Starting Schneider Bulk

Some other random pieces of advice:

• Log out and reset your tablet at least once a week, preferably on a Sunday as updates are pushed Saturday night.
• Take the long view. Last week sucked for me, a lot of loads just over the short haul pay threshold, live unloads just under detention pay, etc. But the week before I set a new record for weekly pay. Between the two weeks I sit just over average. Take the good with the bad, but when you have a good day, make a note. I still remember a day from my first year. I came out of Denver heading into Oklahoma(?), I had a massive storm system behind me with winds so strong that when I stopped I needed two hands to get my door to close. All day long I was driving into blue skies with a double rainbow, I hit 7.2 mpg (usually did 6.2 mpg which was considered "fantastic"), and averaged 63 mph on a truck governed at 59.5 mph (yes, I am that much of a nerd that I calculated my speed by hand), did 600 miles and got unloaded a day early. I think about that day a lot, it helps on the days when getting beat like a red-headed step child looks like a good deal.
• Listen to everyone, but be discerning on what you take to heart. Just because a guy is a trainer, or been driving since horse power was calcuated by adding up the number of horses, doesn't mean he knows what he's talking about. Listen, learn what you can, but don't believe things just because one guy said.
• Track where you fuel and if it's "compliant". If you need to fuel non-compliant for load reasons make a note of it both for yourself and in a message to your dbl, that way if you are just under compliance come bonus time you can get a couple of them rolled back. The added bonus to tracking your fuel locations is you will learn which stops tend to be 'compliant', and can fuel there and 'trick' the program into thinking you had a compliant stop.

 

Congratulations. You seem to have a great attitude and aptitude for your new career and should do well. As in anything there are good days, bad days and many somewhere in the middle. Just stayed focused on the task at hand and your goal(s).

 

Get a wallet or bag to hold them all in. Had like 18 safety cards when I was at Schneider. Every plant even thoses of the same company had their own safety card. 1 place I went even went the extra mile and took your picture and put it on the safety card and laminated it.

Also in the 1 year I was there I moved like 6 intermodel loads but never had to unload them so never got to use that special fitting for it. Still remember when they ordered a bunch of new ones and somewhere down the line a mistake was made and the rear was placed in the front on the chassis. Some ended up getting loaded like that and they only found out cause some drivers called in that they couldn't unload at the customer.

 

You will find that a lot of your fellow drivers don't do a proper inspection. Had drivers tell me they picked up a 'clean' tank st the Quala only to be rejected cause there was STILL product in it! Like it was never even cleaned to begin with. Told the guy if he actually inspected the trailer he would not of wasted his time.

Following your inspection sheet will eliminate most of the problems you will have with the trailers.

I was sent to pick up a empty up at the Chicago Quala only to find the rear lights not working. They might of died right after being dropped but more than likely the driver never bothered to check them or saw that they were out but decided not to let breakdown know.

Also caps....I don't know who be stealing them but at times you will find the rear cap missing and the chain/cord cut. Get some spares of you can.

Edit - Some customers have special delivery instructions so perhaps for those few bad intermodel containers that made it, the drivers thought the customer wanted it like that lol