Stepping ahead

[tracer]

I'm going to post stuff here about switching from dry van to stepdeck, if someone is interested.

Did my last dry van run Friday, Aug-14th and was waiting to hear from the Wilson dealer, so that I could start heading to Moberly, MO to pick up the 48' RoadBrute. Called the dealer and they said the Moberly plant was closed on that Friday - no production - and people in the Wilson's main office in Iowa had no info what was going on and if my trailer was finished.

I already had the roof deflector taken off (the truck became lighter by ... 260 lbs) so going back to dry van didn't make sense. I told Flatbed dispatch I can do a couple of short flatbed trips with their trailer while waiting for mine to be ready and within 5 minutes they gave me a load of foam from the yard that was going to Connectitut. Someone else had picked it up and strapped it down so my job was just to deliver and unstrap :) No tarping, except there was a small shabby 'smoke tarp' (actually, a small 2 centuries old part of a 18 oz lumber tarp) and it took me 1/2 hr and 3 stops before I reached the border to make it stop flapping and scare the 4-wheelers :)

I unloaded near New London, CT on Monday and the new load offer they sent me said 'you are loading tomorrow from the same location where you delivered.' The funny thing is the load is the same foam/insulation (probably different size) and it goes to exactly the same location in Canada where the first load originated.

So, I'm sitting here waiting for them to tell me when to pull in the yard for loading.

[tracer]

Either by accident or on purpose, the first flatbed loads Dispatch gave me after dry van were relatively easy. This is the picture of the return load I picked up in CT today. The temperature was around 95F and I got soaked throwing straps, tightening them and positioning corner protectors under the straps with a long pole. I have no idea how much money I'm making on this, but it's 70% of whatever MacKinnon gets from the shipper.

[bikerboy]

i am gonna guess that is a service plaze on the MASS pike?

and you really should ask what a load pays before taking it.

[tracer]

i am gonna guess that is a service plaze on the MASS pike?

and you really should ask what a load pays before taking it.

Yes, it was on i-90 somewhere in Mass... As for the rate, it's a big secret at MacKinnon - believe it or not. We argued and argued but the first time I see the actual rate is on the Pay Statement 2 times a month. I know it sucks. I'm going to post the rate when I get the statement.

[tracer]

I left CT Monday with a load of insulation and drove towards Buffalo, NY. I have to tell you - after dry van even a load as easy as this takes some getting used to. Throwing straps for 2 hours made me feel tired by 9 pm and instead of using all available hours to reach the Canadian border, I shut down near Rochester, NY. My delivery in Toronto, ON was on the next time, "anytime before 2:30 pm".

Dispatch started bugging me around 10 am asking for ETA to the consignee. I told them "noon" and that was when I pulled in the receiving yard near Hwy 404 and Sheppard Ave. Well, I got unloaded, rolled up all the straps, hid away the smoke tarp, and sent the "load delivered" message to Dispatch.

So, I'm sitting in the truck waiting what to do next and Dispatch writes back, "Hang tight. We're going to get you reloaded at the same place. Talk to the shipper." I can't believe it - this is my 3rd load of insulation in a row! The good thing is I have 0 deadhead but the bad thing is the load is going to southern Ohio and it delivers "by 2:30 pm" on the next day. The distance is 570 miles.

The load planner wrote he already had a return load for me after Ohio and it is in Kentucky, just 15 miles from the Ohio place. I get a feeling I"m doing more miles here than with a dry van!

Today is Wednesday, Aug 19th and as I pulled in to Customs in Detroit, MI my e-log showed 25 minutes available in the 14 hr day. All this happened because I hadn't used up my hours on Tuesday. I was tired and common sense and rules of the road say "Take a break", but the hours of service evidently have nothing to do with common sense. In this case because I didn't drive till midnight on the previous day, my 14th hour ended way too soon.

It was dark and I sneaked over to the TA truck stop at exit 15 off 75 south (Monroe, MI) :) without getting caught. I needed a shower and Monroe was the only decent truck stop in the area. It was 10 pm but I got lucky and found a parking spot. It seemed it was the last one. Trucks were parked all over the place...

Heard good news today from the trailer dealer's rep. He called to say Wilson expects my stepdeck to be finished this Friday, Aug-21. I want to head out to MO plant after I get back from Kentucky on Friday with the return load (hope it's not insulation again). Dispatch said they'll "do our best" to find me something going west from Ontario, CA on the weekend.

[RostyC]

You'll get much faster at throwing straps, Tracer. I personally like to ball mine up and throw them like a ball over the load. Slinging them over the load can lead to shoulder problems for some later in life.

I pulled an insulation load once, hated it, other than it's light. I pulled mine out of Ohio, couldn't get on the turnpike because I was over 13'6. Clamped down on my straps and dumped the air out of my bags to get legal. Then when I stopped to check the load it was walking out the back of the trailer, thank God it was light enough to push back in and then cross strap it.

I was still pretty green at the time though.

Have fun :) Keep posting your experience.

[tracer]

You'll get much faster at throwing straps, Tracer. I personally like to ball mine up and throw them like a ball over the load. Slinging them over the load can lead to shoulder problems for some later in life.

I pulled an insulation load once, hated it, other than it's light. I pulled mine out of Ohio, couldn't get on the turnpike because I was over 13'6. Clamped down on my straps and dumped the air out of my bags to get legal. Then when I stopped to check the load it was walking out the back of the trailer, thank God it was light enough to push back in and then cross strap it.

I was still pretty green at the time though.

Have fun :) Keep posting your experience.

You probably picked up insulation in the same place where I delivered - Dow Chemical, Hanging Rock, OH. ...

I agree with the ball method of throwing straps - that's why I want to get straps for my trailer that have buckles not 1/2 tons of chain plus a hook at the end. They're much easier to work with.

[tracer]

Aug-20-09

I followed i-75 south to Dayton, OH and then took Hwy 35 south (east) to 23 south to Portsmough, OH (right next to the Kentucky border). I switched to 52 east and found the consignee with no problems in the town of Hanging Rock, OH just 25 miles east of 23/52 junction. They were closing at 2:30 pm and I barely made it.

When I sent the 'load delivered' message to Dispatch, they - as promised - quickly sent over the new load offer with the pickup in Kentucky. The shipper was only 14 miles away (in Wurtland, KY) but I had to do a detour along Hwy 23 to get to a bridge.

My GPS led me to the town of Ironton, and I see a sign that says, "Commercial trucks over 7'8" wide are prohibited on the bridge". What the heck? I come closer to the bridge and there's another sign with the same message. I'm probably 8'6" wide but can the bridge be this narrow? I have no idea where another bridge is and my appointment at the shipper is for 4 pm, just 30 minutes away. I look at the bridge from a block away and it looks fine: 2 lanes, cars are speeding back and forth ... I decide to follow the GPS directions and cross the bridge. The approach is very narrow but the bridge itself is okay, tight but not too bad. I breath out as I come to the stop sign after the bridge and here's where the adventure begins.

I do a couple of very tight turns at lights and see a sign "low bridge, 12'8" At first I panick but then remember that I'm pulling a flatbed and that I don't have a deflector on the roof. So, I pull forward, go round the bend towards this railway underpass and ... stop. Something wrong here.. The height is okay, but the road under the bridge is like a tunnel made out of concrete, and this tunnel is probably 8 feet wide! What's more, it's not straight and it curves to the left and there's no space before this tunnel to swing the truck in an arc. I'm stuck.

I put on my flashers and go out and look. No, I can't make it. As I turn back to the truck I see 2 cops walking towards me. And I'm thinking, "A ticket." and "These guys are fast." But the cops don't look hostile or anything. "It's not your fault. There's no signs", says Cop #1. Cop #2 meanwhile is blocking the traffic behind me and Cop #1 is now blocking the oncoming traffic from out of the tunnel/bridge. Cop #1 asks me to back up and make a u-turn in a small driveway off the road behind me. It looks doable and I do just that as passers-by gawk on ... "What the heck is this guy doing?" they're probably thinking.

I turn around and follow cops' directions to get to Hwy 23 on the Kentucky side. I reach the shipper without further complications...

I'm picking up steel products and the paperwork says, "tarp is required'. Mmm ... my first tarping. I back up into the warehouse and they load the stuff on the trailer with a crane. After I weigh at the yard scale (44,400 lbs) I pull into a special area for chaining/strapping/tarping...

2 hours later ... the load is strapped, two tarps are on top of it, and I'm soaked. It's 90 F outside and the so-called "steel tarps" MacKinnon uses on their trailers are 19.6' by 30'! The tarps are all 18 oz vinyl, with no flaps. To me they feel like they are 200 lbs each :) At least the load is quite dense and sits low, maybe 4 ft from the floor.

I change into shorts and another T-shirt in the truck, grab an empty bottle and head into the warehouse to finde some tap water. I see 2 guys chatting in the lunch room and I ask them where I can get drinking water. One of the guys says he wouldn't trust the local tap water and adds, "I have a bottle of water in the cooler in my car. I'll just give it to you." I say I have no change but he says he doesn't need any money. We go out to his car and in the trunk there's a huge cooler with a bunch of bottles. The guy gives me 2 (two) 500 ml bottles of water, ice-cold, and I can't thank him enough.

As I'm driving on the road 10 minutes later, with my A/C on full blast and a bottle of cold water in my hand, I begin to feel like a human being again :) Delivery is tomorrow in Milton, ON Canada anytime.

[jagerbomber3.0]

Sure sounds like the company you have is pretty stable for miles right now and you have a pretty quick acting load planner as well from what you are posting up. I'm impressed with the quickness they are getting you scheduled and reloaded. It's hard to find luck that good. i hope it keeps working for ya.

[allan5oh]

Then when I stopped to check the load it was walking out the back of the trailer, thank God it was light enough to push back in and then cross strap it.

Why didn't you cross strap it from the beginning? I've done a few of those loads. I use 2" straps to cross strap, and start with those. Make a big X at the back. If you start with those, the 4" straps hold the 2" straps on, because they can wiggle off and fall. Ask me how I know.

[allan5oh]

Nice easy load! Do you have your trailer yet?

We do a lot of grader blades, I use a 35 foot long tarp that weighs maybe 5 lbs. It's just to protect the stickers from flying off. I get paid $75 to tarp. Takes me 10 minutes to tarp and secure.

[tracer]

Nice easy load! Do you have your trailer yet?

We do a lot of grader blades, I use a 35 foot long tarp that weighs maybe 5 lbs. It's just to protect the stickers from flying off. I get paid $75 to tarp. Takes me 10 minutes to tarp and secure.

Wilson says they finished building it Friday, Aug-22. Now I'm just waiting for MacKinnon to give me a westbound flatbed load so that I can drop it somewhere in US and then pick up my step and put it on top of the flatbed. Would hate to scratch those brand new shiny 17.5" tires :)

35 ft long tarp weighing 5 lbs? Did you mean to write 3.5 ft long?

[tracer]

Sure sounds like the company you have is pretty stable for miles right now and you have a pretty quick acting load planner as well from what you are posting up. I'm impressed with the quickness they are getting you scheduled and reloaded. It's hard to find luck that good. i hope it keeps working for ya.

MacKinnon is a family-run company. They have about 250 company trucks and 20-30 owner-operator trucks. They've been in business since 1928 ... Nowadays they're letting the "kids" run the business. The planner is probably under 30, of the Mackinnon clan. Lots of energy and enthusiasm. Before he came onboard they only had work for flatbed trailers in the Platform division. Now it's okay to own a step too :) I know you're supposed to know what the freight pays BEFORE you say 'yes' or 'no' but I'm ready to disregard this minor drawback when I know they have the freight. I think the only way I'm leaving is when I have my own authority. And now - with my own truck and trailer - I'll be just one step away from that.

[BoyNextDoor]

now owning your own step deck is gonna be fine and dandy, but will it effect your loads at all? afterall, you can't just drop it anywhere and get a different trailer... or were you married to a trailer beforehand all the time anyways?

[klleetrucking]

Just a suggestion, Mr. Tracer when you get your own trailer.
I take my straps completly off the trailer and roll them up "flat hook out" that way when you throw, you're not throwing the weight of the hook plus the strap. If that makes sense. Plus, if they're rolled tight enough I can get 10, 30 footers in a plastic milk crate.

