Davys Weekly Somewhat Erratic Diary Of OTR Dry Van.

Just following up on some of the ideas that came up in discussion after Brett updated the site. Ill try to at least log weekly on this if not more. Hopefully if you are new, perhaps you can find some useful tidbits in here.

Also, I dont claim to be an expert on anything, there are many ways to skin the cat, these are just things that I do that and systems that I have found work successfully for me.

I drive for Knight Transportation, the 22nd of March will be two years to the day that I started school with them and began my career. I do dry van. I was hired to do regional but am basically OTR. I sometimes have specific areas that I want to run, but generally go where ever they want me to. They also usually ask me if I need to go anywhere specific and are very diligent in trying to accomplish that. I have an excellent working relationship with my DMs and TM.

Week of Feb 27. I start the week in Tucson AZ, finishing up a beer delivery at noon. That goes on the previous weeks pay, so I have 0 miles on a fresh week.

Load 1.

Phoenix AZ to Fargo ND, reroute to Denver CO Tues, Weds Net 1043 Miles. On time /Tcall I have to deadhead from Tucson to Phoenix. I get to the yard about 4 pm. Its a T call to pick up, 21k pounds of redbull, BOL says extreme rollover risk.

I trip plan as follows

1. HOS , is ok midway through my 70, have 7.5 left on my drive clock. will shut down either at the Hopi Travel center in Holbrook or the Big Huge Flying J on 40 that has 478 spots. 2. Weather - Low coming in, Snow in Flagstaff heavy, 6 -12 inches, 40 may get closed. 3. routes and alternates out of Phoenix, places to park - will take L101 to AZ 87 to AZ 260 to AZ 377 to Holbrook AZ at I 40.

This is a state route that is truck friendly, its mostly 2 lane roads, no shoulders, mountain terrain and gets a lot of snow too, but is low enough elevation that the system wont hit. It also cuts off about 40 miles. I wouldnt recommend it if you are not comfortable on two lane roads, at night with the potential for snow. Beautiful scenery though. Also there is one somewhat truck stop in 230 miles of it, no pullouts and no rest stops. There are several sections of 7 percent grade on AZ 87. The upper section of AZ 260 is in the Rim section of canyons, it typically has 3 to 4 feet high snowbanks on either side of the road, so it can refreeze at night.

I push to the J, shut down with 30 minutes left on the clock. Next day Im past ABQ NM and my DM reroutes me to Denver, drop it for T Call and go get my DOT physical done.

Its now Weds, down to 8 hours on my 70. I get recaps at midnight.

Load 2

Loveland CO to Provo UT. 585 miles net. 24 hours of layover pay. Thursday, Friday. On time

1. Weather - 80 shut down to high and light, black ice, blowing snow., 70 has high winds but clear and cold 3 degrees. 2. Hos - I have 8 left on my 70, Ill get recaps at midnight, so I need to start close enough to pick that up 3. Parking - Not much for parking in the mountains til I hit the AMbest in Fruita CO or the Kum and Go just before Palisades canyons. Golden Gate will be packed, so will the rest stops, but there is a spot at the top of Vail Pass if need be. (alternative is the TA or the Red Lion Inn parking lot in Grand Junction)

Ambest is preferred, I know there is always room there, its just outside of Grand Junction, will take about 6 hours. will put me shutting down at 3 am or so. Means I cant drive till 1:30 pm. will still make delivery window with time to spare.

Its a sams club load, heavy as usual. Also backloaded badly. 11,900 S, 31,300 D, 33,790 T with the tandems all the way back, I scale it at the DC and again at the Loves because the DC scale is frequently off. So Im taking a 42.3k pound load with the tandems all the way back, over I 70 at night. I run 70 a lot, so Im used to it. I get authorization from my DM for the added miles (original route was over 80) and go. I get to Provo on time, Friday evening, one hell of a tight back.

I sit until Sat night waiting for my next load. Ive made multiple calls but its just lean in this market.

Load 3 Tcall from SLC yard to Layton UT. Net 88 miles, 1 day layover pay, 12 hours Detention Pay. On Time

They ask me to do a local. I say no problem....famous last words. Pick up a trailer off the yard and live unload at Krogers in Layton. Get hit by a really strong local thunder snow event, drops 4 to 6 inches of wet heavy snow in about a half hour. Windshield wipers get over ran by the heavy snow. I make it to the receiver, on time. They inform me that they do not receive on Saturdays, nor have they in years. I take the load back down to the terminal and let my dispatch know. These things happen. I ask my acting TM to please make the load planners aware that we can not unload on Saturdays there and to update the load info.

continued...

Week 1 continued..

