1nonly: It's very refreshing to hear that freight is so hot. I just remember dreading any unload that happened after 10 AM on Friday because chances were good you wouldn't see a preplan untils Sunday night or Monday. One of my Swift classmates said he has gotten to the point he cherishes his 34 hour restart because he's running constantly. Can't wait to get back and run those kind of miles. Oh, and I was told that there is a certain fuse you can remove that keeps your truck from reporting your idle time to the qualcomm. Not that I would ever remove that fuse if I knew where it was. Who would want unreported, hassle free UNLIMITED idle time? LOL
Be careful with that. Yes, you can pull the fuse, but Swift is aware of that and they are watching. If you have unexplained bad fuel mileage during the hottest time of the year, it's pretty obvious you've been idling. I've never pulled a fuse. For one thing, I'm an honest person, even when being honest isn't in my best interest. And secondly, Swift has never hassled me beyond an occasional QC message telling me I had one the highest idling percentages for that week, which I just ignore. The drivers who get hassled for idling are the ones who do it excessively, i.e. keeping the truck at 60 degrees in the summer and 80 in the winter. If you're reasonable with it, you won't have a problem, so why risk your job by pulling a fuse?
I was only joking, 1nonly. I took the same approach you did. Ignored the qualcomm message and told them if they had me moving I would not be in a truck stop idleing.
I've known drivers who do it, bigmike, and I don't understand it. Why risk your job? Anyway, my post was meant to be directed generally, even though I started with quoting your post.I don't want to see a newb get suckered in by another driver who says they can get away with it. Your better off to have an occasional high idle week than to get caught pulling a fuse. But anyway, I'll climb off my soapbox now, and get back to the thread. I delivered the load in Mt Olive yesterday morning, and got a preplan for a load that picked up in Litchfield, IL going to Smithton, PA this evening (pd miles, 589). After delivering, I had hardly any fuel left. The gauge was sitting right on E. When the next load dispatched, my fuel stop was Effingham, IL. That's about 70 miles from Litchfield. Too far to go on E. So I messaged my DM and she tried to do what they call reoptimizing the fuel route, but she said it wouldn't work to get me a closer fuel stop. So she asked me to get a station code (every truck stop that accepts Comdata has a code). I did so and then she had to call Onroad to have them authorize "emergency fuel." It took about a half hour, and they authorized 50 gallons. It got me to Effingham, anyway. And I made a Walmart run while I was waiting. On a completely unrelated note, the heat seems to have followed me north. Wah. Go ahead and call me a wimp, ONGB, I don't like heat!!!
It's been kinda crazy and hectic and I forgot to write some stuff down in my little notebook, but I'll try to do this from memory. From Smithton, PA, they sent me up to Transfer, PA (near Greenville) to pick up a load going somewhere in Canada. They wanted me to T-call it at Syracuse, NY. I think the miles were about 400 or so. After the T-call, I needed an empty to get my next load which picked up in Syracuse that evening and delivered to Smyrna, TN (I think the miles were 800 and some change). There were no empties at the terminal, so the planners sent me a message to go to a warehouse nearby and get an empty there. Turned out, they didn't have any. There were 2 Swift trailers there, but they were both still loaded. So I pestered some more and they told me to go to Budweiser in Baldwinsville. I was able to finally get an empty there, and then back to Syracuse to get my load. Had to hustle to get to Smyrna ontime, then they sent me to Springfield, TN to get a load. The load was going somewhere in PA, don't remember exactly, but I turned it down because my 70 was getting low, so they told me to T-call it in Columbus (pd miles- 411- I remembered to write that one down!) I got there on Saturday with no hours left, and had to ask a couple times for an empty (first time I asked they didn't have any). Early Sunday morning, I drove down to Washington, WV where they loaded 2 pallets (for a total of 2250lbs) which is going to Byron Center, MI tomorrow (pd miles 506). I'm currently in New Boston, MI taking some time for myself. And drying out (I went biking and got caught in a thunderstorm).
I'm reallly soaking up your posts. My biggest fear is not getting loads when I get back in the truck. I hated the feeling of delivering on Friday morning and knowing you probably wouldn't get another preplan until Sunday night or Monday.
Everywhere I go it is hard to find an empty. I heard Columbus has a bunch of the new aero trailers and isn't giving them out.
I was supposed to have live unload at Gatorade in Wytheville VA, just before the holiday weekend. They had me drop instead, I asked for a empty, not to be had there. Swift had me bobtail down to Johnson Tn for a loaded trailer. LOL, when I picked it up they asked me where was my mt, of course didnt have one.....BigT
I too have been having trouble getting empties. My guess is they pulled a bunch of old trailers to sell, and didn't buy enough new ones to replace them. Usually, if I'm at a customer who wants me to drop, but doesn't have any empties, I will request a live unload. Sometimes they will. Never hurts to ask. I delivered in Byron Center on Tuesday, and they sent me a preplan for a bottled water load that I initially turned down because I had an old trailer that wasn't food grade. So they sent me directions to a customer nearby and told me to swap trailers there. Which I did. Then it was up to Stanwood to get the bottled water and take it to Delaware, OH Wednesday morning (pd miles -367). The appointments were so close together, I had to do the 8-2 split to make it to Delaware ontime. Then it was on to Hebron, OH to pickup a load going to Huntington, WV Thursday morning(pd miles- 184). There was a little bit of a mixup at the consignee because Swift had told me to get there at 0700, and the recievers didn't get there until 0730, but they unloaded quickly when they got there, so no big deal. From Huntington, I went to South Charleston, WV to get a hazmat load (first one in a long long time) whcih I T-called in Memphis this afternoon(pd miles 621). I am preplanned to get a load in Batesville, MS tomorrow morning that will deliver in St Louis, MO on Sunday morning(pd miles 403). I have been having no trouble recently getting work on the weekends.
