CRETE - A Year in Review

Evertrucker im on a very similar load as you right now. I picked up in ft smith. First stop in tuscon and last stop in gilbert. It is also a no early delivery no call rec load. But mine del on thursday.

 

The last time I ran up in that area - Boise to Post Falls- you needed to get a special permit for a 53'. It wasn't much, like $15, but you are right, that area is a nice drive, at least in the summer time.


Before I forget again, the end of the world has been averted. I spoke to my terminal manager(msg'd I mean) about the pending end of the Cretin trip calendar. She spoke to Op's and said, we just start back at 1. I guess since the main reason we have trip numbers is to tie the loads to our logs, it's been long enough that they can't go back that far, so they don't need the old numbers. At least that's my perception of it, the answer I got didn't go into detail. Since this company has been around, I'm sure this isn't the first time they had to restart trip numbers. My first load was on 12/1/03, and it was 464####. That means in 6.5+ years they have run 5.3 million loads. Considering how long this company has been in business, I'd guess they had to do it a couple times, so once again, I guess they must know what they're doing.

I'm still running hard...but not as hard as before. I did manage a 12000 month, and even after a less than stellar April and May, I still managed to top 31000 for the quarter. Thus far I am 6600+ over this time last year. At that pace, I will be in the low to mid 120's at the end of the year, which is right where I left off before the Great Recession. That is unless we see a whoa down next quarter.(or my truck starts breaking down)

 

ET, the load was out of Ft Madison, Ia.

Got a level 1 DOT at the St George, Ut. POE today. Onlt one minor ding. Then I saw something I have never seen in 16 years of driving: An open scale house in Nevada!!!!! Coming down 15 into Vegas and that check point north of town was open. I almost drove right on by but luckily I saw the sign at the last minute. There were 3 mobile units between there and Vegas as well. Maybe they are serious about this CUSA 2010 crap.

 

Harry Reid's state must be hurting for $$$ like most other Democrat controlled state. Milk the trucker dry...

 

..not really, they're just lookin' for more illegals to arrest;..oh, that's in AZ isn't it..

 

Greetings gang.

It seems as though the freight shortage in PA is back on the rise. After I delivered my load in Warren, OH, I got a load out of Medina, OH to Kearny, NJ. Shingles in a dry-van...hmmmmm. 2nd load like that I've had. I guess the worst thing, the shipper stores them outside in a field. Then when they load you, all the sand, dirt, rocks and whatever was dumped there before they used that property, gets loaded right in with the pallets. Also the delivery customer's hours were from 1700-2359. So that means you have to head in during rush hour traffic, right where I-280 hits the toll road. I got there at 1615, and was reluctantly let in, but had to wait until 1730 before anyone decided to unload me. There isn't much room to park, in fact, once at the dock, there was juuuuust enough room for someone to pass in front of me w/o ripping the hood off, or hitting the guardrail keeping us out of the reed overgrown wetlands. Then it was off to Newark to pickup a load to Pittsburg for a next day delivery. The directions to the delivery customer brought you in from the south on I-79 or from the north on I-579...the direction I was coming from was from the east on I-376(via US22, a route I would advise avoiding when you haul 44500#'s of horse whiz - aka Bud-dumber ***because it doesn't make Bud wiser*** There are some hills on US22 that are 8 and 9 %) Well, lets just say, the reason the directions brought you in that way... there isn't any other way to come in. If you come in on I-376 to I-79/I-279 there isn't an exit for the east bound side of the road that the customer is located on. Plus, that very road, is the same road the river-front tourist are on. 2 lane, street parking, umteen red lights(that aren't timed to allow you to make more than 1 at a time) and with our typical, right turning, off tracking trailers, that makes for an adventure. After I was empty, I parked next to an inverted Creafer (Crete truck, Shaffer trailer, Shaffer driver). He had been empty a couple hours, and was still waiting. I had hoped that, maybe, the Crete freight wasn't as bad as the Shaffer freight in that area...I was wrong. After numerous messages to Op's, at 1715 (15 minutes after Deland goes home for the holiday weekend) I get a message that it would likely be the 4th or 5th before I saw a load. So now I had to make a decision...head south to Bentleyville to the Peelot, or north on I-99 to the other Peelot. Since the mileage's were about the same, I decided that south had a better shot at finding parking since it was a bit larger. Wrong decision...Saturday, a little after noon, I got a load offer, Meadville, PA(and not the glass plant) to Marcy, NY. P/U Sunday, deliver Monday to Wally...and it can't deliver early. And no compensation for driving 45 miles the wrong direction...oh well....let'em yell...I don't care. So now, after a good month, 1 of the last 3, I'm back down the crappo-road. All that running myself into the ground lead me to having another bad start to another bad month. Makes me wonder why I try so hard.

Since I had my APU serviced a little over 2 weeks ago, I have logged 157 hrs on it...partially because 5 days running, 1.5 days for a 34, twice(in 90-100 degree days, 75 degree nights) and now sitting for a forced 34 waiting to pick up my next load. Needless to say, I haven't been very kind to op's, mostly for the timing of when they decided to answer my msg's about hunting a truck stop. Had they told me earlier that it was going to be all weekend, or what direction I most likely would be heading, I could have beeped Deland, and put in for home time, and hoped for a visit to the house the 10 or 11th...Now my request for home time got put in after hours, but they most likely won't see it until they come in on Monday or Tuesday, depending on if they take off the 'official' holiday on Monday. So it'll be the following weekend.

 

Hey wait Mr. DOT...that's not an utter!!!!!

 

I'm back in Lewiston, Id. picking up the exact same load I picked up two weeks ago (SLC) so I get to run U.S. 95 for the second time. I love running out here in the west. Gonna stay out until they head me back east.

 

sorry about your luck...I was born in Meadville General Hospital. What did you p/u there? Channelocks? Dad's dog food?

Happy 4th all!