Starting at Roehl after some time off.

Went out with my trainer for 11 days. He was really laid back and relaxed. Would correct me if he saw anything but it was a very laid back tone. Even with flatbed I drove 4200 miles, never had to wait for a dispatch except on Saturday at the Gary yard. Just sitting now waiting on a truck to be assigned to me. Already asked my FM to route me home so I can stock up on stuff.

All in all the only complaint I have is getting a hold of my FM is a tough task. I was supposed to check in daily, which I did but only spoke to her 3 times. All of those times it was me calling in. It will be nice to have a bottom bunk because that top one was like sleeping on concrete.

 

Got into the terminal to test out and had to wait a couple days to get into the truck. They had to clean it and fix any issues. It seemed that the issues kind of kept coming. I really did not care as I wanted a working truck.

I finally picked up a relay and dropped it at the consignee in oh. Directions were way off, good thing I trusted my gut which said, slide off here and call. Turns out the "it is on the right just as you pass through town" was incorrect. It was 5 miles down the road.

My first solo load and I got an ####### who was in charge of the unloading at night. I was polite and said I was new and still learning. He said, I guess you did not watch the other drivers unload. I guess I did not because I was rolling straps where I could not see a thing. Lesson learned.

From there I picked up some steel tube which had to be tarped. I was planning on 2 lumbar tarps but one had a huge rip and they said no go. I guess I need to lay out all the tarps I get next time.

1 lumbar and 2 steel..Very tightly strapped. Great shipper, was patient and was well aware I was new to this. It only took me 1.5 hours to tarp that load. I just was checking and double checking as it was high center of gravity. Relayed that to another driver 600 miles away so I could go home.

I am now home and listing all the things I need on my truck. It really sucks but you do not know other repairs needed until you actually drive.

My engine break is non functional. That was a fun experience. The auto start for the EPU is going on 7-9 times in a night, I need some new batteries. I guess it should only go off once if any. The air in the truck will lose 45 psi in a hour parked. A full night with no idle and they are zeroed. Driving is ok, the psi never drops. I have a slow leak. I just want to make sure I have a functioning truck and will sit for a 3-4 days if that is what it takes.

 

Spoke to my FM today. Listed all the issues that I found on the truck and she was very helpful. Routing me to a terminal that has a little faster response than Gary, they seem to be overwhelmed most of the time.

3 days off went very quickly. Have to wake up at 3am and drive to stock up my truck. Only issue I have is an inverter. They will not allow you to install your own and I still need a working microwave, cooler and coffee maker that will run under 300 watts. I am guessing I will be a shopper at a truck stop to find these.

Still I have my PS3, bought a nice 24" TV for 150 bucks and my laundry list of movies that I found somewhere on the internet. Going out for 40 days until Xmas, then to moms for some home cooking.

 

Sorry for the very poor update.

So I went out and hit the road before Thanksgiving. Forgive me but stops and locations are a blur to me now. As I said before I listed things I found wrong with the truck. It has almost 300K but was in good condition. If I remember correctly I said air pressure would drop 30-45PSI an hour, engine break was horrible and it seemed to lack power.

Well after some loads and going over the smokies in 4th gear I called her and told her something is very wrong. I had tried to regenerate the truck because the warning light was on, no luck. I even went as far as to call international direct to see if they could help me, no luck.

I dropped my load in OH and called my FM. I said, something is very wrong with this truck. So as per her instructions I called maintenance and he said, lets get you up to Marshfield to have it looked at, Gary is too backed up. So with that information my FM has me pick up a load in KY to bring up to Marshfield. Tick, Tick, Tick. I should have said no but I wanted I figured it was miles.

Well, made it there, loaded, spent the night and off I go thanksgiving AM. Stop for a coffee and I am traveling on a 2 lane road with no shoulder, so no where to pull over. Then I notice my fuel gauge just going down. After watching for a bit I knew I was dumping fuel but could not inspect as I would have to put the truck in a ditch or someones front yard. Finally made into a small town (YES, there was parking on the side) and I had a tick over the E line. Fuel was pouring out the bottom of my engine. Stopped after a bit due to the engine being off but I was stuck.

Called into Fleet and got a person who just could not believe there was no place to pull off. He was more concerned about that than me having 10 gallons of fuel under my truck. Long story short, repair shop was up the street and he said, drive it there. I walked up to it to make sure there was parking (1/2 mile) and returned to find the local FD and PD all around my truck. I was pissed as I had said, we should call the FD about the fuel which he said, I know what I am doing.

All in all the FD and police were extremely professional and cool about the whole thing. Just sat there with them for 3 hours shooting the crap waiting on the tow. So that was the first of many break downs.

I never did make it to Marshfield. I had to drop my trailer and bob tail it to Gary at 50 MPH due to the lack of power. Now mind you I was told that this truck was gone over with a fine tooth comb. Fuel line burst, fuel pump was bad, DE was clogged, multiple air leaks and list went on.

So I did a recovery of a unit to kill time and went into that truck. It was messy and dirty but all in all had no issue. After cleaning it out I was stopped in the yard and the driver said, hey you have a head light out. So it was not the light but the harness. So I went into and had them replace it and I hear, where is all that oil coming from. I had been driving all around the yard during the day and this was new. Leaking oil out of the front plate. Now we are into the loaners.

Went through 3 of those and finally found one that had heat. My FM's boss leaves me a message the next AM. I cannot drive it off the yard, it is on hold due to issues with it. So now I am very frustrated and I professionally explain that to him and he is very receptive. In blunt terms he knows I am pissed and just wants to fix it. So in I go into the oldest truck in Gary. An old Freightliner that has 780K on it but amazingly runs like a dream. Shakes like a ##### between 45-60 but if it had more room I would have taken it.

Did two runs with that and got the call. Come to Marshfield, we have a truck for you here. Now from what I have heard, all the new trucks for this area come through Marshfield so I am trying not to get too excited. I finally arrive and they have a 2015 for me with 25K on it, still the new smell. I am tickled pink because I now have a truck that should allow me to make constant runs. So far the truck has had only a small issue, air line fitting broke but I was able to make a temp repair and they fixed it this AM.

Spent Xmas with the family, did about a 6 week stint on the road with no issues. Actually time flew by and did not get home sick. Almost have the truck stocked with what I want. All the issues kind of kept me from doing that.

Even though that period sucked with the break downs. Still, Roehl has been positive with the people I deal with. Only the one guy on Thanksgiving morning rubbed me the wrong way. Getting my pre plan within 20, minutes of arriving at my drop point.

I am sure I will update again in 45 days. Hope all had a great holiday.

 

Another piss poor update on my part. Nothing really has changed, miles the same and the loads. Only complaint is they can't seem to get their truck wash bay fixed and getting a po is a no go for outside the terminal. No way I am paying out of pocket to keep a company truck clean. That is just very poor standards in my book.