Well I made my first run. They gave me a 2006 freightliner. The only problem was the A/C was shot. I think they gave me the oldest truck they could. It has 430k on it. It isn't a bad truck and I'm not complaining. I guess the idiot that was running it didn't want to drag it into a shop and he didn't need A/C since the truck came from up north. I roasted my a$$ off let me tell you. I couldn't sleep until the sun went down. It was nearly 100 degrees. I loaded my truck and tried to stop by the reciever even though they tell you in training not to do this(I always break the rules). They were really friendly and told me that their tanks aren't big enough to take my load. I kinda figured I was the rolling wherehouse and thanked them. Now I know there is no point in ever showing up early. I guess their tank has a two truck capacity, but they are getting three trucks between now and monday.

They gave me a 2004 freightliner with 531,000 miles on it with square tires and a seat thats broke down and leans to the right and the right arm rest is missing and broke and it wont air up the lumbars and I just write it up morning and night so maybe they will either fix it or give me another I hope. Dont really want to rock the boat and complain since I'm the new guy but if it dont get fixed soon I'm thinking about at least spaeking to the terminal manager about it. Its a good truck also but it will cost more if I get shutdown if DOT finds some of those flat spots thats on there and makes them come out and fix it plus a fine.But I'm gonna make sure my end is covered with a paper trail so they cant come back on me and thats the way they say to do it!!

04 ??? check in the dirt on the back of the cab and see if "yard dog" is etched in the paint...??? I think that's the same truck they gave me when I started...lol

a definate to keep up on the paper trail and if they keep you in it too long go have a polite talk with the powers that be... about hiring on to drive truck and not junk... though I suspect they are low on 06's and just need to swap them around to move you in...

it like low income housing... some are lucky and jump right into decent digs and others gotta fight all the way from the bottom... lol

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Though your argument is very clever, I don't think it will lead to the results you desire. gandhi

1 and 2 or a and b... here we go...

my nick name (that you gave me) "crash"... well I'm kinda holding true to it unfortunately... poured ugly all over the right front side...

Not canned...yet?

customer was very polite in providing two spotters (left and right) to back me into a dungeon... *crunch*

what the heck?????? why are you both motioning me to come back???????

if something is in the way???????

uhmmmm... I tot you see dat, but we need truck more back...

wtf????????????????

wtf??????????????????????????????????????????????? ??
WTF !!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????????

Rule number, muey grande numero uno !!!!!!!!!!!!

NEVER EVER EVER EVER.... trust anyone but mommy... and she needs i.d.


how come you guys never bring three hoses...??? would be much easier and avoid crash and burns...

have you ever asked them or told them we need 3 hoses??? because I've never been here before and didn't know and it doesn't say it on the invoice????

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX
said to much already
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

so I'm off on a quick little 7 hour round and then off for the weekend...

leave at nine a.m. and get back at 12:30 a.m.

can I get a calculator here??? this isn't adding up...???

well... seven hours of work... intersparsed by mechanic and a battery charger...

mechanic saying its all good to go...

me asking nothing wrong with the alternator?

nope its charging... but don't shut it off for two hours...

followed by a question / phone call to mechanic... hi this is im6under, I drove 1 block and got on the freeway, headed down the ramp and noticed the temp guage is climbing... grabbed high gear... and it was really climbing so I shut it down... and coasted to the side of the road...

popping the hood I see a busted, not burned, belt... a shredded idler pully...

mechanic... i'll send the guy that worked on you right out... your one mile away???

yep...

we'll be right there...

2nd call... ohhhh btw am checking all the pulleys and the alternator is also locked up. probably need one of those...

*1 hour later*

hey got your parts... sorry about missing the alternator but it was charging when you left...

uh-huh ????

*1 hour later*

I can't get the pully loose have to go back to the shop for impact wrench..

*30 minutes later*

all finished you can fire her up and head on out...

did you reconnect the battery?

oops forgot that...

grrr.... click click click....

battery seems dead... got cables???

no and I'm off duty... I'll go get other guy and send him out...

hi, I'm steve... I got your new batteries... three of them...

