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230602 MN
... spending the
night at home
Sent local dispatch an email early AM, no reply so I
called shortly after noon. We talked, they looked at all their upcoming trips.
The only one that would work for me was going to Streator IL. And the only
thing going TO Streator is chassis so they double checked. Yes, it is a chassis
so no thanks. I took myself off the work list for a couple of days.
They
did have a truck going to NE but that wouldn't be a round trip. I'll check back
on that one later next week.
My tanker truck is back on the load board.
And there is still one truck going to CGO. About 10 miles between the drop and
pickup. And so far, that is the reason we are not doing them. They are too
close together ??? BB doesn't want to ride with both ways and it doesn't make
sense to drive 800 miles to move me 10 miles. We're still working on that
one.
I hadn't gotten paid for moving that tanker to the shop so I called
settlements (payroll) and ... duh ... it is because the truck has not been
delivered. I knew that, but didn't understand they how things are listed
on-line.
IA actually did put out a few trips today, all going to WI. But
we thought we might have plans with family today that ended up not working
out.
I did trade in my phone for a different one. Now that I have played
with it I need to stop back at the company store. If it wasn't so hard to text
on the flip phone I would just get rid of the smart phone. Need to find one
that works for me and buy a few extra's :) so I have a spare if something
happens.
Loadboard
US - 161
IA - 3/0
MN - 4
WI - 3
No
rental trucks in the midwest for quite a while now.
2023 06 05
MN-IL
1 trash truck to Carol Stream IL
1 tanker to Eagan MN
(Tuesday)
... spending the night at Schaumburg IL
I called our main
OTR dispatcher early and asked how long I could put a truck on hold ... "15
minutes." Called back later and said I wanted to put the truck on hold now and
was talking to a different dispatcher. They never asked how long I wanted to
put it on hold, just said they would hold it for me.
))) The rest is
written a few days later (((
By now it was after 8 AM so I was expecting
my MN dispatcher would answer. They didn't 8:30 they still hadn't answered so I
called central dispatch back again. When I said who I was waiting for, they
understood. At some point the MN dispatcher did answer but was not at the
office yet and said they would call me back. I think it was 9 AM when I finally
called the main MN dispatcher and they picked up. Haven't talked to that
dispatcher in months, not sure what is going on there.
When I called the
OTR dispatcher back, they were surprised I was calling back already ...
By now we were not planning on delivering anymore today so we were not
in a rush. And when we did finally get to the office our paperwork was not
there and both dispatchers were gone. The office is at someone's house.
Interesting folks there. The first one couldn't help me but the 2nd one could
so we got my paperwork and were gone.
The lot here in Dodge Center is as
empty as I have seen it. We have delivered to this drop before so we knew what
color truck we were looking for. And not looking for. Turns out this is painted
for a charity so it is a different color but still has the correct name on the
door.
No issues.
This shipper ships with the fuel tank full and
this carrier does not require us to scale the trucks so ... away we
go.
My first stop is near Lewiston MN at a rest area. I have forgotten
to tape over the companies DOT number on the side of the truck. I do that and
rolling again.
Next stop is also at a rest area, this one between
Mauston and New Lisbon. From here I try to call the drop but it is one of those
where you have only a few choices to pick from. Commercial customer,
residential customer, outhouse pickup or delivery, etc. Nothing close. I tried
for a few minutes but no luck so I left.
By the time I get to Madison, I
have gone just over half way and am down to 1/4 a tank of fuel. So I fill it.
But it takes a while. First someone is backing out from one empty fuel island
to go to a different one, then the island I pick ... the pump is not work so I
have to get to the end of the line again.
I pull in behind someone who
wasn't fueling, thinking they were done. Nope. Hadn't started. But once they
did start they stayed on it and moved when they were done. The truck next to
them was sitting at the pump when I got there and still at the fuel island when
I left a half hour later.
Good news though. My fuel card worked. So it
must have just been the Casey's location last trip that was an issue.
I
hadn't seen BB since the first rest area but somehow we had decided to get as
close to the drop as possible tonight. If we waited until the AM we'd be going
with rush hour traffic.
Ahh ... we both stopped at the Janesville rest
area and that is when we talked.
We get to the Comfort Inn in Schaumburg
and check in. Lots of room for trucks and driveways on both ends so no reason
to turn around.
Once checked in, be go for food ... almost 8 PM again.
Smash burger is where we eat when we stop here. There is food right next door
but we haven't tried them yet. They didn't know how to make my 'Sin City'
burger so we had to custom order it. We are missing something because it no
longer tastes the same as when it was listed on their menu.
Loadboard
(weekend)
US - 153
IA - 3/0
MN - 4
WI - 3
Loadboard -
Monday
US - 161
IA - 7/6
MN - 4
WI - 3
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2023 06 06 IL-MN
1 trash
truck to Carol Stream IL (delivered)
1 tanker to Eagan MN
3 trucks to
Lake Elmo MN (Wednesday)
... spending the night at Eagan MN
At
breakfast this AM we had a choice of sausage or ham. Another difference, today
for juice they had OJ, cranberry and lemonade. Usually there is apple
juice.
