mercer transportation

Had a lady come over and help me when she seen me struggling with sliding my 5th wheel. (Never did it before) Told me to drop the landing gears and take some weight off the plate in order to get it to release. She said she saved me a clutch and/or drive shaft. I thanked her and she was surprised how receptive I was. I'm guessing most guys blow her off. Now that I think about it I should've bought her breakfast. I love taking advice especially mechanical. Some guys have deep pockets and don't need help.

 

I'll take the lesson if I every see you, I have always been very mechanically inclined. Started with helicopter weapon systems graduated. To factory maintenance three phase electrical hydraulic motor systems along with Pneumatics. And finished with ammonia refrigeration systems and giant screw compressors. will be the frist to admit I don't know xxxx about a Kenworth T660 and the ISX motor. Have been considering paying the $900 for a shop manual any opinions. I am having trouble justifying it because I have no shop to work out of on the road but can can get to private shop of my family members in Ohio

 

Since we are the subject of maintenance I just had a break chamber mount break, I have been keeping an eye on my brakes and know I will have to replace all four drums when I Replace the shoes one time in the morning when I first left off I felt the brakes stick a little I feel this is probably what caused the Mount to weeken but question my own opinion because they do stop the truck with 48,000 pounds on it. Is the mount breaking an unusual thing?

 

No I don't think the mounts breaking is unusual, I just broke two on on my tractor last month

 

I agree other company drivers I have talked to say the same/ on the up side I'm new and turning a profit and think if it slows down more in winter I will be ready and still get the bills payed

 

I just talked to one of the van guys here at the Canton T/A. We were talking and he expressed some of the same concerns that many of you Van guys have stated here. The more we talked the more apparent the problem became for him at least. He wasn't prebooking loads. In fact he did not know that you could prebook loads. He was under the impression that he had to be empty before he could book his next load. It has been said here many times but I will say this again.

If you plan on making money here at Mercer you have to prebook your loads.

If you wait till your empty you will be fighting every other empty driver in the area for that good load. You will be sitting for two days NOT making money trying to get a decent load. And you will go broke.

BTW that goes for flats too. On a side note, the Hall of Fame induction this weekend has been awesome. Glad I took the weekend off for it.

 

I am flat and have not had a lot of luck booking up a full week ahead like some on here but would like to add that if loads appear on the board rite for you before you are empty but not match on coordinators bored they will most likely be long gone before you are empty I have seen Good loads not match to me disappear in less than 30 minutes. Like skateboard says you have got to work the board. I at least look at it every time I stop for load check tire check.
P.s. For me I upgraded phone to IPhone 6 + to make it easer

 

Even if your not matched to it on your coordinator screen or yours you can still book the load. Either commit to it or call the agent and tell them your interested and you want it. Half of my loads I'm not matched to because my preferences and my coordinator are different. She has my DH at 300 but on my iPad it's at 500. If you can make pickup and delivery by all means commit to it and then give it 30-45 min to run the board, if nobody wants it it's yours. I usually book 3-4 loads ahead. Unless I'm going to a dead/cheap area then I'd keep checking the board and if I don't find anything by the time I unload I give it until 14:00 and I'm outta there.

 

Just to add to what CJ is saying you most def have to pre book unless your going to a hot area waiting for a big money load but even then I don't push it up until maybe the 2 days before I unload to find something. I had a load cancel on me last min and boy it sucks to be scrambling for something. Luckily I was in west TN so I found something good the same day

 

Most loads I book are not matched loads. A matched load just means that your coordinator will see it and may call you about it. But let's say you told your coordinator that you won't do TX n FL or tarp more then 6'. Well that 8' tarp load going to P'cola @$4.50 a mile for 600 miles will never match up. So if your not trying to Book it yourself 3 days ahead you will never get it.