Flatbed to Linehall....the adventure continues at YRC

Discussion in 'YRC' started by JimTheHut, Jun 19, 2019.

  1. Truckermania

    Truckermania Road Train Member

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  3. JimTheHut

    JimTheHut Road Train Member

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    There were two main reasons.....Home time and doing work without getting paid. The one that finally made me decide was the amount of work that I was doing and not getting a penny for it.
     
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  4. JimTheHut

    JimTheHut Road Train Member

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    I was told to report yesterday at 0900. I was sitting in the parking lot at 0800...was not going to chance being late my first day.....Drivers that were going in for their line haul shift were very friendly with me as I sat and waited in my car. I went in at 0845 and was warmly greeted! I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork as you can expect. I had to show to forms of identification. There were several videos that I had to watch on hazmat and then take an open book test afterwards.
    I got to spend about an hour out in the yard being shown how to set up and take down the doubles. I had watched a video on you tube which was exactly the way I was shown yesterday which really helped.
    After lunch I went on my 160 mile road test out to Cambridge Ohio. We had to first pick up a 53 foot box trailer that was loaded, that we were taking out there. This is a regular daily run that my tester does every day, so I was basically doing his run for the day while he evaluated me.
    Made it to Cambridge where I dropped off the trailer that we brought with us. We then bob tailed across the street to another customer and hooked up to a trailer that was empty at their dock. I pulled that one out and then dropped it in their yard. I went back across the street where we dropped the first trailer and picked up another empty and brought it back across the street and put it in the dock space that we had just pulled the trailer from. We then hooked up to the trailer that we had dropped in the yard and brought it back to our terminal in Columbus Ohio.
    I started at 0900 and was finished at 2000.
    I am now sitting at home waiting for a call to see if I am going to get a run today. It just depends if they got me in the system soon enough for today. While I am on the extra board, I will always be at home until they call me. They will call me two hours prior to when I have to report for duty. It could be with a couple of options or it could be with "This is where you are going". Does not matter to me.
    There are about 30 line haul drivers out of this terminal. They told me that runs usually could be to Chicago, Buffalo, Charlotte NC, Carlisle Pa.
    When you complete your trip you go to a hotel for the night and then the process starts all over again at that terminal. So you may not get a load coming right back to Columbus. To me it is no big deal if I have to stay out a week or more. It is what i am used to.
    When you get a load, you are given a card that has all the information on it for that load. The route will be laid out for you. It will tell you which truck and trailers that you have. You then go out to the ready line and get your rig. Check it out and be on your way. When you arrive you pull into the designated area. Take all of your gear and then report to the line haul office. You then go to the hotel and you are done for the day.
    Since I have not done a run yet, I am repeating what i was told.....I will detail it exactly as it happens for real.
     
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  5. JimTheHut

    JimTheHut Road Train Member

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    Got a call at 10:38. I am not working today, but tomorrow I am going to be following another driver to do a turn around...ie we meet another driver and swap loads with them. We come back to the terminal with that load.
    This way I will learn exactly how all of this is done....So I am very happy...plus I get to be home tomorrow night! (Hopefully...lol)
     
