The rookie

My goodness the fun times that awaits.. it’s like deja vu my very 1st unload solo I went to a paper mill and had an “accident” got out and looked about 6 times barely brushed snow and the bumper skin came flying off...and yea I always ask to at least give them the chance to say no on those drfs.. but that zdd hotline man I thought I was losing it our TE let me and the other person he was training each do 2 Zdd call ins...and at first they are speaking proper English and soon as they get that driver number it’s like an instant switch to a random language.. it was so bad the TE was just pointing to the stuff they was asking smh

 

Outside of Detroit ...hmm the miles seem very similar to my starting route if the company is in Wyandotte I know exactly where you went.. one of the guys at the scale is prick. Man racking and Unracking 15 hoses though the detention bill must’ve been a arm and a leg. And you can forget about walking a line.. I’ve hear some tall tales in training but I mean I’ve also experience some in just this month

 

Cont. That Saturday I was supposed to go to Neenah but I also had home time coming on Monday so I thought they were gonna send me there and then bring me back home... in reality I get to the wash and I’m sure the yard dog parked it cause it’s darn near touching the trailer next to it and there a truck parked next to it ... it was middle of the day and buddy must’ve been knocked out so I have to go up front to tell the yard jockey I need x trailer. About 30 mins go by and bam he pulls the trailer for me....at this point I had about 6 hours exactly on my clock which is enough time to make it to Wisconsin and be parked with a healthy amount of time on my clock for the night(it’s about 4 and a half for me to Neenah) so I do my Pretrip had to crank the heck out of the trailer to lower it (always happens I think my truck is a midget) also the had to close that dome lid which was pain cause they like to tighten half the screws smh which I have to undo just to check the inside so I finally hook up and I’m ready to go set my gps even though I know the route. Set my load tab and just as I idle out my phone rings.. “Hello?,” “Did you move that trailer yet?!?!?”(Sounded like she ran to the phone... “No” “ good cause “The planner” is gonna send you home early(They always speak of the planner as if he’s God tier)... Initially I was excited... then I thought what about my freaking pretrip lol, you mean I wasted all that time . Oh and Michigan(home) is 6 hours away... by the time I got my assignment I had 5 hours.. it just couldn’t get any better lol had 3 days at home instead of the 34 hour.. that whole week was a mess besides the nalco training. This week has been all late deliveries... Got to Basf was told the trailer would be ready at 12 ... but it wasn’t until 1500, It was a 4 hour drive but I also had to scale and it was the start of snowfall so the pilot was packed 3 spots short of maximum..(Scale lady spelled Schneider Scheinder I didn’t make say snitching but when I came back her coworkers were flaming her lol) Another thing I just love is when you see a spot and your about to go get it so you get lined up and you pull up and “Freaking bobtail”!!! Or some guy in his Dodge Ram smh but that made It so my 10 hour break would’ve been up 30 mins before my appointment which was an hour away... Then yesterday I got a trailer that needed a diesel prep so they cleaned it at like 070@ but it wasn’t scheduled to get diesel prepped til 1900 so I had to wake up early to drive two and a half hours which I was 15 mins late for(all my fault) was getting told don’t show up early cause there’s absolutely nowhere to park which it isn’t the place is in the middle of a small residential area ... didn’t matter cause there were already 2 trucks getting loaded so that lead me to being late to my current appointment where I’m sitting now getting unloaded and I got lucky because the appointment after me isn’t gonna make it so they fit me in (which sure as heck beats a 2am unload) now my current issue is I have about 230 on my 14 and will I be able to make it to the wash .. about a hour drive but google says there’s an accident on I70 so depending on how long this unload takes determines if I’ll get something on time or not

 

