Flatbed Variety
Topic 4373 | Page 102
I am on the way back from Temecula, California to Delhi, Louisiana tonight, but will be making a stop in Round Rock TX with this load of rocks I picked up in Tecate, California. Tecate is a little Mexican border town with no legal roads going into it for big rigs. In fact you are only allowed to have 30 feet from kingpin to your rear axle on the roads that lead into this town. So... I was an outlaw trucker this week. It was quite the adventure getting my tractor trailer around some of the tight curves in the roads without knocking some other motorist off the side of a precarious precipice. This is not something I recommend to anybody, but I can be foolish at times.
This load is a good example of the gray areas that exist in trucking. I had to break the law just to get to the shipper , then they had no scale (it really was just a dirt drop yard where Mexican trucks drop off freight which is then forwarded onto American carriers for the final delivery) And despite the weight printed on the bills, I knew that I was overweight as soon as I got out off of the dirt roads and onto some real stretches of highway. There was not even a scale available to me until I crossed over into Arizona - at least a hundred or more miles from the Mexican drop yard. That is when I was able to confirm that my gross weight was 82,380 pounds! I parked for the night at the Golden Acorn Casino on Interstate 8 and waited to leave at 1:30 in the morning, just hoping that no one would be manning the scales at the California/Arizona border.
There are times in this job where you just have got to figure out ways to get things done despite the fact that you could possibly be getting yourself into a jam. Once I got over into Arizona, I contacted the broker and let him know that I was going to go to our terminal in Phoenix and have them off-load one pallet of rocks so that I could get it legal, and he would just have to find a hot-shot carrier to get that final pallet to his customer. He didn't like it, but what's he gonna say? We're on a recorded phone conversation, and he isn't going to advise me to run like an outlaw on that line. He knew I had him over a barrel, and he just bit his tongue and agreed that we had no choice.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Great photos, gents. Pat, in your middle photo of your ice-bound truck, I can't tell what's what.
Old School, great post! I would have thought you were traversing dusty, flat, nearly-dirt roads heading in/out of a Mexican border town, not tight spots hanging onto cliffs! Is Tecate also the birthplace of Tecate beer?
Never mind my last question... I pressed a few keys and found the answer... yes, Tecate beer is from Tecate. Go figure! And the terrain is very mountainous, as you already know.
Great photos, gents. Pat, in your middle photo of your ice-bound truck, I can't tell what's what.
That is the front marker light on the trailer. I had completely cleared it of ice before leaving Casper. That photo was taken about 60 miles into Colorado.
Current load. 10'11" wide.
Do you have to have a oversize permit on that? Nice scenery also in the picture!
Do you have to have a oversize permit on that? Nice scenery also in the picture!
Yep. Colorado, Wyoming and Montana
I used to live in Colorado. Loved it there! Have to ask you, do you like being a O/O?
I'm doing a few short haul loads this week, which is unusual for me. I am needing to stay near home so I can get home form my oldest daughter's wedding next weekend. I took these bags of Aluminum Trihydrate from Delhi, Louisiana to Pine Buff, Arkansas. Aluminum Trihydrate, also known as Aluminum Hydroxide is used in the production of aluminum metals, and is also a fire suppressant used in fire extinguishing products. It is a "suspicious looking white powder" when bagged up like I had it on my truck. Felt like I was hauling a billion dollar load of illegal goods.
This is 45,000 pounds of the stuff, bagged up and headed down the interstate.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
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Just a little update...
They shut us down for at least a week because we have almost all the trailers in Montana with loads on them still. So I get to take it easy and fix a few things on the truck and my pickup.
I have replaced the leveling valve and the washer fluid motor. Organized the inside and tomorrow the side boxes. Going to add an inverter this weekend also and get a fridge and electric skillet. Things are slowly coming together.