How Much Time Do You Spend On The Road? Do You Have Any Trouble Getting Prescriptions Filled?

I currently drive for a Southeast Regional company and hometime is pretty flexible.

When I was with Schneider, similar to Klutch; I was on a schedule of 5 days off per month. Usually I'd be out for two weeks, then home for two days, back out two weeks then home three days. They were very flexible on when I took those days off. E.g. I could ask to get home on a Saturday and be off Sunday and Monday. Or, get home on a Tuesday and be off Wed, Thurs, Friday. Heck, a few times they let me stay out three straight weeks and then take five days off. This happened once for my Wife having a surgery and another time for my Son's wedding (which they routed me to an Operating Center near the wedding location).

I have to say, some of the mega carriers, like Prime and Schneider (at least when I was there) really treat their drivers well, when it comes to stuff like this.

I hope this helps.

Request mail order refills, in 90 day supplies. Most insurance companies I have dealt with in the last 5 years allowed this cycle. Set it up so that you refill the rx a week or two before scheduled hometime. Do the exam for the new 90 day rx, and refill that the same way.

I stay out a long time, and run recaps. I keep a mail box at the Prime terminal in Springfield, and when I need to pick up mail to include dog food and prescriptions, I just request a load with time, where I can take a day to handle that stuff. I stayed out between Black Friday all the way to the day before Valentine's day, which for me, was right to the edge of "get me out of this bloody truck." I don't stay out longer than 6 weeks, and usually get a hotel room if any bit of mechanical work needs to be done.

I don't maintain a residence, and most of my stuff is in a storage unit in Montana, and my friends house in North Carolina.

Also I have a doctor I have to see once every three months. It's basically a quick check up, usually takes 30 minutes at most. He requires this to write refills. So I'll have to do that on my home time as well, but that's less frequent than pharmacy runs. Anyone else deal with this? Is it just a matter of good planning?

Unless your RX is refrigerated. This just came up this week. Yes we get mail at Prime, I just got a box of frozen items delivered... Was supposed to arrive next week when I was there... Anyway.. they said they have a small fridge at our terminal in the mailroom for Rx... But it's not large enough for bigger stuff.

So consider the type of meds you receive and the size.

Using Walmart for prescriptions is a great option. You do need to plan it though. You can't just waltz into any store and say, "I'm here to pick up my medicine." It is a simple process though. When you know you'll be near a specific store you call the store that has your prescriptions and have them transfer it to the store you want to use. Then next time you repeat the process for whichever specific store you happen to be near.

I'm on a dedicated account which has me returning to the same customer in Delhi, LA at least once every week. I use the Walmart in nearby Rayville, LA for my prescriptions. It's easy for me to go there when I need, but in special occasions when I need to get my medicine elsewhere, it just takes a phone call to handle the issue.

Old School,

We use Publix grocery store pharmacy when we travel the southeast in the Rv. We get 90 day prescriptions but occasionally need a refill and it is very easy. We put the prescriptions on hold for refills at our home store and just call the store where we are at and they refill with no problems. Walmart is just as easy especially since they are nationwide and we use them if we get a new prescription in a state without Publix and it follows you anywhere in USA.

Daycab at FedEx freight for me. Just got off an overnight schedule the was 9-10 hours a night. I start extraboard tomorrow... I'm curious to try it. I plan on bidding back to the 9 to 10 hour night in the winter.

I forgot the second part of the question, we're encouraged to use Walmart pharmacy but I tend to go to CVS because the drive thru is convenient and it's on the way to work.

Do you only go to Delhi or do you drive to other places

Using Walmart for prescriptions is a great option. You do need to plan it though. You can't just waltz into any store and say, "I'm here to pick up my medicine." It is a simple process though. When you know you'll be near a specific store you call the store that has your prescriptions and have them transfer it to the store you want to use. Then next time you repeat the process for whichever specific store you happen to be near.

I'm on a dedicated account which has me returning to the same customer in Delhi, LA at least once every week. I use the Walmart in nearby Rayville, LA for my prescriptions. It's easy for me to go there when I need, but in special occasions when I need to get my medicine elsewhere, it just takes a phone call to handle the issue.

Do you only go to Delhi or do you drive to other places?

I'm all over the place. Delhi has one of about twenty five Hydro aluminum extrusion plants located there. I am one of many Knight employees dedicated as a driver for that plant.

Here's an example of my last week and this week. I picked up a pre-loaded trailer last weekend in Delhi that had aluminum loaded on it for 5 different customers. I made deliveries to...

• Magnolia, AR
• Flippin, AR
• Topeka, KS
• Cherokee, IA
• De Smet, SD

Then they had a pre-loaded trailer from another Hydro plant in Yankton, SD waiting on me to be delivered to a customer in Alabama. From there I ran empty back to Delhi and picked up my next pre-loaded trailer. It was waiting there for me and needing to be delivered to four different customers this Monday and Tuesday. Now I am sitting here on Sunday afternoon at a truck stop in Altamont, IL. I'll start running my stops tomorrow. I'll be delivering to these four places...

• Altamont, IL
• St. Charles, MO
• Muscatine, IA
• Streator, IL

The Swift Walmart Dedicated gig; I had 3 months of OTR when I started it. They do take rookies. Swift has numerous dedicated accounts with weekly home time.

The job I currently have, in no way would I recommend it for a rookie. Lots of off road work in rural areas; 48’ & 53’ walking-floor chip trailers and 57’ lowboy. Most local gigs require experience…

Are you SURE you don't have any affiliates here in Ohio? How the heck did you LAND that gig? I'm pulling my hair out these past two weeks, looking for something amenable without going back to tanks.

~ Anne ~