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Getting back on the road...orientation with Swift as a flatbed newbie 2/3/2014

Discussion in 'Swift' started by bab1369, Jan 26, 2014.

Page 7 of 9
  1. Apr 18, 2014 #61
    bab1369

    bab1369 Light Load Member

    175
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    Apr 14, 2013
    Laurens, SC
    0
    Yes on the chassis and coils back to the upstate but no to the companies you mentioned. We may still deliver to them but I have not.
     
    bab1369, Apr 18, 2014
    bab1369, Apr 18, 2014
    #61
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  3. Apr 20, 2014 #62
    WitchingHour

    WitchingHour Road Train Member

    3,424
    2,143
    Apr 1, 2011
    Broomfield, CO
    0
    It's been a few years since I made those runs. Utilimaster (Wakarusa, IN/Romulus, MI), Fleetwood (Paxinos, PA and another location in Indiana.. can't remember where), and Winnebago (two locations in Iowa... one was Charles City, but I forget the main one) were the big chassis customers... well, of course, Thomas Built Buses in High Point, NC, but daycab drivers did most of those runs, although the Eden drivers might get one of those loads so that they didn't get sent empty to Eden all the way from SC or GA when it came time for home time. Utilimaster or Fleetwood (at the IN location) usually lead to you go to I/N Tek/Kote in New Carlisle, then taking a coil to All Metals in Spartanburg. But again, this was some time ago.
     
    WitchingHour, Apr 20, 2014
    WitchingHour, Apr 20, 2014
    #62
  4. Apr 20, 2014 #63
    bab1369

    bab1369 Light Load Member

    175
    46
    Apr 14, 2013
    Laurens, SC
    0
    I mainly deliver to Morgan Olsen (box van's) and have been to Thor in Wakarusa one time. After the chassis are offloaded I go to Burns Harbor, Portage, or Middletown OH and bring a coil back down with me. Have dropped them in Greensboro NC, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Union.
     
    bab1369, Apr 20, 2014
    bab1369, Apr 20, 2014
    #63
  5. Apr 20, 2014 #64
    WitchingHour

    WitchingHour Road Train Member

    3,424
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    Apr 1, 2011
    Broomfield, CO
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    Oh, yeah.. I've been to all those steel mills. At least I think I've been to Burns Harbor... Portage and Middletown, I know for sure I have. Did a lot of Blue Bird chassis runs from Fort Valley, GA to Brantford, ON, as well... kinda sucked because I'd always get stuck picking up T-called loads from New Boston dropped by drivers who had a DUI, missed child support payments, etc. and couldn't go into Canada. It got old pretty quickly.
     
    WitchingHour, Apr 20, 2014
    WitchingHour, Apr 20, 2014
    #64
  7. Apr 20, 2014 #65
    plant

    plant Heavy Load Member

    812
    706
    Sep 21, 2012
    Los Angeles, CA
    0
    How do you like those new stepdecks
     
    plant, Apr 20, 2014
    plant, Apr 20, 2014
    #65
  8. Apr 20, 2014 #66
    bab1369

    bab1369 Light Load Member

    175
    46
    Apr 14, 2013
    Laurens, SC
    0
    Witchinghour, yeah I could see where that would suck and get old very fast. Plant, the new trailers are nice but just seem way too fragile for my likings. Some crazy thin aluminum on those bad boys and the first one that I pulled offtracked around six inches.
     
    bab1369, Apr 20, 2014
    bab1369, Apr 20, 2014
    #66
  9. Apr 20, 2014 #67
    WitchingHour

    WitchingHour Road Train Member

    3,424
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    Apr 1, 2011
    Broomfield, CO
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    The problem with aluminum flats - especially in a company where you regularly drop and pick up different trailers - is that you'll lose your rub rails, one way or another. Forklift operators at the shipper, people who get the bright idea to hook directly into aluminum boxes, etc. I always went for a steel trailer if I could, because I knew the aluminum ones were likely to be beaten to hell. They used to have these grey steel 48' flats from some company they had bought out... the front axle would slide, so you could run it either as a tandem or a spread. Pretty well-built trailers, too, from what I remember.
    The blue steel 53' stepdecks, I never cared for. The ramps added a bunch of weight to the back, shippers kept trying to load you solely on the bottom deck (even going past the trailer axles, assuredly putting you over on those axles), and, when you actually did need those ramps, you didn't have them, because someone before you had taken them out and dumped them somewhere.
     
    WitchingHour, Apr 20, 2014
    WitchingHour, Apr 20, 2014
    #67
  10. Apr 20, 2014 #68
    bab1369

    bab1369 Light Load Member

    175
    46
    Apr 14, 2013
    Laurens, SC
    0
    I pulled one of the blue stepdecks a few weeks ago and had no issues at all with it. No real issues with the new trailers either other than a bit of extra planning on coil placement so that I can most easily tie the thin down with the available pop outs.
     
    bab1369, Apr 20, 2014
    bab1369, Apr 20, 2014
    #68
  11. Apr 21, 2014 #69
    bab1369

    bab1369 Light Load Member

    175
    46
    Apr 14, 2013
    Laurens, SC
    0
    The last two weeks have been incredibly frustrating. Not the fault of Swift, mind you, but frustrating never-the-less. Early last week I was backed into by a CR England driver while I was sleeping. He scraped down the side of my Columbia going in then ripped everything up and off coming out. I jumped out and stopped him and another Swifty witnessed what happened. Nobody hurt, no big deal other than a lot of lost time and a crappy pay week. Anyways, I am now issued a Cascadia (still has the crappy old headache rack unfortunately) and she starts giving me fits today. The right low beam goes out while waiting to unload. I change the bulb but no dice. Grab my voltmeter and am getting no juice to the harness. So I bring the truck to Greer and they cannot find the problem, as of now. More diagnostics run in the morning. So I called up the wife and am about to go to the house for a night in my bed.
     
    bab1369, Apr 21, 2014
    bab1369, Apr 21, 2014
    #69
  12. Apr 21, 2014 #70
    Lepton1

    Lepton1 Road Train Member

    12,647
    25,588
    Nov 23, 2012
    Yukon, OK
    0
    2012 Cascadia, similar issue. Turned out to be the male plug was cracked.
     
    Lepton1, Apr 21, 2014
    Lepton1, Apr 21, 2014
    #70
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