CRETE - A Year in Review

I"m in a somewhat similar situation to Ralph's.

My AM is still giving me all the miles I can legally do (stopped today with 4 mins left on my 70). I'll have about 2930 miles this week.

But the fighting about getting through or to the house for a major holiday is underway. I know we're not guaranteed T'Giving, only Christmas. But I still fight it every year because I think it's just wrong, pure and simple. So today, I get my "You've been out 15 days...." message. I'm trying to figure out if I can go through the house for Thanksgiving Day, and still go home the following weekend (11/30 thru 12/3) for my regular hometime. Didn't think it should be an issue, given the fact I've been out since October 30th.

I've been doing this long enough (as have we all) to understand we are pretty much slaves to the freight. Fine. I accept that....to a point. It's always been a sore spot with me, and I'm showing my keister a little over the QC. One of these days, I'll get a love message from Lincoln.

My last several full weeks (not including weeks with home time) have been 2930 (this week), 2737, 3127, 2700, and 2700. It's a helluvalot better than I was averaging for comparable weeks at Schneider, that's for sure. But the holidays are always a point of contention. But I must say that my AM has handled it with aplomb and care, although I'm sure she's cussed me out before sending me the last few messages.

BTW....chatting with another Crete driver yesterday....he said we were going to PeopleNet exclusively and doing away with the QC units. Anyone heard this?

 

Absolutely perfect example of the insanity. I actually don't want to go home and especially prefer to keep driving on major holidays (I have no family). But because of all their recent games, I told them I need maximum home time ASAP. I had totally forgotten that Thanksgiving is even coming up. So they come back with messages that they are routing me home with two plans back to back. That puts my home time smack dab in the middle of the holiday which I don't even celebrate. I ask to change asset managers and they say "no!" I ask for more miles and they say "no freight". Yet suddenly when they are in the process of retaliation and punishing me, they have no problem magically finding very specific freight and setting home time during a major holiday which I couldn't care less about. I know I sound ungrateful, but it's just so ridiculous.

 

Every company has certain things that cause drivers to just shake their head and wander off muttering incoherently to themselves. Crete has a few more than most, but I'm still making more here than anywhere I've ever worked.

I still don't understand it!

 

I believe Heartland Express is one of them...

 

I've been with Shaffer for more than 10 years now. Seen it when the company was much more driver friendly. It is not the same today as it was, but I have not encountered anything near what some of you are describing.
I have a good relationship with my Asset Manager and although I have times when miles are down, I get 2,500 or more most of the time. I tell them time and time again that 2,500 is what I want, and I get it most every week. (Unless I am off at home or have some breakdown or maintenance issue.)

 

Well I nearly fell over today. I got mt and then a preplan hit the qcom. Mechanicsburg, PA to near Tacoma, WA. Nearly 2800 miles; delivering Monday morning...early! So it's a nice four and a half days of driving hard. Sweeeeet!

 

I'm on my 4th load with Landstar, which will deliver 17 days after I picked up my first load and put me at
6500 miles, with a full weekend off in the mix (Friday afternoon to Monday morning, for Cretins who have been there too long to remember what a weekend is hehe). Average revenue per hub mile is up about 20 cents above what I got at Crete. I'm on a run from Grants Pass, OR to Monroe, GA. Nitenite from Winnemucca, NV

 

48... About the Peoplenet/qualcomm rumor. I had heard last year that we were going all Peoplenet, but....not ditching the q/comm units. The little Mcp200(slide out keyboard) units are in the $7000 range, and probably don't have much of a trade in or used sales market so I don't think Crete would just abandon that much of an investment. If anything, they'd just move to the Peoplenet with new trucks. But now I hear rumors the other way, that there are so many issues w/Peoplenet, the glitches the q/comm units are having pale in comparison...so honestly, who really knows other than the suits up in High Command.

 

I finally got out of Oswego. 17 hours. My morning started w/op's telling me that I was in the wrong place. I was suppose to be at the warehouse, not the plant. When I asked where the warehouse was, they send me the same directions as I pulled up that lead me to where I was sitting. After a back and forth, I suggested that maybe...just maybe they needed us to weigh out before and after unloading and that would be the reason we were directed to the plant 1st...the other Crete was being told by his A/M to leave the plant and go to the warehouse immediately...but before he did that I was called to the scale and wouldn't you know it...I was right. Scale loaded, given directions to the warehouse(plus another piece of paper the warehouse needed before they'd unload) get unloaded, then return to the plant to weigh out empty....guess I'm not a ignorant as op's thinks I am...and I let them know about it! After that, I hussled over to Lockport, NY (north of Buffalo) to pick up a 2 stopper to Omaha. We didn't have directions, but google maps found them and I felt confident enough to trust it, so I didn't call ahead I just headed in. This kind of shipper is why I still hang around trucking. The kind of customer that makes you feel appreciated. The boss was relieved to see me get there as early as I did. He was going to have to stay until I was loaded, and since no one called for directions, he was worried he was going to have a late night....under 30 minutes I was loaded, w/bills in hand and out of there with a very happy customer. So off to Omaha by Friday noon. This will put me just under 2900 w/an extra stop...and maybe detention time...I actually filled out one for the 1st time all year for that stay over in NY.

 

Landstar is strictly owner/op correct??