Running with JCT, Part Deux

Even with the variable payments? I thought that would let you pay off quicker if you ran harder.

 

You can pay it off faster if you turn in more miles. The lease is designed to pay the truck off in 260 weeks (5 years) at a weekly average of 2800 miles.

Personally, I turn in the fewest miles each week that I can to keep my truck payment as low as possible. I have absolutely NO desire to pay off this truck, so why make an $800 truck payment when I can turn in less miles and make a $500 truck payment and bring home as much, if not more money.

It's important to remember that more miles DOES NOT mean more money. It's all about achieving the most profit per mile.

If you want to own the truck, by all means, run hard. If you don't need, want, plan, etc to own the truck, keep your payments low. The trick payment is essentially a rent payment. Why rent that expensive apartment or car when you can rent the same thing for less?

Food for thought......

 

Another JCT driver has told me , that after a year, they report on time payments to the credit bureau. ..is there any truth to this

 

Yes. They report only to trans union and only if you request it. Need to see Laura Watkins about this.

 

Cool...my year is up jan. 23

 

Well. Gotta love trucking. Got to the Wal-Mart in Robert, LA 45 min early. Get to the guard shack to check in. She looks up the info and calls the office. Then tells me that I am late and that I have to reschedule. I said, how am I late. My appt is 1845 and now its 1850 since you had a line and I was in your line at 1800. Was made to leave the property.

Called dispatch and told them what happened. They call Wal-Mart and for some reason Wal-Mart's system said my appt was 1745, but JCT system said 1845. And, was told that they have to wait til 7am to reschedule the load. I told dispatch that this isn't on me. They said yeah, we don't know what happened.

I'm thinking that it was a typo or a mis-communication.

 

Weird I had that happen at the same Wal-Mart.

 

Wally World is getting weirder and weirder the more the megas take over their DC's and plant mini-terminals on their DC lots. Their computers aren't integrating w/ the rest of the free trucking world's like they used to, three hours early fine is now one, park wherever if early is now can't park on their property and wait for your one hour early and arrival is no longer at the gate but at the window AFTER you (c'mon y'all, say it with me) . . .

"break the seal, open the doors, slide the tandems to the rear, back in, chock the wheels, dolly down, disconnect, drop and bobtail to staging, go to door (123), check in, they'll notify you via (CB, phone, or restaurant pager). Do NOT reconnect until you report to CRO and have paperwork in hand and a green light and CRO has cleared you to hook back up. Then reconnect and proceed back here on the INSIDE lane, please, and leave a door open to check the trailer. Thanks and have a great day! NEXT . . . ."

I tell ya, I do WW like this now: I top off the reefer - period - always top off close to WW as I can (almost got into it w/ a guard b/c the gauge was off and said less than 3/4 and I just filled so when I unscrewed the cap and SHOWED him it was full and it was just a faulty gauge he let me in) and plan on arriving 1.5 - 2 hrs early AT THE GATE. They are running shift appointments now. There's gonna be a line at the gate. All the 06:30's (etc) are gonna be stacked up (while Swifty, England and Crete cruise right on by in the Walmart Truck lane, cause THEY are considered HOUSE carrier and have a mini terminal on-sight!).

I jump in line way early. I figure about 6-12 min per truck ahead of me at the gate. More if it's an independent small guy. Assess the line coming in. He won't have a number right most likely. Delay blocking the line trying to get the CONFIRMATION number. We do. We got a Conf#. (If your load assignment doesn't have a conf# - GET ONE before even attempting to go in) .I'm 1.5 hour early in line and 3 ahead of me puts me 1 hour early (OK to check in at the gate) by the time I get to the guard.

If I'm the only one and too early I try anyway. If (and they usually do) they turn me around, cool. I sent my Arrival Macro from their gate early. Ping me here and now. I get turned back. Fine. I "hover" close and roll in at EXACTLY 1 hour early at their gate. Watch the incoming line, do the math on how long it's gonna take those trucks - then SHARK BITE!! Jump in. MY time at 1 hr early! Then I hustle to the back and do their do at CRO and go BACK to bed in bobtail staging 'til called for my paperwork. They may take 2 or 3 hours to unload or they may take 5. I STILL GOT THERE OTD!!!

