Crete Carrier - A Year In Review - Fall 2013 Going Forward

According to your sig, you are a 1st year driver. A healthy dose of the Northeast is good for you. There is a canned message where you can request a specific area. I have never used it but recently one of the other posters stated that they did with some success.

 

I don't get how most of you arnt getting major miles
You think its the region you live in?
I've hit 2800 every week but when I go home and come
Back or don't have a 70 to work with I have been out
West coast 3-4 times I have also turned multiple loads
Too california, Utah, new mexico and Arizona

Welcome to the real Crete

 

I already spent the ENTIRE winter from Chicago across to the Northeast and back, the whole time. Maybe 5% of the time I was either south OR west of Tennessee with my first company.
Thing is I could have been a regional driver, or taken on a dedicated after that job but that would "drive" me crazy seeing the same things everyday.

I am a "Shaffer" OTR driver here, the miles have been great so I really can't complain besides all this Northeast.

I will share my last two interesting loads.
I was in Memphis Monday morning done unloading with 5 hours driving and about 7 hours left on my clock, they sent me a preplan picking 240 miles away.. southeast of Nashville and the pickup time was at 9PM, a live load and 3 hours past when my 14th hour ends.
Couldn't figure why there was nothing close or in Memphis, or any driver at the Lenoir city terminal closer to the load with time could get it and why they are wanting me to take it knowing my clock ends before the pick up time.
I denied the load on the basis of not enough hours and my 14th hour ends before the pick up time. They were persistent and said I can park overnight at the shipper.
So I went along with it and spent my 10 hour break getting knocks on my door 3 times and being rocked around while being load.. then going into the office to get the paperwork.
The load delivered Wednesday morning at 3am and about 600 miles away, in short once my 10 hour break was up I haul to haul butt for 7:45 hours non stop to skip my 30 min break, take another 10 hour break and leave right away.. skip my fuel stop all to make it on time.
This has been a few times now they sent me these ridiculous loads that messes with my sleep and doesn't have enough time on it for me to even to take a pee break.
There's only so far I'd complain because I don't want them to get pissed and send me the garbage loads with ton of time on it.
I've met those Shaffer drivers complaining of getting 1500-1800 miles a week. Where as so far I've been at about 2800-3000, this week will end at about 3400 miles thanks mostly to that my last crazy load.
Anyway this morning as in 4-6AM for those up and active Crete's qualcomm went down and ended up having to call the overnight shift to see what's going on.
A young girl I spoke with was very opened and I asked there any loads around me (I'm by I95 in southern North Carolina) she said the nearest load is 180 something miles away in South Carolina that's a drop and hook that'll be ready at 7am and that "there might be more once the load planners come in at 7am but usually that's taking a chance" so I went ahead and took the load.

All this has lead me to believe all this "PTA" stuff is BS garbage, in the beginning they made out to be they need to know your PTA to plan the next load for you, that hasn't seemed to be the case. Either that or there's just been many times theres not enough drivers to cover loads that are planned or they find the $5 a mile freight and send you to it even if you won't get sleep lol

 

TruckerJimbo seems to be having a stellar year on the Shaffer side. I'm sure you've noticed. Remember my post about dispatches being not nearly as random as the rhetoric they dispense. Perhaps he's Earned that status.

 

Like you, I did OK on overall production without the benefit of many lengthy loads. I just busted my behind like I was raised to do.

 

All my loads have been long miles usually 3 day to complete, with the exception of my last time which still in total was about 800 or so miles and when I'm near hometime.
The downside is that it's reefer and with that comes a lot of set appointment live unloads and you can't mess around with being late. Plus all at crazy times, one day at 3am, the next at 9pm or 8am.. I've seen it all already in just a few months.
Where as there's a lot more open window drop and hooks on the crete side so I've heard.

 

you do realize almost all of shaffers freight is in the northeast?

 

When I was with Shaffer it was Northeast or I70 and I80 out to about KS or NE. Furthest west I got was SD. Did TX alot too.

 

It has been a very good year for me. Previous years I had to fight to get miles, now my fight is with the 70 hour clock. As long as they are giving me the miles, I will drive all of them I can. This week is 4,597 miles (loaded last Thursday and my current load delivers in Memphis on Friday...2 loads 3,148 and 1,449 miles). I keep thinking it ain't gonna last, but I keep getting the miles...as I said, I will take all I can do.

 

I've done every state with crete I'm going to
Only stay out 3-4 weeks now
5-7 is way too much
Getting good miles for the most part
Hope I get a good load heading up north some where