Calex Express....My New Home!

Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by JohnBoy, Aug 9, 2009.

  1. rhino514

    rhino514 Light Load Member

    243
    76
    Aug 21, 2008
    Hop Bottom , Pa.
    0
    sure blame it on the electrical gadget..... short weekend only getting my 34 and then back out... only happened about 3 times in 2 years so cant really complain...
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. JohnBoy

    JohnBoy Road Train Member

    9,652
    24,343
    Apr 24, 2009
    Lake Worth, FL.
    0
    Not me. Lettuce cancelled, home till Monday.
     
  4. Voyager1968

    Voyager1968 Road Train Member

    2,346
    2,695
    Sep 11, 2008
    Phoenix, AZ
    0
    Well, here is how my first week back at Calex went. I'm going to say this right up front. Nothing that happened is neither Calex's nor my dispatchers fault, and in fact he had been nothing but supportive through the whole ordeal.

    It all started on Monday with my truck assignment after doing orientation. Due to the fact that it was very cold (5 degrees outside) the truck wouldn't start. I figure this was due to the fact that it had probably been sitting for awhile waiting for a new driver. Once that was taken care of it was off to one of our customers to pick up a pre-loaded trailer that delivered the following morning in New Jersey. Went home for the night and then headed off to New Jersey to deliver. It was a 9:00 AM appointment, and I rolled in about 7:30 AM. They unloaded me right away, and I was off to my pick up making good time. That's where things unraveled.

    I sat for 6 and half hours waiting to get re-loaded. The load was supposed to go to Minersville, PA that night, but due to running low on hours and the bad weather and heavy rush hour traffic in New Jersey, I had to shut down short of my destination. Now that load picked up much later than it should have which meant I had to start my clock much earlier the next day to get it to Easton, MD. That delivery was a drop and hook. The empty trailer I picked up had a flat tire, so it was off to McCarthy tire for a repair. Along the way my trailer air supply line developed a leak. Luckily, the guy at McCarthy took care of that as well, but now I was behind again.

    The next load was to pick-up that night in Plains going to Salisbury, MD, but I ran out of hours short of my destination...again. So that load picked up in the morning instead of the night before, and the delivery time had to be adjusted. I had to start the clock really early again, but was making good time...until I got to Salisbury. At the MD scales, I got pulled for an inspection. Of course that ate up another 45 minutes of my clock. I called the customer and explained what was going on, as I would have been about a half hour early for my adjusted appointment. They were cool with it and thanked me for keeping them informed. Delivered that one and was off to Baltimore for a pick-up going to Rochester, NY.

    This one was a broker load that another carrier had dropped the ball on, so I was going to be late for the original pick-up appointment (not mine nor Calex's fault). Anyway, I got loaded but had to wait...again, for them to cut the paperwork. This left me with about an hour and half to get to what I hoped would be Harrisburg for the night. Didn't think that would be doable since it was already rush hour in Baltimore and there would be a good chance of sitting in traffic somewhere on the 695. Since there isn't any real truck stops along I-83, I decided that since I hadn't yet had time for a shower, I would shut down at the Baltimore T/A so I could get one. Of course that made for an early start of the clock again.

    I made it to Rochester on-time, delivered, and had to go to Silver Springs, NY for my re-load. What should have been about a 2 hour deal turned into 4, and I ended up making it to the T/A in Dansville with one minute left on the clock. Much to close for my comfort. From there my trip to Taylor was uneventful. I delivered it early and am home until Monday morning.

    All I can say is that it was one very stressful week, and I hope that next week runs more smoothly. Running on the local board is way different than regional though. I've found that it's very difficult to do any kind of trip planning and you pretty much have to fly "by the seat of your pants". That I'm not crazy about. That being said, I'm very happy to be back in the Calex family, but if I find that, over time, the local fleet is just too stressful for me, I may ask if I can go back on the regional board.
     
    JohnBoy Thanks this.
  5. pete1

    pete1 Heavy Load Member

    Alright so what's the deal with this place because I'm not gonna read 400 pages to find out. Like pay, insurance etc. I like the idea of a small company where people don't go anywhere and I'm not really looking,but I'm always looking...... Any info will be greatly appreciated.
     
  6. JoeyJunk

    JoeyJunk Road Train Member

    8,698
    67,111
    Dec 31, 2010
    Washington, PA
    0
    You want to know, but will not read. Your not looking, but always looking. :biggrin_2559: Reading all the pages will help immensley. Just having somebody tell you what a recruiter would is useless. This is one of the best threads to read if you want real truth from real drivers.
     
    UTI TRANSPORT and JohnBoy Thank this.
  7. pete1

    pete1 Heavy Load Member

    Gee, thanks.....
     
  8. Trashtrucker1265

    Trashtrucker1265 Road Train Member

    1,310
    944
    Dec 14, 2009
    Inverness, Fl
    0
    JohnBoy is publishing a Calex Cliff Notes edition for guys who want ANSWERS NOW! I think he told us that was his plan on his recent 11 night cruise through the Riviera, might have been the Caribbean who knows:)
     
    Metallica88 and JohnBoy Thank this.
  9. pete1

    pete1 Heavy Load Member

    Lettuce And payroll issues on a dedicated run. That's all I've gotten so far......reading backwards as info from 2009 doesn't seem relevant. Back to lettuce....
     
  10. JoeyJunk

    JoeyJunk Road Train Member

    8,698
    67,111
    Dec 31, 2010
    Washington, PA
    0
    It is relevant if you read the ENTIRE thread......trust me. If your not willing to search for the answers you seek, don't be upset by the answers you get.
     
    JohnBoy, pete1 and Voyager1968 Thank this.
  11. charlene2000

    charlene2000 Bobtail Member

    28
    14
    Feb 20, 2013
    0
    Who said the internet does not lie...sure was not me...will do allot more research on this.. So then will hold on going to work for this company..ty
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.