My Time With Swift

Well, the latest update: they finally sent me a somewhat more usable preplan this morning, but I'm not sure about it. It picks up at 09:15 tomorrow in Ennis, TX and delivers to Pueblo, CO on the 10th, 725 loaded miles, 30 mt. It's kind of a step in the right direction, just a little north of where I wanted to go. I'm not sure if I should accept it so I don't loose it, then call my DM in the morning to see if we can do better, or just wait to talk to him. This sucks. I really didn't want to be stuck here all day, but i guess it will be alright. It gives me a 34, which I really needed, I just didn't want to do it right now.

BigT, yeah look me up tonight. Looks like I won't be going anywhere. I'll send you a PM.

 

I'll be here. The Colorado load doesn't even leave until in the morning also. I will still have time to accept the load, then talk to my Dm first thing and see if he can fix me up with something else.

 

Coming to you live from the drivers lounge of Swift's own Phoenix terminal, it's the man of the hour...Dodgeram440rt!!!!.....Yea!!!! Thank you, thank you.

Here I am. Finally made it to Phoenix! Last time I left y'all, I was sitting at the Lancaster terminal in Dallas, Tx fighting with the planners to get a load here. They kept wanting to send me east to get me home for my hometime. They would send me a load to Missouri and I would turn it down with a comment that I needed to go WEST not east. I finally got a load offer on sunday going to Colorado, which was a little bit better, but I sill wasn't sure about taking it so I waited a while. When I finally got back to my truck, they had taken that load from me. Oh, well. I really didn't want that load anyway.

Ok, now here is why nobody likes planners, or at best think they are idiots. I got a load offer at midnight that night. They said this load has to roll. After looking at the times, I'm thinking "no Shat". Now for starters, this was a Sears load, so, at first, I was reluctant to decline it since I'm trying to get on the Sears account. So, even though this load was going to Kansas (totally the wrong direction) with one stop in Missouri, I thought I might be a team player and take the load. The problem was that the delivery time for the FINAL stop was at 7am with 540 miles. That's about an 8 hour drive. Now remember, it's already midnight. I don't have 8 hours to make this run, and I still had one stop to make, plus picking it up!. Now here's the kicker...the pick up time was actually at 13:00 sunday! I had been sitting all day long waiting for a load and they give me that at midnight. Since I had not slept all day and taking that load would mean I would be up for 24 hours, I turned it down. And people wonder why we think planners are stupid.

4 hours later, that's 4 am, I get another load offer, this one going to Michigan. I really gotta wonder sometimes. Turned that one down also, again with a comment about getting to Phoenix and ten minutes later I have a load going from Dallas to Phoenix, 1040 loaded miles! Sweet! This load had a delivery window from tuesday at 5:30pm to wednesday at 05:30 am. I was able to deliver it tuesday night, saving today for the class. I finished out this pay week just shy of 3100 miles.

So, now, about the road ready class. My wife had done some checking online for me and found that the class is given mon and wed from 12-4 and t,th, and f from 7-11 and 12-4, and you sign up for it at the training center. So I went to sign up....and they haven't given the class in over a year. That's right, they no longer offer the Road Ready course. I would say that this whole event would be a waste of time, except that I did get to spend sometime with my sister-in-law last night with my 2 nephews, one of who is autistic, so I had a good time.

I just wish i had a little more time to spend here. My dm had set my pta for after the class and I had already been given a load going back to Dallas. Then I found out about the class and he changed my pta to noon today, but I think I might still be on the one load. I'm not sure. I will call him later to see what is going on, It doesn't pick up until 18:00 anyway. I used to live in Phoenix about 20 years ago and I would love to go drive around town. Plus I wanted to spend some more time with my SIL and nephew.

So that is where I sit now. I got the important stuff accomplished that I wanted to: visiting with my dad and SIL and nephew. The class was just a benefit, but definately not necessary to do the job so I'm not going to worry about that. Overall, I'm really happy I did this. Seeing the family was awesome and the whole trip was just a ride down memory lane. I just wish I had more time to spend here.

Be safe!

 

It's even funnier that at the T-call window here in Phoenix is a page posted with the days and times of all the classes given at this terminal, as most terminals do. At the bottom of the page is the Road Ready class.

My sister-in-law is more my sister than an in-law. And even though she has long since been divorced from my brother, I am closer to her than him.

Getting ready to head out soon. They said they would have an empty since this is a hot load, but when I went to get one, they were all out. Go figure. So now I am waiting for notice that they have one, I hope soon, or I may have to go somewhere else to pick one up and hope I can make the pick up on time.

Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier, it was nice meeting you sunday BigT. Hope you made your load on time. I know you had to get up early.

Until next time.....