Nervous newbie

NorthernBill

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator

Kip life

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
Heading to minisota now. Getting a load out of cali looked to be slim to none. Dispatch was not moving any trucks out of cali for free. Apparently we weren't the only ones.

Expeditors gave us a call and offered us an opportunity, they have a truck that was left in minisota by a team that ran into medics issues. They offered to pay us to go get it and bring it to Ohio. Good news: we'll make about $900-$1000 on the 3500ish mile trip. Bad news: once we get to the truck, we'll have 1,000 miles to drive alone.
$900 on a 3500 mile run? What are you drinking ??

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Josh

Active Expediter
Driver
Heading to minisota now. Getting a load out of cali looked to be slim to none. Dispatch was not moving any trucks out of cali for free. Apparently we weren't the only ones.

Expeditors gave us a call and offered us an opportunity, they have a truck that was left in minisota by a team that ran into medics issues. They offered to pay us to go get it and bring it to Ohio. Good news: we'll make about $900-$1000 on the 3500ish mile trip. Bad news: once we get to the truck, we'll have 1,000 miles to drive alone.
$900 on a 3500 mile run? What are you drinking ??

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My numbers were off. We made 1700, 3100 miles.
 

Boatcat

Seasoned Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Navy
I hear that. Was up in Portland delivering a load and got a run down into California, then another..
In Oakland now, waiting to go into downtown Frisco tonight to do a pickup that's going to Cleveland.
Anywhere near a major city there is nowhere to park.
I got lucky and found a Walmart that is closed.
Only 15 miles from my pickup downtown so I can sneak in there after rush hour, get the load and get out of Dodge.

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Josh

Active Expediter
Driver
Didn't forget about this thread. Just been busy. Just got backed into at a truck stop in MO. got some more knowledge to share on how to handle that. Lol. I'll try to update tomorrow after my shift is over
 

GR8WING

New Recruit
Researching
Didn't forget about this thread. Just been busy. Just got backed into at a truck stop in MO. got some more knowledge to share on how to handle that. Lol. I'll try to update tomorrow after my shift is over
Glad to hear you're still alive, thought you fell of the edge of the earth.
 

BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Didn't forget about this thread. Just been busy. Just got backed into at a truck stop in MO. got some more knowledge to share on how to handle that. Lol. I'll try to update tomorrow after my shift is over
Glad to hear you're still alive, thought you fell of the edge of the earth.

Worried about him being still alive?
How about Boatcat ?
Hanging out in a closed Walmart in Oakland.
Then to Cleveland.
Life at it's finest. Not.
 
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Boatcat

Seasoned Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Navy
Hi guys!
Still ALIVE AND KICKING.
Made it into downtown SF a week ago on Saturday nite.
The pickup was at a Hilton at midnight. You can imagine how much fun that was...
Made it out of the city 5 hours later and ran into winter at its worst a few hours later, got caught in that first blizzard and had to get off the road on Cheyenne WY when it got to the point of driving almost blind in the dark blizzard mountains at 25mph to make it to a truck stop.
Got a load East from there and now hanging out near the twin cities.
Also just had another issue with the truck, # 6 injector had to be replaced so I missed out on some loads getting that dealt with.
Shower and laundry, so thought I would check in and say thanks for your concern. I appreciate all of you.

Do you guys go home for the holiday, or stay out?
I was planning on staying out till after Christmas unless things slow down so much that it makes no sense to do that.

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ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Home for T-day ..Nov..22 nd till 26th

X-mas Dec. 21rst till Jan. 7th..
But i am O/OP in Promaster van

Welcome to Family Dollar / Speedway ... please check out our Hotdog Specials ..
 

Josh

Active Expediter
Driver
Hi guys!
Still ALIVE AND KICKING.
Made it into downtown SF a week ago on Saturday nite.
The pickup was at a Hilton at midnight. You can imagine how much fun that was...
Made it out of the city 5 hours later and ran into winter at its worst a few hours later, got caught in that first blizzard and had to get off the road on Cheyenne WY when it got to the point of driving almost blind in the dark blizzard mountains at 25mph to make it to a truck stop.
Got a load East from there and now hanging out near the twin cities.
Also just had another issue with the truck, # 6 injector had to be replaced so I missed out on some loads getting that dealt with.
Shower and laundry, so thought I would check in and say thanks for your concern. I appreciate all of you.

