Heading For Little Rock! Maverick

Trying to get the best fuel mpg can hurt you non the pfp because it is actually weighted towards more miles pet day...so I look at it like a stock portfolio and adjust my driving to give me the best return.

 

I like having the ability to drive faster when I really need to without having a negative effect on my bonus.

 

Thursday- Got a load assignment to pick up at Laminate Tech in Tiffon Ohio going to Depere Cabinets in Depere Wisconsin 61 miles dh, 459 loaded.
Friday- Made my delivery. As I was pulling into the receiver I got a preplan. Before I got stopped I got a call from my fm asking me if I had seen the preplan yet. I told him no. He said I would be delivering on Sunday and I could run through the house. I told him not a problem because they had gotten me home for my dentist appointment.
The load was to pick up at the power plant in Rothschild Wi going to SCR tech in Charlotte NC. I am always leary of delivering in Charlotte as you could end up with a load going to ny.
I was picking up used catalysts out of the smoke stacks. Arrived at power plant and the guard told me to just go straight and through the stop sign and I would see the other truck getting loaded. When I got to the stop sign there was no truck in sight and no humans in sight either. So I got out and started walking around. I finally saw another Maverick on the other side of these buildings and walked over and talked to him. He told me they were at lunch and not to come back until he pulled out. It was very tight turns and then you had to get turned around back in there. So went back to my truck and sat. Another Mav pulled in and I went over and told her the deal and she was thankful. The other Mav finally pulled out and I went back. It was very tight. You had to work your way around a large crane and then zig zag to get to where you had to turn around. Had to pull forward and then back into a tight alley area to get turned around. One of the workers was nice enough to watch my blind side for me. The unloaded finally showed up and as I was getting ready to pull out of the little area, the other Mav came back. He must of told her to come back before he knew I was back there. So I waited until she pulled past me and then I pulled out. This unloader, who I later found out was a former driver, was trying to tell him how to turn the wheel to get out of there. I just drove where I knew I needed to go.
The other Mav driver had only been out for 4 weeks. So this guy is doing the same thing with her. He kept getting her too close to the wall and the truck kept jumping on her as she was giving it too much fuel. Sure enough she hit the wall and scrapped her truck. After she got parked I went over and talked to her and asked her if she was ok. I told her not to worry that nothing was going to happen to her. Just relax, it was only paint and plastic. I also told her, not to follow some one else's directions if she did not feel they were safe.
They finally started loading me and these things have they brown dry caked power falling out of them. You have to use lumber tarps on them. I also used my canvas tarps to protect my lumbers.
They are stacked two high, five each row. You have to put a chain through the pallet of the top one to secure the bottom ones and then two straps over each of the top ones. I also put a trip chain on the front and back pallets.
This load is 93 dh and 986 loaded.
Before the end of the day I got a preplan to pick up at Charlotte Pipe Monroe with a two stop going to Virginia. So I did not get the ny load...yea!
Saturday-Rolled out at 0230 central time. Stopped by the house(pilot) and my wife and daughter brought me up my food for the week. I was able to make it to Jackson Ohio and stopped for the day.
Sunday-When I arrived at SCR, there was the Mav that was loading in front of me. He came out wearing a breathing mask which they provided. I got in and got untarped. There was this crude all over the deck of the truck. I was also wearing a mask and at times you could hardly get enough air and my goggles were all steamed up and I could hardly see. Reminded me of my days as a volunteer fireman. After they unload you, you have to sweep the crude off the deck and shovel it into a container. This was by far the nastiest load I have ever hauled. When I got out to the truck I saw that I no longer had the load I was on and I now have a load with two stops. One going to swedesboro NJ and the last stop in Westbury Ny on long island....go figure....lol There was also a message asking me if I could make the first drop in Sweedesboro by 12:20 on Monday. Mind you I have not even arrived at Charlotte Pipe to see what the load or trailer looked like. I responded that I did not know yet.
Got over to charlotte pipe and the other Mav driver was there. They gave him my load.
Got a nice trailer so that was not too bad. While sliding my stap through the bundles for my my gut strap, the bar got stuck as it was bent and went between two boards. It took about ten minutes to get it un stuck.
