Comments By TwoSides

What the HECK????? Why did they even LOAD that trailer, with 4 or 5 bunk arse tires?!?!?!?? No papers? Stuff like that makes me crazy. Anymore, Tom will flat out refuse to pull a loaded crap trailer. Then again, it's not steel beams, just cardboard.

Because the condition of the trailer is not there responsibility... That's what I was told when I questioned them "Hydro" on previous f'ed up loaded trailers. They just load the trailer and move on. I get it but they can at least let Knight know the trailer they load is messed up smh. I also don't like how they load the trailers for us. It's like they don't give a damn. I want to refuse a lot of loads so bad but I just throw extra straps on and pray for the best...

Have you ever run into/spoken with Old School? Man, you sure should. Somehow, he's got the 'ins' with the flatbed side of Knight. He pulls Connies a lot, too.

No, I haven't met the legendary Old School yet. Still waiting for that day lol

Sheesh; please update! If you ARE in Ohio often enough, get a hold of me!

I'm always in Ohio Momma Anne. The dedicated route I'm on has me on 70 and 80 every week... email me....

Hope when you read this, your day has gotten better, man.

I wished I had but so far its a no lol

Today was/is a no drive go get the trailer fixed day. Momma Anne, Mon and Tues were fine but today "Wed " was a complete pause in driving. I had a backhaul from Milwaukee Mon to Portage, IN going to Lancaster Pa. 5 skidded coils. Started that Mon afternoon-ish and completed the run Wed morning. Could have got it there Tues but I overslept and didn't make it there before they closed at 1500. After that I went to Hydro in Cressona Pa for my next load.

Arrived at Cressona around 11 am. Dropped the empty trailer and came back around for my load. I was assigned a 3 stop run going to Alliance, OH and ending in Salem, OH. Easy enough, not too far and I've been to those places before. I go to get the paperwork and was told the load wasn't ready. They had no idea when it would be and was given an eta of around 1400hr. I let my DM know and he puts me on another load. This one is a 2 stop run to Sidney and Columbus OH. Haven't been to those places but still should be an easy run.

I get the paperwork for that load and see the gross weight is 48,388. This by far will be the heaviest load I have done. My heaviest gross weight was 73k and some change, for sure this will exceed that. So I drive inside looking for the preloaded trailer but can't find it. My guy there at Hydro, Big John, saw me double back around and stops me... Yo bud, he says. Your looking for trailer f50077. I say yes sir, I am. He tells me it's a Conestoga... Instantly my mood changes. I overlooked the Conestogas that were sitting outside because they usually have a "1" in the number, not double 0.

I always experience some type of issue with these Conestogas and I'm thinking the worse. Found the trailer and before hooking up I inspect it, it looks fine other than the inspection is up, the tires on the left side front axle are worn and I also notice the axles are closed. No biggie, I will stop at the terminal and get tires and slide the rear axles back before I leave. Looking at the weight of the load, I know it's over weight on my trailer so I can't leave them closed... I message my DM about the inspection and tires and get no response. So I proceed to push back the curtain and look at the load.

This is a new one for me. Never had a load with 3 spaced out sections on the bottom like this. Ironically I watched a YouTube video of a guy with a similar load the other day. So I strapped it up the same way. 2 straps on each of the bottom sections and I want 6 over the top. In the pic there are 5 over the top because I want a strap where the rear axle is. But I have to slide it back. This is where the problem occurs. I hook up to the trailer, let the air build up, unlock the pins, apply the trailer brakes and move forward.... The wheels don't stay locked and roll like the brakes aren't even applied. Ahh yes, of course it wouldn't be that simple. I try it again, same result. I message my DM and let him know whats going on. I call breakdown and they ask if I can drive it 9 miles to the nearest Loves. I secure the back and head to the Loves on I-78. On the way out of Hydro I get weighed and I'm 79,700 lbs. Wow!

Arrived at Loves at 1400 and the guy says the mechanic is out right now. He comes out to look at the trailer and I explain to him what the problem is. He takes a look and says the brakes are fine but I will need 5 tires for the trailer lol. All 4 on the front axle and 1 on the rear inside. Says they will change them when the mechanic comes back. So I go across the street to this mom and pop place because this Loves is super tiny. I wait and wait and wait. Finally get a call at 2000 hrs telling me to come on over. I get there, back into the door get out and the tech shows me a flat on one of my drives...

Big ass nail that I must have picked up from across the street. This is how my day went, or should I say is still going. It's now 2300 hr and I'm still here while they work on the drive tire. Starting to get the whole experience of trucking now with breakdowns, layovers and detentions. Gotta love it....

Good thread. Although I feel your frustrations as I read thru it. Traffic from Richmond to NYC sucks sucks and sucks some more. Oh did I say it sucks.

Thanks George, yes I agree, traffic sucks!!

Finally back to skateboarding... Did a whole week of van runs and am glad to be back to flatbed. Honestly this is a better look for Isabel lol.

