KLLM; Back Where I Started

There is 100% no-touch freight at this company. If your trip says "Driver Unload; Yes", then you hire a Lumper and pay them cash or comcheck and KLLM reimbuses your money provided you get a valid receipt and submit for a PO. The company does not want their Drivers (Company or O/O) to load or unload Trucks, only to drive the Truck.

Also I have gotten loads where you have to "Tailgate" (bring the load to the rear of the Trailer). I have had those a scant few times and all it was is putting a chain around the pallet and the forktruck pulling it to the rear of the Trailer. I got paid $25.00 for all the "Tailgate" loads I have had.

 

Sorry about not making an update last time. I just never got around to doing one so this update will include the last 2 times out in 2 parts.

Part 1:
After 7 weeks out and 8 days home (Labor Day Holiday fell on the day I would have come out but I got an extra day. I didn't complain), my trip was to go to Chattanooga, TN for a load of "chicken parts" to take to York, PA. Got to Shipper and checked in and then to a door. While getting loaded, I noticed that I was in the old Market area of downtown. I also kept covering my nose from the smell cause it reminded me of a
slaughter house I worked at as a young man for 2 weeks. It was coming from trailers near my door. All the company had to do was hose down the pavement to get rid of the smell. The "liquid leftovers" had dripped from the front drain holes of the trailers onto the pavement. Luckily my load was frozen and my trailer had no smell once at the Receiver in York, PA.

Once done, my next load was in Newark, DE going to Greenville, SC for Friday delivery. No big excitement here, not even the traffic. Got to Receiver and unloaded.

I got a good weekend run picking up in Greenville about 12 miles from where I unloaded going to Colquet, MN (southwest of Duluth, MN off of I-35). I called Receiver for directions (not in our Database yet) and learned they were a 24/7/365 operation. I had a leisurely drive and arrived on Sunday afternoon (first time up in this area and I was quite impressed with the landscape of Northern Wisconsin. Reminded me of West Central and Western WA State). I checked in and waited for an escort to the
door. The escort arrived and I learned why an escort was the rule. You drive your rig through some tight areas and when I arrived at the door, I got out and surveyed the area cause it was quite tight. I looked up and I imagined myself in a miniature "Manhattan". The guard said "You can't make it." I continued looking things over and told him, "I need 5 to 6 feet more width for a "flip". Guard replied, "Yep, most Drivers say the same thing. See the corner of the building here with the poles. That's
what happens when you do a "flip" for the Drivers who didn't listen." I did see the poles and the corner there. (A "flip" for ones who don't know is another way of saying a U-turn is in order or "get turned-around"). Once back in Truck, I set-up for the dreaded "blind-back". I do very few of these but I was quite impressed with myself that I got in there on the 3rd try. Only problem was I went for the wrong door (50-50 shot and I picked wrong one; oh well). I got moved over to correct door and then the
unloaders couldn't find on their schedule sheet that I was to be there. We all looked at the load, my papers, their papers, and after 10 minutes they found it. Remember, this is Sunday afternoon, my appt time was for 12:01AM Monday morning and their sheet said Tuesday afternoon. They unloaded me and I went south on I-35 about 3 miles to the Truck Stop. (Never hesitate in picking up or delivering early, all they can say is yes or no).

Monday morning I leave for my next load in New Ulm, MN. I had received this the night before at 9:00PM, right when I went to sleep. Once at the Shipper and checked in, I call my Dispatcher and told him that there was no legal way to get to Ontario, CA by Thursday morning with the hours I had. I suggested Friday morning but alas, they wouldn't call or did and Receiver insisted on Thursday and so I got a swap instead. Once loaded, I headed for Des Moines, IA for the swap. The Team arrived that night and I took theirs on Tuesday to Chicago for a drop a day early.

Went to Aurora. IL for a load to Norcross, GA and another Drop/Hook there 2 days later. New load came and back to Chattanooga, TN for a Haz-Mat run to Enoree, SC for the next day. Got to Enoree for a Drop/Hook on a re-load going to Minneapolis,MN (another good weekend run). Arrived at Receiver Sunday afternoon and relaxed until Monday morning when I got unloaded (been to this Receiver before and knew I could back right into the door cause they only had one door and also knew that this was always the first load they get on Mondays). Got a new load in New Ulm, MN going to Ontario, CA again (just like 7 days before). This time the hours were ok and I could run it.

