Load number 2 August 16, 2011

As stated in the previous post, we had a SHORT load that picked up in Niagara Falls and went to Pennsylvania. SHORT is the way it started out. I know that when they said it was a SHORT load, they were talking about distance which by that statement they were correct. For such a SHORT load it sure was a long day. We've been told and we've decided that we have to have a sense of humor out here or else things would absolutely drive you crazy. We are not crazy but after you read our adventure see if you would be crazy on your second day on the job.

We decided that to be at the shipper's by 7 am we should get up about 4:00 because we were so tired the night before we hadn't planned our route, we wanted to shower and the truck needed to have an empty weight ticket which we hadn't done yet and the reefer needed to be turned on because it was a temperature controlled delivery. So, we got up and felt pretty rested, made plans for the trip, took our showers,started up the reefer, did our pretrip and decided that Jim would drive first because I had driven last and had driven the whole day before. We were staying at a truckstop that had a scale so we headed over to weigh the truck. Jim drove it up on the scale and then went off the scale to go into the truckstop to get the ticket. He came back out and said, "You know, I don't think this is going to be a good day, it sure isn't starting off too good." I asked him why and he said, "The weight didn't save so we have to go weigh it again." The second worked like a charm. Now I'm wondering if we will be able to tell if we've lost or gained weight by the next time we weigh the truck empty. I am talking about Jim and myself, not the truck. So instead of the normal, 2-3 pounds difference in scales are truck scales off by 100-200 pounds and if so, I would be happy about losing 100 but probably not too happy about gaining the 100:) So...on to the next crazy thing that happened while Jim was driving....

We arrived at the shipper at about 1/2 hour early. We were supposed to call a contact and let her know that we were there, well she didn't answer. We sat for a couple of minutes and one of the people from the company come out and ask if we needed something. Jim said that we had a pickup to make and showed him the Bill of Lading which is a fancy name for Shipping and Receiving paperwork. He said that he didn't know about it and had Jim come with him to figure it out. They got it figured out and it was supposed to be picked up, so they loaded the truck. They were going over the paperwork and the shipper noticed that the temperature said 60 degrees and he said that it should be set a 40, not 60. In our orientation we learned that anything, we mean anything that gets changed needs to be reported to Dispatch so they can confirm it. So Jim called dispatch and they said they would confirm it and get back to us. These rules should be in place especially for the safety of the load and others. We were again hauling hazmat and I think that it is a very good thing that everyone be on the same page. So we waited at the shipper for about an hour and found out that yes, we could set it at 40 degrees and then we waited another 15 minutes till the temperature went down to 40, then we were off.

On to crazy thing number 3

The reefer that I mentioned above, did an excellent job keeping the temperature at 40 degrees, the crazy thing is that there is a monitor with four readings on it. Three of the readings showed 40 degrees give or take one degree. The fourth reading showed 137 degrees. OK we've obviously got a problem with one of the detectors. So we kept driving. Crazy thing is that when the readings go back to FedEx it shows that our reefer temperature is out of range and then they send us a message through the Qualcomm every 15 minutes which needs to be replied to. So, the whole trip, every 15 minutes they sent us a message. By the way every time you get a message on the qualcomm it talks to you and says in a loud obnoxious voice, "You have a new message." So needless to say if either of us need any sleep, it wasn't going to happen. I also have a question for everyone to ponder...we are a team so one of us can answer but what about those solo drivers how do they answer those messages? I think most would answer you, even the team drivers is that they would either pull over and answer or call and see what the message was. So on to the next crazy thing.

Crazy thing 4

Jim pays the toll at the New York/Pennsylvania line and what do you know...they have an inspection point set up. Before he knew it the state trooper was asking him to pull over for inspection. REALLY...how many drivers have gotten pulled into an inspection on their second load. The state trooper told us that is was because we were hauling hazmat and that is a flag for them to pull us over. We actually heard that during our orientation, but REALLY I thought they might have been exaggerating a little, evidently not. The inspection went fine, but we were now even later to get to the delivery. We called dispatch and they set us up for a new delivery time for the second time. Then of course right after the inspection there was a weigh station so we had to pull into that. Not unusual by any means but it was our first time going across a scale because others we had passed were closed and of course we had just weighed the truck empty just that morning.

The delivery in Pennsylvania itself went off without a hitch, then almost as soon as we said delivery complete we headed off toward Canton Express Center where FedEx asked us to go. About two minutes after we said we were available for a load, we have a load opportunity come through. We looked at it and decided to go ahead and take it, the pay wasn't that great but it would give us some experience. The load was taking us to the east coast, so we turned around since we had been heading west and starting heading east. We decided to take a restroom and lunch break so we stopped at a small convenience store. Then we continued our journey heading east.

Crazy thing 5

Well we get going, wind back up in Pennsylvania almost an hour in and our Air Conditioner decides to stop working. It had stopped for a little while the day before but when we stopped and started again, it started working. So we decided to stop for a few minutes to see if that would help. Needless to say, it didn't. So we called Expediter Services and told them about it and of course they thought that we should have it looked at. So we stopped at a TA and asked them if they could take a look. About an hour later they were able to get it in and two hours after they were able to let us know what was wrong. We had called FedEx and told them that we were going to have it looked at but now we were getting a little nervous because we had to be at the pick up by 8 on the east coast. Once we talked to the TA mechanic, he informed us that we should take it to the dealership. So again, we call Expediter and let them know that we have to talk to FedEx to see if we can be pulled from the load (Jim and I neither one was happy because we were looking forward to that load). So we called FedEx and decided to be pulled off the load to get the air conditioner fixed. Jim called a couple of the dealerships and no one could get us in quick. So he took a chance and called the one in Richfield, OH and they said that they would try to squeeze us in and to go ahead and come over. So...after another call to Expediter and FedEx we were now for the second time in one day heading to Ohio after staying all night at the TA. It was about an hour and half trip back to the dealership.

The people through this whole crazy day were what made all of these things at least seem humorous. After all how many crazy things can you fit into one day! The shipper, consignee, the mechanic, the TA people and yes even the state trooper were so helpful and went out of their way to treat strangers so wonderfully. I also have to say the waitress at the TA was wonderful. We had just eaten before we got there so we just went in to wait and ordered a couple of drinks. When we were done, I went up to her and asked her what I owed and she said, "Don't worry about it." I said, "Are you sure." She said, "Yes and you all be safe out there." Those kind of people are what make our world a better place. In all of that, I was so gracious to the waitress that come to think of it I didn't even leave her a tip, gee whiz, I wish that every once in a while my brain would kick in when it should not a day later.

So....tomorrow I will post about our day at the shop since we will be in the shop for the reefer tomorrow, I should have a little time. And it will not be as long as these last two posts unless something crazy happens.

Faith, peace, love and joy!

Judy