My Experience with Lone Star Transportation

No idle policy, but there is a fuel bonus if you meet the mpgs its a 3 tier system





American Trucker

 

Sry i havent updated, been busy, i'll update tomorrow when i park



American Trucker

 

ok.... so where did i leave off?


Oh right i was in Pearl, MS on my way to dallas. I got to my Receiver in Dallas at 10:30am on Thursday morning (appt was 11am). I figure i need time to take off and roll the tarps and take the chains off......yea Wasted thought They didnt get me MT until 2:30pm (i had started my day at 3:15 am so they didnt leave me much left to work with.

Here's the Steel I picked up in SC, 44,000lbs of Steel I Beams: This is after i took the tarps off and rolled them up.







So anyway after they had wasted my day, I had 2.75 hours left on my 14, i needed to new Big tarps, and a 2012 IFTA sticker.....So i figured i was done for the day, then going to have to get the tarps and sticker the next day, then get a load Nope! Dispatch was 2 steps ahead of me. He already had a load lined up for me. Sweeeeeeet!

I had JUST enough time to get there to get it. I drove 2 hours north to Paris, TX to pickup a load of pipe (pre-loaded). Awesome! So i'm thinking, Drill pipe? Plastic pipe? i donno....

I get there, check in, go to the drop yard to drop my trailer and see my load

So needless to say i was a bit distracted while dropping my MT, and made a rookie mistake I lowered the landing gear, took my straps off the dunnage, pulled the 5th wheel pin, got in the truck, pulled away.....then i see my air lines stretch out and shet! I stop and POP! M&*%*$F*&$^8


I get out, power wire popped off properly, but neither air line did their job . So I got to call Break Down and get a Mechanic to bring me 2 new lines/glad hands ohh well had to happen sometime right?

See my new ones:




Had this truck had the Rubber lines, instead of these plastic ones (like my W/S truck had) they wouldnt have snapped


The Load:







Anyway so while i was waiting on him to show up, I'm looking at this load like WTF is this sheet! Who loads a trailer like this? how do i hold this down with just straps?


So im looking at it and right off, i know i have to layer the straps...DUH but where? how many on each level?


So ok 1st step, how many winches do i have to work with....10 WTF! I just dropped a trailer with 16 winches to pick this one up! Darn! oh well!

Step 2, where am i going to put 10 straps to hold 40,000lbs of this mess?

Step 3, Call for backup!

I called the 2 drivers that trained me in Houston, and texted them a few pics of this load. He say's " WHAT!, why the H### did they give you a load like this! etc etc etc" lol

Now I remembered from Training, Coated pipe = NO chains so i new that much.

NOW he adds this type of pipe will walk no matter how you tie it down there isnt anything you can do.

So these to guys have 60+ years FB experiance between the 2 of them, and there thinking about it....not a good sign


So i told them i have 10 winches, and 6 2" straps. So the plan was to put a few 4 and 2 inch straps on the first 3 levels, and everything else over the top, AND put my pipe stakes in.

Only problem i had is my binders are 3/8th not 1/2" so i couldnt do it the normal way, but we came up with another way to secure them

Pipe Stakes:





Anyway this is what I came up with:










Anyway i parked at the gas station next door, after the mechanic was done, and i was done secureing this IN THE DARK, at 30*, took like 4 hours

Next morning, weighed it only 40,000lbs. Headed to the gainesville, TX term, which is one the same road as this shipper just 1.75 hours west. I get there and have to go threw the inspection lane before they will do anything . So like 3.5 hours later, after a 600 point truck/trailer inspection, they changed a few lug nut covers ( they were not shiny enough ) changed a clamp on my power steering ( i was almost out of PS fluid) and they did a lube job, and wanted to replace the 8 trailers tires that were at 80% tread left. Luckily this tire tech from some outside company said to run them, the tread is messed up i cant describe it but there isnt anything wrong with the tires themselves as far as being legal or good to do there job.

Then i got my 2 tarps, and extra 2" strap, and my ifta stickers.

Also WHILE your truck is in the shop you have to go see 5 people in the office with you permit book and log book, they check all your permits, tell you about any log violations, missing logs etc each person has somthing else to do with you.


And while i was waiting 1.5 hours to even get in the shop, i had the Safety/Orientation guy, check out my load to make sure i had it tied down right. So ron comes over and says "what in H## is that!" "it looks like they just threw that crap on there, who loads like this?!" Thats what i said! But he said i did a good job secureing it, and it was good to go.


Although the mechanics who apparently didnt know i was on the other side of my truck said "look at this, this guy has 17 straps on here and its still not gonna be enough". Now IF i was going to take any offence to that (which I didnt) it all would have gone out the window when i heard this "really smart" mechanic say 17 straps (since i watched him go down the trailer and count them all while he touched each one....) THERE IS ONLY 16! I may not be an expert at tieing stuff down, but i can count.

I also talked to recruiting for a few.


Then i left there, took a little short cut (bypassing Fortworth) on my way down to I-20, every little town i went threw all the people were stareing at the load like WTF! lol


Anyway so just as if this load hadnt been enough of a problem it got worse!

Before i left Gainesville, i checked my fuel tanks (visually) and calculated to make sure i could make it to pacos to park/fuel. I had 150+ gallons good to go!

I get out in BFE, fuel light comes on, CRAP! within 5 min i was at E WTF!? and 50+ miles from ANY truck stops!

So as a Diesel Pickup owner and ex mechanic i know better then to let this truck run dry. So I new what i had to do.... I pulled into the ONLY gas station and paid for 27 Gallons ($100) myself so i could get to the TA to fuel. And its a Pay at the pump station (as in there is no building, no employees) so after i fuel it says (printing receipt)....NOTHING! WTF!

So I call dispatch he says no problem, just put a note with paper work and they'll reinburse me, sweet. I though for sure i was SOL on my $100 lol


After that mess, i get to the TA 50 miles away, and the truck will only take 173 Gallons! now im pissed! Because the Drivers tank had like 5 gallons in it when i fueled at the gas station.... ( i was going to check the other tank but no pump lock) and i was too pissed to waste anymore time looking at the other tank (i should have though) now i know that.

So not sure whats wrong.. but even after FILLING at the TA the gauge will no longer go above 3/4!!!!!!! So ya i donnno whats going on yet, but i'm going solely off mileage now till i get this mess fixed.

Left the TA, made it to the Pacos, TX Flying J. Tons of parking but what a dump of a truck stop! The showers where NASTY! did a 10 there and hit the road.

Im in Eloy, AZ now, doing a 34 before i deliver in Gila Bend, AZ 1 hour 15 min from here on monday morning.



I have also gotten allot of Questions from people about my miles so far. So far as of today I've logged 8,286 miles and im on my 6th load.







American Trucker

 

8,286 Miles x .38cpm (trainee pay for probation period) = $3,148.68
$750 Orientation Pay
$750 Training Pay (securment training 5 days)
3 Tarped Loads a $30 Each = $90
Sign On Bonus = $1,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $6,238.68 Gross





American Trucker

 

they have all been 1000+ except for the first one, which was just to reposition me for a load home. They are not affraid to deadhead us here, i deadheaded 9.5 hours from VA to SC for a load lol. But it doesnt matter to us we get paid the same loaded/MT



American Trucker