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  6. JimTheHut

    JimTheHut Road Train Member

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    Thursday: Got the call to come to the terminal to do a turn around in Waddy Ky. My truck was a 2019 Volvo automatic. The turn around was in Waddy Ky at the flying J on I64...aprox 220 miles. I followed another driver down there who was very helpful. I was expecting to do a drop and hook. When I got there the other two drivers were waiting. I was very surprised to find out that we swap out the entire rigs. Just exchange paper work and then drive back to the terminal. Got back to Columbus around 1 am in the morning..
    Friday: Got the call to come into the terminal around 2 pm in the afternoon. I will be heading to Atlanta...500 plus miles. The truck I got was a 2016 Freight liner cascadia. stick shift.
    My shifting on my road test in the 2008 Volvo stick shift was horrible. I was very concerned when I saw that this was a manual. I drove around the yard a couple of laps to get used to it a bit and then headed out.
    I actually did ok until about 4 am in the morning when I arrived at the terminal in Atlanta and was wiped out. I could not hit a gear if my life depended on it...lol.
    Got sent over to the days inn. It was nothing fancy, but very clean. I got the call the next morning, Saturday, about 8.5 hrs later to come to the terminal in two hours for a load going back to Columbus.
    The truck was a 2019 Volvo auto which I was very glad to see.
    Made it back to Columbus no problem and went home.
    Sunday: Got the call to come into yard to take a load to Pontiac Michigan for a turn a round. Truck awas a 2019 Volvo Auto. Was told no one would be there, so i figured there would just be a truck waiting for me. It was a run about 220 miles. The trucks have a range of about 1200 miles when full. This one was on half, so I figured I was good and could fuel at the terminal.
    Got there to find out that this is an end of line terminal and there was no one at all in the entire place on Sunday. I saw another driver there and he told me that you still had 400 miles when you are on a quarter tank...so i was good to come back to Columbus in the same truck.
    I was told to find two empties and hook them up and bring them back to columbus.
    I was paid for 30 minutes for the hook up. They asked me how much time I had.
    Made it back to Columbus no problems.
    Monday: Got the call to do another turn around down in Waddy Ky. The truck was a 2016 Freighliner stick shift.
    I arrived at the truck stop at the exact same time the driver from Nashville did. Swapped rigs, which was another 2016 Freightliner Manual transmission. Made it back to Columbus before Midnight.
    Tuesday: Sat all day waiting for a call. Never got one. Called in a couple of times but was told they did not have anything but they could so to stay ready. Never got a call.
    Wednesday: 0947 and still no call. Tomorrow is the 4th of July which is a paid holiday...but do not know if I am off or if I have to be ready..
    I was told that you work 6 days and then you get two days off. So I asked dispatch if that was correct and they said...not exactly. You have to put in a request to take off two days when you get dispatched on your 6th run....but your 6th run may be what they call a Lay Down...meaning you are going to a hotel. So there is no automatic time off after 6 runs. Plus if they send you for an overnight, there is no guarantee that you will get a run coming back to your home terminal so you can take your time off.
    You are also working with your hours of service on your 8 day 70 hr clock. So you will be working on recap and you may not even have enough hours coming back to get you back to your terminal.
    I have not sat here for over 34 hrs so I now have a new clock so I am good to go for whatever they have for me....if they call you.
    After a week of employment here is my take on YRC.
    Training: I give them a D. They did teach me some things and let me run with a driver for a day...but I certainly did not learn everything that I need to know. The other drivers are wonderful as they will go out of their way to help you since they know what it is like.
    Equipment: I give them a B-. The new Volvo's are excellent. The Freightliners are average, and the old Volvo sticks are horrible....so the average is a B-. I have had no issues with the trailers.
    Communication: I give them an F. You are like a mushroom....they keep you in the dark. Unless you go out of your way to ask someone, no one is going to tell you anything.
    I did do about 2500 miles on all of those runs, so when you are running, they give you miles.
    The slow down right now could be due to the 4th of July tomorrow...but since no one is communicating with me, I have no idea.
    This is all new to me and I can honestly say, I do not like being kept in the dark!
     
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  7. JimTheHut

    JimTheHut Road Train Member

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    Just called in and they said they do not have anything but will call me if they do. I asked about tomorrow being the 4th of July. I asked if I am off and was told no. If they need me I will be expected to run.
    I said so I am like a mushroom....kept in the dark and the response was...yes...pretty much so.
    I said this is not what I expected and was told..."I understand".
     
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  8. JimTheHut

    JimTheHut Road Train Member

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    I just spoke with the driver that I tagged along with the other day. He said that right now freight is slow because a lot of plants shut down for the holiday or are doing retooling. He also told me the learning curve was the same for him. He said he has been here 1.5 years and he is still learning things.
    I did learn that if they call you late in the evening to do a run and you do not feel safe to run it. You tell them that you have been up all day and that you are fatigued, and that you need to take either a 4 hr or an 8 hr slide. Meaning they will not call you back for either 4 or 8 hours. You can not do two slides back to back.
    So I guess I just have to be patient. Which I can do as long as i know what is going on...which will not happen unless you ask other drivers...which is disappointing.
     
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  9. runningman0661

    runningman0661 Road Train Member

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    About 3 years ago I seriously considered YRC out of Charlotte, after talking to a friend that had been there for 5 years I decided against it. Thankfully he was brutally honest, he said as a new guy on the extra board you will have no life, always waiting for the phone to ring, never able to make solid plans. I knew that would drive me nuts, so I went in another direction. Hopefully it will get better for you.
     
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  10. JimTheHut

    JimTheHut Road Train Member

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    I got called yesterday at 2 pm to come in. Made two runs up to Cambridge Ohio to a customer where we drop a trailer and then pick up an empty and bring one back. Made the run with another driver. It was 90 miles each way, plus 30 min pay each time we hooked up to the new trailer. Pretty easy. The truck on the first trip was a 2019 volvo and the second one was a Kenworth. I was warned about the KW. When you are backing under the trailer, it will surge on you and slam you if you are not careful....They were correct.
    Got back to the yard at 0200 something. Told them to call me after 12 hrs so I can enjoy the 4th. Freight is slow for us right now so I might not even get called...but wanted to spend some time with the family just in case.
     
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  11. JimTheHut

    JimTheHut Road Train Member

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    I did not get a call all day on the 4th or all day on the 5th. I did get a call last night at 9 pm, which meant that I would be running from 11 pm to possibly 1 pm the next afternoon if I used up my entire 14 hr clock. That would all have been on no sleep. Really safe and smart right? They asked if I was ready. I said no sir I am not! I have had something running through me...the entire family has had it....so I got put on the sick board. The other option I had was to tell them to give me a slide of 8 hrs.
    This company cares nothing about safety!
     
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