PackRat's 2020 Daily Driving Diary

23 February 2020

This morning I got moving from Joplin around 0330. After the pre trip inspection, fueling up, and passing through the guardhouse, we started heading northeast the 520 miles to the drop in Plainfield, IN.

Biggest observations today was the nasty truck crash I came across on I-70 west (I was moving east, thankfully) near the Illinois/Indiana border, and two mature Bald Eagles I spotted over a river in Indiana.

I messaged dispatch with my ETA to the customer at 1100, and inquired about a preplan. After two hours, I got the usual reply of, "checking with the planners". This is code for, "We have no loads after the drop, but will pass it on to the next shift. Not my problem." This happens every load since I've been here. I've had two preplanned loads prior to a delivery. This is an ongoing sticking point with me, but I'll call my dispatcher tomorrow morning to hear the latest excuse.

I arrived at the final at 1420 to find the gate closed and locked, with another of our rigs in the driveway. I pulled into the business lot across the street and sent my arrived call in, then messaged about the appointment. Ten minutes later I get a reply that this place is closed until 2200 tonight. Great! Why would I be told this after the fact? I posed this question to the local dispatch when I picked up the relay paperwork. "They're 24/7 for drop and hook , so they will be happy to see you get it there any time." Thanks for more bad information.

Since there's no parking nearby, I get to backtrack 10 miles to either a truck stop, or a rest area west of the delivery, off the Interstate. I ended up parking on the east side of I-70 (facing the direction I need to travel again for the delivery, Part 2). Now I cannot deliver at 2200 because my 14 hour clock expired before dark, plus I still have no preplan. I will stay parked until after I have our normal Monday morning chat with dispatch, whatever time that may be.

For the day, I drove 520 miles in 8.4 hours, using 0.4 hours On Duty, totaling 8.8 hours.

Frustration with incorrect information, sitting, and wasting time and money to end another week. Groundhog day. Groundhog month. Groundhog Winter at CFI.

24 February 2020

I called dispatch yesterday morning at 0815 CST and got the usual blahs, blahs, blahs from my former (good riddance) dispatcher. After that air strike, I proceeded back to the delivery in Plainfield once again. Checked in, found the empty slot, then located my next empty trailer. Departed the gate, then returned to another rest area for the usual wait on the next load.

This dispatch was really fast today (under three hours), and I was ready to start actually making some money. The instructions were to deadhead 180 miles to Henderson, KY to be loaded at a plant. I arrived at 1335 Central Time, checked in, then waited for one of the two docks. After about 30 minutes, I docked and waited. After about 45 minutes, a worker comes out to tell me my trailer is rejected for "stains" on the flooring. Seriously? This isn't petroleum, no fumes, and no slippery liquid. I got nowhere arguing, so I sent an open message to dispatch about the trailer situation.

To make a epic story much shorter, I ended up taking the original empty 25 miles to a trailer repair shop in Evansville, IN. Next, was a 46 mile drive bobtail to Owensboro, KY to grab another empty trailer at the tightest drop lot I've ever been in. An hour later, I drive the 43 Mike's back to the shipper , well after dark and in the heavy rain.

Same procedure as before, without getting this trailer rejected. After the loading was complete, I parked just outside the plant driveway gate with two minutes remaining on my 14 hour clock.

For a soggy, frustrating Monday, I drove 275 miles in 7.2 hours (love those side roads and stoplights!), and used 0.9 hours On Duty, totaling 8.1 hours in Kentucky and Indiana today.

More odyssey to follow....

25 February 2020

This morning I started the day at 0515 Central Time at the shippers driveway after my 10 hour break. This 43,300 lb load of cornmeal is to deliver 837 miles away in Easton, PA at 1200 on 2/26. After yesterday's adventure, I'm most eager to get out of Indiana and Kentucky, so in 15 minutes, off we go (in the rain).

Not much to report today, so I ended up parking at a rest area in West Virginia.

I drove 435 miles today in 7.5 hours, using 0.6 hours of On Duty time, totaling 8.1 hours.

Here is how slow I've been at CFI since 15 November 2019:

I've only driven 27,376 miles in 83 days. This is an average of just under 330 miles per day. My personal goal is 420 Mike's a day, but if the freight isn't assigned to you, the miles aren't there. I've given up asking for any loads heading to the west coast, because that never happens, other than back in December with a trip to Portland, Oregon from Ohio. Hopefully this new-to-me dispatcher can get me some miles in the next several weeks.

More tomorrow...

Yeah that is a bit on the light side. I’m sitting in Canto Oh waiting to unload in the morning in Cleveland. Then over to Detroit to load and back to the south.

I’m pretty much to a point I’m going to quit coming above the mason dixon line, lol

Yeah that is a bit on the light side. I’m sitting in Canto Oh waiting to unload in the morning in Cleveland. Then over to Detroit to load and back to the south.

I’m pretty much to a point I’m going to quit coming above the mason dixon line, lol

You're in the snow there now!

Packrat has hope:

Hopefully this new-to-me dispatcher can get me some miles in the next several weeks.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Wait, there's an emoji for that:

Yup, started snowing about an hour ago. I really don’t care for this foreign white stuff!!!!

Packrat has hope:

Hopefully this new-to-me dispatcher can get me some miles in the next several weeks.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Wait, there's an emoji for that:

It works!

26 February 2020

I got going this morning at 0230 from the rest area, heading northward before 0300.

*NOTE* Great route from southern W.VA to Easton,PA for all those trainers on here. This has about everything: curves, big hills, elevation, scenery, city and rural driving. Even a couple of round-about intersections. The only thing lacking is gridlocked traffic like Chicago or Atlanta.

My final leg today was 404 miles to the final at Jeystone Foods, with a live unload. This was not a busy "Food Place", like so many of them. I was docked, unloaded and departed in 50 minutes from the time I entered the driveway.

The next challenge was finding any parking, as no overnight parking allowed at the delivery (what a surprise). I waited about a half hour for the elusive dispatch, but gave up at 1300 and went PC to begin the hunt for a legal spot for the night. I ended up in NJ, after looking over three zoo's calling themselves "Truck Stops". This took about 45 minutes and 25 miles to achieve my goal. Currently I'm parked beside I-78 near Bloomsbury, NJ, at a parking area.

After parking here and sitting for almost an hour, I finally spoke with my newest dispatcher. Hopefully, we can meet soon in Joplin and talk about what I'd like to see from him, then listen to his needs and thoughts. I can make him a bunch of money if he can wrangle me some miles. We shall see what happens with our partnership, but he did come through today for us. My next trip goes from PA to Albuquerque, NM, for 1950 paid miles. YAY! Special thanks to Prime Prospect Rob, too!

Fir the day, I drove 404 miles in 7.3 hours, using 0.4 hours On Duty, totaling 7.7 hours.

Going west tomorrow....

Random thoughts:

I meant to post this last week, but this was really Super Strange.

Last week I dropped empty trailer 42991, then then next trailer I picked up was 42990.

I got a dispatch that had in the last five digits my truck number: 50586.

At a shipper , the guy that signed the paperwork had the same first and last name as me.

Strange?