Beep Beep Roadrunner

I recall all during orientation breaks and every chance I could get, asking for cabcard, ifta permits, plates insurance, Xtralease trailer, basically everything I would need to run legit. Since they couldn't get it to me I post dated my contract for the following Monday (orientation lets out Thursday afternoon for those who don't know, they ask you to sign the contract and date it Thursday midnight/Friday morning).

I did that to protect myself from having to sit in Los Angeles til Monday or Tuesday or whatever waiting. I had bobtailed down to Commerce for orientation under another carrier's authority and insurance and bobtailed back home just the same. It took til the following Thursday for all the paperwork to be squared away and hooked to the trailer and loaded. If I had known how to book my own 'backhaul' I might have been loaded out in the central valley instead of deadheading over the Altamont to Livermore for that terminal run. I had made the mistake of calling the Truckload dept and the guy in talk down to you manner told me I have to give first crack at the terminal every time. Should have called the Backhaul dept but I just didn't know.

Well an update- got loaded out of Livermore for Indianapolis T2T decided to run I80 afterall. Had to pull up short yesterday afternoon in the middle of Nevada with shakes and shivers- about 6 hours of some the deepest sleep took care of it. Pulled up short again tonight in Little America WY to grab a DOT inspection on my units. My junk is due on Tuesday and do not want to be put OOS by the company which has happened in the past despite emailing multiple people in multiple departments the copies of the passing inspections. Even got a reply from one department saying I sent it to the wrong department lol so I know people are getting it just not inputting it in the system.

 

Took pictures of the tractor / trailer DOT inspections and converted them to .pdf files and emailed them this morning. Checking the driver portal under Equipment I see they have already updated the status yay.

Got a call from Indy already, got a load out to Sumner WA terminal. Will have to see if they have IFTA and Oregon permits in Indy. If no Oregon will have to run up on I90 all the way. No biggie, will get to scream out SHOOMANEE TUTANKA OWATCHEE!! on the CB as I drive by the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Poor Abby puppy this morning got one of her toes caught in the step. I was up on the driver's seat eating my subway breakfast melt. Abby was outside eating her breakfast from her bowl. Had ordered extra meat which I do occasionally for her as a treat. Few slices of bacon, ham and turkey. She puts her paws up on the top step and I toss the meat to her and she catches it. One piece of turkey flew over her head like a frisbee and she turned to go get it, her toe got stuck in the hole of the step and poor girl was panicked pulling with all her strength to get it free shrieking and yelping. The way it was twisted in there she would have lost it. Was able to jump down real quick and grab her by the neck and pull her closer to the step and twist her foot and leg in the right direction to get it out. She finished her treats and we went for a walk, no limping or anything. In fact she was even digging in a gopher hole. Just thankful it was a close call instead of a tragedy.

 

Abby is limping around due to her twisted toe. Probably mega sore. We've been thru this before with her excessive digging for rodent in the past where she ripped open the bottom of her foot and had to have antibiotics. Then another time took her to the vet, they xrayed her foot didn't see anything, recommended sending her to a specialist who would put her in an MRI machine. We just left and a couple days later she was running on all 4 wheels like no problem. For now I am lifting her down from the truck to be more gentle on that foot.

Anyway, wanted to talk about the DOT inspection I had done and failed in Ontario CA due to what the guy said was a bad DragLink. For the last 4 years I've been taking the truck to TA or Petro for the DOT inspections and they always allow me to do all the in-cab stuff just like a DOT officer does at the scale house barn. Anyway, so the inspection failed and I paid them and left. Bought the new Drag Link and put it on myself. Then went on hometime, couldn't get back to a nearby TA within 48 hours which would have used the fail inspection payment towards the passing inspection. So ended up going into Livingston CA TA to fix the hole in the roof of the trailer and told them to add a DOT to the work order. I pulled into the shop and the guys tried to kick me out of my own truck. They claimed it was the new policy not to allow drivers in the shop; that they would be the ones up in my cab pushing on the brakes and checking lights wipers and such. I said no way, I will be doing that. They would not allow me so I said forget the DOT just fix the hole in the roof now. They just lost out on over $100 bucks for their shop plus their commissions. I went in later to pay the bill and the manager tried to sell it to me as a driver benefit- like I could go take a shower or eat a meal whilst they DOT my truck.

I tell you why I don't like that. Not so worried about theft, but I am worried about these guys making a mistakes like I have heard them say over the years like 'pop your brakes and stand on the service pedal', the guy in Ontario told me to pop the yellow and push in the red and stand on the brakes so he could check the trailer slacks-- no slip! Another thing about my truck I know every little quirk nobody else would know. My batteries are 17 months old and I know they are just a little low on voltage when the truck is turned off. I also know that if the headlights are on too long while the truck is turned off, within a day or two the lights will burn out. My theory is that the filaments need full voltage while they are lit. Usually when I pull into the shop and the guy is guiding me in, I turn on the lights and brights then turn them off, left signal rights signal and 4 ways before he even tells me to stop and puts chocks down. Funny they always say 'shut truck off and lets go through all your lights now'. So I turn on the headlights and brights when he is up there and as he walks around to check brakes, I turn the headlights off real quick. Invariably when they come back around they like to yell at me that my headlights are off. I say, 'you already verified they work right?' Anyway it is the little stuff like that that bothers me to let some guys go rooting around my truck with me not there.

As reported earlier I reloaded in Indianapolis for Sumner WA. But on the way into Indy got a call from load planner offering me Sumner, he said it (the entire load) was sitting on the dock so I would be loaded immediately after they unloaded me. I had dropped the trailer on the dock and bobtailed over to sleep. Walked by a few hours later my trailer was dog empty. All. DAY. I went in later that night as I saw it was loaded out to the doors, the guy now said they were waiting for another truck to deliver some stuff they wanted to add to my load. Not sure if they sent that other Sumner load on another driver and mine was an extra load or what. Oh well, don't care. Oh and first stop Portland Or then Sumner WA so will be doing 80 to 84 over Cabbage. Finally got my Oregon permit and IFTA.

 

Rolled up to the first stop in Portland OR, the place is locked down tight this Sunday morning. I thought they opened at midnight. Re-check the paperwork, shows they open tonight at 1800. Ran my 70 down to zero two shifts in a row somehow thought we were running late but we are several hours early. Good news, picking up a clear Superbowl signal in the truck TV.

Been having a bad bounce in the front end for a while. Figured alignment or kingpins or related to bad tie rods. Had already replaced the DragLink on a mechanic's advice. Went into a truck stop shop for more advice, these guys found the problem-- driver's side steer was out of round really bad. Just put those steers on 6 months ago and they are still at 14/32'nds. So bought two more steers and balanced, forgot how smooth the truck is supposed to go down the road. What a pleasure and relief it was not something too serious.

 

All I can really say is that Roadrunner is a good fit for me. The biggest downside in the new year is not being able to book my own loads off of load boards. I have been getting a lot of calls and texts from RR agents asking me to book freight through them. So there's freight and opportunity to keep running.

I wouldn't know what it is like over at Forward Air. I have seen their ads in the slick magazines. I imagine it's a lot more push push hurry go compared to RR. I make just one check call a day into an answering service, no tracking devices on my truck no invasive nag box beeping at me all day with stupid messages "put one foot in front of the other when walking" or "use 3 points of contact when entering or exiting your truck" lol. Right now I seem to be in cruise control over here. The job is so monumentally easy. At some point I will have to move on to a carrier where I can pick and negotiate my own loads though.