Fuel+Routing Upgrade

I love relays around Chicago. No routing and I take all toll ways!

 

lol, you're supposed to send a 16 for routing of it doesn't come through.

 

I know

Ethan

 

I just had a route that I told them they need to take out of their system. PA16 from US 522 to US 11. It starts with a crazy tight turn off 522 onto 16. Then you go through McConnellsville on a road so narrow you either sideswipe the parked cars or take your half out of the middle. Next is a twisting two lane road that climbs an 8% grade for 3.5 miles. Then to finish off you go down the other side 8% grade, 3.5 miles and a speed limit for trucks of 20 mph. Somewhere along the way my air conditioner compressor said, "Enough!" With that it went by by. I was lucky and only had a 10 ton load, I can only imagine what that would have been like fully loaded.

 

One of my students called me today about his route. From the U.P. to Trenton NJ, it routed him off I-80 onto NJ31 at x4 down to Trenton. It's not even a truck route.

 

What I always did even as a company driver,I would go off their routing as long as it did not add more than 10% to the total paid miles, so if it was say a load that was 80 mt + 420 loaded,I had no problems ever going 50 miles out of route, if I thought it was a better way

 

That's how I roll. As long as I hit their fuel stops, I go the best and safest way. If that way doesn't let me hit the fuel stop, I just call my DSR and he has always found a way to let me go the route I want. I don't hit toll roads unless they are on my routing, and I always try to go the shortest route, but sometimes the shortest route isn't always the best. Like I said, as long as I tell my DSR why I want a different routing, he has always worked with me in a positive way. Now, the weekend dispatchers and evening guys, that is a different story. I don't even bother trying to talk to them about routing. Their answer is always to just follow the routing I have been given. I don't think they have the authority to make any decisions at all.

 

I've had the same problem with weekend dispatching, I don't know if it's an authority issue, or just too much work to check out a different route. I was going from Warrenton MO to Sheboygan and wanted to go up 39 to 43 to avoid Chicago. I needed approval since it involved toll roads. Their route went 55 to 294 to 94, so my route avoided Chicago and saved them money, but weekend dispatch just sent a message, follow route given. Monday I called in to the fuel desk and they were more than glad to save $15.00 in tolls.

 

A driver I know called in and the weekender straight up told him that he wasn't comfortable authorizing any route changes because last time he did he got into trouble.

 

I've called in once to try and get routing changed and that was the last time I did it. Had to go from Wausau, WI to Grinnell, IA. Told them that me going my way would be around 30 more miles than their routing, but would be quicker and save fuel since there would be less stop and go. Got told "no take the route you were given." Needless to say their way took a lot longer and wasted more fuel. Now I just look at the routing and if I find a better way I take it. If I see a fuel stop I don't like, or if it's going to be a long wait at said fuel stop I'll miss it and send in a new fuel message down the road.