Good Night From II

Dang Moose!! I wish I would've had the same experience during my one visit!!

Sitting in the lounge of the Memphis Terminal waiting on my B-Serv and then it's to the Shop to replace the A/C compressor. Darn thing went to grinding and then it's clutch died on the way to my drop down in MS yesterday afternoon in the pouring rain. Turned into a sauna real quick. Stayed at the Petro last night in Jackson MS (the WORST I've ever stayed at). Fortunately after the rain stopped the cool front moved in.

Planners tossed me a Chep load from Jackson back to Memphis. Made my drop and as I pulled up to shop door the A/C compressor froze up and tore the serpentine belt off. Perfect timing!!

Now I play the waiting game.

 

Bowie, TX on US-287 (between Wichita Falls and Fort Worth) at the Exxon truck stop. Nice to be able to cruise freeways and major highway all day for a change. Started at 2:00 am in Milan, NM and ran east on I-40 to Amarillo.

Tomorrow I'll make my t-call in Houston, then grab a drop and hook headed to OKC. Might t-call that one and take home time, see my brother, and figure out a final final decision regarding doing flatbed work in the oil fields. Started shopping for fire resistant clothing and studying up my load securement regulations and techniques.

 

Not a happy camper. Shut down for the day tween Bentonville and Fort Smith Arkansas. Home time has been scheduled tomorrow for two weeks. Not like it was short notice. I knew yesterday this was coming. I should have refused this load. Stopped on the way up here twice this morning asking for something at least moving me towards home. My dm is out today, his replacement was clueless. Actually had to request speaking to a supervisor after she kept talking over me. I was attempting to ask a question and she kept talking. When I repeated question she actually said "don't start with me". At that point she disqualified herself from conversing with me.

Wanted to send this freeform. "ATTENTION, this is a JIT, hyperfocus, high value home time. Delay for any reason requires immediately contacting the driver. The planner must send a mac22 explaining the reason for the delay and his DM must be called. If the planner is currently shutdown I need to know why and if he/she needs to be repowered another planner will be summoned." ............... I refrained.

Can't quite grasp how our planners are able to orchestrate freight moves through the lower 48 and Canada, on time with four time zones, but fail in getting a driver positioned for home time.

Been out four weeks this stint. Promised our eldest daughter I'd be home to take her to her orthodontist appt. Tuesday. Glad I requested home time far enough in advance to have a cushion.

So I'll sit here for the second consecutive wasted day, just under 1000 miles from home (yeah I'm not getting home tomorrow and Sunday might be a risk soon) pestering them with repeated mac30's til I decide to sleep.

I did get to speak with a supervisor. He looked, found a load p/u in Fort Smith, could have taken it home but meant I've to leave home Tuesday. Told him, sorry but after four weeks I'm not breaking the commitment to our daughter. He said OK and he'd call me back but that good ole five o'clock quitting bell rang in Greer and he went home for the weekend. Quick someone remind me, how much revenue do the entirety of Swift's office personnel directly generate?

Yeah that's what I thought. Zero. No need to cater to the drivers........... right??

 

Ocean Dan you're platinum already? Sorry about your hometime, but that has to be a record from solo to platinum. Congrats man.

One week out from hometime I decline every load that isn't heading where I need to be. I put "Hometime" and the date and never have an issue.

I took a load that flipped me from days to nights to get me home for hometime tonight. I'm taking 2-3 days off for the first time in a long time. Now I just need my 10 to end here in a hour so I can hit the road for the final 100 miles. Best of luck to ya, Ocean Dan, hope you make it back in time.

 

Good advice and I need to chalk this one up again to rookie mistake. Yes I'm ranked platinum. Not sure if they changed the timeframe. May have to do with the changes coming with our raise in May. I'm certainly not going to raise the issue. Just going to keep stroking the system and utilizing all tools. If I'm going to be away from home I want to maximize earnings. 500 miles a day and 3000 miles a week. Of course comparing the two you know I can slack one day.

I'll learn more how to set myself up for home time as I learn shipping lanes. Just think it's sad drivers are treated with more respect.

 

Dan the real idiots work for Swift office personel work weekends. I used to get really pissed off. I can say you get used to it, and you do. But its still aggravating at times.

 

You are absolutely correct. You showed patience when presented with a "don't start with me". Some DL's are better than others, just like some planning areas are black holes. Best of luck man. At least you remained professional when they didn't.

 

Here in Ft. Stockton, TX. So happy to be off US-83, US-287, US-90 and US-285. Much of the trip was no phone signal or QC. What a PITA getting out of the terminal this morning. Go to the window and no paperwork yet. Need to still be generated, so in the mean time, hook up the trailer in the high value parking area but no where on my load does it say high value, then have to get it CA legal and scale it and have the guard shack confirm my weights. Luckily the guy at the window said never mind. Just scale it myself and write down the weights. Then back inside and still no bills yet. Finally did get them and now have until 2200 on Monday to get to Nestles in Mira Loma. Still deciding if Sunday night or Early Monday morning, Then my DM is trying to find me a load that can get there and t-call in El Paso and then back to PHX. Will be a great way to end the week. I do not see if happening. I see the planners giving me one on Monday that will del on Tuesday with my luck. It is just too hard to t-call loads.

 

My DL just sent a message. West is short 719 loads. East is short 324 today. Good luck!

 

Oh well, that should change on Monday. Push comes to shove, I will just bobtail to PHX for home time and my new truck. Not like it will be my first time.