The past few months have gone by rather smooth. Thanks in no small part to a good Dispatcher and Planning Team. There have not been any incidents, disasters, or problems over the past few months. With only two notable exceptions.
A 4-wheeler called Crete Safety to file a complaint against me. It took little more effort on my part than sending in my Dashcam footage of the incident to get the complaint dismissed. I have the option to press charges against the other driver right now. Because of what's on the Dashcam footage. Ironically that would not have been possible had he not left his contact details with Crete's Safety Department. Not gonna -- just saying.
The other thing is, I've been having significant difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep. It doesn't have anything to do with Sleep Apnea. More has to do with the Winter temperatures. And also I can't keep my mind off the Video Games coming out next year. Grand Theft Auto V for the PC and Tom Clancy's The Division. I'm also getting pretty stoked about buying a Bushmaster ACR-SD with my tax refunds soon.
So anyways, let's get down to business...
MY DASHBOARD MOUNTED CAMERA
"Training and Documentation make for the best Lawyer Repellent."
-Dave Davies, one of my firearm instructors
Folks keep asking me about what Dashboard Mounted Camera ('Dashcam') I use. I have been planning on writing a dedicated Blog about Training and Documentation (aka 'Lawyer Repellent'). And/or a YouTube video. But, I just haven't gotten around to it.
I use KCI Communication's SBX-1100.
I looked into buying a Dashcam 3 years ago after several near-misses and accidents (not involving me). Then one day in Nashville, TN. I came close to rear-ending a 4-Wheeler that was weaving in-and-out of lanes. He got in front of me and slammed on his breaks to make room for his next lane change. And then he nearly got rear-ended again by another truck in the next lane.
After the Nashville incident I told myself 'Okay - this shit is insane! I AM getting a Dashcam on my next Hometime.' I whipped out my laptop that night and started doing my research. There were not as many Dashcams in 2010 as there are now. So the decision to buy the SBX-1100 3 years ago would not necessarily be same decision I would make today.
It's important to write about my must-haves. So you all can hopefully duplicate my decisions when you go shopping for your own Dashcam. But, before you start reading this stuff just remember -- if all you can afford is a cheap cheesy $100 Dashcam from a truck stop DO IT! And get a better Dashcam later. I care about you guys and gals! So here goes:
Small Footprint and Adhesive Mount: I need my Dashcam to be as small and unobtrusive as possible. Every little square inch on the windshield is at a premium. Also, I'd stay away from any Dashcam that uses suction cups for the mount. As the they can break loose really easy in an accident. Find something that uses adhesive to mount to the windshield.
Wide-Angle Lens: The SBX-1100 had an option to order it with a regular 90° Lens (good for recording license plates) or a wide-angle 120° Lens for recording the 'Big Picture.' The way I see things, after an accident everybody is already going to know who was involved. So it's better to record the Bigger Picture of what happened. As opposed to recording the License Plates in the few hit-and-runs that ever happen.
GPS: Having a Dashcam with GPS Video Recording is critical. GPS gives you a Location, Time and Date stamp on the recording. And a lot of the software packages that come with today's GPS Dashcams use Google Earth. So you can watch the video playback and Google Earth side-by-side. As a byproduct of GPS recording, you also get speed and direction indicators.
Removable Memory Card: I have not found any Dashcams without a removable memory card. But, I still need to mention it just in case there are any. In any accident - involved or not - the investigators have the right to seize the video footage from your camera. So make sure it has a removable memory card. And that you have a spare card.
Most of what you'll find online and at the truck stops are single camera systems. But there are 3-camera systems where 2 more cameras are mounted near the fenders of your vehicle. Recording backwards down the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle. As well as 2- and 4-camera systems with an additional camera pointing at the driver with sound and video.
Having a camera pointing at you recording sound and video can be a very good thing. But can also be a very bad thing (see next section). If you get into risky driving circumstances because of bad weather conditions or aggressive drivers, you can start doing Narrative Driving. That's where you start talking and explaining what you're seeing, doing, and why you're making the driving decisions you make. Accident investigators love that. But, the Attorney(s) trying to sue you hate it - especially when all your driving decisions are good ones ;)
REMOTE DASHCAM VIEWING by EMPLOYERS
Like most of you who drive long-haul, I enjoy this profession because of the unparallelled since of freedom. Not having a boss looking over your shoulder; Essentially being our own boss. And having to be self-reliant for so many things. And I plan on retiring from this profession when I hit 'that age,' because of these things.
