Frustrated But Happy Too.
Topic 14458 | Page 1
How many miles was the pre-plan back to NJ? Just curious to know how long the trips are that you are getting.
Empty and loaded (I get paid for all miles) it was 1968. Not happy to see that many miles go but I'll happily do several shorter runs for awhile.
I've been averaging about 1200 miles on these runs. Downside? I'm completely exhausted. A little less running my tail off for a little while will be fine. I've been running on recaps for over a week. My last load had a 34 built in but I didn't realize it until I had already moved and screwed it up.
Thanks for the info and all your posts. I know you're probably beat, but you still find the time to provide us insight into "the life of a rookie," you're doing awesome!
Coast to Coast Chickie Monster! The PA TP in good weather, west of Downingtown Rt 100 is definitely a great stretch of Interstate. The bridge over the Susquehanna River is still one of my favorite sights while I am driving between Philly area and Harrisburg. There is basically at least one Walmart close to every exit so I am frequently using 76 to quickly hop from store to store. West Shore is as far as I go unless shuttling to the DC in Bedford.
What town in Joysee are they sending you to?
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Where in Oklahoma are you? I was born and raised in Oklahoma.
The Penna Turnpike is my office. I'm fortunate enough as a linehaul driver to have a scheduled run over 500 miles per day that exclusively uses the PA turnpike, save for a bit of time spent on I-70. I get to take in that beautiful scenery every day, and like you, have all but convinced my wife that we need to retire in the Pennsylvania wilds, or at least have a cabin. I know every nook and cranny of I-76.
Traffic is all but zilch, unless you're driving during a holiday.
The PA turnpike is also a great road during the winter time. They really do a good job of maintaining it and keeping it clear. Much better than the surrounding interstates of I-81, I-70, or I-68.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
I hate the turnpike with a passion. It's way too expensive and you can't maintain a consistent speed. I much prefer i80 and I'll let you guys have the turnpike lol. The scenery is nice but again so is the scenery on 80 plus there's more places to stop on 80
All my tolls are paid by TransAm so I never worry about that part.
We delivered early this morning and I got my next load. Dispatch really came through for me!! We are dead heading to Dodge City to pick up a load heading to Monroe GA! And it's still 1500 miles which is great.
See, it pays to take the crazy loads! And it never hurts to ask for a break after taking them...
ChickieMonster I just got my beta test gps too and I love it! I really hope they give us some sort of discount on it when it comes out.
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We finally got out of New Jersey!! Yay!
And the PA turnpike was INCREDIBLE. I decided that's where we should build our cabin down the line....
We are in Oklahoma now about 2 hours from tomorrow's delivery. It's a drop and hook at the same place where Teddy broke down. So I know the routine and it's pretty simple. And there is a Walmart on the way where we can get some groceries which is a very good thing!
I sent in for my pre plan and guess where it was sending me? Right back to NJ!! Ugh! So I asked really nicely for dispatch to throw me a bone as I have been running back and forth to New England for the last three weeks. My DM got back to me and said she didn't have anything with that many miles but she could send me somewhere else if I wanted to. I messaged back and said I have NO problems running shorter loads if that's what's available. Which I don't.
I think what worked for me is that i accepted that crazy load with NYC in the middle without complaints plus dealt with all the drama that went with it, again with no complaints. I also made my begging into a bit of a joke, saying that I would like to cross some new states off my list.
Just waiting to hear back from dispatch to see where our next adventure is going!
Also, I got an email saying that they shipped my beta-test GPS! So it will be waiting when I get home around the 1st. And by the time the beta-test is over, I will have saved up enough money to buy that Rand McNally I want!
I'm getting better and better at knowing when to ignore my GPS in my Treq unit. "Bob" wanted me to take I-244 Crosstown Expressway across Tulsa. I know from the last time we were here that it was a crazy, twisty highway with a ton of traffic. So I followed the other trucks and took I-44 straight across Tulsa, and it was so much easier! Plus I probably able to save at least 10 minutes because I was able to do closer to the speed limit...
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated