. Figured that would prompt a response. Eh, not yet.

A friend told me, "don't do it brother!" Another guy bobtailed home without approval and they charged him for the fuel, took away his bonus and put him on probation. Any load refusal results in immediate termination. Not to mention what crap they may put on your DAC.

So, there's that. I said they ain't giving me enough miles to pay for fuel. He said they don't play around, they can charge you with theft.

Also, he said they have control of this truck. If they see me moving it, they can shut it down and send someone to get it from me and I can find my own way home. Ha! Lovely.

Ohio, what a great place to chill. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4583 Schneider - Dun and Duner http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4578 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:57:55 GMT I've had it. I'm done. At least need a break. Too much b.s. for now. Hardly moved at all past several days and when I do, it's the wrong direction.

While I'm getting loaded this morning my DBL calls and asks where I am and why. Ha ha ha ha. Serious? I'm in Kankakee getting loaded as we speak. Ok.
He sees that on my list. Everything is messed up again. When can I be here and there? He puts me on hold a few minutes. Comes back a moment later and says he's gonna update this stuff and will call me back.

Was nice to be fully loaded with only 7,100 lbs.

I arrive about 40 minutes late because my route was county roads through one horse towns.

Home Depot assigns me an empty. But no, Workflow says that trailer is not available. Wipe hands on pants, repeat. Many times.

Thus, I can not complete my Workflow tasks. Therefore, I can not begin my next load. I decide the hell with it. Once again, I have everything I need except the computer understanding.

After getting to my next pick up (which cost me another 30 minutes because I couldn't update my nav, and guessed wrong on north or south.) I see they added a stop. I need to go to Lowes and pick up an empty. Sheesh. I write in and tell them to remove that task, I got this.

I make it to wal-mart with an hour and a half left on my clock. Cool, I can knock this out and jet 15 miles back to the T&A.

Or not. Seven trucks ahead of me. At least as many W-M trucks rolled in during that time. The guard tells me where to report for an empty. They tell me I'm at the wrong office and where to go.
Repeat, wrong place, go over there.

Over there tells me where to find empties, gives me a gate pass and tells me one of those other places should have taken my bills.

At this point, I no longer give a ..... I've got 15 minutes left on my clock. The lady tells me I can stay the night here.

Wife just called, pissed. She saw my pay statement. Yeah, this ain't worth it. Not worth missing out on my kids or making them wonder when I'm coming home. Made worse every time I hear "Lead Me With Strong Hands."

Talking to a friend who's having same problems, get a load an hour away that picks up in 10 minutes. Moving further away from home when home time was set for last weekend, 8 weeks out.

Not good. Not good. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4578 Schneider - Slow the Roll http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4567 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:18:46 GMT Well the past few days have been pretty jacked up and definitely not worth my time away from my family.

Last night I had to sleep at the shipper's lot because, due to the delay in finding an MT, I arrived three hours after shipping went home.

Made delivery. Sat at the Pilot for about 8 hours. Sent five different messages to my DBL, each on a different concern. Copy/pasted them again before he went home. Never heard from him.

Then was hit with two loads back to back. First is a total of about 300 miles. Second follows up with about 150. Going to Ohio. Kinda the wrong way from home.

Another driver at the Indy OC asked why a Dallas regional driver is way up here.
I dunno. Here I am.

But I digress.

After pulling these two assignments I had just enough time to move a bit closer to my P/U location. Eight pm at a Petro, I was dreading the search for parking. Praise God, I couldn't believe it. I pulled right in, made a u-turn and hit a spot without a second thought. Sweet peas in a pod.

And now...... Everybody dance!

I know it's the "slow freight season." But still, I'm dang near tempted to tell Schneider to call me in a couple months when it picks back up.

Caught some of Glenn Beck today. He has a charity event planned in Arlington, TX. He said the venue is going nuts because he's only charging $10 a ticket and nothing for parking. They say he's throwing away hundreds of thousands of dollars. Glenn said the point of a charity event is to make it affordable for people to attend....and give of their own will. It's a charity event, non profit. Not an elitist event.... Jerry Jones. (it's at Cowboy Stadium)

City of Arlington said that's just crazy, nobody doesn't NOT charge for parking. So they are considering charging the charity the taxes on the money they WOULD HAVE made had they charged for parking.

Ha. Ha-ha. Gotta love government. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4567 Schneider - Here I Sit All Broken Hearted http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4559 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:30:57 GMT What a fun day. Last night they sent me an assignment that picks up at 1300 today; go the the OC in Indianapolis for an MT. So I shagged on over... What a fun day.

Last night they sent me an assignment that picks up at 1300 today; go the the OC in Indianapolis for an MT. So I shagged on over to the OC so I could start the day with fresh set of hours.

I wake up at 11:30 and get moving...sorta. The lot for MTs was loaded with trailers that were all locked out. Apparently I wasn't the only driver having this issue. One guy went into the OC and asked for a trailer. They gave him a number that wasn't here. *sigh*

I did find one MT, but the system wouldn't let me have it. Said something was wrong or whatever.

So I call in to the DBL. After about 30 minutes on hold I get a DBL that says she would message the load planners. I said to let them know I was already late to the shipper. She says to update my ETA, bye.

Well, how can I update an ETA when I have NO direction?

They send me a workflow update... with still no MT assignment location.

So I freeform a message back. Soon after that they withdrew my assignment completely.

Then I attempt to update my NAT (Next Available Time) to "Now." But it won't let me. It still shows my ETA to the consignee at 1800 and says my NAT has to be after that.

I message back in asking how to adjust that. Still awaiting a response on that.

And now I wait... again. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4559 Schneider - Driver Attacks Operating Center http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4557 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:09:35 GMT Some of you have heard, some not, about a truck driver who attacked the Schneider O. C. in St. Louis. He was reported as dead. Apparently not. An... Some of you have heard, some not, about a truck driver who attacked the Schneider O. C. in St. Louis.

He was reported as dead. Apparently not. An update says "critical condition."

In short, he had reportedly been injured and off work for about a month. With ensuing financial and personal problems he attempted to burn down his house. (FAIL) :scratch: Then, at 2 a.m., drove his personal vehicle to the OC and snagged a haz-mat rig, drove it into the shop and attempted to burn down the building :angry4: (FAIL.) After a ten hour standoff he popped himself in the head, but has reportedly survived. (FAIL) :smt071


pic from www.bnd.com :banghead:

The story from St. Louis Today can be found here. (Not Failed) ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4557 Schneider - I Got Nothin http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4554 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:26:32 GMT It's been a crazy, weird week. One day or Qualcomm systems were jacked up and my nav system wouldn't log in. Thank God for Google Maps navigation on my phone.

Two nights ago I had heck trying to get a P/U number. About the time they gave up and was about to reassign me they found it. Only took a couple hours.

Last night I picked up a relay in West Memphis and there was no paperwork. Spent nearly 50 minutes on hold just waiting for someone to answer.
Finally they told me the paper work would be faxed over to the consignee. Since I had to be there by midnight, I should get moving.

This was at 6:30 pm. I said I didn't think I could make a near 8 hour trip by midnight. I only had just under 7 hours to drive & there's not that many hours left in the day. I made it about 40 minutes short. But all is well.

I had to call in with the fax number. They informed me that I would probably be sitting the rest of the day. So far, yeah.

I'm at a Loves west of Indianapolis. Had some Subway, watched a movie. I'm bobtailing. Nice to get to bob in to a truck stop for a change.
I backed in to a spot, about halfway back. Pisses me off to think I got a spot and there's a bob at the back of it. So I stayed far enough forward to be seen, yet back some to afford room to other drivers. And since I'm next to the repair shop, as far toward the building as I legally can.

While sitting on my bed watching a movie I saw another truck nose in beside me. I watched my mirror to see what he was doing. I guess he was attempting to back into a spot across the way. While backing up he hit my rear tire. Tire is ok. Did some minor damage to his bumper.

Shame that with all this room I made it a point to give, I still get hit. Maybe next time if I crowd the lane others will be more cautious.

And now, I wait.... As fast as I can. For how long? Who knows. They said I "probably won't set long enough to get a reset." Oh, well that's just great.
If they are going to overlook my TAH request, it'd be nice if they kept me busy.

Perhaps y'all heard a Schneider driver ran his truck into the St. Louis OC building and shot himself yesterday. I don't really know any details other than what my wife passed on to me.

Since I'm a busy, busy mo-fo I'm gonna go hurry up and wait some more. Later, yo. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4554 Who owns your property? http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4544 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:58:24 GMT Learned something interesting and freaky.

