Superior Carriers 2012

That's how much time you had left from the day before when you shut down. I bet if you hit the 8 day recap button you will see 10h 33m driving for that day. All the 8 hour sleeper break does is extend the 14 hour clock from the
end of the last break.

 

4/5-4/16

Had a nice run out to Carlsbad Ca and back this week. I ran I-20-I-10, I-8 out there and 40 back. Stopped in Birmingham on the first leg Friday and had breakfast with one of my swimmers from my coaching days and her new son. I then stopped in Tyler Texas and did the same with my cousin.

That required me to run a bit harder the next 2 days but with an 8 hour delivery window Monday and no way to deliver early Easter Sunday it made no sense to run hard. I ran from Tyler to Van Horn Texas on Saturday. As I was setting up back into a space after a hard right u turn I started losing air and my alarms started going off. I got about half way into the hole when the trailer brakes locked up on me. I got out and the glad hand receptacle on the trailer had broken and the hard right had pulled the thin metal where the rubber gasket fits away from the rest of the trailer receptacle causing all the air to leak out the back. I managed to clamp it shut with a pair of vise grip pliers and get all the way into the spot. This was at about 10 PM Central time Saturday night before Easter.

Superiors breakdown priorities are 1. terminal, 2. TA or Petro, 3. TTS 24 hour breakdown service 800 number. Closest TA/Petro was in El Paso about 100 miles away so I called the break down service. The guy on the phone lined up a shop to come out at 8:00 the next morning. That was fine with me since I had to take 10 anyway.

The next morning after a couple more phone calls and various lies, 2 Mexican guys finally showed up about 3 hours late. I showed them the problem and they asked me if I could make it to their "shop" about 1/2 mile away down the service road. I duct taped the vise grip handles together and limped the truck there. This "shop" was a trailer grave yard with a time clock bolted to the wall of one trailer inside of a plastic tool box to keep rain off it.

They then took the part off the trailer and disappeared for another 3 hours. The guy finally came back telling me they couldn't get anyone to come into the NAPA store Easter Sunday. This is after another guy told the TTS break down guy they were waiting for the NAPA guy before coming to me in the first 3 hours. He then proceeded to find a match for the part on an old trailer in the yard and had me fixed up and ready to go.

Then he called the break down service to get paid and was told to fax the paperwork. They told me not to leave and they would be back in 10 minutes. I gave them 30 and hit the road. No telling what they billed the company for on that repair but I felt pretty fortunate to be rolling on Easter Sunday.

Ran up to within 200 miles of my delivery in I-8 and shut down. The delivery went off without a hitch but the delay Sunday put me at the plant at about 3 PM Monday. That put me in rush hour traffic heading to the Tank Wash in LA.

I had plenty of time though since I wasn't supposed to drop the trailer at Ashland until 13:00 Tuesday. After getting washed out I stayed at the tank wash. They have upgraded some and now have a decent shower room for drivers.

I got up the next morning and after getting breakfast at the roach coach, noticed a puddle of oil underneath my drive tires. I called dispatch, arranged to drop my trailer at Ashland early and bobtailed to the Ontario TA where they took about 6 hours replacing the wheel seal and brake pads on that axle.

By then it was about 4PM Tuesday and I knew there was a chance my load wouldn't be ready on time and that I would be short on hours to run if it was. I called dispatch and got my pick up time moved to 3 AM Wednesday morning and took my break at the TA.

That worked great and the rest of my trip was uneventful. I ran on recapped minutes 9-10 hours a day delivering in Jacksonville Ar Saturday morning. From there they had me grab a preloaded trailer Sunday that delivered in Greensboro Tuesday morning. I called Monday and was allowed to deliver it early Monday afternoon.

Taking a few days off this week. Loading at Raeford NC on Thursday and bringing that one back to the yard. This weekend I will be heading back out to California with a Thursday delivery. I told dispatch I wanted to stay out longer to help pay for my son heading off to college in the fall. So far so good.

 

4/21-4/25

Its been an uneventful run the last 4 days. I left High Point Saturday morning and averaged a little over 600 miles a day. I deliver tomorrow about 75 miles away. They already have me on another of those Ashland loads to Jacksonville Ar. They are having me drop the trailer Wednesday but the load pick up isn't until Saturday. Looks like some layover pay on both ends of this one. Scheduled delivery is Wed 5/2. I will hit the hotel for 3 nights tomorrow.

Took a walk in the Arizona Desert today. The Saguaro cactus is blooming.

 

I don't know much about that terminal except that it is located inside Dow.

 

4/15-4/28

Got unloaded this morning in San Bernadino. It couldn't have been easier. Arrived about 08:15 before the traffic got too bad. The plant is right off 215.

One 3 inch hose truck air into an empty tank. It blew dry in 45 minutes but because I had a rear unloader and since its snot on a slight downgrade, I burped it for about 45 minutes. A center unloader could have been out of there in less than an hour.

Headed on down to the tank wash and was out of there by 13:45. Dropped my trailer at Ashland and after looking at the plant guys load sheet I saw that I really will be here until Saturday. There were 2 other Superior Carrier trailers on the lot and a SPCR truck was parked at the tank wash with the curtains drawn. That driver must have gotten the quick turnaround I got last time.

I found a better hotel for these Ashland loads. Its cheaper than the Ramada at Slausen and I-5 and is only 8 miles from the plant down I-5 south. Its a Comfort Inn at exit 122. Walmart is across the street, there are lots of eating places, and it doesn't feel as much like the hood. No 18 wheel parking spots, bobtail only. I will be here for 3 nights and 25.25 hours of layover.

With 5 days to run 1600 miles to Asheville Ar there is layover on the back end as well. I will probably call Joe and see if they can take it a day early though. Sitting gets old even when you get paid for it.

It will be nice getting to watch the NFL draft this year though.

 

5/1

Getting unloaded a day early in Jacksonville Ar. They have you drop rear unload trailers here so the yard dog can lift the front of the trailer to get all the product. There have been a few snot loads that I wish I could have done that to.

Heading to Memphis after this.

 

5/2-5/3

Just walked into the house and poured myself a cold one.

Memphis had me grab a load yesterday around 9 AM from BASF heading to Ashland in Greensboro. Had to wait about 19 hours for it after unloading in Jacksonville, so got 4 hours of layover pay.

It had a delivery appointment of 7 AM Friday but they let me drop it at the plant this morning. That took 15 minutes and I spent the next 3 hours working local for hourly pay moving trailers from P&G to outside tank washes and the yard. Much less boring than live unloading a tank, took about the same amount of time and paid better as well.