Going back trucking with PTL

Discussion in 'PTL' started by rcd127, Dec 29, 2013.

  1. rcd127

    rcd127 Medium Load Member

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    Nov 11, 2009
    Madison, AL
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    Got to the receiver at 15:00, a Bud DC small little place and guess what they are closed. Now I'm pissed. It's Friday they won' be open again till Monday for sure. The trailer I have has 2 of the locking pins for the tandems are stuck in so I decide to take it up to the TA in Richmond VA to be repaired. Stayed the night up there, then in the morning came back to the receiver to see if they might be open (yeah right). Nope so I am now over at the pilot about a mile away.

    My FM did send me a message that they were checking on getting me unloaded on Sunday (OK I'll hold my breath).
     
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  3. rcd127

    rcd127 Medium Load Member

    331
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    Nov 11, 2009
    Madison, AL
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    I guess no one is interested so I will stop..:biggrin_25518:
     
  4. paradox13

    paradox13 Bobtail Member

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    Jan 1, 2014
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    LOL, keep us updated. I enjoy reading all the goings on .
     
  5. Jrdude5

    Jrdude5 Heavy Load Member

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    Mar 26, 2013
    New York, NY
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    I read and reply I also work for ptl in my second training phase.
     
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  6. paradox13

    paradox13 Bobtail Member

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    Jan 1, 2014
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    Is phase 2 of your training driving 30,000 miles with another student co-driver?
     
  7. rcd127

    rcd127 Medium Load Member

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    Nov 11, 2009
    Madison, AL
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    Yes it is....
     
    yankeefan Thanks this.
  8. Jrdude5

    Jrdude5 Heavy Load Member

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    Mar 26, 2013
    New York, NY
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    Yeah just started 2nd week
     
  9. rcd127

    rcd127 Medium Load Member

    331
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    Nov 11, 2009
    Madison, AL
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    OK I'll keep it going. I thought no one was interested.

    I left off last week waiting to get unloaded at a BUD DC. They did open on Sunday a 15:00. I back in and begin to get unloaded. Another PTL driver was also there. The guard came out and said that some of the cases had shifted and I had 2 options. 1 to go re-stack them (hell no I drive) the second hire a lumper. I go inside to see what happened. They loaded it badly in the front of the trailer. It cost $150 for the lumper. I took pictures good thing too. PTL wanted to know what happened. I get done finally and drive the mile back to the Pilot without starting my 14 hour clock. :biggrin_25511:

    Next load picks up at Bud in Williamsburg,VA at 04:00 with 2 stops, VersaIlles, OH then South Bend, IN. Get the load picked up ( after missing the entrance and have to do a U-turn, I hate u-turns). On the way out you scale and can move you tandems to get the weight right. Well after three reweighs I was close enough. I was tired of moving the tandems on this old trailer it has the old mechanical slide. I take off and go 20 mile up to the Pilot where I had fueled coming in to have full tanks. I weigh it there and get it balance perfectly legal for the scale 10 miles up on I64 and of course I was pulled in to get checked but I was good to go.

    On my way to the first drop I got to go I64 oh what joy with 79,600lbs and the hills.

    Get close to my stop and the Navigo has me turn into the back parking lot of an industrial site which I missed by 100ft and I was on this little 2 lane road at 0500 I was not about to find a place to turn around so I put on my 4 ways and backed up to the entrance. I go down to the end and see a place open I go ask if this is the Bud place and he says no you have go back out around his building and "you can't miss it" I hate when people say that. I was able to turn around an get to where I had to be. Navigo had the wrong route. This is the first time this has happened.

    I get to the stop at 0600 and no one is there they open at 0700. I figured out where to back into (the area was a sheet of ice) and hop in the bunk for an nap I was exhausted. At 0715 they bang on my door so I go in and while walking up the expanded metal stairs I don't notice the last step though the door and fall flat on my face boy was I embarrassed and skinned my knee pretty good.

    Go back outside and back into the dock and was unloaded in 20 minutes. Set the Navigo to the next stop and take off. Well not so fast, I turned right out of the parking lot and she says you are going in the wrong direction after I had already gone 500 yards so I have to go to the stop sign and make a u-turn ( have I mentioned I hate u-turns).

    I get to the last stop with no problems. I begin to back into the dock when I hear air hissing and I watch the air gauges go to 80lbs and the trailer brakes lock. I call road assist and they say what is leaking. I say its coming form the tandem area and they say which device I said how do I know I am a driver not a mechanic. I get out and walk back to the tandems when I pass the emergency air connection (don't know if that's the right name it's the red one) and find it is not connected properly and air is gushing out. I reconnect it and air builds back up and get backed in and unloaded.