[RostyC]

Why didn't you cross strap it from the beginning? I've done a few of those loads. I use 2" straps to cross strap, and start with those. Make a big X at the back. If you start with those, the 4" straps hold the 2" straps on, because they can wiggle off and fall. Ask me how I know.

I didn't realize that stuff could walk like that, and it's funny because the other drivers I was watching didn't cross strap either. Like I said I was still pretty green at that time. I had two 4" straps across the rear and it was the bottom hack that walked out. Thanks for the tip with putting the 4" straps over the 2" straps, if I ever haul that stuff again I'll definitely remember that.

If for some reason I forget though, just look the driver trying to shove insulation back on the trailer, and then stop and buy me a coffee. :D

[allan5oh]

I had one load of this plastic stuff, that goes around windows. It was a real bear, I used something like 24 straps. And it still wasn't legal because it was stacked four high, and I did absolutely no belly strapping. Couldn't be done anyways, all of the freight was different heights.

After a few hours the back started to blow out. I had to cross strap, even though it was going to damage the freight. IMO it's always better to damage the freight then have it all over the highway! Safety department agreed with what I did. Haven't heard if they made a claim. You have to do what you have to do.

[tracer]

now owning your own step deck is gonna be fine and dandy, but will it effect your loads at all? afterall, you can't just drop it anywhere and get a different trailer... or were you married to a trailer beforehand all the time anyways?

Yeah, that can be a problem. When we pull their trailers, they change them all the time. With my own step, I will have less flexibility in this regard but I also won't have to fight their 2,000,000 lb tarps :) since I'm going to use lightweight material on mine.

[tracer]

Just a suggestion, Mr. Tracer when you get your own trailer.
I take my straps completly off the trailer and roll them up "flat hook out" that way when you throw, you're not throwing the weight of the hook plus the strap. If that makes sense. Plus, if they're rolled tight enough I can get 10, 30 footers in a plastic milk crate.

Great tip, thanks! I"m going to buy straps with flat hooks. It's much easier throwing them over tall loads. Keeping them rolled up in a cargo compartment makes sense too: 1) they'll stay clean; 2) less chance of them "walking away" :)

[tracer]

August 24th, 2009
Monday

I delivered that Kentucky load to a place in Milton, ON; 20 mi away from our yard. They were closed Sat and Sun and Dispatch said I'd have to go there Monday myself. Did that and they ask me - do I want to keep working? They explain they have a load for Chicago that will take me towards the Wilson plant in Moberly, MO but that load leaves only on Wednesday. The load offer they sent me is for 285 miles from Brampton, ON to North Jackson, OH (near Youngstown) and it requires tarping. So, I reply "No. I don't want to keep working. If you have anything westbound earlier than Wednesday, I'll take it. If not, I'll leave on Wednesday." And I also send them a "load declined" macro (message). And ... all hell breaks loose :) I show up at our yard and the load planner is upset because he doesn't want me to sit in the yard "whole week" (monday till wednesday) when they have so much work, and that they're helping me out by giving me a trailer and that if I choose to sit they can't guarantee that Wednesday load for Chicago will be given to me. So, basically, they blackmail/bulldoze me into taking the Ohio run.

I've bobtailed to Brampton, picked up our preloaded trailer with aluminum logs, threw one steel tarp over it, and was on my way to Ohio. I'm told I already have another load coming back to Ontario and then I can take off for Chicago and Wilson plant on Wednesday, Aug-26th.

I checked my old pay slips from the flatbed time last year and a similar run (Brampton, ON to Youngstown, OH) in August 2007 paid $675 to MacKinnon and $472.50 (70%) to the truck. The distance is roughly 320 miles incl. deadhead. Fuel surcharge is extra.

Trailers Canada finally confirmed today my step is ready for pickup in MO. The salesman also said he might have another stepdeck (at Iowa plant) that he might ask me to bring to Canada. If I bring 2 trailers instead of one, they said they'd pay me something on top of the US$1,500 fee promised for one trailer. Since each trailer weighs at least 10,000 lbs, I definitely won't do it for free (distance from the MO plant to Canada is 800 miles and they I'd have to drive over to the Iowa plant).

I also talked to a local tarp shop today about load levellers and they cost around 800 bucks for a pair. Need to call them with my credit card number, so that they can order them. They should be ready to be picked up by the time I bring the step to Canada.

[tracer]

August 25th, 2009
Tuesday

The Wilson salesman called me today with an interesting offer. He said he's finalizing another trailer sale and asked if I'd be interested to pick up two trailers instead of one. I said, "Why not, as long you pay extra for the second trailer ..." The sales guy said, "We'll figure something out."

Then he called me again to say Trailer #2 is not in Moberly, MO where my trailer is sitting; but rather it is in Sioux City, Iowa. He asked me if I'd mind if they move my trailer to Sioux City as well, because the Moberly plant will be closed this Friday. This way I can just go to Sioux City from Chicago (where I'm dropping my Canadian flatbed load), pick up both stepdecks and head back to Canada.

Nothing is set in terms of money... I finally looked at the map at the end of the day and ... I didn't realize Sioux City, IA was so far! It's a day's drive from Chicago, IL. Also, I"m thinking it should be me telling how much I'll charge instead of them telling me about "figuring something out". I'm the guy with a truck, right?

So, what do you guys think? What would be fair to ask?

Scenario 1
Starting point: Chicago, IL
Deadhead: 387 mi to Moberly, MO
Loaded miles: 827 mi to Breslau, ON Canada
Load: 1 stepdeck trailer loaded on top of the flatbed; 10,100 lbs 'load' weight
Total miles: 1,214
Freight bill: US$1,500 for 1,214 miles or $1.24/mi (jeeze!)

Scenario 2
Starting point: Chicago, IL
Deadhead: 531 mi to Sioux City, Iowa
Loaded miles: 985 mi to Breslau, ON Canada
Load: 2 stepdeck trailers loaded on top of the flatbed; 20, 000 lbs 'load' weight
Total miles: 1,516
Freight bill: 1,516 x $1.24 = $1879 PLUS SURCHARGE FOR TRAILER #2 (20 cents?)

1,516 mi X $1.45 = $2,198

I"m thinking to ask $2,200 for 2 trailers out of Sioux City, Iowa. Any comments?

[tracer]

I dropped a load of insulation in Hamilton, ON this morning and then deadheaded 60 miles to Toronto to pick up a load of ... insulation. This one is going to Chicago, IL (actually closer to Joplin) and after I drop it I'll be heading to Sioux City, Iowa to get my stepdeck.

I haven't had any feedback here about the rate to ask for Trailer #2, so I've sent the salesman an invoice for USD$900 (surcharge for the second trailer). He countered by US$750 and we had a deal.

500 mi deadhead from Chicago, IL
1,000 mi loaded to Breslau, ON, Canada
20,000 lb load (2 stepdeck trailers).
Total rate I'm getting is US$1,500 + $750 = $2,250

Nothing special if you're an independent trucker with authority, but if you're hauling your trailer I guess it's all right.

In the news from MacKinnon today: a fleet satellite message sent out to the entire staff announced the purchase by MacKinnon of ... L.E. Walker Transport, together with their flatbed company - Mid-America Freight! All employees of LE Walker will be moved from St. Thomas, ON to our terminal in Guelph, ON and our freight volume is forecast to increase by ... 60%. Most of it will be in Dry Van, but I hope Flatbed will feel the effects of the purchase too.

Seems like I'm going to be in the right place at the right time with my Wilson RoadBrute step. Way to go MacKinnon!

[mike3fan]

I dropped a load of insulation in Hamilton, ON this morning and then deadheaded 60 miles to Toronto to pick up a load of ... insulation. This one is going to Chicago, IL (actually closer to Joplin) and after I drop it I'll be heading to Sioux City, Iowa to get my stepdeck.

I haven't had any feedback here about the rate to ask for Trailer #2, so I've sent the salesman an invoice for USD$900 (surcharge for the second trailer). He countered by US$750 and we had a deal.

500 mi deadhead from Chicago, IL
1,000 mi loaded to Breslau, ON, Canada
20,000 lb load (2 stepdeck trailers).
Total rate I'm getting is US$1,500 + $750 = $2,250

Nothing special if you're an independent trucker with authority, but if you're hauling your trailer I guess it's all right.

In the news from MacKinnon today: a fleet satellite message sent out to the entire staff announced the purchase by MacKinnon of ... L.E. Walker Transport, together with their flatbed company - Mid-America Freight! All employees of LE Walker will be moved from St. Thomas, ON to our terminal in Guelph, ON and our freight volume is forecast to increase by ... 60%. Most of it will be in Dry Van, but I hope Flatbed will feel the effects of the purchase too.

Seems like I'm going to be in the right place at the right time with my Wilson RoadBrute step. Way to go MacKinnon!


I'm guessing you meant Joliet? Joplin is a little farther away.

Doesn't really matter if your freight volume picks up by 60% if capacity also increases. I'm pretty sure they are bringing their trucks with them right?

[tracer]

I'm guessing you meant Joliet? Joplin is a little farther away.

Doesn't really matter if your freight volume picks up by 60% if capacity also increases. I'm pretty sure they are bringing their trucks with them right?

I guess you're right about the volume - Walker does have their own trucks. And yes, I meant Joliet, IL, not Joplin MO :)

Here's what L.E. Walker Transport Ltd. (http://www.lewalker.com) says about L.E. Walker Transport

"LE Walker Transport is a privately held transportation solutions provider that meets the needs of a wide range of companies throughout North America.

Our company has provided transportation services since 1947, and today operates a fleet of over 200 power units and 700 dry van trailers throughout Eastern Canada and the United States. We have the people, equipment and technologies necessary to ensure we meet and exceed your expectations.

With terminals located in St. Thomas, Ontario (minutes from Highway 401) and Ancaster, Ontario (very close to Highway 403) LE Walker is ideally positioned to meet your diverse North American distribution needs."

[tracer]

Aug 27th, 2009

I started shopping for trailer accessories today at Tarpstop ® Solutions for Transportation (http://www.tarpstop.com) in Gary, IN (same exit #16 as for the Flying J). It took me 30 min to spend US$1,500 :(

$1,200 for 4 tarps (16' x 20', 16' x 24', 24' x 20', 24' x 24'; all with one flap; all 18 oz vinyl; my name stenciled on all sides). the big ones will be black, and the smaller ones - blue.
$300 for stuff like 18 4" winch straps with flat hooks, 2 ratchet straps, a 8'x8' smoke tarp (fitted!), and plastic edge protectors

Right now I'm heading empty to the Sioux City, Iowa and the tarps should be ready by Saturday when I'll be passing Gary, IN on my way back to Canada with the two Wilson steps.

Still have to buy chains, chain binders, steel coil racks, steel edge protectors, bungee cords for the tarps. Load levelers ($800) should be ready sometime next week (ordered them a couple of days ago).

[bikerboy]

if you plan to haul alot of steel, ratchet chain binders are the best.
snap binders are quicker, but with ratchets you can get the chain tighter easier with steel.

maybe get some of each. and you will likely need lots of portable strap ratchets, since with a step deck you can;t slide the winches past the tires.

[mike3fan]

What are load levelers?

[sgreer78]

What are load levelers?


Probably those ramp looking things that they sit up on edge so they can haul pipe or something else that needs to be the length of the whole trailer, not just the drop.

[tracer]

What are load levelers?

Yeah, it's for long loads that have to be put on the upper deck. Load levelers allow to use the lower deck space without the load sitting at an angle. See the pic. One company that makes these is Load Levelers - Aluminum Load Leveler Bridges (http://www.discountramps.com/load-leveler-bridges.htm) I found another in Canada that sells them a bit cheaper.

[tracer]

if you plan to haul alot of steel, ratchet chain binders are the best.
snap binders are quicker, but with ratchets you can get the chain tighter easier with steel.

maybe get some of each. and you will likely need lots of portable strap ratchets, since with a step deck you can;t slide the winches past the tires.

I don't think they'll be giving me lots of steel, since the company has a lot of flatbed trailers, but you never know... I'll probably get a few of each: snap binders and ratchet binders. I already have 3 portable strap ratchets. Will buy more if the need arises. I find them very handy.

