Stevens Transport - Dallas, Tx.

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by bb king, Jun 10, 2005.

  1. TLeaHeart

    TLeaHeart Road Train Member

    4,169
    2,613
    Apr 1, 2008
    casper, wy
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    Stevens pulls a lot of heavy loads, meat, grapes, produce, orange juice,kraft, peanuts, potatoes,.... My gross weights for the last 4 loads have been 79400, 79800, 76200, 72300. Heavy loads are the normal. The load of meat I am picking up today, the load assignment says 42,881, and they are always heavier than that. So I will be grossing 79000 again.

    Stevens does not chain, when the roads are bad, you park it!!!!! In the states that require we carry chains, we stop at a location where stevens has chains stored, pick the chains up, carry them, drop the chains off on our way out. There is a group called the chain gang, all with 5 years experience who are paid extra to chain in the northwest.

    T mobile intermountain west is terrible coverage.

    Too much time on a load... figure each drive shift you can make 500 miles. As you get experience, 600 mile days are common. so if you have a 900 mile load and 3 days to get it there, you have too much time on that load, as you can be there in less than 2.

    I pulled into Dodge city yesterday afternoon, and droped my trailer at the meat plant. My Dead Line Departure time is today 12:30. I know another driver that pulled in at the same time I did, his DLD is tomorrow at 22:00. Talked with him over dinner, he was an alliance driver that has went back to being a company driver, as he said he was not getting enough miles to make it on the alliance side. DLD is when the load must be ready for a solo driver to be able to deliver on time. And with the storm, the plant is running behind.

    I count 8 stevens bobtails, and 2 loaded sitting in the truck stop this morning. Yes it is true that you sit at meat plants. As your reputation grows, and you show that you will make your pickups and deliveries on time, your wait time at meat plants goes down.

    In my opinion, the company driver that pulled into the truck stop loaded last night at 2000, should be up and rolling now. Once you get a meat load there is rarely any extra time on it, and one must utilize each day to the maximum to deliver on time. Sitting in a Truck stop, and not rolling after your 10 hour break is up with a meat load, gives the driver a bad reputation with the meat department. This will bring about the long waits for short runs. As for the other loaded truck, he pulled in after I went to bed, so he is still on his 10 hour break.

    A lot to learn in becoming an efficient truck driver that enjoys life, makes money, and has fun.
     
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  3. wgcarver

    wgcarver Light Load Member

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    Dec 1, 2007
    Eastpointe,MI
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    I’ve always enjoyed this.

    For some reason there are two methods of braking that get confused.

    Stab Braking -- For emergency stops when not equipped antilock brakes or when antilock brakes are not working. The method is that for an emergency stop, press the brakes as hard as you can. When the wheels lock let go until the wheels are free and repeat until you’re stopped or no longer need to stop.

    Snub braking. – A method for descending grades. Allow the truck to accelerate to your maximum safe speed (not five mph above. Five mph above safe speed is not safe. Then apply enough pressure to quickly and smoothly decelerate to five mph below your desired speed. Keep repeating this method until you have descended until you feel absolutely safe that you no longer need this method.

    Stevens Method for descending a grade is selecting the highest gear in the LOW RANGE with gentle steady pressure. With an eight gear truck, that gear is not fifth, but fourth. You’ll find that with most grades over 5% with a heavy load you’ll be descending at 20mph with between 5 and 10 psi of application pressure. When you encounter a break in the descent, and you feel absolutely safe, give the brakes a break and allow time for them to cool so unless it’s more than a mile between the grade and the lessening of the grade, stay in that gear and just take your time.

    One grade with a substantial break is Cajon Pass on Interstate 15 Descending southbound from Hesperia CA to Ontario. There’s about a three mile break that you can plainly see. As you round the last bend that’s visible, slow down and get back in that highest low gear. It’s what I call Cajon II (the sequel) and where most smoked brake incidents happen.

    A word to the wise: 10PSI is not the only secret to not burning and eventually losing your brakes. Speed also increases the amount of energy converted to heat. So don’t assume that you can hold your brakes at 10psi at 62 mph to 70 mph down a hill. Go no faster than you can STOP inside your VISIBLE following distance.
     
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  4. jtrnr1951

    jtrnr1951 Road Train Member

    thanks wgcarver..........
     
  5. Barracuda905

    Barracuda905 Light Load Member

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    Oct 10, 2009
    Minot, ND
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    Thank you for the info TLea. Do you usually know how heavy your load will be before picking it up? If so, do you make sure you are loaded up on fuel before going to pick up the load.

