Hi everyone,

 I have a rare couple of hours to kill waiting for a live load this afternoon, so I thought I’d check my mail and say hi to y’all.  In my mailbox was a comment from Larry that I thought I’d share… Larry wrote:

“I have really been enjoying your thread here. You seem a little frustrated at this point so I wish you well. I have a question…as you go chasing all over looking for empty trailers are you paid for the miles? Hang in there, Larry”

Here is my response:

Hey Larry,

Thanks for your comment. Yes, I have been frustrated often out here. And as I’ve said before, I try to write about each load as it happens (or soon after) so I’m sure what I’m feeling at the time shows through.

In all fairness though, while there is frustration there is also a good measure of enjoyment and gratification. I suppose I should write more about the good times, like driving down an uncrowded piece of Interstate highway early in the morning when the weather’s fine, or having my STL make a special effort to contact me to say thanks for making “On Time Delivery” for a critical load. But being human I tend to complain more than I should.

And to answer your question, yes I am paid for any miles assigned to be driven, including going on trailer searches.

Bill

While out here on the road I spend a lot of time by myself (a scary thought in itself) and I’ve found that I miss regular interaction with others.  The brief encounters with shippers and consignees is sometimes nice, but is often tense and hurried.

It has surprised me to learn that comments like Larry’s and many others fill in for that need for contact somewhat, and also help me be more fair with my often opinionated view of life as a solo over-the-road truck driver.  I am grateful to each and every one of you for taking time out of your lives to send me questions and words of encouragement.  I only hope I can someday relay how much they all are appreciated.

Here’s wishing you all a wonderful Memorial Day holiday, along with a reminder to say thanks to someone you know who has served our country.  They gave of themselves for us, whether the politics were ‘correct’ or not.

Bill

Hey all…

My TAH was quite enjoyable; four days with Terrie (she was off Friday and Monday also), and on top of that we got a chance to visit with our sons and their ladies.  Our soon-to-be daughter-in-law graduated from NC State this weekend, and the ceremony and celebration was enjoyed by all. 

But all good things come to an end, and on Tuesday it was time to get back on the road.  And there was a most unpleasant surprise waiting for me when I returned from TAH.  First a little background…

Last week my STL made a point to get me on the phone to tell me that someone had called in with a complaint about my driving.  When she described the complaint I recognized the “incident” immediately; I was making a left onto a 4 lane road from a truck stop driveway.  About half a block to my right a young lady in a pickup was also making a left from the gas station onto the same road.  When the last of the traffic cleared (from my left, by the way) I started out into the road, and a few seconds later she pulled out.  The difference is that I was lumbering out at a snail’s pace and she nailed the gas.  Well what a shock… when she got to me she had to slow way down and wait for me to get up to speed.  I suppose since she had her cell phone handy and there is a large “1-800″ number on the back of my trailer she took the opportunity to vent her frustration.

After relaying the facts to my STL we both had a little laugh over it, and she finished by saying “don’t worry about it”.

But NOW I was told that I had to go through a computer defensive driving course in addition to a driving remedial with an instructor!  The call-in that I “wasn’t to worry about” had turned into an incident that went into my driving record, along with the “corrective action” taken by the company.  Seems that my word as a trained driver and company employee means less to them than that of a stranger in a hurry with a cell phone.  To say that I was ticked off would have been putting it mildly.

Once again I held my tongue and “took it like a big boy”… but I promise when my year is up and I’m deciding if I want to stay with Schneider this little surprise will be on the tally sheet, along with the others!

• Date(s): 5/15
• From/To: Charlotte, NC to Bedford Heights, OH
• Mileage: 501
• Cargo:  Consumer Goods

After yet another remedial I was asked by my STL if I’d “save a load” for her; seems a driver had picked up a sacred load from BC (short for Beloved Customer) that was headed for Ohio.  He claimed he couldn’t make the 500 mile trip in time for the 10pm live unload appointment.  Since I didn’t hear his side of the story (maybe he just had a surprise too), and also since it wasn’t really any of my business I skipped over that part and said I’d take the load.

There was nothing special about it other than I needed to get going and make good time, which I did.  I was on time for delivery, and the unload went smoothly.

• Date(s): 5/16 to 5/17
• From/To: Euclid, OH to Murray, KY
• Mileage: 601
• Cargo:  Steel sheets

Wednesday morning I drove over to Euclid (only 17 miles away) for a live load, then headed for Murray.  Again just another load and trip, except this time there were several of us Schneider drivers there picking up the same material headed for the same place.

