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.