I'm obliviously a strong advocate for having Dashcams in our trucks. And I would think that any Truck Driver working hard to maintain a CSA-100 score on their Commercial Driver's License would want Video Documentation of their day. (Lawyer Repellent!) And I would think any of our Employers or Clients would appreciate that.
But, something is really bothering me. I've heard from 2 Truck Drivers now - one in my Orientation Class with Crete - about a camera system that allows an employer to log in and watch you via a remote connection. And those employers are harassing their drivers for such things as fiddling with their radio or GPS. Drinking their coffee. Even calling them up and criticizing them for their driving. It should not be of any surprise that those drivers are no longer working for those companies. I applaud the both of you!
For me, all it would take is one phone call or Qualcomm message harassing me about something my employer sees on the Remote Dashcam. Then I'd be stopping at the next nearest Safe Haven, whipping out my laptop, and filling out applications. There's a huge amount of competition by the top Safety-Rated Companies for the top Safety-Rated Drivers. And as CSA-100 committed drivers, we don't have to put up with that crap for any length of time.
There are also some pretty serious Constitutional issues about an employer having involuntary Remote Dashcams recording any part of the Sleeper Berth. The Court and/or Congress is - sooner or later - going to need to take a close look at this practice.
My message to the companies running these remote cameras: I'm going to be poaching your best drivers, and bringing them over to my company. Or at least talking them into leaving yours. Shame on you for treating drivers like that!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Minor Parking Lot Accident
"If you can make it past the first 6 months solo, you know you can make it as a truck driver." -Jim Hawk, one of my instructors.
[Harrisonburg Travel Center]
I remember my first 6 months of driving a truck solo was the most stressful. Learning to shift, following the fuel route, learning to back, the overnight parking nightmare, etc.. The most stressful was backing into a client's dock with a bunch of gluey-eyed drivers watching me. All of us went through that. And we all have a lot of empathy when we see a new Driver learning to back.
This guy missed his setup to do a straight back. So he did a U-Turn to go right into the hole. But he missed that too. When he backed out to correct, he hit my mirror. The Kenworth he was driving is not an easy truck to start his career with. Tiny mirrors. Long wheelbase. Lots of blind spots.
He got out of his truck to apologize and asked if he could just give me some money. He was probably thinking about all the dough he just spent on Truck School. And worried about his employment."This is just a minor parking lot accident. The procedure is for us to exchange information, take photos, and then we go are separate ways," I told him. It took all of 5 seconds thinking about that to be at ease. I figured it was his first accident and he had no idea what to do. And that's how it went down.
It took me a week to get to a company shop to get it fixed. I didn't know that the mirror pops right off. You grasp it on the top corners with both hands, then pull down and towards you to get it to pop off. It does take quite a bit of pressure though. The parts counter guy at Kansas City showed me how to do it and gave me a replacement mirror.
I realized a few days ago that Crete's Accident Reporting Kit is missing an Accident Exoneration Card. It you get into an accident with another driver - and the accident is not your fault - you should ask the other driver to fill out this card. By filling out the card the other driver accepts responsibility for hitting you. And releases you from liability.
The Accident Exoneration Card should look something like this:
EXONERATION CARD
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I hereby exonerate and free from all negligence or blame driver and his employer in connection with an accident involving the undersigned which occurred at _______ on this date __________.
Location-
Name-
Signature-
Date-
Address-
Witnessed By
Signature-
Date-
[SOURCE: http://www.jjkeller.com/wcsstore/CVCatalogAssetStore/samples/forms/033-F.pdf]
If you don't have one of these you can print this out right now. If you don't have access to a printer you can write it out right now on a blank piece of paper. It will have the same legal weight if it's typed or hand written. You don't need to be a truck driver to have one. So print one out and put one in your car too.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
2014 Crete Carrier Corp International Prostar+
I turned in my Freightliner Cascadia at Crete's Marietta Yard. The Marietta Staff told me I was assigned to a 2014 International Prostar. Just like the Cascadia, the Prostar is a pretty fantastic truck to live in and work with.
This is the 8th truck I've moved into over the past 4 years of driving. After Werner moved me to a 2011 Kenworth T660 I stopped unpacking my bags and went into this 'Refugee-mode.' It's been very stressful living in so many different trucks. Am I a transient?... Fuck no! But, I'm starting to know how they feel.
