CRETE - A Year in Review

I've never have been sure with OOR. The OOR percentage is on miles traveled, not the route taken. So if you go a different way than the suggested, as long as the overall miles aren't excessive, they don't care. The big thing is your fuel solution is usually along the suggested routing, so if you detour too much, you may have to get an alternate fuel solution. I write down both the paid miles and the suggested route miles. That way if they say I'm over the acceptable OOR, I can look to see where it said to go. I've had some wildly varying mileages lately...some were way low and the suggested was close, then the next load the load miles were close and the suggested was short. The load from Ennis to the northwest(2265 paid miles),my actual miles were 40 miles under the paid and this load from McPherson, KS to BFE,TN...I'll be 30 miles under what they're paying. My MMR is usually within 4 or 5%.

The MMR may have been delayed because Monday was a holiday and they were short staffed...so the person who runs the report probably wasn't in.

 

I've had some of those ''glad I won't have to come here again'' customers lately. Since I rarely see a Poly truck at most of the customers I been to in years of service at Crete...I have some odd and mixed feelings as I wrap up my Crete time. Some customers are cool to deal with, but then there are others like the Aside in Tukwila, WA...or the Budweiser vendor in Wichita, KS. I delivered there Wednesday. 3rd truck there, preplanned on a load out of Salina, KS headed to a small town in southeast KY for Friday...but had to give up my plan because it took the guy 5 hours to unload 3 trucks. Now I'm on a load out of McPherson, KS going to a town in TN that isn't even on the map. My 1st 3000 mile week in a while...and just barely enough time to make the appointment time.

 

Unbelievable 'productivity' today: completed 43 hour reset waiting for appointment; drove 10 miles to customer; they took 4 hours to unload; they refused a whole pallet of giant dog food bags which curiously had the exact outline of a fork lift blade cut into the bottom bag; OS&D took 3 hours to get back to me and sent me 90 miles away to a place that took the pallet. 100 miles in 9 hours! Totally exhausted dealing with all the garbage.

The whole time I was trying to get the OS&D resolved, dispatch was urging me to accept another 475 mile pplan delivering between 0001-0400. We went round and round, me trying to explain that it was beyond my 14. After many back and forth messages and a shift change, night shift sends a snarky message: "you can't deliver by 2359 tomorrow?!". Soon after that I find out the pplan once again had all fake times. I called up and tried to explain to them that it is impossible to plan a trip with totally inaccurate information. They made the usual excuses and said "well you know the times now". Never once have I had them take the tiniest bit of responsibility or dare I say apologize.

 

Nothing like your day Ralph but after picking up a load of paper rolls was told there was something wrong with paperwork. 'Go sit in the lot'. Waited and was called in and told one of the rolls wasnt suppose to be on the load and had to be changed. I suited up again with vest, safety glasses, and hard hat to get in the gate again. Waited to get into a dock and chocked the wheels and started to lower the dolly. The kid who I gave the paperwork to said it wasnt neccessary. He walked in the trailer peeled off a sticker off one of the rolls and printed a new one to replace it. It was the right roll but wrong destination on the sticker. 2.5 plus hours for a drop and hook to change a sticker.

 

Had my first 2000+ mile preplan today. Notice I only said preplan. The MT my Consignee assigned me was a 218 trailer and my preplan required 219 or newer. Now I am picking up a load in Tucson in the morning a mile away that delivers in Houston Monday. I will make Houston Saturday. Just came off a reset yesterday. I really need to be allowed to T-call this one.

 

Picked up a New International Single Bunk Truck in Salt Lake City. So my wife and I will be sleeping Head-to-Feet the next couple weeks. Just about every driver I met at SLC, said they are required to stay out a minimum of 42 days. That's a bit over the top in my book. The Terminal Manager at SLC and I will not be exchanging Christmas Cards.

