Stevens Transport aviary

It makes all the screens flash.......

 

Well, I don't send Emergency Messages like Dujo, but I do detail everything on the QC, that way they can't say that I didn't tell them. If we are on breakdown, I send in the Breakdown message and state what the load is and when and where it delivers, also send a repower if I know its gonna take a while to repair. Just a CYA. Our DM often arrives in the morning to 1/2 a dozen QCs from us just for that reason.

 

WHAT A WEEK

So still running 40 all the time, just delivered in Los lunas, sitting in Amarillo now waiting on a meat load that has a dld for the 7th, AND SENDS ME RIGHT BACK TO NORTHERN CAL WHERE I SAT LAST WEEK FOR 4 DAYS. Looks like I will get my 3rd reset for the week....fml.

So I had an issue last night at the truck stop.......pulling my hair out right now over it.

Pulled up to a spot got set up, only spot around and it was really tight.

Started backing in, stopped the truck because I am anal about getting out and looking, got out and looked, not gonna make it with this angle. Pull out and park on the end of the row, trying to decide if I am going to circle and try it again or go to the next truck stop. Guy comes banging on my door, YOU JUST HIT MY TRUCK!!!

What? I told him I got out and looked and was not gonna make it so I pulled out.
He said, you hit my mirror, I felt the whole truck shake!!

Ok, I didnt hear anything and I looked before pulling out but lets go look at your truck. As he is swearing up a storm.

Get to his truck, no scraped dents dings or anything to his mirror, the bottom however is separated from the truck. The fixture has 4 holes for bolts, I ask him where the bolts are if I damaged it, he said he has no bolts it was glued on? WTF

Things are looking fishy at this point; he sais you need to pay me for this. EXCUSE ME? Not how it works, if you really think I did that damage to your mirror its time for me to get ahold of my company. So I do, I go through the whole process, take pictures get ALL his info and he ask me for nothing. Just takes my truck number and DOT number.

I am the kind of man " As I was taught to be" who can admit when he had made a mistake. I cannot say 100% that I did not hit his mirror because it was on my blind side, but I did JUST GET OUT AND LOOK!!! Something is fishy about all this and now Im on the line for it. Havent talked to insurance they are not in until tom but Im really bothered by this. I pride myself on doing things the right way, getting out and looking, taking precaution.

I think this guy watched me struggle to get into the spot, realized I was new and a company driver, waited for me to pull out, decided it was a perfect opertunity to have that mirror fixed he had somehow damaged. I cannot say this for sure but I had both windows down, just looked and did not hear or feel a thing.

The wind has been taken from my sails. Cleared $1700 for the month, now this.......really having a hard time in the truck tonight, couldn't sleep last night.

Like dujo said, tomorrow will be better!!!

 

A while back we were in a tight spot to get out of. had my student pull all the way forward, then jack the truck a bit so he could make a left turn and get out.
Before moving again, we both got out and checked clearances and then pulled out.
Well, it barely clipped the guy's mirror and he came unglued like a manic banty hen!
Exchanged info, took lot's of pics and sent it all in.
Only damage was the mirror.
Six weeks later the insurance department calls and wants pics again. do I have any of the door?
Sure!
Send them in.
turns out he's claiming we crunched his whole door and front fender. Insurance sends the pics.
Sure enough...it's a real mess. Complete with all the orange paint scraping on his white door. Oh, did I forget?
It was the opposite side of the truck from what we hit!
So someone else wiped out his door and fender (or he did) and he was now trying to get us to pay for it.
What some people wont try and do!

 

Lets see....how is this this going....
Got our load as far as Van Horn, then repowered a hazmat load. One drop in El Paso, the other in San Ysidro.
Since student doesn't have hazmat, I drove. Not a problem. Talked with receiver in San Diego and they'll take it anytime, so planning to drop saturday afternoon instead of sunday, I call the veggie patch and get a preplan.
Pick up sunday morning in Colton, deliver to Cheyenne.
Get to San Ysidro, find out it's a drop. the trainer has to be taken across to Tijuana and it's a holiday on monday, so the trailer won't leave before tuesday at the earliest.
Call dispatch. No trailers.
"how about I just bobtail up to the Colton yard and grab an empty?"
"Nope. Can't do that. Too far to deadhead you."
"What are we going to do?"
"I think there's a trailer in Calexico."
"Calexico? That's further than Colton!"
"OH NO! It's right there on the border!"
I have found that Texans and New Yorkers have a poor understanding of geography outside their own area.
"It's 90 miles from San Diego to Colton. It's 135 miles to Calexico."
"Just sit tight. We'll figure this out."
Now what I can't figure out is why they can pay me to deadhead to the load in Colton if I have a trailer, but if I'm bobtail, they can't?
We head over to the Pilot, grab a shower and I took my student out for an incredible Greek dinner.
This morning, met my son and his wife and had a quintessential San Diego breakfast at the 101 diner in Encinitas. If you've never been to the 101, you have to get there sometime.
My student is from Michigan. we're sitting at a sidewalk table in 74 degrees enjoying fantastic food and all these beach people coming by, stopping to hug each other and in one case even hugging my student.
Was a really great time. got back in the truck and QC goes off.
Deadhead to Colton, get a trailer and got a preplan for a three pick load monday that goes to Cedar Falls.
OK today, but not yesterday?
Oh well.
At least we were stranded in my old neck of the woods.

 

How long do these things take to settle out? Does stevens put up a good fight in your defense?

 

I know that Stevens told them to pound sand that same day.
It depends on the claim.
I suspect if it's just a few dollars, they may pay it just to expedite things.

 

Its not DOT reportable but I would have said something like this to the other driver.Lets call the police out to straighten this out.I imagine you would have gotten a different response out of him.Something along the lines of no thats OK lets just forget it.

 

Yes I know all this,I appreciate the advice.I have a perfect service record,and yes I had already sent a breakdown and repower message at the original time of the breakdown.So it is well known my trucks in the shop.Not my fault the different depts.cant communicate.We will sort it out Monday morn.If they want to try and blame it on me they will have some fun on their hands,lol.Ive sent the original breakdown,talked to dispatch,my manager knows,etc,etc.And sent another repower request for the new load.I suspect since it doesnt deliver until late tuesday,and its superbowl Sunday,probably dragging their feet a little.Heck,if I could get the truck back manana,we can make it.

 

Stevens will still put this on my DAC though right?