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

I fear I might get in trouble. I skip tons of fuel solutions. I don’t need fuel, I have 1/2 tank and want to keep that left door shut. Then when I’m at 1/4 or less I will message in for fuel solution. And make it easy because I’ll find a Pilot or Loves and sleep there. I give them the city and state and name of place.
Also their “suggested route” is not the fastest route so I ignore that. Sometimes it varies from 60 extra miles and puts me on backroads that I shouldn’t be on.

Any thoughts from Cretens??

 

I sometimes skip fuel solutions too, but I've heard some terminals are more anal about that than others. I was told once that it's ok to skip the partial fills, but not so much the fills. However, many times the last fill is near the consignee, so I will skip it to get to consignee as quick as possible. Suggested routing is just that, suggested, but if you use toll roads, they may charge you. Hasn't happened to me, but have heard of it happening.

 

Sounds about right.

Remember to always ask for a new fuel solution before you fuel the truck off-plan though. Skipping fuel stops is fine.

I skip about half my fuel stops because the account I am on tends to load heavy. If I roll in with a nearly full tank, I might not be legal to roll out if the load is over 45k.

My runs are between 600-900 miles each, with two fuel stops per each.

If I fuel at the first, and not the second, I arrive light, and ready for any sane load.

 

Tolls roads:

Albany NY to Chicago.... suggested route wanted me to go 88 then cut across to jump on 90. That would be another 55 miles that I would drive for free not to mention an hour difference. I took the most direct route I90 across. My easy pass covers that, will they charge me? What would you Crete guys do??

 

Isn’t it 25 miles different ?

 

If it saves time and miles, I take toll roads. The only toll roads I work to avoid are the PA turnpike on I76, and if they ever send me to NYC, I will check for a better route than the GW bridge.

If time and miles will be roughly the same, I avoid toll roads.

They rarely are though. Toll roads are toll roads for a reason. They are nearly always the best route.

 

Nope, 53 miles to be exact. I routed both.
The last time I followed the “suggested route” I ended up on an unexpected backroad road closure. I don’t think Crete wants me driving around like it’s a Sunday drive on some small narrow backroad. I bet it’s all computer generated.

 

They use software provided by Rand McNally.

I'm pretty sure they use the any road setting though, instead of one of the sane options for truck routing.

 

Ouch. Did they even manage one load with the new truck before it got banged up? 43k series truck, and a Kenworth too.