[Bigmon]

Yeah, it's for long loads that have to be put on the upper deck. Load levelers allow to use the lower deck space without the load sitting at an angle. See the pic. One company that makes these is Load Levelers - Aluminum Load Leveler Bridges (http://www.discountramps.com/load-leveler-bridges.htm) I found another in Canada that sells them a bit cheaper.



Why not just stack a bunch of pallets. Save the money for the fines you might get. :)

[RostyC]

What are load levelers?

You pull a tanker and you don't know what load levelers are?........... hmm. Well I'll be...

[tracer]

August 28th, 2009

I arrived at the Wilson plant in Sioux City around 11 am today and everything was pretty quick. They put Trailer #1 (mine, with red frame) on top of the Trailer #2 and then told me to back to a ramp. A shunt truck driver hooked up to the trailer #2 and backed onto the ramp from the other side and then just let the trailer go on my flatbed. Took him a couple of tries but he did a great job: the edge of tires on each side was perfectly matched to the edge of the flatbed. I asked them how many straps they'd say I should throw on but the guys had no clue. So, I just used common sense and put 3 straps over Trailer #1 and 3 straps over Trailer #2, alternating them between the trailers.

I was able to take a look at my trailer while waiting for the plant lunch break to be over. The color of the frame looks great and the trailer seems well constructed. One thing that pleasantly surprised me was that the 17.5" tires were not as small as I was afraid they'd be. They look pretty solid.

The entire day was one big rush. First I was in a hurry to get to Sioux City before 2:30 pm (their closing time), and then I drove towards Chicago, IL till my e-log ran out of hours. I am 3.5 hours away from Chicago now - at a Kum & Go gas station off I-80. Tomorrow I'm picking up my new tarps at the Tarp Stop in Gary, IN and they close at noon.

While I was driving back from Wilson a Tarp Stop guy called me saying he had bad news. Turns out their sewing machine got broke as they were preparing to sew my tarps together. The earlest they could fix the machine was on Monday. So, no tarps. We agreed I'd stop by their store on Saturday anyway and they'll refund me the $1,200 I had paid because Monday didn't work for me. I called 411 to get a listing for TBK Tarps - they're inside the Flying J, just next door to the Tarp Stop - and when I called them the guy on the phone was happy to get me the tarps for Saturday. As we were discussing the price and how much discount they can give me on the 4 tarps, I heard the Call Waiting beep in my ear and took the call on the other line. Guess who it was? Andrew from Tarp Stop who informed me they figured out a way to use the sewing machine without the defective clutch (he had told me earlier the machine's "clutch housing" got broke). So, we were back on schedule and the tarps were supposed to be ready on Saturday. I hung up with him and went back to the call with TBK ... I said I was sorry but Tarp Stop had come through and they already had my Visa payment, so I'd have to get the tarps from them. The TBK guy was a bit upset but things happen, right?

Below are some of the pictures I took at Wilson... I also posted a short video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehf8sDmRBOM

[kelgar50]

Tracer, why didn't you buy the load levelers from Wilson? Thats where I bought mine cost was $600 each and they are nice.
As to using pallets and jacks for load levelers most place will not load you that way plus it is not very safe.
I have seen pallets crush in transit supporting pipe loads and other types of loads.

[tracer]

Tracer, why didn't you buy the load levelers from Wilson? Thats where I bought mine cost was $600 each and they are nice.

There's a local tarp company in Burlington, ON and they have a guy who makes these for them (you can only buy these load levelers thru the company). A pair is only Cnd$800, which is 50% cheaper than what Trailers Canada wanted. Also, these are rated for 25,000 lbs each. The company's name is AERO-KIT and you can find them here - The Look® Sliding Tarp Systems (http://www.slidingtarpsystems.com). They also sell storage boxes for trailers. I think of getting one as I didn't spec them from Wilson (again, they were too expensive).

[tracer]

Aug-29-2009

I picked up my tarps in Gary, IN today. The Tarp Stop guys did a great job. Tarps look "quality". I asked them to make the lumber tarps black, and the steel ones - blue. When I came in at 11 am this morning, they were still stenciling my name on the sides of the tarps. I"m sitting at a truck stop and worry someone might steal them - they do look brand spanking new. I don't have any room in the sleeper to hide them, so I just put them on the lower deck and threw 2 straps over. Any tips on how to protect the $1,200 tarps from getting stolen? I thought of putting a chain with a padlock on them but it didn't seem practical ...

[tracer]

August 31th, 2009

I crossed into Canada via Sarnia, ON without any problems and spent the night in a shopping mall parking lot in Kitchener, ON. There were cars coming and going till late in the night from the nearby movie theater (where I watched the new installment of "Final Destination" in 3D) and I was worried someone might steal my tarps :)

Nothing happened and in the morning I drove to Trailers Canada in Breslau where I met my sales guy, Bruce. A big tow truck arrived around 9 am and he took off the stepdecks off my flatbed one by one with its crane. I was shooting the action with my Flip and will post a video on YouTube in a couple of days, once I pick up the step with my truck.

We did the rest of the paperwork after and I signed my life away on a 60 month capital lease with GE Canada, with $1 buyback. After the 2 grand we added for accessories (I got it as cashback at signing to spend on things like tarps, load levelers, chains, straps and such), the price in Canadian Dollars came up to $40,406 (the actual price was $38.4K). I put $1,900 down.

The interest is pretty high (about 10%, I think) and my payments are going to be $873.74 a month, starting on October 16th (I asked them to give me a 45 day delay for the first payment). $41.61 in the payment is GST ('goods and sales tax') and I'll get a refund for it from the Government. So, the final out-of-the-pocket payment for the trailer will be Cnd$832.13/mo.

In terms of cashflow, nothing should change: I rented out my condo apartment for $800, which pretty much covers the trailer payment. I can't refinance the trailer because it's a lease, but I'll try to do something about my $1,600/mo truck payment. The 2004 truck is probably worth $32 - $35 grand on the street, and I owe only $23,000 to GE Canada for it. If I do nothing, the truck will be paid off in December 2010.

I'm looking forward to getting 82% percentage pay from now on, and with capital cost allowance for the trailer (30% a year), my profit per mile should improve.

I left the trailer at the dealer to let them plate it, re-paint a spot on the landing gear where the paint disappeared (the trailer rubbed against another, as they were being driven from Moberly, MO to Sioux City, Iowa), and replace the mud-flaps with the new Eco-Flaps I bought at a TA truck stop in Gary, IN on the way back. I'm using Eco-Flaps on the truck now and I like them, so I decided to make all flaps the same. The dealer said they should be done with the trailer tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon.

The license plate is going to be in my name, but the insurance will be provided through MacKinnon. I was surprised to learn that trailer licenses in Canada are given only once and that you don't have to buy any annual stickers (as we do for cars).

I called AeroKit, the company in Burlington, ON that sells load levelers and they said I can pick it up tomorrow, around 4 pm. I'll also buy the rest of the stuff I need for the trailer (chains, binders etc.) and I told Dispatch I should be ready for my first load Wednesday morning.

The trailer looks very well made, except for one tiny thing: the sliding winches are designed in such a way that they constantly scratch the aluminum on the trailer side. I checked both trailers (mine and the other one I brought over) and even though they are like one week old they already have nasty markings where the winches slided .. I asked Bruce the sales guy if I should put any grease in there and he said it was a bad idea.

Another thing that I'm not happy with is the straps. I bought 4" straps with flat hooks because they were on sale at Tarp Stop. These will fit the 4" winches, no problem there ... However the stake pockets will be too small for hooks to go through and I'll have to hook the straps to the rail under the side, which can withstand something like 5100 lbs. Stake pockets are rated for close to 6,000 lbs :( and Bruce said it's best to use stake pockets for securing loads.

Unless, and I'm thinking it might work, I'll unroll the strap, thread it through the stake pocket first and then hook the hook to the bottom of the stake pocket. I'll do a field experiment tomorrow once I have the trailer with me back at the MacKinnon yard.

All in all, I feel excited to become a 'truck and trailer' owner-operator, which is in full accordance with Rule #7 of the "Rich man in Babylon": INCREASE YOUR ABILITY TO EARN. Getting the trailer seemed like the easiest thing to do this - I'm going from $1.12/mi to 82% of the freight price.

I"m hiding my only credit card and switching to cash from now on. I'll split each paycheque like this:

10% - Savings account (for future invesments into trucking and real estate). This is where the money will come from if I decide to replace my stock exhaust manifold with an extrude-honed one. This costs about $1,200 and should improve my fuel mileage by .2 mpg. I"m also planning to buy a cheap 3-plex or 4-plex later on (owner-occupied), if I can find a deal with $0 down (read: "motivated seller").

20% - VISA (to pay off the existing balance). I"m not going to use the credit card until it's fully paid off. This is doable because I'm single, have no kids, and I don't smoke :)

70% - for bills and daily living. As the Rich Man from Babylon says, "Budget your expenses so that you may have coins to pay for your necessities, to pay for your enjoyments and to gratify your worthwhile desires without spending more than nine tenths of your earnings." Nine tenths is 90% (because you're supposed to save 'one tenth' or 10%) but when you have debt, they recommend you use 20% of your income to pay it off.

[mike3fan]

I'm going from $1.12/mi to 82% of the freight price.


Which could be exactly the same.

[chromewheelz]

great thread and posts. keep them comming. !!

[specialkay]

Wilson's have had that system for winches for years. The comment you made about hook end straps is one of the reasons people use chain end type. Don't forget a while ago some of the states were enforcing the rule of "no straps over the rub rail" and nailing guys left and right. Did you get any floor tie-downs installed? I use those as much as possible (just cause) and it helps to make tarping look tidier and more professional.

[tracer]

September 1th, 2009

I saw a guy in our yard with a stepdeck today and asked him if I can measure his stake pockets. Turns out he's a new guy and this is his first day at MacKinnon. He was glad to learn that I am getting a step too as that means it might be easier for MacKinnon to find good loads for us stepdeckers. I grabbed a spool of my 4' strap with a flat metal hook to see if I can squeeze the hook through the top of the stake pocket. To my relieve, it went through! So, I don't have to change my straps after all.

I drove to the trailer dealer in Breslau ON around noon and hooked to my RoadBrute for the first time. Bruce, the sales guy, walked around the trailer with me and gave me more tips on how to take care of it, what loads I should protect the floor from ("put something on top of the aluminum if you carry a machine with tracks, eg bulldozer") and so on. We measured the height and at the lower deck it was closer to 35" in the front. I put on the 4-ways and the LED lights look much better than the regular lights on my truck. The rear has 9 lights!

Just like when you buy a car, the dealer had to have a proof of insurance from MacKinnon that the trailer is covered under the fleet policy. Bruce got the fax from MacKinnon with insurance info before I arrived in their yard...

I left Trailers Canada with a bunch of reference materials about the trailer and the original ownership. The trailer in plated in my name and I don't have to pay any annual fees for the license.

I was passing through Cambridge, ON on the way back to our yard and decided to stop by Traction Heavy Truck Parts. Now I have 8 recoilless binders, 3 chains (20' long), 16 steel coil corner protectors, a box of bungee cords (50 bucks). I bought only 3 chains because these were his last ones, still packaged in small boxes. When I walked out the door, my bank account had 500 bucks less in it than when I had walked in :) These accessories are expensive.

When I came to the yard, I showed the trailer to my Dispatch and she asked me to give her a sheet with the trailer dimensions. Also, she was interested in the empty weight: trailer, fully fueled truck, all accessories. Will do that tomorrow morning, once I fuel. Then the Safety Dept. wanted a copy of the ownership paperwork and the Shop guy "inspected" the 2010 trailer and sent the email to Safety (which is in the same building) saying I had the green light to join the fleet with my own trailer. Safety needed this email so that I can officially be set up for the 82% of gross revenue pay.

After this I parked the truck and trailer, jumped into my 2-door Chevy Cobalt Sport and drove 50 km (30 mi) to a tarp shop in Burlington, ON to pick up the load levelers. The car is a coupe and the rear seats fold down ... I was hoping I could squeeze the 8.5' levelers in. When I came to the shop and took a look at the levelers I knew I had made a mistake: the levelers were massive!

A shop worker helped me to carry them out and when we put them alongside the car, they seemed to be as long as the car!

