Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

You get whatever they have on the yard available. My guess is a freightliner or kw based on what's parked out front.

 

Oh, they didn't tell you? Your new truck will be a Mack.

 

Welp, My delivery to Wegmans completely fell apart yesterday. I hardly know if I can recap all the events (so far) accurately.

Delivery was set for 12:30 Monday in Rochester. I arrived at the Flying J in Pembroke (46 miles from target) Sunday at 12 noon. Monday morning I called Wegmans to see if they'd take me early. They said come in at 11:30 which I did. I hit the dock at 12 and thought, SWEET! I'll be on my load to Richmond in no time. Ummm ... not quite.

After an hour at the dock with nothing happening, I finally felt the long awaited shaking. But just for a moment and then nothing for about another 25 minutes. Then some more shaking. This went on for 4 hours. Then, nothing for another 30 minutes while the dock light remained red. Ok?? WTH?? Another hour with nothing and the light turned green. They "say" they'll call your phone when done. So I waited another 15 minutes. Nope, no call. So I head in to see what's up. (This is all in a torrential downpour by the way).

The window guy tells me "they're inspecting the produce and he's waiting on the report and paperwork. Go back to your truck and I'll call you" Ok, When I get there, another guy is at my truck and tells me there's a problem with the load but has no details. He says "most of it has been rejected because the Temp Tells in the trailer recorded temps up to 46 degrees along the way". I told him the reefer never read any higher than 36.2 (setpoint 35 continuous) all the way across the country. He tells me to stay put and leaves. I sit for another hour with a green light.

(The goal for me and my DM since CA was to get my truck back to the Richmond shop, do a reset and see my new apartment for the first time since getting it. So I got a reload 5 miles away to drop on the yard during all this) Anyone who works here can imagine all the phones calls and QC messages flying around through all this.

Then the light turns red again but nothing is happening for another 45 minutes or so. I try calling them several times but nobody answers. I even spoke to a nice lady in security and SHE tried calling them 3 times with no answer as well. Gotta love this ... eh? She tells me I'll just have to get out in this downpour again and go in to ask what's going on. I suit up and go in.

I get in there and the guy at the window has no clue and walks away to "go see" what's happening. While he's gone I take the opportunity to take a long walk to the VERY dirty little boys room. I get back and he tells me a "dock guy" (Union shop ... ya know) just went to my truck to talk to me. He very astutely points out that he'll "probably" come back when he discovers I'm not there. LOL ... So I waited. He shows up and tells me that he can't release the trailer because they put the "questionable product" back on and ordered a USDA inspection but, that won't happen until tomorrow now. But, of course, I have to pull the trailer off the dock. So I ask him, "Let me see if I have this straight. I can't leave the property with the trailer but I can't stay at the dock either .... right?" He says yeah. I ask, so what am I supposed to do now that my 14 is all but gone because I'm NOT staying here? He tells me I can drop the trailer on the fence line and Bobtail out. OK, that's what I do (Of course informing dispatch who's no longer there every step of the way). So I drop it and go to leave.

(Of course by now I'm pulled off the load going Richmond as I have no trailer, no BOL, No End Trip etc. etc.... AND, I get a deadhead move for 8 miles away to take the trailer to Carrier to get a reefer report. Of course I QC them a message telling them I can't because they're holding it.)

I get to the gate and of course, security knows nothing about any of this. So I explain it all. He says they have to get confirmation to let me leave. Seriously??? I'm Bobtail with no trailer to inspect because your company is holding it and I can't leave?? I don't thinks so. Open the gate or I will. Magically, the gate opens and I leave. So I bobtail back the 46 miles to the Flying J I started at so I have facilities, food, a shower, You know, all those "little luxuries" we drivers hardly get and settle in for the night.

This morning at 5am I sent a text from truck to my DM explaining this mess and telling him where I am and why. He's reply? WOW! OK ...... LOL ... So, I went in and got a nice shower and a nice breakfast. I get a call from my DM (timing is everything as I litterally just sat on the throne ) asking me if I took the trailer to get the reefer report. (Yep, NOBODY talks to each other OR reads all the darn QC messages). I tell him no and I explain why. He says OK.

So, here I'm still sitting bobtail at the Flying J awaiting word from the powers that be on what I should go do with myself. Meanwhile, my honey waits for me at our new apartment I've never seen, couldn't get a couple extra days off my last HT to help her move (hired a crew for that) and still need my truck in the shop to be fixed.

Now, I never really ask for any "extras" (detention, breakdown, layover, truck washes or parking costs) so long as my miles are kept up there. But technically speaking, I'm still "on" this load even though not "under" it. So I feel asking for detention from 2pm yesterday (hit the dock at 12) until whenever this trip actually "ends" is justified. Thoughts?

And oh, there was an Abilene team two docks to the left from me and they also had rejection issues but they finally left with the their trailer. Another really nice Abilene guy came in during all this and he also left, with my reload assignment going to Richmond.

The one question I keep asking myself is, if the product was "questionable" at 12 noon yesterday, how much "better" will it be today sitting in the trailer overnight?

Can anyone say .... Chinese Inspection?

Stay tuned ......

 

What the others have said is true. However I found that asking for what I preferred was a wise move. I think if they have it, they'll "try" to accommodate you. I asked Bill for a Volvo when I was in orientation. While I had to "rescue" an abandoned one from a South Charleston WV dealer, I got it. John dropped me off there and I've been in it from day one of going solo.

It's had problems from the start but we've got "most" of the kinks worked out. It's a really good truck and I want to keep it. But they really need to listen to me and fix the few remaining things. Then it'll be a great truck!

 

I would scrawl "DETENTION REQUEST: OVER 24 HOURS. SEE QC FOR FURTHER DETAILS" in crayon across the cover sheet.

 

Oh but wait. It gets even better ........

 

I would have no qualms about asking for detention for however many hours I was detained. Have done so in the past and continue to do so. How much detention pay you will actually receive is another matter, but put in for it anyway.

 

In that case use a red crayon.

It won't show up on the Transflo, but it'll make you feel better.