You want me to play a game? I got game too and I got YOUR game Sammy Wally Boy!! Might not get paid all I and JCT are due for detention, but I GOT HERE AT YOUR WINDOW OTD, DESPITE YOUR BS GAME: Can't take THAT from me!!!

Ahem. Sorry. Might shoulda mentioned I got a bit of a pride thing in me. Might be able to jip me a dime or two but you'll NEVER jip me my pride!

Never!

 

Wal-Mart did take the load the next evening. Rolled up to the gate at 1640 for the 1745. Waited an hour for the door. Then another 4 to unload and get me the paper work.

Had a preplan to pick up at DG Foods in Bastrop, LA at 2350 that night. Called dispatch at 2145 and said that I just done at WM and there was no way I could make that 2350. They said no problem it was a drop and hook.

I drive up to Bastrop and get truck an reefer fuel along the way at $2.199 a gallon. Get to DG at 0230 and their is very small and packed full of trailers.

Trailer is just getting done being loaded. They tell me to go ahead and hook to it at the door. 5min later they bring out the bills and have me pull forward and throw on two bolt seals.

I will deliver tomorrow morning at Bar S foods in Lawton, Ok and then head on over to Bar S in Elk City going to London, KY.

 

That's IT!! It's official. I have lost my freakin' mind. Granted; I get (lost is SUCH a harsh word - how about . . . temporarily directionally challenged? OK, lost) "lost" a lot more than one would expect an experienced OTR truck driver to (locals; is the GPS right, or the directions in our database? Flip a coin). Also granted; I didn't have much of a mind TO lose. So, losing my mind is a short trip just a coin flip away.

I got a new cellphone. OK, those still standing might want to sit; It's a GaalaxyS5 w/ Verizon. Real phone, real contract plan and real coverage in the areas we roll. Those sitting might want to lay back a bit; I got a genuine Bluetooth headset to go w/ it too. Yup, yup, yup. I'm truly wireless and Nationwide (nod to ZZ Top) on my commsit now.

Then I downloaded ALL those Apps and Dapps and Slapps and WHAT-EV-AH!, stuff everyone has been talking about for (has it been THAT long?) a [coughs hard] a decade.

Then my head began to hurt. Then THROB, bulging at the temples. Info flying at me from EVERYWHERE! Then my DM (all excited I have a real phone and we can actually call each other) sets it up so all my [Aminal begins to sob now] Q-U-A-L-C-O-M-M messages go to the phone too. Temple pulse POUNDING! DAT, Love's, TA/Petro, Pilot/Flying J, EFS, Overdrive, Weather Channel, GOOGLE!! I KILL YOU Google! Seriously. I'm calling North Korea and telling Kim Ung Hung Dung whoever - you are the new Sony! I'm sendinding Dennis Rodman! Apparently HE knows who you are cause BING SAYS SO A THOUSAND TIMES ON MY PHONE!!

All that stuff I set up that didn't work on my old phone came [tears flowing] flooding in like a fire hydrant uncapped on every side when the nice young lady at Verizon setting up my phone asked: "Do you have a Google Account? If so I can synch your old phone to your new one and it'll transfer all your contacts." "I think so. Let me call my wife. Yeah? OK. sxxx@xxxx and password XXXX? OK, I'll tell her. Thanks."

"Cool, now we synch and . . ."

I woke up in the truck two days later with a nose bleed and what few brain cells I managed to preserve from the '80's, very badly wounded from info overload. I was dazed and confused and felt badly . . . used. I got a tad of reality through the info fog and PANICKED!! OK, I AM JCT, MY LOAD!!

[Breathing hard, wiping sweat from my face] "OK, cool. It's JBS North Platte. It won't be ready for another two days anyway. I'm good for OTD there". What IS all this stuff?!! How does it work? How do you just make a phone call? How do you shut all this other stuff UP?"

I grabbed up my RMN Atlas, Exit Guide and Black Notebook w/ pen, paper and calculator and curled up w/ them under my covers in the bunk. "That's OK babies. Daddy's OK. You' d never hurt me like that. No you wouldn't. We'll ALWAYS be together!"

OH: Anybody know how to set up TransFlow on a smartphone? It asked me (pretty much demanded, so PLEASE help) for the carrier ID. I put in the letters under the bar code on a trip pack but that mean old thing says there is no such thing.

Hope y'all had some fun reading. This next stage of transition is a TRIP!!!!