Day by day adventures of a new solo OTR driver

Was there this morning but left at about 0900 to grab a load out of SC headed for Ohio. Made it about halfway tonight. Slow day 'cause of 75000lbs on the wv turnpike, but got very close to my 400 mile goal and stopped. Gonna run this week completely different than last week and see if I can keep my hours from running out again. I'm really looking forward to that paycheck from last week though... 3000+ miles AND I got to go home for a restart... wish every week could be like that LOL.

 

I'm just in a crappy mood today so bear with me while I rant.

Had a decent couple days running around Ohio. I've been out 3 days since my restart and my mileage has been 379, 387, and 387 again today. I'd like to see a little over 400 but the loads haven't worked out that way. I haven't been showing myself available for every single hour, so that seems to be working somewhat.

Yesterday I made it to the abandoned OC in Seville, OH that has now become a secure lot, I guess. Stayed the night there, I was assigned to pick up a relay that was supposed to arrive around 2300. I'd be sound asleep by then and would grab it in the morning.

Morning rolls around, still no relay. I checked the Qualcomm and it now said 1100am today. Was I just tired last night and confusing 11am today with 2300 (11pm) yesterday? No... I don't think so. Talked to the guard there and we looked at his list of trailers that came in and out, nope... not there.

So, called in to support shift and got told it was 2 hours away. Great. So, sat around all morning and around 1130am it finally shows up. Driver apparently had some issues with his truck that slowed him down. No problem, still got time to get it there.

Blasted all the way across PA on I-80 with my foot on the floor the whole time. I'm just waiting for that call. Bring it on Schneider. I generally try not to do a full day of "hammertime" any more, but when I'm running a route with nothing but hills, I REFUSE to spend my entire day shifting because the cruise control is running the truck out of the peak of its torque curve, and Schneider has the RPM governed so low I can't drop a gear and wind it out to climb hills.

Made my delivery and checked my next preassignments.

Ok... WTF SCHNEIDER.

Tomorrow I have to get up, drive 18 miles, drop and hook, then drive EIGHT MILES, and sit for a live unload at some kind of grocer. Seriously, what kind of bullcrap is that? Give that load to an intermodal driver who is getting paid by the hour, don't waste my fricking day trying to make me run that ######## load. After that, I have a 250ish mile run up into Massachusetts. Awesome, back in the Northeast.

JUST HAD TO RANT.

I just cannot WAIT until the day I finally decide to man up get on the choice program. One thing I have decided is that I'm going to try my best to bring in an outside truck and then lease it on to Schneider if I can do that. I've been back and fourth and back and fourth about this in my mind and I feel that although purchasing my truck directly from Schneider has its advantages, if I bring in my own from outside, I should hopefully be able to have MUCH MUCH lower monthly payments, which will allow me to be a little more flexible with hometime, and b. I will not have to settle for anything less than the 18spd pre-EGR single turbo big Kitty or N14 Cummins powered truck that I really WANT. Whether or not I will have much financing this "dream" will be another story. Maybe I'll just end up running the company pumpkin-mobile for a while longer... its fun to think about, nonetheless.

 

Sitting at Wingfoot up here in PA... what a day. I've been in a pretty good mood over the past several weeks, nothing will make that go sour like getting sent into the Northeast. Its like I can honestly go from being totally happy with Schneider, wake up happy to go to work, to really wanting to call my DBL and tell her to route me back to Charlotte so I can either get on Choice or be done with this. But, I know... that's trucking, suck it up, right?

This morning I got up and started my day with the wonderful less-than-30-mile-total assignment with a live unload. What a joke, wasted all morning by the time that was done.

Then got sent to pick up a relay out of that secure lot in Fairless Hills, PA. Took one and a half hours to get 50 miles through the PA 2 lanes. Running the PA turnpike and interestates would have been an extra 25 miles, so God knows Schneider doesn't want to pay those tolls or extra fuel. Got there and found it was a paper load from Big Island, VA. Come to find, the trailer has 2 bald tires, and the driver that picked up the load didn't scale it. There is a scale RIGHT THERE at the shipper, and it even says in the remarks PLEASE SCALE LOADS BEFORE YOU LEAVE. I called my DBL to inform her I would be wasting another portion of my day getting tires repaired and getting this load scaled and would probably be late on the delivery.

Minutes on my 14 are ticking away now and Wingfoot still isn't done, and I have yet to scale it. Then I have to deal with I-95 through NYC on the GW bridge (my favorite *cough*). This load is headed up to MA. I don't have an assignment after this yet, my NAT is set for tomorrow morning but that may have to be pushed out further if I run out of hours trying to get it there tonight. I'm just praying I get out of here.