Maverick .... from a wife's perspective

..hmmm, now if I had the authority to make this decision with the hrs he had left, I would have asked the shipper if they wanted that coil tarped, if not then hightail it to the Pilot then tarp the load there.... yes..no..?

 

To protect from theft may have been their reason on tarping the copper load, but we were told it was to protect it from the elements (yeah, right, it gets melted where we took it to, at thousands of degrees). I have never tarped a load of copper, when we pulled flatbed, never heard of it, other then the monetary issue, but we ran team, this was run over night to Texas, truck didn't stop for much, not so much chance to rip it off.

 

Some places require tarp prior to getting your BOL

 

I noticed in reading that someone mentioned that it might better out with a trainer instead of being sent out on your own. One of the first things I noticed in my first week out with this company, which was only a month ago, is that while you may be driving the truck by yourself, when you get to where you are going you are almost never alone. In just over a month now, I think I have only loaded / unloaded once or twice where there were no other trucks, and that was mostly this week (and for some reason I seem to have slipped into some kind of hidden night run fleet here, picking up at 9p and deliver 500 miles away the next morning at 8a, which is probably why I haven't seen any other drivers..).

That being said, no driver going to Mav needs to worry about the "being alone" part. I've used that 24-hour # to ask questions several times, sometimes just to make sure I made the right decision, and every time they made sure to tell me they were happy to know I called instead of just going. I've also had other Mav drivers finish their load and then help me finish mine, just because. Had nothing to do with me being new.

Good luck to RC out there, I know I talked to you a few times RCs Wife, but haven't been on in a while, so hope all is well with RC.

Gator

 

VORAD sucks!?!-- vorad proved in an accident that a car that was parked on the right shoulder of the highway and tried to reenter traffic was actually in reverse when the oncoming truck struck it. It is unfortunate that the driver of the car was killed in the accident, but it was fortunate that the driver of the truck that struck the car and the company that owned the truck were found to be innocent because of the information stored on the trucks VORAD system. Any system that could protect a driver and his/her company from a frivolous lawsuit is fine with me. The vorad in my truck goes off on a rare occaison at an overpass but not so much that it is annoying. Its much more annoying to me when a car or truck cuts in front of me (which also sets off the vorad system). Its not the vorad warning system thats annoying but the inconsiderate driving habits of others on the road.

 

tell your hubby, its like playing golf. Dont let the group behind you pressure you or ruin the good game you have going. They are not driving that load to its destination, your hubby is. If the drivers waiting to be loaded are that concerned with your hubby taking "too long" to secure and tarp, in my opinion, they have two choices 1. sit there in their trucks and complain or 2. Help your hubby secure and/or tarp thereby helping out a fellow driver and getting themselves into the dock to get loaded quicker.

A driver came into the dock where i was loading and told me i was oversecuring my load. I replied, there was no such term in my vocabulary. Not trying to be rude, when the driver was speaking to me, i stopped what i was doing and gave him my full attention. The driver did not like when i told him that the more he stood there and told me how i was oversecuring my load, the longer i was going to take me because i was stopping what i was doing to listen to what he had to say. i asked if he had children which seemed to throw him for a loop. he responded two, a son and a daughter. I told him this chain is for your son, and this chain is for your daughter so you can either help me put those chains on, or you can go sit in your truck....He walked back to his truck without another word. I finished "oversecuring" my load and away i went.

 

WOW, GREAT ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And thank you for doing it for my kids as well!

 

Redcoat's wife, speaking from experience tell your husband I myself was in that position at USG, felt the pressure of everybody waiting on me so I hurried. The whole way to consignee was the longest trip ever, did I miss anything, did I use enough chains is the coil getting wet. It's not worth it do it right the first time and sleep good that night.

 

Why tarp the coils when they are sitting outside waiting to be loaded....EXCELLENT QUESTION and i've always wondered the same thing.
1. Tarp because its a quick ten bucks(quicker when you get a system down)
2. Alot of places have you tarp during the winter months only because the wash they use at the consignee to finish the product can produce toxic gasses when combined with road salting chemicals.
3. because maverick tells you to.

 

crazyfox, i drive for maverick. my advise: do it how maverick wants you to do it, "The Maverick Way"