CRETE - A Year in Review

Sounds like you did get ripped off. What did the sign show? I just had two last night for $5.00 with rewards card. I get mad when they pull that crap. Like the person running the register didn't know better. I know it may just be a buck or two but the whole thing just burns my butt! Think I'd be getting a free drink out of the deal. Not like that'll break them. Good luck with it!

 

OH I forgot that part...there is no sign! The mgr here in Ardmore says she thinks she will speak with the general mgr about maybe getting a sign

 

I was using my fuel card and robotically going through all those menu items. One of the last ones is something about "Do you want to make any additional purchases". I accidentally pressed 'yes' this time. I think that leaves the account open for the cashier. So now I have to call Comdata (?) and find out if there were any bogus charges.

 

I think it depends on whether your company has it set up to allow that, mine does not. I could be wrong though. I did used to work for the company that sold Comdata the software they use to process all their transactions though. Would you believe it runs in Access 97 with an SQL backend?

 

Not surprised. Software changes so rapidly that the DOT companies cannot possibly keep up. Unless it is DOT driven they will not upgrade. If it is functional, albiet slow, deficient and inaccurate....pity the driver.

 

I'm back. Still not 100%. It is just a cold, it must have been just the cold making me more sensitive to the exhaust smell.

I did get my truck fixed. Wrote up Tuesday at 1730, left Marietta Saturday at 1230. New EGR, new EGR cooler. Oil changed...these trucks have an oil centrifuge under the passenger side of the radiator...that leak at the fitting. Coolant leaks fixed. Windows now close without squeaking so loud they blow your ear drums. Every thing fixed, even an alignment that I wasn't needing...but now I loose all air pressure during a 10 hour break, and a minor shimmy in the steering wheel...arrrrrrghhhh!!!!

Once I left Marietta, I headed to Rome to pick up a load to Social Circle. I get to the Sara Lee/Hillshire. My load was cancelled due to lack of product, but no one in Lincoln got the message from the customer. An hour after I message Lincoln, a load out of the Kelloggs in Atlanta that picks up Sunday delivering to Port Orange, FL for Monday. Which would be acceptable. I wanted to be home for my grandson's 1st birthday party Sunday afternoon. I get to the shipper and the load is not ready. 6 hours after my appointment, it's finally ready, but now I miss the party. Monday I get to the receiver...6 hours later, I'm empty, but there's overage and shortages. After going through 7 pages of paperwork, all issues are written down and signed for...except the 45 cases of refused freight that they wrote down as short...back into the office to wait in line again to have that fixed. Then a call to OSD. Then I wait for them because they were going to ship the refused freight via UPS back to the warehouse. I'm not sure why, they refused them because they were pop-tarts that were over their 'best by' date. By the time OSD gets me the address, I notice that my prepaid phone is almost out of minutes...and they don't have directions to the UPS terminal, only an address and a phone number. Deland wasn't too far out of route, so I headed there to use their phone...that way Crete can pay the long distance to Ocoee, FL. Once I had directions, I start to leave...and wouldn't have enough time to fight rush hour traffic through Orlando. So, when I was suppose to be home Saturday, I ended up getting home Tuesday. And like it or not, I am staying home until after Easter Sunday. 6 days off...if they don't like it, come get it.

As far as Deland closing, I have only heard rumors...even Deland doesn't know(or won't let on that they know). I hope they don't...if they do, that means that I most likely be moved to the Marietta terminal, which would suck. When I decide to leave, it'll be 700 miles round trip for me to turn in my truck now instead of 250...

I saw one of the new Prostars with the top sleeper window. These must be the last of the last orders they made before International had to stop making the current rendition of Maxxfarce. They were just the same inside as what we've been getting all along, including the Maxxfarce 13L engine. It just has an extra window on either side of the sleeper. I guess the upper bunk resident musta been getting cabin fever.

 

The better news, my phone is being replaced...but not by another Thunderbolt. They are sending me an Incredible 4g LTE. So, with a little luck, I will be back on a more regular basis...at least until I go through another Verizon phone.

 

This is the second Crete I've seen on video from this storm. The other one had the front drive axle kinda sitting at a 45 degree angle. Anyone we know?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qPj1Ea9MDYU

 

Wow, scary stuff. I was just about to make a post about how I caught dispatch lying to me today. But that pile up makes me feel like an idiot for whining.

i guess that was near Johnson's Corner where I usually stop when I'm over there.

 

I saw a glimpse of a Crete truck when I was in the truck stop the other day on the weather channel...but it was one of those tease spots and I didn't have time to stay and endure all the commercials in between. When they showed it, all I saw was a Crete trailer and the smoke in the air...it wasn't on long enough to show that the smoke was from the tanker fire.