Why I HATE Plus1

Then there is always the issue of the load assignment times being different than the pplan times - my current load for example.

I turned down the initial pplan because I would not have the hours to complete the load that same day, so I put a delivery for 0900 the next day.
It was taken off me by the system.
About a minute later I get the same pplan, but with my 0900 delivery - so I accepted it.

When I finally got the load assignment it had a delivery time of 0530!

The shipper is very particular abut the trailers because it is empty cans. So, trailers must be perfect, clean, and no odors.
The trailer that was available at my last delivery smelled like paint thinner, very heavy fumes. So I asked the customer if I could leave it there and bt out, which meant that I had to take the time to find an acceptable mt.
That didn't take long this time, but it still ate up time and miles for the day.

So when I finally got loaded full of cans with the 'perfect' trailer, I sent my loaded call - with the 0900 delivery time.
I got a message back that the delivery time was later than the appointment time, and to call my DM at once.
I ignored it, because I was already driving.

A few minutes later I get an 'Important' message, it was "!."
So with each stop light I drafted a response message...
"0900 is the time on the pplan I accepted.
and 0530 is not possible
Duane"

The response a few minutes later...
"!OK THX"


The system/planners try to mess with you to try and get you running harder and harder.
But that pplan is the 'contract' between the driver and the company.
It is the document - in writing - that you need.

Your response to a pplan is all important because - it creates a binding contract!
Once you accept it, you are bound to the terms.

If you need more time for any reason - be it slower roads, construction zones, you need to shower or do laundry or stop at a Walmart to shop, you need a few more hours sleep tonight... whatever - it is your responsibility to include that extra time BEFORE THE FACT of accepting the plan.
That is why we are given pplans in the first place, with some leeway in how we respond to them - instead of simply being told, with no options.

The purpose of Mac9 is to let us set our own hours, on our own terms, for any load that is offered.
And I really wish Swift would put out a video explaining all this.

They might be afraid that such information, given freely to everyone, would just slow down the freight.
But most of us want miles, and lots of them, since we are not earning what we need by sitting too much.
But they need to understand that we have needs that HAVE to be met out here on the road, for weeks at a time.
Sometimes we need a few extra hours to do things that they take for granted.

 

Got a good load off of Mac30 about 0200, asked about delivery window etc was informed so was able to accept it no problems, but by 0900 it was voided. So I got emptied out and did another mac30, saw an interesting load and sent a message asking for the particulars on that trip number. DM said she had no idea, only that it was not on me which I thought was funny because the night zombies were able to tell me on the other mac 30 load.. So I took a chance replied 1/send/yes, just to see the details and it was automatically dispatched. My DM and I went round and round back and forth over this for hours, she finally offered it as a preplan and told me to decline it. She totally missed the point I was trying to make was that mac31 is not the same as an affirmative mac9. She finally came back and said that they are one and the same, hit mac 31, you have committed to the load. I asked how do I adjust times, or decline and mac 31 load if it says 'no pets' or something? She just said if you can't do it in the time advertised, you don't send mac31 period. In the end I accepted the load and it was redispatched with Plus 1 times lol, so I had to send another message asking what the window was, she resent the dispatch and asked if I knew how to read the load assignment. Also there were 6 miles missing from the mt miles showing on the mac 30 compared to the load assignment.At this point she threw a fit and told me to talk to the FM. Wow someone needs some major mental health counseling. FM called and offered that I should move to her board with the instructions that I am no longer allowed to ask for pickup a delivery windows, I may only use macro 9 to adjust times. To me doing that is like playing Battleship.

I had 1 load, I put the del time at 2345, they removed and reoffered, I put 2330, they remove and reoffered, I put 2300 they removed and finally planner asks if I can do 2200. Wow all that energy spent when they could have just put that info right up front.

 

wow scottie thats some bullcrap

The other thing I love is when one dispatcher wont tell you there is a window but another will. One example I took a load and asked if there was a window "no strictly 6am" so I said fine I will do my best, well later out in the load I saw I was running behind so did a mac22, got a message saying I had until noon....

these times are not exact but its the point.


Some will share the info you need, others want you to just sweat it and not tell you anything it seems. Its stupid how they keep info from drivers, I was told its more to push us etc but all it does is cause problems really.

 

I call Swift the 2 headed beast. You got the Planning Head which is push push push Plus 1, Hours of Service, Speeding violations, parking violations, etc are not on Planning's radar, just go full out 11 hours and park wherever you stop for 10 and go 11 again.

Safety Head constantly stresses, Don't Speed, Log everything you do as you do it, preferably On Duty even in the sleeper lol.

Just got a message recently, evidently this Plus 1 is having unintended consequences, drivers are being pushed so hard that they are skipping their pretrips so they have that time for driving.

Other drivers are using the elogs to calculate their 8 hour split but they are outside the truck leaving an electronic trail of ATM and shower card swipes as forensic evidence they were indeed not in the sleeper which could cost Swift major CSA points for log falsification and prison time for drivers.

 

one of the problems I feel is that most planners have never been a driver, same with these young safety guys, heck I think his name is Justin? from Fontana looks no older than 22 lol. They dont realize the real world, to them everything is perfect, traffic is perfect, there is a spot every mile you can safely park for breaks and a 10.

Yeah I saw the csa update about a lot of people not logging pretrips and post trips, I have been guilty myself a couple times because I needed those minutes....im also guilty about not going into SB often, I click off duty then go off and do my stuff and then go to sleep forgetting to change to the SB. 10 hours of SB or OFF resets the time so I dont think about it much.

 

I sometimes forget to switch to SB as well.
And sometimes I forget to switch to off-duty in the morning before I need to go on-duty for the pre-trip.
I try to do it right, but sometimes I just space it.

I'd like to see anyone else in any other industry log their time as closely as we are expected to.
Switch duty status every time you enter or leave the truck? BS!
The QC turns off after 2 hours, and we are supposed to wait for it to boot up again to take a pee?

But the Plus-1 stuff is best handled by learning how the system works, and working around it.

 

my qc in this new truck turns off after only a hour and boots up every hour for a minute or 2 but yeah im not going to turn my key on every single time I need to leave my truck, how would they know what im doing in my "off" time, most of the time its just off duty status and then I just leave it, I dont think it should matter how you log the off time as long as your taking off time, heck you could be in SB mode and just watch movies for 10 hours for all they know...

I get enough sleep most of the time, normally between 6-8 hours depending on the night, elogs to me are both a blessing and a curse.

 

Ding,!a new message has arrived-ding,!a new message has arrived ding,!a new message has arrived

 

or "there is a new important message" oh just another stupid csa update or something else annoying

 

Pretty much 75% of the loads coming to me are ALL denied and I put new times in, I would say the system needs calibration for reality. The ones that do not allow for an adjustment and get removed are the ones with horrific times, Id hate to see anyone that takes these times seriously, they are dangerous to the people who don't know better.