I know I'm going to have this truck for the next 4 to 5 years (that's when Crete cycles it out and sells it), but, breaking out of this refugee mindset is not something I'm finding easy. Right now my cloths are on the shelves. But, I still have everything else packed away in luggage bags. I've also been using a Sleeping Bag ever since I started this career. I'm thinking the next time I get to the Iowa 80 I would very much like to get some proper bedding and blankets. Then maybe I can start feeling 'at Home' a little more and get these bags unpacked.
The new hybrid Optimized Idle and No Idle Cooling/Heating system* is a much needed improvement to the Prostar. The No Idle Air Conditioner has not let me down yet. It keeps the sleeper cool and the engine kicks on when the batteries need a little help. The No Idle system is meant to be used with the sleeper curtains closed. So I've been looking to order a Bed Back Rest and a Laptop Cooling Pad, for when I'm on a 34-hour Reset or such.
I can see this No Idle technology being standardized in more fleets soon. It's a win/win situation for Fleet Owners and the Drivers running those company trucks. The Driver doesn't have to sweat or freeze in the sleeper anymore. And the Fleet Owner will see a reduced idle fuel costs. And less overturn. It would probably be a good thing for the Owner Operator looking trucks over to consider it too.
The MaxxForce 13 engine uses a shifting and operating range of 1000-1400 RPM in the flats. Which is something new I'm getting used to. I've been using an operating range of 1300-1800 RPM for engine breaking. With a target range of 1500 to 1700 RPM when I'm engine breaking down Mountain Passes. I'm one of those drivers who doesn't use service breaks going down Passes. So my practice has been to pick the maximum gear the engine break can handle at that target range, without using service breaks.
This is the first truck I've driven with a fixed 5th Wheel mount. My first two Crete trucks used a locked and pinned 5th wheel. I've pulled 3 (I think?) heavy loads since I've had it. With full fuel tanks my Steer Axle has not been over 11,800 lbs. And my Drive Axles have not been over 34,000. Because of the No Idle Heating and Cooling system on this truck, I also have a
*I've called it a 'Battery Pack Air Conditioner' in previous posts.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
First Year Anniversary with Crete Carrier
When I Published my first Blog post on December 9th last year, I was just experimenting. I had noticed it on my Google Dashboard so I checked it out. I wrote one paragraph, two, etc... Then clicked 'Publish' on a post about taking a month of Leave. I came back to the Blog in March of this year and was a little shocked that 10 people actually read that first post. So I wrote another one.
Today it was nice to get ready for another Blog post and see my views are just about to hit 400. Most of you are looking for information about Crete Carrier Corp, I would assume. My Blog is not about Crete. I'm just writing because I enjoy it. I drive for 45 days over-the-road and then I have 6 days Hometime (was 5 days). So naturally I write more about driving long-haul than other things.
Also, I have had two words of encouragement lately to continue my blogging. The first is a suggestion that I should write about some of the places I goto. For example, two years ago I took a load through the Grand Tetons in Wyoming -- people would like to see the photos and video from that. The second word of encouragement was from a driver just starting with Crete. He said there is a lack of information on the web about Crete from Drivers. And that my Blogs can help fill in the gaps. Thank you to both of you.
FIRST YEAR REVIEW
I went to my First Year Review at the Salt Lake City yard. It consisted of watching a Safety Video and a video about Bloodborn Pathogens. I also signed the updated Job Description. When I went in I was expecting a pep-talk and to go over my numbers (productivity, safety points, etc). This would have been nice because of how little contact I get with people in this career.
When I started with Swift Transportation I knew it was just an entry-level company. So I was figuring I'd put in one or two years with them. While at the same time scouting out other companies with the focus of retiring from one of them. I looked over the websites, forums, trucker magazines, etc. Crete came out as an early front-runner. And continued to be in my top spot as I went through my three years with Swift and Werner Enterpriess.
I left Swift to get away from an angry Driver Manager. Only to find myself getting an even angrier one with Werner. And the only reason I didn't go from Swift to Crete is because I didn't think I had enough experience. And I was also a little intimidated. Looking back now I'm seeing that it was a mistake. I should have just called Crete to see what they had to say. I would have gotten the job.
So far, so good with Crete. The only hurtles I see getting to my retirement with Crete is sweating to death in the sleeper berth (or freezing), something in life forcing to me to go local, or an angry dispatcher (hasn't happened yet). I'd like to see the company start ordering trucks with Auto-shift. And I'd like to see the company start offering drivers an incentive for staying CSA-100.
