mDub at W/S

I picked up a trailer there Friday, gave it 1 shot, when the tractor tires wouldn't get under the trailer, I just pulled over to the side and had the yard jockey pull it out for me. I actually had to lower it to hook it after he got it out of the hole.

 

I was in Milford and Rand McNally trucker appreciation tour was there, Got to meet cc194217, he actually went to the same school as me. Got there so late they were getting ready to wrap things up, but I got my "back up" looked at, it kept giving me an error message and I had to shut it down for a while, then it would work again. They updated it and so far I havn't had any more problems with it. Got up Thurs and drove the rest of the way to Salem, NH (only feet into NH LITERALLY, crossed into NH, back into MA, back into NH, then there's the reciever)

Got there 30 minutes early for an 1100 FIRM appointment. They had me go ahead and back in, then I had to go find the forklift guy. Turns out he was the only person in the building that had any common sence or knew anything about the opperation of the company. He gets on his forklift and comes over to start unloading me, ALL the pallets were turned and his forks would not go into them, so we had to turn every pallet so he could get them. Like I said the forklift guy was the only one who knew anything, He has to keep stopping to tell sombody what to do , answer the phone, etc... Right after we get started driver with 1030 appointment shows up, they got open doors, but make him wait untill i'm gone and use the same door I was in. He blamed it on tornado that came through the day b4, they told him I came from further away and had to drive through that area too. finally get MT after like 2.5 hours.

Head up to Manchester and do a Drop & Hook. This place keeps 1 w/s trailer at all times, so it wasn't hard to find my trailer. Pull in, park off to the side, go in get paperwork and ask where they want my MT, girls in the office said open door was fine. So I put MT in open door, drop, and hook. as I'm checking lights and stuff this guy walks out and says "I usually have you guys drop over in the corner of the lot, I don't put it in the door till Tuesday, but you are new, so whatever" I said I asked girls in office, he said "I guess they're new too" then he walked back into the building. I took off to Sayreville, thinking it was Friday "great I'm going to be stuck in jersey all weekend".

On they QC beeps. Drop in Sayreville, See Pete in am, P/U going to Conover. This is where I realized it was actually Thursday. Got to Sayreville, parked and went inside and they want me to put it in a door (good $5 more in my pocket) pull around find the door, 48' trailer on the left, 2 open doors on the right, this is the easiest back I've ever had here. Put it in the dook, drop, go park. go to get the little ford ranger to go eat, another driver has it. He finally gets back, I head over to subway CLOSED
I head down the road, all sit down places, except McDonald's (great, just what I really want NOT)

Get up Friday morning go in and Pete "won't be in for half hour or so, why" I'm supose to get load assignment to Conover. Here you go 49 pieces, 4 carpet the rest furniture (returns) got to pick up 1 more piece in Manassas, VA aproximatly 11 hours total driving (cool I'll make it home tonight)

Head out, no problems, a little traffic on 66 in D.C., but that is expected. was actually better than I expected. get to Manassas, pick up my 1 piece and head toward Conover.

Get down on 81 and hear about a backup going south. I get off at exit 205 Raphine, VA Whites TS on 1 side and Hess on the other, I wound up at the Hess, with no WIFI, dodn't even have a phone signal except in 1 spot next to the building. There was a trailer on fire at 177 and it was backed up to 195 at the time (exit for 64 west) US11 has a weight restricted bridge, so I decide I'll wait upto 2 hours still have time to make it to Conover inside 14. Nope after I sat for 4 hours it started opening up, So I took my 10 there, 4 hours from Conover with 4 hours driving available. I HATE 81 something always slows me down on that road.

Get up Saturday and head to Conover, skeliton of that trailer was sitting on the shoulder. I have about 3000 pounds in the trailer, so I gan do 65 up, down, around, anywhere. well about 3 times sombody pulls out in front of me doing 40. Get to Conover check the mailbox (nothing for me), and 2 people from my orientation are there, Nevanerviss and another guy. So we talk for a few, then I take the truck to Penske. Penske said it may be Monday NIGHT before they are done with my truck. go back over to the terminal grab those 2 and we go grab some lunch, then I went home. I'll be back Monday morning to see what's going on with the truck and try to get out of going to NE.

