Beep Beep Roadrunner

Yes I understand that but I have had a couple try to just tell me the rate from this city to that city -- no miles til I asked. I need to know the miles to divide into the revenue and multiply by my percentage to come up with a per mile number that is above my break even point. Going a step further I want the load revenue to meet a minimum daily dollar number as well.

If they said the load from SEattle to DAllas pays $1000 how would you know if that is a good deal without knowing the miles the broker is willing to pay?

 

Alright, got laoded in Charlotte NC and deliver to Kent WA. Takea walk around the block to get coffee, the barista was wearing a bra and sheer panties yum, coffee that is and Brazilian if you know what I mean lol. Anyway, come back and another hole in the roof of the trailer. Unloader says, 'probably was already there'. Smells like marijuana around here. Put a call in to Charlotte, left a message. Anticipating getting the I didn't do it runaround like last time. It's OK I know exactly where to take the trailer today down in Sumner to get it patched up for about $150 bucks.

 

OK so where we last left off was in Sumner WA getting the trailer roof repaired. Got a call from the planner looking to load me to SLC and final in Dallas metroplex. Got loaded Tuesday morning, unload in SLC Wednesday and will be in Dallas Friday lunchtime.

Not one word back from anyone regarding the hole in the roof. I suppose I could have pushed the issue but would probably still be up there 3 days later waiting for authorization. Sometimes better to just take the cash from the gambling budget.

Meanwhile this happened today- I was going 64 cruise control in a 65 zone and this guy was in a big hurry.

 

Made delivery in Dallas, dropped trailer at terminal and bobtailed to transflo the paper Looks like sitting all weekend, no one is answering phones.

Last summer I bought about 30 feet of 3/16ths stainless steel wire rope with an idea to hang my chains off the trailer and get them out of the side boxes. Recently was at another terminal with another driver who couldn't get his truck started. Evidently TA had installed his new batteries and tightened them so tight they pulled the threaded studs out of 2 batteries. Anyway, he asked me to pull start him, and we did but it broke his chain. I remembered my 3/16 wire rope and wrapped it about 4 times around my rear crossmember and his front bumper and got him pull started. Created some kinks in the wire rope so today finally got around to fabbing up some chain hangers.

 

Spent the weekend in Dallas at the J. Was originally parked down below in the Idle Aire area thinking I could protect my hood better by nosing in only parking but the IA guy came around and told me I had to use IA to park down there. Fine, I moved up top and found a good spot and was backed up about 5 feet behind/next to my neighbor who must have gone home for the weekend. I see IA has a special going on $50 bucks for 40 hours-- I sat there from Friday night til Monday afternoon and spent $36 bucks on gasoline for my little generator which runs all my hotel load including airconditioner.

Getting loaded for Salt Lake City tonite- expecting real cheap freight out of ther for my next broker load, may just deadhead 700 miles home from there and start over at the Livermore terminal.

 

Well as has happened a couple different times this year at other terminals, also happened at Dallas the other night. Was told I would be loaded that night, got up to go check on status and trailer was only 1/3rd full and they told me they expected to fill the following night. So in other words sat an additional 24 hours on a 1400 mile run which was all the miles I could get in for the pay period.

Truck has been sporadically showing low to zero oil pressure since I got it out of the shop in Detroit last month. In fact just driving it out of the shop lot the red stop engine light came on and the truck shut off. I knew if I re-submitted the truck to the shop it would be 3 days before they could look at it so took a chance and just ran with it like that because we have been through this before a couple years back. Ran my various loads around with check engine light, occasionally the pressure would go up to 20psi and the light would go off thenthe red stop engine light would come on and then it was an excercize in bracing for the inevitable shutdown at freeway speed/ hitting the 4ways and guiding it to the shoulder. Wait a few minutes and crank it back up and get back up to speed.

Anyway, got unloaded in SLC and put truck in shop Friday for check and advise. Was promised to be in shop that night but since I was up since midnight, I told them I'm going to the hotel, dead tired. Come back Saturday morning and the truck had not moved. Shop manager let me leave, no charge since he said Monday to get it in at the earliest. So I limped it westward toward home in California but the same crap happened again around Sparks NV so just waited til this AM (Monday) and went to the Cummins shop-- I was right, just a sensor $360 bucks.

Dropped my trailer on their lot but two guys parked their TT's in such a way I can't get to it, shop guys say they come in at 0300 local time so I will sneak over and get it then.

 

Alright, so i posted some of the problems and travails I've been having over on another Roadrunner thread. Did a quick 700 some mile run from Reno NV to Seattle WA area and waited 3.5 days for a reload out of the Sumner WA terminal going to Omaha NE 1st stop and final in Kansas City MO. These are agent terminals so they don't normally reload RR drivers. They did have a pool trailer I could have taken to St Louis MO if I were on the pool plan but I'm not. So I deadheaded to St Louis. Normally most terminals want your trailer in there by 1600 for a reload that night. They had called me asking what time I'd get there, I replied 2000 and you kinda got the feeling they were really disappointed.

I can't prove it but I believe they loaded another trailer and sent another driver with the load to Los Angeles because later that night around minight they called and said there was not enough freight to load so another day of sitting around. Got loaded and got caught up in the 4th of July weekend so that added another day and a half to the load as well. Got reloaded and went right back to St Louis now and told them yesterday I'm looking for a load. Do my ten hour break and no calls from these guys all day. Call them early afternoon they said all the loads are dispatched out already maybe tomorrow night.

Got an email from corporate telling us not to bobtail to another terminal to get a load because it screws up the trailer balance amongst the terminals.