From School to Superior Carriers

I considered running 55 N to I20. When I came through there on I-12 it was backed up about a mile to the on ramp. At the time I was moving pretty well and decided on the fly to stay on I-10 to I-65 N. Its about 20 miles shorter. Might have been better but probably not. 1.9 million people evacuated during that time. It was backed up everywhere.

Any CB will give you traffic notice as well as all the other cb crap.. I do like the bluetooth function on mine. Some people have told me I sound far away but they can hear me fine and I hear them great over the cb speaker

 

8/31-9/2
Got up Sunday and headed out. I had stopped about 60 miles N of Mobile on I 65. There were people all over the truck stop with La and Miss plates sleeping in their cars. The truck stop was out of both Diesel and Gas. I left about 8:45 and traffic was still heavy going N on I 65. Every few miles there were people pulled over on the shoulder either broken down stopping for other reasons. It was never one car, always 3 or 4. People were traveling in caravans, probably entire families. Many were pulling overloaded trailers with TVs, washing machines, furniture and other valuables. Lots of overloaded pickup trucks.

I began to feel sorry for these folks who were leaving behind their homes not knowing if this storm would do to them what Katrina had done a few years ago. I started saying little prayers for people as I passed them on the highways asking God to protect them and their loved ones. It wasn't until I got around the loop in Atlanta that Gustav traffic died down.

I stopped at the Loves in Hogansville for a shower only to learn that they only last 5 days on the card and mine was 6 days old. I wasn't about to fuel there on principle. I went around the stupid loop and fueled at the Pilot in Georgia north of Atlanta. Got a shower and ran it back to the house.

After doing all my paperwork I got in my pickup truck and my left rear wheel was locked up. Had my wife pick me up and we had a nice Labor Day yesterday. Got my truck towed this morning. One of the shop mechanics looked at it and said he thinks a wheel bearing seized up. I thought they had a Holland Mi load for me today but dispatch says it might not go.

When I got to the shop they had my Big Truck in the bay working on it. They found all kind of stuff wrong and need 1.5 days to fix it. I will probably get a load out tomorrow. Its comforting to know the mechanics check the truck when I am not there. I never knew anything was wrong with it. Its been running great.

 

9/3-9/10

Got a call that afternoon around 3:30PM saying they had a paint load going to Holland Mi that is supposed to be ready by 3:00 AM. I was also told my truck wouldn't be ready and that I was to use another one that is unassigned sitting on the yard. I live 1 hour away from the terminal. At first I figured I would move into this truck right before leaving. Then I remembered seeing my engine in pieces. I called the shop only to discover that my truck would be locked inside. I had to make a special trip down to the terminal to move my log book, bedding and other stuff into the truck. I got there around 4:30 and was a bit rushed since the shop guys were ready to go home. I forgot my air card which is why this update is so late.

The truck they had me use was a freightliner like mine with about 100,000 more miles on it. It was also filthy. I was not a happy camper. No CB, no satellite radio and no internet for the week. I went home and went to bed around 8:00 hoping the load wouldn't be ready until 6:00 AM. Wouldn't you know I got a call around 10:45 saying it would be ready by the time I got there. Wouldn't you know they would be early.

I drug my butt out of bed, grabbed a shower and headed back to the terminal for the third time that day. I got over to the plant about 12:30 and sat there for 30 minutes at the gate blowing the air horn and pushing the phone button. Finally a security guard walks up and tells me they don't take trucks at that time of night and that I would have to come back at 7:00AM. After telling me this 3 times without listening to what I said, I finally convinced him to get a supervisor and I got in the plant. Fortunately my load and paperwork was ready. The guy that prepares it looked like he had been sleeping.

The rest of this trip went great. I drove 3 hours and shut it down for 8 hours. I then took a 2 hour late lunch and shower break to split up the 11 hours I had to drive the next day. I got to the plant with with 30 minutes to spare and got backed into the unloading area around 1:30 AM. I went to sleep and they only bothered me twice to move the truck. It usually takes them 4-5 hours to unload me. This time it took them 11. That worked great since I needed a 10 hour break anyway and this way I got paid hourly for it.

