2/20/08

Just after I got loaded yesterday, I received a message from CTL. They apprised me of the fact that my consignee was notorious for not responding with a drop number. If I hadn't received one by the time I got there, I should go ahead and check in with them, then they would give me a dummy appointment number. Okay.

This morning I got rolling around 9am, with about 25 miles to go to my drop. Just for the hell of it, I sent a quick message asking if a drop number ever came through. That touched off more of that infamous trucking company communication. The first response said that the consignee should take me with no number, and that I needed to hurry up because I had another pickup scheduled for this afternoon. I replied that the next pickup was only fifteen miles away, so I wouldn't have a problem. Five hours to cover a total of forty miles... I think I'm okay. The next message said that people were working on getting me a drop number. I wasn't too worried about it, just thought I would ask before I got there.

The 25 miles took nearly an hour, as apparently today winter conditions actually did exist. I rolled in a little before my scheduled time of 10am. Then I got another message telling me that they hadn't received my arrival call, I need to send that right away, blah blah blah. I had literally been at the customer for ten seconds. So I sent my arrival call. Weird.

The security guard acted like I was remiss for not having a drop number. "That's happened with every CFI truck today." Yeah, well... you know what? Nevermind. No major surprise there, I guess. It took quite a while, but she got me a number and checked me in.

As I was waiting, another CTL truck pulled in behind me. He got out of his truck and I told him it would be a while if he didn't have a drop number. "I don't need a drop number. Mine's a 24/7 drop and hook," said he. I told him I'm aware of the location information, but if he didn't have a drop number the security guard would have to get him one. He got out his delivery receipt and said, "I have all the numbers right here. I just have to do a drop and hook. I don't need an appointment." Trying my best not to chuckle, I advised him that the drop number would have come through after he was loaded, and it wouldn't be among the numbers on his delivery receipt. It's not an appointment per se, but a confirmation that the customer knew that the trailer was coming. It wasn't that long ago that I was the new guy, learning the procedures and such. Obviously this dude was making his first drop/hook at a Kmart facility. So, given what I just told you, the next conversation was a whopper.

Him: "Your miles are way down, aren't they?"
Me: "About the same as always."
Him: "Oh, you just wait."
Me: "Okay."
Him: "A thousand trucks went empty and another eight hundred are on the way out."
Me: "Is that right?"
Him: "Yep, my miles have dropped by half. 40% of CFI's customers cancelled their contracts because they don't want ConWay pulling their freight."
Me: "How about that."
Him: "Yep, you just wait and see."
Me: "Well, good luck anyway man. I gotta go."

Now, the fact that he's a new guy is no big deal. I don't think driving a truck for any period of time makes people any smarter. But to regurgitate that line of bullshit that he must have heard at a truck stop was nothing short of hilarious. With all those empty trucks, why did it take four days to get me an empty one in Laredo? Why did it take another guy four days to get an empty one in Joplin? Why aren't there trucks piled up all over at the terminals? (West Memphis is pretty light on bobtails as I type this. Lots of trucks hooked to trailers though.) Why would your miles drop if 40% of the freight took off and 40% of the trucks are empty? Isn't that a fairly static equation? And wouldn't fewer trucks on the road mean more deadhead miles, in addition to the typical loaded miles? Oh hell, I could go on for a while here, but you get the point. Repeating what you hear at a truck stop doesn't make you sound smarter. More likely, you'll sound like a doofus. Anyhow...

I had a hell of a time getting my tandems to slide back on the slippery surface. I wound up cruising forward and leaving the truck in gear while I cranked the trailer brakes down. First try, the tires just slid along the ground. Second, third, fourth, same deal. I probably looked pretty funny driving forward and backward and sliding around, but what else could I do? On the fifth try, the tires grabbed and the tandems broke loose. Beauty. Now, for an empty. The guy in the receiving office said that they had no available empties and I would need to see the yard dog. The yard dog said he was going to lunch and, when he got back, he would let me know how much longer it would be. So I had two choices:

Option 1: Go and argue with the security guard. Call my fleet manager. Have him call the CSR. Have the CSR call the customer. Have everybody say they don't know what to tell me. Wait for the yard dog to get back. Maybe get an empty before my next appointment, maybe not.

Option 2: Start opening trailer doors until I find an empty. Go straight to the guard shack. Check out and get out of town before the yard dog notices that the empty is gone.

So, of course, I chose Option 1 and called my fleet manager. Hahahaha, that was a good one, wasn't it? Screw that. I grabbed the only empty on the yard and got the hell out of there. It was a quick drive to the next stop. I was a couple of hours early, but they loaded me anyway. Beauty. If they had waited until my appointment time, I couldn't have gotten to West Memphis within my 14 hour limit. As it stands, I'll have a nice easy day tomorrow as I finish the run into Garland, Texas.

It seems to me that my last trip down through Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee was a royal pain in the ass. I guess the trucking gods decided to make it up to me this time. Right through Cincinnati and Louisville during the afternoon rush. Nashville, Memphis, no trouble at all. For 90% of the ride, I was able to set the cruise control and relax. Just what the doctor ordered. My dispatch has me delivering at 6:42am Friday, so I guess that means there's not a set appointment. If I don't sleep too late tomorrow, I'll just head straight to the location and see what they say. The worst case scenario would be that they won't take me and I'll head down to Lancaster for the night. Best case would get me unloaded and on the board tomorrow evening.