UPDATED RDO45 JOB DESCRIPTION
On March 1st Crete made a couple of changes to the National (NAT) Job Description. The first is Pay Increases. You get a $0.01 raise if you drive 119,000 paid practical route miles and there are no more than 12 Risk Points assessed to you. The miles are calculated from your date-of-hire anniversary. The other change is you get to use 6 days of accumulated Hometime, up from 5. You can have a recruiter fax or e-mail you a copy of the full job description. Call them at 800-998-2221.
NEW TRUCKS COMING TO CRETE
In March, I Blogged about the problems with the Battery Pack trucks. Navistar International has been working on a hybrid Battery Pack and Optimized Idle system to fix the problems. The dedicated no-idle batteries charge while the truck runs, as before. But, with the new system the Optimized Idle starts the engine when it senses the batteries are about to give out. I have heard from 3 Crete drivers that say they now have these trucks. The next time I'm at the Lincoln yard I will see if I can get the keys to one of them. And I'll post some photos and a short review.
AUTOMATED MESSAGE ABOUT CALIFORNIA LOADS
A big 'Thank you' goes out to Crete's Information Systems for putting an automated message about scaling California Loads. For Crete Drivers who have not seen it yet, you will now get an automated message whenever you have a load going to/through California. It will ask you to have your rear Trailer Tandem axle set no further back than 40' from the kingpin before you scale.
What I would like to see next is for you folks in I.S. to program a message for all restrictive States. Based on the Suggested Route, the system needs to determine the State with the most restrictive kingpin law that the load is going through. A message needs to be generated and sent along with the Load Assignment informing the driver about the restriction.
GETTING TRAFFIC ON RAND McNALLY TRUCK GPS
For those of you who have a Rand McNally TND 720 or 520, you will want to know about this. Last week I received a message that I can upgrade my TND 720 to receive Traffic via Wifi. I already have the FM radio Traffic Receiver, but, getting traffic via WiFi will give me the whole country. As opposed to just the major cities. It's a 20 buck-a-year subscription. I took the offer.
Okay. First problem. After you pay for your subscription and use the unlock code, you get a notice that you have to download the latest map. And it's a 4 gigabyte download. I don't have to tell you that there's not a whole lotta places on the road where you can download that much data. I have a 4G prepaid connection. But, it's 90 dollars for 10 GBs or 1 month. After 2 days of thinking about it I just said 'Fuck it' and downloaded it.
Oh boy. Second problem. A lot of the menus are buggy and unfinished. Some of the menu buttons are overlapping. I feel like I'm testing beta software. And when I had the traffic data coming through the WiFi in Denver, it turned the GPS into a slug. And with both traffic and weather overlayed on the map, the GPS was a brick.
You all might wanna hold off any upgrades until Rand McNally gets the bugs fixed. I will post an update when they get things working a little better.
I LOST MY MEMORY
And in one final bit of news, the 32 GB memory card I had in my Dashcam finally bit the dust. I've had it running in there 24/7/365 for 2 years, 1 month. With temperatures ranging from -17 F to 145 F inside the truck. I'm impressed it lasted that long. It recorded several accidents and near misses. And recorded 3 trucks hitting mine in the middle of the night, including 1 hit-and-run. And No, they didn't all hit me on the same night. But, I have a feeling that they all may have conspired.
Today it was nice to get ready for another Blog post and see my views are just about to hit 400. Most of you are looking for information about Crete Carrier Corp, I would assume. My Blog is not about Crete. I'm just writing because I enjoy it. I drive for 45 days over-the-road and then I have 6 days Hometime (was 5 days). So naturally I write more about driving long-haul than other things.
Also, I have had two words of encouragement lately to continue my blogging. The first is a suggestion that I should write about some of the places I goto. For example, two years ago I took a load through the Grand Tetons in Wyoming -- people would like to see the photos and video from that. The second word of encouragement was from a driver just starting with Crete. He said there is a lack of information on the web about Crete from Drivers. And that my Blogs can help fill in the gaps. Thank you to both of you.
FIRST YEAR REVIEW
I went to my First Year Review at the Salt Lake City yard. It consisted of watching a Safety Video and a video about Bloodborn Pathogens. I also signed the updated Job Description. When I went in I was expecting a pep-talk and to go over my numbers (productivity, safety points, etc). This would have been nice because of how little contact I get with people in this career.
When I started with Swift Transportation I knew it was just an entry-level company. So I was figuring I'd put in one or two years with them. While at the same time scouting out other companies with the focus of retiring from one of them. I looked over the websites, forums, trucker magazines, etc. Crete came out as an early front-runner. And continued to be in my top spot as I went through my three years with Swift and Werner Enterpriess.
