Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Chaotic, Trucking Is
--Got 2 Monday loads from JB Hunt, $400 each for 68 miles each
--(JB increased, we don't have to do 2nd if too much trouble)
--Got an 'extra' Prairie du Chien pulled on us at last minute
--Cancelled both JB Hunt loads, Jeff was very nice about it
--Leaving Sunday for Prairie, PU & return Monday, del Tuesday
--After del Tuesday return Prairie, PU and back Wednesday
--Leave out for Prairie again Thursday, deliver Friday
--So will have 3 Prairie turns next week....
--Unless something changes.

 

Hi ducebigg and bedbugger44!! Thx for visiting!!
//Also Plan-B Trucking! And Elbrok!

 

Just when...
--Spent long afternoon in Prairie
--Goldenfan finally stopped by to chat
--First TTR member I've met face-to-face
--Figured we were out of the woods covering next week
--Now they want ANOTHER 'extra' Prairie Monday in addition to 'extra' I'll pull
--They snap their fingers at us
--We're supposed to produce a driver/truck/trailer
--Yard Boss at a loss how to do this one, told 'em 'NO'
--Not a good idea to let another outfit start doing part of our loads...
--But whaddya gonna do??

 

Hi, Zip. Yard Boss has 20 trucks/drivers. At any given time of day, he has trucks moving and it just amazes me to see. It's just not easy to hire drivers to cover all that and there's a process--application, interview, road test, background and insurance (due diligence), pee test, test results back, then more paperwork, 'orientation'--Yard Boss does his own, goes over logs, etc.

For me to pull 3 next week he needs to find another trailer. Plans to get one from Lafayette where we have some trailers, bring Gary the Mechanic up there with him... He has another run to cover in addition to Prairie for next week that he doesn't yet have the equipment/manpower. When a guy's Mom died, Yard Boss covered his run for 3 days. Ditto for another who was sick last week.

Yard Boss has been doing this for 15 years and the guy who trained him told him, "It doesn't get any better..."

And he says it hasn't.

A couple 'floating' part-timers would help. I was supposed to hire in for just one-a-week. Maybe saw that once or twice. So when the customer calls or emails a need for two more 'extra' runs to Prairie next week--it's not trivial. The Illinois unit is already covering a Monday and Thursday just like my run to Prairie. Yard Boss can't just poop drivers and trucks as needed.

They have to come from somewhere.

 

Hi to BigRigFisher324! Thx for visiting!
Also broodmom, Murfjr!!

 

10 Eggs--No Hatchlings, No Chicks
--Starting to appear unlikely
--Should have had at least 1 or 3 hatched out by now
--6 good eggs for eating in the nesting box, though
--Truck wreck at Illinois MM 213, I-74 Eastbound
--Trailer twisted and ripped open, crew transferring pallets
--Saw pallets that looked okay, some blue metal strapped down
--Drives twisted perpendicular to ground
--Somehow still attached to upright but roughed up tractor
--Tandems all touching ground, shows how bad twist was
--Looks like front of trailer pitched forward and to right, then went over
--Pulled driver side drives off ground and straight up into air??
--If so, imagine the torque and suddenly loose pallets, freight...
--Spent last night at Maquoketa, IA Trip Star TS on Hwy 61

 

Maybe the Flat Rack Guys Have a Point
--Once load's properly secured,
--They figure they don't have to worry about it...
--Will stay put even in a wreck.
--Where would my 10-4,000 pound unsecured coils
--Have gone in a wreck??
--Right past, right through me...
--Drove it like a smooth-bore tanker for just that reason.
--What if van at MM 213 been a well-secured flat??
--Dunno, but it's worth thinking about.

 

I like GabeScott's new thread, http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...nting-a-truck-at-knight-transportation-6.html
--Gabe set aside $2,000 into an account
--Has Knight's walk-away lease
--Is tracking his progress or lack of it
--No illusions about buying truck
--Wants to see if can do better than as company driver
--If the $2,000 account drops down to zero
--That's his 'bye-bye' Knight point
--Very cool approach, to my mind.