Layed Over...

So my third week on OTR and a pattern has begun to form... My first load took 22hrs to get...sat at a QT in Iowa, second load sat at shipper 18hrs waiting on load, third load sat at shipper 24hrs, 4th load st at drop 8hrs before being told to move up 200mls to another city(this worked out cause I took a 34 at the house), fifth load arrived at drop 26hrs early dispatch left me hangin again notified them of early drop at 10 am and had Bol turned in by 1015. Now they leave at 3 pm its 3:45 now and no response....😞😞

Tell me fellas/gals WTF Did I mess up? Am I too early? Or should I be givng them an early eta notification when I preplan.....I been hesitant on this cause I didn't want to get stuck somewhere by some unforeseen event.....I been seeing a lot of major accidents and road work that has been slowing traffic to a crawl fortunately all in the other direction....

First of all to clarify for those who don't know:

ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival
PTA - Potential Time of Availability (for the next dispatch)

See, this is the kind of thing everyone deals with in the beginning. You have to figure out how your company does things in the offices. Now you mentioned that you haven't been setting a PTA. That's normally critical for the load planners. Giving them an ETA to the consignee lets everyone know when you'll arrive but says nothing about when you'll be available. You might arrive at 1:00 pm but you know you'll have to take a 10 hour break before you're available so your PTA would be 11:00 pm.

Start putting in PTA's for like an hour or two after your arrival time if you'll be available to drive right away. If anything happens along the way to change your schedule then update both the ETA and PTA. And don't worry, the reason they call it "Potential" Time of Availability is because they realize there are a lot of factors that go into exactly when you'll be available. So they're looking for a decent estimate, not an exact number down to the minute.

Give that a shot. Also speak with your dispatcher and find out how loads are assigned. Let your dispatcher know you've spoken with other drivers and you know the freight is available but you're not sure what you're doing wrong. Heck, maybe it's not you at all. Who knows at this point? But you certainly don't want to accuse them of doing anything wrong as a brand new driver, ya know what I mean. So play it cool.

No contest here for that.

All seriousness aside, here's some general "rules of thumb" for PTA numbers:
* drop the trailer, hook up a loaded one: 30 minutes
* live unload or live load: 2 hours
* once you are familiar with some stops, and you know there's a terrible wait to get in, you might add several hours just for that.
* 30 minute break, 10 hour break, 34 hour reset: goes without saying. But add in some time for going from the receiver to a truck stop, as needed.
* fuel stop (mostly happens with an ETA since you are on the road) round to the next 1/4 hour. It takes about 15-20 minutes to refuel & clean the windshield & potty break. (Note: restroom time should be marked on your log as OFF DUTY. Make your own joke.)

Do you get a "suggested" plan? Read that for information - required breaks, fuel stops. You do not need to stick with those times, though. "Drive 18 minutes until 11 hours is exhausted." -- yeah, right!

(this is from Swift, yours may be different) Your dispatch may include a suggested PTA. It's a place to start if you have no idea. You can always update your ETA/PTA via Qualcomm.

Paul, I think you have several things working against you here.

First off you said your dispatcher went on vacation.

Second thing is you've got somebody trying to take care of their drivers and your dispatchers drivers.

Third is that you are new to the company.

Any time you start a new truck driving job it is going to take them a little while to kind of get to know what you are capable of doing. You've been showing them that you can get there early and get unloaded - that's really good - keep it up. When you get your regular dispatcher back send them some very polite, professional messages letting them know that you are experiencing too much sitting and waiting. Ask them if they could help you out on this situation. Keep it light, don't come off as a whiner, and I think you will start seeing a difference shortly. Trust me they want you moving better than you are now.

WOW, what company do you work for?

When you do your eta... calculate the miles ..... divide by 52 mph and that should help you get closer to your PTA for your next load...

and if that still continues... Id be chewing some a$$ or looking for a new company..

are they paying you lay-over?

I'm at Jacobson transport/xpo logistics And from what I understood from orientation layover is only payed after given eta date and time not if I'm early....I been trying to show my DM that I can run early and not late in the hope that pre loads will come my way but all I see is the inside of my truck and truck stops...😒😒😒

When you do your eta... calculate the miles ..... divide by 52 mph and that should help you get closer to your PTA for your next load...

and if that still continues... Id be chewing some a$$ or looking for a new company..

are they paying you lay-over?

Sorry PTA? Don't mean to be a nub...what's the acronym mean?

I just started with these guys and would hate to leave already only been 3 weeks. In their defense my dispatcher went on vacation four days into my first week....been dealing with her temp/driver/dispatcher fella....😔😔

In order to avoid all that waiting around I got myself driving on a dedicated route. I honestly cannot remember the last time I had to wait on any shipper or receiver for more than 15 minutes.

If any of my receivers are not ready to unload in five minutes then I am either on the phone or making my way to go find a manager to fix the problem.

A loaded trailer is always waiting for me to pickup when I get back to the yard.

Being from New Braunfels you are in the perfect place to find a nice dedicated route going out of San Antonio or Austin.

Projected time of availibility = pta

Projected time of availibility = pta

Your PTA is the most important number you control for day-to-day driving. When are you ready for your next load?

You have the ETA to your delivery. How long before you can leave with an empty trailer? Now add in, if you need to, your 30 minute break, or your 10 hour break, etc.

Suppose you expect to get to the Walmart DC at 1700. Half an hour later you'll have an empty (That's 1730). But it's time to stop for the day (you need 10 hours) 1730 + 10h = 2730. Adjust for the next day = 0330. Add travel time to the local truck stop (30 minutes) So your ETA would be 1700 and your PTA would be (next day) 0400.

I said this is the number you control. If you want to (be lazy at 0400) pad some extra sleep time to say your PTA is (next day) 0630. I'd put in the 0400 so I could be driving again ASAP.

Thnx for all the replies yall😆😆

To clear some things up and maybe add a new twist....I'm a HONfurniture dedicated OTR driver at least that was what I was told when I met my dispatcher

Now I have no clue who my DM or FM is and the driver that im in most contact with from orientation claims he is busy as hell and is constantly given preloads and is running on recap hrs since the first week....he is on another route than I am....

In all honesty I have not provided disp. with a PTA, ever....I've only given updated ETA's when I've been way early of the delivery date and time.... I'm on my 6th round of 20+ hrs of waiting for a new load....👿👿👿