When I got to Murray and started looking for the delivery location I ran into (not literally) the others, who were also having a problem finding it.  After a few phone calls we discovered that the SNI directions had sent us to the south side of town when the facility was actually to the north.  Once we arrived we were all unloaded promptly.

• Date(s): 5/18 to 5/19
• From/To: Hopkinsville, KY to Orangeburg, SC
• Mileage: 580
• Cargo:  Cartons of Machine Parts

This was a load I’d done before, so finding the shipper and planning a route was simple.  It was a live load that went fairly quickly and I was on the road by mid day on Friday.

As I was just starting to go through the mountains on I-40 in TN I got a call on the CB from another driver; seems my trailer tandem was smoking!  I pulled off at the next exit to find that the tread had separated from one of the trailer tires and part of it had lodged against the brake drum, causing it to heat up and smoke.

Luck was on my side as there was a little diner right at the exit with a large gravel parking lot.  I pulled in, called Emergency Maintenance, and after getting a 1 hour ETA on the arrival of a mechanic with a new tire I stepped into the diner for a bite of lunch.

Soon after I finished the mechanic showed up, changed the tire, and had me on my way in about half an hour.  Like I said, luck was with me on this one.  This time tomorrow I would be wishing I could have saved some of that luck for later.  By the way, the fan for heat and A/C in the truck gave out this morning… that should have been a clue that things were going down hill.

Saturday morning I arrived at the destination for delivery, and instead of a live unload they wanted me to just drop the trailer.  Normally this is a good thing, but read the next load for the ‘gotcha’ on this one…

• Date(s): 5/19 to 5/20
• From/To: Beech Island, SC to Beckley, WV
• Mileage: 685
• Cargo:  Consumer Goods

Beech Island is one of the grand locations of our most beloved customers, who I will again only refer to as BC.  I was to pick up a loaded trailer any time on Saturday and deliver it 618 miles away on Monday morning.  Not only did I have plenty of time, but my expected stopping point on Saturday night would be Charlotte!  I would be able to get the A/C fixed on my truck AND spend a night at home.

The celebration lasted a short time before things started falling apart.  One of this customers strictest rules is that we have to arrive for a pick up with an empty trailer to leave.  Since my last load had me drop the loaded trailer there instead of live unload it, I now needed to find an empty before getting started.

From here the story is so long and involved that I’ll ask your forgiveness and just run through it quite quickly;

Called Support… told I could to directly to KC with no trailer… ten minutes into my trip got a QC (Qualcomm) message that I had to go back to Orangeburg to get an empty… the empty trailer number sent to me was the same one that I had just dropped… sent the necessary QC response message and waited… was sent another trailer number… got back to Orangeburg and found that the empty they wanted me to pick up was damaged… sent the necessary QC message and waited…

Bored yet?  We’re just starting… NOW I was to drive to a Sears warehouse in Spartanburg (130 miles in the wrong direction) to get another empty… got there to find that it wasn’t a warehouse, but a retail store in a mall… the delivery entrance (the only one trucks are allowed to use) was blocked by construction on a new store… made it to the shipping dept. of the store and talked to the store manager and mall security… they said the trailer could only be pulled out of the delivery area when the mall was closed and all the customer’s cars were out of the parking lot (and I agreed)… since there were special circumstances involved I decided to call support instead of just sending the necessary QC message… support wasn’t interested in the circumstances, and I was told to just send the necessary QC message… also told support that I was now running short on time and if there were any delays “On Time Delivery” would be in jeopardy… was told to call back if I was delayed… sent the necessary QC message and waited…

Honest, this IS the short version… by now it was clear that I would not make it to Charlotte tonight (mood quickly soured by several degrees)… new trailer assignment; pick up an empty at a Wal-Mart DC in Shelby, NC, another 40 miles in the wrong direction… drove to Shelby and got the trailer… got as far as Newberry, SC before I ran out of hours and stopped for the night…

Saturday morning: arrived at BC’s distribution center in Beech Island… dropped empty and picked up load… weather very nice, even without A/C… headed toward Ohio… 8 miles from the tunnel near the VA-WV border traffic came to a halt… VA DOT had one lane of the tunnel closed for construction… word on the CB was that it was taking one and a half to two hours to get through the traffic delay… stopped at a rest area to call support and inform them that I would not make OTD… suggested that they relay the load to another driver after I stopped that afternoon… they responded by saying the possibility of a relay was remote, and I would be charged with a “Service Failure”… I was to continue on as if I still had the load (no kidding?) and wait for further instructions…

As you can imagine my mood dropped a bit more at this news… weather was no longer nice without A/C… got through the tunnel 2 hours later… made it to Beckley, WV before hours ran out… called support and got an ANGEL… this person knew what she was doing, cared about the load, and was making an effort to get it delivered! … was told that a relay would be no problem… other drivers (team) showed up ~11pm and picked up the trailer.