So, I called a local cab company ... "Do you guys have a van with folding seats that can pick up 2 metal pieces 8.5' long and 5" wide?" I asked the Cab Dispatcher. He said the seats in their vans didn't fold, so "unfortunately we cannot help you". When I asked if he knew who I can call he suggested renting a pickup truck or a van.

Since I already have a truck and trailer that seemed like a bad idea, so I asked the tarp shop to keep the levelers overnight. They open at 7 am tomorrow and I can bring over my truck with a trailer and pick them up. A cab ride would cost a fortune anyway...

So, right now I'm sitting at a Swiss Chalet in Burlington, ON having a Health Check Quarter Chicken and resting from moving the 100 lb levelers :)

After I pick them up tomorrow, I'll be ready to roll ... except I still need to get at least 5 more chains. The tarp shop that sold me the levelers only had 16' chains and I think those are too short. I never thought that chains would be the most difficult items to find. Actually, there's another item that no one seems to have - mats for steel coil bunks ...

[jagerbomber3.0]

When i was pulling flats,for the mats we used strips of old mudflaps cut length wise. You can probably get three nice strips per flap. ask your shop if they have any old mud flaps they are getting ready to scrap and grab those and cut them up and save yourself some pocket money.They worked great and were easy to stow away and if you left any out on accident they were not something someone would think to steal from you and if someone did then you are not out any money.

[tracer]

When i was pulling flats,for the mats we used strips of old mudflaps cut length wise. You can probably get three nice strips per flap. ask your shop if they have any old mud flaps they are getting ready to scrap and grab those and cut them up and save yourself some pocket money.They worked great and were easy to stow away and if you left any out on accident they were not something someone would think to steal from you and if someone did then you are not out any money.

Good tip, thanks. The drawback I can see with using mud flaps however is that they are probably much heavier than mats. So, you win in space, ease of storage, and cost; but lose in weight.

[tracer]

I drove to AeroKit with the trailer this morning to pick up the load levelers. They fit the stake pockets in the front of the lower deck, where Wilson wants you to keep their own levelers. I put a ratchet strap around them and they seem to sit pretty steady. I asked the sales guy if they could cut me some chains, and they said ok. I waited half an hour and now I have the full set of 20 ft chains. After I fueled I got on the scale and the total empty weight (truck with me inside, the 48' trailer with all accessories, incl. tarps, chains, binders, straps, etc.) came up to 31,180 lbs. Which means I can carry the maximum of 48,820 lbs in the US or 49,000 lbs if I keep one of the tanks half full. The final measurements for the height showed that my upper deck sits at 59 inches, and the lower deck is at 36 inches. If I replace my drive axle steel rims with aluminum ones later on, I should be able to take up to 49,000 lbs with both tanks full. I typed all these numbers, including GVWR, and concentrated load weights (43k lbs for 4 ft; 45k lbs for 10 ft; and 48k lbs for 20 ft) and faxed the Spec Sheet to Dispatch.

I emailed Recruiting and then Payroll to make sure they have switched me to percentage pay of 82% of the gross. Payroll was the hardest to crack :) The electronic dialog went something like this:

ME: "Morning, Teresa. Have you switched me to 82% pay? I have my own trailer now, Unit B3395. -Sergey"
PAYROLL: "I received the notice." ???
ME (irritated): "Am I on 82% pay now?"
PAYROLL (irritated): "All loads after today date of change will b paid at 82%"
ME: "Thanks."

I wanted to write something like "Communication received" instead of "thanks" but decided not to take chances. Joking with Payroll can be costly :)

[tracer]

Looks like my first stepdeck load is going to be an oversize. Just heard from dispatch (after sitting at a petro-pass in hamiilton, on for 4 hours) that tomorrow (Wednesday) morning i'm loading at a small town some 20 miles from here and the load is going to Baltimore, MD for Friday delivery. The message from Dispatch was laconic: "You load tomorrow early am at .... Permits have been ordered." I'm nervous: I never did an oversize before. The distance is 470 miles. Anyone knows how much a good oversize load should pay per mile?

[jagerbomber3.0]

Make sure you get your over sizebanners for the front and back and orange markers for the corners. those are easy to forget about if you have not messed with oversize before.

[Jumbo]

Read your permits carefully. Delivery in Maryland on the Friday before a federal holiday? There are going to be travel restrictions depending on the size.

[Jumbo]

I will give you a quick oversize lesson.

1) Read everything twice. Then read it again.
2) If the permit has your plate #'s for tractor and trailer (Maryland does) make sure they match the plate #'s ON the tractor and trailer.
3) Make sure the demensions of the load match the permit. If the permit says "load width 10 feet" you better not be 10'2".
4) The flags go on the widest point of the load.
5) People will honk the horn and give you the finger. It isn't because you are Canadian.
6) If you have Prepass and get a green light and the scale is open you still need to pull in.
7) If the sign says "Bridge Clearence 12 feet" and you are 13 feet tall even if you convert it to metric it still isnt going to fit.
8) If they tell you it is 470 miles it probably wont be. I just took one to Kansas. Qualcom stated "Loaded miles 678". 1534 miles later we got to Kansas.
9) Unlike a dryvan, when you get to the jobsite people will actually be glad to see you.
10) Cranes cost money, Be on time.

[klleetrucking]

I will give you a quick oversize lesson.

1) Read everything twice. Then read it again.
2) If the permit has your plate #'s for tractor and trailer (Maryland does) make sure they match the plate #'s ON the tractor and trailer.
3) Make sure the demensions of the load match the permit. If the permit says "load width 10 feet" you better not be 10'2".
4) The flags go on the widest point of the load.
5) People will honk the horn and give you the finger. It isn't because you are Canadian.
6) If you have Prepass and get a green light and the scale is open you still need to pull in.
7) If the sign says "Bridge Clearence 12 feet" and you are 13 feet tall even if you convert it to metric it still isnt going to fit.
8) If they tell you it is 470 miles it probably wont be. I just took one to Kansas. Qualcom stated "Loaded miles 678". 1534 miles later we got to Kansas.
9) Unlike a dryvan, when you get to the jobsite people will actually be glad to see you.
10) Cranes cost money, Be on time.

ALL super good advice!!!!!!!!!!!

[tracer]

I will give you a quick oversize lesson.

1) Read everything twice. Then read it again.
2) If the permit has your plate #'s for tractor and trailer (Maryland does) make sure they match the plate #'s ON the tractor and trailer.
3) Make sure the demensions of the load match the permit. If the permit says "load width 10 feet" you better not be 10'2".
4) The flags go on the widest point of the load.
5) People will honk the horn and give you the finger. It isn't because you are Canadian.
6) If you have Prepass and get a green light and the scale is open you still need to pull in.
7) If the sign says "Bridge Clearence 12 feet" and you are 13 feet tall even if you convert it to metric it still isnt going to fit.
8) If they tell you it is 470 miles it probably wont be. I just took one to Kansas. Qualcom stated "Loaded miles 678". 1534 miles later we got to Kansas.
9) Unlike a dryvan, when you get to the jobsite people will actually be glad to see you.
10) Cranes cost money, Be on time.

Good tips, thanks very much! What about rotating lights? Do you use them when carrying an OD load? I was looking and looking but couldn't find the battery operated type :)

[tracer]

I got up at 6 am and drove towards Smithville, ON, some 60 miles away. I bought 2 "oversize load" signs and 4 flags at our shop the night before but I still didn't have the rotating lights required on New York OD permit. I decided to stop at TA/Flying J on I-90, east of Buffalo, once I cross the border. I got lost on the way to Smithville thanks to my GPS that kept sending me down some very narrow roads that I had to avoid because of the 41 ft wheelbase on the stepdeck. Eventually I got to the shipper, just before the appointment time of 8 am.

I found the shipping office inside the plant and the shipping clerk was a rather attractive female. I told her what I was picking up and where it was going and she quickly found the paperwork and I signed it. I said I didn't know how far back inside the plant I should back up the truck, and she took me across the floor to the place where the loading guy was supposed to be. I was surprised to see that when we left the office, the girl put on not just the hard hat but safety glasses and a ... respirator. It wasn't just a mask, but a full blown thingie that people wear during nuclear attacks :)

She wanted to show me the items I was picking up and as we walked I couldn't resist asking why she was wearing the respirator. She said, "There's lots of dust here ... And I was trying to get pregnant..." ??? What do you say to that? I didn't say anything and we just kept walking. She showed me the stuff that was going on my truck. They looked like 2 giant cookies made out of concrete, 10 feet in diameter and about 1 foot thick. Each weighed 14,000 lbs. After the forklift guy put them on the lower deck, approximately 1 foot of the "cookie" was sticking out on both sides.

I asked the forklift guy if 2 straps per "cookie" were enough but he didn't have a clue. Since each of my 4" straps is rated for 5,400 lbs, I decided to use 4 straps for the entire load, crossing them over each other, 2 for each "cookie". I spent some time attaching the OD signs and flags (first time!)... When I was fighting with the rear OD sign, the attractive shipping clerk with the respirator showed up again. "You know it has to be tarped?" she asked me. I thought she was kidding: each "cookie" was wrapped in hard plastic already! I pointed this out to her but all I learned was that "all loads leaving our plant have to be tarped."

I drove the truck out of the plant and parked in an open area so that I could work without the hard hat. Just to be sure I sent a message to Dispatch asking them if they knew the shipper wanted this load tarped (there was nothing about tarping on my load info). The load planner wrote back, "Please tarp."

So, I unrolled my brand new bright blue "steel" tarp (16' x 20', with a flap) and got to work. After 30 minutes and when almost all 50 of my bungee cords were gone :) I was ready to start driving.

I got to the border in Fort Erie, ON and stopped to check on the load and get something to eat. The straps were okay and both "cookies" were still on the deck :) I lucked out on the US side by choosing Lane 1, which turned out the be the widest. Even with my 10'6" load I still had room on both sides to clear the lane without problems.

I did get into some narrow spots at toll booths on I-90 and then on 15 south, in a construction zone before Williamsburg. The 15 in that spot was so tight that I had to put on my 4-way flashers and slow down to 35 miles per hour. The zone lasted for 8 (!) miles and on quite a few occasions I had 1/2 foot of spare space on the left and as much on the right. Guys behind me were not thrilled but I didn't want to ruin my new tarp and damage the "cookies" :)

Usually I keep my CB shut off, but today I had it on just in case something would go wrong with my tarp or load. At one point a guy's voice said, "Hey, oversize, yellow International? Your oversize load sign on the back is gone, man." I grabbed the mike and asked the guy if he could still see the "D" sign on the back of the load, but his response died in static. I wasn't sure what to do but then another voice said there was a "bear" in the middle a few miles down the road. I decided not to take my chances and took the first exit hoping I can get onto the entrance ramp on the other side of the bridge and stop there. As my luck today would have it, there was no entrance ramp once I got through the light at the end of the ramp. Instead I saw the signs, "MacDonald's only" and "Mall only". Evidently these were put on for truckers like me :) What's worse I saw a roundabout ahead and the 3 lanes were turning into 1, with concrete barriers on both sides. So, I parked on the right while I still had 3 lanes ...

I walked behind the truck and the "D" sign was still there! One side of this sign says, "Oversize Load" and the other side just says, "D". I had used the D side because the load was small in the back and not all the letters of the "Oversize Load" sign would be visible. So, I just stopped for nothing. After tightening straps and checking everything, I saw no other way out except to pull sharp to the left from the right shoulder where I was sitting and then do a blind back into a private dirt road running off the main road at 90% angle. The road I was on led to the shopping center and it was about 6 pm ... but the traffic was light. By the time I got the truck and trailer onto the dirt road, 3 or 4 cars were waiting for me from both directions.

I shut down just past 8 pm on Hwy 15 in PA, some 4 miles before the junction with 322 because it was getting dark. According to the OD permits I was only allowed to drive from 1/2 hr before the sunrise till 1/2 hr after the sunset. It was a bit after that and at one point I remember passing a cop sitting on the shoulder. I was positive he'd start chasing me for driving after sunset but he stayed put on the shoulder. I found a truck stop shortly after that.

I'm about 120 miles from Baltimore, MD where I unload and then reload tomorrow. Looks like I'll be taking some small construction equipment from Baltimore to a suburb of Toronto, ON.