Load 4. Odgen UT to Sumner WA - Net 839 miles - Sun/Mon, 1 day of Layover pay. Early/On Time

1. Weather - scattered snow showers in UT on route, Cabbage Hill (Dead Mans Pass) will be clear on Monday daytime, so will Snoqualamie Pass (i 90) 2. HoS. on Recaps, starting the load at 4 pm after looking for empties with 7 left on my drive clock, have 19 avail on my 70 with solid 8s and 9s til the weekend thanks to the events in Provo and SLC 3. Parking - prefer to make it past Boise. Black Canyon TC is always empty (really cool old school truck stop on 84 before Ontario OR) alternatives are Boise Stage Stop TC or the Sinclair TC across from the J in Caldwell) 4. Parking at receiver not avail, will park at Swift yard next door.

I make it through a few storms, nothing too bad, east of Boise it gets dicey. I slow down, take the Jake off and putt through it. Stop as planned at the Black Canyon TC. Call my DM , he gives me approval to deliver early. Receiver will not accept early anyway. Im currently parked at the Swift yard in Sumner WA. Its a tight back, but friendly folks there.

Weekly Miles: 2555 dispatched. Ancillary pay: 3 days of Layover, 12 hours detention. A bit of a frustrating week, miles could be higher, but freight is erratic and thin right now.

Following 💪🏻😎

Dogs and cats living together. Mediocre male athletes winning medals competing as women and now diaries in the General category. What is the world coming to?

Dogs and cats living together. Mediocre male athletes winning medals competing as women and now diaries in the General category. What is the world coming to?

I wasn't sure where to post it because it doesn't really seem to fit into tge regular CDL diaries section but idk, maybe it should. If so, could a friendly neighborhood mod move it?

I wasn't sure where to post it because it doesn't really seem to fit into tge regular CDL diaries section but idk, maybe it should. If so, could a friendly neighborhood mod move it?

This is incredibly interesting. The CDL training diaries are a fantastic resource, and I believe experienced driver diaries would be as well!

We could have experienced diaries, and we could also do a thread each week where people share anything interesting that happened to them. Just a "weekly rundown" kind of thing where people add the crazy, funny, wacky, scary, and odd things that happened during the week. I think that would be fun!

I'm gonna post this idea in the other thread about the updates to the website and we can discuss it. Then, in a little while, I'll delete my comment here so it doesn't interfere with this conversation.

Davy, really enjoyed your posting. I hope it stays in General Category because I don’t peruse the diary section very much.

Your detailed description of your day and schedule is very informative. And I think it demonstrates a high standard of professionalism on your part.

Week 2 Disfunction Junction

Its been a frustrating week for sure. When we say its slow, it doesnt necessarily look like what one would think it is. It just becomes erratic and crazy.

Load 1, Lebanon OR to Sonora CA Net 624 miles, 1.5 days of layover pay, 2 extra trailer drops (30.00 ea) Delivered early.

Lowes DC to store.

Trip planning 1. Weather - storm coming in over Grants pass and siskyou pass, but can beat it if I leave early. All interstate to CA 120 to CA 108 to receiver. Zonar reccomends CA 4 to Sonora, its a bad choice, lots of washouts, very tight turns. CA 108 is smoother, faster and only 4 miles longer.

2. Hos - On recaps, Have 7 hours drive time left at start of load will take 1.5 days. Planned stops will be Flying J in racetrack OR, alternative will be Talent Truck Stop, little hole in the wall place with tons of parking, cool place. I opt for the flying J as Im tired and been going since 7 AM, Not my usual time slot. Also, its snow mixed with fog.

3. End of load, will park at the receiver as there is almost no parking avail in Sonora. Turns out to be a difficult morning, wake up to no room as they get a load of rock in my turn around spot, have to juggle some trailers, go out with one of the trailers through town and come back, blind side weird freestyle back while dodging everyone and their mother loading pallets, landscaping stuff and misc weirdos. I get it done safely.

Load 2. Sonora CA to Tulare CA deadhead , pick up T-Call to Redlands CA. Net 421 Miles, Deliver Early.

After sorting through some undesirable loads to South Central LA and others with too much time, I take this one. My DM is having a hell of a time getting anything over 400 miles in CA. I tell her I understand and just keep me moving.

Trip Planning

1. Weather - Heavy rain in central valley of CA, Grapevine ok, no high wind issues. Very light load, only 3k in the box. I opt for the route as recommended. CA 108 to La Grange Road, to CA 59 to CA 99. I verify route with Rand McNally Truckers Atlas. Also I taught skiing up off 108 at Dodge Ridge outside of Sonora, so some familiarity with the area.

