Stevens Transport aviary

I know it's an added expense but when you are leasing or O/O put locks on your tanks.
Sorry this happened to you, It also sucks (no pun intended) that another trucker would do this to a fellow driver.
Another tip, never fill up before you park for the night, fill up in the mornings before you leave.

 

Fuel theft always seems to increase with the rise in the price of diesel. And seems more prevalent on the west coast.

 

It's a two way street. I always answer, "This is *******". More than half the time the first thing that someone asks is, "Who am I speaking with?" I respond again, "This is******* ". There will be a pause, then they ask again, "But what's your name?"
At this point, I usually use a different moniker such as "This is Antiachus Epiphineas".
They accept that!
Other times, they'll exclaim, "JD!" or some other person.
Nope...
So you see, many people don't listen to how the phone is acutally answered.

But your point is well taken. That very subject was broached in a saturday morning meeting with all the operations people.

Now here's something that will really help us inside. I know the phones can have you on hold for a long time, especially on weekends. Many will put their phones on speaker so their hands are free.
Understood.
But please pay attention. When we answer, say something IMMEDIATELY! Then take us off speaker.
I hate picking up a call when the que is 15 calls deep (about 45 minutes wait) and finding no one there, no one responds and after several attempts, having to disconnect. We have no way to put you back on hold and come back.
And I know your speaker phone may sound good to you, but we can barely hear in many cases. Your speaker phone will pick up all kinds of ambient noise, making your call unintelligible. Please, once we've answered, switch to either your headset or pick up the phone.

 

Phone Extensions

Since management has installed this new phone system, some things have changed.
Drivers still call in on the customer line because the wait is almost zilch. However, we are instructed now to transfer you to the driver's line, the one you're suppose to call in the first place.
If you call the drivers line originally, you have the option of choosing your phone extension. If we transfer you, you'll have to wait until your turn comes up. No option to pick your extension. I'm also told, (I don't know for sure) that when we transfer you, there is no Stevens Radio, just a long blank time.
So here are some common phone extensions for nights and weekends that will allow you to go directly to that department and avoid some of the long waits:
Produce-7780
Meat-1143
DFW dispatch- 2723 or 2724, depending who's week it is
Perdue-2717, 2733 and 2713...again, depending on the shift
Night/Weekend Safety- 7958
Road Rescue-7249. They also have a direct 800 number, refer to your 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 laminated card.
Midnight Run Desk- 1380

Now I know you will often get voice mail at some of these, or a long hold. But we run with a skeleton crew and there are only so many calls we can handle at any one time. We really try. Certain times of the day, the phones will overload incredibly fast.
An example is 0800 sunday mornings. We can count on 40 calls or more coming in starting at 0800, and there are only two of us answering.
At 0755 yesterday morning, there were two calls in the que. At 0810 there were 21!
These extensions are the same ones we'll put you thru to. I hate to see people hang on hold for any amount of time, only to be transferred to another que to hold again. Dial direct and save some time.
And hanging up, calling back because you've been on hold for safety or whomever won't help. You'll go right back to the end of the que again.
We don't have any 'secret' extensions to put you thru. We have to use the same ones to reach each other.

Another thing to be aware. If you call the drivers line and it rings several times, then you go off into la la land without having been answered, you are likely lost in the system.
The phones are suppose to send the next call waiting in que to the next available line. But often it will send it to a phone that already has a call. I cannot begin to tell you how many times my phone will start ringing on my second line, while I'm talking on the first. I have three rings to catch it, or it's lost. Then when I hang up with the first call, the system logs me off, I have to log back in. If your call is ringing on mysecond line, and I'm logged off, you'll be lost into the netherworld.
Another brain child operation is if we push the 'make busy' line so another call won't come thru (for instance, we need to call out), it makes our phones unresponsive for 15 seconds. we cannot pick up or transfer calls during that time. I get frustrated watching a call ring in and I can't answer it. By the time I can answer, the caller is lost.
We are told by our supervisors to say nothing about these annoying proclivities, as it's taken as complaining, and upper management doesn't want to hear complaints... they want results.
So perhaps your all knowing some of these things will help you use the system to your advantage and get you thru the maze quicker, with less frustration.

 

"This is Antiachus Epiphineas".

You were causing trouble in 170 BC. The more things change the more they stay the same.

 

so instead of hearing problems which they call complaining there solution is to do absolutly nothing to fix the issue besides sweep it under a rug.

 

I am really about ready to throw in the towel, took two 34s last week only to look at my qualcom last night after doing laundry to get an 224 deadhead, 850 mile run, DLD 19th at 2200 and delivers 0000 21st. Started to refuse the load and get a mssage back load is ready we will try to resched delivery, OK so I grab it. Got the message at 1720 of course after anyone that can help is gone for the day or not answering thier phones that delivers 21st 0700 Looks like i get yet ANOTHER rese because I dont have much faith in getting repowered off not with only 480 left to run on it amd meat will say ohh he can make the load on time. Need some helpful suggestions on how to refuse something without pissing off a planner r dispatcher. I tried good verbage of too much DLD time, too much time on load to deliver and 25 percent deadhead. I am going broke out here about to lose my personal truck at home, all ready had to get another cell carrier and I sure as heck dont eat high on the hog, its top ramen and snack crackers and once a week what I can throw together in a crock pot. I am polite and try to bend but things keep getting put places they are not intended and I am about ready to blow a gasket which will not do much good. How to get out of this slump

 

Miles are down all over for the fleet and drivers are (understandably) very unhappy. We have had a lot of dissention and management is instructing us to do what we can to assist the drivers and their needs.
I am seeing supervisors answering phones and more involved.
There is a lot of pressure on us internally.
But in general, finger pointing and scapegoating is still the norm.

 

Just a quick update. The trainer that I was assigned to worked out great. In three days on the truck I have been from Calif. to Miss. Thank you all for the advice here.

 

Parked at the Flying J in North East MD getting ready for some time off. Today is day 98 on the truck, thought I would.make 100 but they had no load heading down this way so I deadheaded from Chester, NY. I park the truck.about 3 miles from here, but my ride won't be picking me up for another hour or so.

Hopefully the miles pick back up some by the time I get back.