[Jumbo]

I do believe in the U.S. you need to use the "Oversize Load" side of the sign. In Canada you can use either the "D" or the "Oversize Load" As far as the beacons half of our trailers have strobes in the back bumper that we just turn on. All the trailers have a 4 prong plug at the back and we carry two portable magnetic strobes that plug into that plug. All our trucks have strobes mounted on them permanently. Truck stops sell a magnetic beacon that plugs into a cigerette lighter if you can figure out where to hang it on your mirror bracket. If you plan on pulling alot of this type stuff you should figure out how you want to do it. The pictures you posted the flags need to be on the widest point of the load, Not on the trailer. I have some flags that are on bungees and some that are on magnets for different loads. You will figure it out as time goes by.

[GMAN]

You also need to put 2 flags on the front of your truck. All together you should have 6 flags. One other thing that I will mention. It is usually safer to use the "Oversize Load" side of your banner. You may check on the rear of your trailer. It should have a plug that can be used to plug in a strobe or other flashing light. They don't usually come with the lights, but you can find the pigtail type of attachment at most trailer dealers or Fleetpride. Fleetpride is a truck parts store. They are all over the U.S. Some states may allow you to run an oversize load after dark if you have lights. In any case, if you happen to run a bit longer than you are supposed to you are less likely to be bothered if you have flashing lights.

One other thing that I would suggest to you pulling over size loads. I always plan my trip so that I know where I will stop for the night. Most of the time it isn't a problem finding a place to park unless you are very wide. If you have an idea of how many miles you will drive and where you need to stop then it makes the trip much easier. There can be travel restrictions around some cities. As someone else mentioned, make sure to read and reread your permits. I believe Alabama requires you to sign your name with a red ink pen. Pulling over size isn't all that difficult. You just need to make sure you do what is required on the permit. You need to make sure you follow the route on the permit. Pulling over size just requires a little more attention to detail than legal loads. Most states also require an escort for loads over 12' wide. A few have changed their rules recently so you should check each state in which you plan on running before making your trip. One other note I will mention. ALWAYS MEASURE YOUR LOAD BEFORE LEAVING THE SHIPPER. I never order my permits before I measure the load myself. You cannot always rely on shippers to accurately measure their load. If the load is wider than is states on your permits then you will need to order new permits. If a piece of pipe is sticking out from the main part of the piece you are hauling then you need to order your permit for the widest part including the piece that is sticking out. I have had instances where shippers have given me dimensions and not included something that was sticking out beyond the main piece. That is why I prefer to check width's and heights myself. By the way, I also keep a height stick in my trucks. I believe they cost about $175. It is good to have if you plan on hauling very much over size freight.

[tracer]

You also need to put 2 flags on the front of your truck. All together you should have 6 flags. One other thing that I will mention. It is usually safer to use the "Oversize Load" side of your banner. You may check on the rear of your trailer. It should have a plug that can be used to plug in a strobe or other flashing light. They don't usually come with the lights, but you can find the pigtail type of attachment at most trailer dealers or Fleetpride. Fleetpride is a truck parts store. They are all over the U.S. Some states may allow you to run an oversize load after dark if you have lights. In any case, if you happen to run a bit longer than you are supposed to you are less likely to be bothered if you have flashing lights.

One other thing that I would suggest to you pulling over size loads. I always plan my trip so that I know where I will stop for the night. Most of the time it isn't a problem finding a place to park unless you are very wide. If you have an idea of how many miles you will drive and where you need to stop then it makes the trip much easier. There can be travel restrictions around some cities. As someone else mentioned, make sure to read and reread your permits. I believe Alabama requires you to sign your name with a red ink pen. Pulling over size isn't all that difficult. You just need to make sure you do what is required on the permit. You need to make sure you follow the route on the permit. Pulling over size just requires a little more attention to detail than legal loads. Most states also require an escort for loads over 12' wide. A few have changed their rules recently so you should check each state in which you plan on running before making your trip. One other note I will mention. ALWAYS MEASURE YOUR LOAD BEFORE LEAVING THE SHIPPER. I never order my permits before I measure the load myself. You cannot always rely on shippers to accurately measure their load. If the load is wider than is states on your permits then you will need to order new permits. If a piece of pipe is sticking out from the main part of the piece you are hauling then you need to order your permit for the widest part including the piece that is sticking out. I have had instances where shippers have given me dimensions and not included something that was sticking out beyond the main piece. That is why I prefer to check width's and heights myself. By the way, I also keep a height stick in my trucks. I believe they cost about $175. It is good to have if you plan on hauling very much over size freight.

Yeah, this OD loads need lots of preparation. This was my first time. Next time I'll make sure I have all the flags and lights and whatever else is required on the Permits. I'm thinking of going to a tow truck equipment shop and picking up a cheap roof light bar for the truck. I"m not sure how often I'll be doing these OD runs ... Thanks to all for the tips.

[tracer]

September 4th, 2009

The Russian-owned "SeverStahl" plant (Russian for "North Steel") looked like a Zombie-Land: everything covered with dust, hardly any people around, big equipment crossing in front of you, unpaved "dirt" roads with potholes. The few people I did see looked grim and covered with dust, just like everything else. The only person smiling was a supervisor (originally from Holland) who was working with the invisible to me crane operator :)

They took off the 2 concrete "cookies" from my truck with a crane that slides under the ceiling of the shop and then I made my way back through dirt roads, and potholes and 100 stop signs and railroad crossings to the main gate.

A couple of things I learned from this Trip #1 with my own stepdeck:

1) concrete edges can destroy straps even if they don't look sharp (1 strap is practically done for); and
2) even when you point the tip of the bungee cord hook away from the tarp, the lower part will make a hole in the tarp, if the load is low and flat (I now have a 3 mm hole in my brand new tarp where the hook went through).

I took a hammer to all the hooks on all the bungee cords and modified the lower part so that it's now bent towards the rubber. These 'custom bungee cords" are not available in stores :) but they are not going to mess with my tarps any more. Actually, the smiling supervisor from the SeverStahl plant helped me with the first 20 bungee cords - he had a hammer in his toolbox and he said he didn't mind helping me since he "had nothing else to do until the crane came back to unload me". No wonder he was smiling ... I've attached a picture of the new custom look of my bungee cords.

My return load is 2 mini-excavators that I picked up at Baltimore Port. It took about 5 hours from start to finish and a special escort ($45/hr) to take me in and out of the port. All because I didn't have the TWIC card.

I secured the loaders with chains and the front was easy: I just threw the chains over the axles. But the rear of the machines didn't leave much room for chains between the axle housing and the wheel. I threaded the rear chains through the eyelets designed for crane hookup and by the time I got to the TA truck stop just 2 miles away from the port, I damaged the paint around the eyes. Grrr.. I took the 4 chains off and squeezed them behind the tires and onto the rear axle housings. The machine brand is CAT and the color is the standard CAT yellow: I'm going to pick up a spray can of yellow Tuesday from my CAT dealer and cover the scratches before going to the consignee. Next time I'll know better than to put chains on painted surfaces. I'm still wondering though why no engineer at the CAT plant thought of adding some chain tie-downs on the machines... They made tie-downs for cranes, but totally ignored the needs of the truckers who have to secure the machines somehow to the trailer.

What I"ve learned about my new trailer during these 2 trips is that it doesn't back up easily. Because of the fixed axles and 40.88' constant "king-pin to center of axles" setup, for some reason it feels worse than a 53' dry van with the same axle position. I had no problems backing a dry van and especially a 48" flatbed (10'1" spread) but the setup on my step is very "back-unfriendly". I also have to watch corners more closely now when turning at street lights as the trailer has a large off-track.

Other than that I"m happy with the equipment and wouldn't go back to just having a truck. Having your own trailer does make you feel a little better about yourself, you know?

[allan5oh]

Sounds like this case of dry van disease is cured!

Congratulations on your trailer, your first load with your trailer, and your first oversize load. I have yet to do one. I feel as though my company does not compensate enough for oversize. Usually pay 10-15 CPM extra. Whoopie.

Anyways, yes you need to bend the back part of the S on the bungees. I would squish it a little more then your picture shows. Always have spare carpet or tough rubber to put underneath your straps.

We have a customer with similar equipment to those loaders, just a little smaller. Try to use straps wherever you can, at an angle. Works fantastic. Chain on one side, strap on the other. The strap actually tightens up the chain.

[GMAN]

If you get in a bind you could stop at any grocery store and buy a box of pampers. They can work great to protect your tarps. A pair of pliers can also work well to bend your hooks. I would suggest you bend them as flat as possible to avoid any damage. When wind gets under the tarp those hooks can play havoc on them.

[RostyC]

Thanks for the tip on the rubber straps. I just ordered some new 21" straps, and I noticed that the hook on these straps wasn't as bent in as my old ones, and I was thinking it was a good thing because I could take the hooks off when the strap wears out and just order straps with no hooks, maybe save a little money.

As it turns out, I now have something else to do today. :D

My old ones did rub some little holes in my tarps, so I would imagine these new ones could really wreak havoc.

[GMAN]

Rather than using a hammer you can also use a pair of pliers. That is what I normally use to bend the hook down.

[tracer]

Sounds like this case of dry van disease is cured!

We have a customer with similar equipment to those loaders, just a little smaller. Try to use straps wherever you can, at an angle. Works fantastic. Chain on one side, strap on the other. The strap actually tightens up the chain.

i thought of using straps on these loaders but didn't see any spots where i could attach them without damaging the strap. when you say "sides" you mean to put straps on the driver's side of the machine and then use chains on the passenger side? or you mean the front and the rear of the loader? i prefer straps myself and like to use them instead of chains as often as possible....

[tracer]

Rather than using a hammer you can also use a pair of pliers. That is what I normally use to bend the hook down.

i tried pliers and the hooks were too strong for them. for me it was much easier to bend them with a hammer: 2 hits and you're done. i used the flat part of the winch bar as a mini-worktable.

[bikerboy]

yes you must use the oversize load sign in the usa, NOT the D. But you must use the D in quebec.
in ontario and the rest of the canada i think either oversize or the D is fine.

you need some corner board edge protectors for your straps.

the look like two small peices of plywood fastened together with two shirt pieces of old strap.
i always used them on brick or stone or steel or cement, anything that can cut your straps.

you can also buy the small plastic edge protectors as well.

if you haul alot of brick and stone, you could get special brick sideboards that cover the side of the skid and stop any peices from working loose and falling off, otherwise its usually a good idea to tarp bricks or stone on skids.

[tracer]

you need some corner board edge protectors for your straps. they look like two small pieces of plywood fastened together with two shirt pieces of old strap. i always used them on brick or stone or steel or cement, anything that can cut your straps....

i know the ones you mean ... mackinnon - the company i'm leased to - uses these wooden edge protectors on all their flatbed trailers. i have bought plastic edge protectors from tarp stop in gary, in. will use them from now on. they take less space and weigh less than the wooden ones.

[allan5oh]

i thought of using straps on these loaders but didn't see any spots where i could attach them without damaging the strap. when you say "sides" you mean to put straps on the driver's side of the machine and then use chains on the passenger side? or you mean the front and the rear of the loader? i prefer straps myself and like to use them instead of chains as often as possible....

Yes, one chain in front strap in rear. I find it works best.

[BoyNextDoor]

i know the ones you mean ... mackinnon - the company i'm leased to - uses these wooden edge protectors on all their flatbed trailers. i have bought plastic edge protectors from tarp stop in gary, in. will use them from now on. they take less space and weigh less than the wooden ones.

if you ever need edge protectors for shingles, 1/2 inch plywood with old straps holding them together, 3' long, i have aboiut 20 of them I bought with the truck, and don't need them... lmk ;) In CT btw...

cheers, and keep the shiny side up

[tracer]

if you ever need edge protectors for shingles, 1/2 inch plywood with old straps holding them together, 3' long, i have aboiut 20 of them I bought with the truck, and don't need them... lmk ;) In CT btw...

cheers, and keep the shiny side up

thanks, i just bought a bunch of new plastic edge protectors from tarp stop.

[tracer]

Yes, one chain in front strap in rear. I find it works best.

The restrains that prevent the machine from moving forward should have the combined load rating equal to 80% of the machine's weight. Since one machine weighed 14,000 lbs just one chain or one strap in the back wouldn't be enough. 14,000 x 0.8 = 11,200 (2 chains or 2 straps are needed).