*oops did I mention shop manager was there in between and all new belt tensioners installed... anyways*

*30 minutes later* vroom ehawwwww !!!!!

guy was very proud at help he had given and got it all fixed...

I called bob for third time pushing appointment back... and mentioned if you throw enough parts at something it will eventually run... lol

and... a witty observation...

12:30 a.m. downtown waterloo hwy63 and broadway I am sitting at the light. inside lane... car next to me... and a guy standing at the corner next to the car... holding a sign...

12:30 a.m. as morning right???

sign reads *will work for food, any money at all will help and god bless you that care*

and I think to myself... "I wish I had that guys job"... and turn left headed for the yard...

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Though your argument is very clever, I don't think it will lead to the results you desire. gandhi

Oh I'm having fun. My truck spent 2 days at freightliner last weekend. Idiots just started replacing parts. Somehow they thought that the blower motor was bad and a relay was bad. Well I get out of the shop and the A/C shuts off. 4 hours later at Freightliner they fix whatever wiring problem was the original problem. I take the truck and go south to New Orleans. The parking lot has a couple of rough spots in it where I park. The roughness makes whatever was shorting out act up and turn my A/C off again. Still not fixed. I'm just wondering when I'm going to get irritated enough to spend another 12 hours at Freightliner.

Its kinda interesting too. I'm getting .36cpm and another company out of New Orleans called Meyers is paying .40cpm. Granted I don't live in New Orleans, but that is a low rent area and they are paying .40cpm? Whats up with our pay? I think we are getting burned. Can you say Teamsters Tankhaul? [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

dunno if you're getting burned or not? kinda doubt it if you give it a few months and see what your average pay works out to be... might make a difference...???

what makes my pay good to me is home most nights and ost weekend off... off as in really off... not just home for a 34 restart.

bob's been runing us hard one week, lots of miles, maybe out over night... then we're home for a weekend... followed by shorter runs the next week and maybe work a saturday.

checks are all kinda averaging out to be ok... and I'm not to tired...

we ran stupid hard from summer til mid winter and I was getting burned out... but I'm a wussy... lol

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Though your argument is very clever, I don't think it will lead to the results you desire. gandhi

Well I been working out of Chatt. now going on a month and our work has been slow on the liquid side of things!! The good thing is I been bringing my truck home in the afternoons with a load ready for the next morning with me going south and saving me a ton of gas which is 55 miles one way. Dispatch has been super nice out of Iowa and everyone seems cool but they have started me at 35.5cents and I have tank exp within the last 2 years but I'm not gonna complain to much cause I could be out of work right now and gonna ride it out and see if it picks up the next couple of weeks and the loads pick up cause most of what I run has a flat rate on it and those rates are a little disappointing if you only get one a day but again I do have a job so we will see what happens!!!

There we go, that's what I'm talkin' about. You have the best stories although it is disturbing how much stuff you seem to be tearing up.

y week was fairly ho hum. I was off Monday and Tuesday so I could take the MO family woman and the MO Family children to the airport. They were off to visit the mouse down in Orlando. When I came in weds (After spending a few hours trying to get a new car charger for my phone) I was off to Maryland's eastern shore with a load. 1,100 out and 1,100 back empty. I delivered early Friday morning then rolled up to the northern end of the bay to go see my folks who live out there. I also went and saw some friends I hadn't seen in about 16 years. I left MD on Saturday and headed home. I thought I would be off Sunday but instead a new load came in sending me out to the sunny shores of Lake Huron in MI. Since it was an acid load I still had to go back to the terminal in ottumwa IA first to switch trailers. railers switched and off I go. 700 miles out empty then 700 back loaded. For those keeping score at home that is about 1,800 miles straight running empty(God I love this job). Delivered the load up in Eddyville earlier today then go home. I have to go ftech the MO family from the airport tomorrow evening. I will be glad when this mid week nonsense ends so I can get back to a normal schedule. I will work Thursday and Friday then this is my weekend off.

