lightweight petes

As for TransAm, they just ordered 1050 T660's, which is about their whole fleet, with the new engine that PACCAR is building. No telling how that will work out.

 

Actually I have 18 month's under my belt. I wouldn't have left FFE but I had to so I come be home to take care of my finace` toward's the end of her pregnancy where complications were starting to come up. My baby girl came out fine though and everything went smooth. Now my finace` is getting ready to go in for surgery Friday so I'll have to be here a little longer to take care of the kid's. So I'm not seeking any sympathy because I did leave on my own, not get laid off or fired.

Granted, no I'm not happy with what FFE has done but me taking into consideration they had just started all that ruckus of combining all three companies together (FM's, load planner etc bouncing around with PC's and phone's from one part of the building to another and back during the remodel) and everything being the complete chaos mess that it was (hopefully it's straightend out now) where thing's are running smoothly and everyone is running and getting paid like they are supposed to.

My recruiter there is trying to get me to come back. I'm gonna do it and if it's not all hunky dory then this time I'll just have to stick it out until I do land where I want to be. In the mean time I'll have a little something coming in to help get caught back up and on top.

I've been with 3 companies total. I would have stayed at Marten but my dad had a heart attack while I was there. Doctor's said it wasn't looking to good. I felt bad and wanted to be here if he went. Well, he didn't and he's still kicking but I've learned the cause behind why he had the heart attack for which case I don't feel sorry because he's doing it to himself after he said he stopped a long time ago and is still continuing. If I loose him, will I feel bad? Yea, but I won't have any sympathy for him and the cause.

I promised myself I would never turn out like him and pep talked myself on what would happen if I did and it's not the road I wanted. Here I am doing far more in the past 7 year's than he has almost his entire life.

As for Prime. I drove the way I wanted, I admit, but nothing was ever said to me about it until the last month and a half when the fuel milage started becoming a "issue". Like I said before, I did as they asked and slowed down, started progressive shifting and pacing myself. But like I mentioned in another post, the psyical calulated fuel milage didn't add up with the QC fuel milage like the last time I was out west coast the QC said I was getting 13.5 and my dash telling me 10 but the truck would be getting 5.5. It was low but they still insisted on believeing the #### QC knowing it was wrong. Sometime's a mind and basic math is smarter than a computer. My miles had already dropped before that issue even came up. Not once during the whole time I was solo did I see any fuel bonus money. I only saw that bonus on my trainer's truck.

FM told me try 58 for a week so I did with progressive shifting and doing so at lower RPM's. It dropped by a little less than half. Try 55. Fuel milage dropped by another half. The truck I had, had 64 on the floor 63 on the cruse. Front Vorad and the cruse made it burn a good amount more of fuel because something wasn't right with it and any "shadow" even a cloud would decelerate the truck so I never used the cruse. Never took the time to have it looked at because it meant more time in the shop which I had already spend to much time in getting the EGR replaced (lot's of spitting and sputtering) Badly, needed an overhead job and RA would put in for it in the computer but Freightliner would never do it and also had a number of sensors replaced.

They started by cutting it back to 60. MPG got worse and I kept using the lower RPM shifting. Brought me back and cut it down to 58. "Let's see what that'll do." Ok. It's slow as hell and seem's like it takes forever to get anywhere but I go along with it. I mean at that point there's nothing more I could possibly do to improve fuel milage. I've even spent money out of my own pocket for fuel injector cleaner. FM said we won't reimburse you for that. I said that's fine, I'm just trying to do everything I can to get the MPG improved. Well, I rolled with it set at 58 sometime's dropping to 55, easy shifting and it got down to around 4.25 MPG, an all time low in that truck which got between 7 and 7.5 when my instructor had it and we were both driving it and speed shifting at the time.

That's when they started giving me the skinny that I was in danger of loosing my job. I asked for another truck. They refused. I lost count of how many times the truck had been in the shop and they weren't going to put it back in anymore. Costing to much money. So I figure it was coming down to one of a couple of thing's. The injector's were going bad or it seriously needed an overhead. Well, with the truck set at 58 (it was never cut down to 55), lack of miles and being handed the idea that I'm going to be fired because of a truck full of problem's, I cut my loss' and left.

As for the bit with my trainer, well not only because I had just come off my shift, gotten a shower and it being hotter than all nine kind's of hell outside and this guy being younger than me, only driven a truck a year or so before I got there, alway's in the middle of my personal business when I am on the phone and just grabbing my laptop and using it without asking as if it was his and think I'm going to put up with it? If you were in that posistion, would you tolerate that BS?