Also, on this particular loader the rear axle housings are uneven and are located real close to the tire, with the rest of the axle hidden inside the machine. The crane holes in fenders are too small for a strap ... There was a thingie with 2 eyes in the back where you can put a big pin, but I didn't have any pins :(

By the way, on the way to the delivery place I stopped by a CAT dealer and picked up a can of their yellow paint. It fitted the color of the loader to a t. I used it to cover a few minor scratches made by my chains... The guy who signed the paperwork for the loaders was quite happy with the condition of the machines.

[GMAN]

Heavy equipment dealers are usually not as picky about a few scratches where chains are secured as car dealers. I always try to be careful, but it is difficult to not have any scratches when using chains. You might get some carpet or material to use between the equipment and chains.

[tracer]

Heavy equipment dealers are usually not as picky about a few scratches where chains are secured as car dealers. I always try to be careful, but it is difficult to not have any scratches when using chains. You might get some carpet or material to use between the equipment and chains.

next time if I'm not sure how to strap it while minimizing damage to the paint, I'll just call the consignee and ask them how they want me to secure it (and get the name of the person on the phone).

[tracer]

September 8th, 2009

I got up at 6 am and drove 10 miles west to Cambridge CAT (Ontario, Canada) to pick up a spray can of yellow paint. As I expected because I had my truck serviced there quite a few times, CAT guys gave me the paint for free. I sprayed the scratches on the loaders (the color was a total match) and headed back west to Brampton, where I unloaded the machines at an equipment rental place. I didn't run into any trouble with the receiver and unloading went pretty smoothly except for one moment when I was backing this articulated loader and its left rear wheel was suddenly halfway on the guard rail! After wiggling the tail of the 14,000 lb beast for some 5 minutes I managed to put her straight without plunging 3 feet to the ground below.

I sent in the "load delivered" message around 9:30 am via my satellite and Dispatch wrote back telling me "to grab a coffee" and that "we're working on a load for you." Fast forward to 4 pm: I'm still waiting and Dispatch ignores my "check-in" messages. I try my cell and Verizon Wireless is quick to inform me that "there's no signal". I'm in a huge urban area (Mississauga) just west of Toronto, and there's no signal! I'm thinking it might be because of the nearby airport.... So, I move the truck and try again. This time, Verizon doesn't complain and I'm connected to Cindy, my dispatcher. Turns out that satellite was out since 1 pm and though there's nothing for me for today they have planned me to load tomorrow at 0800 in a small town east of Toronto called Pickering, with delivery somewhere to Indiana. The traffic in the morning thru Toronto is murder so I stay put in Mississauga at a Petro_Pass Cardlock station ... My home terminal is 40 miles WEST and it's rush hour so there's no point going back to the yard.

What do truckers do when they wait for a load? In my case, I:

- did my books for August: I have a master spreadsheet for 12 months and most popular categories of expenses; as soon as I put in the numbers for the month the spreadsheet shows me the totals on the far right for all the months in the year; I made it in my favorite OpenOffice program which is free and does everything you can do with Microsoft Office (go to OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite (http://www.openoffice.org) to learn more and download)
- sent in my GST return by Internet (to get a refund for the sales tax I paid on truck related purchases)
- drove over to an International dealer and got my air tank leak finally fixed (the fitting was loose even though I have already had it changed twice); the mechanic took the fitting out, cleaned the rust in the tank, and then used sealant to seal the fitting inside; it worked but he said if I get an air leak in the same spot again, I'll need to replace the $200 air tank :(
-did some shopping at Traction Heavy Truck Parts Mississauga; I bought 2 more chain binders and 1 20' 5/16" chain (now I have 10 of both); a can of Termin8or (I'm going to spray my ECM on the engine and all the wires that are exposed to the elements under the hood); and - last but not least - 2 battery-operated wide load lights with magnets (see the pic). Now I'll have at least 2 lights at the back of the trailer if I do OD again. I'm still looking for a cost-effective setup for the roof of the truck. Traction had some stationary lights but each was close to 100 bucks. I think I saw them cheaper on the Net.

After I parked at Petro-Pass I took out my folding bike and rode a few times around the block and then to a nearby gas station to get some snacks. Yesterday I rented 3 movies at a Rogers Video Rental in Guelph. I watched 2 yesterday on my laptop ("No Country for Old Men" and "Rescue Dawn") and the "feature presentation" for tonight is "Logan's War" with Chuck Norris. OK, where's my pistachios?

[tracer]

September 9th, 2009

I started driving at 6:30 am eastward on 401 towards Pickering, ON. When I pull in the shipper's driveway and find someone who knows about my pickup load, I'm told the load is ... not ready. "We expected you to come in the afternoon", says one guy who seems to know what was going on. Oh, oh ... I'm supposed to pick up a few big but light parts that look like they have something to do with air conditioning. The parts themselves are ready but they still have to be painted and a metal pyramid roof has to be bolted on top. I send a message to Dispatch telling them about the delay and drive over to the nearest Walmart - to wait for the phone call from the shipper. Chris, the guy at the plant I have talked to, says the stuff might be ready around noon...

I spend some quality time at Walmart (looking for new sneakers, checking out the new New York paperback bestsellers and getting a couple of breakfast burritos). When I come back to the truck an hour later, the satellite terminal is beeping: I've got mail. I open the message and - surprise! - Dispatch writes, "the Customer said the load is not going to be ready until tomorrow. I have a load in Stony Creek that goes to Chicago, if you want."

Now, Stony Creek, ON is about 100 miles WEST of the place where I am now, so before leaving I decide to give Chris, the shipper, a call. Well, it's official - the guy confirms the load is cancelled till tomorrow.

I call Dispatch on my cell and say I'll take the load to Chicago. She sends me a load offer (lumber!) and as I read through it I notice my least favorite words, "NEEDS TO BE TARPED".

I get to Stony Creek via 401, 403 and QEW and the load is bundles of maple plankwood. The forklift guy says it will weigh 40,000 lbs and that some of the bundles are 16' long and some are 10' long.

And I'm thinking, "I'm in trouble." My big tarps are: (1) 24' x 24' with a flap; (2) 24' x 20' with a flap. The steel tarps are 16' wide. So, if all this stuff is 8 ft high and the guy loads something on the upper deck, I won't have enough tarps ...

The forklift guy is named John and he is a remarkable character: he is in his 50ies, but is built like a weight-lifter. He wears training shorts, a training t-shirt with no sleeves, and ... heavy duty safety boots :) I look at him and I want to watch my diet and exercise :)

Anyway, I expertly direct the guy (I have no idea what I'm doing) to load everything on the lower deck (see the pic). Turns out the load is only 6 ft high and about 33 ft long after all's done. Now it's clear why MacKinnon has 20' wide "steel" tarps: my tarps are 8' and 4' tall so I have to tarp a 6' load with 8' tarps :(

Since it's the first time I unrolled the big tarps and for some reason the flap was INSIDE (at the end of the roll) it takes me forever to tarp the load. I even managed to throw straps onto the wrong side (the hooks went to the side with winches). I arrived at the shipper just before 1 pm and I left at ... 4:30 pm! I still had to stop a couple of times to the border because the trailer in the mirror looked more like a sail boat than a Wilson stepdeck :) if you know what I mean.

You'll notice in the picture I didn't put any straps on the lower bundle (which is about 3 ft high only). By the time I remembered I had to do that the load was on the trailer and because of the different height of the bundles getting a strap thru was impossible....

This was by the way one of those 'blind loads': the Buyer (the company that hired us to deliver this load to Chicago) bought the lumber from the Shipper and naturally didn't want the Consignee to know where and who it was coming from. I always feel uncomfortable with this: it's clear the Consignee will pay a higher price for the load because they bought it from the third party (the Buyer) but I'm sent directly to the seller of the said lumber! All the paperwork I got from the shipper/seller was a customs invoice faxed to them by the Buyer. Now I'll have to 'fabricate' a bill of lading using one of the Mackinnon Transport blank bills. I don't know ... maybe it's just me but this system doesn't seem fair to the Consignee.

So, I'm on my way to Chicago, IL and as I ran out of U.S. hours (14 hour rule) I parked at the Duty Free in Sarnia, ON. The USA is on the other side of the river - I'll be crossing via Port Huron, MI tomorrow after the obligatory 10 hours off. I know what you guys are thinking :) but I have an electronic log-book: have to be compliant 24/7.

By the way, I scaled the load in Burlington, ON on the way to the border and to my surprise with one full tank the ticket showed:

front axle: 12,060 lbs
drives: 24,860 lbs
trailer: 27,560 lbs

for the total of 64,480 lbs. Since with both full tanks my rig (truck+trailer) weighs about 31,000 lbs, this load of lumber is definitely lighter than 40,000 lbs. Which is a good thing because if it really were 40,000 lbs, I'd be probably overweight on the trailer tandems.

[mike3fan]

I don't know ... maybe it's just me but this system doesn't seem fair to the Consignee.


If they weren't happy with the price they paid they would shop around.

[bikerboy]

seems kinda dumb to park in duty free parking lot for ten hours, why not just park at sarnia petro pass or the truckstop at wyoming?

[tracer]

seems kinda dumb to park in duty free parking lot for ten hours...

Parking at Duty Free was a great time saver: they have a coffee shop and washrooms and I was 100 m from the Blue Water bridge so that I was able to cross the border first thing in the morning, without wiggling my way through lights and intersections on the way from Petro-Pass truck stop. I have Internet access in my truck and I had good time watching DVD movies on my laptop and browsing Internet. The only thing that a truck stop would have would be a restaurant that I had no need for at the time.

[jagerbomber3.0]

Parking at Duty Free was a great time saver: they have a coffee shop and washrooms and I was 100 m from the Blue Water bridge so that I was able to cross the border first thing in the morning, without wiggling my way through lights and intersections on the way from Petro-Pass truck stop. I have Internet access in my truck and I had good time watching DVD movies on my laptop and browsing Internet. The only thing that a truck stop would have would be a restaurant that I had no need for at the time.

wow Tracer,how dumb can ya be. I mean staying away from a truck stop at a nice clean convenient place with all the personal requirements you need for the evening at a location that is 100 m from where you need to get in line first thing in the morning is kinda dumb...i think you need to change your ways and start using that truck stop instead of thinking ahead and doing what works for you. What was on your mind to distract you so bad. :hellno:

[bikerboy]

i meant duty free doesn't want trucks parked there for ten hours, since the parking lot only holds maybe 20 trucks, and that is for customers to stop quick and then cross border.

if everyone parked there for there ten hours off, the lot would always be full.

i dunno how you can sleep on the huge slant the trucks park on, i like to be level when i sleep.

[mike3fan]

i meant duty free doesn't want trucks parked there for ten hours, since the parking lot only holds maybe 20 trucks, and that is for customers to stop quick and then cross border.

if everyone parked there for there ten hours off, the lot would always be full.

i dunno how you can sleep on the huge slant the trucks park on, i like to be level when i sleep.

+1.....

[specialkay]

Tracer go after the original shipper for a cancelled truck fee. If its a good customer you should be able to get a hundred bucks or so. On parking @ the duty free. You had already paid the toll and entered it in your computer so what difference would have it have made to clear the load and get off the bridge. You'll learn the blue water bridge is not the place to be in the morning unless you like inching up and over 10' at a time. When you have a load like your's put a ground tarp on the sharp edges of the lumber where the tarp is likely to whip and fray. Sometimes it's neccesary to put a strap over the outside to keep the tarp from ballooning out.

[tracer]

wow Tracer,how dumb can ya be. I mean staying away from a truck stop at a nice clean convenient place with all the personal requirements you need for the evening at a location that is 100 m from where you need to get in line first thing in the morning is kinda dumb...i think you need to change your ways and start using that truck stop instead of thinking ahead and doing what works for you. What was on your mind to distract you so bad. :hellno:

My thoughts exactly :) I don't know what I was thinking :)

[tracer]

On parking @ the duty free. You had already paid the toll and entered it in your computer so what difference would have it have made to clear the load and get off the bridge.

I had 0 hours left to drive in the US. Because of the 2 hr difference in HOS regulations I was only able to go as far as the US/Canada border. As long as I parked on the Canadian side, I was in compliance and only had to shut down for 10 hours to be legal in US again. So I did it at the Duty Free sleeping at an angle :) which I didn't feel as bad as some people ... probably because I have 295s tires on the drives but 275 tires on the steers :) The line-up in the morning wasn't more than usual. Took me 10 minutes to cross.

