Stevens Transport aviary

There is one simple philosophy that I follow when driving. It's really simple.

BE A ROCK IN THE STREAM
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It follows with the "Don't let the other guy drive your truck" thing.

I figure that I am less stressed and my pay and mileage is that much better when I keep the speed down and just let 'em go around. I've tried it the other way and just end up enraged when I couldn't get through traffic. The rock in the stream approach is really much better. I was getting 5 mpg driving like most of the "SuperTruckers" out there. Once I adopted my new outlook I was getting 7 - 7.5 loaded, and sometimes as much as 9 mpg (Kansas with a tail wind ). I made more money and was much more relaxed. Funny that the difference in miles (without traffic) over an 11 hour day (assuming no breaks and no fueling) is about 55 miles (compared 60 mph to 65 mph). But the difference in mental acuity and stress levels was immeasurable.

Just my two cents.

Also ... stress = lowered immunity resistance = sickness and lost time.

 

Don't know if anyone else is noticing it, but I see more trucks driving slower these days than ever before. Not just fleets, either.
Passed half a dozen this morning driving from Salt Lake to Cheyenne, and my cruise was set on 57.
It certainly wasn't weight on the hills, either. Heaven knows, I'm not passing anyone while dragging up the hills at 24mph (heavy load)!
Like I said...back to Cheyenne. Gettng to know this stretch of 80 pretty well. Think my truck is trained enough to just let it drive while I take a nap.
Drove down night before from Cheyenne to SLC, found a load where driver was short on hours to make the Wally World delivery this morning at 0630...so here I am again!
Works out pretty good. When I get out of here, I'll have 45 minutes left on my 70 until tuesday.
So I guess I'll head over to the TA for my reset. I'd go to the J, but now their TV is broken. Seems everything in that place is broken.
Just my luck. I'm still in the dock and dispatch has sent me three preplans. I keep calling and telling them I have no hours. Then repower dept called me to see if I could snag a load coming down from Denver way and get it to Ogden today.
I told him I have no hours. He asked, "do you have ANY?"
"45 minutes after my PTI"
"How far can you get with that? Can you get to Laramie?"
Talk about desperate!

 

Anyone on the board here running one of the new Columbia's with the Detroit?
Curious how you like it and what kind of mileage you're getting. I'm hearing some pretty high numbers, but it's all third hand information.
Cat wants to talk to me about trading out of this truck when I come into the yard next weekend. Says she's short on good used trucks for the first time Alliance drivers (cheaper payments), and is willing to play, "let's make a deal".
They have a bunch of new trucks on the lot, including a couple Columbias.

 

I left Cheyenne this morning heading to Sacramento. I probably waved at you

 

Lucky you Emusified... Nice to be needed out west.
Here I am at Morris IL, R Place, TA, until my delivery at 0600 on Tuesday across the street.
I shake my heads at the trucks that pass me 3 or 4 times in a day... they sure do stop alot. Then they will pull into the same Truck stop as me, after me, and leave before me.. they sure did not take a 10 hour break.

Along Emusifieds line of questions, Anyone running the new Paccar Engine? I want a 660 with the paccar engine.. would be a great combination from what I am hearing.

I would deal with Cat on turning in my truck... with NO Lease Turn In Charges... otherwise I am gonna keep it.
I tried one year ago, for the month of june to run hard, 64 to 65mph when ever it was legal.. when the month was over, I had spent more on fuel, lots more, I had been paid for 943 miles more than the months before.. but the extra miles did NOT offset the additional fuel cost. I was more stressed, and spent more time setting waiting to deliver...
so back to being a turtle.. and getting good miles, and good pay.
This week, 3042 miles...

 

Have a good 4th of July guys and I hope everyone grilling steaks and burgers, dogs and brats, drinking beer and cokes appreciate the drivers that delivered it for them.

 

I enjoyed the fire works last night put on by the Town of Morris IL... just north of the truck stop.
Had a good conversation with another long term driver, Kraft Dedicated that this his is last week after 4 years.. Not getting any miles the past month, no longer trains, and has found a local job, where he will be home on weekends..
He will be missed... but due to the lemon of a truck he has, and that the dm for Kraft dedicated quit, and nothing is running smoothly anymore he has just had enough.
None of the multitude of other Stevens drivers here have wanted to talk..

Enjoy the Fourth, and remember why we have this holiday.

 

Still here in Cheyenne tonight. Since they only had 5 on staff today, there wasn't a chance I'd get a dispatch tonight. Probably being sent to Lexington anyway.
Anxious to roll again.