Early or not
- Thread starter Ray of Sunshine
- Start date
Broompilot
Veteran Expediter
Good question by the Poster.
Obviously opposites attract, now if I were hirring drivers. Your husband can stay home.
One has a work ethic, the other looks at this more as a vacation or motorhome than a business. Many good comments to the questions.
Obviously opposites attract, now if I were hirring drivers. Your husband can stay home.
One has a work ethic, the other looks at this more as a vacation or motorhome than a business. Many good comments to the questions.
After more consideration I'm going to possibly shift a little bit toward the husband's drag the feet a little bit position if it's based on something like this. I presume the delivery times are set based on need at the cons. If the assembly line was going to be shut down they wouldn't schedule for 40 hours when it could be done in 30 or less.
So, if the husband means something like it's ok to stop for a good meal at Cracker Barrel, which is going to add maybe 45 minutes to the run, then I can go along with that. If he means getting a motel room and kicking back overnight then I vote with the wife.
If the choices are A. 28 hours but eating in the driver's seat and marching double time to the facilities only when you can't hold it any longer, B. 30-31 hours with comfortable rest breaks and a couple of good meals along the way or C. 38-39 hours after stopping at the movies along the way I'm going with B.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
So, if the husband means something like it's ok to stop for a good meal at Cracker Barrel, which is going to add maybe 45 minutes to the run, then I can go along with that. If he means getting a motel room and kicking back overnight then I vote with the wife.
If the choices are A. 28 hours but eating in the driver's seat and marching double time to the facilities only when you can't hold it any longer, B. 30-31 hours with comfortable rest breaks and a couple of good meals along the way or C. 38-39 hours after stopping at the movies along the way I'm going with B.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
To give your husband some credit, I used to be the same way. Cutting it close to the delivery time cause I stopped at every other truckstop to see what's going on. Then something happened... we started getting longer runs. We started getting loads right after delivery. If I was solo, stopping was making me more tired. After awhile of skipping the truckstops for things other than fuel or snacks, it came natural to just drive and finish the job. Now my nephew is the same way, and our truck puts serious miles on it. We both enjoy the business aspect. We both like the accomplishment of delivering 3 hours early. Hell... we've gotten tips for doing so!
I suggest treating every run as a hurry up, straight thru job, at least for a week. The faster you get it there, the faster you can kick back till your next load comes thru. And the pressure is OFF of you that much sooner. I'll guess that after that week, your perspective will have changed a bit.
-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!
I suggest treating every run as a hurry up, straight thru job, at least for a week. The faster you get it there, the faster you can kick back till your next load comes thru. And the pressure is OFF of you that much sooner. I'll guess that after that week, your perspective will have changed a bit.
-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!
i say run like hell get it there because in this buisness you never know when your next load is coming gettting it done helps on several things gets you back in the rotation of empty and ready to go espeasiclly if your going to a area that has alot of trucks in it like detroit,chicago etc,and especally if theres alot of trucks from your company there it also helps your rest/sleep periods especialy if your a single driver,(even though yall arent.)but for those who are.the company will also see that your just a work horse which can help getting in getting better loads from your dispatchers,cause lets face it even though the company reps at orientation will always tell you that dispatchers dont play favs there only human a every dispatcher has that handful of drivers that they know if they call these drivers there gonna get it done and in this dog fight we call our life every advantage i can get im gonna take it.
hawk sounds like your finally in a good place as far as getting the job done,nice to hear, you were good at the buisness end of it but you loved the truckstop wifi's,nice to hear you just want to get it done now.make a diffferance on the amount of loads and quality of them loads.
hawk sounds like your finally in a good place as far as getting the job done,nice to hear, you were good at the buisness end of it but you loved the truckstop wifi's,nice to hear you just want to get it done now.make a diffferance on the amount of loads and quality of them loads.
