Good night from...

well a lot of places are closed from what im told for the major holidays but if you pick up a load on Wednesday and it delivers Friday then you wont have an issue. I plan on taking those holidays off though to be with my kids. Someone who has worked through the holidays can probably answer better.

I got to my family around noon today, we had our little party but it was a let down since most of the family and friends ended up being a no show for my daughter, she did make out with some nice gifts though for the few who did come. I got my truck parked in front of my wifes uncles house so I can keep watch of it and im sleeping in it so im not on their floor, there are 4 other bobtails on this block and seems to be a trucker community and a couple trucks on streets next to this one. I was surprised to see how many truckers live in this area and the houses are quite nice too.

Tomorrow I plan to do some shopping with the wife and restock my truck with food, water and other stuff I need.

 

A lot of places are closed on the actual holiday, and sometimes the entire weekend.

I usually work through the holidays and plan my home times a bit later, and it usually works out ok.
I sometimes have loads with too much time, but I do keep running.
But then, I sometimes get loads with too much time even during the busy times.

The thing is, Swift and our customers do need loads delivered that need to be done over those certain days.
Thanksgiving is a perfect example.
Black Friday, the day after TG is the busiest shopping day of the entire year.
Stores need product in the next couple days just to keep something on the shelves, and that product needs to already be on the way.

Christmas is the same to some degree for post X-Mas sales.
But after that, things get very slow for a couple months.

So I plan my home times the week after TG, then just after New Years.
I may not be home on the actual holiday, but I celebrate them just the same when I do get home. And that means a double holiday for everyone around me.

And I figure, if we all just HAD to be home during those few days it would hose the entire system.
We would all be demanding to get home by a certain time, and then demanding loads out just after. And there are only x amount of loads at any given time.
Everyone would be frustrated and mad at both ends of the stick, including the planners and schedulers and shippers and receivers.
Not to mention our poor DM's, who have to bear the brunt from all sides and levels.

 

yeah.. i be taking thanxgiving off(4 days) and i'll work thru xmas and beyond

 

First time in months I haven't had a preplan at or near time of drop off....idling away the time in mid Texas....Brownwood....but it is nice and quiet and I got some needed sleep...put 6800.00 in my maintenance account since august 19th.....
[TABLE]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD].20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 638.60 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 11/04/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #efefef"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 556.40 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 10/28/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 642.80 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 10/21/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #efefef"]
[TD] W/D:R/O# 16391601 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] -30.00 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 10/14/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 546.20 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 10/14/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #efefef"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 626.60 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 10/07/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 557.40 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 09/30/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #efefef"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 473.20 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 09/23/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 687.40 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 09/16/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #efefef"]
[TD] W/D:R/O# 16303790 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] -379.47 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 09/09/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 561.40 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 09/09/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #efefef"]
[TD] PAST1 RQST $500.00 MNTWDR [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] -500.00 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 09/09/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 522.40 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 09/02/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #efefef"]
[TD] FROM MAINTENANCE TO COMDATA [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] -300.00 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 08/26/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 544.20 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 08/26/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #efefef"]
[TD] MAINT TO COMDATA [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] -500.00 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 08/19/2013 [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD] .20 MAINT RESERVE [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 470.20 [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] 08/19/2013[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
time to go home rest and hit it for another 2 months hard

 

Good job ... I only put $.10 in my account and have essentially broke even since August ... $2900 when I was home over labor day and $800 during this home time. Sigh, the joys of owning a truck out of warranty. It's taken me a year, but it seems I have all the bugs worked out now and the truck hums along a 7.5 miles a gallon for all loads, all terrain.

10th day at home. The days of beer, football and basketball have come to an end. Back looking for work tomorrow, to roll in the evening or Tuesday morning. Will run until Christmas, then take 12-14 days off.

 

Still in Fort Wayne, IN at the J.

I got a pplan this morning, but it was removed 3 minutes later. I guess someone else took it.
It was a repower load, so it was probably broadcast to several drivers.

So now I've been sitting a day, waiting.
I do expect I'll have a load before 1030 tomorrow morning, though. Because if I don't I can request layover pay.
But what can one expect on a Sunday?

On the bright side, I got to listen to the NASCAR race.
Jimmy won this one, which puts him 7 points ahead for the championship.

GO JIMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On his way to #6!

 

we will see how things go, Thanksgiving has never been an important holiday for me but xmas is more important just because I have 2 little girls. Im sure my Dm will have those days off and he is very serious about family time it seems, I told him this home time is the last I need for awhile and he replied I need to get home to see my family often.

Last night with the family, going to get up around 6 then have breakfast, my wives grandparents do not want me taking off without eating and are always trying to cram food into me. My plan is to head out around 7am to get a trailer at the best buy in Dinuba then take it to Vernon and I should have enough hours to run to Adelanto to pick up a trailer and take it into Vernon or Baldwin park as well. I plan to run a little harder this next month so I can provide a nice x-mas for my kids since I have not been able to for the past couple years especially when unemployed and I can make it happen this year. I need to start thinking about what to get my wife as well, last x-mas I couldnt really get her anything so want to make sure I make up for it this year.

At least this year I have a lot more to be thankful for during the holidays and the biggest one is having a job where my income is mostly limited right now by myself for the most part.

 

Battle Creek, MI at the Pilot.

I got a pplan this morning at around 0200. I glanced at the text message on my phone, noticed that the pick up had a window until 1800, and went back to sleep.
In the morning I looked closer on the QC.
The pu was until 1759 today, the delivery was at 0800 today, and it was a JIT load. The actual window for pick up was from 11/01, so they had plenty of time to send me the plan before 0200 this morning.
So I refused it with a 1200 pu and 1500 delivery, and it was taken off me.

The load I have now picked up at New Boston terminal in MI this afternoon, and delivers in Northfield, MN by 11/06 2359.
It is a return load going back to MoM, all of 4k pounds.
I like this load, as it gives me time to meet my sister and get my real CDL.

 

Smiths Grove, KY. Received a pplan about 6 hours ago, refused and still it is sitting on me. It was all of 800 miles to del on Friday. Sears RDC in Wilkes Barre. Declined, to much time, wrong direction and did not help this pay. Now there is a chance that I could have dropped on Wednesday, but not going to take that chance, plus this time of year, I do not want to be around any kind of DC, Sears, Costco, Wal Mart, due to a good chance of trying to suck me up in helping out with store loads.

 

I got a message that my PTA was reset to 11/06 0600, when I had set my PTA with my loaded call to 1100 after a 1000 delivery time.
I sent a Mac34 to reset it.
Then I get the same message that my delivery time to the next stop is after the appointment time - call your DM.
Well, that appointment time is 08/22, at whatever hour - and I don't have a time machine to get me back there.

I called Fontana, and was assured of my original PTA.