Glass Unit Training

Well I guess I was wrong about the glass being over for the year got a load from Geneva NY to Irving TX 1448 miles and it was preloaded!

 

Yes sir, it's Guardian. This is one of the best ran plants I've been to. People are nice, very organized and on time. This was my first time picking up there but I think everything is pre-loaded all the time. That's real nice. If you live that close to the plan you my have an opportunity to drive dedicated for that plant. It could take awhile but it would be a great gig if you could get it.

 

Got two more glass loads in over the past few days. Now sitting in Atlanta waiting on that magic box to tell me I'm going home.

 

I think I know where you are talking about. Is this the place the doors are at a 45 degree angle to the dock and when you pull up to the scale they have a short yellow poll to remove fuel tanks and fenders? Also next to the dock you will find a pile of those chrome wheel nut covers that have been rubbed off.

That's nothing. I have yet to dent one of these maroon mammoths but I'm sure my day is coming. The places they ask us to go with these rigs can be quite challenging. A whole lot of drivers have done much, much, worse than what you are talking about and still driving for Maverick. You are making them money and thats the bottom line. Don't let it get you down. Just chalk it up to lesson learned and put it behind you.

 

I was running my but off the first week out on what was to be a two week stint. Had great runs and pre-loaded trailers back to back. Ran 3800 hub miles in 8 days. Then found myself in Richburg, SC Guardian glass plant Wednesday morning delivering a load from Texas. Got empty and went to the holding area with the other Maverick drivers to wait on orders. A few hours into the wait I get a QC message that some drivers are being sent home for the holidays early due to lack of freight. So I get to thinking, I'm 85 miles from the house and have had good miles, maybe I should go to the house. I relay this to my FM and wait, and wait, and Finlay get a work assignment to load glass racks going to Atlanta (268 Miles) Well crap, even though this qualifies for short haul pay (min 300 miles) that's only $120.00. Glass racks are made to fit inside vans and are 96" wide and about 3' deep. I got 8 of them right in the middle of a flat bed trailer. Securement is easy enough just a strap across each rack, they nail a stop block to the deck front and rear. The problem is you have sharp glass sticking out the top and bottom of each rack. To keep this glass from cutting the crap out of your tarp you have to but V-board around the entire load top and bottom. So here you are with a trailer that's 5' off the ground and 7' tall racks and I only Carrie a 6' step ladder. The van guys just slam the doors and go on down the road. Needless to say I was not too happy with this load. Took me 3.5 hours to secure, prep and tarp the load (lumber tarp of course). Now it's 18:30 and I have 4.5 hours to run. Get to the consignee in Atlanta at 23:00 and they have a locked gate, so park next to the RR tracks. A freight train goes by every hour and I'm no more than 100' off the tracks. I get out of my rack around 05:30 as employees start to show up for work. Pulled in to the lot at 07:00 (08:00 appointment) and started pulling bungees (in the rain and mud). Got backed into the building about 08:15 and pulled the tarp forward of the load as there was no room to fold it inside. Fork truck driver had about 3 or 4 other titles and/or responsibility's, so it took about an hour to get the 8 racks off. Still raining outside so I stretch out the tarp on my deck and fold it there. Pushing 10:30 now so I drive to the Pilot 4.4 miles away and take a much needed shower. Then sit and wait. 12:30 I get a "Deadhead Move" to Atlanta. OK I'm in Atlanta so I'm really not moving, and they didn't give me an address. About an hour goes by and I get a call from a FM that I am going to swap trailers with one of his drivers, driver will call me. No call, it's now 17:00 so I call my FM and catch them just going out the door (they quit at 17:00). My FM has no additional information other than wait until 19:30 and call extended services (for what I don't know) and should be able to swap in the morning. This is the point where I was red hot. I was considering my options, #1 was to just go home and deal with the consequences. About then I get a call from the other driver. He had been waiting around since 09:00 30 miles from me waiting on his FM to get his trailer swapped out! Now it's 18:00 in Atlanta, raining and I have to go around the outer loop and hook up with another driver to do a trailer swap in a quick mart parking lot. Traffic was terrible, accident everywhere. Finally get hooked up with the other driver and swapped trailers. Now I get on the road at 19:00 and have to battle the Holiday drunks for four hours. Get to the local truck stop at 23:00.
Oh, it gets better. The only reason we swapped trailers was because he had a glass trailer and I had a flat bed. They didn't want him dead-heading 268 miles back to Richburg, but somehow it was better if I ran the trailer by my house and then to Richburg because that would only be 360 miles! All of this for $120.00? I hope this is a rare level of stupidity and lack of respect for the drivers. I can't put up with a lot of BS but when its driven by stupidity I have little tolerance.

I really shouldn't be upset though as I did get home a day early. Once I get caught up on some sleep most of this will be forgotten.