[tracer]

Saturday, September 12th, 2009
Perry, MI, USA

What happened in the previous installment:

I picked up a load of lumber in St. Catharine's, ON and delivered it to Chicago, IL without losing a single bundle. No deers or pedestrians were injured and no traffic tickets were issued by MTO in Canada or DOT in the USA.

Short version of the current installment:

I picked up my first LTL load in and around Chicago, IL; got to use a load leveler for the first time; picked up a free tarp at Tarp Stop (Lake Station, IN) and got stuck at a Perry, MI truck stop till Monday because I didn't have a customs invoice for one of the loads.

Long version for people with lots of free time on their hands :)

As I was driving on Thursday Sept-10-2009 to my drop-off destination in Chicago, IL to get rid of the lumber, Dispatch told me I had 4 (four) pickup stops to make for the return load to Canada. I told them my ETA to the drop-off point would be around 2 pm and I can be at the first pickup around 4 pm (Stop 1 in Carol Stream, IL on the map). They said as long as I'm there before 6 I'll get loaded and then I can pick up the other 3 loads on Friday.

This was my first LTL with the stepdeck. I asked Dispatch how heavy the loads were and what exactly I was picking up, but the responses I got via satellite were not much help. All I knew was that the load in Henry, IL (Stop 3 on the map) was a big agricultural machine which weighed ... 24,000 lbs. As I was picking up Load #1 in Carol Stream which turned out to be a single steel plate, looking to be about 10' by 8' and 4" thick, Dispatch recommended I put it on the upper deck. I talked about this to the loader but he said it was over 130" long and it wouldn't fit on my upper deck and that it was best I put it on the lower deck. I didn't want to argue and the ceiling crane with a magnet attachment picked up the 6,000 lb piece of steel and lowered it on my stepdeck. I tarped it, put a few straps on it and then measured it out of curiosity: it was less than 11 ft! But the crane guy was gone and I didn't want to unstrap and untarp everything, so I left the steel plate where it was.

I didn't have to go to Stop 2 in Lemont, IL till the next morning and it was already 6 pm. I decided to drive in the general direction of Stop 2 hoping to find a place where to park for the night. Well, there was nothing in terms of parking on I-355 and I ended up going all the way to Stop 2 in the middle of nowhere and shut down there till 7 am. The only convenience available was a soda machine that stood outside the shipping office so I bought a bottle of Diet Pepsi and killed time by browsing Internet from my truck. A railroad line ran close by and a few times during the night I got awakened by loud train horns which reminded me of a 1992 funny movie called "My Cousin Vinnie", starring Joe Pesci and gorgeous Marisa Tomei.

Early next morning I went into the shipping office and got the first surprise of the day: the bill of lading number I was given by MacKinnon didn't work with the shipper. It took a couple of satellite emails/cell calls to get the right ones from MacKinnon Dispatch and then I got loaded with two 20-foot long steel bars that the loader picked up from the ground outside of the office. The bars were all rusty and looked they had been sitting in the open air for ever. As I came back to the office to pick up the paperwork I noticed the bill of lading said in big bold letters at the bottom: ALL LOADS HAVE TO BE TARPED. What a bunch of b******t! A few trucks with big aluminum pieces on their flatbeds stood nearby waiting to be unloaded and not a single load was tarped. I talked to one driver if they ever tarped aluminum here and he said no. So, I secured the bars in the back of the lower deck with straps and drove off without tarping.

As I punched the address for Stop 3 into my GPS I learned the distance from Lemont, IL to Henry, IL was ... over 100 miles. I'd better hurry because I still needed to get to Stop 4 in downtown Chicago on the way back to Canada. I took 55 south to 80 west, and then went south on 35 and west on Hwy 18. Read Bros is a farm equipment dealer/repair shop in Henry, IL (http://www.henryil.com) (population: 2,591 people) and the first thing I did when I got there was to ask them to show me the machines. Turned out they only weighed 5000 lbs (not 24,000) but the size was impressive (see the pictures). We had to move the steel bars from the rear of the lower deck to the upper deck in order to find space for the two "corn heads". I got to use one of the load levelers for the first time and they fitted everything beautifully: the lower parts went into the stake pockets and the height was right, so after putting them in place I wrapped chains around the hooks on the sides of the leveler and the shipper lowered the steel bars onto them (the front part sat on the upper deck). So, actually putting the steel plate from Stop 1 on the lower deck turned to be an advantage not a mistake....

The shipper had a big forklift - one of those huge types with off-road tires - but it was evidently struggling with the 6,000 lb steel bars. I saw its rear wheels go briefly in the air a couple of times which didn't make much sense considering the size of the machine! The shipper didn't have any trouble moving the corn heads as they were only 2,500 lbs each. He loaded them one by one on the lower deck and pushed them against each other to make the load more stable. When I measured the things they were almost 23 feet long, 9.5 feet tall and as you can see from the picture they took the entire width of the trailer.

By the time I put on 2 chains on each side, threw over 2 straps, and then added a small ratchet strap at the back (plus the time I spent moving the tarps on the upper deck, unstrapping, restrapping, and securing the load leveler/s, waiting for the shipper to lift the bars and move them to the upper deck) all of a sudden it was ... 1:30 EST! As I was downing my second bottle of water that I filled it from the fountain in the shipper's shop, I suddenly remembered I still had one more pickup to make!

I typed in the address for Stop 4 in the GPS, and it showed the distance from Henry, IL to be ... 125 miles! Jeez ... I wondered what time they closed on Fridays ... I called the phone number from the load offer as I was driving towards I-80 east and someone in the shipping office at Stop 4 said in a happy voice, "Today we close at ... 3:30 pm." Wow ... I was 125 miles away and it was already close to 2 pm. No way I'd make it to downtown Chicago by 3:30 pm on a Friday. I explained my situation and the lady said to give them a call at 3:30 pm and they'd see - depending how far I was - if anyone could stay to load me.

Well ... 3:30 pm came and I was still over 60 miles away. I called their office again and the shipper put me on hold while she was consulting with the management. After a while she came back on the line saying she was sorry but the management said they wouldn't be able to load me so late because they'd have to have at least 2 people in place (a forklift/crane guy to load me and an office clerk to do the paper work). Which meant I was screwed - I just missed Stop #4 on my LTL!

This being Friday, I'd have to wait till 7:30 am on Monday for them to reopen ... When I sent an email to Dispatch the first thing they asked was why I haven't picked up the stuff from Stop #4 in Chicago BEFORE going to Henry, IL! Always looking to place the blame ... I said it didn't make sense to me to go from Lemont, IL to Chicago, IL and then back to Henry, IL ... I later checked it on the Microsoft Streets and Trips and my way turned out to be 35 miles shorter than the Lemont-Chicago-Henry route.

I offered to stay in Chicago area till Monday but she called the customer who ordered the steel bars and they said they needed the stuff on Monday. The customer was angry I missed the pickup and Dispatch hinted I'd hear more about this on Monday when David the mighty load planner with a quick temper showed up for work (he was off on Friday)...

I am not happy myself as I hate to let people down so I'm driving towards Chicago at a reduced speed thinking how I could've screwed up so badly. My satellite beeps all of sudden 10 minutes later and Dispatch writes the Customer changed their mind and they want me to hang tight near Chicago and then go back to Stop #4 on Monday ... At the end of the message Cindy, the thoughtful dispatcher ... sorry ... "fleet manager" adds, "This load of steel bars is 20 feet long and weighs 26,000 lbs. Pls make sure you're legal and your axles are not overloaded."

I look at my fifth wheel gauge and with the 6,000 lb bars and the 6,000 lb steel plate close to the truck's drives it already shows some weight. Judging from where the needle is I could probably add another 15,000 lbs MAX to the drives. The problem is the only place where I could put these new bars would be on the upper deck plus the load leveler and I'm thinking, "There's no way I can do that without overloading the drives." That big machine in the back screwed up everything ... so I call/email/call Cindy and it is 5 pm on Friday and she's gone. I leave voice messages and then reach the night dispatcher who says Cindy should be back in half an hour. Surprisingly she shows up later and emails me it's OK to go back to Canada if I'm sure I'd be overweight with the bars from Stop #4, and that she'd talk to David the Planner on Monday on how he had planned this entire LTL trip.

So, I'm not picking up anything in Chicago, IL after all and I just park for the night at the Lake Station, IN Flying J. I take the truck to their shop and ask them to change the oil in the differentials and transmissions and $350 and 1 hour later all's done (I learned only recently that it has to be done at least once a year). I end the crazy day by faxing my customs paperwork to three different brokers (3 PARS stickers, one for each load)

On the next morning, Saturday, Sept-12th, I drove to the Tarp Stop near the Flying J and bought some needed accessories for my stepdeck operation:

- another box of 21" bungee cords
- 10 tarp protectors
- 2 more load blankets

I asked Andrew the Tarp Stop guy to give me a small piece of blue tarp so that I can fix a micro hole in my steel tarp made by a bungee cord hook on the first trip. He went inside the shop and came back holding a ... roll of blue tarp, probably 8" by 8". He said, "You spent a lot of money here. Take it." I asked him if he was sure when he said he was I took it with gratitude. I love Tarp Stop! (the pictures were taken in the plaza where the Tarp Stop is located; you can see their sign on the post in the background).

So I started driving and got to Te-Khi truck stop in Battle Creek, MI where I had breakfast. I decided to cross the border and get to Sarnia so that I could be closer to the first drop in ("corn heads"). However only 1 load out of 3 was ready for crossing ("borderconnect" sends text messages to our cell phones when PARS is ready and they have an entry number in the system).

I started calling customs' brokers and the load of corn heads took a while to figure out who the right broker was and who had the customs invoice but eventually - after a ton of phone calls and 4 faxes at $2 each (I must buy a scanner to email these instead!) - I had the green light to take the monstrous corn heads across the border.

That left only the load from Stop 2 - the two 20-ft steel bars - that still hung in the air. The shipping office didn't give my any customs invoices but at least the broker was the right one (DHL). This being Saturday both the shipper in IL and the consignee in Ontario were already closed, and the ever-helpful broker said they cannot do anything unless they have the invoice, which they didn't.

So, I"m stuck at this Perry, MI truck stop till Monday when I can start calling the shipper when they reopen for business at 7 am central time. Well, at least I'll be able to reset my hours and come Monday I'll be ready for another 70 hours of fun.

What comes in the next installment

I'll describe Load #5 and then take a recess till I get the first pay-slip for these five stepdeck loads. I'll post the financials for each of the 5 trips and that will conclude my "Stepping Ahead" thread. Honk if you see a yellow International with a red Wilson stepdeck on the road :(

[specialkay]

Tracer if you run synthetic lube in the trans and rear end you can go 3 years (500,000 KM)doing tandem work. Even with traditional lube you can two years(250-300 km) between changes. Heavy haul guys change lube once a year but thats overkill for your kind of work.

[tracer]

... if you run synthetic lube in the trans and rear end you can go 3 years (500,000 KM)doing tandem work...

Yes, I use synthetic oil because they say it's a must with newer trucks (mine is a 2004). But are you sure about 3 years? I don't want to pay US$350 in vain but my diff oil this time was pretty dirty. Since I bought the truck in April 2007 I've never changed the oil. Initially I did PM at CAT and those guys don't care about diffs and trannies, wouldn't give me any advice on "International" parts. Then I started using TA and Flying J for oil change and sometimes I ran into knowledgeable mechanics who gave me good tips. The CAT manual by the way that I have for the truck has nothing about diffs and tranny oil change in it (naturally) and I very rarely go to an International dealers for PM because they are so much more expensive than TA or Pilot (Pilot in Beaverdam took only 13 bucks to check tire pressure on the truck; everywhere else it's 25).

What I"m going to do I"ll give a call to the International dealer in Woodstock, ON and ask them a simple question: how often do I have to change oil in the tranny and diffs if I pull a tandem stepdeck and my gross weight never exceeds 80,000 lbs.

I'm tired by the way of CAT telling me "it's an International part" and International saying "It's a CAT part." I think it'd be great if everything in the truck was made by one manufacturer as with a Volvo truck with a Volvo engine, or an International truck with a MaxxForce (International) engine. You just go to one place to service everything and mechanics don't pass you over to one another.

