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

If I tried that they would be too out of breath laughing to get the words " Oh hell no" out.

 

Here at the Wilton Travel Plaza in Wilton, NY.

Delivered Gatorade to Mountain Top, PA yesterday. No empties on the lot, so sent a Qualcomm message indicating that I would be bobtailing to the nearest truck stop. Got a message back saying "Check all the lots."

I just drove around the whole building. WHAT lots?

Pulled up satellite view, and was reminded that there is a dirt lot about half a mile from Mountain Top where they put their overflow. I have pulled an empty out of here once, but that was a long time ago, and I had forgotten. So I drove over there.

Still no empties.

So they had me bobtail 4.5 hours to the Ace Distribution Center in Gansevoort, NY. The Wilton Travel Plaza is only a mile down the road, and I figured it would be much easier to find bobtail parking at the time I rolled in, so instead of hooking an empty last night and then parking, I parked for the night and then hooked an empty this morning. Dunno how long that trailer had been sitting there, but I had to sweep a bunch of thistle seeds out of the trailer.

So here I sit, well-fed with a good breakfast, waiting to see where they send me with this trailer.

 

If I would’ve tried that, there wouldn’t have been an empty there in the morning. I usually have terrible luck.

 

No empty there means plenty of bobtail miles (the best kind!) to go get one wherever. This company isn't afraid to shell out deadhead miles to get the job done.

Only last month I had a 900 mile bobtail trip to pick up a new trailer from Great Dane. I almost felt guilty when I got paid for that run.

Almost.

 

Here at the Pilot in Pine Grove, PA. No, not that one. The other Pilot in Pine Grove.

There are two PFJs here, directly across the street from each other. If I am any judge, neither one of them was ever a Pilot to start with. They both look like they were small mom-and-pop places that got bought by PFJ at some point in the past. Maybe JohnBoy knows what they used to be.

The small one with the tiny cramped parking lot doesn't have showers. The larger one with the big parking lot does. And I needed a shower, so I came to the big one.

They only got three showers, and since it's an old mom-and-pop place, they don't have 'em on the computer system like the more modern PFJs. They don't even have locks on the bathroom doors. They just have a dude who hangs out in the hallway and keeps people from wandering in randomly.

I've been here a few times, but only once before have I had a shower here. Last time I got a shower here, there was a dude in front of me trying to get a shower, but he didn't have any showers left on his PFJ Rewards card. When I hit the desk, I told 'em I needed a team shower. Cashier said "What's your team driver's name?" I said "I dunno. Ask him." and pointed at the dude who didn't have any showers left on his card.

Got in the truck stop tonight and there was one cashier and four people ahead of me. I got my shower, but they were full, so I had to wait. I was first in line for a shower.

By the time I finished my transaction with the cashier, there were 10 people in line and no help for the cashier in sight. So I stood around and waited for my shower. As the cashier whittled the line down, a big burly bald-headed dude tried to get a shower. And apparently my luck with this place continues because this dude didn't have any showers on his PFJ card either. He started to get a little agitated, so I stepped up and scanned my PFJ card and gave him a shower.

He didn't even say "thanks". What a douchebag.

Couple folks after him, ANOTHER dude -- some skinny Turkish kid in sweat pants and flip-flops and carrying his clothes and toiletries in a plastic grocery bag -- also tried and failed to get a shower because his PFJ card didn't have any more showers on it. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. So I scanned my card again.

THIS guy said "Thank you" in halting, heavily accented English.

After the line was completely gone, the cashier called me over and gave me two showers back on my card. So it didn't even cost me anything in the end.

 

Good 'ol Trish. That female is a piece of work w/attitude to boot!

 

Good things happen to good People!!!

Well done Extreme

 

Hey, it happens. I got a seven-stop ride out of Hill Phoenix to, iirc, Giant Eagle stores in the Minne-St.Paul area. Buncha waist-high square coolers with open tops like you see in the meat department. Turns out nobody knew corporate had ordered them and four flat out refused them. Harvey called me up and told me I'd be getting a new load assignment bringing them back to HP. No drop at Markham, no swap off somewhere in between, none of the other usual shenanigans, just get 'em back ASAP. I don't remember what the total miles ended up being, but I remember laughing about it the whole way back.

 

Do what is Hill- mPhoenix’s business model? Build them.
Ship them to random stores
Hope they sign for them then bill them

 

Great attitude and way of handling circumstances.