My FIRST load experience with WS!!!!!

Just for safety, I was going to bug bomb it!

 

I love reading first-time drive posts. I will never forget mine either. Was about 5 years ago with Star out of Morton, IL. Had to deadhead to Iowa and pick up a load in a good ole snowstorm. Was nerve-wracking for a first trip, but made it ok lol. You never forget the first load.

 

Wow,congratz!It must be exciting..I've been reading your posts,and I know you will be fine.

 

Since I had time to do my planning here, I picked the Detroiter Travel Center which is right off of 75, it's BIG and only 40 miles from destination right up 75...I also plan on being there during the daylight hours(sunset is 5pmEST there) so if I leave at 9 or 10am I'll get there by then and have plenty of time to eat, set up my truck some more and sleep!...

I figured to roll out of there around 7am for the 8:30 appt so I could be early(hopefully they can take me early, if not, I'll just be there)...It's also suppose to be sunny Sunday and Monday!...I also printed an overview of the delivery area so I could see the layout, hopefully getting there early will allow me time to situate myself and not embarrass WS on my first drop...

It's a Black Rock APU, Matt, in Conover, said to take it to MT or GA...Only due to temperature differences, if I can have my druthers, I'd prefer to head to GA!

 

Leaving early is always the best plan. When possible I like to park at the customer just for the fact I wouldn't have to start my log book until I was done getting off loaded and heading out to pick up my next load. Another thing to consider is morning commute traffic in the Detroit area.

I don't have any experience with the black rock so maybe Dalton is the best place but for some reason I doubt it. lol

My second choice for getting apu or truck repair done is at the shop in La Mirada. Either way, you'll be much more comfortable at either Helena or La Mirada if you have to be out of your truck for any length of time while it's getting repaired. Dalton, in my opinion is probably one of the worst terminals to spend down time at.

 

1. That's why I'm giving myself an hour and a half...I'm hoping that's enough...From the aerial view of the place, it looks like I could park and sleep there(is that something I should consider?...Maybe hit the truckstop for grub and such then go there?!?..), take a shot at which dock and if need be, do an offset to the correct one...

2. I will probably call Missoula and see what they say on the APU in the morning then work with dispatch to get me there...

 

I would in a heartbeat. Get some grub and a shower at the truck stop then head over to your stop. Someone will wake you up if you're in the way. If they have a big enough parking lot, park off to the side out of the way. If they need you to be in a particular door they'll let you know. Remember these folks have been dealing with deliveries for a long time and are use to seeing trucks parked there when they come to work in the morning.

You have your job to do and they have theirs. You number one job is to get the freight there safe and on time, everything else takes a backseat in my opinion. If you have the option to get in and out during low traffic times, your best bet is to do so. Making a mistake, like a wrong turn or missing the place is far more easily remedied in the middle of the night/early morning with little to no traffic... Having competing traffic all around you while you're are looking for a place to turn around will rattle your cage and possibly cause you to make a bad decision you otherwise wouldn't make.

 

Sounds like good advise!...I have a full truckload for them so hopefully they'll want to get it off as early as possible!

 

whats your customer, furniture load, 1 stop? if its where im thinking you can go there the night before and they let you back in, then just sleep and you can be empty when you wake up. ask when you call.

and if they route you all around ohio watch out for those crazy amish guys.

 

I'll definitely be calling them tomorrow and/or Saturday to see if I can reach someone and hopefully get a dock number to back into to...Either way, I think I will be spending the night in their parking lot...