Because we are doing short trips this week, BB is not lugging her
big suitcase so we both took the stairs this AM. After doing my inspection, I
start the truck ... BEEP !!! BEEP !!! BEEP !!! BEEP !!! BEEP !!!
I handed BB
the room keys and let her do the checkout this AM. I'm not sure everyone was
ready for all the noise, luckily it was 7:30 and not 5:30.
When BB comes
back out, she sees 'me' in a nearby lot and heads that way with the car ... at
some point she realizes it is someone else picking up garbage ... :)
30
minutes to the drop and it is beeping all the way, both inside and
out.
When I get to the drop, the first thing they ask is if I can shut
off the beeping ... I can. :) By shutting off the truck. They do try a few
things to get it to stop but can't either. Something broke. Noise can wear on
the nerves.
Not sure what is going on with dispatch for this last truck.
They didn't have my paperwork ready when I got to the office. They never
dispatched me, never gave me my advance (to pay for fuel etc.) Drivers are
supposed to be able to release ourselves from the trip when our paperwork is
signed, but only if we are still on the property. Today we couldn't because of
the things dispatch didn't do.
One half hour just about straight east of
my drop is my next pickup. A few blocks to the main east road, then a few
blocks off to the shipper.
The shop has to bring my truck around for me.
I hadn't looked at a map again but BB had, there was a much easier route out
than how I came in. Left out of the shipper, at the 1st stop light take a right
and then in a few feet take another right and we are on the freeway
...
Today the truck finds all the tolls, not sure why it only picked up
a few last time.
There had been almost a quarter of a tank of fuel when
I picked this truck up, but taking it to the shop added 40 miles so less free
fuel for me. I do make it to Janesville but the low fuel light has come on 30
miles before that. At some point I realize that I never did check the VIN
today, I just took the truck they brought me. And I would only think about that
when I was driving. Not when I was stopped.
When I get to Janesville,
the truck shows I am getting 10.3 mpg. I have 300 miles to go and I'm guessing
the mileage will improve. Easy math. I add 30 gallons.
Bad news. No one
will be at the drop at 5 PM tonight. That is what we had planned for the 1st
try. Today he will only be there until 4 PM and there is no way we will make
that. So we set it up for tomorrow AM. Someone will be there at 5:30 ... AM. We
won't.
Knowing I am not in a rush, I call local dispatch but they don't
having anything yet that works for us.
Plan was to stop at the Mauston
rest area, by then BB has caught up to me so I pull in and tell her that I need
to to to the town of Mauston for DEF. The one gallon I had added last trip is
not holding up.
I usually stop at non-truckstops for DEF. Partly because
with a bus I have to come in backwards and partly because I like to keep the
small places in business ... if it isn't coming out of my pocket. And at the
small places I can usually start the pump with my personal credit card and
don't have to go inside to do it. Today that stop was the BP in Mauston. They
place shares a large lot with a couple of hotels and a former Country Kitchen.
Now the lot will be smaller. They are adding a Dunkin in part of the
lot.
Local dispatch has been calling. I'm not sure it is them as I don't
have all of those numbers in my phone so I have to look it up before calling
them back. They have three local moves and I agree to take them without talking
to BB about it. We had talked in general and no reason not to. They don't pay
great but I want to pay back the money they over paid me and I want to do a few
moves so I won't fell too bad if we don't get back for quarter end.
Did
see a bus and two dump trucks that could have been from our local company in
transit.
Yesterday and again today I saw the Amish at work. Today they
had just started planting corn (?) Small planter that they had put steel wheels
on and left the fertilizer boxes on. Not sure if they use them ...
The hay
fields close by were partially cut.
Today the farmer was on the first round
next to the freeway so I got a good look at them.
For a while I was
thinking I would be adding fuel at Osseo so I didn't stop in Black River Falls
as planned. Then I realized that BB may have been waiting for me so I pulled
off in Hixon to text her. And I picked a ramp that wasn't the normal down one
side and up the other.
The more I thought about it, I decided I could
make it to Hudson where fuel was cheaper and I would have a much better idea of
how much fuel I would need. Should have stopped as planned. Every two hours.
Instead this was a 3+ hour leg.
Shortly before I get to Hudson, the drop
is calling me.
... maybe
... maybe they will take the truck yet tonight.
(?)
Luckily I get to the TA in Hudson without the low fuel light coming
on. We only need to leave 1/8th of a tank of fuel at the drop ... but we can't
have the low fuel light on. And on these new Peterbilts, the low fuel light
comes on at 1/8th of a tank, but won't go off until the gauge reaches 1/4. So
an extra 10 gallons if the light comes on.
Once fueled I call the drop.
