Roehl Driver Check In

TF ~ I know you didn't ask but..make sure you double check the delivery with the receiver...since it's Good Friday some places are closed.

Chris did get unloaded at Olympic Steel in Mt Sterling...When he called for directions, the lady told him the receiving hours were 7am to 9pm....So he's unloaded and parked there for the night. No preplan so we'll see what 7am brings ....

 

After 9 months of asking, I finally have brand new drive tires! Helps that they've decided to not sell my truck for another 50k miles.

 

Came out today. At the Hickory Run Travel Plaza off 80 and heading to Jersey in the morning to deliver. They took the KW out of our rotation and gave us back good old 4513, which I haven't been in for 2 months. So it felt pretty good bringing her out today.

 

at the loves off I24 xit 89......going to illinois..... I refused the loaner truck so they brought my truck out of the shop unrepaired so still no sleeper A/C....so I am guessing another 4 weeks of no AC as its getting hotter out....

is it me or has the routing computer gone crazy with routing??? Cause I am going just north of Chy town but I have to get off of I24 and take a US route north til I hook onto 65....Really instead of running to crashville and getting on 65...Roehl is thinking its saving fuel and money running up a US route with a billion stoplights......I mean come on!!! spending a dollar trying to save a nickel again......
Oh...I normally would just run to I 65 and say screw the US route but the word around Ellenwood is that they canned a bunch of drivers for not following routing...even if it saves time, fuel, and miles....(I should stop thinking I am just meat in the seat...not paid to think or voice opinions I guess...)

 

I am in the TA in Binghampton, NY. From the outside this is the biggest dump on earth, but on the inside it is one of the nicest truckstops I have been to. Another driver at the restaurant said the same thing, and he has been here like 3 times before but had never gone inside. lol.

So I stopped at my 150 mile mark today to do a load check and almost lost part of my load off the side! Thank god the second strap held or it would have gone over. I called my Fm and told him. He said if you can secure it to keep going and check it often. I threw two extra straps and tightened the ever loving crap out of it and went on. I had another 137 miles to the consignee. Stopped after 25 miles, then I went 50 more and stopped and then on to the delivery. It held thankfuly.

So I get unloaded and have 5 hours and 20 minutes left of my 14. I ask if they are heading me home. My Fm says give hime a few mins and he will get back to me. Albany is 4 hours and 45 mins away. No call, no msg for over a half an hour and finally I call and he says I sent u a msg half an hour ago to head home! rrrr. I might have made it home but I figured this is the last major truckstop on my route that I know I would get a spot in, and if I did make it home I would just wake up the kids and cause mahem, so I stopped in Binghampton. Its only 2.5 hours from the house so what the hell.

Got me a steak and shrimp. Got a hot shower and shaved. All my laundry is done except for what I wore yesteday and today which is only one set for the two days. lol. Hey, all I did was drive! Sniff Sniff. Hehe. I am throwing my sneakers out after this trip as they freakn stink! LOL. I will be home by 9am and am going to have a few drinks this weekend. Yankees start season on Friday. Woohoo!!! Should be a good weekend. Now its Netflix time.

Stay safe all!!!

 

Sitting at the pilot in Plymouth, IN on US 30.

Shots, I am with you, ROEHL IS STARTING TO GET DUMMER BY THE DAY!!!

Picked up in Canton, OH. Route me on US30 instead of up to I-80. HHMMM Saves Roehl from paying tolls, but costs me TIME!!! Time is not FREE! Let's not mention the fuel and wear and tear on the truck from starting and stopping at the lights on US 30.

Let's see, Roehl saved $25.25 in Ohio and $36.18 in Indiana. Any idea what it cost me in TIME??? Let's just say 1 hour with a conservative 50MPH average. That's 50 X .35cpm = $17.50 That's time I can never get back and also time taken off my 70 hr for this week that I may need later.

Should we calculate fuel as well?

This is the downside to "starter" companies. While Roehl is probably way better than others, there are times that you feel just like a number....... I'm feeling like that today.

Addition: Ok, as a business move, maybe Roehl was right to save the money on tolls, but without knowing how much in fuel they saved or spent to save those tolls was it really worth it? And on a second note, Roehl also needs to start looking at the productivity of drivers. Let's say each driver wastes 1 hour per day because of "routing" that saves the company a few dollars. Come the end of the week, how many "lost" hours are there that Roehl could have used to keep the trucks moving and making money?

My head hurts now...

 

Sitting on the side of the road in Sterling, IL after a D/H at Walmart. Only had 38 mins left and the nearest TS is an hour away. And this is all because of routing. They routed me from Oconomowoc, WI to Elwood, IL on almost entirely rural US hwys. 160 miles took 4.25 hrs. I'm not even going to do the math on the dollars lost as It'll just piss me off.

Oh and as I'm picking up my truck from service in Appleton this morning they tell me there is a recall from Freightliner on my truck. It was posted on March 27th. My SEVEN year old truck has a recall?

 

Sometimes the backroads are like interstates if you get lucky. I've done more back road driving to save on tolls or because it was quicker that also didn't make sense. Sometimes it does but most of the time it doesnt. If I know I'm going to run alot of back roads where the truck stops are 1 to 2 or none I make it to that truck stop depending on how much parking and time of night. Or get food and hit a rest area if available. Also if none are available i get a close as i can to the backroad and hit them when I have the time. Usually depending on the backroad it'll take me 1 1/2 to run 60 miles. If it affects my load i ask for more time, if not provided not my problem, then I vent to my FM about the routing when he gets upset about whatever happens. I think its dangerous with a heavy load and engine break limits in city areas with traffic and schools etc the list goes on. Not agreeing the least I just hope to get lucky with the good backroads not the 20 miles if that in between town to town where it drops from 55 to 45 to 30 to 20