Stevens Transport A year in review

They not only want us to run legal, they enforce it. And when it comes to bad weather, which we have had a lot of this year, they want us to park it, and wait until it is safe to drive again, no pressure, they change the appointment time.

I do not know what the company drivers are getting right now. Company drivers must stay above 8500 miles per month.

 

I went to a school of my choice at my expense. then went to stevens, and they pay me for my schooling at $25 per week.

 

A good week considering that my options were limited. I had to get to the yard to get my DOT physical done before march 3.

Miles ran 2558
miles paid 2326
miles transfloed yet to be paid 2420

Got up Monday morning at the Vince Lombardi and called the shipper to see if I could get loaded early. No luck, 4pm means 4pm. Wait around until 3pm, and head over to the shipper 15 miles away on NJ surface streets. Arrive at 3:50 and see why they only want 1 truck at a time, it is a narrow street, dead ends in one block, blind side back into the single dock, and no place to park a truck. And the Truck that should be leaving is just now back in. I help him back in, then pull forward, and park in the middle of the street. It takes about 15 minutes to load him, he pulls out, and it is my turn. Takes me about 10 minutes to back in.

Takes about 20 minutes to get me loaded, 33 pallets.

Pull out, and look at grid lock on the street I want to turn onto. Would like to turn right, but there is no way I will be able to swing this trailer around that corner, so I set up to turn Left. Traffic actual stopped and let me out, made one car nervous as my trailer swang close, but I could see I was clear. Maneuvered my way out of Passaic NJ headed for I80 to I78 and west bound. Made it to Carlisle PA and stopped for the night.

I am headed for Wilmer TX and then the yard. Picked up a student that needed off the truck he was on and gave him a ride to the yard also. His trainer had violated steven's policies and was on a 48 hour shut down. I am a solo driver, and like it that way, but this time I said yes and met a great guy.

Shut down at a rest stop on 1-40 in Tennessee for the night with my passenger. Handed him my spare sheets, pillow case, pillow, and blanket, and tell him he can use them and make up the bunk. Roll to Texarkana and call it a night.

Roll down to Wilmer, arrive an hour early, it is a new warehouse, find the receiving door, check in, get unload, and head for the yard.

Normal day at the yard, safety lane, trailer washout since it was a HazMat load, and then get started on my clearance sheet. Would have been cleared that afternoon except for the doctor did not work afternoons, and then Friday, he was 2 hours late. My truck was cleared before I was, a real odditty on the yard. Now if I had not wanted to go home, I would have pulled a load off the yard that afternoon, and continued on with a good week. Instead I get to go to Cott Beverage, and pick up a load of Walmart Soda on saturday morning, and Delivery 900 miles away on Monday morning in cheyenne Wy. No problem I usually can get unloaded early at this DC.

Actually Cott suprises me, and I am loaded with a legal load in 90 minutes. I head off and stop in Lamar CO. Usually get a good meal at Port to Plains, but not tonight, the waitress was trying to do to much, my steak was over cooked, and it was a bad night.

Get up early and head to cheyenne, 300 miles away. arrive in cheyenne at 10:30 am, and call WalMart. The lady wants to know what I got, I tell her, she tells me to hold, comes back, and asks if I am willing to turn it into a drop, and pull an empty out. I say Sure.

Did not know we had any empty trailers at this DC, but who am I to argue.
Pull in, drop my loaded trailer, find the one empty, pick it, turn in the paperwork, send in my empty call, my going on time off call pull over to the loves and scan my paperwork, and head for Laramie to visit friends for the day. Have a great day in Laramie, then head up to Casper monday, and I am home before my appointment in Cheyenne was set for.

This is a quick stop at home, get my Taxes done, restock the truck and hit the road again. Miles are good, and I don't want to waste the opportunity to continue to have good weeks. So I will start running again on Thursday Morning.

 

HazMat loads are spotty. Stevens does not have enough drivers with the endoresement to have steady contracts for those loads. That is why they are requiring all drivers to have HazMat by the end of the year.

Most of the hazmat loads I have pulled are cleaning supplies, and Stevens wants to get the contract back with Proctor and Gamble.

As far as your trainer, you may get a company, or you may get an alliance, or like many, you will switch trainers before your first 5 weeks is up.

The lease works for me, I am single, kids grown, very few bills at home, and enjoy life on the road. It would be difficult to make the lease work if I had big expenses at home.

Tid bits, read the threads, there are little bits of information in each one. Stay relaxed, don't get in the mind set of gotta go gotta go, run run run. that is when mistakes happen.