Week 2 - The Fuel Shortage

Week Ending: 8/26/06

Loads Delivered: 2

Total Miles: 1642
* Loaded: 1104
* Empty: 538

Gross Pay: $602.60
* Mileage Pay: $492.60
* Accessorial: $110.00

Hours Logged: 51.5
* Driving: 41
* On-Duty: 10.5

$/Hour $12.09

Off-Duty - Not Logged: 28
* @ Customer: 19.5
* In Laurinburg:
* Waiting Assignment: 8.5

All Hours: 79.5

Actual $/Hour: $7.83
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Load 1:

Deadhead: London, ON Saturday, August 19, 2006
Shipper: Ottawa, IL Sunday, August 20, 2006
Consignee: Etobicoke, ON Monday, August 21, 2006
Commodity: Glass

The weight on this load was 45,082 and limited the amount of fuel I could run with and still pass scales. This created a very real problem getting out of Canada. (See next load.)

This load was completed at noon, and I waited until 4:00 before receiving a work assignment from Dave. When I asked about detention pay, I was told it was not paid for waiting for work assignments, but only at CERTAIN customers that agreed to it in their contracts.
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Load 2:

Deadhead: Etobicoke, ON Monday, August 21, 2006
Shipper: Tillsonburg, ON Monday, August 21, 2006
Consignee: Ravencliff, WV Thursday, August 24, 2006
Commodity: Steel Pipe

After receiving work assignment, I drove directly to Tillsonburg, since I needed to be there by 7:30 the next morning. After arriving, I did trip plan, and called Extended Shift to advise that because of prior (heavy) load, I came into Canada with just enough fuel to get me into and out of Canada. With additional 200 miles and heavy load, I would need fuel to get out of Canada. Extended said I needed to talk with Dave the next morning.

Dave told me that if I went through Buffalo, I would have enough fuel to make it out. Since I would have to backtrack 40 miles to London to scale, I convinced him that Monroe, MI was actually closer, but I still didn't think it would be close enough. I knew from experience not to count on the last 50 gallons in a Freightliner.

The scale was 40 miles away, and showed 900# heavy on tandems. Dave told me to move the 5th wheel. I told him that wouldn't solve the problem - that moving 5th wheel affects weight on steering, not the tandems. He disagreed, so I tried anyway. It made the tandem scale worse. So, I returned to Tillsonburg to have the load shifted 2 feet forward. Scaling and returning is now an additional 80 miles, so I called Extended again and told them I would need fuel. They again referred me to Dave.

Again advised Dave that with a heavy load and now another 80 miles for rescaling, I would definitely need fuel. He stated reserves should be sufficient. AGAIN, I disagreed. He wanted an ETA, I told him it would depend on when I ran out of fuel. I ran out of fuel a half hour later at 8:30 AM. The tow truck driver brought fuel, but we couldn't get truck started. It had to be towed to the closest truck stop. It was 1:30 before I was fueled and running again.

The load was already a day late and the size of trailer further complicated delivery. The road, 20 miles back in the West Virginia mountains required an escort. The Escort said he didn't believe they had ever taken a trailer like this one up that road before. The wrong load was put on the wrong trailer. Fortunately I have had experience driving heavy construction equipment in mountainous conditions. On leaving, due to double-drop clearance, I could not make it through the exit, and had to go back through the entrance. Even that was so tight it required a fork lift to move the back end of the trailer over to get out.

At this point I was 5 hours from home, with 6 hours remaining on my 70, and only 4 hours remaining on my 14 for the day. I had been on the road for 9 days with no tools, and only what I could stick into an overnight bag. But I was given a work assignment to DH to LRBG, and be there the next morning at 8:00. I explained that LRBG was 6 to 7 hours from Ravencliff, and would put me over my 70, as well as the 14. Dave told me not to worry, because I would "pick up another 8 at midnight".

I made it into LRBG that night, only to find myself waiting until almost 11:30 AM before I received the first load assignment. The first 2 assignments had schedule deliveries so tight, it would be almost impossible for me to complete 34-hour reset, and both of them would not be ready for several hours, leaving me an even longer wait. Finally on the 3rd try I received a load that had already been loaded, and allowed me 2 days at home. Why wasn't I given that load earlier?

Logged hours by the time I took reset were 80.5.

Arrive LRBG: Thursday, August 24, 2006, 11:30 PM
Leave LRBG: Friday, August 25, 2006, 2:00 PM
Hours LRBG: 14.5

Arrive Home: Friday, August 25, 2006, 9:00 PM
Leave Home: Monday, August 28, 2006, 1:30 PM
Hours Home: 64.50
Days Home: 2.69