Where's Everyone @?

I might just create a new thread in the new driver section to illustrate what happens when pretty much everything goes wrong on the planning of a produce load.

Highlights of the day SO FAR:

Pick #1 didn't know their own address.

I was told my contact at pick #1 would let me know when I could start my clock to get both loads. He has nothing to do with pick #2, so I started my day far too early to get the pick #1 load.

Pick #2 has had a failure of their repacking equipment. ETA for repair unknown.

I have a bit over 1000 miles to roll in the next 38 hours and have 6 hours left on my 14 right now. It's still possible to be on time if I can move very soon and do 8-2 splits. But the window of possibility is shrinking FAST.

 

Well, still in Nogales. The shipper has given me permission to finish a 10 hour break while I am on the dock.

The repacking machine has been rigged somehow to work, but it is working slowly. They hope to have me loaded by midnight.

Letting me finish a 10 in the door changes things and gives them more time to load me. If they actually have me loaded and ready at 0400 local, 0500 Denver time, I might be able to get to final by 1100 Denver time.

 

Well, rolled into Atlanta to make a delivery yesterday. The truck failed to start twice. Multiple ignition switch resets required to get the engine to turn over. When it did turn over, it was sluggish and I could hear beeps and tones that are new noises, but no indicator lights on the dash.

Parked for the night in Cartersville to stage for a load today, and the opti-idle would not start the truck. The symptoms of the opti-idle failing are completely different from the last time I had issues with it. This time the truck also fails to start manually most of the time. Woke up two times to 80+ degree temps in sleeper, and truck fought me every time I started it.

Rolled back to the Marietta yard and put the truck in the shop for starting issues. The truck seems to have plenty of power in the electrical system. I suspect the starter or the wiring to the starter is the source of the problems. They don't think they will be able to even look at it until tomorrow.

360k miles on the truck. Until recently it's been a good, solid workhorse, but if it has reached the point where I need to put it in the shop every two weeks, I'm going to have to start making noises for a new truck.

 

Good luck getting a new truck. Have you talked to others? Are they liking them?

 

No need to worry about that yet. They replaced the starter and my truck seems healthy again, other than the outside temperature sensor which started reading -40 Fahrenheit in Baxter, TN the other day. That seems to have fixed itself, but it's first on my list of new things to mention to the shop when i next find myself in a terminal.

 

Not posted in a while. Last few weeks I've been
eastern PA to Oregon (via KC MO area)
Oregon to Florida
Florida to Connecticut
Massachusetts to northern Minnesota (Cloquet)
And now in St. Cloud enroute Lakeville, MN to Seattle

Delivery Appointment was messed up in Florida that cost me a day. And was supposed to run from Wisconsin to Detroit but thankfully that load fell through and I got this load to Washington. Hope I can hold on to it all the way through

 

Nice runs
I left the house one month ago, I stay out this time 5.5 weeks and then take two weeks off
First week was a bit slow, from NM to MO, MO to NE, NE to IA.
Then a load from Omaha to Phoenix and San Diego (with a 24 hr stop at the house), reload from Cali to KS,
Omaha to L.A., reload to Denver, Denver back to Omaha.
Omaha to L.A., same reload from Cali to KS.
Omaha to L.A. reload to Denver.
This is my fourth run to Cali and back in a row, now sitting in Fruita CO out of hours, made 4130 miles in 7 days, 14613 miles in one month, can't complain, even with the first slow week
And woke up to a flat steer tire this morning in NV
Good thing that i have time on this load, was the perfect day for a flat

 

Laying down in my bunk in Greenville, IL, trying to get to sleep while the guy next to me seems to be trying to rip the tandems off his trailer by slamming back and forth hard enough that I can feel it through the ground.

 

I'm down in West Virginia for emission issue sending truck into derate. Of course it happened at 4pm on Friday and they won't look at it till tomorrow morning. Truck was just in shop in KC terminal all day Tuesday for same issue. Frustration level orange.

 

Ouch