THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE - DFO gets a truck and hops on Schneider's IC Choice Program

Works ok on my Galaxy and is horrible on my wifes Iphone. The created app only allows you to see your current loads in a cell phone format. Otherwise your looking at a website and trying to navigate it with a smart phone and alot of the features fail to work with the Iphone but can be navigated with a android based system,

 

I was down in Mobile when I started feeling like crap a few weeks ago. It took me 3 days to get home up near Rockford, ILL. Found out I had ear infection in both ears and bronchitis. Haven't had ear infection since I was like 10 and I've never had bronchitis in my life. Crazy stuff!

 

I just spent christmas and all the next day in the hospital from the flu. Some bad stuff goin round, i cought it on the news lots of people in the hospital all over U.S., I know I wasnt the only one here in temple tx. Be Safe Drivers. Happy New Year !

 

I did a live unload at the Shelby NC Walmart DC a couple of weeks back. Took them 2-1/2 hours to pull off 13 pallets but I had no lumper fee of any kind. I was told that was fast for them too.

DFO, very entertaining and informative thread. I have enjoyed reading all of it.

 

So, had my first experience using my maintenance account with the Paccar guys. It was time for my 15k PM, so that meant a PM w/o oil change because my oil only had 15k on it. (BTW, don't listen to Schneider's BS recommendations for maintenance intervals when it concerns oil changes, etc. follow the manufacturers recommendations, not some interval that a number cruncher sitting behind a desk came up with as being "cost effective"). Cummins says the oil should be changed at 25k. Schneider says 30k. Mine will be done every 25.)

Anyway, so I got out my card with all my truck info on it, called Paccar. I sat on hold for 30 minutes before I got to a person. Finally, I gave them my truck info, and they asked what I wanted to get done. I told them I wanted to get a PM done without an oil change at Triad Freightliner in Greensboro. No problem, he tells me, and asks when I can drop the truck off, then tells me to hold on while he sets things up with them.

After everything was all set up Paccar gave me a reference number, and I dropped the truck off the next day. Freightliner asked for my reference number, took my keys and back home I went.

So, after not getting a call by the end of the day on Thursday when I was told I would be called by Freightliner, I called them myself and asked what the deal was with my truck. "Its done" they tell me. Ok, whatever, thats for the call, you tools.

I go to pick it up today, they can't match anything up, can't find my paperwork. Someone put down the wrong unit number. After finding that, I looked at the invoice. They changed the oil on the truck. WTF?

Ok, you know what... I've got bigger battles to fight. New year, fresh start, fresh oil, whatever. Of course they didn't get an oil sample though, because I wasn't expecting an oil change and didn't leave them the sample bottle to fill up.

What is the point of even dealing with Paccar? They say they handle the communication between the driver and the dealership but obviously they don't? My oil only had 15k on it. I specifically told Paccar I didn't want it changed. The guy I spoke with repeated that back to me before he set things up with Freightliner.

Looks like I won't be dealing with that crap any more. Just like the other repairs I've done, I'll just pay for it myself. If I want to be reimbursed from my maintenance account, I'll take the receipt and send it to Schneider.

Lesson learned, well its something I already KNOW, but I made the mistake of trusting someone else - if you want it done right, do it yourself.

ANYWAY...

Booked my load from my favorite customer close to home that sends out feather-light loads, I'll take that up to Ohio, then I'm grabbing another light load out of Ohio that's headed down to Georgia. Looks like it's gonna be friggin COLD up there in Ohio?!?! Let me get this right, the high is -6*F on Tuesday? OMG. I haven't figured out how to get this Cummins to high idle yet, pressing the accel button on the steering wheel doesn't do anything. I will not be shutting this engine off if its gonna be anywhere close to 0*.

I got a nice little microwave that fits perfectly in the cabinet, although I had to remove the face plate on the cabinet to get the door to open without rubbing. I still need to get a big inverter to power it, I'm thinking this one here - http://www.donrowe.com/Xantrex-806-1220-PROwatt-SW-2000-p/806-1220.htm, I'll do that next time I'm home. I also installed a new Alpine head unit and an amplifier and got 2 new 5.25" speakers for the doors and new 6x9 speakers for the sleeper. It sounds SO much better, and it connects and controls my playlist on my smartphone through bluetooth, its too cool. I love listening to music while I drive so that is something that was well worth the time it took to get everything installed. It wasn't too bad, although I had to do a little bit of wiring troubleshooting because whoever replaced the head unit before I bought the truck didn't wire several wires correctly.

I'm itching to get back on the road, it's been nice having some time off, but now that all the holidays have passed and friends and family have gone home, I'm ready to hit the ground running for 2014.

 

Not so sure I'd want to be light headed into Ohio right now

 

I'm in Ohio, I'll vouch, it's cold. Lol

 

Enjoy my snow and cold DFO, I'm headed for Aiken, SC tomorrow and not coming back till Wednesday.

 

Computers are a beautiful thing,But....I would be a wealthy man if I had a dollar for every time some trucker spent a night in his truck because some school boy forgot to update his computer.
Happy trails.

 

Sorry to hear about your oil change. I feel the same way every time I ask a fast food restaurant to hold the cheese. It almost always comes back with cheese. Just when I think it's safe, that next sandwich has cheese.