FCC--Fremont Contract Carriers

Grabbed one out of Crete going to Mt. Juliet that was three months past due. Offered to run it through CB but was told to run it and they would get it routed back.

{shrug} ok

 

Sorry but as long as the trailer passes an inspection it rolls .
Not my Job to screw around with out of date trailers when I keep my tractor up to snuff and have it inspected on time.
Understaffed shops also arnt my problem .

 

Will try to do a travel log post but to sum up I’m still attached to the same trailer I was last Saturday. Planning my second reset under dispatch in a week.
I’m the king of appointment live loads and live unloads.
Supposed to be picking up the bad penny in CB today. First test is if the Qualcomm works after sitting for a day or so. I’ve been to Fremont once a week for the past 3 weeks for that thing. If it’s dead again we need a new plan.

 

With respect, and I do mean respect, I see the other side of the coin.

I appreciate that FCC does so much to keep our equipment, both trucks and trailers, in good condition and repaired as needed and not just an afterthought like many other companies.

They can’t get the trailers back to the Shops with out the Drivers moving them. So whether we take it there sooner or later, we will be taking it to the shop at some point. If I can help get a trailer to a shop before it has to become a special project for everyone to plan it back to the area, so be it.

Or maybe a breakdown issue OTR for another Driver that it gets passed onto.

I also greatly appreciate that I don’t have to deal with trailer issues while OTR like many other companies. I’d much rather take a trailer to our shop and hop in my personal car and go for a nice lunch or shopping to restock the truck vs sitting in some #### dirty customer waiting room or a truck stop to get a simple repair that could have been avoided if we could have gotten it through one of our Shops.

In short, it’s in everyone’s best interest, shops, planners, as well as drivers, to try to get a trailer back, if possible, to the shops for routine review and maintenance.

I am willing to invest a bit of time today to avoid issues OTR tomorrow.

Plus a well maintained fleet is a great benefit when getting inspected by our legal buddies.

Again, said with respect.


Stay Safe.

 

Truck welcomed me back with a high coolant temperature code which was remarkable since it had been sitting all weekend. It cleared after I turned it off but that was special. Qualcomm worked at least, thanks be.

 

Dropped and picked up another load in Lancaster going to Topeka. Will drop this off tomorrow morning, take an empty, and deadhead to the house. Should be home no later than noon tomorrow.

 

As to trailer and shop visits, there are a couple other things we can do.

We have a Mobil Shop Vehicle that goes to our customers locations to work on trailers remotely. I dropped a passed due MT at Kawasaki Lincoln and saw him there so I stopped and told him about the status. He appreciated the notice and was going to knock it out even if it wasn’t on the list.

We can call in to let DM know we are dropping a past due at a customer. It might get on the list sooner and before it rolls out again.

Also, any time I’m grabbing an MT at a customer, I try to take a quick glance at the trailers that I can see. And if there is one past due, I’ll grab it and push it forward. That way it gets back to the Shops sooner and an opportunity to get it looked over.

None of these things take too much of our time and helps get the trailers looked at without driving 50 miles OOR to a Shop.

 

So I’m 2.5 hours past the appointment time at this Shipper.

It takes 3 (THREE) people to put on and verify and sign off that the airline has been disconnected by the Driver and lock put in place by Employee… lol

so the back story… recently they had a Driver start to pull away with out being cleared and without papers. Forklift was on the tail when he pulled away and fell between the dock and the trailer. Luckily he got hung up with rear tires on the dock and the forks on the trailer. Was able to push it back up onto the dock and wasn’t harmed.

There are no lights on the dock so not sure why the driver opted to pull away… or maybe one dock worker cleared him but they were still loading… but either way, a good example of needing to make sure you are cleared to pull away, with BOLs in hand, before doing so.

stay safe