Stevens Transport aviary

Y'all have a safe and Happy New Year!

Last new years eve/day I spent at the Loves in Pauls Valley, OK. Left during new years day to go pick up a load in Liberal that was "waiting for me". Once I got there I had to wait 3 days for the load.

Stay safe!

 

Happy New Year to all !!!!

 

I'll get to swing by home pn New Years day...got a load that delivers Wed at 10 that is about 2 jrs away from.home. If I push it, I'll br home.by lunch time.on the 1st.

 

Seriously??? Normally when we are running ahead on a load and begging for a repower...phones are silent!! We are currently ahead on our load for Wed a.m. in Oakland, but we are both fighting off a severe cold, so we are happy to keep our load. Instead, we have had 5 calls for repowers, 3 after having to cancel one that we had agreed to. And they are all offering extra $$$. The last time we asked about additional compensation for a repower ('Hey, can you repower, run this load to final and when the other driver finishes his break he'll bring your load to you' No extra miles at all, just hours spent sitting in dock) we were accused of 'holding the company hostage!!' GIVE ME A BREAK!!

 

Things are crazy!
I couldn't begin to keep up on the qualcoms today. Shift began at 0800, arrived at 0720 and began working on qualcoms. We were about 20 minutes behind. By 1000 when my compadre came in, we were behind 90 minutes and phones were about 45 minutes behind.
By noon, phones were more than 75 minutes behind and qualcoms were falling fast.
When I left tonight at 2000, we still had qualcoms backing up to 1530, phones were still running fast (but we were caught up) and I had more than 18 trucks I hadn't been able to repower.
However, I might have stepped in it today....I began answering QC's with a flippant response...
"anyone there today"
"let me check and get back to you."

"I've been trying to get thru on the phones for more than a half hour. This is crazy."
"We have a one hour minimum."

"Why doesn't anyone answer the phone?"
"We're too busy drinking coffee"

"Call me."
"What would you like me to call you?"

As you can see....I got carried away. Sorry folks.
Come wednesday, things will be crazy as everyone comes back to work and will be looking for loads.
Fortunately (maybe for everyone else), I'll be off until saturday.
In the meantime...I'll be back tomorrow and tuesday!
Lucky you!

 

got to get that coffee drinkin time in of course

 

I think a 'repower bonus' is a great idea. Say $150 for just taking a repower, It will get more drivers interested in taking on a load and also get the managements ear as to why there are so many repowers costing them so much. I almost said that management could then fix the repower problem but I caught myself before I looked foolish.

 

I took a repower just the other day from Columbus up to Boston but only offered it because the 'Contractor' was shut down due to weather. We followed the storm all the way up to Boston but only took it to keep rolling. Gave me close to 700 miles more on my week!

Now we have a 3 drop load heading to Indiana and Wisconsin but not due in Wisconsin till the 4th! Umm, we can be there by the second! REPOWER ME, ....PLEASE!!! lol...

 

So. . . A driver shuts down because of unsafe driving conditions and dispatch wants another driver to continue with the load in the very same unsafe conditions. How do they get approval to do that? Am I missing something?

 

What is unsafe for one driver might be fine for another. It depends on experience and judgement. I ran thru Utah, Wyoming and Nebraska several times when other drivers shut down. They had little experience in snow or weather.
These days I see drivers shut down for weather if there's the HINT of snow.
So you never know.