My Millis Experience -

Congrats - they just changed the instructor there and I dont recall what his name is. He was actually the instructor there before and from what I hear - pretty good one too!

 

It's been another crazy few weeks - have been running harder lately so really happy about that. Feels like I am still making that circle that I just cant seem to get out of. Ran from Milwaukee to Ft Worth, then from Ft Worth to Tampa. Delived in Tampa and went to Albany - which was awesome as I got to stop in Valdosta and met up with my sons for a few hours. Always love when I can do that!

Grabbed a load out of Albany going to MS and then up to IL but while on the way was told to drop in E.St Louis yard. Sat there for a load out of AB in St Louis which was a 2 stop load going to Auroa IN and Walton KY. Gotta love 2 stop beer loads!

Got those done with no issues and then DH to Trenton and grabbed a load paper load with 2 stops - one in Warsaw IN and the second in Chicago. I'll take those as it pays extra for each stop after the first one.

Once that was done headed to Bolingbrook IL for a load of Vodka going to Richmond VA. Love the views but man I hate those MTNS in PA and VA when your heavy. While backing into the dock at the customer noticed I had a flat on the trailer - so once empty went to the Richmond T/A to get it fixed. Gotta love that place - 2 speeds there: slow and backwards. Took 2 hrs to get a tire fixed.

While waiting at the T/A got a load in Jessup MD going to Columbus OH. Dispatcher said it was an important load so get there ASAP. As soon as I hit 495 I hit wall to wall traffic. Took me 4 1/2 hrs to go 140 miles. Got to the customer and there is a 9 truck long line waiting to get into the gate. (I guess those 9 other trucks got the same dispatch message I did).

Finally get to the guard - it's a drop/hook so should be in and out quick! NOT! Took me 2 hrs to get out of there as the line leaving was longer than the one coming in! GEZZZZZ!

Finally get loaded and Im out of hrs so have to sit just outside the customer until my 10 was up. Rolled out of there at 2am so I could push to get this load to the customer in time as it was so important.

Rolled across 68 in the wee hrs of the morning with rain and fog - not recommended for sure. Finally get to the customer and the guard says (and I quote) "Our customer decided they dont need the product until next Monday - so you'll have to return on Monday to deliver this"! OH HELL NO..........It's either going to your dock or Im dropping it in Trenton. No way I am sitting on this all weekend. I busted my ##### to get it there and someone is taking it. (of course I said this to myself) So let dispatch know and he says - wait there I'll get it fixed - and he did thank goodness!

Got unloaded and headed back to Trenton for a load going to Richfield that was told to drop on Saturday. No problem - will get a good nights sleep and roll out in the early morning on up that way. Get a message asking me if I want a preplan - well DUH! Of course I do. Well my preplan is this.......once you drop in Richfield on Saturday, DH to Menasha WI and grab a 2 stop load. First stop is Jacksonville FL and second is Douglas GA. SWEET RUN - but only had 25 hrs left and still had to run to Richfield so had to turn that load down. I almost cried!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only the second time I have ever turned down a load due to hrs but I had no choice!

Dropped the load in Richfield around 1pm on Saturday and was sent to Neenah WI for a load going to Cherokee AL for Monday delivery. Works for me - puts me well over 3k miles for the week and I dont have to kill myself to get it there.

Get unloaded in Cherokee and got a load right out of there going to Ft Worth TX. Only had 2.5 hrs left once I got loaded in Cherokee so ran to just inside AK and called it a day. I hate stopping that early in the day - I feel guilty for some reason when it's still light out and Im not rolling. But it's all the hrs I had for the day. (living day to day on hrs sucks)

I dont deliver this load until Wed Morning at 730 but can have it there by 2 pm on Tuesday - so I called the customer to see if they can take early. Very nice woman but said receiving closes at 11am each day but there is plenty of room to park here overnight so come on in and we'll get you first thing Wednesday morning. So needless to say I spent the afternoon and evening at the customer.

Got unloaded this morning in the pouring rain - then sat for 2 hrs waiting for a load. I them get told to go to GP in Mesquite TX and drop my empty.... do what?

Dispatch tells me it's a new customer and they need empties from us so we can start running loads. Ok - I head there and have to wait since no one told their guard shack about this. Once that is corrected I drop my mt and told to head to the Ft Worth yard. So I bobtail the 50 miles there and wait again. Now I get a load that going to Albany out of the brewery but it wont be ready until after 6pm.

Since I am living day to day on hrs - tell dispatch I will just p/u the load in the early am and roll my remaining hrs today over - I get a 10-4 so here I am sitting at the Loves bored off my #####! I figure I'll roll into the brewery abt 4am and get my load so It wont be crowed and I can get back through Dallas before rush hr.

Hope everyone is doing well and practicing "safe trucking"!

 

Ahh good catch man - AK is a long way from here LOL!

 

Man it's been a really slow week for me - ran from Cherokee to Ft Worth with a load of paper. Got there about 12 hrs early and they cant unload me - where very nice people though and allowed me to park on their lot until the next morning.

Once unloaded was sent to drop my empty in Mesquite TX - we just picked up GP in Mesquite as a new customer and they needed empties. So now we have another reason to run to TX instead of it being beer or glass.

Got sent to the yard in Ft Worth and once there I get a beer load that doesnt load until 9pm at night. So went to the Loves and called it a day.

Headed over to the brewery at 4am - got my load and immediately knew it was going to be overweight. My gauge wouldnt go down past 85 even with the tandems slid all the way forward. Checked the bulk head - Poof - there isnt one.

Let the guard know I was going to be over and went back to the Loves and scaled it. Yep - Im at 36000 on my drives. So back to the brewery I go. Well let's just say they werent happy about it. Kept blaming Millis - saying "your company said it's ok not to put in a bulk head"! I said (to myself of course) Millis doesnt load the trailers - so putting all the heavy beer on the front is just stupid.

Sat at a dock for 3 hrs waiting for them to re-load the trailer and guess what - they put in a bulkhead! LOL

As I figured I would need too - did the "fat-boy" climb over the beer and added a strap to the bulk head since they are really not making them very strong. They are not even using our bulkheads in the traliers anymore.

Finally get out and headed to Albany GA. Get there - drop and get "no load avail". So headed to Wally World and also tried the new "crazy buffet" across from Wally World - it was awesome - Highly recommend it if youre in Albany!

Finally got a load out of the brewery for Baltimore MD that doesnt friggin deliver until Monday. Also get a message saying "was going to have you drop in Eden, but too many drivers there and cant get them out" CRAP! Will not get north of 2500 miles this week. Dang it!

Well - sitting in Kenly NC for the night and will head to MD in the morning. Got to be parked tomorrow before football starts at 1.

Hope everyone is well and practicing safe trucking!