You might be a celadon driver! enjoy

I'm the same way, Ronin. This is why I have Google Earth. This is why I have a truck GPS. I don't look at it a money spent. I look at these as TOOLS or an INVESTMENT. Anything to make a tough job easier, by all means, I'm gonna use whatever I can.

 

I agree.... when I got into the business in 1997, Matlack was wickedly good at giving directions, probably because we were ALL hauling HAZMAT chemicals, and they didn't want anyone ending up in a residential area.

When I started pulling dry freight in 2007, after a long break, I noted that dispatchers weren't on the ball like those at Matlack.. probably because we were hauling merchandise and dumb stuff instead of stuff that could wipe out a small town... since they had no real sense of urgency about directions, I got tired of waiting (after 15 minutes or so) and got my own directions.

I didn't even get a laptop for the truck until June 2008, so that time before was just done by a regular cellphone.

 

Believe it or not, not everyone has a laptop, or smartphone. I think it's up to dispatch to at least give me the right phone number for the place.

A few years ago, a KLLM driver was asking directions to a place here locally. I asked him which plant, they have several. He said "I dunno, dispatch just told me KemKrest in Elkhart", and sent him on his way. And expected him to find it on his own, no address, or phone number.

 

I've seen it before, and avoiding an argument here, I'm just indicating that adult truck drivers aren't helpless.. and gillions of us did just fine before laptops, GPS, cell phones, etc.

You had a notepad, a pen, used a pay phone, and a map. Old guys who were pros under those circumstances are certainly giggling about people needing someone to give them help in order to deliver a load.

In the case of mutiple buildings with one company, asking someone with the company, in a nice way, to point you in the right direction usually gets you more info, much quicker, than waiting on someone back at your company, sitting in a building, who may not know any more than you do.

 

I see your points. Maybe I'm still too new to trucking to be able to agree with you though. Most industries don't expect you to use your own personal resources to complete a job. If you're not going to give me good directions, you should reimburse me for at least part of my phone bill, and internet bill if need be. I know of some carriers without Qcom who will pay part or all of you phone bill because you're using it for company business all the time.

At any rate, I got a local job that pays by the hour, so now if I get bad directions, at least I'm being paid while I drive around looking for the receiver.

 

That works, for sure. On your words about other industries, though, not many other industries require you to operate a vehicle between cities and states, often cross country, carrying a daily-variable type of cargo...

You can rely on the company to give you info when they get around to it, or you can do your own work and get the job done quicker. That bit of time could be minutes or hours that may get you an additional load by the end of the week, or at the very least, get you into the truckstop before the showers are all taken and there's a 2 hour wait.

 

I had a load before that did not have del company's name on the dp that del the consignees products for them to install.

The address i was given was to a whse that the del company had moved out of a month before- the number i called was to a voicemail of the broker so i had no address no phone number and consignee on my bills and dp where not where the load was being del to ie the del company for the consignee.

When I finally got a good number and got ahold of where the frt was going I was told the load was a day late and they did not rec after 1400- they where the 3rd stop ( the first 2 del that day on time) and the appt on my screen and bills was for 1400?

Goggle earth and gps will not help in all situations- sometimes you need help from the company to make some delivery's.

 

But you did the work and found all that out on your own.. good work.. imagine if you were waiting for a distracted dispatcher to do all of that for you?

 

i started calling shipper and reciver as soon as i get in the area after swift sent me stright into a retierment community lmao that was fun to get out of but yea since that day i will always call for directions