Part one: S& L bust of the 1980's. Only about 12% was due to fraud. The real kicker was because in the 60's & 70's people got mortgages at fixed, low interest rates. During a period of steep inflation banks began paying out far more than they earned. The result was collapse. So, they created adjustable rates to cushion themselves from a repeat. (learned this part from Dave Ramsey.)

Part two: In 1992 the UN created a program known as Agenda 21. It's an initiative promoting "community development."
Here's where it gets "good." I call it the bouncing ball. Start at the top, go to the bottom and back up.

Hidden in this program the UN guarantees mortgages for.... Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae (F&F.)
F&F hold most of the mortgages in the USA. At low, fixed rates.

F&F spend years promoting sub prime loans to people they know can't afford a home loan regardless of the interest rate.
In a time of recession and inflation, homeowners default and the Fed is left owning the property.

Just like in the S&L bust, F&F default. Who gets the property? The UN takes ownership because under Agenda 21, they guaranteed the note.

Heard about it on Glenn Beck today from TX Solicitor General Ted Cruz who is running for senate. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4544 Schneider - Roll On 18 Wheeler http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4537 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:20:37 GMT Woke up this morning and everything seemed right with the world again. As I was catching up my Qualcomm I noticed movement out of the corner of my... Woke up this morning and everything seemed right with the world again. As I was catching up my Qualcomm I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up.

A bum was walking by and looking at me. Oops, eye contact, he came toward me. We're now friends. He climbs up and wants a fist bump and asks where I'm from.

"Dallas."
"What part?"
"I work out of Dallas, I don't live there."
"Where do you live?"
"uhhhh.... Hugo."
"Where's that?"
"little town across the border in Oklahoma."
"Oh. I'm from a little town called Clarksville, TX."

At that point I'm thinking he shoulda known where Hugo is. Choctaw Casino. Everyone in the area knows it. I live in Paris. Hugo is about 25 miles north and Clarksville about maybe 45 miles east.

I tell him I know where Clarksville is. Oooo... High five. We're bonding now. And here comes the story. Never fails, there's always "that guy over there" behind him that helped out. I guess that means I should too. Finally, just a couple dollars for a sandwich.

I try to politely get out of it. Tell him don't keep much cash blah, blah. And he gets a Lil bit serious. Not rude. Just the look in his eye, this ain't his first rodeo. He says, "but you got it, don't you?"

I figure I really ain't in the mood to try to ######## a bullshitter. I say, "yeah, I do."
"well why can't you Help a man out with two dollars?"
"Because, frankly, I don't give handouts."

Funny, that stonewalled him. He didn't seem prepared for honesty. He said, "ok, I can respect that. Uhhh.... Can I have a cigarette?"

I drove about 40 miles the wrong way. I finally decided I didn't care if that sign said "Turnaround", I'm going that way anyhow!

I was driving east on I-12 heading to 59. After a while I got the feeling something wasn't right, that I shoulda been there by now. I zoom out on my GPS and it shows me heading west, 40 miles from Slidell. Then I paid attention to the highway sign, WEST 12. WTF?

Apparently I missed the split. Back there. Yonder. 40 miles ago. Bah. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4537 Schneider - Work Slow http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4533 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:57:45 GMT Meh. I wasted a few hours sitting in San Antonio trying to get the mess with the shipment sorted out. Bah! We have a new system that requires a... Meh. I wasted a few hours sitting in San Antonio trying to get the mess with the shipment sorted out. Bah!

We have a new system that requires a learning curve for everybody. Cool, I get that. I'm not mad at anyone over it. I've seen my DBL racking his head trying to learn what to do and juggle several drivers. It's tough multitasking. I understand.

What I DON'T understand is how something simple gets turned into stupid. In short, "what do you want me to do with this trailer? Do I return it? Or do I drop it for relay and move to my next assignment?"
Is that difficult? Our am I missing something?

Finally, my next load gets updated for me to drop it. Cool, but it says, "drop empty, P/U empty." So I call in to verify. Yeah, drop my loaded. Ok.

Well sweet Allah in Val Hallah, who in the fiery pits of hades would have guessed that Workflow won't let me start my next assignment until I complete my current?

Workflow IT gets called and I ask them how I get out of my current load because it won't let me complete. They tell me I can just make up times on it but be sure to let my DBL know. Or.....my DBL can update my load to reflect what he wants me to do. Yeah, that's the ticket. And if my DBL doesn't know how, tell him to contact R7 support.

So I call and again get a different DBL who every time I talk to her sounds like she'd much rather be waxing a cat than talk to me. I tell her what support said and she immediately transfers me to R7.

WTF?! So R7 tells me basically the same thing. I call back and get my DBL this time and tell him I need to be updated. He puts me on hold a moment then tells me it'll be done shortly.

I'm sitting here with everything I need, a destination, a goal, a Truck, timeframes..... Everything except a computer that says, "I know what you mean. Go ahead."

So I decide, screw it. I'm already late to my pick up. Something tells me they probably don't care if we can't figure out our new system. I go.

I find an MT and freeform my DBL to let him know what trailer I got so when he gets around to updating, he's already got that handy tid bit of info.

Two hours later I'm getting loaded and call in to ask them to update me. Support shift lady starts telling me to just fake my times, blah blah. I say, "can't you just modify it to relay?"

We had a moment of silence. Then she says hold on.

She comes back wanting to know who told me to relay it. Finally she says yes, they can do that and will shortly. Nice. Now was that so friggin hard?

I gotta run this to Tennessee. I make it to Beaumont, TX Petro before hours run out. Finally I can get my stuff updated on my timestamps. Sorta. My trailer list is empty. I select that option and input what trailer I have. No sir, it tells me. That trailer is too far away. Sheesh.

I write in and ask them to add it to my list.

Job finally complete.

Now to start my next assignment and get my timestamps on pick up. Oops. No can do. It's disappeared from my system.

What's a cracker head to do?

Now I'm in an over crowded Petro. Parked on top of some old lady in a wheelchair. Trucks hovering like vultures, looking for parking spots. Not that vultures look for parking spots.

All I know is I got someplace to be. I'm gonna head that way and hopefully they can catch up to me. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4533 Schneider - Happy Mon/Tuesday http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4527 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:09:26 GMT Sitting at consignee right now. Live unload. They come to the window and say, "slight problem. Your paperwork is right. But the seal is wrong and the load on your trailer is not what we ordered. This is a first for us."

Yeah. Me too.

The seal is off by one digit. But the paperwork does show this trailer for this load. The shipper simply loaded the wrong trailer.

I call my DBL, get a different one who transfers me to claims. Claims says, "isn't there something in workflow to generate this claim?"

No, only for O, S, & D. So she informs me she's also having to learn the new system. Since this it's a unique situation she'll just generate it on her end. Says she'll call and see if they'll go ahead and accept this load.

I told her good luck with that because they pointed out that these bags aren't even marked for their company. So, she says they'll figure something out and let me know, maybe within the hour.

Sucks because the next assignment I have waiting is a pretty nice run for me. But if I have to go back to Ft. Worth, there that'll go. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4527 CB stuff http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4525 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:15:28 GMT I know precious little about CBs. I have a goal in mind to upgrade to a better antenna eventually. There's do many posts on here that I get inundated and lost.

Simply put, I have a Cobra 25 LTD Classic. No mods. No amp (though it'd be cool.) What kind of antenna may be best suited?

Yes, range, output and input is what I have in mind. Distance, power. I don't even recall all the rebuttal questions that accommodate my question.

Thanks for the tips. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4525 Schneider - Saved By A Girl http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4524 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:56:00 GMT This is almost embarrassing, but I know the ladies will enjoy this. When I made my pick up, the trailer was about an inch and a half too high.... This is almost embarrassing, but I know the ladies will enjoy this.

When I made my pick up, the trailer was about an inch and a half too high. It's heavy loaded and, try as I might, I couldn't get it to crank down.

Another Schneider driver, female, was close by. So I asked her what we do in these instances. She came over to get a look see at my dilemma. She also complained about the old style compared to the new ratcheting cranks.

Then she says, "here's your problem. You've got it in high gear." She promptly went to turning it.

Boy I felt dumb. I forgot there are two gears. Explains why I've had some troubles lately. Glad I didn't score a hernia.

Speaking of scoring; I scored my first overweight warning ticket tonight. About 15 miles from the truck stop I hit a weigh station and got bagged for being about 1,600 over on my rear. I said, "I knew I shoulda slid it a couple more holes."

The officer was pretty nice. While looking at his computer he said, "dammit." I said, "please be happy. I don't want to deal with a fussy officer." He laughed.

The other trooper pulled in a tanker driver. When told I was getting a warning the other trooper said, "what? You're being nice."

