Stevens Transport aviary

The key is to put your e-log on Sleeper Berth immediately after your check-in. Do not change from sleeper until you are completely unloaded and have your paperwork. If you have been in the sleeper for 8 continuous hours you will have a split log and be able to utilize your 6 hours.

 

Yes, have all kind's of problems. That was one of the reason's CAT decided to get out of the truck engine side.

 

That's a shame cuz cat makes good engines but just cant get the regen part right

 

Cat is re entering the field in 2014 (present plans). As in any new product, especially one so complicated as these engines, it takes a while to work the bugs out. 2011 was the first year of those engines. We're seeing a lot of improvements in the 2013 engines, so hopefully they'll have many of the bugs worked out soon.
As a side note, Detroit has been having very good success with the DD15s and DD16s. I understand we just ordered a bunch of new trucks with those engines in them.

 

I know I may sound like I've been seduced by the dark side, but I am having trouble grasping the number of idiotic, bonehead moves made by drivers out there that cause untold trouble on this side of the fence.
For the drivers that do their job (reasonably) and follow most of the procedures, I tip my hat and offer a sincere thank you.
Just a few boners from the last few days:
Today we had a driver with a load of lettuce. He did his loaded and rolling call, showed the BOL at 34, the temp at 34 and his refer setting at 34.
His produce check call four hours later showed a refer setting of -10 and a box temp of +12.

I don't recall the exact number, but about 1/3 of the loads never sent in their morning produce check (macro 36)
we need these to monitor the load, and in some cases have to provide them to the customer.

6 trucks missed at least one pick and were on their way to the final. We had to turn them around, amidst some serious arguing.

3 drivers refused their loads because "I don't do produce" however, they drove us nuts because they were now sitting without a load.

29 drivers were running late, more than half due to their not trip planning, then realizing they were late.
Yes, many shippers load late, but I'm not counting those.

I can't even begin to remember the number of drivers that didn't get the right case count but failed to notify produce so we could notify the customer. I know of several cases where the shipper had the product, but made internal errors. Would be an easy fix if the driver called to report the case count before leaving.

Several trailers that arrived at shippers with refers that wouldn't run, torn chutes and in a couple cases were dirty. (we have to clean them?)
Guess that doesn't say much for their pretrip.

I spent 70% of my day chasing problems that wouldn't be an issue if the drivers did their job.
It's not that hard! How hard is it to check your fuel level on the trailer. (two trailers ran out of fuel)

Now to the drivers' benefits....I've spent a lot of time explaining to the insiders how the process of arriving, sitting and waiting really works.
They really didn't have a clue in some instances. I'm hoping there will be more pressure on the buyers (Kroegers, Safeway, Target, etc) to build their loads better, making the driver's job easier. Time will tell.

And there just ain't no justice in the world.
Yesterday we had 22 trucks in Laredo and 25 loads.
Today we had 18 trucks and 12 loads.

By the way, Jonathan will be working days after a few more weeks. (he's taking maternity leave for 10 days after next week. first crumbkicker)
that will help since he's really good at it, as most of you know.
I'll be taking his position, thursday thru sunday.

 

Jonathan was one of the few in produce that treated me with respect, even when there was a problem. But if stevens really wants a driver to be responsible for the case count, they should pay detention pay on loading also. Hold those shippers accountable, and NOT expect a driver to spend HOURS counting and pulping product for no pay, and then have a dispatcher yell at the driver, because he logged all that time as ON DUTY, and does NOT have the hours to make the load now.

Just keep your perspective emulsified, and don't become part of the problem.
Reading your insight to that side confirms what I already knew, and thought.

 

I directly attribute at least 75% of the highlighted problems to the trainers!! I personally know one trainer that never sends in his daily check call and only sends one produce call per day, and only then if it's convenient. We repowered a produce load earlier today from a new Alliance driver that didn't have the hours to make on-time delivery due to a hold-up at his 4th pick. After looking at his scale ticket, my hubby asked him why he hadn't moved his tandems all the way up since the load was so light. His response, "I didn't know I could. All my trainers ever taught was to run in the 5th hole to b California legal." We have also seen trainers blind-side backing because they were too lazy to manuever so they could sight-side back; parking in Fire Lanes for their breaks; and parking, pulling the curtains, and going to sleep without ever doing a PTI or having the student do one. The majority of the trainers we have encountered are a joke.

 

well the reason im running behind was the reefer quit on me while driving and i wasted a day at tk for them to install a new evaporator so i sent the right messages and all and got a reschedule for tomorrow.

 

I got a load assignment that using Stevens formula of 50mph for trip planning required 14.76 hrs of drive time, there was 22 hrs between pick up and srop and the pick up was for later in the evening after an early afternoon drop. High value load.

As a solo driver.there was no way that could be done, and as a Trainee/Trainee team, I asked if they were going to wave.the requirement that the truck be parked for 8 hrs becuase if not, there was no way we could make it.

They eventually changed our load assignment, but that was just a basic math issue. Are the planners not taking HOS and Stevens policies into account when assigning loads?

 

The rudimentary method of load assignment is first to consider the HOS, location, deadhead and timing of load and truck. This is where soft planning is done.
Unfortunately, most of these get blown up by shippers, receivers, drivers, weather, phase of the moon, etc.
So the second method, unfortunately the most common...is employed...
"Do we have a truck in the area that can make the pickup?...yes? Give it to them!"
Then it's up to the driver to remind his DM of HOS issues, hometime, etc.
And let the repowers begin.
This is not a driver issue in most cases, but it is in some.
The lettuce doesn't get picked or processed in time.
The buyer decides to up his order quantity at the last moment, or worse yet, add an item that shipper doesn't have, requiring the truck to go to another pick. That pick was not planned in the original timeline.
The weather doesn't co operate. This time of year, it's not uncommon for trucks to have to shut down for a thunderstorm, winds or squall. It all affects time.
Then there is the receiver who overbooks, whose workers don't show up. I think I posted how one receiver, having seriously overbooked, canceled all loads in the afternoon requiring new appointments two days later!
I listened to one planner go beserk yesterday. I won't mention the account, but he was hot. "They overbook, they cancel, we take it up the but. But let us be 15 minutes late to their gate...."
In this day and age, no one wants to hold the customer responsible for basic actions. There aren't enough customers to go around. So everyone cowtows to them, then hopes they can 'make things work'.
Our repowers are just a symptom of this stupidity.
Now then...onwards to the valley of death! (gotta get rolling!)