I left Swift to get away from an angry Driver Manager. Only to find myself getting an even angrier one with Werner. And the only reason I didn't go from Swift to Crete is because I didn't think I had enough experience. And I was also a little intimidated. Looking back now I'm seeing that it was a mistake. I should have just called Crete to see what they had to say. I would have gotten the job.
So far, so good with Crete. The only hurtles I see getting to my retirement with Crete is sweating to death in the sleeper berth (or freezing), something in life forcing to me to go local, or an angry dispatcher (hasn't happened yet). I'd like to see the company start ordering trucks with Auto-shift. And I'd like to see the company start offering drivers an incentive for staying CSA-100.
UPDATED RDO45 JOB DESCRIPTION
On March 1st Crete made a couple of changes to the National (NAT) Job Description. The first is Pay Increases. You get a $0.01 raise if you drive 119,000 paid practical route miles and there are no more than 12 Risk Points assessed to you. The miles are calculated from your date-of-hire anniversary. The other change is you get to use 6 days of accumulated Hometime, up from 5. You can have a recruiter fax or e-mail you a copy of the full job description. Call them at 800-998-2221.
NEW TRUCKS COMING TO CRETE
In March, I Blogged about the problems with the Battery Pack trucks. Navistar International has been working on a hybrid Battery Pack and Optimized Idle system to fix the problems. The dedicated no-idle batteries charge while the truck runs, as before. But, with the new system the Optimized Idle starts the engine when it senses the batteries are about to give out. I have heard from 3 Crete drivers that say they now have these trucks. The next time I'm at the Lincoln yard I will see if I can get the keys to one of them. And I'll post some photos and a short review.
AUTOMATED MESSAGE ABOUT CALIFORNIA LOADS
A big 'Thank you' goes out to Crete's Information Systems for putting an automated message about scaling California Loads. For Crete Drivers who have not seen it yet, you will now get an automated message whenever you have a load going to/through California. It will ask you to have your rear Trailer Tandem axle set no further back than 40' from the kingpin before you scale.
What I would like to see next is for you folks in I.S. to program a message for all restrictive States. Based on the Suggested Route, the system needs to determine the State with the most restrictive kingpin law that the load is going through. A message needs to be generated and sent along with the Load Assignment informing the driver about the restriction.
GETTING TRAFFIC ON RAND McNALLY TRUCK GPS
For those of you who have a Rand McNally TND 720 or 520, you will want to know about this. Last week I received a message that I can upgrade my TND 720 to receive Traffic via Wifi. I already have the FM radio Traffic Receiver, but, getting traffic via WiFi will give me the whole country. As opposed to just the major cities. It's a 20 buck-a-year subscription. I took the offer.
Okay. First problem. After you pay for your subscription and use the unlock code, you get a notice that you have to download the latest map. And it's a 4 gigabyte download. I don't have to tell you that there's not a whole lotta places on the road where you can download that much data. I have a 4G prepaid connection. But, it's 90 dollars for 10 GBs or 1 month. After 2 days of thinking about it I just said 'Fuck it' and downloaded it.
Oh boy. Second problem. A lot of the menus are buggy and unfinished. Some of the menu buttons are overlapping. I feel like I'm testing beta software. And when I had the traffic data coming through the WiFi in Denver, it turned the GPS into a slug. And with both traffic and weather overlayed on the map, the GPS was a brick.
You all might wanna hold off any upgrades until Rand McNally gets the bugs fixed. I will post an update when they get things working a little better.
I LOST MY MEMORY
And in one final bit of news, the 32 GB memory card I had in my Dashcam finally bit the dust. I've had it running in there 24/7/365 for 2 years, 1 month. With temperatures ranging from -17 F to 145 F inside the truck. I'm impressed it lasted that long. It recorded several accidents and near misses. And recorded 3 trucks hitting mine in the middle of the night, including 1 hit-and-run. And No, they didn't all hit me on the same night. But, I have a feeling that they all may have conspired.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Bridge is too far to get to California
April 22, Salt Lake City. I just came out of the SLC shop again for my Air Conditioner leaking refrigerant. There were no empty trailers on the drop yard. And if you've ever pulled for the big drop-and-hook corporates, you know that if you don't have a trailer on a Sunday morning (loaded or empty), you pretty much aren't doing any miles until Monday. So without further adieu I whipped out my laptop and got on my Druid.