My officer said, "well, he's only about 1,600 over." He told me I was within 5%, so I can slide it if I want to. Since I won't hit another weigh station, just whatever I felt like.

With that, I'll beg out for the night. Later, y'all! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4524 Schneider - Let the Good Times (Work)Flow http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4519 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:55:55 GMT I made my final delivery Friday night. DBL had told me he was taking me off duty until Monday so support wouldn't put a load on me until after he got me transitioned into WorkFlow.

Saturday, shortly after noon he had me updated. He gave me a call to let me know it was complete and asked what my hours left looked like. Then he stopped himself and asked, "Wait. Are you going home?"

I said, "I... uhhh.. .YES!"

He said, "Cool. Go home. Come see me at 8 Monday morning."

I spent most of Saturday waiting around for that. Ok. I get here Monday and he can't even remember why he asked me to come in. He said he'd have me a load ready in about 45 minutes. So I told him great, while waiting for that I'm gonna run over to the J and top off and be ready to bounce.

That was a couple hours ago. As you can tell, I'm still waiting. Not very comforting that as I rolled back in the yard I saw him getting into his car. Cest la vie.

However; was a great weekend! Steaks at a friends house Saturday night. Grilled chicken last night for same group of friends. Nothing like hot meat off the grill and cold beer on ice.

When I rolled in to the OC this morning I was treated with some iCandy; Rolling Thunder was sitting in the bobtail section so I grabbed some pix. It looks way cool on my 3D phone, but the 2D pix will do just as well.










I took some screen shots of the new WorkFlow for those who may be curious.



1) Simple enough; push the "Begin WorkFlow" button on the MCP panel. Any time you leave WorkFlow to visit any other part of the MCP system, when you push the WorkFlow button you will be returned to the same screen you were on when you left WorkFlow.




2) Despite my better judgement; I say "Yes" to beginning the day's activities.



3) The NAT (Next Available Time) replaces the Mac 18. No longer can I piss off my DBL by not sending in my trip plan. Before I begin, I have to let them know when I expect to be available.



4) You can see here that if I do not input my time correctly the WorkFlow says, "XXXXXX - Try again, loser."



5) The "Active" tab shows your current assignment and all pertinent info related. Obviously here I'm not very active, so I can't show you the goodies associated.

The next tab is "Pre-Assigned," which displays info related to the next assignment. Again, here I got nothin.



6) The "Send Message" tab allows you to send messages in to the DBLs related to the current load assignment. Shown here is just a few of the message options available.

Also the message options from the "Home" screen have been updated to remove redundant compositions.

Again, the geniuses who wrote this program neglected to realize that Merchandise Relocation Specialists generally do not operate on a weekly work schedule. We have to beg for our time off with our family. So they neglected to put a TAH Request option into the macros. Therefore; we have to Freeform that request.

My DBL hit his forehead on the desk when he heard that. (We were in training class together.)



7) "History" displays everything you've been up to. At this point all I have to show is that WorkFlow has been initialized on my system. To start with, they dispatch a couple of sample message.



8 )If you notice back up the "Active" tab, in the lower left corner is a button labeled "Inspection." This replaces the Mac 6 - DVIR.

Each DVIR is now separated between "tractor" and "trailing unit." No one knows why the geniuses who wrote this program decided to say "Trailing Unit" instead of "Trailer." We're just stuck with it.




9) The "Tractor - Inspection" screen.... or at least the top of it.




I have also been disappointed to learn that, while on Schneider's Wi-Fi system, I am unable to access some conservative radio program's websites. However; no problem getting a belly full of classy leftists....

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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4519 Schneider - MCP200 update http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4500 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:04:19 GMT It's been a busy past few days. Went from wondering if there was any work left to having one assignment after another. Sweet. Keep me busy, that's what daddy's talking about.

I had a drop in Galveston. I love Galveston. Broke my heart to not be able to get to the beach. Wife kept telling me, "You got a lil time. Go stick your toes in the sand."

I pointed out that I didn't the they would appreciated a pumpkin rollin up Seawall trying to find a place to park just so I could enjoy myself.

The shipper only sent me with one copy of the BOL. The consignee charged me fifty cents to make me a copy. I figured it was just a couple of hustling dock hands. And maybe it was. But next time I'll offer to show them the BOL, but if they want a copy it'll cost them a dollar.

About 20 miles south of Huntsville, TX is a weigh station. Last night as I passed by it was closed.... but it was set up for Pre-Pass. I saw the overhead poles then my dash alarm beeped green at me. Cool. Texas is finally catching up.

This morning I sent a message to my DBL telling them about gettin charged for the BOL. I recorded Jill reading the text. Here's their response:

"Colorado Pies"
[ame]http://youtu.be/5NQu1er1xwg[/ame]

My drop isn't until tonight, then I'll be dead in the water for a few hours. Just chillin at the OC. My DBL called to let me know that between 8-12 he'll update my MCP200 to the WorkFlow (WF) system. I'll be in the first push, so I expect it to be earlier.

He said he'll show me "Unavailable for Work" until Monday to keep support from assigning me anything. I can't be involved with an assignment while update is in progress because it'll wipe my system.

Talked to a friend yesterday who is already on WF. He said "It's EASY man."

I'm kinda excited to check it out, have all my ducks in a row so I'm not strokin my chin and asking myself if I forgot anything. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4500 Introducing Gay Trainees http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4485 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:46:37 GMT I've seen on here a few times people raise the question of whether or not to let their trainer know they are gay. Since this is my soapbox, here's my two cents.

Why? Why does that need to be discussed?

"Well they need to know...."
No they don't. What in the world makes you think they "need" or even want to know that?

If you seriously think your trainer needs to know what you like to do with your private parts then you misunderstand both of your purpose for being where you are.

Your trainer is there for one reason and one reason only, because they get paid extra to train you to drive and on company policy. They are not there to become your friend, confidant, counselor or whatever.

Likewise, you are there to learn to drive and about company policy; not to share intimate details of your life.

Along the way, as acquaintance grows, there may come a time or opportunity for such topic. But to begin a relationship with, "Hi, I'm Bob. It's not just a name, but my favorite activity" is no way to start off.

"Well I just feel I have to be honest."
Fantastic! Discuss honesty. Honesty means your not gonna be lying & ripping me off. It has nothing to do with polishing knobs or licking kitties. It's an irrelevant detail. If you start off making things weird or uncomfortable then that's exactly what you accomplish and you set yourself up. In time you will part ways. So while you're with your trainer just make it as pleasant for the both of you as possible. They probably don't want to hear about your bedtime stories any more than you want to hear theirs.

After you're gone, the private outings of yourself will be a story they will share with others. So keep it to yourself and keep it a professional relationship.

I'm me and I approve this message. And any time you see this topic arise, feel free to link this post. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4485 <![CDATA[Van Halen demands M&Ms minus brown in dressing room]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4484 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:15:13 GMT Rock band Van Halen always demands a bowl of M&Ms in their dressing room with all browns removed. They have even canceled shows when not honored. True story.

That's the kind of story that makes one think celebrities are nit picky, arrogant morons. Though the above story is true, it's not the whole truth.

Venues are different. Stages can only hold so much weight. After safety concerns in the past, David Lee Roth explained the insignificant and silly notion of the M&Ms was created as a test of the venue's attention to detail.

After finding the M&Ms missing or a couple brown ones in the bowl, they reviewed the venue specs to discover the stage could collapse under the weight of the equipment during the show. Concert canceled.

I view the new Work Flow system in like manner; a checklist to follow. There's already things I have to try to remember to do and I occasionally forget. The Work Flow system will checklist all I need to do, simplified.

It's a new system. Bugs are to be expected and worked out. Instead of dreading it, I'm looking forward to my job being simplified. But that's just me. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4484 Schneider.... McElroy Truck Lines http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4470 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:03:23 GMT I finally got an assignment this afternoon. Heading to Mt. Vernon this evening for p/u delivering to Round Rock. Interestingly enough, I got a... I finally got an assignment this afternoon. Heading to Mt. Vernon this evening for p/u delivering to Round Rock.

Interestingly enough, I got a call from my recruiter at McElroy Truck Lines. They wanted to know if I'd be interested in coming back to work for them. Wow. :biggrin_2555: I never had an employer call me like that.

She said if I came back now I would still get paid .40 cpm and all was the same except the insurance was updated; 6 weeks salaried training blah, blah just like in my MTL blog.

However; if I stayed on with Schneider for six months I would get one small edge, .41 cpm.

Stay with Schneider for a year and my training would drop to four weeks also.

