Calex Express....My New Home!

Good for you all. AHHH, the power of prayer.......amazing!

 

Hello all! Sitting at the Petro in Pittston. Got here around 6pm and decided to do a reset here before I deliver on Monday. This load I'm on has been nothing but trouble since I loaded it Tuesday, and trust me, it's not any of my fault, or my trucks.

I woke up and showered in Troutdale Or. Tuesday morning after finishing my reset in Olympia Wa. on Monday. I got to Troutdale early Monday afternoon and called the broker, who I loaded for in October when I was out there. I got all my information then called the shipper. This was the same nursery I loaded at the last time I was out here. I planned on showering then leaving about 6am Tuesday to go load on top of this mountain in Cornelius Or that was accessible only by a D-8 Cat.

I left right at 6am Tuesday in a driving rain storm and fought all the Portland rush hour traffic to get to Cornelius. I arrived at the nursery on top of the mountain right at 7am. I was guided in to a place to park so that the nursery help could load me out of the way. Just after they put the first batch of Azalea bushes in my trailer the Foreman comes running out to tell me and the help that the load was canceled. Now I'm pi$$ed off. I call the broker and ask him what the deal is, and he told me that they canceled the order the day before. I very politely asked him if he didn't think it was necessary to call me when he found out the day before so that I didn't have to drive through the pouring rain and Portland traffic. real sarcastically he said to me, "Oh, I guess you must think I lied to you". I then lost my composure and told him that no, I wasn't accusing him of lying to me but I am going to accuse you of miscommunication on your part, and while we are on the subject, didn't you think it was necessary to inform me of the cancellation that you knew about yesterday while I was sitting at the truck stop all day doing nothing? He then told me that I should just do my job and he'll do his. Right at this point I lost all interest in him and whatever he had to say to me. I basically told him to go to hell and told him to call my dispatch with the new load info and that Pittston would dispatch me. When we are under a broker load we deal direct with the broker and not Pittston. I called into dispatch and explained what happened and that I would rather not deal with a liar and be disrespected the way I was.

While on the phone I was given my new load info and had to go down to Woodburn to load, about 40 miles away going to the same nursery in CT. After loading, which took about 3 hours I called in a loaded call and was told to call the broker also. Oh boy, round two I'm sure. I called into the broker, and was apologized to, and told that there was no need to check call until I got empty on Monday. Good, I really didn't want to talk to them anyway. I'm going to jump ahead a little then go back to continue my trip. Yesterday around 5pm my phone rings and it was dispatch telling me that the load I had on was rejected by the consignee. I told them I was still in Iowa and how could they do that when they haven't even seen the product yet. They told me that the broker out in Oregon gave me the wrong pick up number and that the load they put on me had to be delivered to Centreville Md. on the eastern shore. I literally laughed out loud and told Jason that this is par for the course with this load so far.

After loading I went to the T/A at the 278 mm on I-5 to weigh the load and fuel up. I was only grossing 72,000 so I was able to fill up at all my fuel stops coming east. I checked the road conditions across Oregon and Wyoming, then left. They were calling for snow across Cabbage and Wyoming was mostly clear except for Elk Mtn, what else is new. I made it to the rest area ontop of Cabbage and went to bed with every star in the universe shinning brightly. I woke up the next morning in a winter wonderland. Oh well, gotta do what they pay me for. I made a cup of coffee and left in the dark with snow packed roads all the way to Baker. After that it was just wet roads to Ontario Or. I stopped for fuel in Boise then headed to Little America. I prefer running 84-86-15-30 then running down 84 to Ogden, it only saves about 3 miles but there's a whole lot less traffic, plus the speed limit is 65 the whole way. I got to Little America and went to bed. I woke up Thursday morning and had York Nebraska in my sights.

I stopped for fuel in Burns Wyoming then made it to York about 10pm. I woke the next morning, showered, had breakfast and left. I no sooner got on the interstate then my phone rang. It was Louie asking me if I would have enough hours to reload Monday with an Orlando load. I said yes, but I would run out after I got unloaded. About 10 minutes after we hung up my reload info came over the computer. This is another nice thing about Calex, I'm in Nebraska on Friday trying to get my load to it's destination and my preplan comes through. I made it to the truck rest area on the Indiana Tpk last night and went to bed. I had asked Louie if i could stop off in Pittston to drop my paperwork off. We need to have our paperwork in b/4 noon on Monday in order to be paid on Friday. I was sure that I wouldn't be empty in time to get my paperwork in. I was told to come to Pittston, complete my paperwork as if I delivered, then just fax the bill of lading in on Monday. I told Gail in payroll I would need to come back to Pittston to drop off the reefer trailer I had and get a dry van to go reload with. She told me to just bring the signed bill in on Monday and give it to her. This is another reason I like this place, they will work with you so you don't miss a payday.

I woke up this morning and figured if I could get to Pittston around 5pm, then I could fuel, do my paperwork and start a reset and be done at 4am Monday, which will give just enough time to drive the 180 miles to my delivery. It all worked, I'm now into my reset at the Petro in Scranton and will get paid on Friday.

One last thing, I was taught a very long time ago when I first got out of college and went to work for UPS at the very young age of 22 how to drive in ice and snow. They sent me to their winter driving school they had in Minnesota in a very cold and snowy January how to drive in this crap. That was 33 years ago and to this day I use everything I was taught, plus what I have been through since then to deal with winter driving. This last round, especially on my way out, was probably the worst trip for ice I have ever experienced in 29 years of driving. It never becomes easier, I just deal with it. But I do know when I can or can't go. I told my wife tonight that I can't wait to get home, she told me she knows why. She said she can hear it in my voice. I sound very stressed. She's exactly right. It's time for a few days off at the house!

 

Just the every day life of trucking! Glad you are enjoying it though.

 

Move to Florida, Pa, or the west coast and have 2 years OTR with a clean record then your in.