Later on that night around 6pm-ish I got a call that a driver 17 miles to my North was having power problems with his truck. I was asked to take his trailer the rest of the way to California. That way the driver can head to SLC to get repairs. The dispatch said it was very heavy (42,000 lbs). I headed that way...
I got to the area where the driver said to start looking for him. From the US-89N I could see him on the other side of the Highway. And I could see his trailer Tandems were about one or two feet back too far to be in compliance with California's bridge laws. As I drove down the road looking for a spot to make a U-Turn I started getting worried that the driver didn't scale the load correctly.
The tandems axles on a trailer can slide forward and backward to allow the driver to balance the weight. So that the weight is legal. And California requires the tandems be no further back than 40 feet from the trailer's Kingpin. It's what's called a 'Bridge Law.' And most States have one. The proper procedure for scaling a heavy load was to look up the State you're going through with the most restrictive Bridge Law. Then set the tandems back that far and scale it. If the tandems are over-weight you head back to the shipper and tell them to make it legal.
I pulled up to the other truck to get the Bill of Lading ('bills') and hook to his trailer. The other driver tried to hand me the scale ticket. I told him that I don't need it because I was gonna scale it back in Salt Lake City. He then said some encouraging words about how easy the load will be. And that told me everything I needed to know about how legal the weights were.
I pulled into the Loves truck stop in SLC. I pushed them tandems forward to the orange California-compliance mark under the trailer and then pulled up onto the scale. The scale showed the tandems were over-weight. 'How much are they over by,' you ask? The question is irrelevant. The position of Crete Carrier and the CSA-100 Drivers representing the company is that 34,000 lbs on the tandems is legal and safe to roll with. 34,001 lbs is not something that we pull. I took the trailer back to the local Crete yard and dropped it.
One of the messages I sent to dispatch the next morning was: "[...] I dropped the trailer at the SLC DY. I can't touch the trailer until it's California-compliant. The bills are in the bill-box. [...]." Janell pulled the load off of me. One of the really great things about driving for Crete is that your Fleet Manager will never pressure you to do something illegal.
Later on that night around 6pm-ish I got a call that a driver 17 miles to my North was having power problems with his truck. I was asked to take his trailer the rest of the way to California. That way the driver can head to SLC to get repairs. The dispatch said it was very heavy (42,000 lbs). I headed that way...
I got to the area where the driver said to start looking for him. From the US-89N I could see him on the other side of the Highway. And I could see his trailer Tandems were about one or two feet back too far to be in compliance with California's bridge laws. As I drove down the road looking for a spot to make a U-Turn I started getting worried that the driver didn't scale the load correctly.
The tandems axles on a trailer can slide forward and backward to allow the driver to balance the weight. So that the weight is legal. And California requires the tandems be no further back than 40 feet from the trailer's Kingpin. It's what's called a 'Bridge Law.' And most States have one. The proper procedure for scaling a heavy load was to look up the State you're going through with the most restrictive Bridge Law. Then set the tandems back that far and scale it. If the tandems are over-weight you head back to the shipper and tell them to make it legal.
I pulled up to the other truck to get the Bill of Lading ('bills') and hook to his trailer. The other driver tried to hand me the scale ticket. I told him that I don't need it because I was gonna scale it back in Salt Lake City. He then said some encouraging words about how easy the load will be. And that told me everything I needed to know about how legal the weights were.
I pulled into the Loves truck stop in SLC. I pushed them tandems forward to the orange California-compliance mark under the trailer and then pulled up onto the scale. The scale showed the tandems were over-weight. 'How much are they over by,' you ask? The question is irrelevant. The position of Crete Carrier and the CSA-100 Drivers representing the company is that 34,000 lbs on the tandems is legal and safe to roll with. 34,001 lbs is not something that we pull. I took the trailer back to the local Crete yard and dropped it.
One of the messages I sent to dispatch the next morning was: "[...] I dropped the trailer at the SLC DY. I can't touch the trailer until it's California-compliant. The bills are in the bill-box. [...]." Janell pulled the load off of me. One of the really great things about driving for Crete is that your Fleet Manager will never pressure you to do something illegal.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Temporally Dedicated... to Walmart
I just emptied out in Kansas City last Thursday when I got tapped to help out Walmart. Too many loads stacked up and not enough Walmart trucks to handle them. 15 trucks from Knight Transportation and Crete Carrier took up the residual loads at Walmart's St James Missouri D.C.
Walmart DC St James MO
Both Swift and Werner had offered me a position in one of their dedicated Walmart fleets. But, I turned them down because it required me to move. And also because I prefer the verity of running 48-State. It's good to get a sample of what I'd be doing.
