CRETE - A Year in Review

Mine does that too. When you are shutting down do this, First turn off the front blower and THEN turn the back blower down ALL THE WAY before turning off the truck. You will be able to engage the bunk unit right away then, Hope that helps.

 

I guess I shouldn't have gone on vacation. I picked up my load the next morning, and I managed to get to my customer this morning... I arrived at 0700, and was the last truck here. It turns out someone dropped the ball (in their office, or ours)because the warehouse wasn't expecting this much insulation. They are completely out of room and are stacking it too high...then it falls over, they have to pick it up, re-stack it...and that's just to make room for my load. 5 hours, and my trailer hasn't been touched. Am seriously considering flatbed to get out of this type of b.s. I am so freekin frustrated at this point, bobtailing home is a serious possibility.

 

I'd recommend tanker work. All I haul is lubricants and this week was typical. Loaded Tuesday morning, 1400 miles to Gaylord Mi and just got back home just outside of Dallas. No backhauls pulling a tank. Just load, deliver, and then head home or back to get another load. Oil distributers are all mom n pop and are always happy to see theur product arrive. Absolutely no downtime unless your sleeping or need a tire changed. One way van freight is so cheap, any company will sit you indefinitely before moving you.

 

I got the load to Frisco, TX and given a load to Cheyenne with an extra day on it. Hopefully they can take it early since it should be a drop.....crap, as I was typing that in I got word "del is a set appt"..bah!

 

thanks, that worked perfectly

 

I'm convinced that some of these scenarios can only occur as a result of pure diabolical scheming. I delivered in Pasco, Washington then sat at the receiver (where I had spent the night) for an hour or so to avoid starting my 14. Then I got the message, once again, "head to truck stop, no freight". I waited a little longer, then gave in and went to the Flying J about 6 miles away (triggering my 14 - big mistake).

About 5 hours later, they send me a load that had been sitting all day at Lewiston, and start sending me these urgent messages about the load being "monitored" and a bunch of other bs. The load goes to LA, but they told me to tcal it in Stockon. I said "what about Ontario" and my AM came back all snarky "do as you are told" and "we have to leave miles on it for the next driver".

Well the load could have easily been done in 2 shifts, except they had for no reason squandered much of my 14. There were several possible scenarios, including waiting another 3 hours (!) to get an 8 in the sleeper and stop my 14. While I am calculating all these possibilities, she keeps messaging me "what is your PTA?". So finally I told her it wouldn't be until Saturday because of the dispatch delay.

Well by a stroke of luck, and a miracle that I didn't hit any traffic, I made it all the way by tonight, Friday, with 5 minutes left on my 11. That is with parking overnight at that old scale past Biggs Junction, and taking all restroom breaks and everything else inside the truck. I get to Stockton and guess what, only total garbage in the yard (a lot of dropped loads going to Tracy just a few miles away). They seem to be ignoring me right now after they said "no freight" but I can almost guarantee they'll give me something ridiculous with 10 or 15 miles (I wish I had recorded her telling me "oh no. We have to leave miles on it for the next driver"). I'm sorry to be so negative, but things just seem to be getting worse and worse for me.

 

poor Ralph, man you're not having any good luck.
Maybe they had another driver on that load but he had to cancel or something???? I know the CSR for that account is a mean spirited gal. I accepted a load offer from there with no appt. time. After picking up and getting near Biggs Junction they sent me an appt. that was impossible to make with my hours. I relayed that back to which I got a reply "why did you accept the offer if you couldn't make the appt. time?" Needless to say a few phones calls were made. My AM apologized for the CSR's message and said there would be a re-schedule or I could drop it as close to the cons as I could get it. The CSR is not supposed to release a load offer w/out an appt. time so I learned my lesson and will not accept a load offer unless there's a clear understanding of my available hours.

 

A typical 'snackbar' reply to Ms. Snarky..."because some cow tippin' moron in Heehaw Central sent me a load w/o an appointment time and I'm on a 14 hour clock. It was accept it and be productive or sit on my dispatcher's brain storage compartment(as in buttocks) and wait hours for that so-and-so to do their *bleeping* job."

Yes...like Ralph, I to am at the end of my patience's rope...and I let them know about it.

 

I finally got out of Chicagoland. 7.5 hours on a fiberglass unload. After 6.5, I started getting a bit testy...enough that a manager got involved from the office. Maybe because I offered to unload the trailer myself...in the parking lot...by backing up really fast and hitting the brakes. They, instead of unloading my trailer, chose to finish unloading a drop trailer that had product they were using to make whatever crap they make...but, I then only had 2 hours on my 14...and Lincoln sent me an offer. Pickup in New Lenox, IL going to Middletown, OH...but after sitting for 20+ minutes to be sent the load info(and beeping them every couple minutes about hurry up or I can't get there today) I finally gave up and headed to Minooka. It was Friday afternoon, raining and approaching pre-rush rush hour. I received the ok to pickup on Saturday. I delivered to the Graphics plant(scrap paper), but....you guessed it....no loads out of there for me. There were Crete's bringing in empty trailers to load instead...they sent me a 'no-appointment yet' load as well. Pick up south of Cincinnati at noon (it was already 1230) going to somewhere near Syracuse for stop 1, and Aston, PA for stop 2...but I questioned my A/M about his promise to make up for all these screwed up loads lately by getting me something decent...but after a message or two, he quit talking...so, off I went to the truck stop for lunch and to return the favor by ignoring them. It was soon decided that I would pick up the load and t'call in Columbus. Seriously people...if you're thinking about coming over here...I would do it only if your current company is more of a PITA then here...right now, this place is more disorganized and confused than ever.

 

I am thinking about putting my truck back on the road . Going back to Crete has crossed my mind, but there are too many negatives. And the negatives are all about how they choose to operate that company. ( Lack of communication, too much time on loads, too much wasted time in general). Their owner operator pay and fuel discounts are good, though.
I am thinking about leasing to Robert Bearden Inc in Cairo, GA. . They mainly run the southeast .