Do you guys go home for the holiday, or stay out?
I was planning on staying out till after Christmas unless things slow down so much that it makes no sense to do that.

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I'd be interested in hearing more about your winter adventure. The more knowledge I can absorb from other people the batter.

The wife and I won't be going back home until christmas. Really isn't a point I guess. Her mom and her dont seem to be vibing well, I'm cool with avoiding the social situation all together.

We are running a lot harder after we got back from home time (went back into service on the 9th). The wife "accidentally" accepted a hazmat load over the c link. We spent over an hour at the shipper getting paperwork finalized and waiting on hold with FedEx before departing (you have to call in your departure). Won't be doing that again for awhile.

Found a truck stop in Dallas that is now #1 on my shady list. Had to pay to park on top of it. Heading back to GA now, just delivered a load here a few days ago. Weather was nice.


Question for the experienced ones out there. Signs by the weigh station say something like "trucks over 8 tons must stop" but my ez pass gives me the green light. Am I good to keep rolling or do I need to pull in
 

Boatcat

Seasoned Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Navy
Last question first.
Yep, you need to pull in.
Quick tip... keep your hand sanitizer handy, in fact, buy it in the Cosco size...
I picked up a case of scabies at a truck stop out West somewhere and I HATE TRUCK STOPS!.
BEWARE!

Just got a load, have to fly, more later. Chicago toll roads here I come...


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BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
You DO NOT need to pull in. With green light.
Unless hazmat.
Then, it varies by state.
When I was driving I think there was about 5 states where ALL HM had to pull in.
3 where only placcarded HM had to pull in. I had a list on my sun visor that I reviewed with co-driver whenever we loaded HM.
When in doubt, pull in. If NO lite from prepass, pull in.
 

Boatcat

Seasoned Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Navy
Yes.
I tend to err on the side of caution though, figure it's quicker and easier than dealing with getting pulled over down the road..
Some states can be pretty anal about it.
JMHO.

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Josh

Active Expediter
Driver
Oh yes. Forgot all about It. In route to Florida ATM.

We stopped at a flying j in Kansas City MO after spending the night in a casino parking lot. Casino was good, flying j was garbage. Took the pup out and he was having difficulty managing to not step in all the other dog :censoredsign: around. Garbage cans tipped over, there was a dually truck in the spot behind us, missing BOTH rear wheels, sitting on the rotor. Seemed like a good place to setup shop. We got deaded to Kansas City to layover. All the truck stops were garbage and the flying j was the only one with parking still.

Any who, we accepted a load out for the following morning. It was around 8pm?ish and I was in the process of my nightly routine, you know, irritating the :censoredsign: out of the wife, wrestling her trying to get a mouth hug, she was putting up a good fight until we feel a large ...bump?, truck shakes a little and we look at each other and say, you got to be kidding me. We open the curtain to see a Werner trailer placed gracefully in the space our mirrior once occupied. (Mirrior is now folded in against the door). He pulls up and I start to put pants on thinking he is getting out. Negatory, he was just setting up for another love bump. He starts to back up again and with one tug of the air horn he stops and pulls forward. Ok, now he's getting out. Start to get my shoes on and look whose on his way back again.. mr can't find the hole.. I blast the air horn again and hold it for a second hoping he gets the point to get out and :censoredsign:ing look. Now I'm dressed and exiting the truck, guy on the opposite side of the vacant spot pokes out of his window and says what's the issue!? I responded with "this guy won't stop trying to rape my truck with his trailer". It was at this point mr Werner guy (who still has not gotten out to look) was setting up again and now getting ready to rape this other guys truck. After a couple of blasts from his air horn mr Werner has come to a stop. We now have about 30 different truck drivers walking around. Now it's a party.

They help him get into the spot while me and the wife are calling FedEx and expeditors. I am patiently waiting outside his truck for 5ish min when he looks out the window and says "what's up". I said "I dunno, thinking we should maybe handle the issue of you :censoredsign: slapping my mirrior with your trailer" he says "what!?, I hit you!?"

