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Kmbuell
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 10:57 pm: | 
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Premium remains the same but it’s deducted from your payment. Now I need to send a check every quarter. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 05:37 am: |
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Oh great! I'm getting the rookie treatment again! Son of a.....
When I first got my authority last year I got dropped by dispatchers load after load because I was a nubie to having the authority. Once I got the first job it picked up.
Then on my first category 1 inspection I got busted in a NC scale house for an error in my log book. An obvious noted and signed you cannot erase things error. It was from four days back in the book. One line went 5/16 of an inch too far.
The officer spent an hour going over the truck finding no problems, then went through all of my safety stuff etc for over an hour. Then he came back with that. An error that if elogged would not have been there.....
He made me get out of the seat for 10 hours and fined me $200.
Then I sold that truck. So I shut down my authority for almost a year while not having a truck. I reinstated it this month. His little prick opinion about that mark, and I argued it a little, now came to haunt me.
I could no longer get a class A insurance company. That cost me almost $6000 to start up this deal with this tractor. And now...Im getting turned down for load after load. The load board guys see my score and the phone goes dead.
I ran hotshot for a couple of years under another company, I pulled over size loads for another company, I pulled doubles for FedEx, I've owned my truck repair shop for 28 years and have held a class A CDL with no violations for over 20 years.
Two weeks of $100 a day insurance and not one load.
No wonder these prick cops in scale houses have a bad reputation. I'd heard the first category 1 inspection if done in NC and a few other states would not let a 100 percent score go. So he found a little, properly marked and corrected error four days back because there was no problem anywhere else.
Until he shut the hood on my truck. He had climbed up on the engine. Kicking the right front turn signal wire plug loose. Idiot told me it was working when I came in. I wiggled the plug and it was fine. Got a warning on that!
So instead of being out on the road making a living, I have time to write this. I know to the dispatchers it looks like I started my business two weeks ago, somehow with a negative score. Doh! But this shit is expensive. And it timed into the slowest time of year, but damnit!
Three more weeks and no work for the truck will put me out of this business. I was burning about $100 a day since I committed to this back in September and added another $100 a day since I turned on the insurance. This truck IS my source of income since I committed to doing this.
On top of the daily expenses, not counting what I paid for the truck and repairs,and maintenance the PO did not do, and having no truck payment, the taxes and legal stuff, and insurance down payment cost over $8,000. Nothing is refundable and will incur payments into the future for contracts on insurances and truck coverages.
If I get to where I miss the first insurance payment everything shuts down instantly. I hate when the load board guys put that rookie smug attitude on me. I'll give them this though....it is my first owned full size road tractor. I did zigzag this country in my hotshot truck with my 38 step deck and did well. But did not have a sleeper. So I figured I'd move up.
Number 5 is coming into jeopardy at this moment. I've been pushing hard, on load boards all day and night. Got some stuff hanging, but when the ball is in their court they don't even give a call back to say no....just crickets...
It's 5:30 am. Back to the load boards.... |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 06:20 am: |
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I've got one restriction I've imposed on my first couple of loads. I want to stay within 400 miles of Knoxville. I've not run but 100 miles of local bobtail testing. But until you hook onto 40,000 lbs you just don't know how it's going to do. Sure would hate to find a problem 2000 miles away from my shop. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 08:59 am: |
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There is a second restriction amendment to the first. I cannot go out to live on the road at this time. I can do overnight runs but need to be home every other day at this time. So I am limited to 500 to 600 mile out limits. |
Garyz28
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 11:49 am: |
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I'm hopping to retire before summer of next year. Right now I need to hang onto my insurance until cancer treatment is over. |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 12:06 pm: |
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Unfortunately Vern, you're a very small cold water fish in an extremely large body of hot water.
Anybody who runs your numbers sees this a 100% Out of Service with one driver and no other history of note. Your MCS-150 shows 10,000 miles for 2018
That's a tough row to hoe, and you may want to consider getting new authority under a different business name.
My safety department would automatically exclude you from consideration with these numbers.
What authority were you using with your gooseneck trailer? |
Buellish
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 04:08 pm: |
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Vern,you have too many problems!
All the while dating someone else's girl friends to save time." Vern,your killin' me!
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Etennuly
| | Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 08:03 am: |
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I know this is an issue. I thought about doing a new authority new name. Difficult and expensive to change with on going shop business. Dual accounting another problem.
I drove under Mason Dixon a few years back. And as part of my non trucking truck repair business I was not required to have an authority to transport to and from my shop unladen vehicles.
