Rug_Trucker Goes OTR What I Am Learning

Learned something new. Even if you are under a load and you park within 35 miles of your home time request? It will register in the system.

I pitched a fit when I found a message on my Qualcom telling me I had my home time and I couldn't go home. I told them, WRONG!! I drove 2hrs on Sunday and had to drive to my final on Monday night. Nobody could make a decision after 5:30pm. Told me to contact my DM in the morning.

I had planned on going home after a couple hour snooze. I took a 10hr break and declined to PP's with hometime as the reason. I got an ananymous message that they would get me home. I rolled to New Madrid MO and got a load that was going to Laredo. It was Tcalling in Memphis. I got another PP just before I got into Memphis. It was to pick up at 11am, ;ive load the next day 1 mile from the terminal and be brought back for a Tcall. I went to the dispatch window and told the woman I had a hometime request. It didn't show on the screen. She told me to decline the plan on hometime request. I did that and sent a free form message and told them to get me home. They gave me a load that delivers 11/29 in Franklin IN at Cooper tire. Tcall of the yard. So I get most of Wed, Turkey day, Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday off. 2 things that suck. Too much time off, and having to drive on Sunday after Turkey day. The roads will probably be like parking lots.

I am hoping to get some good runs in this time out. a friend that is O/O with Landstar says their is a possibility I could get a drop qand hook at Cooper. Told me there is empty Swift trailers there. Mine is set for a live unload for 11am.

I got to see my former mentor for breakfast in Memphis. He parked next to Mrs.Winners outside the terminal. He didn't want to pull inside as they hadn't given him his next load assignment. They would have tried to get him to unhook from his brand new empty.

 

It life has been very stressful lately. Hopefully getting a lower mortgage rate. Working on suing my mortgage company, their loan "servicing" company, and hiring an attorney. Glad my sweetie is so supportive. She has been handling the emails and faxes.

There was lots of tractors sitting in Memphis. I think they were trying to get as many trucks as possible running this week.

 

My mentor was a really great guy. He bought a lot of the time!

Peanut butter is your friend! We actually went to Walmart several times and I got $1 Bumble Bee tuna and crackers. (Still do!) He didn't have a cooler. Too cumbersome with two people.

There is a great thread in the newbie section of this board. It got me prepared well.

 

Sitting in Front Royal VA. (You know the place where I got a preloaded hazmat trailer with 5 junk tires.)

I grabbed a Tcall off the yard in Memphis. It delivered Monday after Turkey day in Franklin IN at Cooper tire. It was a live unload. A friend who is an O/O at Landstar told me it would be a drop and hook. Sure enough it was! I backed into a door and cut loose. Grabbed the only empty and boogied.

Route 44 was right in front of me. I needed to take that to my fuel stop at a Love's. Under construction! Detour ran me all the was to Indy and down 74! At least 60 miles out of the way.

I also had a macro into breakdown to get a trailer changed out. I consulted my Loves booklet that lists their locations. It didn't have the nearest Loves 5 miles away listed. And when i called them they didn't have a tire shop. The one I was going to had "tire shop soon!" on the listing. I called and it was open.

I went and fueled. Got a message from BD that they were very busy and if I was near a TA or Petro go and have them call for authorization. I got another message telling me to take my trailer to Minniapolis to get the tire fixed! I was in St. Paul INThen I got a call from breakdown and told me to go 20 miles down the road to Petro. He didn't seem interested in me getting it done at Love's.

After the tire I went to Hebron KY and waited to get a load for Upper Marlboro MD. Got that and spent the night in Hebron OH

Got a pre plan along the way for a short hazmat load. Dropped in MD and headed to Front Royal. Got to dupont and was told I was a day early and to come back the next afternoon. My PP had yesterday on it. I am sitting in a Loves in Toms River VA.

I went there early this morning at 07:15. They told me to come back today at 16:00.

More later. This story will get better or weirder. I am going to saddle up my pony and ride.

Happy to have my laptop up and running again!


Rug


(AKA Achmed Haazmatt!)

 

Usually over 2000. The short loads pay more per mile. It's on a sliding scale. Chances are you won't get many at first. You'll be lucky to equal your training pay.

 

Let's see where I left off at Dupont...........

Was told to be there at 16:00 Got there at 15:45 Walked in and saw the lady from the night before. She called back to the plant and they told me it would be several hours.