Did a couple runs during the week that went smoothly. The first tarped load didn't look so nice and took longer than I wanted but the week turned out to be a good one. Haven't attempted a back yet with this new truck and a flatbed trailer. Haven't done a back in over two weeks with a flatbed trailer. A little concerned about that since I recently found a way to alley dock park a spread axle. Hopefully I didn't forget how and able to still get it in between two trucks....

On Friday I was assigned a 2 stop run going to Milwaukee for a 0700 delivery on Monday. I arrived here at 1600 hr, Sunday and was unaware they don't have overnight parking. Right now I'm parked outside the gate hoping noone bothers me. I really don't want to move. The closest truck stop is about 15 min away but I'd rather just stay here. If I had known they didn't have overnight parking I would have stopped at a truck stop for the night.

Driving on Saturday's and Sunday's are relaxing. Throughout the week I'm rushing to tarp, strap and get to the shipper/receiver. Weekend driving is peaceful for me. I have two drive days to get to where I need to be with no stress. Even the bumper to bumper traffic on I-94 passing Chicago, on a SUNDAY! afternoon smh, was care free...

Nice looking tractor. I have a hunch that it needs to be updated and reset, they are programmed to cut throttle going down hill and will keep it cut til 63 or 62 going back up hill, periodically they get out of whack and just not apply throttle for a while.

Davy, that is exactly what this truck is doing. Going down hill the engine brake comes on at 67 mph which is annoying. I enjoyed applying the engine brake myself with the old truck. It made me feel like I was in control, now I'm not. Did a trip to Indiana, driving the same roads as my other truck and going up hill this thing crawls. I'm doing 30-35 mph up the same hills my old truck did doing 45-50 mph up. Identical weight and roads.

Talked to a tech at the shop about adjusting the radar and overriding the cruise control braking 500 ft out with the pedal. He said the new trucks come like that and they can't do anything about it. I don't believe him, only because of what you said and another driver here said the same as you. So I will talk to the shop manager when I get back to see if it can be updated or reset. For now I'm just dealing with it and adjusting to the way it drives.

Isabel does have the pass smart feature with the double tap of the accelerator which is pretty cool. Realized it has a limited duration time and can only be used a few times per day.... Found that out the hard way trying to pass 4 trucks in a row and got stuck in the hammer lane oops lol.

How's everything going? How are you liking Dry Van? I know you are a lot cleaner now lol

Hope you kept that load lock/bar, haha! (We've got a cache, too!)

Lol I have no use for that load bar Momma Anne. I left it where it was.

Forgot to show pics of the new tractor...

This is Isabel. She doesn't look right hooked up to a Van lol

For some reason this truck feels like it's lacking in power. It looses speed on the slightest incline...

Finishing off the week. I ended up leaving the shipper in Ocala a little after 1700 Tuesday. My clock was shot but ended up making it to Savanah GA for the night. Arrived in Statesville Wednesday afternoon, made the drop and took an empty out this time... Now making my way to High point, NC. I was rushing to get on the road so I didn't do a thorough trip plan like I usually do, which was a mistake. I glanced at the route before leaving and it looked simple enough so I just drove, ended up getting turned around somehow, missed the exit and passed the place twice smh.

Finally found the place and it was a dirt lot with a little shack in front surrounded by trees. I checked in and had to drop the empty in another dirt lot down the street and come back for the loaded trailer. I look at the load assignment again and see it was suppose to be delivered yesterday. It's a live unload so I'm not sure if it needs to be rescheduled or not. I message my DM and after waiting 30mins with no response I call the consignee. They said it needs to be rescheduled if it was a live unload and do not unload after 1530. I then call my DM, no answer so I get rerouted to my TM. I tell him what's going on and he tells me to wait so they can figure it out. Seemed like an hr goes by and I get a message from my DM saying they changed it to a drop and hook. So off I go to Secaucus, NJ.

I'm tired and getting a little frustrated driving up to NJ. I realize I'm driving like a ass so I shut it down early near South Hill, VA to regroup and get an early start Thursday. Woke up Thursday and started my drive around 6am. I Immediately ran into traffic starting the day. The worst was in Richmond, it was a parking lot, the DC and Baltimore area was stop and go throughout and Delaware wasn't any better. I was stuck in traffic from Richmond, VA to Swedesboro, NJ. That's when I finally broke and shut it down. I feel like nothing was accomplished that day. I planned to make it to the consignee that day but traffic had other plans.

Friday morning I tell myself to chill out and get this delivered. I start my day at 6am. Get around Deptford, NJ and traffic again. It gets progressively worse the farther north into Jersey. A trip that should have taken nomore than 2hrs took about 3. Arrived there around 9 and it was a headache checking in. Dropped that load and went down the street to pick up an empty. Another headache, they wouldn't let me leave the place with an empty and it took 2hrs for my DM to send me to a place 10min away for an empty. While driving to get that empty my DM calls and asks if I can go retrieve a trailer that was dropped on the side of the road in Carteret, NJ. When we hang up he then sends me a load from Bridgeport, NJ to Lexington, KY. I pulled over and messaged him if he forgot that it was my hometime this weekend. He asks if I can pick it up and T call it at the yard.