2. HoS. On solid recaps, can do up to 9 hours next 4 days. nearly full 14 and 11 at start of load

3. Traffic. SoCal so I split berth take 3 hours off at our Tulare yard, as I get there at 5 pm. I leave for LA at 8 pm to avoid traffic. System works perfectly. I take the 210 all the way out once i get over the vine as it avoids most of the crap anyway.

4. End of load, Mandatory to stay at our Fontana yard, were not allowed to park unsecured in SoCal.

The routes in and out of Sonora are really enjoyable drives, but require you to pay attention, tight, curvy two lane backroads with no shoulders and narrow lanes, lots of various hazards. More so if you are heavy. I was empty on the way out, 36k in the box on the way in. Anytime Im in areas of the beaten path, I double and triple check my routes for alternates and areas to turn around at as these are tight roads, with very soft and wet muddy sides. very easy to end up facing a low bridge, a non truck friendly hazard or any number of unexpected troubles.

Load 3. South Gate CA to Reno NV, net 601 miles, 2 days layover pay (1 for delay in getting load assigned, 1 for road Closure) Delivered Early.

Prior to getting load assignment, negotiated several other possible loads, but none were acceptable

1. Weather - Severe winter storm warning over donner and flooding concerns on the back side of the sierras. After recon, I selected 710, to I5 to CA 14 to US 395 to US 6 to NV 360 to US 95 to I80, however ended up deviating to closures and used NV 361 to US 50 to 80. I almost chose a route through death valley, but had no credible intel on flooding and road conditions as well as it would have been too many out of route miles.

2. Hos. - Leaving south LA at 3 pm on a Friday butchers my drive clock, but I make it to Bishop CA in spite of the traffic delays with 3 hours left on my 11. I end up shutting down on the side of US 6 as the road is closed without warning. It had been open during transit but was abruptly closed. US 395 S is shut down, and 395 North of Bishop is closed. During this route I frequently check the Cal Trans number and sites for road conditions and closures changes.

3. Places to stop - Numerous turnouts, pull offs and rest stops as well as old school truck stops. My plan was to make it to Fernley NV and stop at Terribles Flying J, tons of spaces, alternative is the Carlile Plant that my brother works at. As it was, I ended up shut down in Bishop CA.

4. End of run parking at our Terminal in Sparks NV.

This run was very dynamic and crazy, I drove through several flooded areas and washouts with police assistance the next day on US 6 when they reopened. US 95 north of Hawthorne was closed due to landslides. I had to backtrack 20 miles and take NV 361, an interesting two lane road I used to camp off of as a kid. Lots of cool ghost towns and interesting stuff including two dead cows on the road. The storm also took out cell towers so I was out of coverage for some time. I communicated as much as I could with my DM. I made my route decisions based off of the intel I had (road reports, dot cameras, weather and route conditions and practical experience with Donner pass). My office doesnt question my route choices and decisions. I chose not to shut down but to take an alternative route and it allowed me to get the load done early.

Continued.

Week 2 Continued.

Load 4. Sparks NV Tcall to Rancho Cordova CA Net 147 miles, 150.00 trip fee, 2 days Layover pay, or possible 250.00 daily rate fee plus the layover pay. (will know on payday) I trust my DMs to make it right as they trust me to do my job right.

The acting DM for this load, said he will pay which ever is higher, and thanked me for taking this load. I did say that I would prefer a longer run, but said that I understand and that I know its not his doing. He said all was good and knows that Ive come through so many times for him that he owes me big time. Also, A brand new driver had this load and we both didnt want her dealing with changing weather conditions on Donner. I gave her the only load east out of Reno to her as it doesnt leave until weds, and I took this one off her. Mentally, it was taking a lot of focus to not complain or demand something better. I use the phrase "Id prefer something else, but will take care of you on this if thats what you need me to do". A little bit of tact goes a long way. Often its not the driving that drives me nuts, its the interaction with people that does.

1. Weather - close eye on the cams, but looks like it melted enough to be clear, no chain controls and though snowing, no accumulation on donner. 2. Hos , no worries, short run. but will leave me with a bad recap next week.

3. Parking, no Parking at receiver and cant deliver til the next day. Park at our new terminal being built in Acompa CA, 40 miles from receiver.

In doing pretrip on the loaded trailer, I notice the tandems are at 41 feet to the real axle. This is a CA load that came from Billings MT. First thing I do is go scale it at the 40. its legal at 33300. but close. I contact the DM and recommend that the DDM makes sure that the new driver is aware of the CA requirements and to scale the load at the first opportunity closest to the shipper. This could have been really inconvenient and costly if it wasnt in compliance and should have been checked back in Montana. 70 percent of all our OOS violations are in CA alone. Nothing Im going to risk.