It's tempting... but #### the tarps! But double pay and guaranteed weekends home. So I can get with this.... or I can get with that. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4470 Schneider - Rest for the Weary http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4463 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:40:48 GMT Dang I ate good last night.... and today. Wife did some serious cooking. After church today, we stopped at my truck so I could macro in my... Dang I ate good last night.... and today. Wife did some serious cooking.

After church today, we stopped at my truck so I could macro in my availability in the morning. My wife noted about 4 or 5 Schneider trucks in the lot.

Later she went to Wal-Mart. Said while in line she was behind a Schneider Merchandise Relocation Specialist. He was in the bobtail parked in the lot and there was another one or two other Schneiders parked there. I have no idea about the north or west side of town. But the driver told her we'll be stranded the next few days at least.

I'm guessing it has to do with the "slow freight" season. Hopefully they're not really forcing us into memorial for Don Schneider's passing.

In any case, makes me glad I gave my trailer to the gentleman from W. Memphis. Otherwise, he may still be stranded in Dallas and there I'd be in W. Memphis rather than here at home.

Which is convenient since today is my mom's birthday.

So in the morning I'll go to the truck and see if I have an assignment. If not, reckon I'll just check in every couple hours or so.

Something interesting the instructor told us about during Work Flow training. Mind you, the instructor is a driver; now salaried trainer. But he shared what another driver told him.

The MCP200, which is a Windows™ system, has a USB plug on it. Not surprising. If a service tech needs to work on it, he needs an access point. This driver said he installed Linux on a jump drive and plugged it into the USB.

When rebooting the MCP200 he booted it into Linux and overrode the performance monitors so he now gets his fuel bonus. I asked for the drivers phone number. But of course, I got nothing.

My wife found an article from Odessa news online about the wreck I saw Friday morning:



The story can be read here.

Annnnnnd that's a wrap! Have a good un, yall.
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4463 Schneider - Work Flow, No Load, Go Home http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4454 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:25:35 GMT this morning I did my Work Flow training. In a classroom setting, so far it seems ok. Can't wait to get into the real world and see if I feel the same way.

When talking about how trailer assignments work one guy started in about how he was assigned an MT trailer. The shipper wouldn't release it because it was still loaded.
Somehow this turned into a debate with dispatch who insisted it WAS empty and the shipper who said "NO, it AINT."

So, upon opening the doors revealed... Ta-DAH... a fully loaded trailer. The OSR explained why the argument. He asked, "Were you already hooked up to the trailer? Was your pigtailed plugged in? No? We;; that's why. The trailers have cameras in them. The battery is SUPPOSED to last several hours.... but they don't. So they repower when plugged in. Dispatch was looking at the last picture taken."

Which is weird because shouldn't a picture been taken while it was loaded and in transit?

So I had to pipe in with, "Camera's? Guess that means I should quit peeing in the trailers, huh." The OSR and my DBL laughed so hard they turned red.

A friend showed up at the OC this morn and sent me a pic of a trailer that... well, see for yourself...



This guy lost his @$$.

But I DID get a personal pic of one of the Ride of Pride rigs....




I also took a 3D pic which looked pretty dang cool.

After Work Flow I had orders to bob on home. So here I am. My friend, Jose, who arrived this morning sent me a text not long ago that there were NO outbound loads from Dallas, Houston or Laredo.

With that, have a great weekend! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4454 Schneider - Good, Bad and Ugly http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4451 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:13:33 GMT I left El Paso this morning and booked it straight to the Dallas OC; scored in about 10 hrs of non-stop running. At some point my DBL called and... I left El Paso this morning and booked it straight to the Dallas OC; scored in about 10 hrs of non-stop running.

At some point my DBL called and asked when I'll be in Olive Branch, MS. "I dunno. Sometime tomorrow."
"What time?"
"No Idea."
"You haven't done your trip plan?"
"Not that far ahead. I take it one day at a time. All I know is I plan to be in Dallas tonight.... About 8 hrs away."

So he tells me to be in the office at 7 A.M. for Work Flow training. Okay.

In Odessa I saw a fatality being cleaned up. An 18 wheeler hit a four wheeler, pick-up. The pick-up driver had to have been killed.... unless he was a midget to a midget. I can only wonder how fast that (I heard) BMW rig was running because it was difficult to tell either vehicle apart from the other. They were married and the honeymoon was a hit.

I made it to the OC, grabbed a shower and did some laundry. Got to talking to another driver to learn he currently lived in my home town.
A while later got to talking to a different driver. He just went through the Work Flow class and was telling me about it. Soon he told me he was having trouble getting a load to get him home for his TAH.

He is out of W. Memphis and needed to get his rig back and into the shop for repair while on TAH.

Then, changing the subject, asked if I was out of W. Memphis. "No, but I'm actually heading that way tomorrow. You know where Olive Branch is?"

He said he actually lives just a lil ways south of Olive Branch. So I tell him, "It looks like I have just what you need. Why don't you call in and see if they'll kick my load over to relay so you can get home."

They did and as I was parting ways with him he was calling his daughter to let her know he'll be there after all. :smt041

A friend of mine has been stranded for the last three days at GP. They didn't have his load ready. So he waited & waited...over a day. He was finally reassigned a new load from the same location.

When he went back into the shipping office they told him he woulda had better luck on the first load.

Then I didn't quiet understand what happened from there. He was assigned an MT that was in need of repair so he refused the trailer. Not quiet sure what went bad. All this time he'd been squatting on GP's lot. He said they got mad because he wouldn't take the bad trailer or something to that effect so they evicted him.

He went to W. Memphis and was assigned a relay coming to Dallas. I had planned on meeting up with him tonight.

When I got here I texted to ask if he was here yet. He was pretty ticked. His load STILL had not arrived... from Lexington, KY.

I ran my truck thru the E-Bay to see if they could check the connections on this antenna they installed. Best we could get was clear FM, none of my AM stations would come in. Gonna miss my Glenn Beck.

So they installed a new stereo. Nada. The new stereo doesn't have a CD player. (Glad I got all my Dave Ramsey CDs listened to today.) But it does have two SD slots, a USB plug and an AUX plug. Even better, I can now listed to my music on my phone without having to unplug it.

Previously, I had to unplug it because it squealed thru the speakers like a stuck pig. Now it's crystal clear.

The stereo also has Weather Band (WB), which I can see may come in handy.

Be safe, fellow truckers and I'll leave you with a cute story....

An elderly couple were in the office with a car salesman about to sign papers. They stopped and told the salesman they felt they should go home and pray over night about this purchase.

The car salesman says, "Tell you what, no need to waste the time and gas to go home then come back. I'll step outside and give yall some privacy and yall can pray in here."

A few minutes later he returns and they inform him, "We're sorry to waste your time, but we feel this sale is just not God's will."

The salesman bows his head and closes his eyes a moment. Then looks back at them and says, "God wants to talk to you again." :laughing5: ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4451 Schneider - Oh Happy Daze http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4446 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:18:36 GMT Got my wheels turning this morn. Forgot El Paso is in another time zone, so I was a lil early on delivery. Got another assignment before arrival. ... Got my wheels turning this morn. Forgot El Paso is in another time zone, so I was a lil early on delivery. Got another assignment before arrival.

International put me in the toughest spot to hit, but I scored with only a few of my free pull ups and no sweat.
Then I waited for over an hour before I saw someone wondering the yard. I asked if they forgot me. Shift change, probably so. Eventually they got me finished and I headed down the street to the next place for a drop & hook.

My drop was bound for Mexico, so I pulled right into inspection and was promptly rejected. It seems theres a hole in the front corner of the brand new trailer. Also they don't accept trailers with racing slicks.

Blew my mind. I looked at it last night and knew the tire would need replacing soon. But to be slick and showing wire? Guess that's what a 43+k lb. load will do to a quickly wearing tire.

So I mosey to the Petro and call in and was told to send a flurry of macros. SEM tells me to go to the nearest tire bank. I check the bank map and after driving in circles realize this thing sucks. I type "wingfoot el paso, tx" into my gps and score two locations near me. They waste no time gettin er dun, thas right.

I write in asking what about the roof. Since I still had no response I went back to Petro. Waited.... a while. Called them. Oh, looks like they just noticed the tire. We'll have a service man call you. Ok.

I wait..... a while. I eat at the Iron Skillet (yum.) I return to my truck. A message arrives moments later saying something like "all set up for Petro. Ask for Nick. Send mac 29 when complete."

I write back that I'll keep an eye out for him and appreciate the update. TWO AND A HALF HOURS later I get to thinking to myself, "self, I wonder if they meant for me to go to the Petro repair shop around the corner?"

Apparently SO!

