Comments By Cincybeerhawk

Tonight I’m typing from the corner booth (literally) in the Subway at the Pilot in Bath, New York. We left yesterday (Sunday) with a load from Deceuninck (yes, I spelled it correctly, Mother!) near Monroe, Ohio and drove it to Clifton Park (near Schenectady, New York) after a stop just east of the Pennsylvania/New York border. Between yesterday and today we’ve logged over 1000 miles and I drove 80% of it.

Greg: I’m super embarrassed that I mis-identified the bridge where the truck crash occurred. I pride myself in my knowledge of the geography and roads of Greater Cincinnati and I absolutely got that wrong on many levels. Thanks for the fix. You are correct about the Lowe’s DC and Home Run’s involvement there. I do not know the boundaries of our involvement as it relates how far west, north, south, and east we drive from them, but I know we go at least as far as Indy to the west and Erie, Pa. on the east. I believe we to as far as Elizabethtown, Kentucky to the south. I have been told that we are attempting to earn a position with Menard’s when their new DC in Washington Courthouse is completed. Time will tell.

Rob D.: Thank you for the words of encouragement. My frustration stems not from a lack of patience as I have a tremendous level of that, rather it is rooted in the method and style of the training I have received. It is way too easy to find folks posting on here about the level, scope, type, and direction of the guidance they have received from various companies, and I will not take this diary in that direction. I know that what you typed about the learning curve and being overwhelmed is true. I do not lack for self confidence and I relish the opportunity to ‘work the problem’ once I am released and on my own.

Tomorrow morning we head to Angelica for a load of treated lumber which we will move to Hamilton, Ohio. The weather forecast is calling for a little bit of show, and I’m looking forward to this new challenge.

Today we/I experienced an inspection (Level 3) courtesy of the New York State Troopers. For those unfamiliar with truck inspections in the Empire State, they are a bit different than in Ohio as NY does not have the traditional ‘weigh station’, rather they utilized rest areas. Every truck is required to pull in, regardless of a company’s CSA score. Some are waved on, some are inspected (Class 1 or Class 3, I guess). My trainer believed that we were selected because I missed a shift and ground the gears when downshifting upon our entry to the site. I made sure to ask the trooper why we were selected and specifically asked if my missed shift was the reason. I was advised that our participation (sic) was entirely random. I was quite glad to hear this as the last thing I wanted was word getting around HR as to the reason for the inspection. The inspection was clean; no violations. I really didn’t care that we were inspected as we had plenty of time on our clock, but I did not want unfounded rumors circulating back at the Mother Ship (capitalization intentional).

I, like most other FNGs (flippin’ new guys/gals) am still mastering the art of backing as it relates to parking at the truck stops. As long as I can get the truck and the trailer straight, I’ll grade out at a solid ‘C’. I do a lot better when I can work through the challenge on my own as opposed to having someone attempt to coach me. Yes; I use many, many GOALs (‘get out and looks’ for those not in the industry) and I really don’t care if I hold others up. I don’t work for them, and they would not have to answer to Leadership if I hit something. Patience is the key. I’ll pull up as many times as I need to in order to complete the operation.

I think I’m tired. We parked at about 7:15 tonight and we’ll want to get a decent start tomorrow in order to drive to the shipper, secure the wood, then make the 6.5 hour drive back to southwestern Ohio.

More later, perhaps tomorrow night.

Thank you again Greg and Rob for your insights.

CBH

This will be a relatively brief (for me) summation of Week 4 of my training with Home Run, Inc. This installment did not go at all as I wanted it to. I will not go into great detail as I am not one to use a social media platform as a means to rant or to air grievances.

I did not drive as much as I wanted/needed to (207 miles) for the week, however I did learn some new stuff (all by watching) as we travelled all over (literally) our great state as we were once again in Strausburg followed by a stop in Milan to pick up shingles, then down to suburban Cincinnati, then across the river into Kentucky for drywall in Silver Grove (no, I had nothing to do with the crash which has closed the Clay Wade Bailey (sp) Bridge), up to Defiance, then to Holiday City for a load from the Menard’s DC which we drove across the state to Athens, then back to Washington Courthouse for a Lowe’s load which was moved to Erie, Pa. and then home.

