Superior Carriers 2013-2014

12/16-12/28

I have had a busy couple of weeks. Did a dedicated that I hadn't done before 12/16-18. It's an out and back loading in Taylor Mi pulling a Carry trailer of liquid sugar. Tank had to be washed out in Dayton at our Carry terminal because the customer requires a wash out within 24 hours before loading. I left Tuesday around 10AM and took my break at the terminal.

I probably won't do it that way in the future. The facilities aren't the greatest and showers are only available when the dispatchers are there. Tankwash got me in and out pretty quick so next time I will run it a few hours up the road after washing out.

The plant that loads us was pretty crazy. They load from the bottom and you back up to one of 4 hoses coming out of the wall in the driveway. I pulled up about an hour before my appointment Wednesday and the guy checking me in told me they had made the product too early and the load would be canceled if we couldn't start loading me in the next 20 minutes. They shut down loading another truck mid stream, had him pull around, and put me in his spot. Problem was they left the dome lid up on his tank and sloshed liquid sugar all over the road and the driveway. I guess food grade is a little different in procedures. What a sticky mess. It still took 2 hours to get loaded most of that waiting for the lab. I got home Thursday after driving a little over 400 miles a day. They had me deliver the load Friday morning at 6 AM so I pretty much got a 3 day weekend.

I would have been just fine being off the next week since I hadn't bought present 1 and my wife's birthday is the 23rd. They had another idea. I got a N Chicago out and back loading up there at 6 AM Tuesday 12/23. That required some scrambling Friday and Saturday to get ready for the holidays. Throw in a Panther game with my son Sunday and I stayed pretty busy. We did the wife's birthday dinner Saturday night at a local winery.

Headed out about Monday for N Chicago around 4:30AM. Had an uneventful trip and got back to the yard about14:00 on Christmas Eve. The plant was closed so I they had me drop it on the yard.

I have had a nice 4 day Christmas holiday and am looking at another N Chicago load in the morning that should get me home Wednesday afternoon. Hopefully after the Panthers play today I will be looking at a wildcard playoff game to attend next weekend.

Tailgate with my son:

 

The clean out caps have little flip up lids you have to make sure they are sealed. The trailer also has a pump on it in the back. I have never used one though. These loads are drop and hook for us.

One more tailgate for this season. Nothing like a home playoff game with a losing record.

 

Pulled together 2014 numbers this afternoon. 2012 was 100% system. 2013 was about 50-50 system and dedicated. 2014 was 100% dedicated.

2014

Red 102 days......Full perdiem deduction...nights spent on the road

Blue 136 days.....Partial 75% perdiem deduction days....Days I left home or arrived home..72 of these I slept in my bed at home.

Green 126 days...Full days off...no work at all except for the honey do lists.

Yellow 8 days.... Local work... Most of these are delivering a load in the morning that I got back with the day before and no local driver was available to deliver it.

114,782 miles ..This is the most I have run in a year but about half are deadhead empty miles.

I grossed about $600 more in 2014 than 2013. 2012 remains my best year yet but only by about $900. Not bad for 35 less nights on the road over 2013 and 73 less than 2012. All 3 years are over 60K gross.

 

Hope it works out for you. I have been to Pedricktown a few times but its been a few years. That terminal/tankwash is nicer than the old one at the Dana Tankwash up the road. We should get pretty busy in a few weeks.

 

Yeah everything is fine. Its just that I am running dedicated now and its the same loads over and over so I am not going to do a weekly summary anymore unless things change. This thread pretty much documents what I do.