Good Night From II

I wonder how much money has been wasted on plus one

 

Big D Loves off I-20. One of those Murphys law days to start and a full body head tilt forehead slapper end. Drove in on I-30 and was pleasantly surprised 635 south to 20 was NOT a cluster at 9 am. Made Lancaster terminal and discovered my renewed license plate had not arrived. Very professional lady there said it would probably arrive with today's mail. She said mail usually arrived at 10:30. I'd called Waco delivery they said come early. It was 10:21 so I asked about waiting. She said go deliver cuz sometimes mail was late. She took my cell # said she'd call if/when it got in. I wasn't ten minutes away when she called. She had my plate. Oh well it's only 80 miles to Waco. Pulled into Caterpillar for l/u just as receiving went to lunch. Oh well again they took me early. Had a very enjoyable convo with a JB Hunt l/o while he was getting unloaded. Really respect the "younger than me" man. Was from Dearborn Heights. Admitted to very bad decisions and had spent time in prison. Got out and could only find work as a flat bedder for a guy who was ripping his drivers off. The guy was taking a percentage of his tarping/strapping pay. This driver knew that was wrong but because of his past really did feel he could rectify same. He bit the proverbial bullet for two years. He knew if he got the two years he could move up/on. He then drove reefer for a year prior to the present l/o. I was blessed he shared his story and inspired by someone who had every opportunity to continue down a dead end road. He even said he had to move away from his past "friends" due to them pulling him back to his old ways. He's truly turned his life around.

Had asked my dm if he could get me thru the wknd. He did. Picked up in Waco and brought one back up here. Swung by and got my plate. Dropped at Homies Depot DC but they didn't have mts. Rats!! Was only 25 miles from the 8am mañana l/l that's going to Loooooooosiana. Yes I'll get to et sum dem mudbug. Anywho, did my mt call and started asking for an mt. ECT was now on duty in Greer. Now I will admit and take FULL responsibility for leaving the "trailer dropped" field unpopulated. However, I got this message from a complete knucklehead in Greer. (Yes knucklehead was diplomatic on my part ). "System shows you still attached, look behind you"

Maybe I was just tired. I did not receive that message well. I suppose if I was Jeff Dunham's Walter, I could have responded, "hang on #######, let me stop my tractor and see if I hit my head on a trailer as I circle said tractor, it could be cloaked by the Klingons". I wasn't in the jovial mood so I called and spoke to the super. She agreed and assured me she'd have a conversation with the gentleman.

She also got me lined up to pop into Lancaster terminal in am and get an mt. Then it's off to FW for the load and onward to Cajun land. Still may have to deal with ECT late Sunday, so I'll pray for the best.

 

Plus-1 calculates everything as optimum.
Best roads at best speeds, no time for fueling or other breaks than the 30, and in no way takes into account of longer and slower routes that we are sent on to avoid certain toll roads.
Not to mention construction zones, the occasional accident, routes that take us through towns with sub-60mph speed limits, a very heavy load through mountains, and...

But don't attribute Plus-1 to the planners.
They hate it as much as we drivers do. It was forced upon all of us.

Some numb-nut in the 'higher' chain of command came up with the bright idea and set computer programmers to come up with a way that they could push us harder.
But they all failed to take into account of what we actually deal with on a day to day basis, because none of them has ANY experience in OTR.
The reality is that we spend even more time trying to plan impossible loads before we reject them.
Or, like a lot of new drivers find out, you get a service failure when you don't properly consider and deal with each load offer before accepting it.
Many mentors don't teach how to work with this system, or to properly plan loads and time.

 

Btw, KUDOS to you Lepton for caring enough and taking the time to teach a new driver. Tip o me hat of respect to you driver.

 

Back here in Goodyear. Dropped this t-call and right away a pplan, scheduled pu on the yard at 0700 this morning, and I got here at 1600. My PTA is 0800 tomorrow. Keyboard monkeys strike again. Deliver to Target DC in Pueblo on Sunday at 1100. I know that it is Plus 1 but was not going to deal with it. It has been sitting on the yard for 2 days already. Sent in decline. Told them, look at my PTA and not going back to Denver again back up those roads. Just came from there. As of now, still not removed.

 

I guess they are hoping you will reconsider?

 

I hate seeing mac30 come up empty on a Friday in Edwardsville

 

Isn't that place a black hole?
Well, that's what I've heard anyway.

 

Be be aware I just went mt from Denver to Sidney nb 170 miles due to NO freight in Denver and I called the load board and they said the same thing. So heads up.

 

Edwardsville is dead, too. I talked to Brian Dudley a few weeks ago and he told me there are about 1,000 other people ahead of me for invitations to the broker program.