I will be leaving tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. to meet my trainer for a second (and hopefully final) week with him and the conclusion of my training. We’ll be moving long vinyl sheets from Monroe to upstate New York and then pick up lumber on our backhaul.

I am looking forward to the conclusion of my training and will work very hard this week to earn an assignment to a truck. I am trying very hard to maintain a positive attitude. I may (or may not) have the time to post during the week, but I’ll certainly have a detailed entry at the conclusion of this week.

Thanks for reading.

Cincybeerhawk

I’m spending most of today (between watching updates on the election results) researching threads concerning the Qualcomm (sic) and all that goes into it. Between my two trainers I’ve received different sets of information (both ‘downloads’ pretty much correct from what I can tell) but not identical. I’m working to sort it all out and the past posts her on TT by many, many members, rookies and vets alike, are proving very helpful.

At the risk of stating what many already know, I’ll share what I (think I’ve) learned and then read with great interest any responses and comments. During my first three weeks of training I was very diligent as I updated my current status to a new status whenever I changed my activities. Since I’m a skateboarder (sic), the time securing and tarping loads is always shown as ‘on duty’, driving is obviously ‘driving’, and sleeping was either ‘off duty’ or ‘sleeper birth’. I believe we (flatbedders) may log more time as ‘on duty’ (working but not driving) since the securement and tapping process can take a bit of time based upon the contents of the load. I’m certainly not trying to pick a fight with those who must wait to be loaded or unloaded at their various stops, so I’ll apologize if I offended anyone with that last statement. So far, so good, I think...

Home Run has several different tabs within the Qualcomm system which show the truck and driver’s status (I’m betting most companies have similar/identical conditions): (a) arrive shipper, (b) depart shipper, (c) arrive consignee, and (d) empty call. There is various data that we enter into the fields within each tab — load, reference number, tractor number, trailer number, bill of lading number, etc. I’m very structured and have developed my own ‘paper’ system using 3X5 file cards (a practice suggested to me by my parents during the early educational period in my life) to record this information from the various documents and messages we receive during the course of a week. Each card is dated and formatted so I can quickly find the information I needed.

Here’s the (kinda) scary logistical ‘stuff’ I learned Wednesday and Thursday: I was introduced to the ‘Load’ tab on the Qualcomm under the (I think) Hours of Service tab. I NEVER KNEW THAT EXISTED (emphasis intentional) until Gary showed that to me on Wednesday afternoon. I get it; this is very important legally, but I never knew it was there. I guess I thought the data for the LOAD tab was simply transferred to those cells when I input it via ‘arrive shipper’, ‘depart shipper’ and the other designations. I did not know that a separate entry was required in order for me to be in compliance!

When (if?) any veterans read this and are able to control their laughter at yet another rookie mistake made by this FNG I’ll gladly read and learn from your responses. Until then I’m think I’m gonna head east to Two Walnuts, get a good night’s sleep and climb up in a tree and see if any deer wander by in the morning....

Tonight’s entry is being created while in the cab of a 2020 International LT at a TA truck stop near Hebron, Ohio. How I got here is a story unto itself (I hope I don’t run out of space in its telling).

I awoke a little before 9 this morning after a full night of watching election returns (I signed off shortly after 2:30 a.m.) to find a text message on my phone from Kyle Ritchie, the recruiter for Home Run. I was notified that I had been reassigned to Gary Ellis, another trainer, while Keith was quarantining/isolating due to a positive test for Covid 19. I immediately called Gary and after a brief ‘who/what/when/where/why’ concerning our respective lives (guys can do that, it’s in our DNA) I was directed to meet him at the Mother Ship/yard at noon.

I did not worry at all about packing as I had handled that Sunday afternoon. All I needed to do was throw my duffle bag in the truck and grab a little bit of food, take a shower and shave and head north to Xenia. I arrived right on time and Gary soon pulled up.

