The Adventures Of Daniel B.

Daniel I wish you the best of luck brother. Too bad I can't get you as a trainer. I am headed to Prime at Springfield, MO the 11th of Feb. I hope to run into Roadkill there when I go back to test out for my CDL A.

Welcome, Daniel! I'm glad you're happy with Prime. Maybe I'll see you around one of these days.

I hope to run into Roadkill there when I go back to test out for my CDL A.

Me, too...just not in a truck..

I don't know any of the Fleet Manager's in SLC. I can tell you however that I have not heard anything bad about Lance.

Ernie

Dang it Roadkill. Whats wrong? Don't trust a brother in blue? As long as your not wearing inmate grey you'll be good to go.

Why's that skateboard back there behind that "Girly Man" truck?

I'm gonna getcha!!!

First solo day with Prime.

Current Load: Salt Lake City, UT to Riverside, CA. 655 miles. Total weight - roughly 75k, I didn't scale.

This is a load that my Central Ref. Freightliner probably couldn't take legally. However, it was a piece of cake for me.

The pickup facility was dominated by Central Ref. drivers and their trailers were everywhere. It was odd looking for a Prime trailer and not a Central trailer. I found my trailer and even though this load was heavy for a fullsize truck, I was easily good on weight. I went to a flat surface and my drive axles were clearly legal according to my Right Weigh gauge on my dashboard. Next, I looked at the gauge near the trailer axle to see how much it weighs and it was easily legal also. This is my first time using this trailer axle weight and I got to say - other companies need to get on board with it. This is something I've always wanted.

The load had plenty of time on it. So I didn't push myself far on my first day. I am still getting accustomed to my new truck and how everything works at Prime. No need to stress!

This 55mph business will definitely take some time getting used to. I used to be the one passing people, now I can't even pass a turtle. It is much less stressful though.

1/17

Current Load: Salt Lake City, UT to Riverside, CA. 655 miles. Total weight - roughly 75k, I didn't scale.

I woke up when I felt like it. Today was just a simple day of driving.

I stopped at a Walmart along the way for some food. I usually buy greek yogurt, not that Yoplait sugary crap, eggs, and sometimes soy milk. But this time I don't have a cooler with me so I am very limited on what I can and cant purchase. I ended up buying carrots, bananas, beef jerky, water, as well as a powerful odor eliminator spray. The previous driver was a smoker and while the smell isn't too bad - I can still smell it a little.

Going 55mph down the road can be boring. So I was in my thoughts for most of the day. Its been a goal of mine to catch Old School on the road. I would either have to find him in a truck stop or I was planing on passing him one of these days and recognizing him as I'm passing him. But then I got to thinking, how in the world will I ever be able to pass him with this truck. So I spent a good portion of the day determining a strategy on how to find him. I'm still after you, especially after you called my truck a "Girly Man" truck.

Anyways, I get to my fuel stop and I fuel the truck. Usual stuff, different company. I trip planned my local directions for my delivery to the walmart in Riverside, CA. According to the qualcomm , there's a Kmart a mile or two down the road from the Walmart D/C and they accept truck parking. I'm skeptical but we shall see.

Today is the 17th, my delivery appointment for this delivery is the 18th at 1500. So I think I'll get screwed, but fingers are crossed that they'll accept me early.

I get to the Walmart D/C in the late afternoon. The security guard told me to come back tomorrow but then he said he will ask receiving just to make sure. Turns out, the receiving department didn't agree with him. They told him to take me early!!!

I got to be honest, I can't remember the last time that a Walmart D/C even took me an hour before my appointment time.

I back up the trailer to the dock door, all while admiring the large logo on the trailer and the trailers beauty and cleanliness. I drop the trailer and head to the bobtail area. Then proceed into the shipping and receiving office and hand them my paperwork. I only have 2 hours on my 14 so I guarantee I will be out of hours by the time I'm through with this place. I'm a work in, and glad that I am accepted in early. No complaining from me, I don't care how long they take!

I get charged 50$ lumper fee, my first comcheck that I have to do. It goes well! I put everything down, turn on my APU for the a/c and then go to sleep. Yeah, its hot down here in the LA area.

My buzzer rings but that doesn't wake me up, eventually an associate walks up to me and bangs on my door. Sorry guys, was sleeping. I head in to get my paperwork and am out of hours.

Well, I can't stay but I can't be driving since Im out of hours. I'm in a giant pickle here. I fire up my sexy truck and drive to it in first gear. I hook up and drive in first gear to the guard shack. This took a while.

I get cleared through the guard shack and now I ask myself "where can I park?"

Well, here's a tip:

Whenever you're going to a destination and you think you might run out of hours. Its always a good idea to scout the area just in case you get into this kind of situation. As I drove here, I remembered seeing a few trucks parked on a small side street. So that's where I've got to go!

Imagine if I didn't scout the area? What would I do? Remember folks, you can't ever be too prepared. Practice good memory! Unless you're a crusty.... then just do your best.

I also remember that Ernie once said on TT that Prime allows the driver to drive a small distance before it will give the driver a violation. I quickly did the math, and came to the conclusion that I should get there in one peace.

I put the transmission into 3rd gear (need the extra boost) and waited for the traffic to clear. Once it cleared I drove quickly to my side street to park for the night. The Qualcomm starts screaming at me but before I knew it, I was where I needed to be. Violation dodged! Gotta do what you gotta do!

I park on the side street and look over my entire macro list to make sure I didn't forget anything. Looks like I didn't. Its off to bed them! Hopefully my DM will be impressed with my 24-hour early delivery.

Bobtail:

"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.

Qualcomm:

Omnitracs (a.k.a. Qualcomm) is a satellite-based messaging system with built-in GPS capabilities built by Qualcomm. It has a small computer screen and keyboard and is tied into the truck’s computer. It allows trucking companies to track where the driver is at, monitor the truck, and send and receive messages with the driver – similar to email.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

This 55mph business will definitely take some time getting used to. I used to be the one passing people, now I can't even pass a turtle. It is much less stressful though.

Yeah, and nobody likes being passed by a Prime truck. It's like an insult to their manhood or something. They'll be playing on their phone or whatever, not realizing they've slowed down, then as soon as they see that they're being passed by a Prime truck they speed up. It's a wake-up call that they need to pay attention to what they're doing.

Daniel, I'm leaving out this afternoon with a HSHV load that's got 2,700 miles on the run - I'm bound for the north east parts of Connecticut, leaving out of far south west New Mexico. If you're heading that direction I'm sure I'll be able to see you a hundred miles away with that day-glow pink ride of yours. I'm looking forward to when our paths cross too, I just hope it's under the cover of darkness so nobody sees me with a driver of a pink truck!

I'm sorry I shouldn't be giving you such a hard time, but you're just fun to pick on! Seriously, I kind of like the way that truck looks, I don't think I've seen another one like it, and I've seen a lot of Prime trucks as I'm passing them on the interstate. Hope everything goes well for you at Prime, as I'm sure it will. You know the drill, and if it goes well it will be because you made it happen. Catch me when you can, I update my location each evening on the Truck Tracker.