I got my load picked up and found a bad parking place at the J since I ran out of hours. Which really blows because I'd hoped to break in Dallas tonight and have Gomer fix my radio.

Another day. Since I figured out I can plug my laptop from head set to my aux plug on my radio, I can hear the movies on my laptop. So, this I shall do. Night yall. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4446 Schneider - Messed Up Radio http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4433 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:26:00 GMT I finally got some orders this morning around 8:15. Since the load doesn't deliver until tomorrow morning in El Paso, I didn't get into a hurry.

I pre-tripped my rig and discovered that the geniuses in the shop MAY have fixed my oil leaks, but they didn't refill my oil. So I had to go to driver services and do it myself. Figured that would take far less time.

They put a new CB antenna on the passenger side. I kept trying for a radio check. No response. But I could hear others talking. Didn't give it a lot of thought because I'm used to being ignored.

I hit the road and tune in to KLIF to catch Glenn Beck. Radio station is barely audible and filled with static. So it seems they managed to F- up my radios. With the engine off I got a response. As soon as I restarted the engine, nothing but reception.

Thanks guys. Thanks. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4433 Schneider - The Wait is On http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4428 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:59:07 GMT Got my truck checked in for Preventative Maintenance (PM) about 10 a.m. this morning. About 4:15 my DBL walked by and said, "You're still here? Thought you were gone by now. Lemme go check on your truck. I'll be right back." I know better than that. So I checked in on it around 4:30. They said still a few things left, will run into shift change so looks like it'll be ready around 1800. :biggrin_25512:

I just now checked in again. Apparently "shift change" means "work slow down." :biggrin_25518: They listed off the same things as earlier. Will be around 10 or 11 P.M. Glad I wasn't interested in making any money today. God knows I don't need it.

But on the upside, looks like they're gonna hook me up with a passenger side CB antenna. Will be nice to have a range greater than 50 yards.:yes2557: ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4428 Schneider - New Week Begins Today (Tuesday) http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4423 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:53:43 GMT Today begins my new week. Took off Sunday & Monday for my youngest's ear/adenoid surgery. That worked out well. Wife was glad to have the help, especially since after the surgery his anesthesia made him combative and cry for a couple hours or so non-stop.

But the stuff they gave him before he went in, we asked for some take-out of it. That kid was a fun drunk. His head was flopped back cause he couldn't hold it up and he grinned and laughed at us. :biggrin_25520:

I scheduled my truck's PM for today. Set it for 8 a.m. My mindset was "the sooner I get it done, the sooner I get on the road." I aint mad, but I often find it interesting the way couples can look at the same situation.
As soon as I told my wife, she was asking why I set it "so early." To set it at 8 meant getting the kids out of bed around 5:45 to get me to my truck. Better to set it for 10 so I can go to my truck when we take the eldest to school, one trip. I teased her about being selfish, it's just all about her.
Ok, done. Wasn't exactly a hard deadline. If they can't do it at that time, it can always be rescheduled.

I called yesterday to reset it. Left a message and, in typical Schneider fashion, got no call-back. So I just showed up. As it turns out, a bay opened up as I walked in. They got right on it. So now I wait.

Had some trouble getting online on the Schneider wi-fi network. Kept getting "Limited or No Connectivity" error. Turns out everyone's getting that error, so I'm not alone in that.

Saturday night when we got back to Paris, we went to the former house to check our mail. There's an intersection at the Loop we have to exit/enter. We hadn't been away from that intersection 2 minutes when we returned to find a Trailways Bus blocking most of the intersection and an 18 wheeler sitting across the street. I don't want to say the name of the offending carrier; so I'll just say the name began with an "S" and ended with "wift."

As it turns out the truck pulled across the Loop (which area is a construction zone, after hours) in front of the bus. There was no collision, but the bus driver broke hard and swerved to miss the rig and a few passengers were thrown. But to hear the sensational newspaper word it, it was a major wreck resulting in several injuries.

My wife, being a nurse, stopped to offer aid until paramedics arrived. There was one person lying on the floor complaining of some aching. Another that had an obvious broke arm. Everyone else was gawking and griping. When the cops/ambulances arrived suddenly this bus full of (non-whites) had a slew of problems and pains that are obviously going to result in a lawsuit and an unemployed trucker. :biggrin_2552: So much pain and suffering.... the trauma that just won't quit. Nightmares beyond belief.

Speaking of nightmares.... dang. Almost every friggin night I have driving dreams. Almost the same type of dream. I'm driving. I realize I'm not supposed to be because I'm on break. It's gonna throw off my 10. Have I driven far enough that QualComm has kicked me onto the "Drive" line or can I still get out of it? Can I stop in a safe place?

I come to a point where I start waking up and have to convince myself that I'm really not driving. I have to open my eyes and prove to myself that I never did drive. Even last night, multiple times I had to look around to prove to myself I wasn't even in the truck. Egad!

Aiight, gonna mosey on for now. Yall be kewl!
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]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4423 Schneider - Slow Roll http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4412 Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:45:04 GMT Been a slow week. I made my pick up that had several hours wait time for delivery here in Dallas. So I stopped of at the OC. Wife came picked me up... Been a slow week. I made my pick up that had several hours wait time for delivery here in Dallas. So I stopped of at the OC. Wife came picked me up and brought me home for the night.

Was nice to get to see everyone. But I feel pretty guilty. All I accomplished was eating a home cooked meal. While helping my boy with his homework, I fell asleep. No shower, no loving ... Just sleep. One love to the wife, she did my laundry.

She got me back to Dallas and I made delivery. I pulled in to the wrong drive, facing the dock. The clerk told me to pick a door and the dock hand will take it from there. Cool, I think. There's five doors and 3 & 4 are taken. Reckon I'll hit #2, it's the easiest shot. The dock hand stopped me and told me to hit 5. Crap, the toughest spot.

First I had to back out. Managed that with no problem. Started my backing in and had to edge around the nose of a Dodge Charger. Crept up to the dock, and pulled back out so I could open the doors.

Was gravy from there. Went back to the OC. Few minutes later got next set of orders. Pick up 15 miles away four hours later. So I made use of my time by handling some business with my DBL & recruiter. She scored me a pay scale. My DBL handled my expense error.

Last week I had to get a ComCheck for $50 to pay Walmart to unload their own stuff. They held it from my check as an advance. So I submitted an expense code as a Lumper fee. They declined it because that location doesn't use Lumpers. I dang sure aint gonna pay Walmart to do their own work.

My DBL told me I called the wrong number to get an expense code. He gave me the right number.

My delivery is in Temple at 11 am. Since it's only a couple hours away, I just stayed in Dallas. Finally got a much needed shower.

My kid's having ear surgery Monday, so they are keeping me close by for my TAH.

I had a thought earlier, how can a trainer honestly get a million mile award when they don't actually drive those miles? ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4412 Schneider- today sucked cotton balls http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4392 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:42:35 GMT It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

I made my delivery this morn fine & well. Another load assigned promptly.

I went to my p/u in Pasadena, TX and after about 10 minutes of searching, the clerk discovers my load is ready to be picked up..... In Dallas!

So I call in and they say they'll get it figured out. I wait for a while hoping to just get another load where I'm at. Eventually my gps updates a destination in Dallas. So I start moving. I really needed to potty anyhow.

I find a Love's & Pilot close to each other. I'm partial to Pilot so I go there. Closed, no power. There were workers, so I figure a remodel.

I go to Loves. It's on my left. Two trucks wanting out, heavy traffic. A long line wanting in from both directions. But no. No. No. A trooper has a pick up carrying acetelyn bottles stopped 20' in. Can't get by. We work it out. Turns out Loves has no power either.

But by now my work assignment had been updated, so I get all that copied down. GPS updated to new location in Louisiana. I follow it up 45 & hit a Flying J. Finally got to potty.

I get moving again and realize the GPS is taking me to Dallas. I find another place to stop, yeah, wrong way. I manually input the address. It tells me which way to go, but I refused. I went my own way. No truck stops her way.

The closer I got to Loves the sicker at my stomach I got. Today was a crappy day, please God, let me find a decent place to park without hitting anything.

SCORE! Thank you God. I rolled in here, big lot, circled a light pole and backed right in and shut her down.

Have a questionable tire on this trailer. So had the Tech lookit. He said it should be replaced soon but should make it back to Dallas, where I'll be dropping.

So I write in and ask if they want me to wait on it or TBO it and get it repaired? They respond NOT to TBO it because they never remove the TBO. Well that explains why I occasionally get a note asking if I'm sure about a trailer.

Anyhow, stick a fork in me. I'm done with this day.

