White Oak Transportation (Bay Minette, AL)

Just saw this. We all got hammered by the hurricane. I really lucked out that my apartment wasn't smashed by a tree.

Operations not affected to much except for power outages. The local warehouse stocks our trailers with the forklift guy working in the dark with just headlights. Got to keep all this cardboard moving I guess.

Otherwise, some weeks are steady but it seems like at least one or sometimes 2 days a week I guy trips that are 12 hours just in drive time I can't do in a day which is annoying. Or the occasional random run from Bay Minette, AL to Gainesville, GA to Rome, GA and back to Bay Minette, AL. That's at least 13 to 14hrs drive time depending on Atlanta. It seems common for once a week abuse of the 16hr rule and I think drivers try to get things done on PC drive time.

If I was fully sticking to my guns to be compliant, I might wind up sleeping on the road, delivering to the 'home' location of Bay Minette, then starting my next delivery and sleeping on the road again which is the complete opposite situation I was looking for with this job.

In general, I feel kind of sick of the job, but it's not so bad I'm running from it. I could probably hang around until I at least complete a year with them. I'm thinking of relocating anyway so I might do that next year.

Some of this of course depends on the strained economy and post election conditions.

 

This is supposed to be a home daily job, but it's hard to do that and actually still follow HOS properly. Or if we stick to HOS, wind up have work run over into our weekend.

I talked to another driver who is new but has a lot more experience than me and he's at his wits' end. He likes the idea of getting home more, but it's not always working out or we get 12 to 13 hours worth of driving.

When this first started it was supposed to be nearly all drop n' hook but live unloads are becoming more common. I got to this International Paper place in Selma, AL which is a new site for us and they stopped taking incoming freight until 6am so now I'm sitting here all night. I've already been dispatched so now I'll be way behind. I'm not sure what's going on, but they seem like they're just abusing new HOS flexibility.

So... I guess this didn't really wind up a favorite company after all.

I could try to hash this out with dispatch, but while he is actually laid back on the phone which is nice, I don't think he fully understands HOS which wasn't to big a deal when I started out doing single out and back deliveries, but they're trying to squeeze in backhaul detours and that are not realistic.

 

Short update: White Oak suddenly needs drivers they are down 4 people. They just piled on work to fast with quick turn arounds.

I don't think the drivers are unwillingly to do extra work, but we had no notice or warning so we could be prepped for it. We're normally supposed to be a home most days position but it was starting to feel like a home weekly gig.

I think they messed up and burned out or pissed off some people. I considered leaving to, but I'm concerned about the economy.

 

Stuck in Montgomery because receiver is closed and I was held up for a random roadside inspection. Was given a 7am to Phenix City there is now way I can make it. Called dispatch but the call broke up.

After this, I have to leave Montgomery to drop n' hook in Bay Minette then turn around going to Phenix CIty it's going to be insanely late. I don't get why they'd give me this load in the first place unless they don't care about burning this customer.

 

2nd time given a delivery that will be in the path of a hurricane. This is getting really lame. Just finished drop n' hook at Selma International Paper near Montgomery and my home terminal is Bay Minette.

Maybe this crap will quickly downgrade coming inland, but it's headed my way.

 

Edit


I wound up quitting.

It was manageable for a while though the last minute dispatch was annoying. After Covid19 though the HoS was relaxed for freight tied to the Medical or Food industry and White Oak starting pushing it hard while still acting like a home daily job by adding out of the way backhauls.

I found a job with John Fayard doing Yard Jockey so I'm going to try that starting this week.

 

Just now saw this.

It's hard to judge Fayard because most of my time is spent at their customer Kimberly Clark working as a yard spotter. The facility is in bad shape with lots of potholes, but that is KC's fault.

The company and management seem okay, but it's hard for me to fairly judge it since I'm hardly ever at their Theodore office.