I was on my way the next morning and got home by Noon Friday.

I had told them I wanted to stay out this weekend so I got a load to N Chicago that loaded Monday 9/8 at 6:00 up there. I left Saturday afternoon and arrived in N Chicago just as the Panthers were finishing off the Chargers. Man that was a good game. Got loaded in 1 hour the next day and drove halfway back. Got back to the terminal about 2:30 and dropped my load in the yard. It doesn't deliver until Thursday.

I got another Plaquemine La load that I am under now. I load at Dow at 7:00AM on Thursday. Only problem is that I am bumping my 70 and could only work 7.75 hours today. I am about 400 miles away and pick up 13.5 hours at midnight. I have plenty of time but have to drive all night to make a 7:00 AM appointment. Hopefully they will load me quick so I can get far enough down the road to get back on a daylight driving schedule.

That is one of the stupidest things about the FMSCA rules. They are supposed to be all about safety yet here I sit forced to drive from midnight to 7 AM. It would be much safer to drive another 3 hours and take my break starting at 5PM, leaving at 3 AM the next morning. I can't complain about the miles though and this load delivers Sat at 6:30 AM so I will be off and home for the Panther-Chicago game.

Thank God that Hurricane is hitting well south of Baton Rouge. I will still probably face some nasty thunderstorms tonight along I 10.

 

9/11-9/15

Got up about 11:15 took a shower and headed out at midnight. Made great time and decided to stop at the Pilot in Hammond for breakfast. I needed to let my log book catch up to me since I had been running 65-70 for about 5 hours and we aren't supposed to log faster than a 62 MPH average.

Got to the shipper 45 minutes early, jumped through their hoops and got loaded about 2 hours later. The weather was no problem at all. Sunny skies but if you looked south you could see the outer edge of IKE. There were also lots of National Guard convoys on the road. I decided to run up I55 from Hammond to Jackson Miss since I didn't have enough hours left to get off of I 10. Just as I cut north I could see some storm bands starting to build in from the East.

I got to Jackson around 14:00 and shut down until the next morning. I decided to sleep in and get back to running during the day. I was too far away to make it home in one day legally without a break. Hit a 3 hour traffic Jam in Atlanta and shut it down in Blacksburg SC. Got up the next day at 6:00 AM and rolled to the house.

Had a nice weekend complete with a Panther win over da Bears. Monday morning I got an early start, delivered at 6:30 AM and got back to the terminal around 7:30

My load this week is going to Beecher Falls Vermont. It was supposed to be ready around noon so I planned to grab a nap. As I was walking through the shop I asked the mechanics if my pump was fixed. They had told me the week before it wasn't. When dispatch checked on it before assigining me this pump load the shop foreman told him it was ready. Fortunately I had a few hours. They got it rebuilt and cleaned. I watched him work on it and learned some stuff about how they work.

Got my load after a short delay at the shipper while they ate lunch and got the paperwork together. Why do they tell you to be there at 12:00 only to go to lunch and keep you waiting. Finally got on the road by 14:00. Ran out my 14 hour clock and am now at a Loves about 630 miles away from the Truck stop I will stay at in Vermont. Tomorrow will be a long day. Vermont is different in that there are very few truck stops. This one is 90 miles from the plant I am delivering to. Its spitting distance from the Canadian border. I am looking forward to the scenery and wildlife. Should be a good day.

 

I haven't talked to the Springfield TM. I run out of High Point NC. Hiring is pretty much determined by terminal managers.

I would be persistent. Call him up and ask for a face to face meeting. Tell him you want to learn as much as you can about the Tank industry and would like to take a look at his operation. If nothing else it may open a door on down the road. They hire people they thing will make good employees. Driving skills can be taught attitudes are what they look for.

 

Its been a while since I updated this. The Vermont run went well. Brought some maple syrup back for my wife. Got home and they had me do a bunch of local work. Got a couple of dedicated loads that are the same and I am not going to write about them unless something interesting happens.

