Typical day of a linedriver

Well at our bulk break terminals, they dont have city units. All line-haul units... At the satelite terminals, they arent suppose to use a road unit unless needed. Some terminals will allow you if they have a few tank, and you have to fill it back up no matter what. Last time I did a layover I had th choice to bob-tail or cab, I took the cab since I was too familar on how to get to the hotel. BIG mistake, one of the peddle guys decided to use it that morning, had to wait for it to come back as there were no road units for me to use... Dispatch wasnt too happy, but I guess thats what happens at a terminal wheres there is no supervisor on duty

 

Yeah I usually got to wait for my tractor to get back at the layover. Depends on what time i get there for me to drop my truck off or not. Our tractors are assigned. I rather bobtail cause you have your tractor no waiting. Plus I like to stock up on food and drinks so I don't have to stop at a truckstop.

 

For me.. this is how it usually is:

23:00 -- Leave house
23:30-0:00: Pick up truck and trailer in West Memphis, AR.
00:30-01:00: Pulling out of drop yard, headed to Clarksville, AR which Werner calculates as 215 miles from West Memphis.
01:00 - 04:00: Driving, jammin to the radio as I venture through all of the little towns alongside I-40 through Eastern Arkansas and past Little Rock. I used to get so embarassed at being one of the slowest trucks on the road since it's governed at 60 mph, but when I end up passing a Prime truck I get happy again lol.
04:00 - 05:00: Split the load in Clarksville, AR. Meet a guy coming from Oklahoma City, we don't talk much.. but I was never a big talker and that's why I became a trucker instead haha.
05:00-06:00: Leaving Clarksville, AR and headed back to West Memphis. Usually around these hours I get SO exhausted, as the sun's coming up and I have to punch myself in the leg and turn the AC on full blast to stay awake (even if it's really cold outside).
06:30-8:00: Stop in North Little Rock to fuel up at the Petro, because it's just our main assigned fuel station. Have no idea why, but it doesn't bother me. It's nice when all of the clerks know you by your first name haha.
08:30 - 10:30: By this time I'm usually back at the drop yard on a good day, splitting the load and ready to go home.
11:00 - 12:00: My co-driver's usually calling me wondering where I'm at if I'm not back in time, getting irritated because we don't get paid for not driving. As I struggle to communicate with him and simultaneously drive, I swear I need a better blue tooth lol.
12:00 - 13:00: ON A BAD DAY I'm just now getting back, exhausted, my co-driver irritated but I don't care because a lot of things were making me late and I was still agitated about that.

Between 1300 and 2200 is usually sleepy time for me, then I call Dispatch when I wake up and do it all over again! Wash, rinse, repeat. Don't really have much of a life, but thank god for the weekends...

 

I normally pack enough food and drinks for two days. I do it to save money and to eat healthier

 

so for you yella boys, that means if you have a cb, antenna and all that stuff you have to swap it at your destination? Cant you just say, im taking this truck I drove back. That just seems so ### backwards to me.

 

when you go to a bulk break terminal they already got you hooked and ready to go home...

when you go to an end of the line terminal/satelite terminal you take back the truck you brought

 

18:50 Leave house
18:57 Arrive at yard, grab paperwork, grab truck, hook up to previously loaded 53 footer, bring truck and trailer around to ready line to do a pre-trip while I have a smoke and talk to the other guys.
19:10-19:15 Dispatch to Cleveland yard, 107 miles pays me $44
21:00 Arrive at Cleveland, drop trailer in the same door as always, bobtail to pumps and fill up, pays me $9.
21:20-21:30 Log into dock, unload my trailer, pays $18/hr
01:00 trailer done, go to lunch, half hour, pays me $9
01:30 usually stay unloading late arrivals or take load up to Detroit to cover for a call off
03:30 cut time, grab paperwork, bobtail to the same door as always, hook up, pre-trip.
03:45 Dispatch back to Toledo, 107 miles, pays $44 again.
05:30 Arrive in Toledo, immediately log into dock $18/hr again, go inside and figure out where manager wants trailer docked at.
05:45 Docked, unload.
07:00 Unloaded, have a smoke, go home.
07:07 Home, go to sleep.

It's lower pay than other LTL companies but I got it down into a nice easy routine, every paycheck looks the same $1100.
Also I wish I had a longer run, truck I have is in decent condition (a rarity in this company) and does 75mph. But the company keeps changing routes and performing bizarre experiments with runs, I hope sooner or later I would end up doing a meet somewhere on the turnpike.

 

now that im on a different bid should I update my line-haul day????

 

It seems like something blows my normal routine just about every night anymore. The other night they decided to test the drawbridge function on the Wilson Bridge on the Beltway a few minutes before I would have crossed it. The other morning a boat came off a trailer around Quantico it it was just sitting there in the middle lane..lol.. like a 30 footer. If it isn't the road dispatch is calling me to turn around and pick a trailer somewhere. On top of that my truck has been at the shop for the last week waiting on a part. Slip seating just plain blows..lol..

 

if they gave me a sweet via, im not answering..too bad. lol. And I have an assigned truck so If I am the last man running i usually have to do a swap. So though I have a truck, I never know if I am taking it that night, so I dont even bother setting up till the matrix comes out