Being in business 28 years repairing trucks is funny in that I have more experience than most truckers and it doesn't count. Often I got paid to move them about, but they were covered under someone else's ownership. One particular year a new truck customer had us do new installation paint work on nearly 650 new units. Most days we did 5 a day. I drove the majority of them 7 miles 1 way from and to the factory.
But then I've driven and operated hundreds of boom trucks, excavators, dozens, backhoe, fork lifts, dump trucks, box trucks all kinds of trailers, front loaders, trenchers, even a big drag line crane. All unladen in for repairs. Many I had to get certified on before running them. Each piece I did paint work on required enough skill and safety training to run them through their full range of motion.
Drag line 200 foot boom sections could be laid down on rests to paint, but had to be moved around and re assembled to move for such. The same for the others.
I had to learn how to over ride anti two blocks to fully extend 100 foot boom cranes to get the paint to the base. Then get it to telescope in and reset the drive cables. Then I'd hang the jib for painting and then the stinger. Had to learn it all. Did that for a few years when a 40,000 lb counter weight came in. I has to help unload it. Had to be done with two men on two heavy Boom trucks at maximum stance operated in tandom.
A managing safety operator came in and got me certified. He got the cert by fax. I never got a copy. Somewhere there is a drawer with a bunch of certifications in it. First time I ran a crane under a load other than the weight of itself.
They got me certified to operate track cranes and giant excavators. I never operated them under load, but had to make them do thing operators did not do to get paint where the sun don't shine.
Large long reach man lifts were my least favored to do. When painting the boom extensions on them the only way to access the last four feet of boom is to run it straight up. Somewhere in an old computer I have pictures of me 60 feet up in one man lift sanding and painting one boom where I had to wrap my arm around the boom to hold it from pushing away while I sanded it with a DA. What a treat. Get them both bouncing and you could get hurt!
Working for used truck dealers I have driven nearly every piece of junk tractor on the road as well as a long list of new ones in for color changes.
I always have hated shifting cab overs and one of the smoothest easiest most powerful trucks I did was an older Pete long nose tractor. Never felt what pulling torque was until that one. Locomotive like.
You are right Matt. My authority showed THAT 10,000 miles for last year. But I likely drove other trucks 60,000. Preceding years I did well into the 80,000 miles range driving mostly new rental box trucks for repairs in my shop. I've done quite a few stints as fill in driver for friends in need, none of this stuff shows up in that little bullshit report you get to see. The narrow scope of my oh my god authority.
Maybe I have a history in business I don't want to toss aside. Maybe 50 years of working and 28 years of self employment after breaking my back gives me the right to fight snot nosed never rode anything yet dispatchers (not you Matt)who can only see this little dot you are privy to by looking at my authority record. I'll bet my owning and using a couple of 36 foot gooseneck trailers for 20 years isn't there, and my ownership of 5500 series trucks. Because a 1 ton is a toy. Several times I've loaded 10,000 of gravel on my truck to pull a dead tri axle dump truck into the shop.
I got a load today. Hooked up and half way.
I explained this to the kid who got me hooked up today. He said he is so tired of "experienced drivers" coming in who don't even know how to slide their hitch back to haul short trailers. Now that was funny. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 08:23 am: |
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Took my CDL tanker test Monday. Was going to study for it but was too busy. Walked in cold figured what the hell, I'm here.
The tester called me up after to get my license. He said you studied well, you're the first in a while to get a perfect score.
I've never even pulled a tanker. When I was a kid I welded hinges on manhole covers for them. And welded operator valve handles.
My point is....all of this shit is so close to meaningless. Maybe I've been independent too long. I've fired myself before.
I've jumped through all of the hoops$ thrown at me.
My new buddy just called. Trying to link some loads back.
(Message edited by Etennuly on December 19, 2019) |
Ourdee
| | Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 10:17 am: |
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Prayin' for Vern. |
86129squids
| | Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 02:09 pm: |
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"Took my CDL tanker test Monday. Was going to study for it but was too busy. Walked in cold figured what the hell, I'm here.
The tester called me up after to get my license. He said you studied well, you're the first in a while to get a perfect score."
That's my buddy! I'd not expect any less from you, Vern. Good luck, keep on truckin' my friend. |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 06:56 pm: |
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Actually I can see every detail of your inspection, and I'm not a dispatcher so no offense taken.
So it's really not just a dot at all, and it's the insurance companies that determine which carriers we can give loads to.
There's always a broker out there who will give you a load, just a bit more slim pickings until your rating comes up, which should level out for you next Novemberish.
