USX drivers...how's your day??

That is actually a good way to figure it. For the year between home time and breakdon, that is about what we average also. We have also received $1,800 each in breakdown/layover pay so far this year

 

Thanks for all the pep talks! Delivered to Bolingbrook IL this am, p/u another load and dropped it at the yard in Markham (Jeremyc just missed you). Was supposed to p/u my team partner and change trucks since I only have a solo truck (one bunk), but.........(drum roll, please!).....there are no trucks available here. What? So, I'm headed to p/u in Aurora IL and delivering to Reading PA so I can get to Shippensburg to get a truck and then back this way to get my partner, who gets the pleasure of sitting home and not making money <sarcasm>. She and I both were like, WTF? I was just in PA, btw!
I have already figured out not to eat out of the truck stops. A Sunkist tuna with crackers is like $2.69 (at Wallyworld $1.39). I stocked up a little on stuff like that, but need fresh fruit and veggies every few days. Planning on getting a cooler or fridge once I get on my own. I just don't want to have to lug all that stuff around from truck to truck. I haven't really been all that hungry anyway. Been too busy trying to get from point A to point B without losing anything (mainly my mind)! My wonderful GPS is lagging really bad so I really have to pay attention. But it's all good. I like being by myself and wish I didn't have to do the team thing. Wonder if I quit and wait a couple weeks would they hire me as an experienced driver and not have to go thru all this?!?!?!?!? LOL

 

Maybe, just maybe if you explained to your FM in a very nice way that you really do not want to do the teaming thing they may let you stay Solo. You could always tell them that you are so against it that you have been looking at other companies that are hiring Solo's. USX is so desperate to keep people and slow down the turn over rate that they may allow you to remain Solo. What do you have to loose in talking to them about it???

 

That's too bad, I'm looking forward to meeting some of the people on here.

Yup, I could have told you that.

I'm not so sure that there aren't any though. Rob, the terminal manager at Markham, who also handles the equipment there, is on vacation this week and maybe Robin doesn't know what's there or its just easier to say there isn't anything. That's total speculation, but there was one 2011 and two 2012 Cascadias that looked pretty empty to me while I was there.

Another thing I learned this week is that the drivers were complaining about the almost zero storage space in the little 2012 Petes (I know first hand) so that is why they have all those new 2013 condo sleeper Petes there, but in their infinite wisdom, they ordered them without the upper bunk. So no teaming or training in those, plus the solo drivers that get them lose all the extra space to put stuff by using the upper bunk as a shelf.

To update my day, I got both my pick ups made and started heading to Hammond. Just as I got to I-69, I got a call asking me to keep heading north to meet a guy to repower his load going to Lansing, MI for tonight. The timing couldn't have worked out better, just as I was parking, he pulled up right along side me with 11 minutes left on his clock. The good news is the delivery was made right on time, the downside, I'm parked in Lansing for the night about 100 miles from home and can't go there...

 

Just dropped at Fedex in West Sacramento and we will be sitting for a day at the 49er. Load was not scheduled for delivery until 21:00 tonight and we have a load assignment already for Saturday morning. Picking up in Santa Maria CA and heading to Baltimore MD. 3068 miles....nice. Gonna be toasty in Sacramento today, about 100 degrees. Maybe we will rent a car and play while we get a reset.

 

Another great run coming up, sounds like they are keeping you guys moving.

Just wondering, how do you guys get to and from the rental car place with the truck, sounds like you do it fairly regularly.

Only a few short runs for me so far this week, waiting to get loaded in Adrian, MI delivering straight through to Lebanon, IN this evening.

Second time in a week that I missed a turn that allowed another USX truck to beat me to a shipper by 30 seconds, now he's long gone while I sit and wait for them to get my load ready...again. I've been doing this too long to be missing simple turns, I need to get my head screwed on straight, or maybe a frontal lobotomy.

 

On the rental car, sometimes we use Enterprise as they will come get you. When we are at Chilton, we will take the van and run to the Ontario airport. Usually use hotwire.com and it is cheap. we have even bobtailed to the airport to get a car. Also, if you are in a hotel, they usually have a shuttle and will take you to the airport or rental agency

 

what's up fellow or i should say former running mates ... !!! hope you guys are all doing well these days, i have not been on this thread in quite awhile and to be honest not gonna read all the pages i've missed so i'll just ask ya doing .. everything still good in ya'lls world at USX ?

 

Maybe they should be drug testing EVERYONE, not just the drivers.

 

What a week. Took forever to find a trailer in CT, which made me late for a pick up in NJ. Then delivered that in PA and picked up at the same place. Problem was I only had a couple hours driving time left and it was a high value load. Had to stop for the night in West Virgina and continue on to Indy in the morning. In the meantime they gave me a PP to pick up at Toyota in Columbus, IN. So I deliver in Indy and go down to Columbus to pick that up. By then I only had an hour left on my 14. I stop for the night and head out this morning. I made my first stop in E Sparta, OH. Got stuck in traffic in Pittsburgh on the way to final. Get there and they are closed for the weekend. I'll be dropping this at Xpress Global on the other side of Pittsburgh in the morning. Only had a half hour left of my 11.

I sure do miss teams. Being late freaks me out, even if it isn't my fault.