I got the phone number for the guard shack and went down the road. They have a small area that you can park off the side of the road. Couple of trash barrells.

What pissed me off was at 5:15 I sent a message to dispatch to see if my load was ready. They told me to roll to the shipper. That started my 14

I sent a message about 4pm and left. 45min later I got a message from my DM telling me to go there so I could collect detention pay. I said if I can get paid I would go. No response.

When they told me it was going to be several hours I sent a message that I would not sit out there all night. 30 min to my 14 I was leaving. I did not want to sit there even though it was Dupont property there is public access from either end. someone runs into me I probably would be found at fault, an liable. Also didn't want to sit there with a load of paint thinner and paint either.

I called and it was ready in time for me to make a 15min run to the truck stop with 15 min to spare on my 14.

Got that up to Lionsville and empty. My gauge was in the red, low fuel light on. I requested fuel. I sat for 1 hr until I got my load assignment. Had a PP to go to Hazleton PA and pick up a load for Greensboro NC. My fuel stop ended up being in Paulsboro NJ. I got 50min ride. After going through Philly and back tracking I made it to the shipper.

Light weight load of fabric for curtain manufacturing. 25K+. Drop and hook. Trailer was in the dock. The shipper didn't release the clamp off the DOT bumper. I had to go in and find someone to do it. When you go there your BOL is on the bulletin board. No human contact even at the gate. I followed another driver to drop my empty.

I could not get my doors to latch. Cold, windy, yuck! The dock was down grade. It was loaded with giant rolls of fabric. Top heavy looking. Got my rig on the flat ground and got the doors closed. It was tough!

Got to the receiver late as all get out! Did my running late call the night before.

Sat there from 13:15 until 18:00 before they got me empty The bums didn't even come and tell me I was empty. I heard the dock plate go up. I went to get my bills and nobody was there. The guy running the yard dog signed them while he was ######## about how when the boss is away the people there do nothing.

He was pretty cool. I team of female Swifties did a drop and hook and he offered me their empty. I had been sitting at the dock for at least 3hrs. When I could get the doors to shut so I could park it out in the line. They had to unload me.

Told me they would get blamed for the doors even if they noted it on the bills.

Turns out those rolls had the trailer so twisted, and contorted and that was the problem.

The loaded trailers on the yard were bulged out on the sides.

Now I am sitting in a little Exxon TS 4.5 miles from where I am doing a live load at 8am. Hanes near Martinsville VA. Going to a Walmart DC in Marcy NY.

Snow country! I was there in July with my sweetie. 54* not figuring in the wind chill. Looks like nothing major as far as snow. I have chains. Just no bungees to hold them on.

There is some steep mountains on I-81. Along I-90 it is flat and swampy.




DRIVE FAST SMOKE CRACK AND DON'T USE A CONDOM!


rUG

 

Had a weird experience yesterday. I was jammin to some tunes on the CD player. I had the CB on. I heard some guy singing "Swifty-Swifty" on the radio. Turned off the tunes and this guy was making fun of me. I was trying to pass an ERB truck on I-81 in VA. This guy was busy yakking on his cell and was speeding up and down. I finally passed him. I kept hearing this dipstick saying crap like "I think I have a fast truck and I am going to pass you in my POS truck." Well I pulled in behind a Chizek truck truck. He starts singing "Here comes Swifty hopping down the bunny trail, oooooo yer on my ##### ooooo wiggle you hips! Oooooo you gonna pass me!" When I got closer this dufus was swinging the wheel back and forth and the cab was swaying back and forth. i saw him on the mike yakking away. He never let off the key for 15-20 minutes. Finally I got a chance and asked what the number was for his safety director. I told him I had his truck number. He didn't respond. He just kept on with the weird childish crap saying "I am just out of school, and I have a POS truck and think it's fast!" I slowly pulled away from him. I got the company's number and called. I kept hitting the numbers on their phone system until I got the emergency number for drivers that have had an accident. It went to the cell of the safety director who was at lunch with his wife (Saturday) I told him what had happened. Finally told me to tell this guy that I had talked to Steve and he should be expecting a call. Steve told me to call on Monday to find out what he is going to do to the guy. The driver was really quiet when he passed when I pulled into the rest area.

I have let a lot of crap go but this guy sealed his own fate.