Starting off with Schneider OTR

I appreciate the leads. I looked into trans am, but they've almost no information on their site and I'm nowhere near wanting to call a recruiter. The equipment is nice and as much as I want to say that I'm out here to drive and the perks are not necessary, living in a truck for a couple months at a time, a fridge and an apu would be amazing to have.

As far as driver cameras go, any company using them is automatically added to my "will never drive for" list. It's not because I'm unsafe behind the wheel. It's because I can't stand such a blatant invasion of privacy. They are absolutely unnecessary, provide almost 0 benefit and if more drivers were willing to never drive for companies that use them, they'd go away rather quickly. Abilene would jump right up to the top of best companies I could drive for without the cameras. With them however, they're right there in the absolute trash list. Just above swift.

 

Well. I suppose it's time for an update.

It's been a bit of a crazy last few days. I've been all over Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi. But the first load to go down to Kentucky took almost 8 hours to load me and that set off a bit of a chain reaction. To make it to KY on time and get to my pre to go to Mississippi I had to just shut down for the day in the dock and leave at 11pm. And essentially the same thing happened the next day. To get there on time, had to drive all through the night.

However, it wasn't all so bad. Really just starting the day a couple hours earlier than I usually do. And the driving was so easy... I love the south. No traffic, decent roads...

Then to get out of Mississippi I had a load coming out of Monticello... Well. First trailer I brought there had a few tiny cracks in the roof. Didn't see them when I was checking it in the dark, but they were obvious in daylight... So. Dropped the trailer off at a shop nearby and went and found a new trailer. Brought that there, accepted, great. Got my loaded and it's got a flat! So... Call SEM and get told that the shop nearby doesn't do tires and they'll get back to me. Wait two hours and get a phone call. From my DBL. saying that they want me to give the trailer I have back and get a different loaded from the same location. And then drive it as far as possible and relay it to a team truck which will meet me wherever I can get to.

And so the real fun began. First off, dbl didn't have the pickup number yet. But she told me to go and drop the trailer and I'll have the pickup number by the time I got there. I asked if they'll let me in the gate and she said sure. Or at least go try to get in.

So.

I pulled up to the gate and went up to the same gate guard that I'd already seen twice. So we were acquainted by then. She looks at me a little concerned and I say:

"Hey, so Schneider is telling me to drop this back here and get a different trailer that's a critical delivery."

She's a little confused.

I continue:

"They didn't give me a pickup number yet. I'll have it soon. And they weren't sure what is needed to get through the gate to drop it. But they told me to come here and try it!"

So. Needless to say, that didn't work out well. After a little while of "we don't let trailers back in after we marked them as shipped" and "what's the pickup number for other load? Oh. You don't have it? You're just enjoying this plant that much that you don't wanna leave?" I left. To go about 100 yards to a spot to sit. Finally got a pickup number and their corporate called the guard and told them to let me in.

So. Dropped the first trailer (with the flat) and picked up the second trailer! With a flat....

Ridiculous.

This time I drove that sucker straight to the shop a mile away. Walked in and asked them if they had tires. They said they did. Asked if they could change it immediately if I got authorization. They said yes. So I called SEM. They were surprised but authorized it. Got it changed within a half hour.

Got to Tuscaloosa with 2 minutes left on the 14.

By the time I woke up this morning the relay truck wasn't there yet. So I left the trailer there and bob tailed to find my empty.

And now I'm in Birmingham. Getting loaded and heading up to Ohio with it. And this trailer is super shiny. Not the newest one I've ever had. That one was a 161, this one is a 147 but it's a Great Dane with tire inflation on it and it's so clean I could cry. My truck looks like a slap in the face to the trailer. It's supposed to be white but I'm pretty sure people are thinking I'm an IC since I've got an all grey truck with barely visible markings on it pulling a pumpkin trailer.

Overall this week has been 50% awesome and 50% awful. So.. I'm kind of torn with what to call it. I'll call it average week. How about that? I love being in the south, and these runs have been awesome. The half the week I've spent sitting either waiting to be loaded or broke down.. Not so awesome.

Let's see what happens next! It's a holiday weekend so I wouldn't be too surprised if I got stuck in Ohio when I get there tomorrow morning. I suppose I could see how many places I can get my free meal at for Memorial Day. Hard to do that in a truck though.

 

Oh. No, not at all. Was told to leave the trailer there for the team to pick it up and then head to Birmingham bt to grab an empty and get my next load. No abandoning anything. Did seem a little weird to leave a loaded trailer with a seal and paperwork in a truck stop but that's what they said to do...