Running with JCT, Part Deux

I do too. That's the thing about these retrofit apu's, they aren't as integrated into the truck as those built in by the manufacturer. My apu also doesn't circulate fluids and doesn't seem to start in time to keep the battery from dying.

 

Just a reminder not to forget to get copies of your logs. Qualcomm only stores 6 months worth with oldest data just dropping off. IRS are Richard Heads so CYA and get your hard copies.

https://dhos.omnitracs.com/dhm/

Enter the company name.
Enter your driver ID for Driver ID and password.
Enter your last name then wait.

Took about 3 minutes for my 6 months worth to process then display. Saved as PDF. Android won't render the page because of plugins so I do mine at home on Mr. Computer.

TA

 

Well I am 5 days shy of my 1 year and still love it. I also just got a level 1 in Thompson UT. All good. Little extra cash wahoo.

Ta what is the IRS hassling you for.

 

Glad you're still doin' your do. The first year seems to be the make or break it time. You still here so I reckon that means you're makin' it. Awesome. Me too.

 

I got somethin' to say: First, sorry for "checking out" a while. Been real busy. Busy is good. You'll see.

About this JCT "Fleece Purchase" deal: That's what a ton of folks call it online. "Fleece Purchase".

I got to Sapulpa 11 months ago w/ $200 to my name, a new LLC and a dream. I was 3 months behind in rent and paying last month's light bill this month. I was in collection on every debt I had and that was a bunch. Credit cards, loans - you name it. My LLC was an abject failure and I was on the verge of bankruptcy and then I went and got this CRAZY Aminal idea I could turn it all around as a JCT Op. With only $200 to bide us over til settlements started flowing! I left Mrs. Aminal w/ $100 and I took $100 w/ me. I wound up spending $60 of that on extra freight on the Grey Mutt for all my OTR stuff (including my tools). I figured my first truck would be a dog and I'd be spending most of my 10h breaks fixing things so I wouldn't have to dip into escrow and get into a negative situation there. I was right about that. Sixty bucks VERY well spent. Had NO intention of keeping my first truck anyway. It was just gonna be a 90 day mule to keep cobbled together til I could get what I wanted as my payoff truck.

Grey Dog was late. I missed first day of Orientation. I had done everything online ahead of time so that wasn't a big deal. I had already done everything and signed everything except the contract on that first truck so I basically got shoved straight through Orientation w/o doing most of the Orientation stuff except the physical and drug screen. Wham Bam DONE; Which truck you want? I laugh my butt off at the telephone voice message when you are on hold. "Our drivers are highly trained temperature controlled experts . . ." I did flatbeds and dry bulk my whole career. I never even turned a reefer on or off when I got to JCT and my "highly trained" training was 2 minutes of how to navigate a TK reefer control panel on a simulator in the office. I didn't even know what I didn't know, so I didn't even know what to ask when: "Any questions? No? Good. Next is picking trucks and signing contracts. Everyone take 5 and meet back in the conference room."

I did and got just what I expected. The best of the worst. Good thing I brought tools and a whole bunch of experience the way it was. I always ran my company trucks like I owned them cause one day I wanted to own my own and I figured it was a good way to practice and make my mistakes on some company's dime instead of mine. That paid off. My first load was Sapulpa to Stockton, CA (down to $20 til my first settlement) and west of OKC the dash lit up like a Christmas Tree and the engine protection system kicked in and killed the engine at 65MPH. I KNEW IT!!! But I know tricks and refired it on the rolling fly (again and again and again and . . . .) to get to a T/S where I could figure out the problem and do something about it. Coolant loss. I tracked it down and did a "driver patch" to get a temporary fix so I could roll. Then spent the next 3 months doing "driver patches" on a bunch of things just to keep rolling w/o having to dip into escrow. Lotsa lost sleep. Not a bunch of lost money at all, though. $10 here, $12 there for odd things I needed but didn't have and by this time I could cash advance and had a LITTLE money for food and such. The balance of my settlements went to Mrs. Aminal to catch up rent, electric, food for her and the Fam etc. Me? I was eating a cold can of generic pork and beans and a slice of white bread for most of my meals. Coffee and treats from Rewards Points.

Didn't take hometime til November, after I finished my 90 days and held off for and just got the truck I wanted. That was for my Son's wedding. Didn't take it at my house. Took it at my Son's hometown. First time I'd seen my wife in a couple months was at the hotel in that town. I'll leave that reunion to your imagination. Little snow on the roof don't mean there ain't no fire in the fireplace. Plus, stuff was just starting to come together and I had my payoff truck. A brand new 2015. Son getting married, long time away (4 months), money starting to flow a bit, hotel room w/ the wife? PUH-LEASE! Nice time. But only a 34h reset. I gotta roll and stroll and start to get this thing paid for. Next hometime was a 10h at home to renew my license in January. Next was another 10h drive through in March just cause it happened to work out that way on that load. Next is now. I'm actually taking a couple of full days.