Shortly after this thread went up, and after I added to it, I got a run. It was 119 miles, picking up at 1730 and a scheduled delivery time of 0800 the next morning, 14 1/2 hours after the pickup. Knowing full well that I don't know anything, I followed the advice of those on here, especially the ones who so emphatically used "always" in their advice, as in, always deliver direct. Some even used all caps for even greater emphasis. Always means always, right?
al-ways - adverb
1. every time; on every occasion; without exception
Got it. Always.
So, I delivered direct. Called the consignee to let them know I had an expedited delivery for them, and to ask if I needed an appointment. No answer. Fueled before I left, didn't stop to get anything to eat. Delivered it direct. I arrived two hours after pickup, at 1930.
Consingee's operating hours are 0800-1530. Couldn't park on-site, and it's in a very rural area so there wasn't any other place to park, either. No restaurants, or fuel in the town, if you want to call it a town. The "town" was the plant. Nothing else, at all, in town. Closest fuel is 28 miles away, right back out the 28 mile dead-end road that I had just traveled to get there. And they don't have diesel or food, anyway. Took the advice of the security guard at the consignee and deadheaded back to the closest place to park, 41 miles back in the direction from which I came.
Next morning I got up and re-deadheaded the 41 miles back to the consignee, the last 28 miles of which were a part of the consignee's property, and was, essentially, a driveway for the consignee. Hey, at least I knew right where the consignee was. <snort>
Let's see...
ALWAYS
every time;
on every occasion;
without exception)
deliver direct.
I can't help but wonder if some were a little overenthusiastic with their advice, and I can't help but to wonder if the same people always follow their own advice.
I'm gonna go with Leo and pick Option B, with a little common sense thrown in. Always.
[font color=green]Ladies and gentleman, hoboes and tramps,
cross-eyed mosquitoes, and bowlegged ants.
I stand here before you, not behind you,
to tell you something I know nothing about.
Last night about 6:00 this morning, an empty
truck loaded with bricks almost killed my
dead cat. We rushed him to the hospital,
slow as we could, only to find King Arthur,
sitting at the fourth corner of the round
table eating vinegar with a fork.
al-ways - adverb
1. every time; on every occasion; without exception
Got it. Always.
So, I delivered direct. Called the consignee to let them know I had an expedited delivery for them, and to ask if I needed an appointment. No answer. Fueled before I left, didn't stop to get anything to eat. Delivered it direct. I arrived two hours after pickup, at 1930.
Consingee's operating hours are 0800-1530. Couldn't park on-site, and it's in a very rural area so there wasn't any other place to park, either. No restaurants, or fuel in the town, if you want to call it a town. The "town" was the plant. Nothing else, at all, in town. Closest fuel is 28 miles away, right back out the 28 mile dead-end road that I had just traveled to get there. And they don't have diesel or food, anyway. Took the advice of the security guard at the consignee and deadheaded back to the closest place to park, 41 miles back in the direction from which I came.
Next morning I got up and re-deadheaded the 41 miles back to the consignee, the last 28 miles of which were a part of the consignee's property, and was, essentially, a driveway for the consignee. Hey, at least I knew right where the consignee was. <snort>
Let's see...
ALWAYS
every time;
on every occasion;
without exception)
deliver direct.
I can't help but wonder if some were a little overenthusiastic with their advice, and I can't help but to wonder if the same people always follow their own advice.
I'm gonna go with Leo and pick Option B, with a little common sense thrown in. Always.
[font color=green]Ladies and gentleman, hoboes and tramps,
cross-eyed mosquitoes, and bowlegged ants.
I stand here before you, not behind you,
to tell you something I know nothing about.
Last night about 6:00 this morning, an empty
truck loaded with bricks almost killed my
dead cat. We rushed him to the hospital,
slow as we could, only to find King Arthur,
sitting at the fourth corner of the round
table eating vinegar with a fork.