    While having to wait that long at a meat packing plant, do you just wait there, or do you go to a truckstop and wait?
     
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  6. Bigowl

    Bigowl Light Load Member

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    Nov 25, 2009
    Dallas, Texas
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    The questions you just asked Barracuda905 are some very good questions. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. . .
     
  7. Lurchgs

    Lurchgs Road Train Member

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    Feb 13, 2008
    Denver, CO
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    WGCarver put it better than I did - you most certainly should not exceed your max safe speed. Don't recall what I was thinking when I said that.

    I'm afraid I absolutely disagree with any form of steady pressure on the brakes. The energy conversion is cumulative. The longer you apply friction, the hotter your brakes / wheels are going to get (subject to conditions, admittedly), Just because they aren't heating as quickly as they would under higher speeds / pressures doesn't mean they aren't heating.

    If I can't maintain a safe speed in my current gear, I'll downshift.

    To put it more broadly: on the highway, brakes are for emergencies.
     
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  8. wgcarver

    wgcarver Light Load Member

    106
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    Dec 1, 2007
    Eastpointe,MI
    0
    Gentle Steady pressure is what I do and what I teach (for times when the jake brakes should not be used.)

    Every Stevens driver that has completed training has been down two major downgrades, such as Parley's summit just east of Salt Lake City, Grapevine in California, Cabbage Hill in Oregon, Sandstone in Virginia, Donner Pass. etc. All of these mountains have a long 6% average grade lasting over ten miles with over 35k lbs in the box.

    The idea of using the highest low gear and up to 10% gentle steady pressure essentially divides the braking energy required to hold the truck under control. You can drive a truck with ten well-adjusted and clean brakes. In this configuration and at the resulting speed, the brakes will be heating at slightly less of a rate then they normally cool. This means that if you could find a grade long enough, you could actually go down a 6% grade just like this all day and have a full tank of air for the brakes at the end.

    To prove it, I'll use our training director's example. (you guys coming to Stevens will hear it again during orientation and probably from your trainer) Place your hands tightly together and rub them. With a lot of pressure you can only do that for a short time.

    Rub your hands together lightly and you'll find that not only can you do that all day, it starts to feel pretty good. However if you do so quickly, you'll also find your hands getting too hot to continue.

    You experienced drivers out there, try this method of descending grades. You'll be surprised at how much less work and more pleasant the experience is. As a bonus you get a chance to drive people nuts on the CB☺. I do it. It works, and anyone can do it.

    However this method of braking is for MAJOR DOWNGRADES ONLY. If riding through Pennsylvania and you've got enough experience to know what safe is, then you can use snub braking and gear selection. These downgrades can be as much as 6%, but don't last long enough to heat up your brakes or spend your air on the way down. Trust me, as a Stevens Student you will gain that experience.
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2009
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  9. Bigowl

    Bigowl Light Load Member

    75
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    Nov 25, 2009
    Dallas, Texas
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    Could anyone tell me what is the steepest longest interstate mountain grade that truckers cross? Thanks
     
  10. Delirious Nomad

    Delirious Nomad Light Load Member

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    Sep 23, 2009
    Norman,OK
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    My trainer says it's Donner Pass, since Stevens doesn't run the mountain west of Denver on I-70.
    Hope everyone is well, we are rolling down I-44 thru Lebanon,MO. with a gross weight of right at 80,000 pounds. Cheese. Imagine that. Big rolls of cheese and about a 1000 pounds of proscioutto mixed in with it. We got lucky and got loaded a day early at our 2nd pick-up in east PA and just missed the big blizzard that hit the next day. Also made a 3rd pick-up in Carol Stream, IL (suburb of Chicago), that's where we were supposed to get the last of our 38000 pounds on this load. A bunch of great smelling fresh parmesean and asiago cheese wheels heading to Michael Angelos in Austin TX. I think they were off on the weight a little- we are only getting 50 gallons of fuel at a time until we are in Oklahoma so we don't go over gross weight. Our load doesn't deliver until Mon the 14th, and I just spoke with the receiving lady and found out they do not receive on weekends. Any drivers out there needing to be re-powered or want a load to get to central TX to sit on a day or two to visit family if you're from that area call your DM now!!! LOL. We need a load going to the Northwest so I can get my final region and NW mountain.
    Again, no complaints about Stevens so far, it's been more fun than I thought it would be. Hope all have a great day.
     
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  11. Guitar Man

    Guitar Man Medium Load Member

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    Sep 29, 2006
    State Of Confusion
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    80,000K of cheese. Sounds like you were perhaps at the Kraft plant in Allentown??
     
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