Van Wyk Inc.

Nah it was some kind of dry bags of dairy product from New Zealand, derived from goats, buffalo, and other strange critters.

 

Word Hawk. I sat for something like 30 hours in Ottumwa about two months ago, and I think today I finally got my day of layover we've been after them for. I was satisfied. Beats the he'll out of Central's $40 a day layover!

Any of you guys on Fb?

 

Hope that truck is not in Iowa go for mine this week so I'll start with whatever someone else dumped

I saw that we are looking at the new Volvos when I was out there last week. we are going to be testing the new tractor for a month with the B-20 engine. So much more room in the Volvo cab and #700 I was training in has had no problems (other than an Eddie wheel seal...made out of cardboard, can't imagine why it did not hold) and an EGR valve in 300K.

Back home for a skinny 34 and back out early Sunday.

 

Consider this post an ode to a good employer.

I requested to be home this tuesday & wednesday (11/1 & 11/2) so I could get some long overdue work done on the car and see the doctor...also overdue.

After hitting the safety meeting on Friday in Sheldon, I picked up in Dakota City for Emporia, with assurances that David was solid for getting me back home. All right.
En route to Emporia, David called and said that the load he had planned to give me Tyson had cancelled, and that it was looking rough to find something else. He had a load out of Holcomb going to Chicago that he wanted me to load and that we would swap out somewhere en route. He said the load in Holcomb should be ready by Saturday night.
Still with me?
I dropped in Emporia at 2230 and the Holcomb load came across the QC. I saw the DDT: 2355 10/30. Which, for those of you keeping score is Sunday night, nigh midnight, when I've got appointments schedule for tuesday morning 800 miles away in Minnesota. I was not pleased.
Saturday morning, I got a little animated on the phone with Tim. Nothing over the top, just...emphatic. He called David, and David reiterated to Tim (who reiterated to me) what he had said Friday. It'll probably be ready saturday night, and we'll work it out from there.
Fat chance, thought I.

How is this an ode to a good employer?
Read on.

In my previous experiences, at other companies, I've been hung out to dangle multiple times, often with scheduled events at home waiting for me, just as now. Their line was always much the same as what I heard on Friday. "Go load this, and we'll work out a swap and get you home." So I'd look at the info, and see that the appointment was 12-24 hours later...300 miles farther from home, and when I finally got it loaded, generally after the drop dead time, I got to play ring-around-the-rosy with night and weekend dispatch and planners, who'd ultimately tell me, "Sorry, we just can't work it out, take it to the receiver and we'll load you home from there." A day late and a dollar short. And this was a company with 2300 trucks to play with.

This just hearkened too much to the bad ol' days for me to be optimistic.

Well, I hereby and officially, forthwith eat crow. The load was ready early Sunday morning, and en route to Des Moines, Tim worked out a double swap that lands me empty, 40 miles from the house, at 1130 or 1200 Monday morning.
David knew what he was talking about, and wasn't blowing smoke up my skirt. Tim worked out a swap and drop on a weekend. All of the freight gets there on time, and last but definitely not least, 2 of our drivers were willing to babysit loads so I can get home for my stuff on time. On all of these points--planning, dispatch and coworkers--my last job (and the job before that) would have fallen flat on its face, or stumbled badly.
Makes me feel awfully bad for getting cranky.
This is how trucking should be done.

PS- I would have anyway, but now I will even more happily swap when another needs it to get home.

PPS- I really don't mean to gush, but it's really nice to have it all work out after getting burned so many times.

 

On a totally separate note:

StraightUp, it was good to meet you on Friday, and I hope that you got (and could make sense of) my voicemail clarifying how I'd flipped Smithfield Wilson and Smithfield Clinton in my head.

I'm so terribly sorry if I made your life harder instead of easier.

 

Saienga, what I'm most disturbed by in you last post is the fact is that you wear a skirt! Glad to hear everything worked out ok to get you home. I've been in the exact same situation and when it does all pan out I feel like a dope for getting all worked up about nothing.

 

well i had to make an visit to an Kenworth Dealership this morning...#### strap to hold the fuel tank busted... under warranty and an easy fix but lost of time, as long as i dont see the smoke we all good!!! hahaha

 

Hey Husker,

Got to train with Roy and after the millions of miles and countless students he trained at Swift I am sure he is one of those people that has forgotten more about trucking than I will learn.