So you can see my weekend was somewhat stressful, mostly thanks to unforseen circumstances but not without the help of several less than effective weekend support personnel.  But I won’t complain about them without also thanking Linda, my angel in support who, in a few brief moments, made everything happen that needed to happen.

Hello from the east coast of NC!  It’s the day before I’m due home for TAH and am I ever ready.  I’ve gotten lots of miles this time out, which definitely helped the time pass, but enough is enough.  Get ready Mama… I’m comin’ to get ya! 

• Date(s): 4/30 to 5/2
• From/To: Pineville, LA to Cordova, IL
• Mileage: 906
• Cargo:  HAZMAT: Diethylene

You know how LP Gas smells?  That’s what the shipper’s lot smelled like!  During the live load I tried to stay upwind, but I don’t believe the wind has any influence on this stuff.  When I asked what it was used for they could only say that they shipped it to food processers.  I was afraid to ask more.

The ride was mostly uneventful, but when I arrived at the destination I found that they were going to live unload the cargo instead of letting me drop the trailer as planned.  This wasn’t a big deal in itself, except that my next load had already been assigned and the mileage combined with a live unload appointment for 6am the next day didn’t leave enough time to make that cherished “On Time Delivery”.  More on this in the next load…

• Date(s): 5/2 to 5/3
• From/To: West Branch, IA to Mount Vernon, IL
• Mileage: 390
• Cargo:  Health & Beauty Supplies

After calling my STL I found out that I was the only driver available to take this load (?), so I was to get it to Mount Vernon as soon as I could safely and legally.  And of course I was to keep them updated on my progress.  I don’t mind keeping them informed, and I understand how important it is to them, but ironically the companie’s policies forbid using our primary means of communication (Qualcomm and/or cell phone) unless we’re stopped.  Meaning that when we have the least amount of time to waste is when we’re required to make the most stops.  Go figure..

Anyhow I arrived at the consignee at 9:30 and sat until ~noon being unloaded.

• Date(s): 5/3 to 5/4
• From/To: Decatur, IL to Findlay, OH
• Mileage: 464
• Cargo:  Lowe’s Store Merchandise

Our trucks have MCTs and computers, equipped with GPS receivers and integrated with the manufacturer’s onboard computer.  Authorized company personnel can see our position, current speed, direction of travel, and a host of other details with the click of a mouse.

We are required to update our HOS (Hours of Service) status at least daily as well as whenever we’re assigned a new load. We also report our available hours when responding to load messages.

The speed of our trucks is governed which helps make our progress quite predictible, and they send us a ’suggested’ route for every load.  Needless to say, the company knows everything there is to know about our ’status’.

So perhaps you’ll understand my frustration when I’m assigned a load with appointments that can’t possibly be met.  This one had a pickup deadline of 3pm.  Problem is it’s 129 miles from my current location and the only reasonable route is over state highways.  By the time I finished the previous delivery and the associated phone calls to my STL and Customer Service (because of the critical nature of the load) it was nearly 1pm.

To her credit my STL immediately understood the problem and made the necessary phone calls to insure I could pick up the load the next morning.  She even thanked me for being on my toes and communicating the issue to them quickly, because as long as we do so we aren’t held accountable for missing a deadline.  So I have nothing to complain about really, but it still seems like a magnificent waste of technology.

• Date(s): 5/4 to 5/6
• From/To: Lima, OH to Pineville, LA
• Mileage: 962
• Cargo:  Detergent

Woo hoo!  Another good mileage load back to LA.  Nothing noteworthy; just a nice drive.

• Date(s): 5/7
• From/To: Shreveport LA to Shreveport, LA
• Mileage: 126
• Cargo:  Beverages

This was a relay load I picked up and delivered for a live unload about ten miles away.  The only paid mileage was for driving to Shreveport from Pineville.  But it wasn’t a problem; with the mileage I’ve been getting how could I complain?