Ok so now I drive down to south Jersey in heavy traffic to pick up the load. I get there around 1800 and as I'm pulling in I see a sign saying theybare open M-F, 7am to 1500.... At this point I just shake my head. The place is completely empty but I see a few Knight trailers in the bay doors. I disconnected from the empty I had and hook up to the trailer in the door. I pull it out a little hoping that they left the paper work and seal inside the trailer so u can take it. I look inside and the trailer is empty. All that's in there is a load bar lol. I send a txt to my DM cell phone asking him what should I do. Can I leave or do I have to wait till morning? He tells me to leave.

I'm upset that I came to a place that was closed and the trailer not being loaded. I expressed this through txt to my DM and told him we need to talk. I'm not happy with the lack of communication, my pay always being wrong and I feel like he is being deceitful. Before I assume he is that way and blatantly lying to me I think it is best to get a clear understanding on a few things.

This week was stressful, maybe due to me overreacting to some things but I am glad I'm home so I can relax and get my thoughts together....

Thanks Davy. I will remember that for the next time I do a Van run. I was never informed about the meaning of those different letters.

When I looked back at that load assignment it did have a "N" next to "Driver Load, Driver Unload" but I thought that meant no smh lol. For Flatbed, when there is a "N" next to "Driver Load, Driver Unload" it means no tarping required. A "Y" means the load needs to be tarped...

Made it to Brooksville, FL Monday afternoon and completed the drop at 13:20. There wasn't a specific appointment time, just had to deliver on Monday before 23:59. I gave myself a time of 13:00 and was satisfied I came close. The ride down was nice. A different scenery and surprisingly not a lot of traffic, as it was Memorial weekend... When I go to drop the trailer I do a horrible back. It was a very tight spot and it took me a long time to get it in. Managed to bump a trailer twice in the process. No damage or marks left but bumping a trailer is never good. Finally, after what seemed like an hour and multiple resets I get it in and leave.

I arrive at the terminal in Lakeland and was excited to get into my new truck. Honestly I just couldn't wait to get out of that crappy truck I drove down there. Moved all my stuff, again! and settled in my brand spanking new truck. When I was finally done moving I took a shower, ate and had a good night's sleep. Didn't get a chance to really look at the specs of the truck because after the drop and moving in I was tired. Also it was hot as Hades!!!

Woke up Tuesday morning and inspected the truck. It's super clean, as it should be and everything is the same as the 2019 International except this has a auto start/stop button and a sleeper auto climate function. I will have to read the manual to learn how they work. Other than that it's the same truck....

Then I received my load assignment. A live load in Ocala, FL going to Statesville, NC. And a preplan from High point, NC to Secaucus, NJ. That's two Van runs. Now I know they have to keep me working as they route me back up but I'm kinda done with this dry van stuff. I really don't feel comfortable pulling Vans. Also it's Tuesday and my home time is this weekend. The Ocala drop is scheduled for Wednesday and then I have to go deliver in North Jersey from NC. It's going to be close....

Now onto the day I had. When I left the consignee in Brooksville yesterday, I bobtailed to the terminal. Why? #1 I always bobtail back when I do Van runs, noone ever told me different and #2 I was going to switch trucks. So when I arrived at the shipper in Ocala the next day with no trailer for a live load..... yea, somewhat of a problem. The lady at the shipping office looked at me and asked where was my trailer? This is a live load and we don't store Knight trailers here... Unless you want it loaded on your 5th wheel lol. I found that funny and responded, will it fit? I have straps.

Now I'm a little annoyed because I was not told it would be a live load. I go back to the truck and call my DM, he doesn't answer as usual and I'm rerouted to my terminal manager. I tell him what was going on and I hear my DM in the background saying "He bobtailed? Why would he do that? Who told him to do that?" The terminal manager begins to ask me why I bobtailed but then stops himself and says he will find an empty for me. I'm glad he did because it really didn't matter at that point on why I did. I need an empty and explaining why I bobtailed wouldn't solve anything.

Half hr later my DM messages me on where to get a empty, back in Brooksville an hr away. So I drive an hr there, pick up a empty, drive a hr back and wait for 2hrs until I'm done getting loaded. That was fun.... Nowhere in the load assignment does it say it's a live load and my DM never called or messaged me on what empty I picked up. My preplan to NJ says driver may be expected to help unload so I'm pretty sure that is a live unload. Not looking forward to that at all....

The new truck is umm. I can say I'm not impressed. The adaptive cruise control makes it so I can't pass anyone. It reads out 500ft ahead and if a car or truck is going 60mph it reads it and drops me from 65 to 60 while I'm 500ft back. That is going to get real annoying. In order to pass someone going 60mph I would have to jump over to the left lane and creep by them starting at such a huge gap. Im not the type of driver to get into a snail race and shut down the whole left lane, so right now Im unable to pass anyone until I figure out a solution on not impeding the left or middle lanes. I can't over ride it with the pedal and keep my speed because when in cruise control, if I touch the pedal it automatically drops my speed from 65 to 63mph. I need to find a way around that quickly. But other than that it rides smooth and the steering is tight. Plus it has that new truck smell which is cool...