So yesterday the streak continued.. every time I’m sent to Wisconsin something bad happens..Wisconsin hates me I’m 5 for 5 , (1st time running out of hos, 3 dirty trailers, 41 a 2lane freeway shutdown by a accident on both sides, New Years got stuck in the lot and ended up being broke down for 2 days) Now yesterday was my 1st Nalco load and 1st multi tank delivery. So let’s see I arrive and security/Nobody in the plant seems to know about the Nalco load(the day before I called the Nalco rep on the bol and then I called the security and told them to leave a note That I’d be there at ten in the morning.) Finally a Nalco rep walks in like this is my product then every body was like ah ok .. Took me to the 1st tank got backed, got set up did my Nalco check sheet/call. Was all set opened their line and started the compressor went to open the internal and ... nothing , so I called my dbl(Schneider hotline) joe told me to add some motor oil to the hydraulic pump .. didn’t work .. called sem was told I was behind 13 people for work orders .. but I could take it 20 miles up the road and they could take a look at it.(when I arrived for the unload it was 10 am I had about 10 hours on my clock) Dealing with the phone tag and getting it up the street to get fixed when I got back I had about 4 and a half on my clock. So I hooked up unload went fine. Went to disconnect ( it was a Rear unload and the tank fill line was low to the ground noticed the hose were still heavy didn’t know how to clear the lines properly as I wasn’t taught to use the 50ft airline to connect it to the bleeder to blow it out ( only learned this talking to anothe friend who had a spill and it makes complete sense now) But went to disconnect and immediately I was lucky to have put those spill pads down but had my 1st spill wasn’t a lot but still had to report. I waited cause I had 2 hours left had another tank to fill had to scale out and had to get somewhere to park. So the next location took me about 30 mins to get to because the backing is tight and filled with obstacles it one of those hard to get in not so hard to get out places.. I made it got setup and started , then I ran out of hours during the unload, To make it more interesting after the unload the scale house/security had changed shifts. Yea another 15 mins gone trynna find paper work. Luckily the nearest truck stop was 6 mins away made it there about 45 mins over and had to do a post trip and report that spill.
Lastly the other day I missed an appointment due to brakes locking up on me .. where I parked the truck stop was within eyesight of the customer.. so I started my pretrip 40 mins before I had to be there figured 20 mins is more than enough time to make a 3 min drive. Only called Schneider after I tried everything I could...(this is why I hate dealing with them on the phones) Told then the issue the first thing I heard was why you ain’t call in 40 mins ago?... like how?? Brakes is the last part of the pretrip for me and the next questions was did you do everything you could to release them before you called? Like am I supposed to just call in and wait on the line or try to get moving.. that aspect has me smh. They want to you to call in every detail wasting your time on hold.. After speaking with Sem they told me a mechanic would call me in about an hour. So I called in for them to tell me to expect a call.. I got the brakes released too late in my appointment window for them to take me and was told if the next guy who’s appointment was at 12 didn’t show they’d take me at 12:30( i made it there at 1050 appointment was at 10) Lol so I was sitting back getting unloaded and my phone rings .. it’s the mechanic like I hear you have issues getting you brakes released I said I did.. he asks did you beat them cause in this business half the battle is having the will to get out and put some work in(I can tell he thought he was speaking to a lazy driver). I said tell me more. He said where are ya I said at the customer getting unloaded... “oh!!” Yea well how long has this been you occupation .. me 1 month I asked if he had any tips he said if I know its going to be freezing don’t set the trailer brakes (an idea I’m not a fan of ) there’s a lot of hard knock learning you got to do but youll be alright.

 

Before I could even leave, Wisconsin struck again... Being late from the nalco assignment put me in a rush for my morning load had an 1100 appointment got to the tank wash at 839 needed to hoses and fitting cleaned before 930 to leave on time to get scaled and to manitowoc on time ... didn’t get cleaned till 945 and left at 10 more importantly I missed in the assignment that the trailer needed a certain prep.(Rushing) So I get to the place the employee entrance people walk in say they get somebody... about 10 mins later I move to the tanker bay door and buzz in the guys comes and says yea you have to check in with the ladies in recieving on the van side smh.. get down there and they are on lunch.... they get back about 20 mins later only to tell me I didn’t need to come down there but they call and to go back to the door I just came from. Guy walks out and come to find out the trailer wasn’t clean at all the product that was previously in the tank is the same that was being loaded Has the same smell of the chemical that the tank wash uses(Washout slip had it being cleaned the morning before with a triple wash but.. no that was old product) . So it was denied had to take it back to the lucky tankwash and then wait for a new assignment got a move to Chicago rail got it hooked pulled out start moving up the Road was got about 15 miles ups the street had a guy signaling me to cb ( had it on channel 13 from scaling earlier) switch back and heard “Hey Schneider can you hear me??” Yea , “man your brakes are smoking big time” got off and sure enough they were. Could see it in my mirrors cause the rain/snow hid the smoke. Another 2 hours waiting on a repair man....Made it to a petro only to get the very last parking spot available ... it Continues made it to the Railyard the next morning the assignment which was a drop at the particular lot I go to back in and the crane operator goes in for a lift I’m like oh sh— .. had to get out and tell him , he’s like “everybody else gets it lifted”(their maps has the spot as containers on wheels .. sat it down couldn’t find a chassis ( how they do rail in wi aka headquarters,is different than Chicago.) so I called in and no where in the assignment does it say live lift.. they told me like yea just find a crane operator and have them lift it so about a hour and a half later I was able to get out of there made it home at about 1900 to a triple park Oc lot .. I don’t think I could ever do van for Schneider.. them lits is a mess

