Week 51 - The Lesson Learned

Week Ending 8/4/07

Loads Delivered: 2

Total Miles: 1854
* Loaded: 1184
* Empty: 670

Gross Pay: $804.14
* Mileage Pay: $760.14
* Accessorial: $44.00

Hours Logged: 49.25
* Driving: 37.25
* On-Duty: 12

$/Hour $16.33

Off-Duty - Not Logged: 14.75
* @ Customer: 0
* In Laurinburg: 14.75
* Waiting Assignment:

All Hours: 64

Actual $/Hour: $12.56
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Load #1

Deadhead: Owatonna, MN Thursday, July 26, 2007
Shipper: Elkhorn, WI Friday, July 27, 2007
Consignee: Calhoun, GA Monday, July 30, 2007
Commodity: Tractor Parts

Took Reset at Home with 66 hours logged.

Arrive Home: Saturday, July 28, 2007, 12:15 PM
Leave Home: Monday, July 30, 2007, 6:30 AM
Hours Home: 42.25
Days Home: 1.76

Load went smoothly.

Red Tagged trailer for handle, electrics, latch jam and eminent wing failure (See prior week for photos).
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Load #2

Deadhead: Calhoun, GA Monday, July 30, 2007
Shipper: Laurinburg, NC Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Consignee: Oviedo, FL Thursday, August 02, 2007
Commodity: glass

Delivered to Calhoun, and received instructions to Deadhead to Laurinburg. Sent macro to shop at 6:43 am that windshield needed replaced and driver’s side electric window not working. At same time sent a macro to Tina, asking if PM was due. Tina wasn’t in and I received generic macro in return from Stan: “go to T/A but don’t affect schedule". Since I was on a Deadhead to Laurinburg, and truck would be in shop anyway, thought I would save company money by getting PM done in Laurinburg.

When I arrived in Laurinburg at 8:15 AM, I was told that the shop never received my macro about the repairs, and the earliest they could get me in was 3:30. At 6:30 pm I was told they had also found a transmission leak and it would be at least 8:00 PM before they were complete. By now I had a load assignment, but would be out of hours at 8:00, so got room at hotel where I could get good night’s sleep and start early in the morning.

Truck was ready the next morning, and so was load. But three of the straps had been secured to the rub rail despite stickers on rail saying “do not or else…”:

The winches for proper securement were also missing and I had to go chase them down; and resecure load properly.



Headboard had one missing bolt, and 2 with stress cracks that caused it to list back.






All of the above photos were emailed to Brett on 8/5.

During load check, I noticed an oil seal leak on trailer and bad tire wear that I took to a TA for repair. Mechanic showed me grease in bearing that was “pukey” brown and probably contaminated.

Leaking Oil Seal:





Tire Wear:





I lost 3 hours during this repair. Add that to the time in Laurinburg for repairs, and I had lost almost 14 hours. I requested break-down pay, and was generously given $24 for the time at the TA. I also requested tarp pay for having to resecure the load. That was also denied.

A side note to the $24 for break-down pay: When I received my paycheck, I had only been paid $20. I asked Tina to correct and pay the additional $4 on my next paycheck. The next check, rather than $4, I received $24. So, I can say there is one mistake in my favor.

Lesson learned: Don’t try to save the company money by taking truck to Laurinburg shop. Take to TA, and get breakdown pay.