Profile For Delco Dave

Congratulations on your award!! I can get some pics of our gear to help with the tutorial.

I don’t pull doubles as often as I used to since I’ve taken over the flatbed run at my terminal. I do still run sets a few times a month to Amazon, Walmart and Target DC’s on the lighter flatbed days. We call the dolly’s gear, not sure who made our older ones, new ones are made by Hyundai. Older ones have the pet**** air valves, newer ones have the push button brake release.

I’ve noticed that the dolly’s are slightly different from company to company. For example, the UPS pups pintle hook looks to be lower on the trailer closer to the ICB bar where ours is right under the floor. Great idea to have a doubles thread to help new peeps understand the equipment and process

Yes, more info would help like why they can’t return. Breakdown, weather, delayed at shipper/receiver. If the reason is out of their control, yes, they should be compensated.

I work for ABF, we are paid hourly as well. If we break down or can’t drive due to bad weather, we are put up in a hotel and are paid the entire time until we return and clock out at our home terminal. It would be rare to never that the city drivers would have this happen but our terminal line-haul guys could get stuck at the DC in Carlisle where this policy would go into effect.

Here are a few of my recent stops. The circles are smaller then they look on the satellite view

My biggest stresser is navigating tight neighborhoods and unforeseen problems getting out of said neighborhoods. I run local flatbed, 99% of my deliveries and pickups are residential houses and apartment complexes. I pull around a 43 footer all day and have to travel on roads a tractor trailer doesn’t belong on just about every stop. Even though I trip plan very carefully, you never really know what your getting into until your there.

That gives line haul a whole new definition!!!

A few guys I work with used to work for New Penn, who is now owned by YRC/Yellow. They’ve been talking to some of the guys who stayed after the buy out. They are delivering only, no pickups. Trying to clear the dock and call trailers of all freight. Complete shutdown looks imminent.

I’m guessing some Yellow guys will end up at ABF at some point since they’re Teamsters as well. The Union will probably push to have them be hired before new members. The rest will retire or be scattered among the other no union ltl outfits.

That blows my mind. Your ELD doesn't track that?

No, our city driver app only gives you total milage at the end of the manifest and only if you have a stop outside PA. If all miles are in PA, you have to tally your miles on the paper manifest. If I have only PA and MD stops, thats all it will ask for. I’ll have to keep track and add the DE miles I traveled to get to and from MD

I do 4 states quite often with my flatbed deliveries/pickups. I can roll through PA, NJ, DE & MD in one run due to our terminal location and service area.

We have to enter each states milage to close our manifest upon return to terminal, have to really pay attention to odometer on those days and make a mental note of mileage at each line crossing then write it down at next stop.

The Yellow/YRC situation has been addressed quite often at our Union meetings. They are in a real bad spot again. The teamsters have loaned them 100’s of million’s over the years to keep them afloat, no more help is coming from the union. The feds have bailed them out a couple times as well.

They have been hurting other Teamster workers and retirees for a long time by failing to pay the full amount due into the health and welfare as well as the pension. Apparently they have contributed less then a quarter since their 1st bailout.

I know my and other ABF terminals are gearing up for a large increase in freight with Yellow most likely going under and UPS strike looming. We are crazy busy as is, yard is full of trailers awaiting appointment and every city trailer including my flatbed is going out and returning full everyday. I don’t know how we’re going to handle more freight

Thats a tough one! There have been so many over the years.

Doubt this is who they are looking for but… My vote is for Tim Allen. Home Improvement and Last Man Standing. Love those shows, still watch em.