Orientation 02/29/12

Oh and as far as night dispatch goes....you have my sympathy. I don't ever deal with them unless it's an emergency. Getting in touch with them is almost more hassle than it's worth, usually they don't have a f&&@ing clue what's going on (generic response is "checking with LC"), and even if you use the QC like they tell you then you have multiple people replying to the same message. They actually told me to drop and swap a load in the middle of the night one time at a Petro. I had to go 100 miles out of my way to pickup a load from another driver who was out of hours and couldn't make his final. Then I had to double back and take his load to final in Chicago. When my FM came in in the morning she was pissed because that cost me a load she had me preplanned on to cover another driver who was not even in my group. She told me after that to not ever answer my phone at night and to ignore any QC msgs from them lol.

Weekend dispatch is another story. I've had mixed experiences with them but more good than bad. I believe it's due to many normal FMs rotating working weekends so you don't have the 19 year old pimple faced junior college punk running several fleets.

 

I would guess somewhere in the 300-400k range. Mine had 321k on it when I picked it up and now I'm getting up close to 450k. You should be in it at least a year I'd reckon. Or long enough to get cozy.

 

In the time I drove for USA Truck almost every time I got into a mess was as a result of weekend or night dispatch. Also I don't think all the non trainer KWs and Petes are auto. If my memory is correct I saw a KW at spartanburg back last summer it was not a trainer and it was a full 10 speed with clutch.

 

Well I guess I should have not been so jovial about your issue. Yesterday my Volvo broke down at General Mills in Chanhassen, Mn. The truck has over 500,000 miles on it now, and I think the clutch bit the dust. So like sarge I am sitting in a hotel in Burnsville, Mn hoping this don't end up with a long Greyhound ride.

 

Well Exray I hope your day gets better. I just stopped in to the new Carlisle, PA terminal to get some fluids and a mudflap. There's some unfriendly SOBs in this terminal. Nobody has a sense of humor at all here, I stood there with my fluid jugs in hand while everybody just walked past me, and I made the mistake of walking into the Safety guy's meeting hall...err I mean office and he jumped me about it. Screw this place, I'll go find a truck stop lol!

 

My day has got somewhat better. It turns out I had 2 issues neither of them was the clutch. There was some corrosion on my XY shifter (I have an automatic transmission and the XY shifter actually shifts it). I also had a bad leveling valve that was causing all the noise. All fixed now and I have a load out of Mason City Ia tomorrow going to Chicago.