Millis OTR journal

Well dern it. I got dispatched about 0600 this morning,,,,,, just as I started a load of laundry. Hahaha.

I was on the fence too but over by the driveway.

 

Rand-McNally TND-740. Yeah I'm not too impressed.

Tis what I was thinking as well.

 

Ok Ive got something to run by the masses here and get some opinions and thoughts. Here it goes

Go to a customer to drop and hook. When you get to the customer you drop the trailer and during post trip walk around you notice the trailer tire has a small cut in it that is pis sing air but its staying inflated. Send in a macro 39 to the shop to inform them we are dropping a trailer that has a leak. The response back is you must get the tire fixed before dropping it. Take it to this tire shop 10miles away and get it fixed. The trailer is 50miles from the main terminal that has full service tire shop and roadside crew, but Im being told I need to take it 10miles to an outside shop and have them fix it, and then bring 10miles back to drop.

I want some opinions from everybody on if taking it to that outside shop instead of having your own mechanics drive 50miles and fix it makes sense to anyone? Because I have a hard time believing that shop is cheaper than 100miles and hourly pay of our own mechanics....maybe I'm wrong and thats why Im asking cuz I wasnt very happy about it and voiced my opinion quite clear. This is the exact reason why people leave broken stuff for others because they know its going to bite them in the ### when there are other options to get things fixed and keep the driver rolling where everyone is happy.

Im all ears and dont be afraid to tell me I'm wrong and the head of the shop is right.

 

It had supers. But it was getting dropped at a customer with several other trailers. So worst case is it goes flat before the shop gets there but its nit going to be a blowout and damage rim just sitting there going flat. The roadside in my opinion should've came from our shop in BRF 50 miles away instead of me driving it 10 miles to an outside shop

 

Honestly, I would have said what they said.

Yes, it screws up your day, and yes, I would have not been happy about it if it were me that had to deal with it.

All I can tell you from the view of someone that owned a business for 18 years (not trucking or related to) is there are situations when money wasted is money saved, at least in the long term.

Option A) They have you drag it 10 miles down the road, playing the odds from you having told them it is a small cut/leak rolling the dice it won't blow out on the way, fork out more money to Loves or T/A or whoever, get the thing fixed then they would have to pay their own guy and then have you drag it back 10 miles and drop it again. Problem solved. If they find something else wrong (underlying issue) then BRF has to re access and make another decision at that time with the new information.

Option B) You leave it, BRF sends a mechanic 50 miles to fix it, knowing only what you have told them is wrong with it (I am NOT implying you don't know what the hell you are talking about when you talked to them about it here), he gets there, he runs into issues for some (any) reason that he is not prepared to deal with because it was unexpected and he doesn't have the proper tool or finds a second issue while trying to fix the first. Now he has to go back to BRF to get what he needs then another 100 mile round trip to finish repairs, so a 3 hour job has just turned into 7-8. Plus, from the business stand point you need to add into the equation the work already at the shop that man is suppose to be doing that is not getting done because he was just sent to take care of something that could have been fixed 10 miles from where you are, even if THAT fix costs a premium.

 

Ok so I'm 0 for 2 so far lol. Not afraid to admit when I'm wrong but I'll wait for a few more opinions still lol

 

From a driver's perspective I'm with you. But from a business perspective, the other guys have some good points. Sometimes we grunts out in the field have to take one for the team.