Woodfield Inc

I got my fuel card delimma fixed yesterday. Picked up a 79,940 lb lumber load in Warren, AR headed to Graettinger, Iowa. Taking my 30 at The Big Apple on 44. Never had a chance to stop here before. There's some good Indian food in there, if that's your thing. Overall, not to shabby. Normally I know what my reload is by now, but not today for some reason. It is what it is. I'll have something. They don't leave you sitting here. I don't know that we haul a lot to Iowa, so it'll probably be a broker load, but a load is a load. Yall take care

 

Got the load delivered in Graettinger, Iowa, and deadheaded 100 miles to Duncombe, Iowa. Picked up crane counterweight and brought them Baton Rouge.....another 1,000 mile run. Now I'm gearing up for a pick up in El Dorado to West Chester, PA with a drop in Norcross, GA. Counting empty miles, its a little over 1,500. Needless to say I'm really liking the longer average length of haul on the flatbed side. Seem to be running 2800-3,000 miles a week pretty consistently. I averaged that on the dry van side, but I was doing 6-7 loads, compared to 2-3 on flatbed. I'm just saying, I think I made a change for the better for how I like to run. @bryan21384 you still doing good over that Climate Express?

 

@bryan21384 sounds like you keeping the left door shut over there. I always wanted to try OTR Reefer, but ain't never took the chance....maybe one day. Yea, we gettin it over here. The flatbed side is completely different from their van side. There's only 20 or so flatbed drivers, and like 80 dry van drivers. I think what I like most about fb is the variety of freight. It ain't just paper and Pepsi Cola. I like a challenge, and this gives me one sometimes. Anyways, Climate is on my short list, if things ever go south here. I've been reading your thread on them. Lots of good info

 

@ftothek orientation is pretty standard. It is short, tho. They do it Monday Tuesday, and Wednesday-Thursday. You get to the yard Monday morning, and do the paperwork. Around lunchtime, they want you to take the rental to El Dorado. One of the shop guys follows you and picks you. You come back to yard, and do the road test. People from the different departments come in all throughout the day, and give you their expectations. UA is pretty much the first thing you do, because it takes a minute for it to come back. You go back to hotel around 16:30. The 2nd day is pretty much consists of waiting on the UA results. You have your truck assignment by lunchtime the second day. If they have both available, you can choose between an auto or an 18speed. Most of the time UA results come back around 14:00. The want to pull a load that evening, so while waiting, you're moving into your truck...which will be a Freightliner 2019-2023. They only run Freightliner here. Mr. Jimmy specs them good. They ain't big fleet spec. These have heated/cooled seats, full gauge package, a longer wheel base, no top bunk (there's a storage shelf where the top bunk would normally be.) I like it, and I'm sure anybody could find a home here

 

@bryan21384 I find myself being a lot more conscious of how hard I hit the breaks, and even how fast I take curves now. Picked up cable reels out of El Dorado again today. That's always "fun" lol. Climate is on my short list for when I ever do decide to take the cold plunge. Holland Enterprise, and Coastal Carriers are the other 2. Van Kampen has really nice equipment but they don't hire from down here