Now let me explain this. The reason I could run this one and not the one 7 days earlier is because I'm a daytime Driver (My window to do the "14 hr work" is from 4AM to 10PM Central Time. If I have to run later or overnight I will but I don't like to. I have in the past, just don't like to). Now with the way the hours worked out on the logs, I could be at our Terminal in
Fontana, CA on Wednesday afternoon, which I was and deliver Thursday morning in Ontario, CA. But low and behold, when I arrived in Fontana, CA at the Terminal I went to see the Manager to see if his Local's could deliver. He looked at his sheet for Thursday and no they couldn't. (I was attempting to squeeze out a 34hr reset). I went back to my Truck and 10mins later I got a message asking to Drop my load and hook-up to a "Hot load" for Fresno, CA for delivery the next day. I went back in to
check with the Terminal Manager on this message I got. He said, "You have enough hours to get it to Fresno?" Yes, I replied. "Good; you can get a reset up there" he replied. I smiled back and said, "See, things worked out for me." He replied back with, "Yeah, lucky you. Now I got to get that other load next door to Ontario." I drop/hook and off to Fresno with a stop in Bakersfield for a 10hr break.

I need to explain something else about the above paragragh here. The shortest way from New Ulm, MN to Ontatio, CA is this: MN60, I-90, US83, I-80, I-76, I-70, I-15. With KLLM, you are NOT allowed on I-70 west of Denver empty or loaded between September 1st and May 30th; usually. They do not want Drivers chaining up on I-70 nor having to get towed back to Denver because the brakes gave out. They will let experienced Drivers and Owner-Ops go this way if they want to and don't mind
chaining up, if need be. BUT, if those who go this way; whether they told Dispatch or not and have an incident of any kind, expect to have a talk with Safety soon. I myself have been on this part of I-70 going west to east both times but I was empty and it was in August and in May. Both times I called Dispatch to make sure they wanted me going this way cause it was the shortest way. What they were checking for was the weather and road conditions on the Internet. Both times the weather was sunny
and the roads clear and dry and they approved me going on I-70.

Now the way you go is this: if I get a trip and I'm routed I-70 west of Denver, I call my Dispatcher and remind him and he re-routes me to I-80 (if not already routed) to Salt Lake City to get on I-15 there. It is extra miles for the trip and you do get the extra money for the extra miles. So on this trip from New Ulm to Ontario, I was on MN60, I-90, SD79, US18, I-25, WY258, WY270, I-80, I-215, I-15.

Let's get back to the Fresno trip. I did a 10-hour break in Bakersfield and got to Receiver next morning for the unload. Then went to Salinas, CA and was able to get a 34-hour reset.

My next trip came for a Drop/Hook on Saturday morning with the load going to Cleburne, TX to Wal-Mart (yuck) for early Tuesday morning. Got to Wal-Mart and unloaded. Waited a while and finally got another load to pick-up in Dallas for Robert, LA the next day (another Wal-Mart load). Now I'm suppose to be home the next day from Robert, LA and I know it's not going to happen. I don't mind cause I had nothing urgent to get home for so all is fine with me about getting home late. I go to the Pilot and wait until the next day.

I'm still at the Pilot when I get a message to do a swap across the street at the Petro. I move over to the Petro and wait for the swap. He comes right about the time I calculated. This load gets me closer to the house but there is a hitch. The trip info I get is I go to Stone Mountain, GA for the 1st drop and then go to Dalton, GA to finish out. No problem I'm thinking. Well the Driver with the swap tells me that the Shipper loaded it opposite that. I make sure he is telling me correctly cause he had put the seal on the doors and looking thru the vent door it was hard to see
any address labels to read.We both looked over the trip info on both our Qual-comm units and they were opposite. He assures me that he was going to Dalton first and finish in Stone Mountain. I call my Dispatcher and he has drops switched so I would go to Dalton first.