Most of the loads I took were to a store. I dropped the loaded trailer in a dock and there was always an empty waiting for me. Then Dispatch would either send me back to the D.C. for another preloaded trailer, or they'd send me to a vender for a live load destined for the D.C. Some of the loads were from D.C. to D.C. I ran a couple of those to/from St James MO, Ottawa KS and Menomonie WI.
I have to say I liked running Walmart Dedicated a lot. Most of the Missouri Walmart stores were in the boonies. So I got to see some Missouri countryside I've never seen before. I was also always running into them Amish in their Horse-and-Buggies. I waved, they waved back. They're always so happy.
I was going to get some photos, but, we finished up the residual loads a day and a half early. That's good, right? Doh...
Walmart DC St James MO
Both Swift and Werner had offered me a position in one of their dedicated Walmart fleets. But, I turned them down because it required me to move. And also because I prefer the verity of running 48-State. It's good to get a sample of what I'd be doing.
Most of the loads I took were to a store. I dropped the loaded trailer in a dock and there was always an empty waiting for me. Then Dispatch would either send me back to the D.C. for another preloaded trailer, or they'd send me to a vender for a live load destined for the D.C. Some of the loads were from D.C. to D.C. I ran a couple of those to/from St James MO, Ottawa KS and Menomonie WI.
I have to say I liked running Walmart Dedicated a lot. Most of the Missouri Walmart stores were in the boonies. So I got to see some Missouri countryside I've never seen before. I was also always running into them Amish in their Horse-and-Buggies. I waved, they waved back. They're always so happy.
I was going to get some photos, but, we finished up the residual loads a day and a half early. That's good, right? Doh...
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Batteries down under the Summer Sun
I went back on the road January 7th after my leave-of-absents. It's supposed to be the annual freight drought truckers experience from January to March every year. But, you wouldn't know it by the miles I've been getting from Crete Carrier. They have been keeping me rolling really well. At this rate everybody in the RDO45 Division will easily make 60k this year.
BATTERY PACK
Before I went on leave I had an International Prostar with a "Battery Pack" air conditioner. It's a cab cooling system that runs on a separate set of 4 truck batteries. They recharge during driving. The idea is that the driver would run 10 hours for the day to recharge the batteries and then the system would keep the sleeper cool while the driver sleeps. Without idling the truck.
For me the system didn't work. When I was sleeping under the summer sun the batteries gave out after only about an hour. I had Crete's Acklie shop check out the system and replace all 4 batteries. Still the system wouldn't stay running for more than an hour under the summer sun. I idled the engine to get some cooling and recharge the batteries. Problem is Crete has an hour and a half shutdown timer on the truck idle. Then I had to wake up to click the battery system back on.
My solution was to whine, bitch, and complain to everybody at Crete who would listen. I asked repeatatly to get reassigned to a truck with Optimized Idle. And, I turned down every load that would force me to sleep under the summer sun. Citing the reason as 'not having any way to cool the sleeper during the day.' I'm sure that pissed off a lot of people - but that was kinda the idea.
Sleeping at night was also problematic. I started timing the end of my driving day to happen during sunset. But when I slept in Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis -- basically any place south of the 45th parallel -- the system shut off half way through the night. I often times woke up in a puddle of my own sweat. And then it was back to this hour and a half idle the truck bullshit. When the engine shutoff I had to turn the system back on or wake up in Teh Sweat Puddle again.
Of the joy of having to dry my sheets out...
2009 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA
When I came back from my leave-of-absents - to my delight - Janell assigned me a truck with a 2-stage Optimized Idle. And a diesel-burning bunk heater. Consequently this is exactly how I would spec-out my own truck if I bought one today.
Stage 1 only runs the engine to keep the batteries charged and the oil temperature above a company preset. I use stage 1 optimized idle when I'm on my laptop (like right now) and on nights when I expect the outside temperature to drop below 20 degrees. Stage 2 adds a temperature control panel to the sleeper that I set to run the engine and cool the sleeper on hot nights. Stage 2 will save quite a bit of money compared to running the engine all night long.
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
This is also the first truck I've driven with Adaptive Cruise Control. All of the trucks Crete Carrier are ordering have them. It's an add-on by Meritor that puts a radar antenna on the front bumper. A computer monitors the radar to scan for vehicles in the lane in front of me. If it detects a vehicle in front of me the computer will the adjust my set cruise control speed to follow the vehicle at 4 seconds following distance. It can also use both service and engine breaks to slow the vehicle if needed.
