Too Much Time On Load

Is it common to get loads with too much time on them?? The last few loads me & my trainer have gotten have like 3-5 days to be delivered but are only 8-12 hours away. He always gets them T called so we are not just sitting & waiting for day because I'm quite ready to get off his truck😂😂. But what's up with that???

Is it common to get loads with too much time on them?? The last few loads me & my trainer have gotten have like 3-5 days to be delivered but are only 8-12 hours away. He always gets them T called so we are not just sitting & waiting for day because I'm quite ready to get off his truck😂😂. But what's up with that???

It happens. When you are first starting out you will see more loads like this because the company wants to make sure you are able to manage your HOS properly and get the load there on time. They want to give you plenty of time to work with when you are just starting out. You are also at the bottom of the totem pole and have to prove to your company that you can handle anything that is given to you. You are not going to get the best loads at first.

The best thing to do in this situation is to make your company aware of your ETA to the receiver. They can see about moving the delivery time up or getting the load T-called which you have already experienced. You can also call the receiver yourself and make them aware of your early delivery time to see if they will accept you. Anything you can do to keep the wheels rolling and making that money!

Is it common to get loads with too much time on them?? The last few loads me & my trainer have gotten have like 3-5 days to be delivered but are only 8-12 hours away. He always gets them T called so we are not just sitting & waiting for day because I'm quite ready to get off his truck😂😂. But what's up with that???

It happens. When you are first starting out you will see more loads like this because the company wants to make sure you are able to manage your HOS properly and get the load there on time. They want to give you plenty of time to work with when you are just starting out. You are also at the bottom of the totem pole and have to prove to your company that you can handle anything that is given to you. You are not going to get the best loads at first.

The best thing to do in this situation is to make your company aware of your ETA to the receiver. They can see about moving the delivery time up or getting the load T-called which you have already experienced. You can also call the receiver yourself and make them aware of your early delivery time to see if they will accept you. Anything you can do to keep the wheels rolling and making that money!

Thanks a lot man!

Before you t call it, call the receiver and see if they will take it early. Some will, some won't but it never hurts to check.

If you have a delivery to a distribution center that is simply a trailer drop, you often can just take it in.

The flip side is then your next pick up is that many days ahead.

I was in a similar situation in my beginning time solo at Swift. I started sending in Macro 22 "Running Late" only my new ETAs were early. I think my DM liked that and got the message.

As long as you're on your trainers truck there's nothing to worry about. You can't change it. When you get solo, then you build that relationship with your dm. In my 6 months solo, this load I have now is the first one that has had too much time. In my case I'll get a 34 reset out of it and be ready to sprint west for home time so I don't mind. I was told by a dm that they would rather NOT have drivers call customers. The reasoning is that if every driver called it might irritate the customer. It kinda makes sense so I'm careful about who I try to contact.

For the uninitiated, what is "T call?" I think this would be something good to be explained for our potential truckload / OTR readers, plus I'm curious too.

For the uninitiated, what is "T call?" I think this would be something good to be explained for our potential truckload / OTR readers, plus I'm curious too.

Terminal call. A load scheduled to be routed through a company terminal or drop yard. Rather than have a driver sit under a load not moving the planner will schedule a t-call. Driver A picks it up and takes it to the terminal. He gets paid for his mileage, etc. Driver B is assigned to pick up at the terminal and deliver to the customer on time. He gets paid for his mileage etc.

T-call is where you drop your trailer at a designated location and another driver will pick it up and take it to it's destination on a time frame that fits better with the delivery appointment, thereby keeping both drivers moving in a more efficient manner. I think the "T" comes from the word terminal. Oftentimes you will drop the trailer at a terminal or yard that is near the destination or at least in your route to the destination.

Thank you gentlemen.