Stevens Transport aviary

Man what a week, & it ain't over yet...Went through grad class on monday, on tuesday get down to the safety talk & they had managed to loose my or2 reportcard. No safety talk till they find it or replace it... Took till thursday to get ahold of both finishing trainers to re-do my reportcard... I'm going to recover a trk in Sioux City. Get down to the greyhound station only to be told they don't have room for me, come back tomorrow... So back to the hotel & back to greyhound on friday. Got out & got as far as Tulsa. The connecting bus in Tulsa took a wrong turn & shows up 3 hrs late. So much for catching my connection in KC... The next bus to Sioux City leaves # 7:30am getting to Sioux City # 12:45pm. Problem is KW (where the trk is) closes at 12pm. It being a holliday weekend I really don't expect them to stick around, so looks like a hotel till monday....

 

Got to love it... The buses schedule is just about as good as a stevens repower schedule.

Monday, is the Holiday since the 4th falls on sunday. KW may not be open on monday either.

The life we choose to live, the joys and turns when we are not in control, makes for a wonderful day and week.

 

Hi all. Quick question for you guys. Does Stevens have terminals outside of Dallas? I looked at the web site but don't see any info on that. I am in Phoenix AZ.
Thanks.

 

Stevens only has their HQ in Dallas. They are looking at opening a terminal in Amarillo, TX, however, I am unsure how that project is going.

 

Im down in Marshall TX tonight. Have a delivery tomorrow at Walmart in New Caney. Man is it muggy here!
Was repowered twice in Little Rock on thursday, delivered into Smyrna, TN friday and went right back over to General Mills in Murfreesboro to pick up again.
The guy did a double take and asked me, "hey! weren't you just here two days ago? You can't have gotten there and back!"
I smiled, picked up my paper and told him, as I went out the door, "Anything is possible with JATO bottles!"
As I was passing thru Little Rock today, got a call from dispatch to repower a load to Virginia.
I reached my tipping point. I told him, "wrong direction. I'm headed west. Hometime."
I may have shot myself in the foot, but it's three weeks late now and I'm getting home if I have to deadhead all the way! I warned Dana.
I think sometimes those guys are directionally challenged.

 

If Stevens has found a way to upset me they have certainly found it. I don't know if I should call the folks back in Dallas management or mis-management.

Thursday morning the phone rings and it is Stevens. "Can you help us?" was the question. They had a load that was in trouble and I was only a few hours away. The dispatcher tells me "You can do 500 miles on the load today." The math in Dallas must work different back there because in the real world I could only have done just over 300 miles after I took the repower because I was 200 miles away. I agree to take the repower. The load was supposed to deliver the following day in CA which was over 1000 miles away. This means I will already be late when I take the repower. "We will repower you in Flagstaff." , I was told. I arrive in Flagstaff for my 10 hour break patiently waiting for the repower message to come across the QC. It never materialized.

The following morning the QC beeps after I get fuel. Its Dallas wanting to know where I plan on taking my breaks and stopping for the day (I guess whoever sent me the message neglected to look for or read the trip plan I submitted). I sent a QC back letting them know where I planned to stop.

I make it as far as Barstow and I notice a clearance light is out on the truck. I stop at the TA and have it fixed. Dallas takes forever to send the approval and I end up staying the night in Barstow. While waiting for the truck to be repaired I called the receiver. I should have known no one would answer because it the start of a holiday weekend. I ask Dallas if they know if I will be able to make the delivery on the weekend. I get a message back saying just go there and find out. I perceived this as a very blatant way of passing the buck back to me and in no way supportive of a driver requesting a simple piece of information.

This morning I get a QC telling me to get to the receiver as soon as I can. This was after I had starting driving for the day. An hour later I get another QC telling me the load was rescheduled for 07/06 at 0630. This now means that I will be sitting on a 1k mile load for five days.

I call back to Dallas and ask for the possibility of a repower. No such luck because there are only three people in CA who are HAZMAT qualified. "One is on hometime and the other is brokedown."

So here I sit babysitting a load and absolutely no miles until Tuesday.

 

I think that would tick anyone off! Sorry to hear it happened!

Jim

 

Tick tick tick booomb......

Just goes to show where their priorities are, and it is not with the driver, who without, there is no company. I have juggled with always saying no to the question "can you help us?" My first response is no. And if I can not make the repower I am going to, I always say no. I am tired of the "we will repower you later" and then it does not happen.

it is amazing when they screw up so bad on dispatch, how easy it is for them to reschedule the appointment.

 

Thanks Cuda. That leaves me out then. I live alone and would have no way to get to and from a drop off point during home time with out paying for it.

 

If you do not mind the daily workout, you should consider Maverick Flatbed.
They also have a new refer division as well along with the specialized division.
You will make a lot more money too!