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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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2024 07 22 MN-MN 1 box truck to Eden Prairie MN (delivered) 5 box trucks to Eden Prairie MN (Tuesday) Spending the night(s) at home I hadn't really been watching the load board very closely and when I did look it was just at IA for RV's. Then about 11 AM BB comes into the room and says there are two trucks in MN going 20 miles. By the time I looked at the load board there were three trucks. So I called and got put on hold while they finished entering the fourth truck. We took all four. Neither of us were ready to walk out the door and we had to wait for them to send the paperwork so we could print it at home instead of stop somewhere. Once we got the paperwork printed we were ready to head out. Opps, we only had enough paper to print one copy of each so the customers will have to make their own copies. When I was on the phone taking these trips, I was thinking we might get them all done yet today. An hour apiece and it was still early. Problem was that I had not looked at the clock, it still seemed like early AM to me, not almost noon. And we have an hour to get there. And before I left I talked to the drop and they want them taken to a storage lot which adds another 10 miles, each way. Not sure the reason we got these trucks, I am taking them to the storage lot of another driveaway carrier. The one we used to work for moving mostly cars. Very personable dispatcher. Maybe that is who they are, or maybe because this is their last week and they are moving and getting out of dispatching. Traffic makes the trip to the shipper take about an hour. Once there I go into the main office and someone does come over to help me right away. The entrance looks like security at the airport. Glass dividers, metal detectors, conveyors, scanners. I need to go to another entrance, I pull up to the stop sign and wait for someone to come out of the guard shack. No one does, finally someone sitting outside walks over and said I need to back up. Everything is done remote on camera. Just a few basic questions and directions. No ID required, no escort required. The on site person we talked to told us where to look for the trucks but when we saw some closer we stopped there instead assuming we mis-understood the directions. But after looking in all the trucks we went to where we were told. First truck I look at is the first one I plan on moving. Dispatch can only dispatch one at a time, the others are just put on hold for the drivers. Check engine light, chipped windshield, bent and scratched bumper, poor patch job on the truck and almost a full tank of fuel. This dispatcher wants us to leave the fuel where we find it but most want trucks left without the low fuel light on. I should only be using three gallons of fuel and these trucks are just going to sit. And I'm going to now try to get TWO trucks done today. Dispatch says it is OK to run with the truck issues, truck has 100,000+ miles on it. I also commit to two more trucks. That is all dispatch has but there are seven of them sitting in the to-go lot. No issues in the pre-trip. I try to find someone to sign from the shipper but all area's are secured and I end up leaving. No issues at security. They just want to see the plate I am running on because I have taped over the carrier plate. Other than that I am driving away with one of their trucks ... This is my home town so I know all the roads I'll be taking up to the last quarter mile. I hadn't looked at directions until I was ready to pull out of the shipper. Before that BB had told me the step by step directions and I knew them all. Just not the last quarter mile. And I missed it. I had looked to see the right and left but not any of the other streets. My map showed the road I was on would be divided where I was to turn, and I had only the street name. The road was not divided and the signage only had the county road listed, no street name. So I missed it and had to make a u-turn and come back. I was still there before BB who I had lost in traffic. I had called the drop from the shipper and left a message, this is a remote site and they need to send a driver over. They never got the message, never listened to it but luckily someone was there helping another driver. Once there was a break in their issue they signed off on my truck. Another driver was trying to haul a unit out but it needed to be jump started. It started and that was the break so they could help me. But it wouldn't go in gear so they were still having issues. Later down the road I got a call from that dispatcher thinking they were calling the other driver so it sounds like they never did get it moving. We had just enough time to do one more truck. We decided not to chance it. We had not packed out bags so we couldn't just go to a hotel if we missed the cut off. Now we are redoing the math based on actual and we might only get four of the five done tomorrow ... if we start early. Shipper opens at 6:30 but the drop doesn't open until 8 and we need to give them a half hour notice. So 8:30 is the earliest we can drop. On the way home we stopped at FedEx Office to print paperwork but they have changed how to print and we never figured it out. On the way to get more paper from WalMart we finally got an email saying our documents were ready to print. We did not go back. I did print out something