18wheelsandwomen

4:30 am I am putting oil in the semi getting ready for my trip to Muskogee OK.  I go to a customer’s lot to see if there are any empty trailers I can take as they are closer than our lot.  No empty’s here as all are still sealed—doors shut and seal intact so I do go to our lot in Springdale AR.  My supervisor is also making this trip.  I unlock the gate and to to one end of the lot with my headlights on bright and aim the lights on a few trailers.  Now I get out with my flashlight and go to the rear of the trailers to see if any are empty.  Some have loads on them and are sealed.  Supervisor arrives and he looks too.  We find nothing so we both leave and head to 2 other customers for a empty trailer.  He finds one and the only empty trailer and I do not as this customer does not have them unloaded yet.  I go back to the office because our warehouse is now open and a trailer is being unloaded. So I just drove 26 miles for nothing. This is trucking for you.  

Finally at 6:15 I am on my way when I should have left at 5 as I am doing 2 trips today.  I arrive at the shipper and sign in and am told to put the trailer in dock 4 and take the one in dock 5.  I make the switch and report to the office all my load info and then I head back with the load.  I get on the turnpike and all is going great.  At mile marker 17 suddenly the semi went BLEWEY and POP and HISS.  Tire???  Nope. Can’t be as I’m having zero trouble driving.  Now there is a lot of “whistling” up front and I do have normal power in the motor.  I pull off onto the ramp at this mile marker with flashers going and come to a stop.  I do a walk around just to check the tires and all 18 are OK. I pop the hood and discover a clamp has broke and a hose to the turbo has come off.  In the middle is a rubber piece that is clamped onto the rest of the hose by clamps.  Right side is OK but not the left side.  I call my employer and tell them I need assistance and that one of our drivers should be about 30 minutes behind me and to call him so he can stop and assist.  I do not have a clamp or any tools and again I am not a mechanic.

While I wait, I get out the trucks owner manual and look thru it for more information.  I see by some of the pictures that I was right in reporting what the problem is. I move to the TROUBLESHOOTING  PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES.

1. STUDY THE PROBLEM THOROUGHLY BEFORE ACTING.   I did that.  Hose came off, can’t drive the truck and I called the office.

2. DO THE EASIEST AND MOST LOGICAL THINGS FIRST.   I did that too. I called the office.

3.  FIND AND CORRECT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.  I did that and if I had a clamp and screwdriver I think I could have fixed this myself. At least I would try after calling the office.

Soon my help arrives and get the hose back on and tie it with those tie straps but it did not last as the turbo pressuree blew it off again at the top of the ramp!  And to our right is a mechanical car shop and someone is there!!!  And they even had a 5 inch clamp too. How about that!!! Soon the truck is fixed and I am on my way home.  I will not be making my second trip due to the adventures I have had today as someone else will do that.  I arrive around 1 and park the trailer in the lot and head to the office.  I will be doing my normal shuttle duties for awhile.

I arrive to my shipper by taking the ON RAMP to the interstate to enter the customers lot. So I enter the ramp and take an immediate right turn again into the yard. I check in and find out all are on lunch so I will need to wait. But its not long and now someone comes to me and tells me the procedure on how to get this done. My insides are in knots now as this backing thing is still an issue with me.Out the OUT drive I go and I turn left onto this 4 lane road and stop in the inside lane. When my helpers have stopped all traffic, I move forward at an angle into the next lane and then I back up towards the docks. They want the trailer next to the west wall. I warned them they will get the trailer in what ever dock that back end goes to, but I will really try to get the specific one they asked for.The docks are empty so this will help me back up a wee bit faster and not hit parked trucks! OK, vehicles are stopped everywhere waiting and waiting on me and many are not happy. I can see most of their faces and even read lips too! Some are watching in amazement on how a truck backs up with all the moving that the tractor does while we guide the trailer into its place. I really tried to get the specified dock but we end up in the middle one and that is where I stayed. The tractor is parked in the outside lane and taking up the entire width of that lane. Customer has cones by me that I am to use to put into that lane to guide the cars into the other lane. I get that done and wait in the truck fully expecting some idiot to run into me saying “I didn’t see you.” Soon I am loaded and have my papers and leave for the truck stop to weigh the load. Steers are 12,300, Drivers are 33,400 and the Tandems are 34,580 for a total weight of 80,280. I am over the legal 80,000 pound limit and on the rears which the limit is 34,000. I have a half tank of fuel. I slide my tandems 2 holes to take off 500 pounds and transfer it to the front. But this will not solve my over gross weight. I’ve heard too many stories about the fines and it all depends on the officer’s mood and your mood at the time too. I do know that I have no scales unless there is a SURPRIZE SCALE set up to catch us so I will burn off enough fuel by the first official scale that I will not worry about it. Due to this weight I can not purchase more than 30 gallons of fuel for my trip back to be legal. WHAT A CROCK!!! WHY CAN’T THE GOVERNMENT AND ALL THE REGULATIONS JUST LET US DO OUR JOB??!!

