Vacation in Chattanooga

[theoldprof]

Just got in from my second week on the road. Had a load to Alabama then made an empty move to Chattanooga. I sat in Chatanooga for three or four days intil I got a load to KY. (I lost track of the days.) Besides choosing to be an expediter, what did I do wrong, or what could I have done right to keep my down time to a minimum.

Thanks. :+ :+

 

[woobergoober]

Hey Prof,

I share your pain; In a nutshell, here is how this past week went for me:

Mind you, this is my first actual week with my new company:

Start out in Charlotte, NC. I get a pick up in Seneca, SC "just a little over a hundred miles away" according to the dispatcher. 160 miles later, I am pulling into the shipper, and get loaded. I actually snagged a double. First one went to Birmingham, AL and the second went to Perry, FL (Tallahassee area).

I get to Birmingham that night, and unload in the morning. I spend the rest of the day driving the 400 miles down to my Perry drop, and get there just in the nick of time- the reciever was almost out the door!

From there, I call and ask the dispatcher/s where a decent freight area is down where I am at, to which he responds "Atlanta."

Atlanta? There is no action in FL? Well, apparently not. So, I make my way up to Macon, which is just South of Atlanta. Deadhead about 200 miles or so.

The next morning, Im bugging everybody to get me something to haul, and let them know I need to get back for the weekend, to see my kids off to the airport in Detroit.

So, I slowly start making my way to Atlant. I get to Atlanta, call, dont hear anything that sounded promising, so continued up to Dalton, GA, and then in to Chatanooga, and stopped at the rest area right there on the border, off I75.

I am there about 15 minutes, when I get barraged by 3 different dispatchers to pick up in Nashville. The second load offer was the most feasible, so to Nashville I go, actually Gallatin.

Pick up in Gallatin, and drive on to St. Joseph, MI, and then finally home.

Wayyyy to much deadhead, but I really had to get home. But, it did show me that Nashville was a happening place, and I think for now on, I am going to pass on loads that take me too far South. If I can stay in the OH, IN, KY, TN, AL area, I think I can stay quite busy.

Now couple all this with the fact that changeover is still going on, and things are normally at the slowest, this time of year. And actually, this whole year has not been too kind to alot of us financially.

I think we will be busy as of this new week, and I dont think you did anything wrong.

The other thing I forgot to mention, was that after I made my way up to Atlanta, I had a load offer to pick up 60 miles behind me, and go back down to FL, actually, the very bottom of Fl. Now, I am not one to usually turn down a load, but this time, I definately did. Im not going to go even further South, and have to deadhead twice as far, just to get back near some of our customers.

Good luck.

Scott

 

[TJ959]

It takes a lot of time to figure out where your company has the best luck in getting loaded and what areas to avoid. I haven't turned down any loads this year so now I really know what areas to avoid but if I changed companies that would probably change. So now I know to avoid Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, and the Memphis area. So I will.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

A D-unit with Panther has no probs getting out of GA, especially Atlanta. SC isn't bad either.

Prof, you asked what you did wrong... Chattanooga! It's not the best place to sit for D-units, and my guess is for vans also. Knoxville, Nashville, or Atlanta would produce more fruit. If you're desperate for freight, and willing to dh, try Georgetown, KY.

Don't ever sit for four days!!!

 

[Doggie Daddy]

prof,Thawk is right don't sit anywhere for 4 days.it's just a newbie mistake that we all have done,just learn from it and go on. when we first started we did a 4 day wait in savanna,ga. i vowed then that i would never wait that long again in one place for a load.sometimes you can get a load just driving down the road to a new relocation area.and after 3 years of doing this, we are still learning.knowledge is power, our money numbers have improved every year, and our DH numbers have gone down every year. DD.

 

[RichM]

DD was that you going North on I 75 near Macon Ga yesterday about 2 PM. I saw a FDX International A/Bunk truck, called on the radio,no response. I was southbound.

 

[leymas]

I'm not sure how this works. How can a driver just go from one location to another with out the OK from the company? What if the company finds a load in that area and your no longer around? Is it the O/O status that allows it?

 

[davekc]

In response to message #5

I'm not sure how this works. How can a driver just go from one location to another with out the OK from the company? What if the company finds a load in that area and your no longer around?

Most companies track your vehicle with a qual-comm, and a few still use cell phones or pagers. If your company finds a load in a location that you vacated, they either lose that load or deadhead you back to that pickup. Whether you are paid or not for the return trip will depend on the company.
That should give you some idea.

Davekc
owner
21 years