An old man's career goes flat, Snackbar moves to open deck

Dispatch didn't have anything until after noon yesterday, then it was reload at 17:30 on the south side of San Antonio, which was an hour before my 14 was up. When I asked about overnight parking the answer was 'not sure, but it's a big complex'. I get there and once again we don't have the correct load info(Wylie load number this time), and it was a broker load, and nobody informed me of the broker's name...which you need both to check in. Finally got in and I find out...no overnight parking allowed...so, my desk driving dispatcher, who has less than a decade of driving experience, proceeded to try to coach me on HOS and the use of PC...silly guy...it's so cute when office people think 'they' know more than their experienced drivers. I proceed to remind him (in a professional way) that I probably have BVD's with more seat time behind the wheel than he does, and I know how to take advantage of what the DOT allows. I ended up picking up 22 air conditioning units (5 delivery stops) all in AZ. The problems are...I am pulling a step deck, and some of the deliveries have an odd number of units being delivered, so the odd unit has to be a single stacked unit. The double stack units are shrink wrapped together, so it made it challenging to fit them on the trailer. 2nd, these units have to be strapped so that the strap is within 2" of the corner, and not all the units could be placed where I had access to a winch, and they're right almost to the edge, so in the back, over the wheel arch cutouts, I have ratchet binders uncomfortably close to the product. 3rd, every strap had to have plastic corner protectors. They didn't say we had to use only plastic before coming in, I only found out after I was secured and putting my ladder and winch bar away that the inspection guy told me that they had to be plastic....I used thick pieces of an old mud flap over the single units. At SPD, we're issued 20 of those little 4" corner protectors (that are $7 each at Pilot), I have 24...it needed 40. Fortunately they had a partial pallet of the bigger plastic ones. So, in the rain, I got all the units protected and secured to the shippers requirements and got back to the gate(my yard move and PC are working, but the engine has to be running. Before, you could change to PC or YM at any time, but now, engine has to be running and it makes you put in an annotated comment when you start AND when done) ...since I found out after arriving that we aren't allowed to stay overnight, I can legally use PC to return to a safe parking facility under a load, and worded it properly on my logs, then proceeded to the T/A east of town(when the shipper told me I wasn't allowed to stay, I reserved a parking spot while waiting to be loaded...SPD reimburses for paid parking, and they're the ones that put me in a situation where I needed it, so let them pay). I made it back to the T/A around midnight and went to bed. 1st stop is in Tuscon, then Glendale, Scottsdale and the rest in Phoenix and I have thru 2/3 to get all the stops delivered, so I am not in a huge hurry to drop my load. So I am hauling a 'cool' load, literally.

 

I don't like using them either, but, until the guy who does the inspection with his little scanner/camera wireless handheld clears you, they won't print your paperwork or let you out of the gate. So it's their way or no way. BTW this is a Carrier facility south of the 410 loop south of San Antonio if they ever send anyone that way.

My son does Carrier installations and service from time to time. He said they're a good unit, but a complicated system, and are sometimes a royal PITA to get a warranty claim processed and approved.

 

Not entirely sure why they wrap these a/c units with shrink wrap and then put them on an open trailer. I had to stop every 75-80 miles and remove streamers. Tucking wouldn't work, tape didn't hold...nothing. I have one top unit completely plastic free...and they put the stop number on labels, then stick it on the shrink wrap...so it looks like I will be verifying every unit's id number off the data plate to compare it to the b/l. Not sure I like hauling A/C units to be honest... The one positive is they don't allow you to tarp them. The only thing they want tarped is any cardboard boxes that has accessories.

 

Starting to wonder about SPD since the Wylie 'partnership'. Every load now, my dispatcher requests that I send him pictures of the b/l after I pick up, claiming it's the customer requesting it, then he asks for a picture of the signed b/l after I deliver(before I can scan them in with Transflow). And it's not because I am a slacker and delay sending in my paperwork. I always have it scanned in by the end of the day I deliver. Plus, on 2 loads, he wanted wide angle pictures of the load...if this keeps up, I might insist they provide me a company phone or update my Peoplenet to the removable tablet and allow me to send them via their network, and then the pics can clog up their equipments memory and data.

 

A Ford-Worth...I guess if the DOT regs say you can't use the back seat of a crew cab as a sleeper berth on the logbook, this guy is covered

 

He wants copies of the b/l after pick up, before delivery.

Why do we ALL have to send in pictures of signed b/l if we Transflow them in on time...prior to this month I never had to send in anything other than Transflow. The final driver forum video I watched Travis was still pushing to get some drivers to get their paperwork in sooner...why dick around making all drivers do extra crap when a handful aren't doing their job...I thought our drivers were supposed to be above average professionals that don't need to have their hands held, not just run of the mill seat warmers incapable of doing their job without adult supervision.

 

Flapping tarps will damage the thin sheet metal cases. They even insist on a twist in the straps on short single stacked units to keep strap flap from damaging them.