I'm ready to leave and the fun starts. The alternator goes out and the battery voltage is dropping. I get to the TA in Meridian, MS and they replace the Alternator and check the batteries. I'm off again but 3 hours later, the voltage is dropping again. I make it to the Receiver at 12:30AM the next morning to sleep there. But before I went to sleep I put the jumper cables on from the Reefer to the truck (it was a Dry load so I set Reefer at 72 degrees continuous) to keep the voltage up and stable while the Truck idled. I got up in time to remove the jumper cables to move to a door to get unloaded. When I went inside, the warehouse guy said his load was in the nose. Turned out my info was correct, the Shipper loaded correctly, but the Driver I got it from didn't understand his info. He
had told me he was going to Dalton first when he should have gone to Stone Mountain first. I told my Dispatcher to have the other Driver's dispatcher explain our Trip info. Turns out the other Driver had only been at KLLM for 2 months and this was his first multi-stop delivery. Anyway, the warehouse took Stone Mountain off to get to their
stuff and then put back Stone Mountain's stuff; thank goodness.

I leave for Stone Mountain and have just enough time to stop at the TA in Cartersville to get Alternator looked at. I showed them the receipt from Meredian, MS TA and I got right into a bay. The Alternator was bad and they checked the batteries. All 4 were shot. Turns out that Meredian didn't take off the ground cables when they checked. And that's why the new Alternator went bad so quick. So a new Alternator and 4 new
batteries later I'm off for Stone Mountain and I get to Receiver right on time. While getting unloaded, I got word that when empty, head for house for Time-off. A day late but no problem and I got my full allotment earned at home.

 

Part 2:

Here it is Tuesday Oct 2nd and back on road again. My 1st load is to go to Greensboro, NC for pick-up and deliver next day in Shepherdsville, KY. Very unusual that I go to anywhere but SC for my 1st load coming off of time-off. 90% of the time I go to SC for 1st load. Anyway, get to Shipper and check-in, then back in off the street to the door. It is lunchtime so I have to wait until they get back. I get loaded and off to KY, which I get
to Receiver that night for a Drop/Hook. I stay there to sleep then move to the Love's when I wake up.

Next load is a reload at where I was earlier and it is a Haz-Mat load going to Chandler, AZ and Phoenix, AZ for Monday morning. I go back and check-in with Shipping but have to wait cause they are on break and they are Union. The clerk finally appears and I give them the pick-up number. 5 mins later I get the bills and low and behold, it's already on a spot trailer ready to go. Surprise, surprise; particularly from this Shipper. Another
KLLM Driver has to wait on his load going to CA for monday also. I get hooked up and ready to leave, which I do.

A very leisurely drive to Chandler and I get to the Love's on Saturday afternoon. I get a 34+ hour reset and make my 1st drop, then off to Phoenix to finish out.

Once done, I go to the Carrier Dealer in Phoenix to get Reefer repaired. (Last load was a Dry load but I did find 4 things wrong with the unit when I checked it out). I get there and they start on it right away. 10 minutes had past when I noticed a KLLM trailer in their Drop Yard. I inquired about it and it was done so I hooked up to it and called my Dispatcher for a new load and gave him the new Trailer number.

Got a new load for pick-up the next day. I called the shipper to verify the directions and to see if I could come on in. She called back 5 mins later and said come on in. I get there (Maricopa, AZ) and check-in but only one of 3 pick-up numbers are correct. One was totally wrong and the other one didn't load until Saturday and this was Monday afternoon before. I called Dispatch to tell Customer Service to find correct numbers. It is 4:50PM CT. An hour goes by and I call again. No info and they had gone home. Have to wait until the next morning. WRONG !!!! I went and "sweet talked" the ladies into helping me. It worked; I got a door and my load within an hour. (By the way; this load is going to Gas City, IN and
London, KY for Saturday and Sunday morning deliveries. Both Wal-Marts).

