CRETE - A Year in Review

I don't know about anyone else, but at least 1 time per week I get a 2 delivery day(2 seperate loads)...del 1st thing in the a.m., then pu another load and have to deliver it before my 14 is up. Makes the logbook burn! It's happened 3 weeks in a row, but the second load is never under the 200 mi shag pay....

I did however manage a 3330 mile week last week, but now on top of the 'beep-a-palooza' my apu sings to my passenger side neighbor, it has now having starting issues. It'll try to start, sputter like it's running out of fuel, or has air in the fuel line, then stall. If you catch it, you can shut off the power button and restart it...if you don't catch it, it trips the ecm breaker. It'll normally only do this at the end of the day, when you're starting it up after it's been off during your travels. If I shut it down at night then try to start in the morning to give the batteries a quick charge or run some heat...it'll start fine, usually. I hate the thought of sitting all day, again at a company shop for it not to act up for them, so I'll let go completely out before I waste another minute on this pos!

 

SS,

Have the shop check the fuel lines going to the APU. If their routed over or around something heated it can cause vapor-lock. This is what it sounds like to me ... lines could have been routed wrong ... or shifted somehow. Or there's a gasket someplace in the fuel chain that is leaking when the truck is hot, but fine when it's cold. To me this has to be a fuel side issue ... but then I've been wrong before ... good luck my friend.

 

I had considered that, but it made it through the heatwave this summer...plus Crete puts the apu so close to the fuel tank, there isn't a lot of extra slack. I'm leaning more towards one of the fuel filters(thermo king has 2)or a fuel pump or check valve going bad.

I have a question for everyone. Has anyone ever had their truck partially swallowed by a sink hole? Or know someone that has? No...don't answer so quick...you know me. Wednesday, after delivering my 1st of 3 stops in Alcoa TN, leaving the construction site, where they are about to start paving the road and thud -crunch - ahhhh crap. My right steer tire disappeared to the axle, dragging the bumper, the little fiberglass 1/2 fender in front of the fuel tank, and dragging the axle and fuel tank on the ground. It took a dozer almost getting stuck to pull me out. Once out, the cavern under the road was big enough to go explore. Dang, why couldn't it have totaled it, and my current problems would have been solved with this truck.

 

I was in Lincoln wrapping up orientation last Friday. They are swapping out ol' Centurys like crazy. I think you're in one since you mentioned APU.

On a side note, why do they give us non-smokers a smoker's truck
but I am glad to have my own truck and be on my own...finally!

 

Does anyone know if we have any drop yards in NYC or around the surrounding area close to rail/bus transport into the city? Thanks for any info.

 

The closest is near allentown. Nothing even reasonably close to the big city.

 

yep, am in an '07 century. But they trade roughly 1/4 the fleet every year(blue and red combined) so that is roughly 1400-1500 trucks per year. Was told by terminal mgr between 500-550k, unless they sell it out from under me before then. I'm at 475k now so roughly Dec thru May before I see a different truck. I am in a 32### numbered truck, I saw a 309## numbered truck the other day so it may be a while... That is unless God opens the earth wider for me the next time and manages to swallow me whole.

As far as smoker/non-smoker trucks. Crete doesn't have a segmented fleet...a truck is a truck. The only time that a driver is lucky enough to get into the right smoking/or non smoking truck, is if your terminal manager has one available and knows your preference and can talk the equipment allocation boss into it. But not all the terminal managers care as long as you're in a truck and moving freight.

 

Wow has this thread dried up since ET left...

I somehow managed a 10700 mile month in Sept, even with being in the shop 3 times(1 being the sink hole damage repair). They even got me home early last week. So now the fun begins anew. 1st day out, stuck in major traffic jam west of Jacksonville FL for hours due to a possible fatality crash between a mini-SUV that crossed the median and an Atlas moving semi. Then another screwed up bunch of directions that had me driving around Savannah looking for my shipper. So my October isn't starting out too well.

I have a bad case of deja vu about things here. During one of my recent visits to one of our shops, I spoke to one of the mechanics(who shall remain anonymous) he or she said that Lincoln is getting very stingy with the money, more than ever before. The last time I had that happen was when I worked for Arnold transportation, right before they were sold to Roadway(long before US Xpress bought into them) I'm just wondering if perhaps we may be sold in the not too distant future. I mean, no disrespect, but Mr. A is getting older and may be more interested in enjoying his remaining years with his family and not having any ownership worries. And by what I had heard, his daughter(s) weren't interested in running things(someone told me they use to be in charge of the Easy Trucking Co years ago, but left due to the workload involved - again, rumored, I don't know if for fact). Maybe everyone has made enough money, is tired of the constant juggling game of keeping up with HOS and EPA regulation headaches, tax law changes, etc., and are going to take the money and run. Or perhaps it's just my paranoia kicking in again....something just doesn't seem right too me...

 

So, who would be likely suitors for such a buyout....Hopefully, not one of the bottom feeders. Hope your spidey senses are incorrect.

 

Well...Swift and JB can't afford it, US Xpress owns parts of a bunch of companys, but all are publicly traded...Unless we are sold to an investment company instead of another trucking company, I would say Schneider may have the capital to pull it off. If an investment company was to invest in us....pop the chute and bail...that's who bought Arnold from Roadway before US Xpress bought into them....and the investment company almost ran it into the ground.