After grabbing the remainder of my gear from Truck #607 and stowing my stuff in the rear of Gary’s rig we were off to deliver a load of lumber to Piqua and then to Monroe to pick up a load from Decevninck, a manufacturer of plastic articles used in the production of windows. The sheets of plastic will be delivered tomorrow morning to Strausburg (sp). I have made this trip before as it was the first run during my training with Keith.

I look forward to my time with Gary as he has 20 years in the industry and has already shared a lot of new tricks to the trade. I’m learning how to ‘short strap’ when securing loads to our flatbed and my knowledge of the Qualcomm has been expanded.

More to come tomorrow night when we return to Greene county and I travel back to the 513. It’s about time for lights out. Our ‘clock’ becomes active at 7:00 a.m. and we want to be on the road shortly afterwards

Good news as I received an email advising that I’m Covid negative. I notified Corporate and quickly received a response that I’ll be getting a call on Wednesday (tomorrow) informing me as to my new trainer since Keith is on the bench for a couple of weeks.

More to come. For now I’ll stay on my couch and continue to watch election results...

Good, no, great advice from all of you. Thanks!

Rob: Yes, fortunately my wife and I are capable of handling a couple of weeks without my training pay and the idea of tugging on the apron strings (metaphorically, of course) of Mother in Xenia is not the type of impression I want to make so soon into my employment with Home Run.

Kearsey: My choice of words (get what’s mine) was inappropriate, you are correct. I should have phrased it better and a bit softer, I agree. I will use your suggestion if circumstances proceed to that point.

I am attaching (I hope) a link regarding payment for work missed due to quarantining due to Covid 19 issues. I am not currently ill, but was notified by my trainer that he had tested positive (‘Rapid Test’ I believe) on Friday after we returned to ‘The Mother Ship’. I took a test on Saturday and am now waiting for the results (2 - 5 business days). I have been directed by the recruiter/de facto HR Manager, via text message, to stay home until I have the results and to then advise Management.

I don’t want to rock the boat as I am a trainee, but I do want what is mine based upon the government’s rulings. Can somebody, anybody, advise me as to whether we as truckers are eligible for the benefits set forth in this link? I’ll hang up and read any/all responses and act accordingly.

Thank you

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-employee-paid-leave

Cincybeerhawk

I may have just walked by the truck that picked up your load that you'd left in Xenia. It's a Home Run truck with tarps that like could very well be drywall. I'm at the Loves in Lodi, Ohio.

I hope not. If the driver went through Lodi on the way to Perrysburg he/she went way out of the way since the destination is over by Toledo and Lodi is in Medina County.

Covid! My trainer sent me a text Friday evening that he tested positive for Covid. He has no idea where or how he contracted it. Upon receiving this notification, I immediately scheduled myself for a test at a nearby drive-through pharmacy where the results will be made available to me within a couple of days. I have texted and phoned Corporate and am awaiting directions on how to behave (professionally, that is) concerning this unwanted and unexpected roadblock/detour in my training.

Selfishly, I am looking at this from a personal viewpoint as this could push back my the completion of my training as much as two weeks and delay my assignment to a tractor until mid-November. All sorts of other things will be impacted, too: training pay, ‘stay on’ bonuses, and credit toward days worked until I am eligible for insurance are tops on my list.

Professionally, Home Run will need to implement a plan in order to get our load of drywall from Xenia to Perrysburg, Ohio in time to meet our 11:00 a.m. Monday appointment.

As ‘things’ settle into place I will update this diary.

It’s Sunday around noon at the end of Week Three/beginning of Week Four during my training cycle with Home Run, Inc., and I’m constructing this entry from the living room of your home in the 513. The morning is full of sun, but windy. This is a welcome change (the sun, that is) from the nearly non-stop rain we encountered last week.