Glad that hear you're getting some work. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 10:03 pm: |
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Thanks Matthew. I know how this works. It is a fairly expensive game, even with an owned truck that carries its own limitations. As you know, when you are not moving the $ meter is still moving. A newer truck with a younger driver gets better freight, but comes with that bigger$ meter. If I had truck payments I'd be quite tense.....Id have to be.
It is just a matter of digging in and pushing back. No different than any business practice. This thing I've found for now has turned into half of a lane opening.
If I can connect the dots for a proper return trip in the next few weeks, I will be pulling off what looks to be a nice southern lane like I have been looking for. 50% chance of home every night and weekends off. Without signing on to a big company, staying independent. My current preference due to my age and physical restrictions that keep me on the outer edges of a young man's game.
I had a great job for a while, but I just could not physically keep swapping four sets of doubles with 350 miles of driving every night. I laughed about it one night in a restaurant talking with some younger local drivers. Without telling them what job I had left, it worked out that they both had tried that very same job and left in less time than I did!
They made me feel better about my situation. I'm 62 with parts falling off, they were both in their early thirties. When they should be getting it on.
Oh well. It is what you make of it. |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 11:30 pm: |
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It definitely is what you make of it.
That FedEx double-shuffle is brutal. I have known a lot of guys who left working for me to do that because the pay is actually pretty good. BUT... they all came back.
Drop and hook is hard ass work, even when the doubles are already joined and pointing the right way. Especially when it's cold outside, and whoever dropped the set before you barely cranked the gear down - then the yard dog who doesn't care how high or low the trailer is - puts it back the same way, with a shitload of weight in it...
Yeah, not my cup of tea either. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Friday, December 20, 2019 - 01:03 am: |
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Already hooked doubles? Never happened! Not that I saw. Money was good.
Here is how my doubles went.
Inspect truck, find dolly. Check it over. Hop in truck back to dolly. Hop out hook up.Hop in truck.
Take dolly to trailer #2, back up just short
Hop out of truck unhook dolly. Hop in truck
Find and hop out to hook trailer #1.
Hop in truck take #1 to dolly
Hop out to hook dolly on pintle hook
Hop in truck back dolly under#2
Hop out complete hook up do inspection
Hop in truck drive to terminal
Hop out of truck do paper
Hop in truck do log stuff and go.
Each lift and hook of the dolly is about 70 lbs if it is sitting level. The dolly weigh about 1000 lbs. Fairly balanced with air brakes that you release after you lift the tongue.
Drive 150 miles at night do round 2, drive 30 miles for round 3, then 150 miles for round 4, then 20 miles back to terminal to unhook everything. Oh! Forgot Hoping in and out for refueling between 2 and 3!
Nice 12 hour day. That is a lot of hopping. I used a lot of leg cramp spray and body ache aspirin powders.
I was there a few weeks with days off in between. My attempt on a third day in a row I picked up a dolly to hook up #1 and it was on a slight down hill, I missed the pintle lift by an inch, with my legs in front of me trying to not get run over it pushed me right under the trailer.
Then there is the hurry up issue. Last time out I had to wait an hour for a load out. On the third hook they were a half hour late on a load out
They track everything. I stopped to pee at a rest area, closed my eyes for 15 minutes having no break thus far.
Got to home terminal and caught hell for taking that mandated dot break because I was 20 minutes late.
Oh well. I recall telling the guy about the scolding.... I'm 62, I just don't care. Tomorrow will come and perhaps your trailers will be loaded on time.
Looks like 13 hops in and out of the cab, and that is all of the way in to release brakes and shift the automatic trans. For 1 set of hooking up. 8 more hops in and out to get unhooked and ready to start the hook up to go. If everything goes well. Every now and again things would go square causing more hopping.
Wholly crap 21 times in and out with six dolly lifts for one load and drop set! So four times is 84 and about 4 in and4 out for other stuff between 84 and 92 times climbing in and out.
Thats why I left. Limping away. |
86129squids
| | Posted on Friday, December 20, 2019 - 01:47 am: |
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Work's a b^eatch. I have high respect for my buds who giterduuun. Trying my best not to react to kids... hoping to maybe show them how it's done. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Sunday, December 22, 2019 - 10:50 am: |
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First trip was a success in that the truck is proving out pretty well.
Bad time of year to start at the holiday season. People handling loads on all sides, go home early and don't care about work for a couple of weeks.
As expected I had to bob tail half the trip. Not a big deal when testing out a first round on a used truck. My used truck! With any tractor until you've hooked onto a load and run 400 miles or so you don't know shit about it.
Quite pleased with the Cat power. 475 hp, 1100 ft lb torque. Kinda feels like an up sizes Uly.   |
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