Driving OTR with US Xpress

Pleased to meet you, Pirate Trucker.


Good Luck with your training. I'll do my best to provide useful information as well as some entertainment. Feel free to let us know how you're doing with your training, and if you have any questions about USX, don't hesitate to ask.

There are a few Florida drivers from USX that frequent this thread so you're in good company.

 

Hello Everyone.


YeeeeeeeHaaaaaawwwwwww!...........................I'm back in the saddle!!


Trips and Stats

After 8 days off, I'm back on the road. I think that was the longest home-time I've ever had. Christmas might have been a close second. Having a mis-placed repair order on my truck (I think I mentioned that somewhere) caused a 4 day delay getting back on the road. So instead of being dispatched on Thursday morning, I ended up not being dispatched until Sunday morning. I don't even have to tell you how low my miles will be this week.

I get a dispatch on Sunday: Conyers, GA to Humboldt, TN, paid miles: 422. Not a bad start. But I need an empty.

Oh, I got one. It took 5 hours, 3 stops, and a parked regen, but I finally got one.


With all the running around, I only had enough hours to left to reach our Tunnel Hill terminal for the night. This morning, I brought my FM up to speed (she had no idea what had transpired over the weekend. She's making sure I get layover pay for the 3 days plus 5 hours of trailer hunting).

Just as I'm about to roll out this morning, she sends me a P/A that picks up in Southhaven, MS and delivers in Tinly Park, IL, paid miles: 612.


I made my delivery today around noon and then headed down to MS to pick up the load that heads to IL. It turned out to be a pre-loaded trailer, and ready early, so that helped recover some of the time I lost. I ran my clock down to almost nothing (8 mins) and pulled into a Pilot in Marion, IL. And wouldn't you know it..........NO PARKING SPACES!


So I took up space in a no parking area until someone left. Now I'm happy...........that I have a parking space.


This load to IL delivers at 0400 on Wednesday. That means I'd have to sit here until tomorrow night before I could leave. So I requested an early delivery or a drop at the Markham terminal. Night dispatch doesn't want to make the call on this one so my FM will have to do that in the morning.


So without an early delivery or drop, I'll have to settle for 1,032 miles for this week. The 0400 delivery will do me in.


Eh. Whadda ya gonna do?



Just another "I'm the bug not the windshield" week............I'll recover.






..................but hey................... I got a trailer.









Thanks for reading.
-Wedge

 

Hello All.


Trips and Stats Update


I decided to run that 0400 delivery load into Markham and take an early break instead of sitting in southern IL waiting to leave. I messaged my FM before rolling out that I'd like to drop in Markham.

When I arrived at the terminal, I alerted her. She got back immediately asking what kind of hours I had left (just under 6). In 5 minutes she sent me a drop # and told me to dig up an empty. Lucky for me there was one at the terminal, all it needed was a door chain. That was easy.

She gave me a Depot load with stops. I don't do those that often. There always seems to be a headache associated with Depot runs. It picked up in Romeoville, IL, 1st stop was in Evansville, IN, final in Clarksville, IN. Paid miles: 431, plus stop pay. The load was ready, so I took my empty and headed to the DC.


It was late afternoon, the DC was empty. I pulled up to the guard shack, he gave me a slot assignment for my empty, and the BOLs for my pre-loaded trailer (I love D&H). I dump the empty and zip over to pick up my loaded trailer. First thing I notice is that the trailer number on their BOL is off by one digit (instead of ###774 the BOL says ###744). I take the BOLs and go to the back of the trailer and verify the seal #. It's correct.

Ok.....understandable mistake. I'll alert the guard on my way out.................I hate being honest sometimes.


Talk about a major production......the only thing missing from this was the crime scene tape.



"You have to back your truck up sir. This needs to be sorted out. Park next to the spotter trucks while I run the paperwork up to the office."

"Can't you just correct the BOL, copy the cover sheet and call the office? The BOL has the correct information for it's destinations and the proper seal number. It's just a simple clerical error "

"Sorry. We have to follow our procedures. This won't take long."


2 hours later, the guard returns with a supervisor named Chas. They walk around to the back of the trailer, I jump out and follow. The guard breaks the seal.


"Why did you do that?"

"We have to make sure you have the right cargo."

"Trust me. I have the right cargo. What we have here is a typo."

"We have to be sure, sir."


I open the door and the boss man "Chas" decides he's going to climb in and read the label on the last pallet (it was an LTL load)

Chas is so large, he should avoid any activity that requires no longer having direct contact with mother earth.

He steps on the DOT bumper, tries to then step into the van, realizes he can't make it, so opts for the kneel and tumble approach. He verifies that the load is correct and returns to the tail of the trailer, staring down, contemplating which method would be the best for exiting.

"I just jump down." I told him. That seemed to scare him, so he decided on the "sit down, butt cheek shimmy, hope I don't rip my pants" method. It almost worked until he lost his balance during the shimmy part and rolled onto his back.

Good try, Chas.


So, with my corrected BOLs, new seal, and seriously depleted HOS, I scrambled south, finding a parking spot for the night at the Petro in Monee, IL.


Today, the deliveries went smooth, and I just accepted a load that picks up 20 minutes away in Austin, IN tomorrow, and delivers in Lansing, MI. It's a live load, but can drop ASAP. Paid miles: 348.





That's it for now,

Thanks for reading.
-Wedge