Cool....

Hometime is not a big deal for me....I have no family...

but I feel certain my dog will like the great West...

 

:arrow:

 

January 2008 Summery:

Beginning Hub: 177608
Ending Hub: 188527

Hub Miles Ran=10919
Practical Miles Paid= 10500

Variance= 4% out of route

8 loads + 1extra stop

Live loads= 3 out of 8
Live Unloads= 7 out of 9

Load#1- 1921
#2- 1044
#3- 1251
#4- 1739
#5- 444
#6- 590
#7- 666
#8- 2301

= 1244.5 average length of haul

 

La Machine..does what it does....such is Life :lol:

____________________________

I came into this world crying....I will die laughing (Nisargadatta) :wink:

 

Week#5
Feb.1st- Feb. 8th

IN PROGRESS

Trip#9 for year
DH- 205 LM-2505 Total= 2710
2 extra pickups @ $30.00 each
Began trip Jan 30th-

Jan.1st-5th Practical paid miles ran for this period= 2222

* PC*Miler Practical miles report total miles as --2617 practical 2527-shortest

Maybe they won't catch it.

Log: Beginning odometer at Mission, Or Feb. 1st- 188527

Began day with a good breakfast because I didn't know if I was gonna 'throw chains' that day or not.
Checked TripCheck ODOT for restrictions-- found chain law lifted.
Began day's driving.
Bad ice/snow covered roads all the way to Idaho
Ended day in Perry, Ut 1.25 hrs remaining to drive. But since I was very tired and snow blind + 1.25 more hours would not get me to Little America, Wy where I had planned to end day- I pulled er up short.

Did 34hr restart here.

Will deliver to wal-mart, Washington Court House 7AM Wednesday Morning
with plenty of hours remaining for remaining 3 days this week.
So, 2222 miles + 1500? Could make for a nice week.

OK, yeah I'm dreaming! Ohio is a short haul market for us-- I'll count my self lucky to get another 1000 for the week. But even then- that will make a 3222 week.

But- February is historically the slowest-lowest Month of the year That's why I'm going home the 14th-19th. Else I'll be pulling my hair out--setting around making NO money.

 

I just noticed a lot of Shaffer trucks around the Wilmer yard with Crete trailers and a few of them were just waiting for a load and Crete was not overbooked. When we go looking for a empty and all of a sudden they are hooked to reefer pullers causes some grumbling as I am sure you understand.

Crete drivers came to Crete because they wanted to run Dry Van and not Reefer. Now we are being told that we will all be one company coming up and what o I am sure you can see why there is grumbling there also.

On the plus side though for Crete and I am feeling is their thinking is that now they will get a lot of reefer drivers wanting to come over to the company as they will love pulling dry van also but not vice versa for drivers wanting to pull dry vans only.

We will just have to wait and see I guess.

 

Yes, I understand and don't really blame them/you--- you came to Crete to pull dry vans-- that's perfectly understandable.
But as for the Shaffers hooked to dry vans-- thus depriving Crete drivers of empty ones. This is more of an Organizational/Operational issue-- Crete loses track and or doesn't keep track of their equipment well enough.
As I'm sure you know-- other companies play the game much 'different' and assign out all equipment-- not loosely tell the driver to " go find an empty" and then don't know where to send you to find said trailer( or are they just not wanting to commit to Paying you to bounce around "looking" for equipment?)

 

Ran into a snag today:

Started morning at 8:45 AM from Woodhull, IL with 8hrs driving remaining to Consignee. This afternoon while rounding the Indy Loop- I get a alarm shutdown on Reefer. There's no place 'safe' to pull over in traffic/ dense fog & rain- by the time I reach the rest area I-70 EB mm 105(Greenfield) all lights are black on panel. In fact there's no power to control panel at all. So
my first guess is dead battery. I hook up jumper cables up but still no power to control panel. I call it in- and turn around heading back to Indy- Carrier Dealer. Arrive at 4:54 CST. Well, they finish and I MOVE the truck to hook back up and pull it out of the shop at : 23:54pm CST.

Now, my dilemma-

I'm past my 14th hour. Been here exactly 7 hours. But, I've moved the truck( which is being monitored via Sat)
My appointment is 0600(my time) and I'm 3hrs driving away.

This isn't good.
(1) Do I lie and log a 8hr sleeper berth break- and extend my 14hrs and set here just 1 hr more.
(2) Do I lie and log a 10hr break here and leave at 3am and just maybe by the skin of my teeth PUSH this load into wal-mart on the wire.
(3) Send new ETA- 3pm and get a real 10hr break- here.
__________________________________________________ __________

I choose #3- Crete would never back me up-- if something Tragic happended- they'd feed me to the wolves. And, this load of apples isn't worth making my Wife a widow.

Still waiting on any replies from night dispatch reguarding my new ETA.

Maybe they'll "suggest" which HOS rule they'd like for me to "bend"??

So now- another day down the drain.

Ohh, the problem---- first they replaced the micro-processor & the on/off toggle switch. Got it to come on/off.--- But the unit was still shutting off by itself & switching from start/stop to continous on it's own--
they finally find a bad wire in the wiring harness--- or so they claim.
(never can be sure with mechanics)

 

I hear you Headborg. Crete is pretty bad about tailers but any company is I imagine. I think it will all shake out and be fine one way or another. Was just wondering how you liked it as you are at Shaffer. Thanks for the feedback.

 

You did the right thing. It may cost you though as they will rescedule you and then you lose a day of driving but what can we do.

Before the changes I would not have but now I run extra legal and log everything and never run when the hours are up. It has cost me sometimes and I do get hit with all of a sudden with horrid runs.