Running with JCT, Part Deux

Least you all have a truck you are content and happy with. That I'd say is what really matters.

 

And it makes you money. That is also important.

I have a friend that used to have one of the 660 here at JCT. He loved that truck, but he hated the 6.2 - 6.5 mpg average and it was becoming a maintenance pig also. Early on he basicly had the entire coolant system redone. Every few weeks, a different part would break. Me and several others had been telling him to get out of that truck. It don't matter how much you love that truck. He finally did a week ago (after about 7 months in the 660) because the fan clutch destroyed itself and yet another coolant leak had developed. Now, he is in a brand Pete and so far he is loving that truck and the mpg and told me he wishes he took the advise long time ago.

 

Well. This is total BS. I come into the WCC to pick up my load and I hook to the trailer and as soon as I push in the trailer valve. Massive air leak that you can here from a mile away. So bad that the airbags won't inflate and the trailer is sitting on the tires.

Update: the main air valve on the trailer was bad. Time to roll.

 

I just slapped up some more pics in the media section. Its really looking like ill be slipping an slidin' out there again. Those new Petes and KW's come with Michelin rubber? Hey Macho, your sig pic gives me vertigo! Awesome.

 

So two questions....

1. What is the max size and location for a rock chip in a windshield before DOT gets angry and you need to get it replaced, and where do you go?

2. Does our maintenance account cover tire balancers? Centrimatic, Counteract, things like that.

 

Oh also, is there something with the brakes with the JCT Cascadias? Ive been in three different ones with JCT (Rental, Mine, and rode in one as I did a recovery) all different years, and on all three of them, when you hit the brakes, if there is a bump, and sometimes if there aint, the brakes VIBRATE. I mean, loud too. Front axle and drives, sometimes independent, sometimes all at the same time. I thought maybe my drums or brakes were glazed, but I dont have a reduction in stopping power. They do it more often when its humid. But it happening on all three trucks just seems odd.

 

3/4" inch in the drivers direct sightline.

Maint account does cover centramatics, great prices on them installed at the shop.

Cascadias with front drums are known to have brake resonance. Mine did, never bothered me. Just lift slightly and reapply.

 

How close can you get on weight....

I rolled out of Richland Wa dragging a load of waffle fries. Fueled the reefer and dropped 46 gallons in my tanks. Rolled across a Utah scale 12160, 34040, 33820. for a total of 80020 lbs.

 

*Warning the following post is considered long by the majority of people. Read at your own risk. I am not responsible for your eye strain and/or headache from reading a long forum post. You have been warned*​

I just want to make some points about being successful here at JCT. Everyone considering JCT always ask about the pay and how much are our paychecks every week, but they never ask about the work that goes into it. You have to work for the kind of paychecks that some of us average. It isn't just thrown at you every week just for being in the truck.

What is some of this "work" that you mean? Don't the only thing you have to do is drive? While that is only part of it, you also need to show the following:

1) Don't turn down loads. Even if its into an area you don't want to go into. Sometimes, they will swap it if you ask, but drivers getting home and loads running late take priority. So, don't get mad if don't happen. Just suck it up buttercup; that's trucking.

2) Have a dependable on time delivery record.

3) Help out when ask. This doesn't mean help so much that it hurts you money wise. If you are contacted about making a swap, it is usually for a driver to get home and your load gets them there; Someone else is running late and you can make the on time; do a local delivery in order to get a load delivered on time because the local area driver is backed up. Usually, when you help out, you get a really good load in return. I helped out on time and got a coast to coast run with enough time to get there the day before.

4) Don't go home every week or two. This one is the hard for a lot of drivers. I understand that you may or may not have a family and want to see them. I have a wife and two kid with the oldest just starting junior high. Man, that makes feel old. Anyway, Going home every week or two never gets your cash flow coming in. Three weeks is barely getting the flow going. Four is it getting steady. Longer and you really have set up (if you have done it right) your cash flow to be consistent and steady. I personally go home every two to three months except for the holidays. I will be home next month for Halloween. Then 3 days for Thanksgiving, then 3 for Christmas, then back to my normal routine.

5) Don't do restarts. This one can be hard for some drivers. Some feel that they must do one every week. If you setup your logbook correctly, you can run forever with ever taking a 34. I personally don't do them unless: A) Broke down, B) Sick C), Home Time, D) Sitting at shipper waiting for the load to be completed, or E) I really need one because I haven't done one in over a month. I run my log book at 9 hours a day running 65 mph. I don't let any load dictate that either. I usually have no problem with OTD with the majority of load, but there are some that I have requested a swap because it was really tight on making it or couldn't make it.

6) Have a good working relationship with your DM. Now, you may think of favoritism, but not from what I have seen over the past 18 months. The drivers that cry favoritism are most likely the ones that are not doing the above and you know with drivers; it's never the drivers fault. If you show the above, then its more of they don't have to worry about you getting the job done. Which means you get more miles. They don't have to always watch your gps tracker or always call or message you about whatever. I have a great relationship with my DM. I don't contact (either phone or QC) and she don't contact me unless it something important. She also know how I run and knows that she don't have worry about me getting the job done. By doing the above, you are making their job easier because it one less thing for them to do and you make yours easier because you don't have to always answer 20 thousand questions every 20 minutes or whatever. The DM is there to help you if and when you need it. Don't be afraid to ask.

One last point; this is not BS free or "perfect" company. No company is. I have figured it out for it to work for me. That varies from person to person. I can honestly say that in the past 18 months, I have not be treated unfairly, like a child, or any other way of wording it.

I know this post was long, but at least is well formatted and not just a random bunch of words all together in one big long sentence. I know I probably missed a few points, but you get the idea. Be dependable. I hope this helps out people considering JCT and even ones that are currently here.

 

Glad my signature is good for something.