lack of empty trailers

November & December you'll see that. UPS not only contracts trailers from Swift.... They also contract trucks that will stroll down the road at a decent rate to move all those "just got to get there" holiday packages.

 

More than DECENT rate at times MEGA RATE for teams with the major courier outfits this time of the year and closer to CHRISTMAS. Dec 16 is their ( UPS ) busiest day for freight , I have 4 trucks / dryvans booked with them again this year.

 

I was at the Swift Memphis terminal just once and it was full up of complaining company drivers crying about short loads. Pure speculation here, but one of them probably got that load and was too tired to take it from spending all their awake time watching tv and complaining in the lounge lol.

Speaking of blowout tires on the Swift trailers-- for the most part in my experience the tires are in terrible shape. They seem to like to milk every inch out of them. The tires are typically old used steer and drive tires from the tractors. If I take a trailer up to quick lane to have them look at a questionable tire, they will send me away saying it's good to go. I will often see a toe up tire inside tandem and a decent tire outside. The tire guy put it there, but DOT says driver's fault.

In other news I haven't had too hard of a time getting empty trailers lately.

 

hmmmmm well, Over to the DC we dedicated people have 3 tire guys that do nothing but check and replace our tires. We can't take a trailer or our tractors off the lot if they've marked them for repair or replacement.

However, if we go down to otay mesa...and that trailer is going over the border, any new tires are replaced with old ones until the trailer comes back over the border. It's done because of the high rate of stolen tires.

Geeeeeeeeeeeeee who'd have thought that might happen? /

 

I wonder, do you guys pop out the LED trailer lights as well and put in the cheaper lights for replacement too?

 

Actually we don't do any of it. The people at otay mesa do it. I've seen it done down at Nogales as well.

 

Methinks you dedicated folks are well taken care of. Last time I was there I had to pop out all of the lights and drop 'em near the guard shack then go drop the trailer in between some cacti then sit around for hours waiting for the proper P/O number to get the loaded trailer. Once I got that and was close on hours I had to pop in all the lights again and shucks, I realized I should have pocketed the glad hand seals from the empty as well....

 

Scottied just get some at the shop. Laredo they'll give you a handful.

When I first got my truck I went to the parts guy and he loaded a Walmart bag with fuses, wiper blades, lock for the load locks, extra light bulbs and lights.

My mentor set me up good.

 

For free??????!!!!!!!!! No way I would.

 

I'm one of those 'special' drivers who is only paid for miles. 4 stop drop/driver unload? Just miles. 1 mile local Houston Texas? Just 30 cents. Wait around 25.5 hours for a preplan-- layover pay? Nope.