Lease Purchase Fuel Management Strategies

Excellent. That SensorTracs is a great tool. It's kinda like a video game. How good can I get the numbers.

Nah. No exploding cranium. I just share for anyone that cares. Those that don't . . . hey it's all good.

I actually do. As a member and supporter of OOIDA, my State's Trucking Association and TruckPAC, and Member of my State's Trucking Association's Safety Management Council I do lobby for SENSIBLE Safety Regulation reform and against what the FMCSA under Ms. Ferraro's reign was putting out. We are all for Safety but let's make it sensible. Both my State's US Senators and my District's US Representatives have received many e-mails from me personally as well - particularly when MAP-21 was being debated.

Yo. Mista' I dig it. I get these kinda numbers running the I-10, I-40 and I-70 east west circles from the left coast to the middle regions all the time. Discipline pays don't it. This particular one My SensorTrac had just reset the trip but the previous was in the 8's and this one wound up 8.3 before resetting. Well I say all the time but that's not true. I get them when I run for economy which is almost all the time. Sometimes things happen, though and I have to mash that motor for the last half of the last leg and cringe as I know I'm gonna get into the low 7's. But hey, you gotta do what ya gotta do sometimes when the customer delays and you gotta run speed over economy for a while. I'm an economy freak but I'm not gonna ask for a repower to make OTD when I know I CAN do it if I swallow some fuel. It comforts to know I did 7/8 of the trip at really good MPG and honestly low 7's aren't all THAT bad. I save repower and swap requests for HOS crunches or when I have just too much time on the load. It do feel good to be in the 8's though don't it? Makes all the hard work tangible.

That's nice of you to say. I appreciate it cause it is a different mindset and feeling. For example, today I picked up a preload and danged if the RFO trailer tire was a US Maypop. Very rare for my company. I have been really impressed with their trailers. What bugged me most is some VERY inconsiderate fellow Operators left that thing "for the next driver" and I just won't do that. Plus it was WAY too far gone to be rolling anywhere except to the closest tire shop. Company asks me if I feel like it's safe to roll to a tire shop. Yeah. I do and I'll be a sport and save my business partner the much added expense of sending a road service. They've been good to me. I get to the TA and it's gonna be at least four hours til I can even get into the shop. Well I tell you I was real sore at a BUNCH of inconsiderate Ops that KNEW this tire was like that and put it off on the next guy. Point is. As a Company driver I wouldn't have been really upset. They do that all the time. Worst it costs me is time and not all that much money. They'll reschedule if they have to. As an Op I was angry because those fellow businessmen cut into my wallet big time. Not over the repair. It's a company trailer and national account so I won't have to even cycle the money through my settlement as a pass through. No. My time and the way my HOS were on this load had me set up for a SWEET week. Now I'm gonna wind up losing this load. No way I'll be able to make OTD now with me running on recap to boot. I guess what I'm trying to say is as a company driver it wasn't personal. As an Op it was personal because they cut into MY business. I promise that at least 10 Ops have pulled this trailer with this tire like this and I promise not a single one called our shop. Otherwise the shop woulda had them replace it. I guarantee that. All I said in my message was "it's slick, chunked and I promise DOT won't pass it. What'cha want to do?" Without hesitation they said replace it. No photo for proof, none of that mess. If it's bad, by all means get it replaced.

As a company driver: No biggie. Shop time will flip me back to day driving. Cool. As an Op you cut into my business. Uncool. I been driving nights and sleeping days for three weeks now cause I was in a groove. I coulda held out a long break several times and switched to day driving but I would have left miles on the table. As accompany driver I was a good company man and did my part for my company but somehow as an Op it's different. It's more. It's MY business. MY baby. MY reputation, MY sweat and it's working and I have so much more pride in it. Don't get me wrong, I had pride as a good solid company driver but this is different. This is my Baby and I'm building it and when inconsiderate fools mess with it like this it ticks me off. I guess I could pulled it and left it for the next Op too, so in that respect I can't get all that mad. But that's not how I run MY business. I don't put my problem off on someone else to deal with that's struggling to build their business just like I am. That's not right. And when other people do it to me . . . I just.

Well. AHEM. I guess I am still a little sore. I think I'll ease in and see how far along the shop is. Not that it matters now. My 14 is cooked at this point. That's Ok. It's all on the wheel and what goes around comes around. Those cats put a company tire off on me. Karma will cause them to deal with a flat on their truck. Well, that's not nice either. Just overlook me tonight.

Be safe and have fun guys.