I made a LOT of mistakes this first year. Got put on probation for log violations. E-Logs took a good bit of re-tooling in my trip planning process and I got a real shallow learning curve on that kinda stuff and I got myself into some jams where it was OTD or The Law or re-schedule. Too late to re-power. To me it was The Load or The Law. I chose The Load. JCT said, very nicely I might add; "Next time(s), choose The Law. It's just a little trouble for you on paper, but you are fine, no worries. Just tighten up trip planning a bit. We are still good. This happens all the time w/ Ops new to E-Logs. You'll get it. If you're having trouble call me. I'll help."

Had two Service Failures my first month. It turns out these grocery places take their appointment time REAL seriously, unlike flatbeds. Flatbed freight may have a time on it, but that's only cause the software has to have a time. It's all FCFS in reality. Show up and get in line for the crane. If it's a jobsite and you're gonna run late, after business hours; just call that afternoon and let them know when you CAN be there. They may hold the crane over or they may just tell you to come in, in the AM. It AIN'T that way in grocery. LOL. I actually paid $75 in Long Beach cause I was late and there was a "late fee" or reschedule. I didn't want JCT to have to reschedule cause of my bad so I paid the $75. Yeah, trip planning and being an hour early for the appointment is REAL important.

Took me a bit to get a handle on fuel too. What works on the books doesn't always work out in reality. I finally got an App that works for me real well. Trucker Tools from Overdrive. Lets me put in the origin and destination on a Fuel Optimized Route and then see all the fuel/ T/S (even the Mom and Pops and Native American ones and the fuel prices for the one's they can get; which is most; and it has been accurate - but I still call. Lets you see if they take EFS too. So far real accurate after six month's use but I still call the place if it's one I don't know. Just to make sure the App info is accurate.) Finally got a smart phone so I can use it and actually have signal where we roll. Finally got a GPS. Got the Rand McNally TND Tablet. Lovin' all that. Tools DO help a lot. Long as you understand they are TOOLS; not a substitute for experience and a calculator, pencil, paper, phone calls and the Trucker's Highway Bible (RMN MC Atlas). VERY helpful TOOLS, though.

So, here it is almost a year after arriving in Sapulpa hanging by a skinny grey hair from being homeless; I'm sharing w/ my online friends . . . : My rent is a month ahead, light bill is paid as it comes, my debt is all gone except for my college student loans which is paid on time every month now, my wife's SUV is now paid on time easily, all bills caught up and paid on time easily and I saved a LOT of money up too. So much that, with literally tears in my eyes, I'm telling my Buds here that I just closed escrow on an 80 acre spread in Northern Arizona. A dream come true in a dream land I have dreamed about all my life but always thought of as just a "Pipe Dream". The payments are TOTALLY doable too. No "stretching the budget". Hell, I can make 'em 3 times a month off cash advances alone if I had to. Most beautiful land you ever seen. Mine. A ton of hard work and a ton of sacrifices, but mine. Despite the stupid mistakes I made as a kid. Property Owner. WOW!

If this is John and his boys bending me over and "Fleecing" me; w/ their triple diamonds: They can do it every day and twice on Sundays!! Lotta work goes into it, though, so that's why I been out. Workin' instead of bloggin' or whatever you call this. Got some more work to do and pay my home dues to Mrs. Aminal who sacrificed as much as I have. Maybe more so in some respects. Gotta go now folks. She'll be home in half an hour and the coals are just right on the grille. Oak, Hickory and Mesquite smoke is just now rolling right.I got a couple of thick Ribeyes ready for a special meal. Shallots and ####akes sautéed in real butter w/ some fresh Sugar Snap beans and baby B Red potatoes sautéed w/ bacon and real butter! Holy Snap!! We can afford real butter!?! WOW.

Momma earned her due too. She flies her JCT colors on her SUV in support of me and what we are building. Diamond Plate Front License Plate says "I AM JCT" in the three blue diamonds and shiny aluminum diamond plate. Now she feasts! I owe her that and so much more (part of which is not G Rated LOL). See you guys in the funny papers! Been a b!+c# of a year but a DMAMNED good one!

I AM JCT!!

 

Glad you are doing well for your family and yourself. Keep it up.

 

I am amused. I was backing into a dock and of course I get out and look then back about 10 feet back and get out an look again then im all straighten out so i jump out again to pull the pin so i can slide my tandems and a super trucker starts on the radio. These guys make me Laugh maybe if they had to pay for that truck they drive they would take the a little pride in backing it in right

 

Well, I have been home for almost a week now. Getting ready to go back out on the road with my daughter on Monday. Since I'm home anyway, I made a mod to my laptop. I now have a 10dbi antanne on my computer. I am picking up two other wifi networks when before it was just my own I would pick up.

 

Have been considering JCT for awhile, I work for the big chicken company now. Enjoy reading the threads.

 

So Im getting ready to schedule some home time. Dont want the wife and kids to forget what my face looks like. When I was a company driver with the big blue W, taking home time usually ment such a painful paycheck disruption it was almost not worth it. How do you guys time your time off with JCT where its not as much of a hit to the checks, or at least, not to generate a negative settlement? I figured Tuesday and hold an envelope turn it in after cut off on Wednesday so the next week has SOMETHING on it.