Good Night From II

I have a different perspective on this as a van driver whose home terminal is Laredo. In my opinion if you choose flatbed you should haul flathead or sit.

When Swift first got the Chrysler contract we were hauling the sprinter vans in dry vans. They were nice lightweight loads and the dozen pairs I hauled were going to various places in Canada so they were great miles as well. It didn't bother me in the least that they were awkward in that they required anorexic skinny loaders and unloaders.

The reason we stopped hauling them in vans was due to the incessant whining of the flatbedders that we were taking "their" freight. My last trip to Laredo I unloaded and sat for 42 hours waiting for a load out. I sat at the Road Ranger in Encinal and watched a parade of flatbed trucks pulling dry vans north.

Like I said, if you want to be a flatbedder you should only be a flatbedder. After all, you're paid more so you can afford a bit more sit time. You can use that time to polish up your arrogant flatbedder attitude.

Frank

 

Was not my intention to sound arrogant. I do the loads I am sent, unless there is something Greviously wrong with it. It makes money, and that's what all this is about above all. I'm not home, and if I'm not making money there's no point.

Freight is freight, I happen to move more types. Got a double triples endorsement. Should I only pull out flatbed pups loaded with liquid totes? I don't care about some division rivalry. Just amused that drivers would shoot themselves in the foot by turning down perfectly fine freight just because it's in a box.

I'm not here to play flatbed vs dry van. Truth be told, I'd rather be a rockstar. Alas I'm a truck driver, flatbedding is slightly more interesting, and it gets me out of the cab moving about from time to time. But at the end of the day I do what pays the bills.


I'll gladly disappear now. If no one wants me around, I'm an unbearable socially awkward geek. Just say the words I'll never post on this thread again.

 

Frank is jealous that he cannot pull flatbed.

 

Now it all makes sense. I shall go stroke my ego now.

 

EXACTLY!

 

I love to stroke Ego's, that said van, flat, refer in the end you get paid to drive and no one wants to sit you all want miles. It's a competition sometimes but Swift must make money training newbies, because instead of slowing down and concentrating on their good drivers they seem to be constantly feeding the machine...

 

If they would focus on retention over recruitment, they might actually save money and get a better CSA. But then that would make sense. Why would they do something like that

Frank can relax now, I'm back to moving heavy oddly shaped steel. Got some structural stuff at West valley, as a bonus it's something that cannot be hauled in a van for practical and saftey reasons. So I ain't stealing anyone's load. Got 4 days to get to TN, but it delivers buissness hours so I can deliver as soon as Monday. I shall get my beauty sleep, then tie it down and go.

 

Tomah, or Oakdale, WI... depending on what you are seeing at the moment, at the Love's.

I deliver this load very early Monday morning (0400), and I guess it was good that it had so much time with this big storm moving through.
It should be better by Sunday morning and I will (try to) get to the TA in Hudson as my last stop.

This is my home time load from Columbus, OH, and getting me there on my requested date. Although very early in the morning.
I'll be getting a 34 in before I even start my home time.

I'm just hoping for decent driving conditions come Sunday morning.
But lately these storms have been going in favor of me, for the most part.

Can't wait for five years from now when the weather gets really bad, or worse.
Climate change can be a bich, especially for those involved at the time.

 

It is supposed to get to -23 degrees tonight where I live in MN.
I won't be there for that. I'm still in Tomah, WI until morning.

Minus 23 with a wind chill of minus 35 or so. Crazy!
Then a bit warmer.
I'll be parking the truck at the terminal for my home time just in case I need a jump or have a fuel problem when I come back.

It is only getting to around minus 18 here. So... pretty warm.

 

Down right toasty here in NM at +1 ... holed up in San Jon ... 511 says wb 40 closed with traffic being rerouted ... going to wait til morning.