Drivers have talked to me about several problems and gripes about OnGuard. Pretty much all of them with one exception I've found to be baseless. The remaining problem is when the truck is going around a curve. If the system detects a vehicle or metal object - a faults positive - there is a potential that OnGuard will apply full service and engine breaks. This can put the truck in a Truck Jackknife or roll the truck.
Other than that one concern, OnGuard has been a dream to have on the road. It's made my driving through rush hour traffic effortless. And it take the stress out of getting behind one of those drivers that doesn't know how to keep a steady speed. You know the one? It's that jerk who goes up-and-down on the throttle all damn day. Driver, do you got a cruise control button in that broken-down rusted-out shit-box? Please use it.
MY NEXT TRUCK WISHLIST
2014 International Prostar+, 73" Skyrise Sleeper, Cummins ISX15, Eaton Fuller UltraShift PLUS 10, Meritor OnGuard, Optimized Idle, Bunk Heater...
BATTERY PACK
Before I went on leave I had an International Prostar with a "Battery Pack" air conditioner. It's a cab cooling system that runs on a separate set of 4 truck batteries. They recharge during driving. The idea is that the driver would run 10 hours for the day to recharge the batteries and then the system would keep the sleeper cool while the driver sleeps. Without idling the truck.
For me the system didn't work. When I was sleeping under the summer sun the batteries gave out after only about an hour. I had Crete's Acklie shop check out the system and replace all 4 batteries. Still the system wouldn't stay running for more than an hour under the summer sun. I idled the engine to get some cooling and recharge the batteries. Problem is Crete has an hour and a half shutdown timer on the truck idle. Then I had to wake up to click the battery system back on.
My solution was to whine, bitch, and complain to everybody at Crete who would listen. I asked repeatatly to get reassigned to a truck with Optimized Idle. And, I turned down every load that would force me to sleep under the summer sun. Citing the reason as 'not having any way to cool the sleeper during the day.' I'm sure that pissed off a lot of people - but that was kinda the idea.
Sleeping at night was also problematic. I started timing the end of my driving day to happen during sunset. But when I slept in Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis -- basically any place south of the 45th parallel -- the system shut off half way through the night. I often times woke up in a puddle of my own sweat. And then it was back to this hour and a half idle the truck bullshit. When the engine shutoff I had to turn the system back on or wake up in Teh Sweat Puddle again.
Of the joy of having to dry my sheets out...
2009 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA
When I came back from my leave-of-absents - to my delight - Janell assigned me a truck with a 2-stage Optimized Idle. And a diesel-burning bunk heater. Consequently this is exactly how I would spec-out my own truck if I bought one today.
Stage 1 only runs the engine to keep the batteries charged and the oil temperature above a company preset. I use stage 1 optimized idle when I'm on my laptop (like right now) and on nights when I expect the outside temperature to drop below 20 degrees. Stage 2 adds a temperature control panel to the sleeper that I set to run the engine and cool the sleeper on hot nights. Stage 2 will save quite a bit of money compared to running the engine all night long.
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
This is also the first truck I've driven with Adaptive Cruise Control. All of the trucks Crete Carrier are ordering have them. It's an add-on by Meritor that puts a radar antenna on the front bumper. A computer monitors the radar to scan for vehicles in the lane in front of me. If it detects a vehicle in front of me the computer will the adjust my set cruise control speed to follow the vehicle at 4 seconds following distance. It can also use both service and engine breaks to slow the vehicle if needed.
Drivers have talked to me about several problems and gripes about OnGuard. Pretty much all of them with one exception I've found to be baseless. The remaining problem is when the truck is going around a curve. If the system detects a vehicle or metal object - a faults positive - there is a potential that OnGuard will apply full service and engine breaks. This can put the truck in a Truck Jackknife or roll the truck.
Other than that one concern, OnGuard has been a dream to have on the road. It's made my driving through rush hour traffic effortless. And it take the stress out of getting behind one of those drivers that doesn't know how to keep a steady speed. You know the one? It's that jerk who goes up-and-down on the throttle all damn day. Driver, do you got a cruise control button in that broken-down rusted-out shit-box? Please use it.
MY NEXT TRUCK WISHLIST
2014 International Prostar+, 73" Skyrise Sleeper, Cummins ISX15, Eaton Fuller UltraShift PLUS 10, Meritor OnGuard, Optimized Idle, Bunk Heater...
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