What would do you in this situation?

@RedRover, I have no issues at all with your decision to chain and go. This is a hot button topic, with some drivers in the camp that you should never chain to get into trouble, only chain to get out of trouble; and other drivers like me that feel that chains are like putting a hammer in your toolbox, what's the point of having a hammer if you don't use it because you might hit your thumb?

Learn to chain properly. @otherhalftw has an outstanding thread about chaining, complete with videos on how to do it the right way.

https://www.thetruckersreport.com/t...s/chaining-are-you-ready.158771/#post-2209530

Next, learn to drive properly with chains. This means slowing WAY down. Maximum speed should be 25-30 mph, otherwise as you discovered you will tear up your equipment. Crack your windows and LISTEN. Do you hear the chains making a constant thrum of contact, or is there an oscillation like a loose chain, OR worst of all that WACK! WACK! WACK! of a loose chain doing unknown damage to air lines, brake cans, or worse? If you don't hear that steady thrum then pull over and tighten up the offending chains as soon as possible.

Normally in chain up areas I try to pull in to one of the first available spots, chain up, then move forward to the end of the chain up area and check my chains before getting out on the road. Always check your chains within a couple hundred yards whenever safely possible. Make SURE you don't twist the cross links, that's a sure fire way to break them.

 

@RedRover, something that has been touched upon in this thread that I think you have already taken to heart, is a concept I tried to drill into every one of my Swift trainees:

Untether Yourself

This means untethering yourself from the need to take a 10 at a truck stop or near a source of food. Especially when you run on e-logs, as it looks like most of us will have to do by the end of the year, you should have plenty of healthy food on board and plan your days to minimize use of your clock.

You are "selling your 70". Whenever possible take a 10 at or so close to your customer your drive time won't be activated to roll into the yard. Take showers or shop at Walmart on a 30 minute break. Whenever possible log two on duty activities at the same time, like pretrip and fueling, or post trip and delivery.

I remember finishing a 34 at the Lancaster, TX terminal and a Swift friend was also there. Both our 34's finished about midnight, and we both got loads to Jurupa Valley, CA terminal. Hook to a trailer in the yard and take it to drop at another terminal.

My friend wanted to run with me. He asked when I was going to head out. I said, "One minute after my 34 is up". He was disappointed because he wanted to start after the sun came up. I told him that would put him in the middle of Dallas/Fort Worth rush hour. He didn't care, he only wanted to drive during the day and he also valued getting a "proper breakfast" and wanted to wait for the roach coach for a breakfast burrito.

I ran at governed speed at midnight. I ALMOST made it to El Paso, but when I realized I was going to be about 30 minutes short I consulted Google Satellite View and found a nice exit with generous parking in the middle of the desert. Meanwhile he got stuck in traffic, stopped for a "proper lunch" in Sweetwater, and only made it to Pecos. He didn't want to risk not getting parking after that. I took a shower on my 30 in Pecos.

After he started his 10 in Pecos, I was rolling through El Paso in the middle of the night and made it just past Desert Center in California. Found a great spot about a hundred yards off the freeway, slept like baby and made delivery in Jurupa Valley in the wee hours and picked up a load to Reno and was well up US-395 when the sun came up.

My friend struggled through El Paso traffic midday, didn't even get to Tucson before he had to shut down late in the day for fear of not finding parking at a truck stop. He didn't make it to Jurupa Valley the next day, either. Finally he got there the following day, as I had already delivered in Reno and was hauling ### to Cheyenne.

Untether Yourself

It seems you are a runner. Stock up the truck. Shower and shop on your 30, and your ability to take 10's in hidey holes will be enhanced. There will absolutely be no need to make excuses why you ran over hours.

 

If you do what you do, and your friend does what he does every day, and that run from Lancaster was an average day...if you both ran the exact same amount of days on the road, and the exact same 'hometime', all things being equal...

...you made a minimum of, MINIMUM I say, $24000 more than your friend. That's running 25 days a month. Screw the proper breakfast and the proper lunch. I rather have the proper $24000.

 

Amen. My friend was pissing and moaning about averaging less than 2000 miles a week, while I was north of 2600. It adds up over a year. If you are paid by the mile, then maximize use of your clock to run paid miles. Run at night through major metropolitan areas at speed limit and/or governed speed instead of limping along in rush hour making less than minimum wage. Things like that maximize your earning potential. I did well at Swift, in that system with a 62 mph truck.

