Running with JCT

Going across Texas today was pleasantly warm but with a vigorous wind blowing out of the south. I was moving along nicely in an ENE direction when the road turned due east. It couldn't have been more than 20 degrees or so, but it changed the slightly following crosswind into a dead crosswind that was like hitting a wall. I furled the jib and reefed the mainsail, (for you landlubbers, I dropped my cruising speed three clicks) but there just didn't seem to be any MPGs to be had. The day finished with a dismal 6.5 mpg which is bad, but with all the rubber on the ground, which was acceptable.

Tomorrow I enter into the trade zone. This load is set up perfectly for me with 1,105 miles to go and a Wednesday morning delivery. But, all things being equal, I would be happy to swap it tomorrow to get another driver home, and grab a load heading west. Winchester, VA is in the northern tip of Virginia, and I'm guessing that my next load will pick up in Pennsylvania. That's cool. But that part of the country can be a pain. I'm guessing that the odds are even money for a planner to call me asking if I can help them out.

For the week beginning last Tuesday afternoon, I have 2,680 miles in. Tomorrow is planned to be Leary, TX to Baxter, TN (save me a spot at the Loves!) for 567 miles or 3,447 miles for the week. By the time the Qualcomm resets this Tuesday, I should have another 4-500 miles done, for nearly 4,000 miles! What's more surprising to me than that, is that my logbook will still have decent hours for me to run thru Friday before fizzling out.

I regularly talk to 5 or 6 fellow JCT drivers and we're all running really well right now. There's no sitting around waiting for pre-plans just because it's winter. I've had three or four drivers come up to me at various shippers recently, and they are all thinking about making a switch. They always ask how are miles in the winter. I'm sure that I've given them some puzzled expressions, lol. "Why would there be a problem getting miles in the winter?" The only thing that seems to affect our miles is the weather. My plan is to run 11,000 miles per month this year, summer and winter. That shouldn't be a problem.

The question that I always ask fellow travelers is, "Do you read 'Truckers Report'?" Hardly anyone does. There's such a wealth of information on here. But, of course, you can't teach an old road dog with 30 years experience anything. It's the new drivers who don't that amaze me. Last night, I saw one of our trucks in Pecos with a number in the mid 2800's. This truck was put into service around August 1st or so, and it's a nice new Cascadia. It was ALREADY on its THIRD driver! Driver number one got that truck with zero miles on it, and with an APU. . . Nothing there to complain about the truck. But he and driver number two are both gone. I don't know if they were fired (unlikely) or just quit, but I GUARANTEE you that they don't read this forum, lol.

JCT is a good company, but it's not perfect and it's not for everyone. Some people will come over here and then realize that they live too far off of our lanes to get home very often. Others can't handle the pay fluctuations or they can't drive for fuel economy. You regular readers have seen me rant on here about stupid, costly mistakes that I've seen our drivers make (I've made some too, I admit it!). There are many reasons for our turnover rate being higher than it should be, but it's mainly because JCT is the first non-company-driver job that many of our drivers get. They come over here thinking miles when they should be thinking profits.

Congratulations are in order for Terry (Trafficcontrolxl) for winning the recruiting contest (Again!). Way to go, Terry! The turnover rate for his recruits is very low, because they come over here well-informed and with a good support system. I'm happy to say that some of his recruits are readers of and contributors to, Running with JCT. Terry was my recruiter and mentor as well, and his help and knowledge about trucking and JCT is invaluable. I've modeled my own mentoring style after his, (on a smaller scale, lol) and I'm proud to say that my guys are doing fantastic!

 

Yes, probably. The principal will start out lower for the used truck depending on HOW used it is. It will probably be the same on a one or two month old truck. There is no set lease period due to us having a variable lease now, it mostly depends on how many miles that you drive.