When you called the consignee and got no answer, that should have tipped you off. Usually an 06:00, 07:00 or 08:00 delivery time coupled with many more hours than necessary to get there means that is the time they open or when receiving opens. I still believe it is better to take a chance and get there early. Sometimes you get burned. But if you go with your gut feeling, phone ahead or just rely on past experience you should do alright with most early deliveries and pick ups.
are12
Expert Expediter
Turtle,
When delivering direct, that does not mean you cannot stop and grab a bite to eat - especially when you have that much time.
As for parking, Jim and I carry a book that lists all the truck stops. We always check, ahead of time, to see where the closest truck stops are and plan ahead.
Hopefully it works out better for you the next time. :+ :+
When delivering direct, that does not mean you cannot stop and grab a bite to eat - especially when you have that much time.
As for parking, Jim and I carry a book that lists all the truck stops. We always check, ahead of time, to see where the closest truck stops are and plan ahead.
Hopefully it works out better for you the next time. :+ :+
Well, of course, I was being a little facetious (absurd, actually), just pokin' and proddin' at a few to stir it up a little. I just kept reading always, always, always from people, who keep on tossing the word around as if they don't know what it actually means. Always always means always, always. On every occasion, without exception, every time. If there are exceptions, ever, then ain't always. 
I guarantee you that some of the people who emphatically said they always deliver direct, don't. Not always. :+
The load was real, the times were real, but I didn't waste my time or 82 miles dead heading all over the place. The cons location is very rural, and uber secure. I had delivered there a few times before, so I knew about the security, and their operating hours. I merely picked up the load and then headed straight to the place I knew I would have to park until the morning. I then ate and kicked back and prepared for a good night's sleep. Then I delivered on time the next morning.
Of course, instead of my alarm waking me up at 0600 and me leaving in time to get there by 0700-0715, my mother hen clucked me awake at 0500. Purrrrfect.
x(
I guarantee you that some of the people who emphatically said they always deliver direct, don't. Not always. :+
The load was real, the times were real, but I didn't waste my time or 82 miles dead heading all over the place. The cons location is very rural, and uber secure. I had delivered there a few times before, so I knew about the security, and their operating hours. I merely picked up the load and then headed straight to the place I knew I would have to park until the morning. I then ate and kicked back and prepared for a good night's sleep. Then I delivered on time the next morning.
Of course, instead of my alarm waking me up at 0600 and me leaving in time to get there by 0700-0715, my mother hen clucked me awake at 0500. Purrrrfect.
x(
Some, if not many, or maybe even most of our carriers built their "on-time" reputations by being on-time every time. Indeed, that is what high dollar, specialty expediting is, or at least was in the good ole Roberts Express days. Our one and only customer, our lessee, for those of us with lease agreements with an expedite carrier, has made a contractual commitment with their customer for an appointed time of pickup and an appointed time of delivery. Those times are typically specified in the run offer to which we accept and agree, and in the follow-on run details we are given. Are we, as honest business owners, not bound by our agreement with our carrier to endeavor to pickup and deliver on-time, always?
It has often been discussed in these fora and at many truck stop coffee counters that our carrier had better follow through with their end of the agreed upon run offer, such as exact payment for mileage, deadhead, detention and other accessorial payments. Why then, is it OK for us to renege on our agreement to deliver on-time, at the appointed time?
Just some food for thought, not hypocritical preaching.
It has often been discussed in these fora and at many truck stop coffee counters that our carrier had better follow through with their end of the agreed upon run offer, such as exact payment for mileage, deadhead, detention and other accessorial payments. Why then, is it OK for us to renege on our agreement to deliver on-time, at the appointed time?
Just some food for thought, not hypocritical preaching.
lostandfound
Expert Expediter
we always P/U the load and go straight thru to reciever no matter if it is a 500 mile trip or a 1200 miler and has tons of tme only time we stop is to get coffee or a cold drink, outside of that we boogie,then when we make it at the other end we can find the place etc.take a nap or what ever.deliver then hurry up and wait for the next one that is just my 2 cents.