I picked up my first intermodal!

YUCK!

It's a rust bucket. Wtf? I could barely get the landing gear up and the tandems wont slide. I'm headed into a repair shop this morning. I tried all my usual tricks. It needs lubed and some TLC. I dont like these intermodal much. I messaged my dispatch....are you sure you want me doing this intermodal? lol. I'm only getting 6 mpg instead of my usual 8+. It's kicking my butt all over the place. Evil, evil trailer. I wont be switching to intermodal, pretty sure.

 

I’ve heard that division has notoriously bad equipment. Good luck.

 

There's no other industry like it, all equipment is leased, chassis/container/TOFC trailer, you're not paying rental nor maintenance on it, you drive it from point A to point B safe, return it to a depot or rail yard and collect your money and go home same day and make same money as any OTR driver, while being home at night.

 

You're doing intermodal? Good heavens, you are a glutton for punishment, no wonder you're so pissed off. You should be concerned with if the brakes work, or the tires have air, not how rusty it is. Hearing all your other complaints, and the intermodal tie-in, all the pieces are beginning to fit.

 

If you have a flat, ruin a tire, blow out, You or your company will have to pay for their tire. Also be careful to note all damage before you sign for it or when you check it in, they will charge for previous damage.

 

Tim what they paying by zone rate or miles ?

 

Intermodal is not easy but once u get time in u will think I actually like this,I been doing it off and on for over 20 yrs now.love it but it ain't for everyone

 

Oh, I know, I did it when it was in it's infancy, late 80's out of Chicago. Rotted out Z-Vans, chassis' with no sliders, long lines, no brakes and all on tube tires. Since van trailers are a thing of the past, if I did it today, I'd have my own spread axle aluminum chassis, and just do lifts. For an O/O doing regional work, it worked for me for 5 years. The thing that was good, was the rail was open 24 hours and we could run around the clock. It was the only way to make any money. I'm not sure, with HOS regs today how you'd make it.

 

Still tube type caps in rail Cleveland Ohio on apprx 40% of chassis. Radial cap tubeless more and more. But the casings mostly are old and stressed. Some new trac chassis have bias ply tubeless virgin rubber. Some dcli, new chassis have radial virgin. They are around a year old. Saw one this summer had 3 or 4 bald tires on it where the brand new radials should have been. They even have dcli embossed on the sidewall. Steal them anyway. Lots of these knuckleheads are their own worst enemy.

 

I was told it's why the rail kept the tube tires, it cut down on theft.