Mercer

Hey Katz!

you gonna make it to Louisville in time? You sure picked the wrong couple days to travel that way. Last we heard you were parked due to road closure. If you won't make it in time I'd call 8am and let them know the situation. Good luck!

 

I lucked out, and I-40 opened just as I was passing Sky City casino in NM. I'm sitting in Joplin, MO. It was not pretty until I got close to OK City, but I'm still in one piece. Looking for a place to get oil leak fixed. It's seeping from pan rail, probably bad gasket, and there's noticeable leak from the oil filter housing. I have no way of disposing 10 gallons of oil, so I'll just get it fixed by a shop and change oil at the same time.

OK, I will. I casually looked on ebay a while ago, and a lot of them were asking for $250 each or something IIRC. Maybe I'll do half & half, then put alum rims on my truck (inner 8 drives wheels are steel) when I'm ready to get a better trailer.

 

At least now the roads should only be getting better. You might make it there yet! There's a shop right down the road from the Mercer yard that is supposed to do good work and not at rip-off prices. Maybe you could contact them ASAP and arrange for them to take care of your oil leak problems. In the drivers lounge and the training room there are papers with names and numbers of repair places in the area. Remember this one is due south of the yard. Don't rely on the place that comes onto the yard to do repairs. After three days guys were still waiting for simple repairs, and drivers in orientation are on the bottom of the list after drivers with loads or waiting to get loads.

Be carefull, the TV news if filled with photos of trucks wrecked all over the place during this recent storm.

 

I've known people who have leased on with no flat experience! They will require you to go thru securement classes. I will say though, with no flat experience... The job will be harder on you until you learn the basics & establish a routine.

 

Katz, the place is called onsite. Their number is 502-457-8353 & 6984. I'm not sure what kind of capital you have left to cover repairs, but if you go that route... Then allow Mercer to inspect your truck first. That way you can get everything done at once. You should be able to take your truck to them after your inspection & Mercer will come pick you up & take you back to orientation.

Did you buy a warranty as well?

You'll make it to Louisville in time. Off the top of my head, your roughly 550 miles from Joplin going I-44 & I-64. When you exit & get close, holler at security on channel 3 of your CB.... Did Swift allow you to have a CB? You will need one now since your graduating!

Internet... Upstairs in the driver's lounge... You'll see a room with nothing in it. Directly across from the security room & next to the pool table.... Ethernet internet connection for your browsing pleasure! No wifi! I think the pool table is free as well!

After you get your Mercer I'd card, you can sign out a company vehicle to do as you wish!

 

Hi guys,

Just wanted to let you know I arrived at Mercertown in one piece. It's late, and the orientation starts at 7:30AM. Will post an update tomorrow.

 

Yesterday's trip was uneventful. Not much ice, no snow. Once morning fog was lifted, it was clear all way through. It took a little longer, as I stopped at various places looking for equipements I still didn't have. It would have saved a lot of trouble if Tri City Canvas (as per Ms. Pony's recommendation) was open, but unfortunately they were closed.

Got an used tire for the trailer for $185 plus labor, bought a cheapie CB using Road King points, and washed the rig at Blue Beacon in Evansville.

No problem finding the Mercer yard. The security guy hollared at me on the radio as soon as my truck showed up on one of their surveillance cameras.


Got up in the morning with sore throat. I've been fighting this stupid cold for a few days now. Took some Dayquils and made it through the orientation day 1. So far so good. We have a group of 6 drivers, 2 of which are husband/wife team drivers.

Dean Donnelly(spelling?) is leading the orientation. More I learn about Mercer, more I'm liking it. Much less BS on log policy compared to Swift, where I got a few "violations" doing what is considered FMCSA legal.

FSC seems quite a bit higher than what my friends are getting from NorthAmerican - I'm just guessing it is because Mercer's fleet is mostly flatbed/stepdeck. Also discount seems to be pretty good at T/A or Flyin J. With no fuel tax charged, I'm surprised how inexpensive you can get fuel for. My truck averaged 7.4mpg on the first tank (Porterville, CA to Sayre, OK), including about 14 hours of idling. I think I'll be able to average low 6s loaded.

Dean also got into details on CSA 2010 - what a wonderful government we have. I wouldn't miss Washington D.C. if it sank under water tomorrow.

My truck/trailer did OK in the inspection. The oil/exhaust leak I already knew about. I talked to Roy at Onsite on the phone today, and getting these fixed tomorrow. Honestly, I don't have much money left, so I'll just use my credit card to pay for the repair. I'd like to get those done right. I need reflective tapes on the tractor mudflap brackets, which is no biggie.

Trailer's service line was frozen this morning and the brakes were not working. It worked fine this afternoon, so I'll just drain the tanks and put some alcohol in the lines. And I need to secure dunnage with ratchet straps instead of bungees. That's about it.

I did not purchase warranty. I should have. The dealer said I can purchase it within 30 days, so I probably will as soon as money starts coming in.

 

Bungees are big no no now days for timbers and other dunnage. You can use some 1" straps if you want. Lot cheaper and easier. sounds like you are about ready to roll.

 

Glad you made it with no more problems. You can get the reflective tape from the guys over in inspections.

Warranty on a used truck? How much and what EXACTLY does it cover? They seem to have a way of making the repairs you need not fall under the policy for little technicalities, so just be really sure it is worth the investment.

Hope you brought the extension cord and heater like I told you! Have fun, you're half way through already.

 

I brought several 2" straps, so I used them for time being. Yes, almost ready to roll. Almost.

Right, that's why I didn't go for it right away. I was going to do review search on google, but I forgot the name of the company that sells the warranty. It costs $3500. I don't exactly remember what was covered, but it included most major components.

I took the truck to Onsite today. $516 later, it is still leaking oil. I'll take it back tomorrow, and see they would do - this is where a good shop separates from bad ones.

I didn't bring an extension cord (couldn't find one at home, and didn't want to buy one) and heater - shame on me. I was counting on an electric blanket I bought last year. Apparently it developed a bad connection somewhere and it no longer functions.