Comments By Eric G.

In my very limited experience only some of the customers actually check your reefer temp when you arrive.

Unless the product is leaking, or grossly not held near the temp, then I think your fine.

Again I have very limited experience, and have never had an issue with my temps... knock on wood.

I did have an issue with a load before I ever left the shipper once. I was told the temp on the digital screen is not always the temp if the product in the box. Fir example this load I picked up was supposed to be 20 degrees I think a meat load. The trailer ran out of fuel before I could pick it up. It then had issues getting started once they added fuel. It say fir about 5-6 hours before it got trans loaded to another trailer. (Maybe longer, I’ve tried to forget this load) the digital screen read it was in the 50s, but when checked the product was still frozen solid. Has to do something with all that product at one temp, even if the box starts to heat up it would take a lot of time or a really high heat to change the products temp real quick.

At Prime we get a temp for the load on each assignment. Once we get the bills we check the temp on that. During our load call and Qualcomm message we indicate the temp on the bills. Usually the temp will be updated in our system to match the bills.

My trainer always told me to keep it set to what Prime tells us, until you get a message about it changing.

My opinion, always go by the bills. The sales person or dispatcher, may not be aware of any changes in the transportation of what your hauling. The company loading the product knows how to keep it fresh fir the transportation.

The drivers unidentified company.... lol. I think it's right there on the side of the trailer.

I believe Prim does 54 cents per mile teaming and the team decides the split. They do miles as a team. If not specified I think prime splits it 50/50.

Fir example as a team we run 6800 miles in one week. Tat would be 6800 mikes at 27 cents a mile per person plus any bonuses.

Not really sure if this is the way it's done, or if it equals more money.

I'll admit I only read some of the posts on this thread so if I repeat anything, sorry.

My two cents is you would have been fine either way you did it. In my experience the truck stops start opening spots around 2/3 am. Those drivers who like to be fine by dinner time.

However getting in early and out early is always a good move. So in this situation I see no wrong way to go here.

Same goes fir Georgia and the Carolinas. Supplies are already running out.

I've been thinking once my year is up doing the same thing. I think if I was in my 20s or married I would not mind the OTR lifestyle so much. But trying to do this and still meet someone seem to be like oils and vinegar. They just don't mix.

The safe haven rule was told to me by Prime dispatch. Sorry fir passing on wrong info, I thought it was right.

If it's to get to a safe place there is an amendment to the law called the Safe Haven law or something like that. The DOT allows drivers out of time, to get to a safe place to park. Primes log department will cover that with you.

If your trying to make a stop, your fm should be going over time management with you.

If you are stopped in the next 7-8 days it will show up on your logs. If your log department isn't aware then it appears as if you just ran over hours. If they are aware they can put a note on it firvthe DOT to see when they get a copy.

We all have these from time to time. So yesterday I got a load assignment to reposed a load from the SLC terminal and my preload plan for after that load.

I left at 11:30 last night to make my 0030 appt time today. 7 hours later I'm getting the bills, and took my time to get the 8/2 split so I could run some more today.

With 4 hours left in my pick up window, I rush to get a washout and learn that my next load is ready but the trailer is out of fuel so I need to hurry and get there to take it to the nearest fuel spot.

I arrive to find out another Prime driver has picked it up to take it to get fuel. He is leaving as I am arriving. They actually don't let him leave since the product has no fuel to run the reefer, so they fuel him up in the spot.

He drops the trainer I hook up, but they need to inspect the load first to make sure it's still ok to send out. (Meat load) everything is good the reefer starts right up after its pre trip is done.

In my way out reefer is off. It wasn't far from being in temp so I thought nothing of it. Even when I checked the temp it didn't register with me it should be running. Pre trip passed no issues.

So security can't let me leave the reefer won't turn in and the product is over temp. So I pull back on lot and talk with RA and dispatch. Let everyone know what's going on. With RAs help I spend 2 hours trying to prime the fuel pump, or lines I'm not sure maybe both. No go, the reefer cranks but doesn't turn over.

RA gets a mechanic out here he drains some of the fuel out, puts his own desire in the unit starts up but cuts out after about 2 minutes. We notice it's out of coolant. We top that off, but the unit won't start up and run smoothly or stay running.

So short story is it's been a 17 hour day so far I have driven 80-85 miles, and I'm now awaiting fir the load to be transponder and fir the office to print new bills in a holiday. Looks like I'm not going anywhere for a while.