Driving OTR with US Xpress

Autoshift trucks are being phased out, but there are still some left in the fleet.

Truck models for company drivers are Cascadias, Prostars, and Peterbilts. All the trucks from 2011 forward, for the most part, are 10 speeds, with the exception of the Petes which are 9 speed.

 

Hello There.


I can't remember where I was so I'll just babble a bit.



DOT Physical:

Ah. Now I remember. Handed in my doctor's note for my CPAP and cruised through the renewal. Got my fresh medical card and hit the road again.


Weekly miles:

Miles for the week coming off home time were 1747. They were low due to my extended time off, so I'm not paying too much attention to that one.

This weeks settlement sheet: 2402. A little lower than I prefer. I had a chance to stop in to Shippenburg, meet my FM, and the terminal manager. It gave me a chance to express my concerns about the miles lately. I'll see if they increase.



Stupid stuff:

When I pack for the road, I bring enough food and supplies to last about 5 weeks. Well after being on the road for 3 days, I realize that I never replenished my cholesterol meds. So now I only have enough to last me through next Wednesday. So I've had to schedule an early home-time visit.



Bad Ju-Ju:

Sometimes a trip can be loaded with so many negatives, it seems like you will never get to the receiver. He's one example.

I had just finished a run to University Park, IL and get a pre-assign that picks up at the Home Depot DC in Joliet, and delivers to another Home Depot DC in Winchester, VA. Total miles for the trip, 668, drop and hook on both ends, and enough margin so you run at a comfortable pace.........sweet.

I zip over to the DC, drop my empty in its assigned slot, and go find my trailer. It turns out to be one of the older Wabash trailers we still have a few of. I hook up, start doing my pre-trip, walk around to the back of the trailer checking lights and such, I look up, all the lights over the doors are gone.........missing.........but the screws are still there. Somebody must have had a ladder with him or was part monkey and really needed those lights, but obviously not the screws.


OK. No big deal. I call breakdown, tell them about the lights, and that I would be passing by our Markham terminal. "Yes. Bring it to Markham." So I head over to Markham, tell them I'm under load, and they prioritized my repair.


"Your lights are missing."

"Yep."

"Idiots." the mechanic mumbles as he goes over to the parts counter to dig up some replacements.


Good opportunity for me to scan in a couple of trip sheets and re-load my coffee. I come back to the truck 5 minutes later and my new lights are installed and away I go...........Love it when a plan comes together. Didn't lose too much time on that one.


My route was I 80 to the Ohio Turnpike and down I76 into PA. Traffic was light so I was making great time. After about 3 hours I stopped at the travel plaza in West Unity, OH for a quick break. I come back out to the truck, fire her up and hear the low air pressure buzzers screaming, and notice the trailer air supply knob is popped out...........what the.....

The air pressure builds back up pretty fast. Once the PSI reached 100, I pushed in the trailer air supply knob..........pressure held, until I stepped on the brakes. Both the primary and secondary air supply gages show a big drop and wouldn't recover unless I evacuated the trailers air supply.................Great.........ARGH!

So I pushed the air supply knob back in and went on a hunt for the leak. Checked the glad hands, and hoses.........not there. I walk toward the back of the trailer and see the air lines for the tandems are touching the ground. Sure enough, one of the support springs that holds the supply lines up had broken and the line had been dragging for who knows how long. And the rubber supply line had a nice hole in it...............Fine............time to call breakdown............again.

Now, unless they can repair this quickly, I would have trouble keeping my delivery appointment. Breakdown called pretty fast after I sent in the macro. Told him where I was, and he kept me on the phone while he tracked down a road service outfit in the area. "OK. Got somebody. He's on the way."

5 hours later, in he rolls, and makes the needed repairs..............my delivery appoint is now up in smoke.......and my hours......well, I had couple left.........Not getting to my planned break location tonight.......OK shake it off......tomorrow will be better..............


I get up next morning, and roll out with the intent on making up as much time as I could, even though they re-scheduled my appointment.


Just as I cross into VA south-bound on I81, right where it turns into 3 lanes (about 20 miles north of Winchester) I spot a deer in the median. How he made it across the north-bound lane without getting hit is beyond me. Young one, still had the spots, but kind of on the large side. I'm all the way right, nobody on my left. The cars behind me spotted him and they all slowed down. Must have figured it would be best to let me handle it.

So I slow down................... the dear is staring at me......................as if to say "You want a piece of me?" Now he starts crossing the road.........toward me.......I slow down more.........now he starts running..........I slow down even more...........meanwhile, the cars have just about stopped..............and now, he's in a full gallop........gonna move me by brute force.............and then.................well, guess he realized (too late) he wasn't going to move me by brute force.


BAM!!!!!



He runs into the side of my truck. I look in my mirror and I see this deer, tumbling down the interstate, like as if somebody's prize kill just fell off the back of some pick-up truck.

Once he stops, I see legs wildly swinging as he tries to right him self, but he's having trouble because he keeps slipping on the pavement.........Oh man.... I DID IN BAMBI!!!!!!!!!! AND HE'S STILL MOVING!!!!!!


What do you do if you just wound them?........Are you supposed to back up and finish them off?........Take 'em to a vet? What?


To my relief, he finally stood up and jumped over the guard rail into the woods..........Great........hit and run.......


I stopped short way up the road and checked out the truck. No damage, not a scratch, just some fur.


Ok, re-group.

So, I make it to the Home Depot DC and, as is common with their policy, all inbound trailers that get dropped must have their tandems slid all the way back. Well as a final salute, it took me 5 trips back and forth, rocking the trailer to get the weight off of the locking pins.................... stupid trailer.





So is there a lesson to be leaned here?





Not really. I'm just babbling..............But remember................Stay frosty out there................... cause #### happens.






Thanks for reading.
-Wedge