The same habits are with me now, running ungoverned on paper, getting paid by the load instead of by the mile. It has served me well, and helped lay the foundation to buy my truck.

 

A lot of the lease ops over there and many companies fail because they are stuck on a week to week mentality. Meaning they have 2000 miles for the pay period and turn down that next 2000 mile run that runs into next week's pay period in favor of a 500 mile run they can complete in this pay period. They are so focused and scared of a negative settlement they end up turning the truck in after a few months complaining they didn't earn enough revenue velocity.

Jan and Feb have been sorta slow so far but my weeks have borne out looking like zero miles one week and 5100-5500 the next week about 3 cycles in a row.

 

Yea I don't regret chaining or how I chained. They were tight. I was just driving too #### fast with them on as got overconfident when I wasn't sliding all over like everyone else. Into, out of or through trouble, I will chain up without hesitation.

What I think people are missing with the whole discussion of 2 mile lines for fuel and people taking a 34 on the scales, is that there wasn't anywhere to park except for the chain up area in the first place. And all of them had signs posted saying you couldn't park overnight and you had to chain and go, combined with the fact that everyone there was chaining and heading over that pass.

Someone said that it was all the experienced drivers parked at the truck stop because they wisely shut down. The reality is, it was mostly mega carrier steering wheel holders and seat warmers scared to drive in those conditions. The old grizzled dudes who look like they have more than a few stories they could tell about cutting up lines with meth with their chauffeurs license and snorting them off of their third log book were out there throwing chains. Hell, I get out there and tarp and chain loads in that weather in a tshirt and high viz and steel toes. Just should have slowed down and not been as eager to get over that hill to see what was on the other side. Lesson learned. Just glad I don't have to pay for the tires.

You're right about the hours of service though. I usually stop at rest areas if I have food on board, or run in after fueling to grab a sandwich. No problem there. And I also do the first gear creep to avoid starting my clock. That's an every day thing lol. There have been plenty of times that I've been able to piss, fuel and hit the onramp while still logging my pretrip lol.

The last 7 loads I have been offered were between 1000-2200 miles each. That gives me plenty of decisions to make when it comes to how to best run them, because they generally have huge Windows unless it is a live load of unload.

Still learning every single day. Feels like I am learning more every single day than all previous days combined actually

Definitely appreciate the advice from all the experienced hands around there. Were it not for that advice, I wouldn't have "wasted" 120 bucks on a Chromed out Cobra. I wouldn't be calling shippers and consignees and asking to sleep on their dock and I #### sure wouldn't think about sleeping under the stars in a deserted rest area. Best possible night sleep, imo. Far less likely to wake up with someone taking my fender off at 3am too.

 

I tried to explain exactly that to my mentor. I swear like 20 times argued with him about needing to fuel up where it was cheapest, right then, but he was so hell bent on that period ending the next day. So run on fumes right?

Either 400 bucks now and we can haul ### and get another 1200 miles or park for the night and nobody makes anything, because the fuel goes on this settlement and the miles on the next. He chose to sit.

How's he doing btw? Lol he turned in his truck last week and left Swift for another local company, doing exactly what he swore he would never do... Hauling open deck. I give him 2-3 weeks tops.

 

Your friend is what we call a "tourist."

 

One thought about that Love's with the long line, confirmed by your observation that it was mega drivers waiting in line:

They ALL had to fuel there. Montana has no TA/Petro truck stops (unless someone wants to correct me), and when I was last with Swift they didn't use P/FJ after the fraud scandal. My guess is many major carriers are in the same boat. Hardly any Love's in Montana, so that STACKS UP the megas.

Drivers that can pick and choose fuel stops avoid Love's. Dime sized parking lots, stupid mega drivers blocking the fuel islands, a minimum of 30 minutes waisted on a good day.

The old hands fuel at places that are quick and easy, throw chains, and proceed with caution.

 

I understand completely, and no offense but this is what we call hand holding.

I don't have to really care, I've met my share of company drivers who was begging for fuel, sometimes selling things to get it but this only creates a bad situation overall for the rest of us where these habits are carried over into other things.

What gets me is this part of his reply to me, again not trying to be offensive.

BUT I have to point something out here, I get the impression that he isn't really all that experienced nor understands what some of us are saying here. If you can do what ever you want, then safety is really important, why did you get into that situation in the first place? Why didn't you tell them to pay for the fuel you needed to make the run or better yet seeing you have no hassles, fill it up yourself and get them to reimburse you.