Containers/ Intermodal

@jacolbyhud might have some input on this

 

I understand that. I am also looking to get on board. Just making sure I can make enough to cover truck payment and expenses too. Keep in touch. I'll be on this thread, and many other Interstate Dist. threads.

 

You mind sending me that to my email.

Vlfoxx3204@gmail.com

 

Container work.

I cut my teeth on that. They hand me a permit book for Maryland 99,000 pounds gross, and a permit for Virginia 99,000 gross. Another permit for alcohol. (Seagrams Baltmore, takes in tank loads or loads in bottle) and so on. We had bingo cards for several states to run on in those days. Not so today.

They tell me what time to be in Norfolk with what box by a certain time. This is in Baltimore the previous night at 10PM sometimes earlier. I have to get across the American Legion Bridge or the I95 Mixer or the US 301 bridge east of DC before 5 am sharp in those days to make Norfolk on either 95 and 64 or 17 direct.

There is the box, grab it. Check tires, check the 4 corners. Hooks there. Check lights. Check reefer wire power supply make sure it's not dragging on the road. It will ruin it. Check tractor. In those days if you did not have a back window so what. No one is around to change tractors at 1 AM, it's time to go. Day cab.

Get to norfolk unload to ship. Or.... Get to CHester PA unload to ship. Or ... some rail port such as Front Royal. That was one of the first ones I think, hell of a pull to get there with a 1960's Offset mack.

Scales? Pray you are under 99K Fines start over 99K

20 foot boxes loaded requires special care. There is I-83 south of York PA with a 45 mph curve. You take it at 35 or less. Or that #### box will tip and kill people.

Sometimes... you are given a empty box, sent to DC a secure facility run by Uncle Sam to load a armored car going to the ambassador of Egypt. You handle that box with kid gloves. It's a special, special load. Special. An honor actually.

Or... You get sent to United States Defense Depot Installation near York or Near Richmond and once Site R which is Raven Rock 6 miles west of Camp David, a ultra secure nuclear war battle headquarters which is certain to recieve nuclear warheads in several locations due to dispersed digital and microwave antennas several miles radius of it. So that when a nuclear warhead hits raven rock itself the communications towers will still function.

You get past military senteries asking probing and very close to molesting questions. If you fail these questions you do not enter period. Even if you arrived earlier in the day to the depot, you are still questioned. Half of those loads I know nothing about escorts by gaurds sometimes. I know nothing Literally. Hit a scale, suits enter and come out after telling state police hands off me.

Now.

Hours.

In my day you wait. And you wait some more. Union inspectors go to lunch leaving 300 of your container drivers lined up waiting some more. Hours more of waiting. You learn to throw a hammock under the chassis trailer to rest and sleep out of the sun until they bang on your truck to go. If you don't sleep, you stand to drive drunk because you have been up more than 20 hours if not 30 hours plus and trying to make it back to Baltmore.

I would eat boxes of caffinee pills. 40 of them per day. That kept me going several months until I built tolerance and my 21 year old body went to sleep on me at 50 mph on 95 north placing lives at risk. I would quit that day.

I guess I can tell more but in my time is not acceptable today period. Not acceptable. Seriously.

 

Cool!

I will say that during the 2000 year 2001 I hauled a couple of boxes now and then to railheads and it was much much less of a terror than my early days. Keep in mind that I was fresh out of school ready to accept dispatch abuse as far as hours of service was concerned. I did not know nothing except what I was able to do as far as staying awake without a sleeper truck.

I generated alot of stories I leave off the internet. I am not sure of the limitations on those stories. However... If you are positive in your cash flow running boxes today which is much nicer than back then.. go for it. You have my encouragement.