During the hour I ended up having to wait, I get to talking with another KLLM Driver. He has been on the road for 3.5 months and was due home Friday (this is Monday afternoon). He says he lives in MO off of I-44. Really I said; my load goes right up I-44. He also says he has been here since Sunday morning waiting for his load (#5 Honeydews). All Drivers
getting those Honeydews had been waiting while Drivers like me getting Cantalopes were getting loaded. (Must have been a problem with Honeydews in the field or whatever.) Anyway, I told him I just came back from time-off and I was willing to swap loads with him so he could get home on time. (Now he would have been swapped out anyway cause Dispatch and Loadplanners knew he was due home.) He thanked me and he called Night Dispatch to get the trips swapped. During this time, we both got our doors to get loaded (his 'dews came in) and we both finished at same time and pulled away from the doors. We got out of the way and swapped trailers. Dispatch had switched the trips and trailers for us on the computer. Ended up I get loaded a day early and a Driver gets towards home after Dispatch swaps trips. I go to Casa Grande to sleep for the night.

Tuesday Morning I awake and stop in Sweetwater, TX (by the way; this swapped trip is going to Morrow, GA). Wednesday Morning I awake and go to Jackson, MS to get Truck looked at and I arrive at 2PM CT. Load is due Thursday morning at Receiver so I had time to get it there once Truck was cleared from shop. Truck was done at 5PM but my load is gone with
another Driver so I wait for another load; which was fine with me. I got put on another load but had to wait for its arrival to yard. I checked back at 9:30PM and it is still not loaded at Shipper in Gulfport, MS. I go to bed.

I wake up at 4AM and check on load; still not here and it is still not loaded in Gulfport (It is due in Champaign, IL the next day). I go back to bed and wake up at 7:30AM, take a shower, then check on load. Still not here and not left from Gulfport. It's Million-Miler Banquet and Family Day Picnic time with a lot of Drivers in for it and I'm the only one available to do this load. I tried before the shower to get on a Haz-Mat load sitting on the yard but no go. At 12:30PM I check on load. Dispatcher in Local saw me standing
there and asked if I had a HM Endorcement (she knew I did). I said yes. She took me off the Gulfport load (which by the way just arrived) and put me on a Haz-Mat load. Turns out the Team bringing in the Gulfport load, neither Driver had a HM Endorcement so they had to keep that load and I got the HM load. It was loaded on the trailer I inquired about earlier before the shower, Urrgghhh !!!

Anyway it worked out cause I needed to wait another 1.5hrs so I could get Shop Pay. I checked everything out and it had 1 extra placard that didn't need to be on there so I took it off. I leave with load to Houston at 2:15PM. I got the Shop Pay of $50.00 and arrived at Receiver at 10:30PM that night. I'd been there before and knew I could sleep there. Got up next morning and wiggled trailer into the one and only door (tight area for a 53ft trailer) and got unloaded. My next trip came also.

Onto Tomball, TX for another Haz-Mat run to Santa Fe Springs, CA and Bakersfield, CA. I get to shipper and load has changed. Instead of Santa Fe Springs, CA and Bakersfield, it is Farmington, NM and Bakersfield. I call Dispatch to tell them. They check it out and change the trip. I'm loaded and on my way to Farmington for Sunday morning. I get there Saturday afternoon and they unload me and I drive down to Gallup, NM for 10+
hr break. I get to Barstow, CA on Sunday afternoon and deliver Monday morning in Bakersfield.

I got lucky in that all the Haz-Mat came off in Farmington, NM but still got the whole $50 HM Pay cause I picked up and delivered it. Also I realized later that I was lucky that the trip got changed cause if I still had the Santa Fe Springs to deliver, I would have been in that mess on I-5 cause of the massive pileup a few days earlier, trying to get to Bakersfield.

I'm needing a reset so I get a short in-state run from South Bakersfield to Salinas. I get loaded early and do a Drop/Hook in Salinas that night. I bobtail to the Pilot but no spot open and trucks everywhere. Tempers are flairing and 15 mins later I finally get out of there and down to the Valley where I find one spot left, just wide enough for a Truck.

Next morning I let Dispatch know I can run with a load starting at 6AMCT
Wednesday morning with a fresh set of hours. No problem they said.

Wednesday morning comes and no load. Finally at 4PM Wednesday afternoon I got to go back where I was in South Bakersfield for the next load on Thursday evening. I go ahead and leave Salinas with a Trailer and stop in Lost Hills, CA for a shower and break. Thursday morning I get up and go to Shipper early cause it is 24/7 operation and FCFS (First Come, First Serve). I get loaded and out early (before actual appt time) and
head for 1st drop in Carrollton, GA for Monday night.

