Question

[OntarioVanMan]

How many run in bad weather...
Like the last 2 storms?

If Yes..Why?


For me, it comes down to that little put away fund we preach about in here....

Ya see carriers hate it when you can just hunker down and go OOS and make your own decision and be able to afford to shutdown...

Sometimes I get to thinking that is why they pay as cheap as they do...to keep us having to run...it is self motivated on their part....

If enough of us could afford to shutdown or just refuse everything into a storm system..you watch your carrier start crying....They do NOT care one iota about you.

 

[ebsprintin]

I try to avoid the weather by tracking it on line. If I get a load going directly into weather I make it clear to dispatch that I'm accepting the load on my terms and will stop on my terms. Going on four years I haven't been late due to weather. If I was caught buried in snow I would go oos until I could move again, but I haven't been there yet.

Weather is also a reason to be picky about rate. It's one way I steer clear of weather. It costs more to operate in the arctic, so I run at a higher rate.

eb

 

[OntarioVanMan]

nothing worse then sitting on a closed interstate because some

Jack jerk Jack knives and jumps the median!!

 

[xiggi]

I'm like EB I will; accept a load but I will shut down with it if I do not feel safe. Our carrier is fine with that.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Ok...

so you've taken the load and a good chance you might have to shutdown...

WHY...did you gamble to be maybe shutdown for x amount of hours..when you could've just refused and got the next load going elsewhere? Why sit for x amount of hours unpaid?

 

[Steady Eddie]

How many run in bad weather? lol I run from it! Unless, I'm in the south. I know it will be gone the next day. Why did'nt you move west? Less than 200 miles to Haw River.....

 

[jjoerger]

Being a Florida native I run away from bad weather if at all possible. Sitting on a closed interstate for hours is not profitable and not fun.
Heck I moved from Greenville SC to Atlanta last night because I was sick of getting rained on.
So far this winter I have only been snowed on once and that was in Houston just before Thanksgiving. Who could have predicted that?

 

[chefdennis]

So far i have been pretty lucky..i have been ahead of or behind most of the few storms i have been around.....yea i have had a few "bad road conditions", but nothing that has forced me to make the decision to go OOS until things cleared up....guess my day will come....but yea as has been said, if i run it, it would be on my terms and going out of service is always an option.....LOL, i can also thing of a few things i would go of service for just for the fun and entertainment if i was in that position also.....

 

[greg334]

What do people consider bad weather?

Someone may consider flurries as bad weather while others may consider 6 inches in two hours bad.

Or rain with lightning as bad weather.

If you read your contracts carefully, it should address the issue of stopping due to weather.

 

[nightcreacher]

If I'm home and there is a storm,I'll not leave unless pay is exceptional,Let it storm when I'm on the road,it's just another day,of course safety first

 

[ebsprintin]

Ok...

so you've taken the load and a good chance you might have to shutdown...

WHY...did you gamble to be maybe shutdown for x amount of hours..when you could've just refused and got the next load going elsewhere? Why sit for x amount of hours unpaid?

It's all in the gamble. For instance, if I got a load offer going into Maryland yesterday, I probably would have turned it down, because of the projected weather. The load I did get skirts the weather and has time built in, so I took it.

I've lived in Alaska and the UP of Michigan, and I still run from the bad stuff. I love to shovel snow on my own drive way, but I don't like to shovel it on the interstate.

eb

 

[xiggi]

Ok...

so you've taken the load and a good chance you might have to shutdown...

WHY...did you gamble to be maybe shutdown for x amount of hours..when you could've just refused and got the next load going elsewhere? Why sit for x amount of hours unpaid?

There is no guarantee the next few load offers won't be headed into bad weather also. Or that it might be a couple days before the next load offer. Never sat on a closed road before for any extended period if and when that happens it could change my mind but until then my method has worked for me.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

How many run in bad weather? lol I run from it! Unless, I'm in the south. I know it will be gone the next day. Why did'nt you move west? Less than 200 miles to Haw River.....

I am in Haw River now....

#1 Sprinter,2 nd CV, no straights or TT's

 

[Steady Eddie]

I am in Haw River now....

#1 Sprinter,2 nd CV, no straights or TT's

Now you can get that Sunday load!

 

[guido4475]

What does one benefit by running in bad weather anyway?Say someone hits you, and you end up in the median.You will have a tow bill, along with possible damage to your vehicle,and your insurance could go up, possibly, amongst other things.It is not worth it.I don't care how hot the freight is, it is my life and my van out here, as well as someone else's/ They are not going to tell me how to drive, when, and where, in bad conditions especially.I absolutely refuse to.I could of kept on going in last night's storm onmy way home, and as bad as I wanted to be with my girlfreind last night,But it was to the point where I just could not see, and accidents were happening all over the place,so I parked it.This morning, the rods were 80% clear, and I could see where I was going, with less stress.Don't let companies strongarm you into drivng in weather you should not be in the first place. It is your life.Watch out for yourself first.

 

[x06col]

I guess this Country IS full of Whusses these days. Somebody mentioned that to me a while back, and I guess she be a fact. Some Roasted Goose Hunting comes to mind.

 

[Poorboy]

I will most Likely take a Load when the Weather is bad, But There is a Stopping Point. When the Lights Are Flashing to Chain Up, I Do One Better, I Park it Until the Salt Shakers do Their Job Then I Leave. I Refuse to Chain Up! Cuz if it's Bad Enough For Chains then It's Time to Put it to bed! There is Nothing in the Box that I Own that I Have to risk My Life over by Driving when it gets Too Bad! Another is a whole Lot of Black Ice, If there's too Much of it then Goodnight! I Don't care what Dispatch Says, They aren't Out Here and I Make the Call as to when I Shut Down!

 

[blizzard2014]

Imagine spending an entire year decking out your equipment. You got the fridge, the satellite dish, the generater mounted to the frame, the roof top A/C Unit, and a slu of other things recently installed on your van. Then you take one load offer that brings you into bad weather, you hit black ice, spin out, and then total out your vehicle. Why would anyone risk their livelyhood to drive in weather that is dangerous?

 

[layoutshooter]

I take loads that make a profit, sometimes I make mistakes. I NEVER drive into trouble if I can avoid it. I carry freight that is worth a LOT of money. There are a FEW things that I try to avoid. Hurting or killing my wife or myself. I avoid things that will damage or destroy my freight. I either STOP or detour around bad weather when ever possible. NOTHING on the face of this earth is worth the live or health of my wife or my self OR the freight that I carry.

 

[x06col]

Well now, we've read about saving the taj you drive, and not wanting to throw 50 pound chains, and preserving the bride and myself.

What about the fella that paid you WAY too much to handle their freight an "gitrdone" Makes no difference. EH???

I'm just tossing it to y'all. Just wondering what our "elite" is really all about???