• Date(s): 5/7 to 5/9
• From/To: De Witt and McCrory, AR to Hertford, NC
• Mileage: 1248
• Cargo:  Soybean Seeds

This was a dilly; there were two pickup stops with deadlines on each for the same afternoon.  It took some steady driving but I managed to get them both.  After an overnight DOT break in McCrory I spent the next two days driving and delivered an hour before the delivery deadline.  Naturally my 70 hour clock was just about out each day, and on top of that I got stopped for a level 3 inspection at a weigh station on I-40 in Burlington, NC.  The officer found everything in order and sent my on my way in in little more than 15 minutes, but it was still a delay I didn’t need.

However nothing in the world could dampen my spirits today, for after three solid weeks away I go home tomorrow!  I’m gonna have to get on a dedicated route or something that gets me home more regularly.

Howdy.  Been busy and without Internet access for a bit.  Currently I’m stopped at the East St. Louis OC on my way to Cordova, IL.  Hope you’re all doing well… 

• Date(s): 4/22 to 4/23
• From/To: Winchester, IN to Toronto, ON, CA
• Mileage: 479
• Cargo:  Empty glass bottles

Another border crossing, but this one went a good bit smoother than my first.  I guess I wasn’t as freaked about the whole ordeal and just followed the instruction booklet to prepare the paperwork.  There was a little problem getting the correct phone and fax numbers for the broker, and I could have timed the crossing and paperwork processing a little better (there are specific time intervals that have to be observed), but all in all not too bad.

Originally I was to deliver this load to Laval near Montreal, Quebec.  It was a good load at roughly 850 miles, but the delivery appointment required me to sit for a full day.  I called Load Advance and when the customer refused to move the appointment back a day they agreed that I should drop for relay at the Toronto OC and pick up another load.  I hated to give up the mileage, but not as much as sitting for a day.

• Date(s): 4/23 to 4/24
• From/To: Lansing, MI to De Pere, WI
• Mileage: 656
• Cargo:  Bales of recycled paper

It turned out that dropping the last load for relay was a good move; I ended up swapping the 850 mi. load for a total of 1,135 miles in the same time period (this load + partial mileage for the last).  I also got to cross back into the U.S. with an empty trailer, which required no broker or paperwork.

The 8am live load appointment in Lansing went well although I had to work a bit to get the axle weights legal (that’s some heavy stuff).  The delivery window was for the same day, meaning I had no time to waste.  This was definitely a good load, and since De Pere is just outside Green Bay, I finally had a chance to visit Schneider’s home OC.

• Date(s): 4/25 to 4/27
• From/To: De Pere, WI to Beech Island, SC
• Mileage: 990
• Cargo:  Consumer Goods

And the miles just keep on coming!  This was a live load in De Pere (actually just down the road from the OC) and a drop at Kimberly Clark in Beech Island. The trailer was loaded quickly and I was on my way without delay.  It rained most of the trip, but otherwise it was a nice drive back south.

• Date(s): 4/27 to 4/28
• From/To: Beech Island, SC to Winter Haven, FL
• Mileage: 426
• Cargo:  Toilet Paper

It don’t get much better than this; drop one load and pick up another preloaded trailer at the same spot.  I was a little concerned because Winter Haven is next door to Kissimmee and the “Mouse House”, but the timing was in my favor and I drove in on a Saturday morning before traffic had a chance to build.

• Date(s): 4/28 to 4/30
• From/To: Kissimmee, FL to Leesville, LA
• Mileage: 887
• Cargo:  Lowe’s store merchandise

How’s that saying go again… oh yeah, “Careful what you wish for”.  I’ve been wanting more miles and lately I’ve been getting them.  I picked up the loaded trailer and took off for Leesville with no time to spare.  I was running a little low on hours due to the 70 Hour rule and had to trip plan carefully to make sure I didn’t run out before I got to the destination.  The fact that this was a 4am Monday live unload appointment didn’t help much either.  The load message also came with a warning that the customer was displeased with their service and stated that on time delivery was crucial.

Since I was travelling on the weekend traffic was mostly light and there were no unusual delays, so I arrived at the delivery on Sunday evening.  I had already called ahead to insure that I could park on premises overnight, so in this case on time delivery was guaranteed.

Around 4:30 (CDT) the next morning they opened the gate and checked me in.  This was my first delivery to a retail store, and I found their back lot a little challenging to maneuver the rig through.  But I managed to back in to their dock without much delay and they started unloading immediately.