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

dieselfuelonly · Jan 7, 2014

FatDaddy said: ↑

Wintertime you just have to account for the extra fuel expense and build it into the rates you are willing to pull for. I hate to idle but sitting in these single digit temps I'm not taken any chances
Click to expand...

Yeah I was talking to another driver tonight, he said he saw 2 drivers running their APUs last night when he stopped, and again the next morning on the side of the road about 5 miles down with gelled up fuel, lol.

moosc · Jan 8, 2014

Wow idling at 1000rpm pretty dam high. 750 is the norm. Set parking brake NOT TRAILER Brake engage idle it'll go automatically up to 750. #### idle at 1000rpm is intense. That's what regen goes to.

dieselfuelonly · Jan 8, 2014

moosc said: ↑

Wow idling at 1000rpm pretty dam high. 750 is the norm. Set parking brake NOT TRAILER Brake engage idle it'll go automatically up to 750. #### idle at 1000rpm is intense. That's what regen goes to.
Click to expand...

Cummins like to idle a little higher than your Detroits moosc, 900-1000 is recommended for my ISX. This engine either doesn't have high idling enabled in the ECM or it needs to have a separate switch wired up, according to some help I got from another section of this forum. But, since I will rarely be idling my engine overnight I think I'll just stick with the lego wedge LOL. Too bad the tripac doesn't power an AC generator, then I could plug the block heater into that. I think a block heater like this would be hell on an inverter, even a big one lol.

firespock · Jan 8, 2014

DFO nice to hear u will be passing through Atlanta, Ga i was just at the terminal two days ago for my PWS going to be heading off to trucking school soon they are putting me in the bulk division but i am hoping after the one year contract i have to do in order for them to pay for my license. I am thinking of doing exactly what you are doing with the choice program but not 100% sure if i should lease from Schneider or a dealership. What is your opinion on that if i can get from a dealer? Also just curious cause i am still kinda new to truck talk what is gelled fuel mean?

nate980 · Jan 8, 2014

Frozen up fuel.

firespock · Jan 8, 2014

Oh ok thanks i never honestly did know that fuel could get frozen up, but it makes sense y'all trying to keep it warm that way it doesn't mess up the truck or get you stranded somewhere losing money. Learned something new today for when i start truck driving.

HotH2o · Jan 8, 2014

I've never been in real cold temps. How does idling prevent fuel from gelling? Does it circulate fuel with engine running?

Opus · Jan 8, 2014

HotH2o said: ↑

I've never been in real cold temps. How does idling prevent fuel from gelling? Does it circulate fuel with engine running?
Click to expand...

actually, I think it's the vibration

firespock · Jan 8, 2014

well actually what dipschitt said does sound make sense actually. i just never really new about gelling cause the coldest i have ever seen was like 8* and that was yesterday here in atlanta, ga which i know everywhere else it was colder.

icsheeple · Jan 8, 2014

dieselfuelonly said: ↑

Never a dull day in trucking with DFO. First had to fight to get an empty trailer. Called in and explained I was at home (found my location code, gave it to them) and I needed a trailer. No problem, they put the box planner on it. So, do some laundry, pack up my stuff, etc., and keep checking my work assignment on Crossroads for it to update. Finally it does. Shows my home location. Also shows me picking up an empty trailer at my home location. WTF? Come on. Get on the phone with them, ask why I'm showing that I need to pick up a trailer at my house. "You need to send in the exception" she tells me. HOW ABOUT I SHOVE THAT EXCEPTION UP YOUR ***, I contemplate responding. So apparently, instead of assigning me a trailer stop like every other time I have ever requested a trailer from home, this time they planner just decided to add a stop to my house. My God. Out to the truck again, wake Qualcomm up again, send in the exception for no trailers from my house location workflow, wait again.

Finally, an hour later, got an empty assignment and off I go.

Not 10 miles down the 2-lane highway from home I see a TMC flatbed pulled over on the side, the tractor ####ed a bit out of alignment with the trailer, its been raining, I lay money hes stuck. Slow down a bit, he flags me down and sure enough this TMC driver pulled completely off the road into a rain-soaked shoulder and his super singles were doing super good at nothing. I keep a chain my truck and I'm just bobtailing, so I figure I'd see if I could give him a hand. He says "I missed my turn and decided to make a U-turn and then got stuck". I'm thinking in my head, man you've got to be kidding me. You missed your turn so you decided to pull off onto the (large) shoulder on a 55 MPH 2-lane highway with an empty trailer and a tractor with super singles so you could make a U-turn. GOOD JOB, DRIVER.