from a jump drive. BB made sure I only printed one copy to make sure it looked right. After changing the settings it did print the first one OK so I printed three more. Not realizing that the settings re-set as soon as the first document was done. So now I have paid for three huge colorful sheets I can't use. Load board weekend US - 129 IA - 0 MN - 1 WI - 1 Load board Monday US - 121 IA - 0 MN - 1 WI - 0 2024 07 23 MN-MN 4 box truck to Eden Prairie MN (delivered) 1 box trucks to Eden Prairie MN (Wednesday) Spending the night at home Awaken by the alarm, actually leaving the drive at 7:01 AM. At the drop by 8 AM. 1st truck ... dead. 2nd truck started, so that is now my 1st truck of the day. When the 1st one didn't start, I tried to start all five that I was to move today. Three were dead. My contact did not answer his phone so I got dispatched on this 2nd truck before he came out with jump start. Then it was too late for me to switch trucks with dispatch so I kept the truck I had. At first we were going to do all the paperwork at right then but he looked at his watch and realized he had a meeting to go to so he only signed for this truck and yesterdays truck. Glad he didn't make an issue of me leaving yesterday without someone signing. I make my calls to dispatch and give notice to the drop that I am on my way. I go the same route as yesterday but BB and I did not run together so she had her GPS on and it took her a different route because the Chaska bridge is now open. That saves about 10 minutes each way by staying on HWY 169 instead of going through Shakopee. No issues at the drop with any of the trucks today. But things changed over night. A huge storm came through and took down their fence in places and knocked out power in the area for a few hours. 2nd truck moved. The three dead trucks are still dead and my contact did not answer when I called. Again I got dispatched on a truck before he came out to the lot. This time he had time to work on them but hadn't brought the right tools. I only left a minute or so before BB but by then they guy had gotten another truck started for me and told BB which one it was. He had been working on the truck next to me while I was doing my pre-trip but had issues and left and I thought he had gone back in the building. 3rd truck - My contact was sitting in a van on the street when I drove past so I knew he was not going to be there. Then I get to security and the remote security person person at this time was doing it by the book. I did not have a pass and they would not let me pass. I wasted more time than I should have trying to get them to open the gate. I was told 'Anyone who did for you in the past was wrong.' Finally someone from yard had to come over to let me in manually. While the line got longer. The truck the contact had started was still running, two hours later. Then when I was doing my pre-trip, I put it in gear and a couple of minutes later it 'idle shut down.' But it restarted so all was good. While I was in line at security I noticed a car carrier in line behind me. And I noticed that while waiting, they walked up to the building (with no one in it.) I thought about saying something to them but I was having my own issues at the time. Before I left, they were near where I was. At first I thought they were they were taking a couple of the small vans but then they came over and started inspecting the one truck I was not taking. The one I had <> been told hasn't been moved for a year. I did ask if they were going to haul it out, they didn't really answer but then I saw a 2nd person who seemed like they were going to be driving it. ... then I saw them with a jump pack for starting the truck. Moving cars they likely have to use that a lot so they just carry one with them. ?? and then I noticed two security people standing watching them. Not sure what that was about but they got there shortly after the driver did and just stayed. Then I left. 4th truck - This time I called my contact as soon as I passed security so they've have time to meet me. They had used all the juice in the first jump pack and it takes overnight to re-charge. They do have a smaller pack that they will try as long as I am here. After a few cranks, the truck starts but dies when they take the jump pack off. But there was enough juice in the jump pack to try for another few minutes and it finally started again. This time we left the jump pack on for 10 minutes while I was revving the engine. I also found out how to keep from doing an idle shut down on this model. The other driver is still sitting here from two hours ago, hood still open. When we head to the gate there is a line. 15 minutes for local security to get one truck passed. It seemed to be an issue with the gate, not the truck trying to leave. Once I got to the gate I could see that the car carrier was again in line behind me ... without the truck they came to pickup. At least I have gotten trucks to keep me busy all day. When I had talked to the drop at different times during the day, their close time went from 4:30 to 4 PM to 3:30. Now these last two delays were going to put me past 3:30 but the last happened after I had called them. Anyone else I might have worried about but I knew the company and we'd get something worked out. By now rush hour traffic added another 15 minutes to our trip. It all adds up. Over the course of the day I had talked to both my contact and dispatch about the final truck. By