CRETE - A Year in Review

I generally take matters into my own hands also. I just call the customer myself. I don't need a middle man.

 

thier car is the only thing they know about,its thier way out

 

Why does home time seem to go so quickly? Back at it in the morning. Fresh Med card, review, hazmat videos and blood born pathogens video out of the way. All set for another year OTR

 

I know what you mean Joe...am on vacation...home 4 days so far, I've got only 1 thing accomplished. But it's been decent weather so far.

 

How about this for 'productivity'? I sat 24 hours in SLC before they gave me the load to Oregon. The closest parking to the consignee is about 9 miles away. I arrive at the truck stop and park at 10am. The delivery appointment is at midnight, so I take my 10 hr break. The customer, Winco, is one that insists you leave immediately after unloaded.

i pull out of the truck stop at 11:15pm and my 14 is initiated. The customer takes 5 hours to unload and immediately one of those little security trucks comes prowling over to make sure I don't loiter (so there is no chance to extend it into an 8 hr sleeper to stop the 14). My next load is 80 miles away, but they don't even open until 11am. So I have to take ANOTHER 10 hour break.

After I pick up the heavy load, i 'race' on down to Tracy, CA - parking 1.5 miles from the customer with 15 minutes left on e-log. I had told dispatch (during the previous day's business hours) my exact eta and to please get as early an appointment as possible (I had called the customer first - but they said only corporate could make the appointment).

I don't hear back from dispatch until late this morning and the appointment they got is TOMORROW! So here I sit for another 31 hours - so ridiculous. I asked about t-calling several times, but of course no response. Looking at the 8 day recap on the qualcomm, my last 3 days have been 250 miles, 375 miles, and 200 miles + insane amounts of unpaid sitting.

* I finally got a response after 3 requests on the qualcomm and they said no tcal, uggghh.

 

Naw we are here. The grass constantly needs mowing. You are not confusing us with the blue house next to the road? That is occupied by a retired teacher, who does not keep the yard up at all.

 

Ralph,
You were across the freeway from a Walmart at Winco. There is parking there. Pilot to the south is always crowded. To the north you have a spacious TA, another TS across the way, and a rest area just further north with overflow parking. So next time in Woodburn.....now you know.

 

Ok, thanks. I was at the TA, 9 miles away. I didn't know about the Walmart but am leery about overnight parking at those. I'm always paranoid that they'll roust me 5 hours into a 10 hour break and really scr#w me up. The whole issue, as I'm sure you know, was to try and 'hide' all the unload time inside a 10 hour break. But I couldn't get within 2 miles of Winco to stop the 14 on my e-logs.

Actually, the same thing happened down here in Tracy (although it doesn't matter now because of the long wait for the appointment). I remembered there is that one street by Kellogg's that you can park on. I'm going to a different customer, but they're only 1.5 miles away.

it worked out perfectly so I could go to the consignee at any time and not start my 14 (if Crete had gotten an earlier appointment). But of course Murphy's law must come into play and it so happens that they are doing road construction in this exact area. So the detour now makes it more than 2 miles to the customer (once again initiating the 14). I guess these last few days are when paper logs would have really come in handy.

* OMG, I just looked at that Walmart on Google maps. That would have been insanely perfect! It's about 100 yards away. Can you park there at night? thanks

 

See trucks there all the time. If you talk nicely to the Winco guards they might let you park early, as they don't start receiving until about 2300. You could possibly squeeze a 10 in while you are unloaded too. Good in a pinch!

 

My most-often used words aimed at Lincoln via the QC: "As previously stated..."