Quote for the day: "I know the world won't end in 2012 because Marty McFly traveled to 2015." ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4392 Happy New Year - Constitution Retiring http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4381 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:47:57 GMT P. BO signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law. Sen. Lindsay Graham said we're bringing the war on terror home. What's that mean? Sen. Diane Feinstein said congress is authorizing the president to detain American citizens indefinitely, without trial.

Who could be a suspect? You. Anyone with firearms, ammo, storing food (eventually growing your own garden, using seed not produced by Monsanto Group, see Paul Bremer's 100 Orders on the Iraqi government.) A small group reports to the president and he decides.

But hey, we got health care and food stamps!

Work. Safety record is improving. Only ran three cars off road. One was a cocky state trooper. He wanted to yell and argue a lot. But I showed him how the cow eats the cabbage. Aint my fault he plays on his laptop instead of watching for big orange trucks.
If yall wanna comment on my superiority, I aint too shy to accept compliments. ;-p

Of course that's all BS. I got nothin else. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4381 Schneider - Happy New Year! http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4366 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:04:20 GMT Thurs night I almost scored my first road kill in South Louisiana. I saw a doe on the side of the road. I eased into the oncoming lane (yes, it was... Thurs night I almost scored my first road kill in South Louisiana. I saw a doe on the side of the road. I eased into the oncoming lane (yes, it was clear) and laid on the horn. She kept sniffing the grass and stepping toward the road.
So I puckered up and braced for impact. She stopped and looked at me with a deer in head lights look then ran back into the woods. Appreciated that.

As reported before, I had gone to pick up my load but was turned away & told to return after 10 PM. I did and got in & out in no time. But it occurred to me this load didn't deliver until Tuesday. So they set me up a relay.

Sat morn I dropped off at the Dallas OC. They got me a load to pick up in Flower Mound. Told me to grab an empty to leave.
Bad thing is, at the OC, if the trailer isn't assigned to you, you can't leave the yard until it is. That wasted my day waiting for confirmation.

I had figured on nearly enough time to grab the load and get home before time expired. Instead, I had to go back to the OC with near an hour over my 14 and my wife had to drive from Paris to get me. But hey, I still got to be home for new years.

Also got to help with the move. Fortunately we had some friends pitch in. On the down side, two of em are truckers, so they laughed at me trying to back the trailer into the drive.
That was actually unfair. I pulled forward to straighten up. I was gonna straight back, pull into the neighbors drive, then straight back into my drive. They kept hollering at me. So I got out to ask what the deal was. One jumped in and backed on in.

Wife drove me back to Dallas last night and since it was late she slept in the truck with me until I had to leave. I hit the road around 5 and delivered right on time in Topeka. A few minutes after arrival they assigned me another load. Now I'm about 5 minutes away from pick up point. Stopped for the night with 15 minutes left on my clock. Today everything seemed to fall right into place at the right time.

Which is good, cause I feel like crap. Mainly feel yucky to my tummy. Not much appetite. Ate some cookies earlier. Just had a salad, maybe that'll help.

What doesn't help is these dang toll roads on Kansas I 35.

But this post wouldn't be complete without a big ol KUDOS to my wife for managing so much of the move without me. Love you, Superwoman! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4366 <![CDATA[Schneider - Roll & Wait]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4347 Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:56:11 GMT This morn I got a load. So I zipped over to pick it up. Dispatch read 11 PM, pre load. I figure, pre load, why wait until 2300? So I arrive, they... This morn I got a load. So I zipped over to pick it up. Dispatch read 11 PM, pre load. I figure, pre load, why wait until 2300?
So I arrive, they check my trailer and are satisfied. Then tell me to come back after 10 PM because my load hasn't even been manufactured yet. Lovely. Now I know.

Well, it really hasn't cost anything on my 70 because I had to drive an hour here anyway. I get a 10 break and start fresh. I'll be ok, even if it does kinda suck.

What's worse though is that it doesn't deliver until Tuesday. So I wrote in and asked if they'll accept early delivery or can I go home to help with the moving?
DBL responded that he'd set it up for relay.

And so I chill. A beautiful summer day in South Louisiana. 76* and sunny. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4347 Schneider - Waiting on a Paved Road http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4344 Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:32:41 GMT Been a pretty good week thus far. Last night I was rolling on and working out in my head where I'd stop for the night when it dawned on me that the West Memphis OC was on route. Figure I could get em to check my oil leak while I grabbed a shower. About 20 miles away some one radioed me about a tail light out. That clinched it.

They pulled me into the express bay and fixed it on the spot. Hopefully. Said he tightened an oil filter. We'll see if that works.

On my way in to shower I was thinking about a friend and wondering where he was and thinking about calling him. As I approached the building I be dang if I didn't bump into Jose!

I showered then we went to try the Huddle House. Pretty good grub. This morn we met up for breakfast. We both had plenty of time to make our runs. We learned the OC has a truck wash, so we hit that.

I hooked back up to my trailer and a guy came up to inform me we're not allowed to drop trailers in the front lot because the pavement is too thin, had one sink through recently. Then the three of us chatted for a bit.

I submitted my Mac 18 and allowed myself an extra 30 minutes. Didn't need it. But it still took me two hours to get away.
Wal-Mart said we had to pay them $50 to unload the trailer. I wanted to say, "you're kidding, right? You want US to pay YOU to get your sh@t off OUR truck?" So I got a ComCheck. Then had to wait to find out if they wanted me to take an empty. Took one and left. That was hours ago. Still waiting on a load.

In other news, wife informed me that when I get home we'll be relocated. She found another house she likes. Tough part is, she'll be moving while I'm out. Man, I really hate missing out on moving. Darn trucking!

While I'm thoroughly enjoying learning and honing my backing skills, I've discovered a new joy, angled backing. Yay! Seems Simple enough.

I managed to turn a driver side angle back into a blind side. Gave up when I realized there was also some straight back slots open, so I really didn't have to continue to embarrass myself.

Here at a Petro now in South Louisiana. Also angled parking. Many nosed in. So did I. Unfortunately, I swung wide to make sure I didn't hit trailer to my left and ended up crowding the guy on my right. Could be worse. But my parking looks stupid and I'm sure this guy will be cussing when he's ready to leave. He'll make it out though . ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4344 Schneider - Roll Well http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4329 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:06:13 GMT Today went well. Felt weird getting up @ 2:30 p.m. That kinda messed me up. Took me a while to really get moving. Made good time on delivery.... Today went well. Felt weird getting up @ 2:30 p.m. That kinda messed me up. Took me a while to really get moving.

Made good time on delivery. Schneider had another load assigned to me. But I never looked at it until I was near delivery. Then I noticed they had 6 equipment disposition dispatches on me.

Two were from the previous night; redundant. The others I had to write back for clarification.

Yup, drop, grab MT & deliver; return to current location & grab another MT for live load.

Then i realized my live load was expected about an hour before. I shrugged it off and just tried to focus on one thing @ a time.

Upon arriving for my load I was pleased to learn it was preloaded.

FYI, anyone new to going to Del Monte in Topeka, KS, the first entrance that looks like it goes to employees parking is the truck entrance. It curves back to the left.

I went all the way to the last entrance. I couldn't read the signs, so i picked one & hoped for the best. Uh-uh. I eased around and saw I wasn't the first to make this mistake. There was a small grass area worn down by tread. I didn't get spanked. They got me on out. But the security guard was less than thrilled.

With that, reckon I'll grab some grub then hit the hay. Roll well, yall! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4329 Schneider - post Christmas update http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4320 Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:15:42 GMT It seemed to be a long weekend as things went. I scored a load that took me right through home to deliver about an hour away. Since i couldn't deliver until after midnight, I took my 10 in my own bed. Overslept. No harm since I wasn't on a hard deadline. Same for my next pick up which didn't deliver until Monday. Four nights in my bed. Niiiice.

For Christmas my wife cashed in her upgrade and gave me an EVO 3D. Pretty dang cool. I think I messed up by merging my cell # with my Google voice #. Now every call I get announces the caller & tells me to press 1 to accept. All texts go thru Goog Voice. Inconsistent & annoying.

All seemed to go pretty well today. It was a lil after 4 a.m. before I finally got to a stopping point. Made it to Love's in St. Joseph, MO. Thankfully there was parking open. I got all sideways trying to get into a spot. Not bad, just obvious that I wasn't sure where I wanted to be.
Since i wasn't holding up any traffic and I knew I was too tired to sit in the seat and rack my brain over it, I grabbed my coat and took a stroll around my rig. I had the making of a fair set-up to my rear. Another driver doing his pre-trip offered to spot me and I slid right in.