    Get my next PP and it is scheduled to be picked up by 23:59 today. I tell my FM I can't make it there by then it's 191 miles away. I don't have the hours,he says get it when you can. I take off and have to stop at a small TS and shut down for my 10. After sitting there for about an hour it starts to snow bad and this will be fun in the morning.

    I get up and start down the road to the Loves for my fuel. I send off a message that if the roads are bad I will shut it down. I go 79 miles in 2.5 hours to get there I fill up and shut down. Does IN have any money for snow cleaning.I get up after about 4 hours it's 0800 and get to the pickup this place is nice easy in, easy out, room to maneuver. I drop my empty and pickup the loaded trailer.

    Take off down the road,the roads are slick but at least the sun is out. I get to the IN/OH border and what do I see the roads have changed from packed snow and ice to just wet. Thank you OH DOT. When I picked up this trailer which is a much newer one the ABS light is on I figure if I have time i will get it looked at.

    This load delivers in Richmond,VA it only weighs 17,000 so I get to go down I64 again this time with a lot less weight. I stop at a rest area on I64 for my 10 and was actually able to get a nice cheeseburger at the Host stand.

    This load is scheduled Wednesday at 1400 I get near Richmond around 0600 and go to the TA to get the ABS looked at being the good company driver I want to be. I get a call at 0730 from the TA shop stating that they wont let them look at it. I call road assist back and ask why. They say TA can't fix it to take it to a trailer shop 5 miles north.

    I go to the trailer shop at 0800 when they open. They say we can look at it around 1000. I back the trailer into the bay around 1130 and unhook and wait. Around 1200 all the employees get in there vehicles and go tho lunch ( must be nice).
    At 1500 the tech comes out and says "you want the bad news or the worse news". The ABS system has to be replaced it is a bad system that the manufacturer could never get to work right. It will be ready at 1000 tomorrow. So back to the TA I go. I inform my FM of the problem he was not a happy camper and said I should have delivered first I said its a D/H and I did not want to leave a broken trailer. He said he should have called me when road assist sent me to the trailer place. I said yes you should have.

    While at the TA at least I got a nice hot shower and my laundry done ( I hate doing laundry). Get back in the truck and get a message that the load is rescheduled for Friday between 1000 and 1300. But then about 15 minutes later another message "the load has been rescheduled for Sunday at 1200 firm" WTF.

    Spoke with FM about this and he said try and deliver on Friday if they won't accept he said he may have someone else deliver that lives in the area.

    1000 Friday rolls around and no call (really didn't expect one). I call at 1100 and the lady says its done but she has to get PTL the invoice so they can pay. It's no 1445 and I call again and she says is was just going to call me I can come and pick it up.

    I go and get the trailer and notice the right side blinkers on the trailer don't work. I go with it anyway I've been delay too much already. While exiting the place there was a Prime driver blocking the driveway i could not get out with hitting him so i tooted my horn and asked him to move up he had room. He did and gave me the finger nice guy.

    I get to the delivery address sweating it every right turn because of no blinkers. The receiver says I have to come back on Sunday because they can't leave loaded trailers there over the weekend, wonderful just made my day NOT. Since it was too late in the day on Friday my FM had already gone home so I am stuck waiting till Sunday to deliver.

    So back to the TA I go. When I get here I ask road assist can TA look at the lights and my right side high beam is still not working i had changed the bulb but its a wiring problem. They say yes so in the shop I go. The same tech who work on my tandems on another trailer did the work. After about 15 minutes he said he had to check the fuses. He opens the plastic cover on the passenger side and we don't have fuses we have circuit breakers. 2 of them were tripped he reset them and look the blinkers work again and so does my radio. I learned something new about the truck. He then fixed the wiring to the head light said I had some chaffed wires.

    So here I sit at the TA in Richmond, VA till Sunday at 1100. Anyone in the neighborhood stop by and say HI:biggrin_255:






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  10. Jrdude5

    Jrdude5 Heavy Load Member

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    Mar 26, 2013
    New York, NY
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    Wow sounds like you are having a long week I have been having the same issues with the trailer break wire on my way to Houston hopefully get to Murray soon to get some work done.
     
    yankeefan Thanks this.
  11. rcd127

    rcd127 Medium Load Member

    331
    73
    Nov 11, 2009
    Madison, AL
    0
    Yes it's been a long week with not many miles.:biggrin_2551:
     
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