Millis OTR journal

I’m just as confused as you are, with Heartlands other purchases they mentioned expanding their customer base. This one seems to be asset based and the brokerage is still with TFI. No idea what it all means but just something I have noticed.

 

I've noticed that too in all the PR I've been seeing. They've always said "CFI's assets" or something to that effect which was not how they worded things when they bought Millis and Smith.

I've also been meaning to mention the whole Transport America thing, too, as I've seen CFI tractors pulling Transport America trailers pretty often over the past few months.

When I was with Millis, they seemed to really dislike the idea of one company pulling one of the other companys' trailers. There was one that I was given a load in Texas and when I got to the shipper, they'd loaded it on a Heartland trailer and dispatch had me go back and try to have it moved to a Millis trailer but the shipper wouldn't do it. Looks like that might start getting a little messy.

As for TFI/T-Force/etc., It sounds like the LTL stuff was not part of this sale.

 

I've noticed more mismatches with tractors and trailers lately too. When I first started driving it was Schaefer and Crete that I'd see but now it's a lot more common.

I was picking up a load a paper rolls a couple of weeks that were loaded on another companies trailer. First they wondered if I worked for the other company, and then they wanted to know if I'd take the other trailer. It eventually got straightened out...

 

Amazing how well I sleep in the truck. At home if someone opens bedroom door or just quietly walks in the room I fly out of bed. Last night there was a crash probably not more than 150feet from where I slept. An XPO truck went through a highway sign and maybe even caught on fire. Woke up this morning to cops and several recovery vehicles putting what was left of trailer on a flatbed, front end loader filling up a dumpster and no sign of the tractor.

 

Probably the 4th or 5th time I’ve been to Coca-Cola in cincy, The back into dock 38 hasn’t gotten any easier. Though it is a breeze when I have a trainee with me.

 

I hate that dock so effin' much. It looks like it shouldn't be that hard but it's impossible to setup for it in a sane way.

 

I was only there once and got that dock too. I was about to give up when I finally got everything right, whoever designed that didn't make it easy for us.

 

So normal guy passed his CDL last week. Dropped him to get it, picked him up this morning. We head to shipper. They assign us door, container whse in Ridgeway. While waiting for door he jumps out slides tandems all the way back. Ok I think to myself he wants to make this difficult. Finally our door opens up and his turn to back in. It’s pretty tight back there and he sets up can’t make it of course. So he resets up, and then that’s when it all fell apart.
Millis trainer hops out of his truck walks over and asks if he can help. I said sure why not. Well then Millis trainer goes on a 10 minute diatribe about about himself. How great of a guy he is how great of a trainer he is, how he has worked there for 17 years. Said some other stuff no help at all hops back in his truck and whse manager comes out and starts #####ing that we weren’t in the door. At that point trainee was pretty much in I jumped in seat and lined it up the final 10 feet.
Aggravating start to the day.
I let all my trainees make stupid mistakes so they can see what happens. Especially when it comes to backing. I’m out there so they don’t hit anything!
Frick other guy pissed me off.

 

Was just standing in line at the J in Hebron Indiana buying an Ice Tea. The guy in front of me bought a shower and it was $25!!!! WTF. He was like I just wanted a shower and the lady behind the desk said earlier in the week raised from $16 which I thought was ridiculous to $25. Now I’m not opposed to paying for showers. I do it a lot, since I park at TAs and Petro’s, but if they jack their prices up also you guys will be smelling me coming from a mile away. Or until I get fed up and get a local job.

 

surprised you weren't there in Trenton seemed everyone was yesterday/today... still waiting to meet you sir!