Nowwww..... Here I blog on my phone. My Hero, I had hacked it so I could use it as a modem for my laptop. No can do with this phone. At least either I pay Sprint extra for the privilege or get time to find a hack. But not now. Too tired.

Later road gator. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4320 Schneider - Handheld Device Ban http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4272 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:07:25 GMT A friend fwded me this e-mail from his company:

"Effective January 3, 2012, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations will prohibit the use of handheld mobile devices by drivers operating commercial motor vehicles. The rule prohibits the following actions while driving a commercial motor vehicle:

- Using at least one hand to hold a mobile telephone to conduct a voice communication
- Dialing or answering a hand held mobile telephone by pressing more than a single button
- Reaching for a mobile telephone in a manner that requires a driver to maneuver so that he or she is no longer in a seated driving position, restrained by a seat belt that is installed in accordance with federal regulations that has been adjusted in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions"

So there's that; I guess I can no longer legally keep my phone in the overhead compartment and undo my seat belt and stand up to find/answer it with both hands when it rings while I'm driving. Or dial out with both hands. Dang. Dudley Doright always foiling my game plan.

When last I blogged I was having some issue with my home time request (TAH = Time @ Home.) My wife was getting pretty frustrated, and as I'm sure many of you know, that can be a heavy burden on a guy trying to find the balance between family and work. And as a rookie it seems even tougher because you want to impress to managers.

What kinda makes it a challenge for me is that I've never been one to instigate confrontation in most cases. But I said "Fine" and sent a free form to let them know that due to the fact this would be the second w/e in a row that my TAH request had been ignored, this upcoming assignment was "unacceptable."

I think that's the fastest I've had any response from support. My phone wasn't working at the time so a flurry of QualComm messages soon had me reassigned to a load that, if timed right, would have me home by 6 p.m. the next day. Hot ####!

So I shagged on the next day and made my p/u in Muskogee, OK. After I reported my arrival at point, I soon received a message requesting arrival/departure times at the location I was originallyassigned to.
I responded that I didn't take that load because I had been reassigned to this load to honor a TAH request, which was a "critical" load. Had I taken the other, my TAH this load would be late.

This seemed to cause some confusion on their end; but nothing I could do about that. They responded that they were taking me off the previous load. Um, ok.

It's amazing at how I'm learning to count every minute of the day and reflecting upon each moment in a store or a missed turn cost me. When trying to get back to Paris I had to stop to fuel, missed a turn which cost me over 10 minutes trying to get back into traffic the right way and stopped for about another (less than) 10 minutes to try to meet up with a friend who wanted to give me his cooler and CB.

Those series of events led me to being over my 70 HOS by about 7 minutes. But I got my truck in the driveway and it was dun... D-U-N, DUN!

Made for a good w/e. Wife is happier and all's right with the world again ... for now.

Did have to break out the belt on the 7 yr old. While wife was putting away groceries and I was folding laundry he came in with an Angry Bird doll. She asked where he got it. "Uh... from that bag of chips." EHHHHH! Wrong answer. Gotta come up with better lies than that. Swiped it from the store while gettin groceries. I pointed out to him that if he can't pay for it, he can't have it; and that goes for us all.

I've started putting in my TAH request for Christmas. Gonna do that every day to make sure they get the message. I'm not very comforted by the fact that they don't acknowledge TAH requests. But I sent it twice today a few hours apart and figure I may continue the trend; one in the evening and once in the morning. May get on their nerves that I'm more up to date on TAH requests than mac 18. But getting home for Christmas has a certain urgency and importance to it that I can't explain. It's also much easier for me to figure. heh

I went to make my drop this morning and the guy told me they'd have someone break my seals for me when available. I waited over an hour and finally went to go follow up. They'd already done it and went back in; I never saw em and they didn't bother to tell me. He said, "We figured you was napping and didn't wanna bother you."
As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I had actually banked on getting that done and THEN getting a couple hours sleep before my clock reset. Jacked that up. Now my whole day's gone weird. heheh

Well, I got about 4 hrs to my appmnt time so I reckon I'll get some rest before. Heading from S. TX to Topeka. Wife told me to inform them that I can't take any loads in snowy areas until my life insurance goes into effect. :-P Now that's foresight. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4272 Schneider - Ignor-ance http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4251 Sat, 17 Dec 2011 04:22:13 GMT Monday I did as support instructed; I told my DBL I needed to confirm my TAH schedule. He told me to send my mac in. I told him I did and was told to... Monday I did as support instructed; I told my DBL I needed to confirm my TAH schedule. He told me to send my mac in. I told him I did and was told to confirm it with him and copy/pasted the e-mail. Never heard another word of it.

So now I'm thinking I need to send in the mac 43 every day so it will STAY on the list and not be overlooked.

But I took this load without complaint expecting to be heading home Sat. Don't look that way now. Now I'm sitting and waiting because this place don't unload after 1630 and there's a few trucks ahead of me. Sweeet.
Oh, and even funner: I dunno if it's all these power lines or what, but my phone won't make or take calls. Bluetooth won't even connect. Text still works and I get a 1x data stream. So there's that.

I've already been assigned another load that heads a lil ways west, which is a start in the right direction... I guess... almost. But Delivers in a couple days. Hmph.

I sent a freeform reminding them my TAH has now been denied for two consecutive w/e's and I'ma need a route to the house. I also sent another one for Christmas w/e, but changed the date to get home one day earlier.

I don't mind all this if it was just me. But it aint. Home was expecting me. My seven year old crawled into his tunnel and cried, refused to come out thinking I'm just mad at him. He doesn't yet understand the concept of inconsiderate, a$$hole bosses.

My wife is a nurse and makes pretty decent. Actually makes in a day what I brought home last week. She told me to drop the trailer and come home. Of course I'm not gonna do that. I know this would likely be the last time my CDL would do me any good if I did something like that.
Besides that, at my last job I was teased by her for not making as much money (at $11/hr) as her, this don't help. But to be a stay-at-home dad, winning no bread? Staying home with the kids is cool and I wouldn't mind it so much, but if/when it gets held over my head about "who brings home the bacon," I'd rather be out here doing what I can. However; at this rate my son's question almost makes sense: "Why can't you just work at Kroger or something?"

She's insisting I get home tomorrow one way or another come hell or high water. *sigh* Wuddah man tuh do? :biggrin_2552:

On another note, I sent in another mac 21. Told them my request to route to OC or WingFoot went ignored. Instead I was loaded with a hot load that has been fubar from the get-go and took me away from home.
SO, since I'm going nowhere tonight, can they please send someone to fix the two tires that have nails. They replied that WingFoot should get to me within a couple hours.

They also replied a few minutes ago that I need to contact my Board in the morning, "it looks like they are trying to get you close to home." Nice, "close to home" sounds like a pot sweetener, huh? :biggrin_25513: Like "Hey, see that road? 25 miles down it is your house. How bout that, eh? Now hurry! Consignee is waiting." *sigh*

Other than all that, it's been a pretty good day.

On the lighter side, very much unlike my wife, I love satire and parody; hence Weird Al. Heard this on the radio today, to the tune of Mily Cyrus' Party in the U.S.A., Weird Al's Party in the C.I.A. Enjoy!
http://vevo.ly/kUdarG ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4251 Prime http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4244 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:50:25 GMT Random crap: A thought occurred to me this morning: If I was driving for Prime, then I guess my sleeper would be my Prime Crib. Random crap:
A thought occurred to me this morning: If I was driving for Prime, then I guess my sleeper would be my Prime Crib. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4244 Schneider - Happy Monday http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4243 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:42:16 GMT While in training my TE warned me against updating logs at the end of my shift because of fatigue, it's too easy to make a mistake. This rings true for sending mac 18's as well.

I made delivery in Muskogee, OK and sent my mac 18 indicating my availability. I ran to Wal-Mart for some items then on to Pilot to TransFlo. At 7:15 I ran out of HOS and went on to bed.

Sometime in the afternoon my DBL called and asked what I was doing. He asked if I picked up my load before bed. My response, "What load?" Well, they sent me a load at around 7:45. According to my mac 18, I should have picked it up before my 10.

Upon review, I guess he'd be right. But we worked out a game plan and went on. After I got off the phone with him I began writing my instructions in my Pumpkin Pad. I noticed they wanted me to pick up an empty at this morning's delivery point. I already knew there wasn't one, so I phoned in. They told me to note in a reply macro and they'd locate another for me. I had a pick-up in Ft. Smith, they found one at a nearby location.

Later on I recalled something else that should have, but didn't, come up in my chat with DBL. I sent him a free form note before bed informing him I was out of HOS, but had spoke with SEM. I have two tires with nails, I requested a route through an OC or WingFoot to get them taken care of. Does he not pay attention to free forms?

