Making Things Happen For You

One of the keys to success in this field is being able to make sure things happen in your favor - it becomes a part of my regular trip planning, and then again sometimes it just happens on the fly depending on the situation I might find myself in. Recently I posted about getting that nice run across the country (2700 miles) from the copper mine in Morenci, Arizona, well as soon as I got started on the trip I get a message requesting me to go to Albuquerque, New Mexico and swap my load with another driver there. I was disappointed, but it's not that unusual when working for one of these large companies that we will have our loads swapped for a thousand different reasons. They may be trying to get a driver headed home, or they may be trying to get some more trucks over into a certain part of the country - there is just no way for the drivers to know the full picture that the load planners and dispatchers are trying to orchestrate. So, I did what was requested of me and met the driver at a Pilot truck stop and picked up these two forty foot base sections for some light poles.

This was on a Friday. The load wasn't scheduled for delivery until Tuesday, and only had about seven hundred loaded miles on it, I'd been running on my re-cap hours for two or three weeks now, so I decided since the delivery date was for Tuesday I would call the customer and see if they would have the crane there on Monday, and if so could I get unloaded then. If I could that would still give me enough time to take a 34 hour break, reset my seventy hour clock, and get unloaded on Monday, putting me a day ahead of schedule. The rough and grouchy voice of the job superintendent on the other end of the line said "yeah, if you can get here on Monday we'll unload ya, we're gonna be unloading those light poles all week anyways".

Well, he gave me enough information in that one sentence so that I realized there were a lot of these things en route to this location, so right then and there I decided that I would drive to the location and sleep right on the premises so that I would be first in line, and therefore the first one out. Anytime you can get yourself off loaded a day ahead of schedule and or first thing in the morning it will generally work out in your favor so that you are the one the planners have the first choice of giving their "good stuff" to for that day. I was a little surprised that none of the other flat-bed drivers thought of this, but I slept right there outside the gate of the construction site and woke up to an early morning sand storm over there in that California Desert area. Can you see the sand flying around in the air in this picture?

My plan worked out well because the crane truck was a little delayed in getting there. As the other trucks scheduled for a Monday delivery started showing up, they had nowhere to park but behind yours truly in an ever lengthening line. Take a look at all the trucks lined up behind me at the gate - you can't really tell from the photo, but when I left I counted the trucks lined up on the road. There were nineteen trucks waiting in line as I left out of there with my next load assignment. I've got a one thousand mile load and I'm certain I was loaded and on the interstate before the final truck in this line got unloaded. Three or four trucks back in line is another driver from my company who had stopped for a restroom break on Saturday at the truck stop where I was taking my 34. We had visited at the stop and he told me he was needing to take a 34 hour break but he was going to go ahead and get to the location so he could get unloaded first. I asked him what day his delivery was scheduled for and he replied Monday, so I just said well mine isn't scheduled until Tuesday. That's how I left it, but he was all astonishment when he came up there and realized I was ahead of him, still got my 34 in, plus got the best load available when I left there.

I love doing this stuff, and I really enjoy sharing my experiences with you all. Hopefully some of you will catch on to some of the ideas and strategies of how you not only survive in this career, but excel in it. Now let me explain one thing further about this scenario. I know it is more comfortable to stay at the truck stop, and that is what many of these drivers did - I know because as I passed the truck stop about twenty minutes from this location I saw a lot of these flat-bed trucks with the same poles that I had, just sitting there in the parking lot. The other advantage that I now had over them was that they have started their fourteen hour clock - not me - I'm sitting there watching the sand storm, sipping at my hot tea and just patiently waiting for that crane truck to show up without a care in this world.

I try to do the same thing as old school. Tends to be a bit harder got us refer guys though.. I am sitting at my receivers parking lot about 13 hours before my appt. Time. All I have to do now is take my receivers 10 hour break. And when I wake up just walk my bills to the guard shack and get a door assignment. Won't have to start my clock til I get my next load assignment and hit the road.

Awesome post Old School, point well made. Glad it all worked out in your favor. What was the project, if you know? Thanks

Hey old school. Great advice. That was the very first lesdon my trainer taught me in Ft. Smith Ar. I use it anytime I can. With these refers its more difficult to get taken early. I was actually chewed out a couple weeks ago for getting a drop there too early. I just smiled and said ok. And your damn right it will happen again given the same circumstances. I keep food on the truck and sleep at any receiver that allows it. Hopefully the load notes will state if the location has overnight parking. If not I will use google earth to take a peak at the layout . Sometimes you just have to make an educated guess. I'm fixen to pickup in a couple hours and the cons has a huge parking area complete with trash cans and clean porta potties. I'll push in this evening and like you in the morning I will idle into my door and leave with a fresh clock.

Awesome advise!!!! Wine Taster and I were talking about this just the other night!

Just one more reason I love this site!!!!!!

Tarren

I try to do the same thing as old school. Tends to be a bit harder got us refer guys though.. I am sitting at my receivers parking lot about 13 hours before my appt. Time. All I have to do now is take my receivers 10 hour break. And when I wake up just walk my bills to the guard shack and get a door assignment. Won't have to start my clock til I get my next load assignment and hit the road.

how does that work??? how does our clock not use the extra 3 hours??? is it because you are at your destination??? (sorry for the noob question)

Are you saying that the other drivers were also scheduled for tuesday, and finally they got the idea (or made the call to the customer) to haul it there ASAP on monday?

Great story btw! You're a good writer. I love the pics.

Old School there you go again, out foxing the fox.

The good part about flatbedding is that you get unloaded and usually loaded quickly. The bad thing is when you need a crane. As they are so expensive, they have tight time lines.