My blog with Melton Truck Lines

You do have to purchase your own cb. But it does not hurt to ask the guys that issue you your truck if they have anything. The guys that issue the trucks are the same ones who get pick them up when someone abandons them for whatever reason. I was actually offered a cooler fridge when I got my truck. I guess guys quit and don't have money for a rental car so they end of leaving a bunch of stuff. Not promising anything but I had a free fridge offer. My good friend lucked out and got a million miler truck and his had a fridge. It's all luck but plan on buying one and hope for the best.

 

Another week is in the books. I started from the Harrisburg, PA TA. I picked up in Cressona, PA. It was a drop and hook but I had to watch a 3 minute video to use their tarp system that surrounds the load, I guess so you don't call off the load.

I laughed to myself when I started tarping because I was the only using the equipment they said was mandatory. None of the other drivers were Melton for what is worth. After tarping and strapping the load I was on my way to Schaumburg, IL.

I stopped at our Masoury, Oh terminal to do laundry and stay the night. I think that terminal is my favorite. No one is ever there so I can have free rein of the dish network and can do my laundry for free including the soap.

Tuesday I made it to my Cosignee but they are appt only and I was 15 hours early. This company has multiple locations, and this is the only that is not first come first serve. Think union. I stayed the night on the property and thank god the Melton driver picking up told me where to park for the morning because there was 20 other trucks behind me the next morning.

The next morning the first half of my load came off at one bay and when I get to the second bay I'm not on their schedule. They'll have to work me in. After shift change they work me in and I'm empty. Place is a pita.

I was worried about my next load because I was scheduled for hometime. Most loads are two day loads and that would have me delivering on Good Friday. My new load comes through and it is a Monday delivery in Dallas. First question is am I dropping it in Tulsa or Sunnyvale. They think about it and give me a new load from West Chicago to Weatherford, TX.

I get to the shipper. Of course the door slammers have a nice open dock. Flatbedders have to back through the employees cars around a curve to where they load us. It was the hardest back at a customer I have had. It wasn't the level of difficulty it was having all those cars near me and making tiny adjustments. I GOAL quite a few times but Melton doesn't have to buy any new cars because of me.

I didn't start my 14 till noon and I decided I was going to make it to the Petro in Joplin before I shut it down. I55 in Illinois did everything it could to slow me down but I wasn't having it. Driving through Missouri at midnight myself and a USX driver were minding our own business.

We come up on an Estes driving having a hard time making it up a hill. I'm lite and USX is too so we pass him no problem. Wouldn't you know it on flat ground he was .25 mph faster then us. I kick off the cruise and let him go by. Estes gets over in front of me and here is another hill. I'm hitting the brakes to keep my following distance. USX passes me and him. Get on flat ground and Estes is back in the left lane but USX isn't as nice as me and wouldn't you know it they drove side by side for 15 miles. It was 15 miles. Must of been 7 trucks and 15 cars stacked up waiting for Estes to move.

A lot of day cabs start blah blah so glad I get paid hourly when were stuck in traffic. But very few act like their not being paid by the mile. They will hold up traffic to pass one truck all while getting payed hourly.

Anyways, make it to Joplin and call it a night. Wake up the next morning around ten grab a shower and Taco Bell. I hit the road at 11 and was within 400 miles of my delivery. Melton had me routed down 69 in Oklahoma. I can take the toll roads we have Pike Pass but I thought I would be a good employee. But never again. They change the speeds so much on that highway it's no wonder why so many people get tickets on that road. Throw in all the stop lights and I am taking the toll road. I end up in the Petro in Weatherford, TX for the night.

Friday morning I get to my Cosignee and they unloaded me quick. I think they thought I was picking up their out bound load but I was not. It was headed to Colorado and I was going south. Before I get dispatched home they have me pick up a load in Dallas going to Arizona. When I arrived at the shipper there was four other Melton trucks picking up all going to Georgia. They all wanted my load to Arizona, I told them call your dm and plead your case I am dropping this 10 miles away. Doesn't bother me. None of them did because I left with the Arizona load.

I dropped the load at our Sunnyvale (Dallas) terminal. At first the terminal wanted me to untarp the load and put yard tarps on but after seeing the height of the load they reconsidered and replaced my equipment on the load. They knew I was going home for the holiday and they helped me by saving an hour of time tarping and retarping.

Of course every highway in Texas is under construction. Even though it was Good Friday and most construction areas had no workers it still slows everything down. I got caught in traffic and Temple, TX and realized I would run out of my 14 around Austin. Even though I did not want to sleep 2 hours from home, I called it a night in Jerrell, TX at the J.

I'm on the couch and I don't have my exact mileage with me. It was a short week and I am staying home till Tuesday am. I have an okay place to park but I saw a storage area with a bunch of trucks. Having a reserved spot without any chance of being towed or hit was worth 50 bucks a month to me. But the storage place wanted $165. I told them my price and we parted ways. Guess my current spot is good enough.

Have a great Easter hopefully everyone is running and not sitting. I plan on being in Tulsa this week to get work done on the truck if anyone ends up there Wed/Thurs.