The Heyl Truck Lines Experience

The delivery in Greencastle went without a hitch. Right after sending the empty call the QC responded back with the no dispatch for you message. I went back to the TA and waited.

Back at the TA the apu quit producing any heat. I called the shop to find out if it was a simple fix or something that needed professional attention. Right after saying there was no heat or a/c I was asked if the inverter was working. It was not. I was told it was probably the generator and I would either have to wait until I got back to Florida or find a Carrier dealer in the area to have it fixed. For now, I am back to idling the truck during my breaks to stay warm. I am not a big fan of idling.

Later that afternoon the QC sounded off with a pre-plan and then the load assignment a few minutes later. It was for a load of bananas picking up in Gloucester City, NJ (Camden area), and delivering in Yorktown, IN. It was 1600 when I received the load and the deadhead was 175 miles. My pickup time was not until 1400 the following afternoon. Looking out the window I could see the weather was quickly deteriorating. I did not want to go out on snowy roads for 175 miles with an empty trailer. I figured that would be begging for unneeded problems. I made the command decision to stay put until the morning.

When I woke up the following morning I was glad I stayed at a safe haven. There was three plus inches of snow on the ground. The trucks were lined up waiting to exit the truckstop and get out on the highway.

After breakfast I went to the fuel desk to cash a comcheck. Normally, I don't take cash advances but going into the northeast can be very expensive. The drive into NJ was uneventful. There were a few trucks still parked on the side of the road from the snow.

I made my way to the shipper and checked in. This was my first time at this shipper which is at the Gloucester City port. There is an entry fee for going into the port. If you have a TWIC it is $10.00. Non TWIC it is $25.00. In addition to that, if you don't have a fluorescent safety vest, you have to purchase one for an additional $5.00. The other requirement of this shipper is that you stand at the dock while the trailer is being loaded.

It did not take long to get loaded. 44,300 pounds later I am leaving the dock and getting my bills from the checkout trailer. I fought the Philadelphia rush hour traffic and stayed the night at the Flying J in Carlisle. I did not make it there until 2000 so I thought I might have a problem finding a parking spot. As luck would have it I found a pull through spot (I think it was the last in the place) and took it.

Tonight I am at the Pilot in Daleville, IN which is a small truckstop. For whatever reason this truckstop wants to know who you work for before taking a shower. When the clerk asked me who I worked for I asked her why she was asking that. She replied that is what we ask everybody. As far as I am concerned it is none of their business who I work for, where I am going, or what I am doing. If she wanted a company name I figured I would give her one. I told her I worked for Arrow Refrigerated Flatbed which is the industry leader in open air temperature control. Without blinking an eye, she wrote the name, kindly handed me the key, and asked me to return it when I was done.

 

Glad you like it so far. Did you get a Volvo or a Freightliner?

 

I liked the Cascadia when I had it. I hope you have the carrier apu. The rigmaster was proved its qualification as a paperweight several times.

I made my delivery this morning and was told to drop the empty trailer in Logansport. That meant I would be given a Tyson load. Once in Logansport I had the trailer washed out before dropping it. When the wind is just right, that place stinks.

I feel lucky. Before I could confirm my load assignment another message came over the QC telling me my trailer was ready to roll. I actually made it and out of the Tyson plant in less than an hour. I am now in Indianapolis taking my break. Normally I don't like to break here, but I was up against my 14.

Yesterday I mentioned the refrigerated flatbed. The idea was first presented to me by one of my former trainers, now a good friend. A brilliant guy.

Most people would say that a refrigerated flatbed does not exist, however, I can say that it does (in the world of photoshop!). The story as it was told to me is that Stevens wanted to muscle their way into the cattle hauling business and invested heavily into this new technology. It was quickly realized that it was not going to be a viable source of revenue and the project was scrapped. Outside of the significant liability issues with insurance, the engineers never could resolve the issue of cattle jumping off the trailer at stop lights. Pictured below is a prototype.