 

Back at home...again! I was on home time for the last four days. I got everything ready and headed to Wilmer. I actually found an MT and was dispatched promptly. I had a couple of hours to kill b4 heading over to shipper. I went over to the service writer to ask about my truck acting up previously (pouring out black smoke when pulling a hill or accelerating). The service writer said they had an International mechanic there and needing something to do. But I told him it wasn't doing it now so there was nothing to see. A short time after I went towards my shipper. I left the terminal and was heading north on I45. I checked my mirrors and seen some black smoke in the distance behind me. I thought to myself that someone is going to have a bad day. Well it turned out that I was that someone! I pulled a slight hill and sure enough black smoke pouring out from under my truck....well great! I made it to I30 and was able to get turned around just west of downtown Dallas. Headed back to the shop and went straight for the service writer. But the International mechanic now had two trucks ahead of me...EGR cooler both of them Anyway I get voided off the load, write up the breakdown with the front office and get the truck in-line for the shop. Now I'm back at home. Since I know they won't pay me breakdown (I live too close to the terminal) looks like I get a couple more days off.

 

Aaaaaand my truck has been sold. Here's to hoping I don't end up with anything with the word "MAXXFORCE" on it.

 

I've been out since July 31st, and I gotta say that things have been running very smoothly.

Until this week.

Starting last Friday, it's been more like the Crete we've come to know and ........tolerate. Got a relatively short run Friday...570 miles with extra time on it, but I didn't mind as I had time for a 34. From there, nothing but short, heavy loads. When I got empty yesterday morning, they tried to shove another one at me, 275 miles. I kicked it back. Then, they gave me a 500-miler that delivered that night...no later then 2359. I had already driven 90 miles, so it was gonna be pushing 600 for the day. I took it, skipped a fuel stop, and made the delivery. Yippee.

Last night (after the delivery), there were no empties, so I bobtailed to the Pilot nearby. They send me a pre-plan....620 miles the next day, and again, must deliver the same day. No can do, says I, at least with any degree of certainty. Secondary roads, road construction, and a 62 mph truck all combine for said uncertainty. They cancel it, and send nothing else, so I head to bed.

Get up this morning at 0400 to a message...a pre-plan. 370 miles. IN THREE DAYS! Pick up this morning, deliver Monday, no earlier.

I kick it back, along with a "you gotta be kidding me" notation, followed by a freeform message explaining that I just had a 34 Monday, am in the midst of my worst 7-day week mileage total since I started at Crete (which in all fairness is still better then many weeks I had at Schneider), and can we please have a little common sense in load plans instead of either way too much time or not enough.

Five minutes later, a nice casual 800-miler to deliver Sunday morning. See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?

This week I'll turn in 2100 miles in six days. Easily my lowest full week in the 19 months I've been here. My only hope is that the idiocy that was this week does not become the standard again. Like I said, for the previous five weeks I ran pretty much unmolested. Good weekly totals, minimal problems in any regard. I've still got 11 days to go til my vacation, so we'll see what transpires from here.

 

Well, I'm down to counting hours...sorta like the DOT does on a restart. I managed to get my load of insulation delivered to Bean Station, TN. They promptly put me on a load to....Aurora, CO for Monday. I should have quit years ago. Since I informed them of my impending departure...they have come up with some decent runs. Since I am planning on being home to clean my truck by Wednesday, instead of refusing the load 1800 miles west of home, I politely asked where they wanted the plan t'called. They chose Lenoir City. Upon dropping it there and locating the endangered species known as an empty trailer, they promptly offered the very same load to CO that I just t'called...which I politely refused. My A/M informed me that the plan was to run me right up until my requested home time...then a plan going to Winterhaven, FL appeared...so either they changed their minds and are getting me to FL early...and delivering to central FL will result in a long deadhead home to unload...or, they're going to give me some short stuff to run until Tuesday...either way...o.k. with me...I got the confirmation from Poly today about the flight and hotel reservation...157 hours, 23 minutes, and 37 seconds remaining until I'm out here