By the time I rolled out of Muskogee it was rush hour traffic, part of the way out was a 35 mph, one-lane construction zone and I managed to hit every red light this town had to offer. I was starting out way behind. So a ways down the road I sent a mac 29.

When I got to my trailer pick-up location, the lady guard informed me that trailers are stacked in parking, so my trailer may be behind another. It was. So I grabbed another & let the office know what's up.

It seems most people I've dealt with today has had a similar day, BAH!

I boogied to my p/u location. Got into the shipping office and they told me I needed a p/u number, which I didn't have.
So I go back to the truck, sit on hold for a bit and finally get in touch with support.

He tells me he'll get it for me. On second thought, this is one of the rare times he doesn't have one. So he contacts Customer Service and they have no luck contacting the company to get a number.
The solution? Take 10 and try again in the morning. Then mac 29 on the delivery to avoid service failure. Great. Just fantastic. Here I'm trying to get back in my DBL's good graces and I'm thwarted by the company I'm here to service.

But hey, soon it will be Friday. That makes everything better, right? ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4243 Schneider - Sleep Management and Cell Phone Laws http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4234 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:07:02 GMT Apparently I now need to learn proper sleep management. I've gotten into the habit of running my time, goofing off a couple (or more) hours by fartin around online and talking on the phone, then getting up after my 10 hr break and hauling on.

The last couple days I've woken up and rolled forth have been tough as I've fought fatigue something fierce. Up at around two or three a.m. and doing the best I can to stay alert. Since I'm babysat by this #### QualComm, my clock has already started and I want to make the best of my available hours. But the day's started out with my desire to just get a couple more hours sleep. Apparently I've even taken a couple phone calls that I don't really remember.

I know the first bit of advice, TYA to bed as soon as you stop. Sounds right, except I know to expect at least one call from home which will just interrupt me and I'll be in a daze when I talk to the wife/kids.

Last night I stopped with too little time to make it to a truck stop. So I hit the IL Welcome Center about 25 miles from Leavenworth. I only regained about 2.5 hours which left me about 6.5 to run.

Same thing, I was sleepy the whole way. Perhaps I should have hit the first station and got some coffee. But I also wanted to make mileage out of my time.

By the time I got to Flying J in E. St. Louis I was nearly wide awake. I fueled, went in to bathroom and hit Denny's for breakfast. I read through the Pilot Challenge Magazine while eating; about an hour. Then a lil light came on. I was still parked in front of the fuel island.

I cashed out ASAP. While waiting for the cashier another driver walked up and I told him what I did. He laughed and said he almost did the same thing. Denny's was right in front of the bathroom. Too easy to just walk right in.

I hurried out to move. There was another driver just starting to fill-up. So no beat down ensued.

I found a place to park and fell asleep for nearly 10 solid hours. Bunch of weird dreams. I grabbed some coffee and TransFloe'd my papers but was perplexed by one thing, my available hours to run.

It was my understanding that after EVERY 10 hr break, you regain your 14 hrs. So why, after a 10 hr break had I still only 2.5 hrs left to run? I decided it must be that I can't recover hours until after midnight when I gain my 8th day hours.

Now I sit just west of Rolla, MO at a small truck park at a Phillip's. When I stopped I looked at my summary of hours. That explains it. I DID recover my 14 hr day. However; I'm out of hours on my 70. I got two minutes left, for what that's worth. But I guess I still have to wait until midnight to recover my 8th day hours; which will give me about 11 hrs.

24 hrs accident free! Woo-HOO! lol

I talked with a former boss (8.5 years at a funeral home) on the phone just to do some catching up. He reminded me to use caution, especially when tired because I know what it's like to have to clean up the mess of someone sleepy or texting when driving.

ON that subject of the NTSB wanting a 100% ban on cell phone use while driving..... I heard on the radio that they have already passed it for truckers. Said the FMCSR is modified and the law goes into affect Jan. 1, 2012 for INTERstate drivers. Now they want all states to make the law. I have a few arguments against it.

1) Truckers, they want to outlaw cell phone use cause it's a distraction... but CB's are still ok? I fail to see the difference. Not that I think they should go further and ban CB's.

2) The government needs to step back and realize their REAL power. They can make all the #### laws they like. They CAN'T make people follow them. Nor will they. A ban on cell phone use will INCREASE cell phone related accidents. People will still use them. Since it is illegal, they will focus more on hiding it by keeping the phone lower out of sight which will take their eyes further away from the road.

3) I argue that a GPS is more a distraction than a cell phone.

4) They want phone manufacturer's (including On-Star) to create ways to disable phones while a vehicle is in motion. Uh huh. So much for the GPS on your phone. I guess all passengers are SOL as well.

And what about this On * commercial I've been hearing on the radio. A lil girl calls On * and tells them how scared she is because her mom keeps closing her eyes while driving; going into a diabetic coma.

Well if the gummit has it's way, I guess the lil girl just has to wait until the accident is over. Then if she lives she can call On*.

Either way, the law doesn't say I can't WEAR a headset, I just can't use it. So I guess they'll have to pull my recs to see if I was using it at a suspected time.

Penalties for trucker can range in fines from $500-$2,500 and suspension of CDL.... if I recall correctly.

Government... meh. Too powerful. Need to back the f&^& out of our business. Safety is cool. I understand wanting people to be safe. Education on the dangers is better than laws.

I know the NTSB has no authority to make it law. They plan to lobby states to pass it. I guess like how they did with the legal drinking age:
"We want you to raise the legal drinking age to 21. No? Well, I understand that as a sovereign state you have the right to set your own limits. That's regrettable but ok.
Also, I'm sorry to inform you that due to some budget issues and restrictions, we're having to make cutbacks. I regret to inform you that your Highway Funding will cease until further notice. Have a nice elf-ing day, byotch!"

fin ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4234 Schneider - East Coast Punkin http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4219 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:19:27 GMT Word up, G! Well, maybe they don't say that here in Virginia. Perhaps I can walk the town and throw some gang signs and see if I get any response other than weird looks. 'Cept I dunno any gang signs. Maybe if I get a Tupoc album....?

Got out of S. Carolina without too much of a wait. Heading to Morehead, KY. I somehow bet when they established that town they thought differently than we do nowadays.

While waiting I got a mesg from my DBL asking me to mac 18 ASAP. I informed him I did at 0330 when I started my day, but I'll send another if he'd like. Also, that support had noted my TAH request nut told me to confirm with him. He told me I had to mac 43 (or whichever it is.) I told him I did but they said confirm. So I copy/pasted their email to me.

He replied "Resend it." I dunno if he wanted the mac 18 or 43's, so I did em all. Sheesh.

Other than that, pretty uneventful. Easy rice, decent traffic most of the way. Rolling up I-77. Last time was with TE at night. And I was a bit more stiff armed. Today, much more relaxed and could enjoy the view.

I had to call my DBL for a pick-up number. He told me to call him back as soon as I can. I told him I had time because there was a couple trucks ahead of me and only one worker.

He asked me about the accident I had. He has to schedule me to come to the OC for "Accident Training." Perhaps it's a misnomer, but I'm wondering, "Did I not do the accident right? Was it too minor so they're gonna teach me how to really EF it up?"

Heard Rush on the radio comment about Newt Gingrinch signing a pledge to not cheat on his wife. I thought it, a moment later Rush said it, "Isn't that already in the vows?"

Peace in the Mid East! Rain in Spain! ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4219 Music Trivia http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4217 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:50:59 GMT Music Trivia:

Guns and Roses formed in early 1985 by William Bruce "Axl" Rose of Hollywood Rose and Tracy Richard Irving Ulrich (aka Tracii Guns) of L. A. Guns.
:smt066:smt068:smt071:smt072
 ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4217 <![CDATA[Merry "X"mas?]]> http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4210 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:40:18 GMT For years Christians have been offended by the written phrase "X-mas" and claimed it took "Christ" out of "Christmas."

Be offended no longer and just consider it an abbreviation. The word "Christ" is an English translation (perhaps not even a good one, but American English is sloppy anyway) for the Greek word "Xristos." ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4210 Breathtaking Moments http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4209 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:13:47 GMT It is said that "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take. But by the moments that take our breath away."

Perhaps we should consider that every breath we take is a breathtaking miracle given as a gift from God.

King Solomon probably had more "breathtaking" moments than anyone reading this. He wrote, "I have not withheld any pleasure from my heart..... and it is all meaningless."

It could be argued that he was suggesting we take note of every moment in an "average, ordinary day" as a blessing and something worth cherishing. ]]> Blank_Look http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/entry.php?b=4209