Wednesday I had my first experience with hauling drywall when we moved a load from the manufacturing plant operated by Continental in Silver Grove, Kentucky (my brethren w/TMC are probably well acquainted with this setting as over 90% of the loads coming out of there do so behind their black tractors) to a Lowe’s store slightly north of Lima, Ohio. Pulling the wall board wasn’t a lot different than pulling a ‘Heinz 57’ shipment from a Lowe’s distribution center with the exception that all of the product must be tarped for protection from the elements and edge protectors are mandatory. The climb up the steep hill from Silver Grove to US 27 near Northern Kentucky University allowed me to practice my downshifting. At times our speed was down to 35 mph on a road set for 50. Yes, I had my four-way flashers activated for safety. I did not stall the truck and succeeded in completing the ascent without grinding the gears or lugging the engine, so I counted this as a victory.

We spent the night in yet another Lowe’s parking lot because we had an 8:00 a.m. appointment on Thursday. Shortly after our 11:00 p.m. arrival Wednesday night, rain began again and it was falling straight down when we awoke in the morning. The manager at Lowe’s was reluctant to accept our shipment during the precipitation so we skillfully employed our dispatcher to accelerate the process (Teddy Roosevelt once said, “walk softly and carry a big stick”, so we escalated the situation to our people back at the Mother Ship ). Finally, around 11, with rain still falling, we received word that we were to be unloaded as our drywall had been specifically ordered for a project and was needed by the customer no later than Friday morning when the store opened. This was the fastest unload I’ve ever been a part of as both Keith and I, as well as five Lowe’s associates, hustled the drywall off our truck to a relatively dry location in front of the store.

After completing our ‘Empty Call’ we were off to Bluffton to visit another quarry where we picked up 14 skids of rock for a landscaper in Beavercreek, a suburb of Dayton. I enjoyed the trip into the quarry here almost as much as our drive into Reed’s in Bloomington on Monday. I quickly learned that there is nothing to fear about entering a quarry as long as I drove slowly and used the fundamentals I learned in school. There is very little chance of getting stuck, because (a) we were not the first semi to ever enter the area, therefore the roadways had the proper turning radius and (b) the paths were developed to support the 80,000 of a semi. We headed south down I75, then east on US 35 to our exit and again were unloaded in a downpour.

Next, we were off to the Lowe’s DC in Washington Courthouse for a load bound for Lawrenceburg, Indiana and a 4:00 a.m. (!!!) appointment on Friday. The process at Lowe’s is becoming second nature to me as I develop ‘muscle memory’ as it relates to the process at this location. We announced our presence, dropped our tarps and bungee cords, parked our empty trailer (I’m getting better), located and connected to our full trailer, secured the product and fastened down the tarp, then drove and parked with about 10 minutes remaining on our clock.

I’ve developed a system for handling the Lowe’s loads. I work from the front of the trailer to the back: I use the Qualcomm for the ‘arrive shipper’ notification before I exit the cab. Next, I connect the electrical line, followed by the two airlines from the tractor to the trailer. Third, I completely raise the landing gear (after ensuring that we don’t have any ‘gap’ between the apron of the trailer and the fifth wheel of the tractor). We throw the existing straps from the trailer over the untarped (is that even a word?) portion of the load and add any two-inch straps we believe are necessary. Once that portion of the load is properly cinched down we work on the front portion of the load (this product is usually covered with Home Run tarps by the loaders from Lowe’s). Often we throw additional straps over the red tarps before we use many, many bungee cords to secure it to the trailer. Our final check is a ‘tug test’ (trailer brake on, tractor brake off) in first gear before we move from our parking spot. Our last action is a stop at the guard check in order to receive our bill of lading for the upcoming stop. Finally, I use the Qualcomm for a ‘Depart Shipper’ notification and we’re off!

After the 4:00 a.m. (we were up at 3 to unstrap and untarp) appointment, we went back to sleep for a couple of hours before meeting a football officiating friend of mine for breakfast at the Waffle House near the entrance to I275. Then it was off to a Continental for another shipment of drywall. Unfortunately, the original load assigned to us was not scheduled to be ready until 4:00 p.m., therefore we contacted our dispatcher and were switched to a trailer already prepared for shipment. After securing the tarps, we drove up the hill to Highland Heights, then back into Ohio (skirting the edge of downtown Cincinnati) and back to Xenia where the load sits.