the end of the day, dispatch has gotten word from their contact ... if it moves, move it. So that will be for tomorrow. I have talked to the guy on site and he will have it running before he calls me. Or fail to get it running. So I should have a good chance of moving it if it is still running when I get there. I live an hour away. Load board US - 123 IA - 3/0 MN - 0 WI - 0 2024 07 24 IA-OK 4 box truck to Eden Prairie MN (delivered) 2 RV's to Oklahoma City OK spending the night in Des Moines IA We Opp'sed on our math. Now we are pushing it. When the shipper of the last of the six trucks has not called by 9:30, I call him. He had said he would be trying to start it by 8 AM so we were up and ready to go before 7:30. He says he'll be going out shortly. When I haven't heard anything by 10:30, I text him ... he says he is on his way out the door to start it now. In less than a half hour he messages back saying it is running and running good ... we are on our way. At the same time as I get that message, BB says there are two RV's going to Oklahoma City. I ask if I should call and put them on hold ... she checks for rental cars while I'm dialing. By the time I get someone on the phone, BB says we can get a car. So I go ahead and commit to the 2 RV's. That has been the only trips today and we got them. My BP had been up again this AM so I was not going to call for my DOT appointment anyway. We are out of the house in less than 15 minutes. As we get in the car, BB mentions the funeral. Opps, when we saw work we forgot about the funeral. But this is a 600+ mile trip so we should be able to get it done in three days. The first I remembered the funeral was BB mentioned it when we were getting in the car. When we get a block down the road to a stop sign, I ask BB if we should go back for good clothes. 'No, we'll be back home Friday night.' ... but it is a 677 mile trip, from the shipper who is 100+ miles from home ... and we need to deliver the last of the six trucks on our way out of town. Things are starting to feel crunched. 1st stop is the shipper, we know the routine. No issues at security either on the way in or the way out. I called my contact as soon as we parked the car and he met us before I gotten the paperwork out of my bag. The truck was already started and had been running since he called. We had done a partial inspection yesterday so it was just checking the lights and taking pictures and we were rolling. And then I stopped to make my calls. To the drop and to the dispatcher. Drop had some comments. Someone had left a truck on the street with the keys hidden, no paperwork and on 'E.' They were pretty sure it was not me as all my plates and DOT #'s have been taped over. And the truck only had 30,000 miles on it instead of the 150,000 for the ones I bring in. Two hours later when I got there, they still had no info on the truck. Someone is lucky it did not get towed before someone got there to move it off the street. Slight slowdown through road construction that was not there yesterday but all in all we have made good time. For a short period I think we are an hour ahead of planned. 2nd stop was the drop. The lot is full, they are glad they will not be seeing me again ... maybe next time I will be pulling one out. One of these trucks has been sitting there a year. Not fast movers I guess. 3rd stop was Arby's. Potato cakes are back. I got a reuben as it is the easiest to eat in the car. We would have saved time by fueling in the same place as we ate but we needed to eat now. 4th stop was the Kwik Trip in Owatonna for fuel. We had thought of stopping at the Flying J in Northfield but there was a rolling lane closer and it would have gotten us right back in the closer that we passed. 5th stop was the shipper. We were in and out as fast as we could. No long talks with anyone. It has been a long time since we pulled two RV's out of here at the same time. Dispatch did ask us about moving RV's to an upcoming show but I didn't want to commit until I have my DOT card current. BB didn't want to commit until she checks our other plans. From our paperwork, we found out the drop is only open until 4 PM, that makes it hard to make tomorrow delivery. Then I called to confirm their times and the open time is wrong. Paperwork says 9 AM, they say 10 AM. That is one less hour in the AM that we have to get back to MN. As we are going down the road we are doing the math. We would have to cut at least two hours out of the trip to get there right at 4 PM. We can only cut 1:45 out because we need our 10 hours off by law. So we don't plan on making delivery tomorrow. 6th stop is right in town, BB needs to add fuel, I have a half a tank of 'free fuel' so I'm good to the next stop. We stop at Casey's. 7th stop is the Loves in Ellsworth for fuel. $2.99 less our ten cent discount. Lots of 'bumper huggers' today. Even when I am going the speed limit plus in my car. Just a foot or two off my bumper, not sure how they can even see how close they are. Maybe they can't. Another time a semi was getting on so I would have slowed to 45 or gotten over. I got over. The next car in that lane was a ways back but when they caught up they rode the bumper until I got past the trucks. 8th and final stop was the Sleep Inn in West Des Moins. We walk next door to the Stake and Shake. No garlic burger for me tonight. It is already 8 PM and we haven't eaten yet. Load board US - 143 IA - 3/2 MN - 0 WI - 0 ... the trip continues HERE |
