CRETE - A Year in Review

Same here, except I have it set to email me a daily digest of new posts to this thread, and read my email on my phone whilst seated upon the throne in the morning

 

I have a little piece of advice to anyone that delivers to Conagra in Trenton, MO...DO NOT BREAK THE SEAL UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO. I made it to my delivery about 15 min early. I would like to apologize to that 'W' driver stuck in the little truck-stop in Chillicothe, MO. If you'd started fighting with your frozen brakes a little earlier, I would've loaned you my hammer to free yourself. I guess his trainer never taught him not to set his trailer brakes when it's wet, and going to be bitterly cold. But I was pushed for time because I got to typing here and lost track of time..... anyway, about my delivery. There were 2 Cretes backed up waiting for the customer to show up when I got there. And the customer was running way behind. An hour after our appointment time he pulled up next to the three of us and said it would be 9 or so before we started, and to NOT break the seal and back in, he had tons of paperwork to do before each one is opened. The back side of this warehouse doesn't have a walk in door, he has a company p/u truck that he drives from the office, picks you up, takes you into the office and fills out the paperwork and takes you back to your truck....(another 1st...someone that takes care of the driver...) Well, one of us (not me) didn't hear him, broke his seal and backed in. Needless to say, BIG MISTAKE. The customer was a 3rd party warehouse and they had strict instructions not to accept loads before verifying seals. That driver was going to be the last one to leave, because they had to call the main boss, which had to call the other customer...and all had to wait for USDA to come and inspect every box that was unloaded. And that happened after everyone else was done. This was imported corned beef (I guess they don't have cows or corn to corn the beef this close to IA, it's cheaper to import from Brazil)

Anyway, after I was empty, I got the shock of the year...3 load offers. From Des Moines area to Detroit, Springfield OH, or S. of Ft Wayne. After I came too (the shock of 3 offers this late in the day made me pass out) I decided Ft. Wayne area would have a better chance of finding a load home... I'm suppose to be sipping Mi tie's on the beach this weekend. Wrong O'marry-lou....I am empty in Ft. Wayne... the only thing offered after sitting all day... Plainfield to just outside Jackson, MS... P/U Friday evening, deliver Tuesday... I guess I asked too many questions about FL freight and T'calling, so they took that offer away and told me to check back in the morning... Fine with me, there is another ice storm headed through here. In fact as I type, the 'ice storm warning' just took effect. Maybe even some thunder too.... Coooool. It's been a while since I saw Thunder-snow.

I think I'm becoming an optimist.... I can't seem to get a bad attitude and work up a good rant no matter what happens.......AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

Has anyone run the Coca Cola in the Dallas area before? Just curious if Crete has been running these shag loads for awhile or if it something new out if desperation. Yesterday 6 of us Cretians pulled a load out of Dallas Coke delivering to Ft Worth Coke for a whopping 31 miles plus shag pay, don't get me wrong I would rather make this $50 than just sitting around but it took nearly 2 hrs to drive that 31 miles due to evening rush hour ( don't know why it's called RUSH hour) and at Coke they do not get in a hurry to load or unload you. This little shag load ate up 7 hours of the day and then my next load picked up this morning back at Coke in Dallas which meant having to deal with morning rush hour back to big D. It was a little better load going to Abilene Tx for 200 miles, after unloading I sent in the empty call and headed over to the nearby Wal Mart that has a truck parking area, the message dispatch sent was "no freight check back in am", my first thought was "what? no more crappy coke loads", well at least there are some decent places to eat around here and if I don't get a load tomorrow I will walk across the street and check in at the local roach motel where I'll be able to use the restroom without having to listen to another man moan, groan and ultimately rip a geasy fart . ya'll have a good weekend!

 

LOL...i know what u mean...i was at one place where a guy made more noises and groans,heavy breathing..thought he might need medical help!

 

,
My run as of 12/20 smooth and happy 1400 mile to start a week..get a load offer 65 miles away in plover WI*gasp* roads are hell but in order to make Del i need to get going.and about 900 more miles on the check...woohoo..took 3 hours but i made it! now no one around to get paperwork dispatch tells me to wait till mornin..fine with me..
roads are slippery and cant keep the ice off my wipers.morning came got my paperwork, hookup was alittle rough wouldn't latch...huh another hit a good tug......good to go...whip a u turn in parking lot, looked out my drivers side mirror..wtf wheres the trailer?
looking off the passangerside OMG! about to fall off the truck, run out lower the landing gear unhook...rehit locked! craw under make sure..looks good! take off get onto I39 s on ramp hit a snow bank a plow left for me,
looking at the trailer,somethings not right...slow to a stop..again trailer came undone again...
sitting on the on ramp for 6 hours now and breakdown hasn't even called me yet...sent 2 msg's called,on hold gave up after a half hour.sent dispatch a msg if they have a truck close by they can get the trailer off the highway...they tell me to be patiant... load delivers on 12/22 0500 in Louisville tn. and now I'm trying to get out from under it so i can get the heck off this highway..nope didn't work they said let them know when I'm back up running...huh i just want off the highway dang it! scared to go to the truck stop 2 miles down the road my not be as lucky as i was the last 2 times....guessing something on the 5th wheel is frozen and i don't need to lose a trailer and - 6 and no warmth in sight...*sniff* No help comming anytime soon

 

I'm glad you were able to save the trailer and safely make off the road. Be safe out there!

 

Greetings gang... Made it home safe. They found me a load out of Plymouth, IN to Macclenny, FL. Then home. I did have a problem with unhooking the other day. Was in Ottawa waiting on a decision to repower or not a GM load that I couldn't make on time. Tried to unhook, after pulling release, I couldn't unhook. After 20 min of fighting i finally got it... Went to w'mart got some cheap grease, and a new can of white lithium grease for the linkage. Has worked fine since. I was under that trailer for the better part of the week, and had been in and out of some really nasty ice and snow and plenty of salt. Now I'm home, but I had to keep airing up my right front steer tire. For some reason the sidewall is leaking, no damage, just bubbles when you spray it with the water hose. Oh well, I'm home...Will try to keep up here at the forum, but the honey do list is extra long. So much for vacation.

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah...etc...etc.

And to the MODs of this forum... A big thankyou for this place... It's been a valuable place to vent especially the way this year has been.

CYA'll

 

Are you sitting at the 76th Street Truck Stop?