Oh and amazingly every time I turn my key...the truck starts. It even rides down the road with no issues...its nice...y'all should try it sometime.

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Bad spellers of the world...UNTIE!!!

Careful what you wish for with that Teamster stuff. Being the low man on the totem pole in a teamster shop may not be to your liking. I am the most junior at the Questliner Ottumwa yard but enjoy a nice gig. I am paid the same as those that have been there longer and cream puff longhauls are given out on a rotation. It is very fair and ensures we all make good money. I would hate to end up with a bidding on loads by senority and get stuck with the lousy local stuff because I also live the farthest from the yard(70 miles) and would hate to get stuck commuting so much.

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Bad spellers of the world...UNTIE!!!

off to one of our better accounts... where we can't touch the hoses because "we" are idiots and they have specially trained people to unload our trucks...

I am sitting in my cab talking to another driver out the window who suddenly looks like he is going to puke... then gasps and disappears in front of the hood.

I jump out to check for epilepsy or heart failure... and I too am making the funny face as the ammonia cloud hits me...

I walk to the back of the trailer to see whats up and notice all of the personel are beating feet, all I see is heels and elbows...

I look behind the trailer and and there is a garden hose pouring ammonia on the ground under high pressure... looking up the side of the 50 foot tank I see 3" vent hooked from the top of the tank showering a might fine stream down the ladder assembly and running all over heck...

I paused for about two seconds taking in the situation wondering what all that stuff was...????

ohhhhh!!!!!! the tank is full !!!!!!!!!!!! overing !!!!!

walked over and pushed a button by the motor and backed out for o2.

stupid buttons aren't labeled start/stop or on/off...

crap continues to run... and I catch a glimpse of three more guys beating feet up the street... (pandammonia) lol

take a breath and jump back in bushing the second switch... everything stops... and I unsquint to get a good look...

whoops that burns the eyes a touch...

back on out and ask if I can use the chem shower... might have got some on me... (note) one guy didn't run he just stood there staring... *blankly*

no answer on the shower... so I went back to the cab... and grabbed a pepsi and washed my hands and arms off just in case...

walk back to the end of the trailer and the mega alarm goes off... whaaa whaaaa whaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!

the big boss comes out and surveys the situation... and calls somebody on the radio for a hazmat response team...

I offer you want me to hose that down with the water hose that is sitting right there... "nope get in your truck"

I can't breath in my truck because the wind is blowing that way so I'll just stay here and out of your way...

out comes the keystone cops... little red suits (not near as sexy as ours) donning hoods, respirators, as they *untangle* the fire hoses and start drenching everything from 2 angles... *truck needed washed anyways*

they have no clue how big the spill is... but are sure its thousands of gallons... I volunteer I think it was between 15 and 20 period.

the imaginary fire fighting goes on for about 20 minutes when I ask the big guy if he would mind unhooking my truck so I can leave...

he's agreeable because then they can hose down where the truck is parked..

guy goes over to unhook the main line from the truck and I start yelling you better close the tank valve before you fuque with the line or you'll be wearing ammonia...

ohh????? yeah???? good idea... close the dump valve and they unhook me...

I call bob who says... idiots...

then I am off and down to the yard...

get there and tell hydrite what went on and to be careful with the truck because their pump had somehow run liquid up in the vapor recovery line because I saw fluid run out when they were unhooking me and I don't want anyone to get hurt thinking it is just the vapor line...

the phone rings... and guess who it is????????

its the guys from the customer calling to complain to hydrite they had a spill.... and are blaming it on the driver...

(me)

hydrite says, "bs, our driver is right here and we he doesn't hook unhook or anything else down there... so you better go talk to your people again and find out what happened... cuz our driver saved your arse and a major clean-up when all your guys ran for the hills.

good old hydrite... givem the h e double hockey sticks buddy... lol

weighed the combo when I got in... still had about 13k in the bottle...

am thinking I should'a let it run....

idiots... lol

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Though your argument is very clever, I don't think it will lead to the results you desire. gandhi