Calex Express....My New Home!

No, it's a load of shrink wrap from AEP. Glad everything is working out for you.

 

Boy do I dislike this job sometimes. After getting unloaded at 11:30 yesterday morning for a 6am appointment in Orlando, I had to deadhead 415 miles to do my drop and hook in Griffin Ga. After driving through all sorts of heavy rain the whole trip I finally arrived at the shipper and find no loaded trailer and shipping closed. Usually all we do is hook to the loaded trailer at the dock, get our paperwork out of the back of the trailer, then leave. This time as I pulled up to the loading dock I noticed there weren't any of our trailers at the dock. All that was there was 4 empty trailers of ours. I called into the dispatcher on call to let them know about the missing load and waited to hear him say to stay there and call in the morning.

I bobtailed to the T/A in Jackson GA, took a shower then watched a movie as I fell off to sleep. I must have been tired because I remember seeing 9:30 pm on my clock then waking up at 6am. Louie called me at 7am to tell me that they made a mistake and inputted the wrong p/u date in the computer. The load loads today. I have been to this shipper enough to know that if you aren't there they will eventually load the trailer before 6pm. If you show up and wait in the lounge they get tired of looking at you and load the trailer asap to get you out of there. So now I'm heading over there to get my load. Gotta love this job sometimes.......

Update........How's this for a phone conversation, Me, "Hello shipping, this is John with Calex, I am suppose to pick up a load going to Scotia NY today. I am down the street at the truckstop and was wondering when the load would be ready." Shipping, "What's your load number?" Me, "xxxxxxxxx." Shipping, "Just one moment please." Shipping, "I can't really say when it will be ready, I don't know."

Not that I think I know everything, but come on, you work in the "Shipping Department" and you don't know. I bit my tongue and said I'll be there after lunch. I'm just curious, if you don't know, what makes you think I know? I could go on forever with my thoughts about this but I'll just let it go and deal with other more pressing issues, like who else will be signing with the Miami Heat.

 

Well I have time to take a breath and catch up on my travels. I finally was able to pick up my loaded trailer at Griffin Ga Tuesday around 3pm. I left the shipper and beat the rush hour traffic in Atlanta. I got to my fuel stop in Commerce GA, fueled, scaled the truck, and ate dinner.

I made it to Roanoke VA around 2AM and luckily found a parking spot in the rat hole.....sorry, I meant T/A. After getting parked I got out and walked around a little to stretch out my muscles. I finally fell asleep around 3am and woke up about 10am, showered and left. I got up to Scotia NY last night, parked at the consignee and went to bed around 10pm. I woke up this morning at 6am and went inside to check in for my 7am delivery appointment.

After getting my door assignment I had to drop my trailer and bobtail back to the receivers office and hire a lumper to unload my trailer. Calex pays for all lumpers, and even though I have to find one and go through the process of calling in to get a comcheck it really isn't a problem. I was unloaded in an hour and called in to ask Louie if he wanted me to come back to the yard empty or if he had a load for me to pickup. He told me that Billy the local dispatcher had a load for me to pick up.

I had to deadhead up to a little town north of Albany called Fort Edward to pick up a loaded trailer of Kleenex that delivers in Pottsville Pa after midnight tonight. So right now I'm at the T/A in Binghamton NY taking my 10 hour break. This is the receiver that I think is the best grocery warehouse in the country to deliver to. I'll have to drop this trailer, hook to an empty, bring the empty to Mountaintop, drop it, then bobtail the 15 miles to the terminal, all this before 4am. then take another 10 hour break and go get my load to Florida.

The last 2 months have been a steady diet of 3000+ miles per week. This week will be just shy of 3400. I wrote on another thread that with my home time and the miles I get per week, this has been just right for me since I started here last August 4th. Speaking of which, I will be writing a one year review about my overall impression in regards to my one year at Calex. I'll be doing this AFTER my one year anniversary.

 

They would keep you where you want to run. If it's the northeast you tell them and that's where you will run. The reefers are for the west coast trucks, we haul dry freight out and produce back to the same 2 customers, in PA. Our set up is on an out and back system. I live in Florida and for the most part I'm home every weekend, unless I ask to go to California, then it's 2 1/2 weeks. I was in safety today and they need a driver for the northeast. From what I was told all the trucks are filled so they are only hiring for a specific need. Right now it's northeast regional.

 

I have been following your post's and it all boils down to this, your attitude dictates your response to issues in this business. You seem to have a good attitude and it shows in your work. I'm glad you have adjusted well to this. As far as 22nd street delivery, I'm sure you will remember that delivery for a real long time. Try doing LTL fish deliveries with a 48ft spread axle trailer with a 280" wheelbase Pete. During the 90's I use to go into the city with 15-20 drops, starting in Chinatown/Fulton Fish Market in Manhattan and finish up in Brooklyn, and be done with all the drops in 2 days. I must say, I was quite rattled by the end of the day. I couldn't wait to go back across Wyoming on I-80 in January.

 

I'm on my way back up to Griffin GA for a drop and hook tonight. I have 2 drops , one in Fairborn OH and the other in Mountaintop PA. I loaded Saturday in PA with a load that I delivered this morning in Orlando. My hometime this week consisted of 6 hours, just long enough to do my laundry, restock my fridge and pat the wife on the back. Not really happy about it but at least I had the opportunity to pat the wife on the back. Louie told me Friday that he would be sending me out west this week. So that's it for now. Be safe all, God Bless.