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

Brandson you was being honest, and I can only speak for myself in saying in my earlier years maybe a small ding to a trailer was not reported a time or two, but u learn from that feeling not to let it happen again and you are a lot more cautious. Some may have forget their earlier years, And it may be easier to throw stones. Lol @ the apology for the bad rep.

 

Hey tucker, I saw your restaurant in Anderson, SC...really...at least I thought it was yours. Spelled the same, and had their Happy Hour specials from 5pm to midnight.

 

I am ending up this week with over 3,200 miles. Also on my way to Clovis, NM to pick up a load for 1,890 miles to start the new week. Last year was very good for me and this year seems to be starting out that way. Last year at this time I was at $0.47 cpm and right now with the Jan 1 raise, I am at $0.54. Ho[e everyone else is starting off a good new year!

 

In the fall of 1995, Crete gave me a brand-new truck. Four months later, I was blindside backing at a shipper in Bend ,OR. I got too close to another trailer . Hit the brakes at the last second, but still hit the trailer. My front left fender was scraped and cracked. I could have called in and claimed I got hit in a parking lot. It was dark and no witnesses. But honesty is the best policy. At that time Crete had a quarterly bonus up to $800. I consistently got the $800. But you had to keep your points low and no wrecks or incidents. So , when I hit that trailer, I said,"that just cost me $800".The person on the accident line even asked about the weather (snow )and if maybe my truck had slipped. Maybe she was trying to give me a way out. But i said no, i just hit it. I lost my bonus. But I got ZERO safety points. I call it integrity and/or charactor.
In 20 years of trucking, I must say one of the most disappointing things is the lack of integrity and lack of good character in so many drivers.
I need to install a camera in my truck so I can catch the hit and run drivers.
I know an owner/operator who got hit at the truckstop across from the Werner terminal in Omaha. Thousands of dollars in damage. The Werner driver ran. He had 10 years with Werner. The owner/operator told me that hit and run in Nebraska is a felony (Probably if you do serious damage).

 

As a Creten, I was a victim of hit and run in WI...by an England driver. He claimed he didn't know he had hit me, but it was bad enough to push my passenger mirror all the way to the door and leave a nice new pin stripe scrape on my fender. He 1st denied it was him until I pointed out that I saw him do it, followed him across the parking lot to his new parking spot (without a shirt on in 10 degree weather) and the biggest piece of evidence...THE BLUE PAINT ON THE RIVETS of his trailer. (Crete always liked to put me in blue trucks for some reason)

 

Dropped my loaded trailer in mcdonough, GA
Was told there were no empties waited 45 min and yard guy here
Drops a empty and tells me it's mine

 

And most of the drivers here were whining because they couldn't get a empty and con gave it too me since I waited patiently

 

Got a run to conley pick up my 395 miler then drop and pick up in general mills there and head to Fort wayne, IN

 

Having a lack of empty trailers can be a good sign...if it's because there is more loads than trailers. Could be worse, it is January.

 

Being short of empties isn't always a bad thing. I did a delivery to JCPenney in Buena Park, CA the other night and conveniently they had just run out of empties. I say conveniently because I was just outside of Los Angeles at 10pm (with 2 hours left on my 14) and I had exactly zero chance of finding a parking spot aside from at JCP. Because there was no MT I was given the OK to head over to the Fontana drop yard and get one... and there are about a billion different places to park legally around Fontana/Ontario/Mira Loma etc. Plus there's the extra 45 miles I was paid for chasing down an MT.