Taking the plunge. My journey as an O/O.

Sure. Keep the left door closed. Preferably not while sitting behind half a dozen pretty trucks wanting a bit of dust washed off.

I was very fortunate the other day that the timing on the load I was unable to pick up same day was flexible.

 

Honestly, the majority of my irritation is with truck washes that are being stupid. I agree that drivers should have the right to get a wash whenever they want, I just don't want them wasting my time when they do, which means I want companies to have washout bays, especially in busy locations.

For example, the Blue Beacon at the Raphine Petro. They frequently have a line of trucks ten long waiting for their single bay. There is plenty of room at that location to add a second bay and make it washout only, but Blue Beacon doesn't seem to understand that at extremely high volume locations like that, where there is only one bay, they could enormously improve their efficiency and more than double their income with a second bay dedicated to washouts.

The only possible meaningful reason I can think of for not adding a bay is if the government has restricted them somehow with water usage laws, or something.

 

Eh? I washout trailers because they need washing. Every now and then I pick up a clean empty, but normally not. If I didn't waste my time getting it washed out, I'd be wasting my time waiting for Crete to have someone wash it for me. Which wouldn't happen anyway. Crete/Shaffer and their company drivers would tell me to piss up a rope if I told them I wanted them to wash out my trailers for me. Making sure my trailer is clean enough for the shipper is my job, whether I am a company driver or a owner op. Normally I can find a dedicated washout lane, or I can find a washout that doesn't have an enormous / slow line.

As for changing back to van? I've never hauled van freight except occasionally when there was no reefer freight in an area, or I needed to get home.

The reason I was so irritated about pretty trucks getting spa treatments in front of me is that It caused me to lose three hours of drive time a few days ago.

As for a sinking ship? Nah. Mileage is down since Shaffer lost the decent loads on the Mars account and I went back to the National Shaffer o/o pool. I'm averaging a pathetic 2700 miles a week or so the last couple months, but that's more than enough to pay the bills.