CRETE - A Year in Review

You are exactly right. I wonder if that happened from just hitting rough road or what. I try to avoid going into the shops at all costs because it's always a multi-day affair especially around the holidays like this. But I definitely need to get this taken care of. Thanks again for the info.

 

Severe vibration could also be caused by a damaged or broken suspension component. Have it all checked out closely.

 

Anyone at Sapp Bros in Council Bluffs tonight?

 

A shimmy can also be a bad belt in a tire or uneven air pressure between a pair of tires on the same axle position. But usually it's alignment. The early Prostars had hollow steer axle housings as well. The alignment shop said they're a nightmare to align.

 

I think they'd be better off getting rid of night and weekend dispatch, than closing terminals. Those idiots could be replaced by monkeys, who'd do as good a job.


I turned down a load offer I couldn't make legally the other night. An hour later, they sent the same offer again, claiming I had enough hours to make it, but I already would be late for the pickup, and needed a ten hour break, (which I had just climbed into bed to start) before I could deliver, which would make me late for the delivery.

This is all after me sitting empty all day, waiting for a load, and they wait until the last minute to offer me one I can't make at that point.....but if they had offered it to me 4-5 hours earlier, when I was empty and doing nothing, it would have been fine.
Oh, and the load they offered had a 3 day pickup window that was almost over, meaning the load could have been picked up the previous two days, also.

Good customer service, crete!

I won't accept a load like this any more. The route was through mountains, they don't tell you the weight before you accept the load, or the shipper and receiver. If I can barely make it if all things are perfect, I won't accept it. It causes too much phone time and grief with the idiots in Lincoln. If they screwed it up. Let them deal with it, not pass the problem on to me.

 

Lately, this has been my biggest problem with Crete. It's getting old, and I'm really getting frustrated with it. It seems to be happening quite a bit over the last 4 or 5 weeks. The only exception is if it is a customer I am familiar wit with, and I am absolutely certain of being able to park there with no problems.

 

OFTOTR, that is so true. That is my pet peeve with Crete. I can understand fluctuations in freight, etc. But dispatch constantly does insane things that waste hours and days of time. I tcalled in Romeoville at 0830. They had me wait for several hours and got extremely angry when I sent a couple of qcom inquiries. Then they had me DH to Ottawa for free (55 miles)! Now I am in Ottawa, almost 6 hrs after mt, and they are giving me a 400 mile repower that delivers on Tuesday. I could have already just taken several days off. They seem to not care at all about wasting huge amounts of our time. I despise them so deeply.

 

I hate it for you guys, I really do. 400 miles in 3 days?? Sitting all day just to get a crap filled run at the last minute?? PM me if you live in the SE and are looking for a better opportunity.

 

I'm currently on the other side of the spectrum; that is, I'm having good luck. That doesn't change the fact that we're getting (seemingly) a lot of last-minute loads.

Got empty last night after day shift went home. Informed them I would be sleeping at the consignee. Got a load....391 miles to deliver Sunday evening at 1700. No empty miles as it picked up nearby. I replied that I've only been out of the house a few days and have hours to run. I asked if there was anything more productive.

Not 2 minutes later....951 mile load with an extra stop that finals Monday afternoon.

 

That is a good example too. My luck changed a little for the better too, but it still drives me nuts. When I was about to finally take the garbage repower I noticed that there must have been a shift change (someone else was responding on the qcom other than my AM). I had asked her all day if there was anything more productive and she blew me off saying the 400 mile run was the best available.

Well I qcommed the new person and within minutes they gave me a 500 mile Walmart drop ASAP. And the kicker is that it was ready the day before and was sitting back in indiana near where I had just DH for free from. Another example of total insanity and incompetence. In fact the Walmart load is actually late because the window is until tonight midnight (which was already impossible the minute I got it).