I make it to Chicago/Gary for the night at the company terminal. Fuel gauge is reading between 1/4 and E. I put in 27 gallons of fuel at 8 pounds a gallon. I am tired and hungry and need a shower.

11-06-02   I set the alarm for 3am for the shower but when it went off I was still tired and decided to sleep as I have a couple of other choices to do that later today. Right now sleep is more important. I got another hour and then I had to get up and get ready. I leave at 4:30 am and stop at the DeKalb plaza to get my first cup of coffee of the day about 6. I don’t take any on my walk back to the truck as I am wanting to enjoy the first sip of the day when back on the interstate and heading westbound. I’m still on the ramp shifting gears when the gear shift bumps into the dash where the cups sit as this gear shift is not TIGHT like on my truck–it wobbles. But sometimes it is “normal”. So there goes ALL OF MY COFFEE EVERYWHERE AND EVEN ON ME. I am not at all happy about this. I now have to wait for the next truck stop to get my first cup of coffee for the day. I got that accomplished and for the rest of the week, I won the battle of “lets knock over the drinks” by being extra careful of that gearshift that sometimes wobbled and sometimes not. I made it to my shipper/receiver with the fuel gauge reading just above E. I had also called the person assigned to me and explained about the weight problems but I should have enough to make it to the next fuel stop. I got my new trailer and left and prayed and coasted and did everything possible to get to that next fuel stop. I did get there and put in 145 gallons out of 200. I’m going to the White Bear Lake MN. Still no time for a shower as I wanted to get thru the Twin Cities before evening traffic. I did get that done and no delays with unloading so now I’m heading to Austin MN. I stop at the customer just to see if I could maybe get the load now and not tomorrow. Well the product is “hot off the press” and so hot that it can not be put on a trailer due to the moisture problems. I leave them my trailer and go to the truck stop for the night. They will load the trailer about 2 am and I can have it at 6:30. I did 643 miles today.

11-07-02 Got my trailer and drove 3 hours to Cedar Rapids IA to drop this load and get the next one to Rockford IL. I have a 3pm appointment. I know its going to be close. By the time I leave the paper mill in Cedar Rapids I have exactly 3 hours to go thru all the towns and the speed limit is 55 in IL too. I also call my terminal and say that 3 pm is not possible and phone calls are made. I am told I have up to 30 minutes past appointment time to get there. I leave and drive faster that I normally do and actually do 65 in IL knowing I am taking a chance with the police. I also did not want to deliver this load in the morning. I did make Rockford on time and drove up and over the curb and onto the sidewalk at this customer, missing all employee cars in the lot while you back to the ramp, missing the drop off and the pole. All went well here and back to the mill I go. I get my next load and head west on I80 for Des Moines. But I am spending the night about halfway there as my time will be up.

11-08-02   4:30 am. I hear a garbage truck go by and he makes a lot of noise with the dumpster so I just get up. It was then I discover an overturned trailer on the main drive of this shopping center/truck stop. (see other story I posted on Trailer Rollover) Soon I am on the road and heading to my terminal and home. When I arrive I need to unhook this trailer and put the truck in the lineup and take my things out of it. I look for “my” truck and its not here. OK, it was to be here yesterday. I go looking for it in the shop. Not there either. Office assures me it will be here for me when I leave Monday. I go home and enjoy my weekend. (”my” truck was here and waiting for me on Monday and all was OK with it.)

11/04/02 Back to work after vacation and I do not want to be here! But I must as I did not come into big money while gone! I arrive to work a little before 7am and park near “my” truck so I can re-load it with all my things. First I go to the fuel desk and ask for my keys as I had to turn them in. During the week off, “my” truck was used by other drivers. I was handed one key and not the others. This is my first clue that something is wrong.Back to the line of tractors I do a walk thru and can not find “my” truck. I’m not happy with this as I know what it means and I don’t like that at all. But there is a slim chance it could be in the shop for a minor repair to replace a headlight or ??? So I head to the shop as its almost time for my winter training to begin in the upstairs gathering room. I saw a movie on winter roads and lots of wrecked trucks and took a quiz. Because of my background and/or time with my employer, I did not have to drive for training. But I did last winter and also for this past spring training.