Anyway, at the risk of upsetting some safety person at Schneider who may be reading my forum posts, all I will say is my bobtail tractor was unable to get him free.

(tip that is or maybe is not related to my experiences today - tow hooks on Cascadias are bolted in to the bracker on the passenger frame rail under the hood. You have to remove the bolt to get the hooks out, only way. Carry a socket or wrench or you're gonna have to rely on someone else to have the tools)

So, at this point, I either leave and let the guy wait for the wrecker and get an accident put on his record for getting stuck, or I can really help him out. I could tell he was a new driver, he didn't have the power divider locked and his only motions to try to free himself were dumping the clutch in 4th gear. I tell him to put his triangles out and I'd be back in a few minutes with something that without any doubt would get him unstuck.

So, back to the house. Fire up the 1973 M35A2 "Deuce and a Half" 6x6. Reason #8124 to own a Deuce and a Half - resuce TMC flatbeds. Head back down the road towards TMC. I asked the driver to see if he had any kind of tow hooks or a place to mount a chain up front. He couldn't find anything. He wanted me to pull him out from the back. Hey, his deal, I just offered to help.

I told the sherrif our plan and knew that TMC's tractor would probably continue to slide for a bit in the shoulder before it caught enough traction to angle towards the road, so there was a good chance his trailer would block both lanes and we'd be all over the road. Traffic picks up this time of day so I asked him if he'd be willing to block traffic while I pulled him back on to the road. "IF you can pull him out" the sherrif corrects me. I just kinda looked at him for a second and then walked back to the driver and handed him his end of the chain. I never hook a chain to someone elses vehicle. Their vehicle, their responsibility.

So, blue lights go up and I quickly get i the Deuce and the driver gets in his truck. Throw the transmission down in low range, low gear and start pulling him out. No idea what the driver was thinking, but again, he was new, so this was all probably a bit overwhelming. Even once we get moving he makes no attempt to turn into the trailer so the trailer is crossing both lanes and the tractor is still in the muddy shoulder. I feel the rear end start hopping on the Deuce as I'm starting to drag his trailer sideways. I can almost see the sherrifs smug little smile thinking I wouldn't be able to pull him out.

Oh, but we aren't done yet. Throw over the air switch to engage the front axle. PSSSSHHHTT. ITS TIME. Let out the clutch again, all 3 axles give a few hops on the wet pavement along with a couple angry barks from the straight-pipe exhaust and then I start dragging his entire trailer sideways at a 45* angle along with his tractor still in the shoulder. Didn't have much of a choice, with both lanes on a busy 2 lane highway I wasn't about to reposition myself. Finally the tractor got out of the soggy stuff and I was able to get him back on the road. Jumped out, disconect my chain, driver thanks me and I jump back in. Wave at the sherrif with a smug little smile on my face as I drive by. "IF"....... PLEASE. This thing ain't no F-150 bud.

Anyway, headed back home, grabbed my tractor and went on with my day. Weather sucked and traffic got bad and between rescuing TMC and fighting traffic I was 2 hours late for my pickup. Thankfully the customer wasn't upset and I'm getting loaded now. Hopefully I saved that driver from getting an accident on his record, no damage was done to any of the equipment other than to his pride and a little mud here and there. Hopefully he has learned that making U-turns, especially on a 2-lane 55MPH highway, is just not an option. I wish I had a video of it, but that might get him in trouble so I'll just have a good story to tell about my old army truck.
Click to expand...

Best post so far. Could not stop laughing. Thank you so much for this. Was having a slow day.... but you just made my week with this story.

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Find Trucking Jobs

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

dieselfuelonly Road Train Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

moosc Road Train Member

dieselfuelonly Road Train Member

firespock Heavy Load Member

nate980 Road Train Member

firespock Heavy Load Member

HotH2o Road Train Member

Opus Road Train Member

firespock Heavy Load Member

icsheeple Trailing the Herd

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Find Trucking Jobs

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

dieselfuelonly Road Train Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!

moosc Road Train Member

dieselfuelonly Road Train Member

firespock Heavy Load Member

nate980 Road Train Member

firespock Heavy Load Member

HotH2o Road Train Member

Opus Road Train Member

firespock Heavy Load Member

icsheeple Trailing the Herd

Wait, employers can't reach you!