Yeppers kind sir and I have to leave at 4am so let's get this show on the road. (I was speaking with the trainer, of the guy who backed into me). He gets out of the truck, looks at the mirrior, then at the trailer, then at the mirror, then at the trailer, repeat a few more times, you get the idea. During this process I am getting the information I need from the trainee which consisted of the following

- driver name
- company name
- picture of insurance card
- tractor number and trailer number (I also took pics of everything
- dot number

The trainer refused to accept he hit me. For good reason I assume, I'm sure he didn't feel anything, and there are some shady people out there. I get it and I'm not upset. But you did hit me, I don't care to convince you, and I don't care if you believe me or not If you don't want to acknowledge it, that's cool, but I'll have to call a police officer. After playing csi for 20 minutes trying to find the broken piece (basically the shroud of the mirrior broke off) it finally turns up, wedged underneath his tire. Pretty much ended his argument at that point. We squared everything away with our company and he had to call his. I waited around to make sure he had everything he needed, I spoke with the trainee for a bit, he said sorry, I just said :censoredsign: happens, wasn't a huge deal, but it takes 2 minutes to get out and look. May not be so lucky next time. I'm sure not every driver would have been as calm as me.

So, mirrior is still broken. Not gonna lose a day of running to get it fixed right now. We'll drop it off at freightliner on our time off. Mirrior still functions as it should, just not pretty.
 
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Gear_Grinder

Rookie Expediter
Researching
So I’m not trying to hijack this thread I could start my own but just been checking out this site for the past week and I’ve been amused by Josh’s true honest updates about getting started and just honestly wanted to ask him all that follow his thread as I have been. My girl decided she doesn’t want to be a manager for a restaurant she’s been working at for 12 years and been searching for a job. I myself wouldn’t mind getting out of the business I’ve been in for a good 15+ years. I’ve always been amused by driving and just never really done it and been loyal to my employment at the time and besides I was in a long relationship married etc... and could have went solo but never did I was a family man. Well now separated and with a great woman now with both of us wanting to change careers no kids, no house etc... I threw it out there that we should team up and drive. Surprisingly she was interested and that’s what we were focused on was to work together and was thinking of opening our own company but why not live in a truck see the world and make money and maybe another time start a business. So since then which has been about a week and how I found this I just been researching the crap out of driving. I wanted to get class a cdl’s go to a trucking company that would let us be teams after training. But she doesn’t want to be away and do a couple months separate and she would feel safer in a smaller truck to get experience and maybe moving up. So I thought that was impossible until I ran into this forum showing no experience couples can jump in as a team and go. Now I’ve dealt with trucks for @ 15 years and talked her into straight truck instead of cargo. She is really interested in this opportunity as we both can’t stop thinking about it and researching day and night. I’m ready to do this as she is. Question is with a lot of you new and some veterans is it best to skip school and go straight for the permit and skills test especially for her someone who knows absolutely nothing and I’ve been trying to figure out how we can train her. I was thinking the biggest U-Haul truck and letting her drive it. There’s really no way of getting experience even for myself once we get a permit. Also if we go that route I mean how difficult is it to get not going to the thousands of dollars of classes. Josh how did your girl go through it, did she have experience. My girl is shy and also like yourself we are a private couple and don’t have a social life we don’t do Facebook or social media period. I do a lot of forums like Harley and dodge bmw so that’s why I know forums. If you want me to start my own thread on this I will but figured I’d ask in my favorite thread as I’ll follow this one all the way through even if we do or don’t do this career. Very interesting. How long did you decide this is what you wanted to do to actually getting the permit/license to applying to orientation? We’re settong a goal for middle of January or prior to be in orientation. She was interested in fed ex as I was into panther until I read that comment about recovering and cockroaches etc... lol kinda turned my stomach but I was more for panther because I also thought that fed ex allowed no animals until I read yours stating you could bring your small dog as we have a chihuahua and a senior cat which is our kids. So any insight please let me know because expediting seems good and keeps a couple together so that’s what I I like. Hope to hear from you all shortly. Thanks for your time.
 
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