CRETE - A Year in Review

actually my hearing isn't the best...too many years in a Freightliner. Yep, I found the air leak, or my son did. It turned out to be one of the drain ports where the pull cable is on one of the air tanks. It was so subtle that you couldn't hear it in a noisy shop or truck stop, but I was cleaning and sorting my side box one home time afternoon and my son popped by for a visit and bent down and pointed it out.

I did have an occasional air leak on my previous Maxxfarce Prostar at the air govenor which is on the air compressor... On a Maxxfarce, the compressor is off the back side of the motor, so it makes finding it a pain. They have also had issues with the sleeper air bags getting pin holes which don't leak loud enough to hear, but if you hold your hand close to them you could feel it. Also, that last Prostar had an occasional leak at the turbo...there is a little canister on one of them with a little crimped on clamp, but I think there is only air supplied to that line when the engine is on, not while sleeping. At least that was how the old Detroit was, not real sure about Maxxfarce.

 

I'm still using an Android based smart phone(and probably always will unless I go back to Blackberry). There have been issues with the Phonescan app and some Android based phones, so I haven't even tried with this new POC. It's ticked me off more times that I can count just trying to post a few threads here, so I'm not going to even attempt Phonescanning. That would probably result in a phone that was either fish food, or in several pieces given my less than stellar mood as of late. I tried the actual Transflow app, but the same carrier code that I used on my in-cab scanning on my laptop wouldn't work on the app, so I zapped it.

 

And ralph, I know your not on the best speaking terms with your AMM, but I think it's her(or him, which ever you have). If mine did that to me, I would be professionally rude to her/him. Basically inform them that no news is good news, and that unless things change consider the info sent in already to be accurate. And that if the constant requests for updates continues, you will turn down the q/comm volume and ignore his/her messages and then if it doesn't stop you'll get rude enough to get upper management involved in his/her constant waste of air time and the waste of your productivity time having to stop so often to reply to messages info that has already been sent in and that is correct if he/she would just look. But that's me...not sure if they'd let you get away with that given what they tried to do to you a few months ago with the application issue. Mine, for the most part leaves me alone...it's that stupid automated message crap they have set up that they won't turn off that gets me annoyed.

 

LOL, I tried something like that and got reamed. My AM was repeatedly sending me "when is yor ETA" even though I had already sent it and was on schedule. I sent back a reply saying "stop delaying me" and within minutes I got an order to call my terminal manager who proceeded to screech at me. I'm still on someone's blacklist. But I just keep reminding myself: just hang on a few more months and then I'll make my move to another company.

 

BTW, which terminal are you out of? I see your location is SLC, but couldn't remember if you said you were out of that terminal or not. If it's Janelle...she can be a royal *bleep*...we've had serious enough words in the past that every time she saw me, she would go the other way and not speak...but that was a long time ago...the last time I was out there I hurt her feelings by telling her that the SLC terminal was the biggest waste of parking space and most drivers wouldn't miss it if the company leveled it and painted lines on the ground so we knew where to park

All I can say is after I did my job correctly by sending my info accurately and on time...then someone in Lincoln couldn't get their head out of their butt and do their job and I called them on it. Then if I heard a peep out of my terminal manager, she would need hearing aids (after her ears stopped ringing) because I would be coming unglued on her bad enough she couldn't get a word in edgewise...I am normally a softer spoken person, until I'm p.o.'d...then I could out volume a PA announcer. And when I'm real mad...I use adult language that would make a sailor in a whorehouse blush.

 

This was a hot topic in orientation. We were told to keep the wheels moving and answer messages on your scheduled stops, unless you are waiting on a message important to your route or delivery. Several in there asked for clarification and reasurance because that was a big hangup with them at the companies they came from. We were assured that was the way Crete did it. Might be good if some of the AMs sat in or saw a video of the orientation the drivers get. On a positive note there were a couple of the desk people sitting in on it but I dont think they were AM s.

 

I was going to suggest something similar...just ignore it until a pee or fuel break...then answer, and say sorry, 1st chance I've had to stop...then if she says anything like "find somewhere closer next time". Then it would be proper to tell her that the only place would have been an interstate ramp...then if she says to use that option, your next call is to safety and burn her big time...soon she will learn not to screw with the money makers of the company.

 

Unbelievable! I have been messaging my AM for a solid month (about 5 times so far) that I need off May 9-12 to attend my sister's wedding. One time my AM even messaged all her drivers that she was making up a list of any special dates we needed off. So I gave her the dates then too. This morning she messages me: "I see you need off May 6". You couldn't make this stuff up!

 

I would have taken this up the ladder ages ago, risk of job security or no. This type of incompetence is just something I don't tolerate well at all. And this episode you describe here should be the end of it. I'm on the phone to the terminal manager now. Not this afternoon. Now.

 

sitting at wilmer looking at several new trucks all ready for the road...stickers and all. not one of them has the onguard???