Example Of A Really Annoying Week.

Here's an example of a pretty annoying few days, just to offer an example of the sort of thing that might happen on the road.

01/08/17 Made delivery to Wal-Mart DC in Ochelata. Typical Wal-Mart rural area DC, no legal parking within miles.

Managed to barely squeak in legally the morning after I arrived. The load wasn't preplanned. If it had been preplanned, I would have had zero issues being timely without needing to bust my ass. Having to start flat-footed when the Qualcomm message came in cost me at least 30 minutes, closer to an hour.

01/08/17 After sitting at DC for a couple hours, trying to get a load, I was chased out. I drove to Tulsa, to where there was a QuickTrip next to a truck wash.

The truck wash was quite possibly the slowest truck wash in the known universe. Two trucks in front of me took nearly two hours to be washed. My trailer washout took 20 minutes. And when I looked inside, it wasn't really a good job, though it was good enough.

While I was waiting in line at the world's slowest truck wash, and waiting for a load, I threatened my DM with bad poetry if I didn't get a load or at least deadhead instructions before I was done with the trailer washout.

I started composing Trucking Limerick #5, and finished it and sent it right as I rolled into the shed.

When I came out of the shed, I had deadhead instructions for Garden City, KS, so I stopped at the QT, got food and drinks, and rolled.

More wasted miles here. Tulsa is on the wrong side of Ochelata from Garden City.

A couple hours later, while I was en route to Garden City, I got a load assignment at 1255 PM.

I pulled into a Phillips 66 truck stop and accepted the load, and stared critical paperwork (for me - my load bible) and qualcomm entries (for the company.) I also took a few minutes to answer the call of nature.

After 20 minutes later I was rolling again, redirected from Garden City to Dodge City, National Beef.

The load was... a problem. I never refuse loads, but I made certain that my DM and the meat department were aware of the issues the load had.

Firstly, the load was supposed to have been rolling four hours before I was assigned to it, and it took me nearly six hours to arrive, drop my trailer, find the loaded trailer, and go to the Loves across the street and scale, answer the call of nature, and et some chicken tenders, which are one of few things I will eat when rolling.

So, I stared the load rolling slightly more than 10 hours after the load deadline when it should have been rolling. Worse, I only had 3.75 hours drive time on my clock.

I burned those drive hours, but only managed about 190 miles, because of how the truck stops were spaced on I-70.

When I stopped, I did the math.

The first drop of four drops was Schodak Landing, NY. Then I had two drops in the Bronx, and finally a last drop in Somerset, NJ

On 01/08 I shut down with 1519 miles to roll to first stop.

On the second day, the 9th, I would have around 900 miles to roll. On the third day, the tenth, I would have around 250 left.

That meant I would start on 01/11 @ around 0630 with 250 miles to drive, and three deliveries to make. The first stop wouldn't happen much before noon (cautious estimate) and the two Bronx deliveries would be SCARY. Rush hour NYC Bronx traffic entering the city.

I advised my DM and meat planner about y best cautious timetable. Appointment times had not yet been set.

On the morning of the 10th, the delivery appointments were pushed back a day, and set sanely. Schodack Landing on 01/12 @ 0700, and the two Bronx deliveries at 1200 and 1500. A bit tight but not terrible. The last Bronx stop has onsite parking.

All's good with the world now. I drive, knowing I'm no loner saddled with an ugly schedule.

Then I get repowered....

A guy doesn't have enough hours to finish a load going to Vineland NJ, then to Schenectady, NY.

Again, I do not turn down loads, and the miles weren't bad, and hey, I get to avoid two deliveries in the Bronx!

I take the load, run it, and make both deliveries on time, but I have to do an 2-8 split to make the second delivery on time.

At my final, at 0900 I am trying to score a deadhead or a short load, to use 11 hours on my clock before I shut down for a 34. I have 6.5 hours on my 11 and 8 on my 14. I have this much time because my 2-8 split from the other night rolled into a 2-8-2 double-split, giving me an extra hour back. that I had driven between my first 2 and my 8 of the night before.