All went well and easy. I knew I couldn't go early into the 1st drop. I get to Carrollton, GA somewhat early on Monday afternoon but did get unloaded early cause I was their last load for the day and they got ahead of schedule. Left there for the Drop on last unload in Morrow, GA. I did that, got signed bills and called Night Dispatch at 6:00PM. The reason
for this was I didn't want to go to the Atlanta yard cause the Truck needed a PM and I don't like them working on the Truck. Plus I don't like the yard in general. Just so happened when I talked with Night Dispatch they had an emergency. They needed a Driver in Albany, GA for Tues morning at 8AM ET for a load going to Chambersburg, PA. An O/O
turned it down cause he needed to get to MS for something. Dispatch had to message Atlanta to tell them I was coming and I needed an empty trailer. Well one thing led to another and the O/O changed his mind and took the trip and I had to go to the yard. I checked in and they had no loads so Truck got the PM 1st thing Tuesday morning which was fine
with me. I went to bed and woke up Tuesday.

Truck got serviced rather quickly but correctly (surprise). I bobtailed out of there for my next load. No empties on the yard but found one close to
where my next load was. Trailer needs a washout and reefer fuel. Went to the Petro for both. Arrived at shipper and did a Drop/Hook for the load going to Lenoir City, TN for the next morning. Got out of Atlanta before 3:30PM and rush hour on I-75 north and the sky opened up and poured plus the wind picked up. Right before Chattanooga, TN it quit. Got to Receiver the next morning and got unloaded and then was told to go home
for Time-off; a day early. An extra day home thanks to KLLM. I go back on road Monday the 29th.

I did make the 3rd Quarter Mileage Bonus with 31,983 miles and received the pay on October 22. I did have plenty of miles during October (thru the 24th) that I am on track for the 4th Quarter Bonus. All pay was correct, even layovers and shop pay. So far, the miles have not dropped off even though the economy is slow. All I can say for this is I must have been at the right place at the right time. Other KLLM Drivers I have spoken with have gotten fewer miles and are somewhat peeved cause they missed getting the Bonus. I respond back with don't make any haisty decisions about leaving cause of this. Talk with your Dispatcher. Look over how you did your job and see what you might do better the next time. Improve on what you do. It might work, then again maybe these other Drivers weren't in the right place at the right time. I've been lucky so far to be where the freight is; short or long miles. And I hope my luck doesn't run out (knock
on wood).

 

I don't want to bust your "bubble" but as with many Trucking Companies, a new hire and/or Trainee does not get to "choose" what they want to drive in a Truck. But seeing from your Posts, more than likely you will get a Trainer with a gold Columbia. Trainers and Company Teams have the newer Trucks and they are all gold Columbia Trucks. I; myself, prefer the white Centuries because they are the oldest in the fleet, have all the bugs out of them, hardly breakdown (at least mine hasn't), and they can go 68mph if mpg is high and idle percentage is low. All the other Trucks are set at 65mph max, which is fine. I go 65 (where it is legal to do so, of course) in my Century anyway and only use 68mph when I need to get around someone.

As far as the Fuel Stops; KLLM does not use the Flying "Hook" cause they do not accept Comdata for anything. The company uses a Fuel Program that generates your Fuel Stops for the particular trip you get. You'll get Pilot, Petro, TA, Love's, and possibly a Convienance Store in any combination. You don't have to fuel at all of them during the trip. If you know you can make it to the next Fuel Stop, you can skip a Stop. (As a sidenote; the Company has their computer setup so it knows whether the Truck has an '07 engine or not. If the Truck does, then the fuel program gives the list of Fuel Stops that have the Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel fuel and not Low Sulphur Diesel fuel.)

On the Terminals question; Jackson, Bastrop, LA, Atlanta, and Seagoville, TX all have showers, lounge, and maintenance shops. Fontana, CA does not have a Shop but has the others. There was talk that Portage, IN will have all the above but I do not know what the update on that is cause I haven't been there in 3 or 4 months. What Portage had when I was there last was just the shop and Drop Yard. Lathrop, CA is just a drop yard with no amenities.