Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

Earnings report on your new owners.
Knight-Swift improves OR on flat revenue despite challenges

 

If they could just find a way to not have to pay those pesky drivers....

 

Getting an oil change should not be this hard....

Was over a little bit and had a week off last week. Figured the shop should be able to take care of the pm and other couple issues it has. Come in and pack truck day before we leave(tuesday) and joe advises "we dont do oil changes, go to loves"

I guess we only have parts changers working now, and no fluid changers.

Made the mistake of seeing chris for something to do. given riverside due 1am friday.

Call my dm in wytheville to tell him about oil change and that imma need one on way back east. They had no clue on loves for oil changes.

Given a solo broker produce load so planned on getting oil change in williams az first thing this morning. Get there around 0530 local time. Apparently their definition of 24 hours and mine are different. Oncall emergency tire is 24 hr. Found a guy who just got back from a call....the "mechanic" would be in around noon.

Make some calls, loves in western albequrque can do it, and even have a "mechanic" working when we will be passing through. What could possibly go wrong with such a well thought out plan??? Weekend dispatch swaps us in albequrque back to socal with about 5 extra hours on it.

This could work. Go to loves, turns out their "mechanic" went home for an hour or 2. After about 1.5 hrs they call me in and the guy is here. Write it up and ask what level of oil change/pm did i want? Well i want whatever abilene pays for. So he looks in system and abilenes profile lists nothing except an email amd a note saying contact for approval. Most companies just list out we want these services apparently.

It is saturday afternoon so obviously no answer to that email.

Then scaled this 39.6k meat load bound for cali and slid tandems to make cali legal. Thankfully per cat all is good. At least 2 solos touched it.

Im waiting for the day i get to call dispatch and tell them we aint swapping since its nowhere near legal and the solo guy can deal with his problem, im sure its coming soon.

At this point we will keep tryin to change the oil until it happens

Otherwise all has been well with us.

 

That must be a new thing re the oil changes at Richmond. In my experience Abilene's PM intervals seem to be dependent on loads they need to run. I have gone 5k over simply because they kept sending loads despite me repeatedly sending QC messages that PM was due.

As long as they have it in writing that PM is due and they keep sending me loads, I keep running. If anyone on the fleet side of the company has anything to say, they can tell it to dispatch. As far as I know, drivers cannot refuse loads unless they cannot run them legally due to HOS.

I hope the shop was at least able to fix your cruise control. I can't imagine running coast to coast strictly on the pedal....and at 69 in 75mph zones when I know 72 "should" be available. I would be ready to fight someone.

 

What I have learned in my time here regarding the need to bring your truck in every for a PM every 45k or 50k miles:

 

I'm with you on that ^^^. I've had mine in the shop no less than 5 times in the last 2 months for an antifreeze leak that they can't seem to find. Yesterday, I pulled up to refill my 2 bottles with antifreeze (I use A LOT since I have to refill my reservoir every day!) and the new mechanic (guy with the big beard-he said his name, but I'm horrible with names!) found that it is leaking under my right side box. Just by taking the time to actually look at it. He did not; however, have time to fix it and I didn't either. So, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing until it either quits or I can get it into the shop. And it's also got the same code it's been throwing plus a new one I've not seen before. But, hey, if the shop doesn't care, why should I?

 

First time I hit the PM mileage in my truck, I dutifully called my fleet manager and let him know. "Hey, I need to bring this in for a PM. Do I just...tell you guys that and you'll route me back to the yard?"

The short version of the answer I got in response is: "No."

If the PM is due at 530,000 miles and you don't get it in until 540,000 miles, nobody seems to really care.

And it's not like that 530,000 mile mark is some magic number beyond which you are DRIVING ON BORROWED TIME BEFORE THE WHOLE THING FALLS APART OMG. Which is why nobody seems to really care.

And hey, it's their truck and their money. If they're content with it being out 10k miles beyond a PM, then so am I.

If the mileage is in the ballpark when I'm back at the yard or if I'm beyond the suggested mileage, I just put it in for a PM when I'm there AND THEN let them know "Hey, I just put the truck in for a PM. Seeya tomorrow."

 

My philosophy is kinda like yalls, ill keep tryin as loads allow.

These things were a BIG deal at the last place i worked with monthly inspections etc.