Knight's Idle Policy?

I used to get a Samuel Adams load from PA to Las Vegas. Very nice run good miles, just hated running across 70 in Colorado.

 

In the 3 months that I drove for them, they had me running the I-5 corridor mostly and back to PHX. Lots of short trips from PHX into the LA basin and back, sometimes with multiple pickup points and multiple stops to the final.

An example of this occurred after I did a live unload at the Safeway DC in Denver, CO. After paying an outrageous amount to get unloaded to the lumpers, my next load was a live load at a place that handles bottled water on pallets. Went over there, got checked in and was assigned a door. Low and behold nearly 3 hours later I was ready to leave. I was heavy and I knew I would have to scale out, so I went over to the nearest truckstop and had to slide the tandems and reweigh. Not that big of a problem and it's part of the job.

The load delivered to Cheyenne, WY, which was only about 110 miles north. It took over 3 hours to get there because of traffic on the I-25. Totally sucked, but it's part of the job.

Anyway, once I get there it's a simple drop and hook, so I locate an empty and go inside to give them the trailer number and they give me a gate pass to get out of the DC. At that point, I tell myself that it's time to park for the night. I decide on the Flying J and not Loves, because there is a McDonalds close to the Flying J. Little things like that matter a lot after a day of low miles and waiting around. I never received a pre plan that night and I didn't care, I even parked at McD's because I could.

The next day, I'm sent a preplan for a pick up in Fort Collins. I accept it on the Zonar and real soon afterwards my DM calls me and tells me it's no longer available and that nothing else is happening in the area for the rest of the day. I was starting to get a bit irritated at that point, but I didn't let on. Listened to a few podcasts and hung out in the drivers lounge at Flying J.

Next day, I get another preplan and this is a trip going to Albuquerque, NM. I accept it and in a few hours I get another call that it was canceled. I said alright again to my DM and he promises to get me rolling ASAP. I tell him that's good, but don't make it some weird thing that picks up in the middle of the night or something like that. So another night at the McD's in Cheyenne.

On my third day, I finally get a preplan and I accept it, but it doesn't pick up until the following morning and delivers in Porterville, CA. Some quick trip planning reveals that this shipper has a big lot next to the railroad tracks in Akron, CO, which was about 100 miles south. I decide to drive down there and park at their facility. A phone call confirmed I could do this. I got loaded early and had to drive to another location to finish off the loading of bird seed. Of course, when I scaled out at the second pickup location I was overweight on the TT, so they had to take off 3 pallets because I was going to CA and I had to be at the 40' mark. Part of the job, but a pain in the butt nonetheless.

Anyway, once I'm underway on the I-70 going over the Rockies all is good because it was a 1300 mile trip or so. The Walmart DC at Porterville is a very difficult backing location for drops, in fact the yard guy let me drop and he backed it in. I just love how two yard goats will watch you squirm and then offer help out. No big deal.

Anyway, I just have to question why two loads were canceled and I was left out in Cheyenne, WY? Like there was nothing available in Denver? I didn't need a reset, but got one. I've done resets at less accomodating places, but hey it's part of the job.

I will say that the labor laws regarding OTR truckers needs to rethought all the work and time that is not paid to the driver. I didn't get any layover pay or anything from Knight. I didn't ask for it, but if my DM was truly looking out for his driver, it should have been an automatic thing. It seems as though drivers are held to the highest standard when it comes to the rules, but not the college boys in the office.

 

Loads are often shown as Cancelled because they were assigned to another driver..a combo of 1st come (available) 1st served, or a DM grabs from another for THEIR driver!

Use to happen often for leased drivers taking loads off of co. drivers so could keep rolling to pay off their lease.

 

Welcome to orientation!

 

Has Knight's idle policy changed for 2021?

 

No. Between 32 and 70 the truck won't idle.

 

Must get pretty toasty in the sleeper when it's 60-69 and sun is beating down. Guess parking away from other trucks, cracking windows open, and using a fan is the only option.

 

They've changed it truck idles at 68 and up now. The new trucks also have optimized idle