 

I see why these companies all want that year or two experience before taking drivers.. I’m thoroughly enjoying it though.. Had a drive to a belle Vernon Pa which was nice after the delivery got to go back to the Oc and saw half of the class I graduated with... good times I tell ya, Had a drive to Cortland Ny( my first time in Ny) everything was going smooth till about 2 hours away a torrential downpour hit and slowed slowed traffic . Then I got there late and the way the place is designed... From the street my options were to make a sharp left which is where there is a unloading bay for vans or go straight to which there is no entry points to the building and also a nice sign that says no trucks sharp left I go guy comes around like they unload the tanks around back take the street around and there will be some big blue door...(also the place is in a residential area) so down the no truck street to make a turn onto another street that says not for trucks then making another one onto a street that say also says not for trucks (all while the streets where unplowed and I’m in a tag axle, just lovely) I thought I was losing it but apparently they do it everyday got to the blue doors but two problems...there’s nobody at the doors and I’m on a residential street and needed a way to turn around to back it in... The guy took so long I thought I had the wrong blue doors.. (I’m thinking grandma on the line with the cops talking about this tanker parked in her yard) he tells me to use the other recieving bay to bring it around and so I pull arond and my last problem was that the door was on the curve of a street and had no way of seeing oncoming traffic.. get it in there and ready for them to unload and the guy is like yea just drop it and we’ll come and get you when it’s done... huh?? Where tf I’mma park? Just pull out right in front of the door , about 2 hours later I get the knock and they say alright... wrong since every street was no parking I head to a gas station to find 50 plus gallons of heel... I just love calling to disturb the lively people at the office and spend my day on the phone with them.. now I’m headed to jersey this load made me late to jersey.. from there jersey traffic took over on the day all my driving was on the interstate. I did 214 miles in 6 hours ... Before I picked the trailer up I knew something was off no seals... product on the bar beneath the valve ... had to call ...so on top of the traffic and calling in they still wanted to know why I was late smh. 35 mph on the highway is why I’m late but I get there and the guy greets me outside the gate like “You not the guy that tried to deliver yesterday are you? No “That ##### idiot” lol..youre gonna get this stuff out right?.. you wanna open it up now maybe spill a little bit yo make sure the trailers working? H—-no haha I’ll show you where to pull in . .. get pulled in and the assignment called for a pump.. it was a rear unloader and the tank was in a corner behind stack of wood I would’ve needed 160 feet of hose.. so I hook up for and air and call in to have it changed... a half hour later (Spongebob voice) I get to go a head to air it off...The guys were telling me the previous driver didn’t climb up top once and was mad he had to use his own hoses..also knew nothing of the fittings to to fit to their line smh wondering how this guy passed also said he tried to build pressure with the truck off and didn’t prime the internal.. but once I was hooked up it took about a hour 30 ... was excited because my next assignment was taking me home had 4 hours on my clock wouldve been able to get out the city to beat the traffic in the morning ... then I looked and saw that the relay loaded At 6 am the next day
(Today) and wouldn’t be here till 10 am...... so 600 miles home one day I can make it if I keep a nice pace which I was was after I got to I80 (beautiful route btw) made it 300 miles into pa all of a sudden check engine light the epa light come and the def light start flashing at the same time.. I stopped couldn’t have been oil or Coolant as I just refilled them and the def I filled up on 3 day before hand restart the truck the cel goes off so I start driving and the light comes on and I notice I can’t go above 55... of all places it does this in the hills of pa... instead of using momentum And going 45 /50 up the hill I’m stuck doing 25 up the hill...so I just stopped at flying j(where channel 16 on the cb gets you some special prize) regen’d for about an hour and now only the epa light is on. Almost had enough time to make it but my window was within 4 mins and I’m still an hour away and it decided to start snowing so I’m stuck in the truck for the night.. I’ve been hearing cbs are dead and you don’t need em , well I call bull. Had my life saved and every accident I knew what happened and what lane to be in 2 miles ahead even approaching slowdowns... lastly what’s up with the nj scales it’s like they say open then soon as you slow down and get in line they close...and New York I seen my first cab over and was like whaaaa?? Also seen double 53s and double tankers ... so y’all on another level