When done I head to the main building to report to my assigned office person and let him know that “my” truck is not on the lot and I want to know where it is. He is already aware of this and called the person in charge at another terminal about “my” truck as it was put into the computer that it must back to this terminal on Sunday so I can do my assignment. Well, “my” truck was here yesterday but the driver(s) did not get out of it because of their truck not being ready or not here. I am so mad that I’m not totally sure what went on except that I am the one paying for it. All I know is “my” truck is now in Colorado and due back on Thursday.

So I get to use another truck whose driver is on vacation. The truck and driver is also on the same account as me. I’m given the keys and head to that truck which is here in the line up. I unlock it and see that it was not cleaned out!! What a crock! I had to clean out “my” truck but not this driver???!!! This is going to be a very long week. I put my things in and shove other drivers things out of the way. I get this done and the truck set up and ready to go so I can be somewhat comfortable in it. I go back to the office to make sure that I and this truck are in the system so I don’t have any problems getting fuel with my fuel card and trying to leave and enter other company terminals. And to make sure that “my” truck comes back to me this week. Both have been taken care off. Out to the fuel pumps I go and put in 101 gallons.

Finally around 11 am, I can finally leave and I am told to bobtail for the 2 hour drive to Cedar Rapids Iowa to another customer where I will get an empty trailer, then I can go to my shipper at the account I am on for my new trailer. We can not come in without a trailer. I go to the customer as assigned only to find out that there are zero trailers here. More delays and I am getting madder as the day goes on. Send in message on qualcomm and I wait and wait and wait. This makes me madder too. Finally a beep from the qualcomm tells me there is a message waiting. Could it be for me???? Or is a something for the entire fleet to see? Its for me!!! I am to now go to the mechanic shop and get a trailer that has been worked on. OK, but I drove by that place to get to this one and now I have to backtrack. IS IT FRIDAY YET??!!

Finally, I enter my shipper/receiver and drop the empty trailer and get my loaded trailer going to Three Rivers Michigan. I pull onto the scale to get my axle weight and total weight. Steers are 12,080, Drives are 31,200 and Tandems are 33,120. Finally something went right. I do not have to slide the tandems to make axle weight.

I made a list of things I found wrong with this truck. Some of it is just being picky, but when you spend $80,000 and up on a tractor, everything should work on it. Here are some of them:

1. CB does not work–mine or the crappy one that came with the truck.

2. Gearshift not as tight as mine so it wobbles and hits the dash where the cup holders are when shifting. I WORE MY COFFEE!!! This was not a pleasant experience.

3. Qualcomm lite works when it wants to. This means you need a flashlight when dark to enter your load info.

4. The dome light also has a mind of its own and did not like me at all.

5. Truck goes right and I mean right if you don’t have a firm grip on the steering wheel. (guess this is better than going left)

6. Air vents broke and the ones still there don’t move.

7. NO AIR PRESSURE BUZZER

8. Only 2 out of the 8 radio speakers work

9. Headlights pointed too low for me, but I can live with it.

10. Fuel gauge light is out.

I WANT “MY” TRUCK BACK!!!!!

11-05-02 As I am nearing our customer from the north side, I look south as I cross the bridge and railroad tracks and see no trucks in line or a truck in the ONE dock we use. This is good news for me. I make a right turn on a residential street and go south for about 3 blocks. There are factory/warehouses on the right hand side for the entire length of the street. My customer is at the end. At the end to my left are trailers in the dirt lot. I turn right and proceed to the NW corner of the building on a drive next to the river. I round the corner and see 2 of my employer’s trucks that you can not see from the street when I was looking.

I park behind them and get out and see that they are sleeping as the curtains are shut. I go around them and back into the dock. I am being unloaded when they wake up and move the trucks closer to me. They got in about 2 this morning and stayed far enough back from the dock to not cause confusion while sleeping. I ask them if they had been to the scrap yard in Toledo. I get grins and the line that you are going to have “fun” now! I was told that someone must help you and block 4 lanes of a BUSY HIGHWAY while I back into the dock. And this wonderful event happens 1 block off the busy interstate. I am just thrilled to know about this and the new adventure given to me. Soon I am on my way and not looking forward to this blocking of a busy 4 lane highway while I back into a dock. Backing is still not my best thing I can do. I’m going to have lots of 4-wheelers upset with me. That’s OK as they upset me daily too!