Didn't start untill Tuesday afternoos, should have been done Friday nighs and got 2080 miles this week.
I have my laptop now, so I'll try to update daily insted of these long weekly updates.

 

Yesterday was uneventful, went to Penski and picked up my truck and Steve was gone to lunch by the time I got back. Got my load assignment about 1400, 2 stops 1st Sayreville, 2nd FIRM appointment 1300 Elizabeth (15 miles from Sayreville). biggest thrill of my day I rolled past the Jersey scales exactly at midnite, stopped for fuel and took forever to weave through all the trucks parked in "new" spaces. get to the fuel island and there's like 3 open pumps. actually took longer to get to the pump than to fill up. Get to Sayreville at 0115, go in and ask if they want it now or in the morning. They actually took it then, pull out and shut down.

get up this morning, meet Chris, pre trip and drive 15 miles to second stop. What a PITA, first you have to back down the street about 1/3 mile, then blind side 45 degree with all kinds of streight trucks and 4 wheelers flying in and out. get in the dock and there is barley enough space in front of my truck for a 4 wheeler to fit trrough. hHelp these guys unload all 109 pieces in the heat. get in the truck got a load assignment P/U Sayreville 1600 - 2300 deliver in Conover before 2300 tomorow. Load's not going to be ready till after midnite, so I'll get it in the morning and head south (in the middle of the week)

 

Added 2 more states to my W/S travels today, OH and MI. Went throughout this entire 72 hour deal and did not get pulled in 1 single time. Probly get level 1 in every scale tomorrow now. Drove through a lot more scales than usual, but didn't come to a complete stop anywhere except the normal backups in NC. Siting in Taylor doing my 10 while they unload the trailer I brought up and dropped. They are taking every single piece off and putting every single piece on a different trailer plus a few pieces for me to deliver tomorrow

 

Got up this morning and there wasn't anybody there yet, so After a while this guy comes over and ask to see my red book. He was a local driver and hasn't found a place to keep his in the truck. He was trying to find min bridge for mi. So he takes me and shows me where the lounge is and I wait in there. About 830 another guy comes in and ask who I am, then yells out in the warehouse "here he is" then some lady comes in (think I know who she is, but didn't ask to make sure) she starts fussing at me I was supose to be at the first stop at 0600 and second before 1200. Told her I didn't have any bills she said they are in the trailer, they tried to wake you up last night to give them to you, but you wouldn't get up so they put them in the trailer. I heard banging, but it was the truck next to me and he left shortly after that. So I go to ART VAN and sit for 3 hours, then go to the second stop which had hot written on the bills in and out in about 5 minutes.

The trailer I picked up had an air leak, but it was holding enough pressure to drive, so I put off those stops and called the shop, they said take it to ta like 5 miles away and on the way to pick up. Get to ta and tell them it's coming from the "over flow, bleeder, pop pop" whatever you want to call it on the leveling valve. He gets under there and said yep, that looks like a new valve, it might be the wrong one. Then his boss comes over and says it's plumbed backwards. So he switches the air lines around on it I pay them and go.

Get to shipper at 1830 security says pull on the scale wait 10 seconds and go get in line, and wait with your truck. I go on the scale wait and drive around. There is no line for van, but the do ms are full, so I park and wait. Both vans pull out, so I pull up and a guy on a forklift who was loading flats comes over and said since you want to block the road go ahead and pit it in the dock, but you are supose to wait over there to be called on the radio. So I put it in the dock and they go to lunch, 30 minutes later a different guy on a forklift starts loading me. He gets done I pull up and close doors and wait, I get on the radio and ask, no response ( although skip is rolling on that channel tonight)I get out and look for somebody, wait in the truck again, then I'm going to security and forklift guy 1 comes buy as nice as can be and said this must be your first time hear, just go on the scale then security will have your paperwork. So I do and the guy in security now was nice too talked for a minute and gave me my bills. I rolled 10 miles to this out of the way TS and scaled, didn't have to move anything. Decided to just stay here tonight, it's quiet and I don't deliver till Monday and I'll be there tomorrow to get my 34 in 300 miles from the house. Tried to get a repower or route through conover, but they won't do it.