Week so far: 1793 miles, 3 to 4 days of layover (depending on how hard I want to push things), possible 250.00 daily pay.

I have Monday and Tuesday AM left in the pay cycle, so I anticipate another 400 miles based on the loads ive been getting in the area. Im definitely not happly with the miles and effort it takes to get the miles, but at the same time, I think this is a clear example of what it looks like when we are slow. I know that the guys and gals in the office are doing what they can to keep me going. There are a lot of drivers sitting without getting work at my terminal. Notwithstanding, Im trying to keep my attitude good and not let it get the best of me. Persevere.

Route out of Sonora CA

Route from South Gate CA to Reno with re routes due to weather

Week 3. Mistakes happen.

I ended up running miles on the previous week that spilled on to this week. It brings the average up, but if you just look at your miles on a week basis, youll realize the volatility in things.

This week was punctuated by a fairly grevious error on my part as far as Im concerned but it ended well, and I was able to recover from it.

Load 1. Eastvale CA to Hermiston OR Net 996 miles. Delivered on time.

Still on recaps. I have a 4 hour recap looming and a few 7s. Its on my mind and has been since it happened last week. Like last weeks run, I start the run on monday afternoon in LA traffic, It butchers my drive clock and between a reciever and shipper , my 14 takes a beating too. This dictates where I will shut down. My clocks will be fairly tight and to close to make the Flying J in Weed CA, there is nothing for a while on 97. By the time I get to the TA in redding, all the parking will be gone. I opt for the Chevron in Cottonwood CA, Its a little known gas station with about 7 spots, all empty, tricky to get into and lots of farmers park there in the morning. It doesnt disappoint, fills up right after I park. Ill be able to get to the reciever and park on the next days clock.

End of run parking. Will be at night, The J is going to be full, so I bobtail from the Wallyworld DC to it and grab my empty in the morning, as my next load will take me right past the DC in the AM. I clear that with the guard before dropping.

Weather: the route will be I5 up to US 97. I check the problem areas, rain over the siskyous and possible snow on US 97 north of Kalamath Falls to Bend. I check Oregon road trip on the cams, multiple weather sources, noaa, etc. The weather changes though, I spend from Kalamath Falls to Bend entirely in snow. Wet Heavy snow that accumulates fast. I turn the jake off, drop speed to about 35 to 45 mph depending on road conditions and use manual mode for the hills, locking it in to 8th and 9th depending on the grade, I have 36K in the box. Im finding that the truck handles snow suprisingly well, but I keep my movements minimal, smooth and slow. Ive driven through snow most weeks for the last few months at some point or another.

All this snow, hills and tight turns conspire against my 70, its constantly on my mind and I constantly check my route and timing against my clocks throughout the day. Every time I stop, I review my clocks, review my stops and double check. Its just habit with me. US 97 has a lot of turns and some moderately steep grades in it, definitely add some time cushion if you are taking it, especially if you are new to it. Ive been on it a lot, and am used to it, but it still chews up clocks.

I make it to the DC, drop within my window.

Load 2: Coulee City WA to Paramount CA. Net 1323 miles. Delivered Late.

Ugh. That is correct, delivered late, unexcused. This is a hay load. I have 10 hours left on my 70 after recaps, but I still need full days. This goes right back down the route I just took up. Weather is clear, Will stop in Madras OR due to 70 hour, by the time I pick up and get back down, I have 1 hour left. I try the loves, but its full, Its 1 am. On the way up, I saw a nice little Shell gas station with a few spots. I grab one there, Its full when I wake up, mostly local guys.

Planning wise, this load is set for delivery on Friday the 17th between 0600 and 1100. I quickly review it, it picks up at 1400 on Weds the 15th. I dont have full clocks, nor will I. Speed limit is 55 in cali, 60 in OR. I estimate that Ill get into LA around 1400 on the 17th but to the receiver around 1700 due to traffic. I immediately call my DM. and let her know we cant make the delivery. I tell her I would prefer to drop for Tcall at Fontana so it can be delivered on Monday. She calls back and says, high priority, need it delivered Sat the 18th at 0600 to 0800.

I tell her that Im concerned about the time. Im running swing to nights because of the pickup. I can shut down early enough to get it there, but shutting my body clock down and shifting to days is difficult. But Ill try it. This is where that truckers instinct is screaming at me that this is not a good idea. My plan is to run it to the J at the top of the grapevine in LeBec, Ill be there early afternoon so there will still be parking. Ill then try to sleep to reset my schedule, if not, Ill stay up and leave around 4 AM or first availability after a full 10 hour. (Ill need a full clock for the next load after this delivery).

Continued...