Starting Net Ops With Werner (pony Express)

Tonight I am starting pony express-type runs overnight. I am looking forward to having weekends off and home everyday. I will try and keep everyone posted about this run.

I have heard a lot of complaints from other Werner drivers about how much Werner is utilizing the Net Ops people and taking long haul loads away from all-48 drivers. I know that some of you refer to what I will be doing as part-time driving. Having spent that last 6 months on the road I realized that it really isn't for me. There are parts of it that I really liked and 15 years ago I would have just been one of the homeless truckers out there. But now, my wife needs me at home and I am happy to get this position.

I drive for Werner and your not taking loads from me. Solo drivers can't do the loads my truck does. I do loads that have to be 1000+ miles down the road over night. Only teams can do that.

I think the pony express idea is great !! Long haul drivers get a good deal with it...they can drop the trailer at a spin point, and pick up another heading out on a long haul. No downtown driving, no waiting at shippers or receivers...just long open miles !!! whats not to like !!! I think Werner is doing their drivers a huge favor......

Tinker G., I think you'd hear other drivers complaining no matter what the company was doing. If truck drivers stopped complaining I'd be concerned that the world might stop turning! Look, every company out there is trying to come up with the best way of handling their freight and keeping their customers satisfied, and if they don't change up this new gig of yours within a years time I'd be surprised. So enjoy it while you can, and make some hay while the sun is shining.

Congratulations! Make the best of it.

If truck drivers stopped complaining I'd be concerned that the world might stop turning!

You crack me up Old School! Awesome!

Thanks Guyjax and Starcar, I appreciate kind words.

Wow, my first run could not have gone any worse. (Actually, I am sure that I will eat those words someday.)

I started out by attempting to log into my Qualcom. The system just would not take my login. I called dispatch 3 times. The first he told me to send a message that I was the active driver. I did not have to do that when I got my last two trucks but, ok I did that. The second time he said to give it 5 minutes, then if that didn't work to reboot the system, did that. The third time I called he said to go on paper logs and go. Finally, after he sends me the load info, I try it one more time and it logs me in. Good, I hate the paper logs, especially since I no longer will have to fudge times here and there to make sure that I don't get a violation (ha, yea right).

I hook up the trailer I am to take up north and am on my way 10 minutes after I finally get the thing working. But I am planning on arriving early for my first rendezvous to fuel and get my bearings. I already know that the other driver is going about 50 miles farther than me so my leg will get me up there an hour quicker than she can possibly arrive. In the future I know that I will normally leave my house later. About an hour into the drive I get an alert that I have a new important message but since I am the only one logged into the Qualcom I cannot see what it is until I stop. I assume that it is load information for the trailer that I am picking up and decide not to pull into a rest area to check it out. When I get to the truck stop where we will be exchanging trailers, I check the messages first and get a surprise; they are telling me that the other driver does not have her truck yet and to hold up, and then 5 minutes later that she is on her way. Lesson number one: check the messages right away.

I fuel up, park and use the facilities then send a message to dispatch asking for an ETA, knowing that it will be at least two hours now. I get back a response that I need to split the load first. This is where my lack of any kind of Net Ops training doesn't help. Normally, when I was OTR , I would send in a message that we swapped the load instead of splitting. But I am learning this as I go along and anyone that works for Werner will attest that the night shift guys are not the most patient or tactful, something I know that I will have to live with. Anyway, after I send in the split I get back the message that the other driver will be another 3 hours, it wound up being 4. I don't get back to Werner until a half an hour after my shift is supposed to end. Then to add the icing on the cake, I have to pull the trailer through the inspection lane and I finally get on my way home an hour and a half later than I was told that I would ever leave.

Not a great start to my new position but I am hoping that this is an anomaly. We will see come starting Monday if things go smoother on average.

Tinker G., I think you'd hear other drivers complaining no matter what the company was doing. If truck drivers stopped complaining I'd be concerned that the world might stop turning! Look, every company out there is trying to come up with the best way of handling their freight and keeping their customers satisfied, and if they don't change up this new gig of yours within a years time I'd be surprised. So enjoy it while you can, and make some hay while the sun is shining.

Congratulations! Make the best of it.

Thanks Old school too.

Day 2

This was a repeat of Friday night. I am wondering if the driver that I meet is going to be late every night.

Just to clear up some things for those that haven't heard about pony express runs. Every night I check out my truck, pick up a loaded trailer (usually already at the terminal) and drive 200 miles out. When I get to the truck stop, I switch trailers with a driver coming from the other direction and go back home. Grand total of 7 to 8 hours of driving a night. Waiting 4 hours for the other driver is not supposed to be part of the job.

Well...waiting would be fine with me...IF I got paid for it....But if you are running cpm...you need to talk with someone who can see why the other driver is late. But you do this in the most professional of ways...smile and all

Well...waiting would be fine with me...IF I got paid for it....But if you are running cpm...you need to talk with someone who can see why the other driver is late. But you do this in the most professional of ways...smile and all

yep, this is a cpm gig. But it has only been two days so far and the other driver has had excuses both nights. we will see how it goes tonight, especially since this is the first night that I will have to work on the next night. In other words, tomorrow morning I have to go home and get enough sleep for the next night.