Some FB info from new hire in greer, sc

The last cat load was to Clayton, this one is heading to sanford. From what I was told, there is a few places that we drop cat parts off at. Nothing like drop and hook....

We don't have a preplan yet, but if I had to bet. We will be picking up chassis from gafney.
My mentor turned in for home time next week we might grab a coil from burns harbor, in.

Plus I'm at 110 hours and just reached my 2 week mark.

Cycolee

 

I had worked for a powder coating company in 2006-2007 and we had a few cat and john deer parts come in. Before I moved to AZ, we was coating the cages for the front end loader(bobcat). I can't remember who hauled them, but I do remember they did use trailers with the cat logos.

As far as tarping goes... I'm on my 8th load and have had to tarp 3 of those. All being coils, or I should say coil. Sucks because all the coils we have picked up have been heavily wrapped, but swift wants all coils tarped. I can't speak for the whole flatbed fleet, but other tarped loads I've seen looked pretty easy.
If you seen me, you would not see a flatbeder, I'm 6 ft tall and only 150#. But all the work I've done had been pretty easy so far. Granted, I was in the army and for the most part I'm in good shape. So don't let tarping scare you from a company. Besides swift only pays $23 per Tarped load.

Have to run... Be safe.
Cycolee

 

I knew it was called a skid loader, but I brain farted. Been running my ### off. I'm at about 130 hours so far. Mentor drives just enough to let me get my 10 break then let's me run my hours out. Anyway, just got done with my midterm, %100... YEAH!

It seems due to my mentor taking his hometime this weekend, we won't get sent to larado. We just drop off 3 chassis at fleetwood yesterday morning, picked up a coil and dropped it off in spartanburg. Of course grabbed 3 more rv chassis heading to fleetwood. Before we even got to gaffney, we had preplan bringing items back from fleetwood to freightliner... So here I'm chillin in the sb untill morning just in time tunload and load then turn right around...

Now while talking about tarping... I'd rather grab a coil and tarp it then having to chain these darn chassis.
Coil:6 chains, 6 binders, 2 4" straps and 1 tarp.
Chassis(ea): 4 chains and 4 binders.

Now that being said, I'll do the math for you. 3 chassis is 12 chains and binders. Plus swift will do what they call a "5 by" 20 chains and binders....plus you don't get paid extra. At least with coil, I can get $23 for half a hour of work. Now, I'm not complaining about my chassis, after all the guys there are very helpful. The main plus for me.. its best place to meet most of the flatbedders running on the east coast(some crazy mofos in flatbeding. LoL. Not sure if it is required or do people get that way due to flatbeding. As a side note, most of the guys I've met are prior service... Hmmm that might be part of it.

Ok, time for me to stop rambling and hit the bunk...
Peace
Cycolee

 

Yep, 5 bys...for utilimaster. Oh I forgot to say. I ran into Mike today when I went in for my midterm. Of coarse he still talking about getting phase 2 at Greer terminal but don't have a clue if they will make Greer a flatbed terminal(again).

Again, not sure about phoenix, but I was told most flatbeders has no problems getting 20 straps, chains and binders(if not more). As a side note, most company fb trucks have all inclosed boxes to keep their gear in. As least that's what I've been told and what I've seen.

I'm hoping that I will get some time to post some of the pics I've taken so far. At the same time, I do have a few thing that need to get taken care of first... I hate taxes.

If anyone can let me know, I was wondering if swift will let me take the M test, for mechanics, as a driver. No, I don't want to give up the drivers seat, but would be nice to be have a fall back if I needed to stay in one place while staying with same company. As everyone on this board knows, swift is always looking for mechanics.

Anyway, ride safe out there.
Peace, CycoLee

 

Sorry it took so long to get on here and update. Wish the reason was that I've been too busy but the truth of the matter is, its been Hell week.

Firstly, WitchingHour... Yes I consider myself very mechanically minded. I've worked on anything from motorcycles to helicopters and have been to school for both. I was a facilities maintenance supervisor at a amusement park and was a maintenance tech at a chicken plant. I would have tried doing heavy equipment mechanic sooner but, most places require ASE certain or experience.(neither I have, other then army)

Well... Everything was going good for a while there, at least until "codriver" took hometime to see the doc. Granted, I got set up in a good spot for my hotel stay and was fed well before I was dropped off at the hotel. Yes shot me, I was too lazy to log into TTR, been a long time since I've just veged out. Anyway, after hometime, my co-driver and I had a load to greenville,sc. Nothing wrong with that until we get there and get unloaded and no preplan...this is odd... A few hours later we get a preplan but have to change trailers in gaffney. Load of I-beams from huger,sc to Houston, not too bad I thought, but not a good sign when I seen the co-driver was shaking his head. No problems with the load, at least until I get a preplan from Houston to UT. I forgot name of town, but its south of SLC. I was happy for the change.
Bad news was, we could not drop off until Monday but was going to get there Sat. So we requested to have load t-called in SLC... No problem? That is when we got the green weenie... We got a preplan with a open pick up time and date. We got to SLC Friday night and droped the trailer off and found another one. (side note-I freaking do not care for this terminal... Moving right along... We spent the night at terminal and got the fueling directions in the morning. We call the company to check their hours and get nothing. We head to a truck stop not far from the shipper and spend next 2 nights there while fight DL about our eta and why we have not picked up yet...monday we get the load without too many problems.

Oh forgot to say the biggest kick to the balls. Load was 2203 miles... Sounds great? Does until you would see that we had 7 stops, plus final. Now, we was told that we might be able to run load strait to Gary and have it t-called. Heh... Wishful thinking I guess... Well, we got moving monday with little to no problems. We made I rowlens, wy. When my time was about up and I decided to get some real truck stop food. Might have been worst thing I could have done. Myself along with many other drivers got stuck in that nice little "spring" storm that closed off I-80 east(not west). Now, monday my mentors DL was off for the day. When they came in the next day, we was told to deliver. 8 stops in IL, MI, IN and OH. Not too bad, but the good thing about flatbeder hours now becomes our bane. Most of the drop offs was 8-1300 M-F.
And we made it to first stop Fri afternoon.

All and all this was not a bad load for solo driver.(side note-tarpped load). But for some reason the planners or the CSRs thought we was running solo because the scheduled us to finish 2 days after we did. Thank goodness for cool receivers. Again not a bad load for solo, but wait, I'm still a trainee. Long story short, I should have been done a week ago. As of right now I just under 30 hours left and on our way to larado and already have load to sanford, nc. So I'm now going to shut my mouth about some change of plans and be happy with what I get.

Peace out everyone. Be safe.
Cycolee