9/29-10/3

This week was interesting. They sent me up to Holland Mi again but this time with a system load. Got to the yard Monday around 9 AM hoping to get an early start on a load that delivered at 1300 the next day. We run these in 24 hours but that requires running hard and only taking P breaks. Found my truck in the shop and they didn't finish with it until 12:30. There went my leisurely drive. Ran about half way and shut down.

Got up the next morning 10 hours later and was right on schedule when it began to rain and my windshield wipers quite working. Pulled into a Petro and 3 hours later was on my way with a new wiper motor. I got to the customer 3 hours later and they took their dear sweet time. 6 hours later I was unloaded and taking another 10 hour break.

I got my load for the next day over the Qualcom. Tank wash in Markham Il, pick up a clean tank, load in Chicago 10/1, deliver in Brooklyn NY 10/3 at 10:00AM.

This was my first experience with NY City. Loading went great and I was on my way. I decided to stay about 90 miles out from the city so I got to drive easy. Shut down around Toledo 10/1, Drove about 500 miles 10/2 and shut down at the TA on I-80 exit 4 in New Jersey.

I had no idea what to expect for traffic so I left the next morning at 6:00AM. Traffic really wasn't as bad as I expected. I had really studied my route and had no problems getting there. I used Google Maps and the street level views were great. I even found one that had the company's name on the side of a building. My deliver instructions said "take the 3rd street exit, turn left on 53rd street then call for instructions"

I got to 53rd street pulled right in front of the sign and called. I was about 2 hour early and my contact person was not there. I asked the guy on the phone if I could pull up to the delivery point thinking it would be inside that building or a pipe on the outside. He said to go straight ahead on 53rd until I got to the water. I pulled down this dead end street thinking I had screwed up when I see the guy. This was a 2 lane road with 45 degree angle loading docks on both sides with 4 wheelers parked in between on both sides. There was no way to turn a truck around. I would have to back out after unloading.

About this time the contact person showed up and told me I would have to back up and move over to the left so another straight truck could back
into the building to load before I could unload. After about 8 10 foot pullups I was able to move my truck far enough back and over to the right to make room for him.

I finally got to pump off my load about 30 minutes earlier than my appointment time. That went without a hitch. Got unloaded and packed up. Then the fun started.

I pulled up, got straight in the middle of the road, said a little prayer and put my faith in God and the good citizens of NY and started backing up. I had to back about 400 yards and serpentine around a dropped trailer and a straight truck. There were also bunches of cars parked and other cars were pulling into the street behind me as I went. Also about halfway there were trucks and cars following me in front. I only cleared the dropped trailer by about 6 inches. At one point it was a total log jam and I couldn't move because cars and trucks pulled up blocking me. I popped on the air brakes and just sat there. Finally a guy in a straight truck in front of me got out and started making the cars and trucks behind me back up and move over. Finally I got to a point where I could let all the traffic get around at the stop sign for a cross street. Then the guy from the plant came out and stopped traffic on the street so I could back across the intersection and I was on my way. It took 30 minutes to back.

I had to go around the block since it was one way streets. I turned left and needed to go 3 blocks to get to the street that would get me to the freeway on ramp. I go one block and am staring at a big no truck sign
The roads were so tight that I decided 3 lefts were better than one right and after driving in circles for a while finally got to the freeway.

I had called the Keesbey terminal dispatch to see what I was doing next while I was waiting to unload. He told me to bring the empty to the terminal. I got a Qualcom as I was driving there but couldn't read it until I got to the terminal. This was a tricky one to find but I didn't have any problems. I was still a little pissed when I read my message and it said to pull the empty home to High Point after being on I-95 S. I went inside and met everyone and I am sure I will be glad I found that terminal in the future. I got turned around leaving and had to make a few more tight left turns through a small town in New Jersey before getting on the road for home. I decided 30-40 miles was about all I wanted to drive on I-95 so I hit I-76 over to I-81. Its a few more miles but no Philly, Balt or DC to deal with. Plus the fall leaves are beautiful in the mountains.

I will be home Saturday and get to see the Panthers kick some Chiefs butt on Sunday.

 

A few Pictures from building #9 53rd street Brooklyn NY