My Experience with Lone Star Transportation

I carry a large box of tools with me, but company policy do not touch the trucks they are under warentee. I told the shop i could fix it (i was a machanic before i started driving) they said no wait for road service....





American Trucker

 

Busy busy busy, no time tonight possible friday night ill do an update tomorrow will be a 14 hour day.



American Trucker

 

Loading/unloading



American Trucker

 

Monday:

Got up drove up the street to the Cat Dealership in San Antonio, TX. I pull in walk into the office with my paper work and i sheet you not she says "why are you delivering this to us?" .....ummm because you sell CAT stuff?



After getting threw the women that doesnt know they sell CAT stuff, i pull around back take my securement off, and get unloaded. Dispatch says "head to the nearest Truck stop heading south". I 99% sure im going to laredo, but he said to the Truck stop so i went to the loves were I-35 and I-410 meet and wait.

About 1.5 hours later, head to laredo and pickup your load. (all laredo loads are Pre-loaded, pre secured loads of CAT stuff at our terminal. (some exeptions like oversize dump beds are just sitting on the ground)

My load:






I get down there, drop my MT flat, spend 15 min trying to get under my Loaded step 43,xxxlbs. Then i head out.

I missed the enterance to the cat scale next to the terminal so i just figured pilot since they have 2 scales unlike the j across the street. Ya freakin RIGHT! 45 min to get in, scale, and get out! WTF!

Anyway load delivers 24/7 (anytime) on thursday (we can deliver here 24/7/365) Dispatch says they want the load asap. Ok no problamo!

I hammer down, drive right to the end of my 14, and ended up at the J in Baytown, TX. I figured TA, Loves, J all at one exit there HAS to be a spot at 830pm, HELLO NO! Had to make a spot in front of the enterance/exit of the J we were 5 deep from the curb (i was number 5) lol oh well. fueled/ did my 10.

Tuesday:

Again drove to the end of my hours and ended up at the Petro 2 (what a POS truck stop!) in Shorter, AL. Fueled/did my 10. No showers though (no hot water and water was dribbling out no water pressure )

I called dispatch tuesday morning to do my check call and give my ETA, i told him " i can deliver a day early but i'll be just about out of DRIVE hours when i get there" he says "no problem i'll line you up something to load Thursday morning"

Wensday:

leave at 315am and headed to NC. I stoped to do my load check and check call, dispatch says "try to get a flat or a step when you get there". SO i get to CAT, drop my loaded trailer, and there was only 1 step, steel/wood combo, no sliding winches all bolt on winches. It takes my long enough to secure stuff never mind haveing to unbolt and move winches too, so i figure i'll stick to what im used to for now (even though i really wanted another step) and grabed a flat and headed to Kenly to the TA.

I get there fuel, call dispach (now that he's back from lunch) to tell him im MT and to let him know what kind/# trailer i have and to ask if he had a load lined up to load in the morning. he says "i have a load for you to load today in charlotte" im like um ya i dont have enough hours remember i talked to you about this yesterday..."he says you just did a restart"




So he says call the planners, i did no problem pick it up in the morning. BUT problem I need a STEP! WTF! lol Prolem solved i have to drive right back past cat to get to charlotte anyway so i'll grab one in the morning.

so i did my 10 there.


Thursday (today):

I leave Kenly at 245am, get to cat, got in dropped my MT flat, picked up/pre-tripped my Step (new aluminum step with 16 sliding winches!) check out with the gaurds all in under 10 min. and headed to charlotte. QC says they dont open till 8 i get there at 730, and get in line and wait till 1130am till they bring my inside to load, i even got in before the O/O that was ahead of me since my load was suposed to ship yesterday and delivers 8am Friday in Katy, TX (its 1130am thursday 1095 miles from kate load delivers in less then 24 hours )

Anyhoo when you get to Carrier (c) they give you a Book....to keep! With all the safety stuff/rules/ AND HOW TO SECURE EVERYTHING they ship, so im thinking cool this will be easy!


Well these people arent too bright if you ask me but ok......whatever i do as the "man" tells me . So basicly I picked up a VERY large AC unit HUGE!. This thing is shrink wrapped he cuts with a knife 4 slits one on each corner where there is a C shape cut out of the frame to chain it down..... see how shallow a C is -----> C <------- and i can only use 4 chains.

Chaines are rated at 6,600lbs
Binders 5500lbs
Stack pockets ?

Load 35,000lbs

5500 x 4 = 22,000lbs And THIS is secure?


Put my 4 chains on, NOT crossed as told, The way they want there stuff secured goes against EVERYTHING i've ever been told and or seen a FB'er do.....

Then you have to tarp this......

2 small tarps a bunch o bungies and im good to go!

new record (mainly due to only 4 chains) loaded, secured, tarped and rolling in 1 hour!

My Load:







Scale it, no problem, call dispach while there to find out when i need to unload since they took so long NO way i'll deliver fri. HAD they had me out of there by 10am i could have been at the receiver by 2-3pm friday...Late BUT there on the right day.

Well all these storms have shut down the receivers construction stuff so nothing in till monday....well not great because that means 1000 miles for thur/fri/sat then reset.....but at least i dont have to rush and i'll still get my weekend reset.

Now MOST of you in this position since i was 10 min from home, would have gone home....I know ya'll dont lie to me!

But me being the hard working Trucker i am i hammered down well (not at all actully i DO NOT like how this is secured so i putted my way to Carnesville, GA.

And i have got to say i love how if you build something new/big/ shiny all the truckers will flock to it . The old petro across the Street is now also a J a BIG J. So i pulled into the old J with 150 parking spots and 15 trucks here. So i fuel then park.

And of Course A&R HAS to spend 20 min trying to back into the pull threw next to me so he can shut his curtains and high idle, then a Chem Tanker HAS to park on the other side of me and do like a dirt bag tanker drivers do, turn on the engine fan and high idle while its 60* outside Morons!


Anyway I'm not moveing so F them! I'll just have to test my jake or something during my pretrip at 4am tomorrow morning


So tomorrow im going to put down the road some more, then the rest of the way on Sat, and do my reset. I'm delivering to a High School or maybe it is a middle school i donno i cant remember. But i had to make a Crane Appt for 11am Monday So yea its gonna be a late start and most likely screw up next week no doubt but oh well.







American Trucker

 

cool, surprised it took so long, at least they payd $150/day to wait.




American Trucker

 

ALSO since like i said im not a big fan of how this is secured, i marked on the trailer where all 4 corners of the load are, so if it moves so much as a 1/16th of an inch i'll know about it.



American Trucker