West Coast Choice Program starting up

Yes, thank you. In fact it sId nothing bin the remarks like that and the dispatch said they were open for receiving 7 days a week 24 hours but anyway, unfortunate screw up on my part.

 

By the way anyone reading this (Schneider IC's etc.) you can use the Transflo app on your phone to send in paperwork. Many don't know its there, even the Transflo lady didn't think they had it, then saw it somehow and gave me the code. You need to sign up and use this code:
SCHNM

 

I was never added to any beta, I called Schneider and they referred me to transflo who gave me the code. No. Been using it constantly, and it works great.

 

Well, I discovered some errors in my redone Recap spreadsheet. Here is the fixed version. There were some errors burried in there that didn't add up the 70 hours correctly, its fixed now.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/103518676/Recap Version 2.1.ods

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/103518676/Recap Version 2.1.xls

 

I'll add in that I've been struggling with a few things as a new Schneider IC. Loads given away that others depended on... Dead loads that didn't weren't there, trailers not where they are supposed to be, major wrecks blocking roads, Heavy Lightning storms... Running fast with heavy loads so that I got an average of 5.6 mpg over the 3k miles I ran for the week or so.

But these are learning things, and I'm learning. The truck gets up to 9 mpg empty with a tailwind and running 60-65 it'll get 7.3 all day long pretty much no matter what I'm hauling. The people have been good to deal with, the weather in the midwest pretty crappy, and Sadwar very helpful with filling in some major blanks for me.
I'm not giving up, I'm adjusting, and learning. There is a learning curve, no matter how much experience you have if you've not run some areas of the country before and don't know the profitable areas, it will be worse for you. My advice, get someone to help, ask questions on the board here, and stick with it. I've met some IC's that have been doing this for years and are doing good. I've been from Oregon to Cali, to Az, to Co. to Mo. to Ar. to Wi. to Ky. so far. Heading from Indiana to Louisiana next. Keep on trucking folks!

 

Sitting at bear Bear River Ut. Finally made it home after a month and a half out here, Thanks to Sadwar for recommending I goto Utah for a load back to Oregon, worked like a charm.
Got 3 days at home, then got a load out of a furniture wharehouse in Portland, or.. Supposed to be Drop and Hook, get there and walk in and say Hi, where do I put my empty. He says back up to door 12 and we'll load you. I say, uh, was supposed to be a Drop and Hook? I'm being friendly, just confused a bit, as I had to spend an extra bunch of time going and getting the empty that morning. There is a nice new 2014 trailer backed up to one of their doors. He immediately YELLS at me. THERE IS NO DROP AND HOOK! GOTO DOOR 12 AND SIT THERE FOR A FEW HOURS WHILE WE LOAD YOU!. I'm like, ....Ok, door 12, thanks. So I back up to door 12, stop about 5 feet from it, and call the ICA's. They say, yes, just do it. So, I do. The guy walks out after 2 hours and 45 minutes and hands me the paper. Generic hand done Bill of Lading. No BOL number, barely anything filled in. Look at the back of the trailer, and all the furniture stuff is in there all different ways, and in the rear, about 5 packages sideways jammed down against the side of the trailer with the ends bending up, and another package poking out the door up against them. So I pull around, tell the guy how it is, and ask which number is supposed to be the BOL number, he says, don't worry about the load its fine, and "I've never given Schneider a BOL number" Same guy, very snide.
So I take a few pictures and call the cargo claims department and fill them in on all of it. They had me send the pics and started a claim on it just in case, took notes on the guys attitude and the trailer sitting there, etc. Most likely they have it set up to look like a drop n hook, only they are using the other one for storage, I'm betting...who knows.
So, I head over to the OC at Portland, Fuel (Great fuel prices there!), grab a nice shower at their great facility there, pick up load straps, oil sample kit, buy a few headlights and get some free air line grommets... then off to Nevada.
Everything goes real smooth on the other end, stopped in central Oregon at Chemault Pilot and slept the night, then down to NV. When I got there, I backed up against some of the doors on site, (Saturday) and found the next morning it was the wrong doors, but the people there didn't have a problem. The guy on that end was very cool, they had a bathroom (unlike Portland), and did their best to get me out of there pain free.
Then I went down the road to MARS petfood for a drop and hook to Walmart in Utah, and now am picking up later today nearby for AZ.
Going to get out of there asap, as I read its 105 today, and going down to 103 tomorrow. Yuk.
Well, sorry for so long between updates, but I've been trying to focus on business and getting it all together.
Anyone who didn't see my post in Sadwar's thread, if your an IC be sure and take the survey on Crossroads for IC's. I told them we needed a more intelligent and capable portal for load finding.... my opinion I know, but computers can do so much more than what we've got now. Our jobs are hard enough as it is (Sometimes)
Safe Travels everyone!

 

Well, after getting in and out of Arizona fast and painless, I've traveled up into Colorado, ending at Denver TA.

The load had lots of extra time planned into it, I'm learning to try and control that better, seems a lot of these loads are planned way longer than what they need.

Stopped in Flagstaff for almost an extra day at the Pilot, slept a lot and planned loads, my girlfriend reminded me that the 4th was coming up, so I began looking.

Found an Ontario to Redmond, Wa. Load that paid well, then found one from Arkansas to Ontario.

After dropping my light load in Denver, tomorrow I'll go over and Live load in Golden for Oklahoma. Then 70 miles to Arkansas for a 1500 mile or so load back to Ontario, Ca, do a reset, and pick up in Ontario to Redmond, Wa.

I'll pick up my GF on the way through Portland (will be there on or around the 30th, which is our anniversary) and take her to Wa. with me. After delivering on the 2nd, Bobtail back to Portland, turn the truck over to the body shop (If I can get an appt.) and head home for a week long 4th of July vacation.

Of course I'll be moving out of my house during that time, but I really need a break, and watching sunsets from the Oregon Coast is a great way to relax and unwind.

After that, I'm off to the midwest where I'm staying till I get profitable....

Hope everyone's well.
Have a great 4th of July weekend.

 

I've been considering those drive wheel covers that Schneider runs, but just saw a truck come through with metal ones. I talked to him briefly, he said there were nicer polished ones, but his fleet had provided those. A little googling and I found these:
http://www.realwheels.com/aero/styles.html

also to any new IC's who want to add "Leased To" to their truck, the vinyl guy in the Denver TA said a set is 15$. Pretty reasonable.

And.... In the nature of finding deals, saw a bunch of people hitting their brakes hard the other night ahead if me in Ute country, seems they almost nailed a horse which looked pretty disturbed by the whole thing as he was wheeling around towards traffic on the shoulder as I passed.
Prime in Springfield Mo. Sells those nifty cattle guards they build for 600$, and according to one of their drivers this includes the general public. His was a little bent at the edge, but not bad. Seems like a semi offloaded a load of drilling pipe in front if him and he connected with one. That guard saved that guy a lot of money.