I had another trainer before him and I was on his truck maybe a total of 3 day's because we came back to the yard and I was up stairs playing pool while doing laundry, he walk's up from the cafe downstairs and said he was headed out to the truck and obviously didn't give a #### when he stated "I'm gonna go out to the truck and have some fun on the phone with my wife." Big red flag. I'm not fixing to use a bunk that a nasty ### bed bug like this guy sleep's on even with my own sheet's and comforter. Had to go to Kraft the next morning to P/U so I grabbed a bunk room while the going was good and stayed in there that night. Went over to pick up the load, came back to the yard to fuel and all that good stuff before getting ready to run to OKC, so while in line waiting to get in the inbound fuel bay, I jumped out and said I would be back shortly. He asked where I was going but I didn't say anything and went straight to my FM and told him about the statment sense he was in the office by the time we got back plus the fact the guy he piss bottle's under the bunk which if anyone know's is a no no at Prime. That's how I got my second trainer. I begged and pleded with my instructor to train me and told him I would pay him extra out of my pocket just so I wouldn't have to deal with anymore of these wacky ### trainers. He couldn't so I stuck it out with the second because jumping from truck to truck would take forever to get my 60K in.

The second trainer ripped me off and fed me every line of #### he could when it came time where I asked for time off at home. He said there weren't any load's down my way. I stopped to pick up another student in northern Cali as our FM asked us to and my trainer stayed up the whole 10 hour's he should have been alseep and talked to the kid hitching a ride with us and told him he could get on his truck after my training was up as long as he wanted to stay out and do his whole 60k and not have to worry about getting him home and back on the truck. That burnt me and I was ready to break my trainer's face with the nearest blunt object I could find for keeping me out for 6 solid month's not including the couple of week's I had to do solo before they would let me go home to make sure "I could handle it on my own."

See where I'm coming from yet? And no, I'm not ranting BS for no reason or looking sympathy. I just want to make sure your understanding where I'm coming from and the story behind everything that happened so you will stop bringing this #### up which I am starting to get really tired of. Family issue's are family issue's and I'm positive that if it were you in my shoe's through everything mentioned above you would have done the same.

I think your a cool guy and you know a lot like many not saying your a "know it all" but you dragging this subject up is starting to be some BS and I'm just about tired of it.

This thread is about the new mini me truck's they are buying, not my past experiance and work history. So I'll leave it at that and drop it for the last time. I'll be a man about it if you will by leaving it alone and stop bringing this up every time I say something that will "give you reason" and/or intise you to bring it up.

 

Climbing out of one hole to fall into another. They bought the one's with the Cat engine's eatting up money on repair's, yet order a slew of trucks, #### near company wide with new engines they know nothing about and hasn't even had a test run. Normally a company will get about 10-20 test truck's and try them out first to see what's up. If they are good, replace them all, not just dive in replacing the whole fleet not knowing what they are like and/or if they are gonna be any different in cost's than the Cat's. That sound's like they are either feeling extremly lucky or trying to commit financial suicide.

 

The lightweight Internationals we have are Eagle's. not Prostars. I have seen at least 1 full size Prostar in Springfield, but have heard thru the grapevine that Prime is not a fan of them because of their weight, and we will more than likely not be getting more of them.

 

They got such a thing, eh? Either way...

 

Just a quick note, the lightweight Internationals are different than the Petes or Columbias. If they gave me an International, there would be no complaints out of me.

There is still no passenger seat or top bunk, but it is not a midroof. In place of the top bunk is some storage areas (shelves and things). You can stand up in it no problem, just like any condo sleeper. The bunk is still right up behind the drivers seat, but that truck has plenty of room and an abundance of storage. I'd almost prefer it over the Century I'm in now (still don't like the super singles though - bad for slick roads in the winter).

If you get a chance, check one out. I wouldn't mind getting one at all. Although I don't seem to see nearly the number of Internationals as Columbias or Petes. Maybe they save the Internationals for the big and tall drivers...I don't know. Most of the ones I've seen on the road are Petes, with Columbia coming in second, and I've only actually seen one or two Internationals out on the road.

 

I wont drop it cuz your full of crap.

Telling newbies around here asking questions about Prime (and I quote) "Its your Funeral"

You dug your hole a little too deep.... You had a habit of shooting your mouth off.... what happened to your Prime smearing usually followed up by your bragging about your current "flavor of the month" company?

Suddenly your contrite and painting a different picture. Too late.

Sounds like you are trying to kiss butt and make up for all the trash talking you did... but I will quote you again

"No way would you ever find me kissing a companies ### because this is ####### america and that's not how #### works here."

It doesnt work here either.

 

i actualy volunteered to get a lightwieght, asked for a Pete, and they gave me a brand new 2010. Had all of 400 miles on it. Cant say as i am unhappy with my choice, less room just = better space management. I can say for me that a huge plus is that it is really hard for me to ever be over on axle weights !

 

i was told this by my recruiter They have just one bunk in them. Some drivers actually like them. You get 5cpm more if you get a lightweight truck . Out of training you will start at 39cpm if you get the lightweight. If you are going to be a company
driver, chances are about 99% you are going to get a lightweight truck.

 

that is true for the company reefer drivers they have a lot of lightweight petes on the yard right now they also have a few cascadias and 2 internationals