Superior Carriers 2011

You on e logs yet? Won't be long.

Its just a couple more buttons to push for me. Sounds like more work for the office gals. They have to go in and delete one set of logs in the system. Everything gets doubled after they scan in the paper ones.

 

5/7-5/8

This week has gotten off to a good start. Left Sunday with an empty. Loaded this morning in N Chicago and will drop it at P&G Tuesday afternoon. 1500+ miles by Tuesday. I have a vacation starting next week so I hope they can keep me moving another 7 days or so.

These E Logs are growing on me. I am starting to get into the habit of "approving" them as I go and its a lot less work at the end of the day.

I honestly think it will save me some time on my 70 if I work it right. Sunday I ran pretty hard but stopped about 4 times. The qualcom logged about 19 minutes less than the moving average on my GPS. I think it gives you a couple of minutes before switching over to the drive line each time you stop. I also made a point of immediately pulling the yellow button and switching from driving to on or off duty. Let the machine change you to the drive line but you lose drive time if you let it reset to on duty not driving when you stop unless you manually change it.

Today on my loading the unit logged:

5 min on duty check in plant
5 min off duty break (bathroom)
7 min on duty spot trailer
1:23 sleeper berth
9 min on duty final paperwork

This saved about 9 minutes from how it would have been logged on paper.

I think I can live with this thing if the company doesn't nit pick it too much

 

5/9-5/10

Left around 4 AM this morning and dropped the load in around 13:30. Home tonight and heading out in the morning with a system load heading to Holland Mi. I told them I could run through the weekend since I am taking some vacation time the middle of next week.

 

5/11-5/12

Made it up to Holland on time and they set a record unloading me in 3.25 hours.

I somehow managed to avoid Markham this run. They are deadheading me down to Cincinnati to load at our rail transloading facility with a P&G load going to Cognis in Mauldin SC delivering Saturday 1400. Probably deadhead home after that. Good week.

I found a great little Italian restaurant this trip. Its at a small truck stop on US 30 at the I-469 junction in Fort Wayne In. Its next to the the convience store with a Taco Bell in it. They make their own pasta, hand toss the pizza and I overheard some old ladies talking about them catering stuff for their church. Only about 7 tables in the joint but it sure was good. Reasonably priced too. I got more spaghetti than I could eat for $8.00.

 

5/12-5/16

I had to split break and head out about 4 AM to make my loading appointment in Cincinnati. That is one area where I really like the Elog. No counting or calculating at all. It was a hectic morning in rush hour Cincy traffic dropping at the tankwash, bobtailing to the terminal, hooking another tank and heading to the rail facility. I got loaded promptly and was at the Loves above Richmond KY by noon grabbing a shower and grub on my 2 hour break to get some more drive hours.

During that break I got the tankwash message back to High Point after my delivery Saturday. I was tired and decided to stop for the night at the Loves in Corbin Ky about 80 miles away. They have lots of options for food there and that would put me about 450 miles away from home with 11 hours left on my 70. The delivery appointment was such that I picked up 1 hour of layover pay. Had I thought it through I would have stayed put in Richmond and picked up 3 hours.

I was well rested the next morning and was happy to hear that the tank my product was to be delivered to was full and they wanted me to drop the trailer. Fortunately they had an empty and after a couple of phone calls and drop weighings I was on my way home for a day and a half.

It was a very productive week. I pulled on the yard with 40 minutes left on my 70 and no hours regained until midnight Sunday. I would have actually been out of hours on paper logs but those minutes you save going off duty during the week add up over 70. I will never take a leak on line 4 again.

I am heading out in about an hour with a load I have done a few times to Kraemer Pa. Its 450 miles out and back. I will head up there tonight, back into the unloading place and they will wake me up to unload in the morning. Then the empty goes back to High Point. Its a good deal with me looking at a week of vacation starting Wednesday.

 

I don't mind a little walk. Cracker Barrel

 

Not sure what they are looking for. I believe Moneycat is a poster here who runs out of that terminal. I have pulled several loads of titanium dioxide out of Edgemore heading to Statesville NC and a couple of loads going to Unilever in Raeford NC. Last time I was there they threw me a curve with a load out to Santa Ana California. They always seem pretty busy when I am there.

 

5/17-5/18

I had written up my truck for an exhaust leak and loud knocking noises under load when I got back to the yard on Saturday. They had it torn down when I got to work Monday. I just hung out in the shop waiting for it. I had gone in a little early thinking I might be moving into another truck.

Turns out a couple of bolts had broken loose on the engine block behind the turbo. Shop guys thought they could get me up and running before lunch but as it got closer the profanities became louder and closer together. Finally I got a call from dispatch saying my load was ready and the shop guy threw me a set of keys to a truck they were working on that was having a hard time starting. He also gave me a couple of cans of ether in case I couldn't get it started. Turns out this was the same truck my trainer had when I first started with the company.

I ran the 475 miles up to the plant and parked in the unloading spot at the about midnight. My appointment was for 7:00 and sure enough my truck was surrounded by yellow caution tape and they were pulling out hoses and pumps when I got up. All I had to do was hand them the sample and paperwork and go back to bed. They finished up around 9:30 and after sitting there for another 45 minutes to complete my 10 hour break I was on my way home. Got home around 8 last night. I am taking a weeks vacation starting today.