He just want's to know the truck number ... that is all. :(
For a while
we had thought about parking the truck at the TA or Walmart for the night and
then driving home. But the drop would like us there by 8 AM so their drivers
can get on the road. So we decided to pay the big bucks and stay at the Best
Western two miles from the drop. I really didn't like the idea of leaving my
truck somewhere I am not. But that is $100 less that we will take
home.
BB agrees to go get tomorrows paperwork so that will get us going
earlier in the AM. I head direct to the hotel. I get there a little after 5 PM
so if I had driving 70 mph and not taken as long on the phone we could have
made delivery today ...
I get to the hotel and check in, by the time I
am back downstairs BB is calling, she has picked up the paperwork and is here
also.
We looked at a lot of food nearby but ended up at Zee's. There is
one in Woodbury we have eaten at a few times. Little 50's style cafe. Good
food. We eat there. Something other than fast food.
Loadboard
US -
157
IA - 4/3
MN - 4
WI - 5
One of the trucks I am picking up is
a chassis. They have asked me both days about taking it. I move it 20 miles but
not 200. The other two are from known locations. Not sure what we will be doing
Thursday and Friday. No good RV trips and only one trash truck going short.
Omaha.
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2023 06 07 MN-MN
1 tanker to
Eagan MN (delivered)
3 trucks to Lake Elmo MN (delivered)
... spending
the night at home
We had breakfast and were ready to head out at our
usual time. I hadn't looked at a map yet so BB showed me our choices. Down the
main street we are on and turn when I see the dead end sign. We are two miles
from the drop.
At the drop I luck out, someone is pulling in the gate so
I am able to follow, and the person who will sign for my truck is walking
across the parking lot. He directs me to my parking spot. While I am cleaning
out my truck, the guy is looking over the truck. It seems a recent 'new' truck
was built differently and a lot of the wiring corroded from the winter salt
because of how it was built. This guy also tells me that the trucks I am moving
are 're-builts.' The tank will be re-used many times, the chassis and other
equipment is all new.
Done here, and off to our next truck. Almost no
traffic in the 'burb's at this time of the AM. BB puts on the GPS as we have
not been to this location before.
When we get to the next shipper, I
find out that it is a new branch of a current shipper. They have gotten a new
contract and don't have room in the old location.
What I am getting here
is a four door chassis. Good news, it has dip sticks that can be reached from
standing on the ground, unlike the pickups where we have to stand on something
and then half crawl under the hood to reach them. And this truck has real mud
flaps and taillights.
And a very rough ride. When BB was behind me, she
could see the air between the tires and the highway. My <> limit on
chassis is 20 miles, this trip was 40. Someone else is going to move it the
other 400.
We drop at our office and we are off again. Seems there are
two new dispatchers that I haven't seem before. Didn't talk to them
today.
Second shipper is the original location of my first pickup. This
truck is a Dodge Ram with a lift bucket. No issue picking this up. Not sure
why, but for this location I take I-494 to the location and I-394 from the
location. Today that was a good choice as when we left we could see that I-394
was backed up in the other direction. It would have taken us a lot
longer.
Again, drop at the office and head out.
It's getting
close to noon so we stop at Chick-fil-A in Woodbury. It seems strangely empty.
Only one drive thru lane open and only one family ahead of us and it is almost
noon. But by the time we got our food there was a line inside and the drive
thru line was out onto the highway. Today it was good timing for us.
I
had a chicken sandwich. Much easier to eat while driving than their nuggets and
dipping sauce.
Final pickup is at dealer in Inver Grove Heights. I get a
copy of the repair order when I pick up but don't look at it. This is a used
truck, parked way out in the back. Another driver must have picked it up and
dropped it here because of how the paperwork is done. I tell BB someone else
has inspected it so she doesn't come with me.
I find the truck, it is a
2014 but only has 5,000 miles on it ??? Not sure if that is correct or not. It
does look like it has sat but is not worn.
I pull up to the main lot and
BB looks the truck over as I finish my paperwork. This truck is a much better
ride than the chassis. But I am careful on it, I just want to get it the 20
miles to the office without it breaking down.
At the office I park it
and talk to dispatch. No more work today.
When I am at home doing my
paperwork, that is when I finally read why the last truck was at the shop. It
did not have a backup alarm. Mmmmm. I don't know if it did or not when I took
it. Most times BB is the one standing at the rear when I do my check but for
this one I told her she didn't have to. And it is one of those things that go
un-noticed if they are working. Opps.
No great trips on our long haul
load board.
Much later tonight I wanted to look at my flip phone for
something. I don't have it. It was the only phone I was carrying with today so
I know I had it right up to getting out of my last truck because I was using it
to keep track of my paperwork time. So that is on my list for early tomorrow.
Hopefully the driver hasn't taken off with it.
Loadboard
US -
165
IA - 3/2
MN - 5
WI - 6
Only plans for tomorrow is stopping
at the phone stores if we don't have work. |
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