Hi gang.  It’s been an eventful few weeks; went into Canada for the first time in my life, and saw more snow than I care to see again!  Hope you’re all well… 

• Date(s): 2/15 to 2/16
• From/To: Hebron, KY to Mebane, NC
• Mileage: 477
• Cargo:  Sporting Goods

This load was mostly uneventful until the very end.  I stopped at a TA in Wytheville to fill up w/ fuel (as directed) and immediately afterward the truck started having problems.  As I pulled back onto I-77 I noticed a severe lack of power and noticeable shaking as I tried to climb hills.  It was so bad that I was downshifting to sixth gear and barely maintaining 25mph up the slightest incline.

I was becoming a hazard to traffic so I decided to pull off at an exit ramp before the truck quit on me in the middle of the road.  This was followed by a series of calls and QC messages in an attempt to contact SEM (Schneider Emergency Maintenance) and keep my STL notified of my issue.  Roughly an hour and a half later I talked to an SEM rep who diagnosed my problem as a clogged fuel filter and asked if I could make it to Mount Airy (just across the NC border) where there was an authorized repair facility.

Since it was only ~30 miles, much of it down hill, I decided to forge ahead rather than sit for who knows how much longer waiting for help to arrive.  I did make it although I’m sure I irritated a number of drivers along the way; sorry guys.  The repair shop replaced the filter in short order and all was well again.

The couple of hour delay shouldn’t have been a problem, and my STL was kept aware of my progress (or lack thereof) during the entire ordeal.  However when I arrived at my delivery point in Mebane I was told that they stopped receiving at 4pm daily (it was ~5:30) and that the next delivery opportunity wasn’t until Monday morning.  At this point I received most disappointing instructions; take the load to the Charlotte OC to drop for relay, and be ready to head out on my next load on Saturday morning 8^).  Shucks, it looks like I have to spend an unexpeted night at home…

• Date(s): 2/17 to 2/19
• From/To: Eden, NC to Mississauga, ON, CA
• Mileage: 762
• Cargo:  T-Shirts

Here’s the load that I’ve been both anxiously anticipating and dreading at the same time; a border crossing into Canada.  I hate that it came on a weekend when I didn’t have the usual support of my STL, but here it was and I had to deal with it.  Before leaving the Charlotte OC I made sure I had all the paperwork I might need, but I couldn’t start filling it out until I made the pickup and had the Bill of Lading in hand.

You would think that as often as Schneider trucks cross the Canadian border that the process would be common knowledge, and to drivers who cross often it may be.  The problem is that there are several different methods of submitting paperwork to the broker and each has it’s own requirements, and at least the weekend support staff didn’t seem very familiar with it.  My crossing type was given to me in the load message, and I have a Schneider “How-To” booklet that describes exactly what to do and when to do it, but the forms I picked up didn’t match what was in the booklet and I needed some reassurance that I had everything in order before approaching the border.

As luck would have it the pickup was in Eden, NC where I had no cellular service, so I headed north cross-country to I-64 before stopping at a truck stop and making some calls.  To make a long story a little shorter, I reached a very helpful rep on support shift who promised to find out exactly what I needed and send a QC message with the info.  He did follow through with the message, which was a phone number for the broker and assurances that he/she knew exactly what was required.

Time was a factor on this load and I needed to keep rolling as much as practical so it was Sunday morning before I could call the broker.  After making several calls, trying to follow the “How-To” book, and a lot fretting on my part I found out that all the necessary information had been supplied by the shipper ahead of time and was already in the Canadian system.  All I had to do was show the Bill of Lading with the appropriate bar coded label on it and I’d be cleared to cross the border.

And that afternoon I found that the process was just that simple; the agent at the border asked for the paperwork and my ID, asked a few simple questions, and within 5 minutes I was across the border and headed toward my destination.  I only wish I could have known the facts before spending the time worrying about it…

• Date(s): 2/19 to 2/20
• From/To: Guelph, ON, CA to Reading, PA
• Mileage: 427
• Cargo:  Scrap Copper

Now that I was in Canada I was looking forward to crossing back into the US for several reasons, the biggest being that I was scheduled to be back in Charlotte in a few days for a long weekend at home.  Driving in Canada wasn’t a big deal although there were a few obvious adjustments to make, like converting speed limits and distances from metric to US.

The load was a relay that I picked up from the Toronto OC located in Guelph.  While there I was fortunate enough to run into several folks who were quite familiar with the border crossing procedure back into the US.  It’s a good thing I ran into them cause the “How-To” book was somewhat out of date, and they knew what had been changed and/or added.  Once completed I faxed the paperwork to the broker, gave them an hour or so to diget the info, then called them to confirm that I was “in the system” and ready to cross.  I was given the go-ahead when I called and left the OC shortly afterward.

Crossing back into the US took a bit longer than coming into Canada; partly because of the number of trucks trying to cross at the same time, and partly due to the relentless questiOning from the crossing agent.  I suppose I should be comforted by the fact our border agents cast a critical eye to anyone attempting to enter the US, but in spite of all the questions the grumpy young lady threw at me she never once asked for my birth certificate or passport to prove that I was an American citizen.  I can only assume that she knows her job…

• Date(s): 2/20 to 2/21
• From/To: Chester, PA to Gordonsville, VA
• Mileage: 263
• Cargo:   Paper napkins, toilet paper

Nothing special on this load except that after all the snow I’ve seen lately it was nice to see the ground again.

• Date(s): 2/21 to 2/22
• From/To: Hagerstown, MD to Charlotte, NC
• Mileage: 524
• Cargo:  Store Merchandise

This load would get me home for a long weekend.  When I was still ~45 minutes out I got a message from my STR; say goodbye to my truck, ’cause it was to be traded and I would get a new one before going back out.  This came as quite a surprise; even though I knew my trucks age and mileage had it on the trade list, I wasn’t expecting it to happen this soon.

I expected to be in Charlotte by noon, and had already been cleared to head home.  My plan was to spend a few hours cleaning and reorganizing my truck, but now I would spend the time moving out instead.  I had to stuff everything I owned into my jeep as they didn’t have my new truck assignment yet, but at least this way I’d have the chance to sort through everything with a more experienced eye toward what I’d really need and want to reload into the new truck.

And no it won’t be a NEW truck, just a newER truck.  Which is fine with me; I don’t feel the need to drive the newest thing available so long as it’s reliable and most of the accessories work.  I was assured however that my next ride would have a Webasto auxiliary heater, so I should no longer have to decide between staying warm or meeting my idling index!