Got every thing swapped and strapped and headed out. I made it up to the flying J in Haw River NC.
Monday-Headed out about 0300 est. I had to get through Richmond, around DC and through Baltimore.
I decided to run to Baltimore on US 301 and not deal with going around the beltway in DC. There are a lot of lights, but no traffic to speak of. I had to stop and take my 30 minute break and I arrived at the Home Depot distribution center by 1200. I sent a message back to the person that asked me if I could make it and this is the response I got back from him or her...not sure which.
"Jim, I can't say enough how great of a job you did on this load! With limited hours and last minute changes we needed to make. Excellent Job and I'll pass it along. Charlotte Pipe is very pleased!"
That was unexpected but appreciated!!!!
Sat for about an hour and then they finally came to unload me. I then ran down to the flying j and got filled up just in case I sat in a traffic jam on the GW bridge for a very long time.
I drove down to the service plaza that I always stay at. It is the third one back from the GW bridge.
Tuesday. Got rolling at 0330. Where I am going, is Platsky Co. He gets in at 0430 so you can always get unloaded early. I arrived there by 0500 and he got me unloaded right away. I sent a message that I was heading back to NJ and I got a 10-4 response. I figured I would get a load way south of NY so there was no reason to sit over on the island and get stuck in traffic.
Headed back out and just ran into a few slow downs. I tried to get into the second service plaza but it was still full, so I went to the third. I stopped and waited. I finally notice that I did not have a signal on my qualcom. So I called my fleet manager and told him. He said that the reason that I had not been dispatched yet is that they were showing that I did not have enough hours. I told him that I had over 18 and should not be a problem. I told him that I was going to drive down to the next service plaza and see if I could get a signal..When I got to the next one, I still did not have a signal. So I turned off the power to the truck, waited five minutes and turned it back on. After about another 5 minutes, I got a signal. Not sure if that was it, but it worked...lol
Finally got a load to pick up at Mittal Steel in choke a chicken going to SAS global in Warren Michigan.
Got over there and found out I was loading in door 17 which is down the left side of the plant....my favorite door to load out of. Picked up 13 sheets of steel. Got secured and tarped in no time and was on my way. I made it to the service plaza on the pa turnpike in Sommerset.
Wednesday: Arrived at SAS global and did not have to wait to get unloaded. I received a preplan while I was getting unloaded to pick up in monroe Mi going to franklin Ky for a thursday delivery.
The only problem was that I only had 4 hrs left and that I would not get any hours back until Friday morning....so i could not make this delivery.
So I got down to Monroe and stopped at the pilot and called my fm. I asked him if he had some tricks up his sleeve that I was not aware of. He did not know that I was on a load that I could not make.
So they lined up a repower. I called the driver and he told me to met him at the TA in Monroe and that he would be there before I was even loaded. So I called my fm back and told him, why not have him pick the load up and we would not have to do the swap. He said that they ran that scenario and that I could get the load quicker because they would take me an hour early.
So I went on down there and had to wait over an hour just to get back to get loaded. Got loaded and drove the 2.3 miles to the TA and did the swap.
Just as we were finishing the swap my fm called me and asked how it was going.
I told him that I was not going to pick the load up and that I was on my way home and I would tell them where they could come pick up their truck......total silence on the phone.....after 3 very long seconds I told him that I was just kidding and we were finished. He kind of laughed and said that the wheels were beginning to turn in his head. So I am done for the day and will be here all day tomorrow. I did ask my fm to try to get me a load by tomorrow so I know where I am going on friday vs sitting in the morning. He said he would see what he would do.
Thursday- Slept in until 0530 and went in and had a nice hot breakfast. Then came back and cleaned out my truck. I waited until 0830 and drove across the street to the pilot and took a shower. My old boat had a bigger bathroom then this shower...lol. Very small pilot. One comode and 10 parking spots.
Came back over to the TA and this is where I will be unless I get a load today that needs to be picked up in Ohio tomorrow. Then I will head south for the night. But that would be wishful thinking on my part....lol Have a great week and hopefully I will get home for memorial day.
As I set right now, I did 3049 miles this week...no wonder I ran out of hours!

 

Just cleaning out the trash, sweeping the floors ect.I. as for the transmissions I have only driven the Eaton I believe.