Back at Dart

Any interested parties check out my blog: volvoergosum.weebly.com

 

Well, got behind the 8-ball thanks to a nasty backup on I80 in OH this morning, and Chicago rush hour traffic this evening...looks like I could lose a preplan and have to hand off this load. I just don't have enough hrs to complete the load--it was tight to begin with (too tight, I thought). We'll see what they come up with tomorrow. Got word to planner that this is a 62mph truck, and please plan me at 50mph average...we'll see if it works. I love an aggressive planner but he's gotta know my limitations. 62mph governor plus e-logs = Not Able To Go 700+ Miles In A Day.

 

They've been on elogs for a little over a year now. They've recently went to PeopleNet Blu2 system, comparable to the QualComm OmniVision but with a much smaller screen and limited functionality. If you run pretty much legal, you'll actually pick up a few miles on elogs. If you're an outlaw, you'll lose a lot, because you can't cheat. I was pretty much a log as I do it kind of guy so the transition for me was quite simple. It's nice for me. Anyway with Dart it's mandatory now so no way around it.

 

Got to Green Bay and the trailer has a messed up mud flap on the driver's side. And the pins on the slider were stuck. Spent 15min getting tandems slid (grrr), called maintenance and they said they want to fix the mud flap but it is technically legal so call them when I get to TA so they don't have to pay after hours rates. Okay, no problem. Called in about HOS preventing the load from getting there tomorrow, got my planner, expected a ration of #####--he just said, "Hold on a sec...okay, you're good to go. Pushed out your appt til Monday. I'll find you something to get you home before you get to the receiver." I could get used to working for this guy. My dispatcher is on vacation til next weekend. Hoping whoever babysits me isn't a psycho hose beast.

 

Gonna be in Ochaleta OK ('round 35mi north of Tulsa) Mon around noon. Not sure right now how far it is from there to Hickory NC...knowing my planner if I can get another load in before Thurs (my scheduled time home) he'll put it on me. Bring it on. After I get my 34 in I'll be able to use my hours properly and get a 34 in every week...no more of this picking up 5hrs stuff. Throws me off; I'm out here to drive not sit around. So so so so so so glad I have a dispatcher and planner who understand that now. I'll get a break once a week and enjoy my time off when I get home.

 

She might have been talking about the fleet you're going to; I've only run on Target Dedicated and Collaborative Dedicated fleets and don't know what any of the other fleets are doing. Then again she could just be wrong; she's as human as the next person (I hope).

 

You pretty much get what's available if you don't get involved in the process. If you tell your recruiter you want a new truck, he/she can find you a Volvo 630 at one of the operating centers. It may not be brand new (mine had 24K miles on it when I got it) but you won't have to deal with the maintenance nightmares I had to live through with my old Wells Fargo repo (07 Volvo that wouldn't run more than 10 days in a row). You likely won't have much choice as far as color but the trucks are spec'ed out with D11 or D13 motors (depending on if it's a 2012 or 2013), and iShift 12-speed automatics with the economy software package. If you have to shift for yourself you'll need to go with one of the older trucks. They're cheaper but most of them are less reliable. Again, communicate with your recruiter and they'll work with you. Most of the recruiters have all the spec's for the 630s at their desk. Older trucks are double bunk condos and include Volvo 660's, Freightliner Columbias, and International 9400's (the Internationals have the biggest sleepers). As with any lease company, if you get a used truck be sure to check it out thoroughly and document anything out of DOT. They WILL NOT fix anything that isn't a DOT requirement, so remember that. Belts showing on a tire, exhaust stack falling off, no problem. Tires have less tread than you'd like but DOT legal--it's all you. That's one of the reasons I requested a newer truck. No regrets. It's more expensive but I'm making much more money with this one than I did with my 07.