Guess what. They want me to grab a repower from Schodack Landing. I advise that I have 6.5 hours on my clock, and ask where the load is going.

"Oh, two drops in the Bronx, then one in Somerset, NJ."

... ... ...

"Wasn't the driver I repowered to supposed to do a 34 and finish that load?" "Yes, but he's new, and screwed up his 34 with drive time. He couldn't recap enough time to finish the load."

((This is code for "The driver intentionally borked his 34 so he wouldn't be able to go into NYC."))

So, I rescued the first load, that had been abandoned by a driver that probably mysteriously got sick after seeing he was routed to NYC, picking it up late, and making sure the team knew exactly what the status of the trip was, so it could be fixed.

THEN I rescued a second load from a driver who ran out of hours, so he could do a 34 and finish my load on time.

THEN I bust my ass and get both Bronx deliveries to the receivers, rescuing the first load, a SECOND TIME.

I am currently overnighting at my second Bronx delivery, and will be rolling out of NCY to my Somerset final tomorrow in the very early AM.

I am currently overnighting at my second Bronx delivery, and will be rolling out of NCY to my Somerset final tomorrow in the very early AM.

Hopefully they will send you alllll the way to like cali or something to get as far away from that mess as possible lol.

I am currently overnighting at my second Bronx delivery, and will be rolling out of NCY to my Somerset final tomorrow in the very early AM.

Hopefully they will send you alllll the way to like cali or something to get as far away from that mess as possible lol.

Indeed.

Oh. Crap. I forgot to reject the preplan they sent to me earlier today. I get one hour back tonight (starting tomorrow day with 7 hours or so), five the next day, and six the day after - even if I wanted to I couldn't finish the load. Thank you for making me think about preplans.

Here I am rejecting a load after saying I don't reject loads. I should clarify. I don't reject loads that I am asked by phone to take when the DM or planner understands my current situation. I never reject a plan or preplan that I can finish. Preplans that I can't do, I will reject unless I'm told by someone on the phone that they really need me to take it and go as far as I can with it.

Dude rock on. I bet that must have sucked but I bet your FM loves you!

((This is code for "The driver intentionally borked his 34 so he wouldn't be able to go into NYC."))

Sounds to me like a nefarious plot by Vladamir Putin and the Russians. I wouldn't be so quick to assume the other Driver did it intentionally.

((This is code for "The driver intentionally borked his 34 so he wouldn't be able to go into NYC."))

Sounds to me like a nefarious plot by Vladamir Putin and the Russians. I wouldn't be so quick to assume the other Driver did it intentionally.

Hahahahaha thats too good!

((This is code for "The driver intentionally borked his 34 so he wouldn't be able to go into NYC."))

Sounds to me like a nefarious plot by Vladamir Putin and the Russians. I wouldn't be so quick to assume the other Driver did it intentionally.

You are correct. It is possible that he didn't intentionally break his 34 to avoid a NCY visit. However, when I repowered him the first time, he seemed unhappy to get a NYC load, and when I repowered him, for the second time, and took my load BACK so I could finish it after finishing his load, he seemed happy, not apologetic. I would put a fair chunk of money on that driver intentionally doing load avoidance shenanigans if I were a betting man.

In the end, it was good miles, and I'll get $35 per stop for the three additional stops over 1 stop (2 on one load, 1 on the other), and an extra $75 for crossing the GW bridge. I dislike driving in NYC because it's slow, not because it's a city.

*shrug*

I've never repowered the same load twice. First time for everything.

I looked at my preload more closely. It loads in Somerset, 1 mile from my final, and has 750 miles on it. It doesn't deliver until the 16th.

I accepted it, will grab it after this final, run it until my 11 is gone, so I have less than 600 miles to final on it, then finish it after my 34 if it's not repowered off me.