From School to Superior Carriers

6/6-6/9

Been a good run out to California so far. I decided to run I-40 for a change of scenery. The last couple of times I have done this run I took the southerly route. The trip has been uneventful but that's a good thing.

I am closer to my delivery point than ever before on these runs. Right now i am at the TA in Barstow. Its about 67 miles away from the customer. I have already logged 42.25 hours the last 4 days. They will probably route me to Houston after delivery. I have needed 3 10 hours breaks to get there in the past mainly because I kept running out of hours on my 70. I don't know if starting my delivery day closer will make a difference.

I am starting to get used to this truck and like it much better than my old freightliner. It is insulated so much better that I have been able to sleep without idling all but one night on this trip. My old truck would get so hot from residual engine heat after I shut it off that I would end up too hot to get to sleep and start it back up. Its much quieter with the jake brakes running as well.

 

6/10

Good day today. I got to the customer and it was an easy pull through that only needed 1 3 inch hose. They allowed me to blow the air off the tank through the hose so it only took about an hour and a half to unload. Record time for me with a snot load.

I had fueled before leaving the truck stop this AM assuming I would be routed to Pasadena Tx like every other time I have been out west. Log Ops had another idea.

I was tankwashed to downtown LA with a note to get the tank cleaned and stay with it. I called and found out I was spotting my cleaned tank at Ashland Chemical in LA to be loaded for me to pull to Thomasville Ga.

I got it spotted and am now in a hotel getting a 34 hour reset in. My load will be ready Friday at 13:00.

I will make 16 hours of layover pay on the front end and probably some more on the back end depending on how soon I can get it to Ga. Delivers 08:00 6/17 so if I get it there in 4 days I should be able to pick up at least another 8 hours or so. Its about 2300 miles.

 

6/12-6/15

Been running pretty hard. Logged 8.25, 11, 12.25, 10 the last 4 days. Tank was waiting for me ready to go from LA. I took 10 hour breaks pretty much to the minute and am now sitting 97 miles from the customer. Had to stop by Pasadena Tx to pick up more hoses and get my pump washed out. Its a truck pump unload needing 60 feet of 2 inch hose from discharge. Got my delivery appointment moved up 24 hours so no layover on the back end this trip.

They will either load me with something short or tank wash me for home since I have been out so long. I am going to get a little short of hours if they want me to do too much. This has been back to back 3000 + mile weeks. Never done that before.

 

6/16-6/18

Got to the customer right on time at 8:00 AM. This was a pump unload. Getting to the unloading spot was a little tight. It required backing through the car parking lot for about 75 yards between 2 rows of cars. Pretty much straight line but I always get nervous backing around peoples cars.

The tank was 60 feet up a slight hill. The people at the plant were great. I had a crew of about 3-4 guys to help haul hoses around. Seeing as it was already 90 degrees at 8:00 AM with ridiculous I enjoyed all the help I could get. It took 2 sections of 3 inch hose to go from the tank to the pump, then 3 sections of 2 inch hose to the customers valve. It was a poor design with the hose connecting straight up 6 feet off the ground held only by the female connector.

Got everything connected, tank vented pump running then opened up the valve. Sure enough they had a leak at the customers tank connection. Shut it all down and replaced the 2 inch rubber gasket at the customers valve and all was good. Fortunately I carry extra gaskets since they had none. I gave them a couple of extra to keep on hand.

It is real nice to have a pump that doesn't leak. I am also learning how to do pump loads a lot better. We never did one while I was with my trainer and there are a few tricks to getting the product walked out of the hoses. You have to allow air to get into the hose bringing product to the pump. I opened the blow down valve on my fitting after shutting the internal tank valve and was able to get almost all of the product out of the 3 inch hoses. I figured this out watching a customer unload. He didn't use a blow down fitting but unhooked the end of the hose from the tank. I like my method better since any back flow would run into the bucket under the blow down valve.

Got unloaded in 1.75 hours and my helpers even loaded my capped hoses on the trailer for me as I unhooked and capped them.

I had a tankwash message for home before I had time to look up the phone number after sending in my deliver shipment message. Only bad thing was even though I was 560 miles from home I wouldn't be able to make it legally until Wed due the 100 miles US highway I had to drive between I-10 and I-75.

I stopped at the Loves and took a shower. When I got back to the truck I had a new tank wash message for N Charleston. I called my dispatcher to see what was up. He said they had me a load going back to Louisiana. I was OK with it but ready to come home as well especially since I had driven out of route already for going to Charleston. He told me just to come on home and that he would rather use me out of our terminal next week. I am sure had I wanted to stay out that I could have.

Made it home Wed by noon, got my pump washed out and am ready to go again next week. Probably go out again Sunday or Monday.

 

I like it better now that I am used to it. Power and mileage is a little better. It is much quieter at idle and feels more solid overall. Only complaint between the two is it does a lot more snorting and spitting than the pre erg freightliner did.

6/21

Got another one of those Holland dedicated loads that delivers Monday at 16:00. I like them when they are waiting on our yard for me and aren't subject to the 24 hour delivery window from when you get it. I will leave after church Sunday, turn this one and sleep in my bed Tuesday night with 1500 miles under my belt. Good start to the week especially if I get another dedicated run in this week.

 

6/22-6/23

It was a good plan but Sherwin Williams had another idea. I drove 520 miles Sunday, shut down and felt sure that I would be able to turn this one back to a point close enough to get home today. Monday I drove 4 hours and arrived right on my appointment time at 16:00.

When I got to the plant there were 4 trucks inside the gate all waiting to unload in the same 2 spots. It wasn't my spot and I was still feeling pretty good about my schedule when they let me in and I got backed under the rack 30 minutes after my appointment.

I headed into the sleeper and watched a movie. 2 hours later and they started unloading me while 3 other trucks arrived. I watched another movie figuring I was still good provided they got me out in 4 hours. 2 more trucks show up and 2 leave. 4 hours later they start unloading my second of 3 tanks and I realized I wasn't getting home legally without a 3rd 10 hour break. They finally finished around 2:30 AM and all the other trucks were gone.

I filled out my log and realized I had logged a 10 hour break in the sleeper. I hadn't slept much though so I headed the truck stop where we weigh and sacked out. Headed out at 7:15 AM after about 4 hours and drove until my 14 was up at 4:30 this afternoon.

Funny thing as I was leaving I ran into my trainer. He was pulling the same load, had gotten to the plant after I left and was already unloaded. Oh well at least I got paid for 8.75 hours of watching movies. Glad I rented some before I left home.

I plan to head out before the sun comes up and get back about the time the terminal opens in the morning.