It's like with computers: Apple makes both hardware and software and they claim that makes their computers superior to Win machines where 100 companies are involved. I used a Mac for a couple years but then traded the $1,600 machine for a $399 Christmas sale Toshiba! It's not as fancy as the Mac I had before but it does the job (and there's no monthly payments!).

Which shows that when one company makes everything it can be a better quality product but then the manufacturer will inflate the price because no one competes with them. So, I guess I'll keep my truck for now and keep running from CAT to International to TA to Pilot to Flying J and back to CAT to service all the truck systems :)

[solo379]

It use to be 250,000 miles for sintetics, now i believe it's up to 500,000 miles. So once a year is definatly going to be overkill!

[SickRick]

Yes, I use synthetic oil because they say it's a must with newer trucks (mine is a 2004). But are you sure about 3 years? I don't want to pay US$350 in vain but my diff oil this time was pretty dirty. Since I bought the truck in April 2007 I've never changed the oil. Initially I did PM at CAT and those guys don't care about diffs and trannies, wouldn't give me any advice on "International" parts. Then I started using TA and Flying J for oil change and sometimes I ran into knowledgeable mechanics who gave me good tips. The CAT manual by the way that I have for the truck has nothing about diffs and tranny oil change in it (naturally) and I very rarely go to an International dealers for PM because they are so much more expensive than TA or Pilot (Pilot in Beaverdam took only 13 bucks to check tire pressure on the truck; everywhere else it's 25).

What I"m going to do I"ll give a call to the International dealer in Woodstock, ON and ask them a simple question: how often do I have to change oil in the tranny and diffs if I pull a tandem stepdeck and my gross weight never exceeds 80,000 lbs.

I'm tired by the way of CAT telling me "it's an International part" and International saying "It's a CAT part." I think it'd be great if everything in the truck was made by one manufacturer as with a Volvo truck with a Volvo engine, or an International truck with a MaxxForce (International) engine. You just go to one place to service everything and mechanics don't pass you over to one another.

It's like with computers: Apple makes both hardware and software and they claim that makes their computers superior to Win machines where 100 companies are involved. I used a Mac for a couple years but then traded the $1,600 machine for a $399 Christmas sale Toshiba! It's not as fancy as the Mac I had before but it does the job (and there's no monthly payments!).

Which shows that when one company makes everything it can be a better quality product but then the manufacturer will inflate the price because no one competes with them. So, I guess I'll keep my truck for now and keep running from CAT to International to TA to Pilot to Flying J and back to CAT to service all the truck systems :)

Love hearing your stories here about your progress with your own trailer. GREAT STUFF...

I'd call the MANUFACTURER OF THE DIFF (Meritor, Eaton, ?) and go with THEIR RECOMMENDATION for maintenance intervals and lubricant type. The only thing truck manufacturers today seem to actually MANUFACTURE is the EMBLEMS (and even they are made in CHINA) and the design of their cabs (hint: diamond tuck is SO 70's) - everything else seems to be off-the-shelf and interchangeable from one brand truck to any other. Kinda like Harley taking a part off the shelf that was NEVER ON a particular model, putting it on, and call it a NEW MODEL (even though it's 100% HD off-the-shelf parts it's assembled with).

The Apple/PC analogy is a bad one - especially nowadays if you have some patience and computer skills you can make Apple OSX run on regular PC hardware (I RARELY use my PC anymore) - I'm at an advantage at this because I've been a computer geek for decades - a company called Psystar makes PC/Mac clones (as they battle Apple in court) for way less than an Apple branded box.

I personally change major lubricants on ANYTHING I DRIVE - 15-25% SOONER than manufacturers spec, and try to use better than "bottom-of-the-spec" quality lubricants.

Rick

[tracer]

I got my first FLATBED payslip today. All work was done with the company trailers and they paid me 70% of the gross and 100% of the FSC (fuel surcharge). The FSC seems larger than what I was getting on the Dry Van side, and it was interesting to see what each load paid. These are the loads I wrote about at the beginning of the thread. Here's info about 3 loads going from Canada to US, and 3 loads going back. "Charge" is what MacKinnon got from the shipper for the load; "amount" is what they paid me.

Canada to USA (Paid in US funds)

Weston ON to Allyns Point, CT
Miles: 570
Load: insulation, smoke tarp
Charge: $1180
Percentage: 70
Amount: $826.21
FSC: $116.60
Percentage: 100
Amount: $116.60
My revenue: $942.81

Weston, ON to Hanging Rock, OH
Miles: 542
Load: insulation, smoke tarp
Charge: $1292.08
Percentage: 70
Amount: $904.46
FSC: $119.83
Percentage: 100
Amount: $119.83
My revenue: $1024.29

Weston, ON to Channahon, IL
Miles: 532
Load: insulation, smoke tarp
Charge: $1091.80
Percentage: 70
Amount: $764.25
FSC: $123.60
Percentage: 100
Amount: $123.60
My revenue: $887.85

BACKHAUL, USA to Canada (Paid in Cnd Funds)

Allyns Point, CT to Weston, ON
Miles: 570
Load: insulation, smoke tarp
Charge: $695.65
Percentage: 70
Amount: $486.96
FSC: $104.35
Percentage: 100
Amount: $104.35
My revenue: $591.31

Wurtland, KY to Milton, ON
Load: steel, tarped
Miles: 522
Charge: $856.52
Percentage: 70
Amount: $599.56
FSC: $128.48
Percentage: 100
Amount: $128.48
My revenue: $728.04

Youngwood, PA to Hamilton, ON
Load: insulation, smoke tarp
Miles: 321
Charge: $675
Percentage: 70
Amount: $472.5
FSC: $101.25
Percentage: 100
Amount: $101.25
My revenue: $573.75

For this pay period, the US exchange rate was 1.12; and Canadian exchange rate was: 0.89.

[tracer]

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
Fort Erie, ON, Canada

I spent Monday, Sept-14, delivering those 3 LTLs I had ... First I dropped off the two corn heads in Seaforth, ON. From there I headed to Etobicoke, ON and then Mississauga, ON. I was curious if the receiver/crane operator would say something about the rusty steel bars that I hadn't tarped ... but the overworked guy just signed the bill at the "x" and was happy to get back to his regular task of moving steel bars from one shelf to another.

I called MacKinnon Shop from the road and asked if they replace my exhaust stack with a shorter one covered in chrome. I was still driving around with a 10 ft long :) exhaust from my dry van days and the truck looked like a submarine with a periscope. On top of that the most visible part of the stack (the one facing the front) had rusted and spoiled the entire appearance of the truck. The Shop said they could do that and so now my truck doesn't look like a warship anymore and the new stack shines like a 1000 w bulb when it's hit with sunlight.

While they were working on the truck, I got into my car and drove to Downtown Guelph to see how much those small scanners were going for at Staples and Future Shop. The Saturday/Sunday faxing at $2 per page left me resolved to try emailing instead of faxing. I already have Internat access in the truck: thru Verizon Wireless in U.S. (US$165/mo for a cell phone and Internet USB modem), and Bell Mobility in Canada ($75/mo). So I thought I got a scanner I can scan my PARS pages and EMAIL them to customs brokers essentially paying nothing for each page.

I found what I was looking for at Staples: lightweight Canon machine, with only one (1) cable for both data and power, and easy access buttons on the front, including - important! - the PDF button. So now I can scan the customs invoice with my PARS on it, save it as a PDF document and then attach it to an email going out to the broker! I tested the machine and the scanned images looked pretty good - much better than those from a stand-along fax machine. In case someone is interested, the model I bought is called "CanoScan LiDE 200". It went for $100 Cnd, and there was also a cheaper model (model name ending with "100") but it had lower resolution and it needed 24 seconds to scan one page (Model "200" that I bought does one page in 14 seconds).

Before the end of the day I sent Dispatch a message saying I'd be ready to start again tomorrow, Tuesday... Load offers aren't sent out before 9 am most of the time, so I decided to do something about the stepdeck: Wilson recommends to check torque on all the suspension fasteners and generally check all the fasteners on the trailer within the first month of operation. So, I got up at 7 am on Tuesday and took the trailer to Trailers Canada 10 min away, in Breslau, ON. I backed the trailer in the shop and they got to work. Besides retorqueing I also asked them to check air bag fittings for air leaks (I heard air hissing between the trailer axles).

Bruce, the trailer sales guy took me to breakfast while the trailer was being worked on and also presented me with a free winter jacket. It looked pretty nice and was a very timely present - I was about to replace my 3 year old one with something new for this coming winter. The front of the jacket carries the logo of this trailer dealer - "Trailers Canada", but other than that it looks like any other pretty decent (and warm) jacket you could buy at Mark's WorkWearhouse or Walmart.

When I got back from the shop I parked the rig in a plaza with a movie theater and Chapters bookstore (Starbucks inside) in Kitchener, right next to Hwy 401. The theater was closed till 6 pm so parking was plentiful. I waited till 4 o'clock killing time by browsing books at Chapters, drinking Americano coffee, checking out the new computers at the Staples store across the street, and taking pictures of the truck and trailer.

Finally just before the end of her shift, Cindy the Dispatcher sent me a quick note saying I was to load on the next day (Wednesday) near Fort Erie, ON and the load was 10 ft wide. After I received the load offer by satellite, I waited a bit till the rush hour traffic settled down and then headed towards the U.S. border via Hwy 6 south from Guelph and then east on QEW past Hamilton, ON towards the town of Fort Erie, ON (Buffalo, NY is on the other side of the river).

I spent the night at a truck stop off QEW (Exit 5) just 5 km or 3 mi away from the border and at 6:45 am on Wednesday I pulled in the driveway of a plant in Stevensville, ON. My load offer said I was picking up 47,000 lbs of steel bars and that it was a double blind load: the shipper didn't know where I was taking the load, and the consignee was supposed to be kept in the dark about the freight origin.

I checked in with Security and was told to drive in, park the truck and wait. While waiting I watched 5 story high "forklifts" move "pipes" some 20 ft in diameter. I learned later these "pipes" were sections of wind generators' bodies. Each "pipe" was moved by 2 forklifts that held the top part of the "pipe" with huge hooks hanging down from their crane beams. I asked one operator later on how much such a forklift could lift and he said, "55 tons."

A stern-miilitary-style-no-nonsense (and handsome) middle-aged lady in a hard hat and with a 2-way radio on her shoulder came out to the truck. After I told her I was picking up "steel bars" she raised her eyebrows and said they didn't have steel bars, but on this day they had some shipments of steel plate. "This must be it," I said. "I don't trust the info in our load offers too much." She said something into her military style radio :) and went into the office and then came back and directed me towards the excavator-turned-crane in the corner of the lot. Instead of a bucket, this huge machine had a long beam at the end of the main steel cable and there were 3 round magnets attached to the beam - a perfect setup to move plates of steel. Plates were stacked right here on the ground next to the machine, and the entire operation was manned by 3 guys: 1 older dude operated the excavator, and the 2 younger ones hang on to the ropes attached to the ends of the beam and helped the operator to position the plate on the trailer deck. They had 2-way radios and because of the engine noise they used these to communicate with the excavator operator.

As it's been my custom the past week, I asked the guys to be gentle with the trailer as I "just bought it last week". They suggested I removed the load levelers from the front to make the job easier for them which I did.

During the next half an hour they dropped 9 plates on the trailer, with the total weight of about 45,000 lbs. The lower one was the OD - 10 ft wide and 25 ft long - and the other 8 were normal size: 8' by 35'. Miraculously they didn't damage the trailer and none of the plates was dropped and the 2 guys working on the ground walked off without any injuries :)

It was around 9 am when I drove off and found a spot where I could secure and tarp the load without being in the way of the 55 ton forklifts (you don't want to mess with that kind of size). As I was about to get out of the truck and start exercising with chains, my satellite terminal beeped. I clicked on the "Read the new message" button, and David the Important Load Planner informed me the customer might need to "hold off" and advised me to wait some 5 minutes before doing anything to the load. What the ... ?

The load wasn't going far - I was offloading in New Jersey, just south of Philly, PA but I still hadn't seen the permits ... and had no idea what roads I"d be driving on, and now this delay ... I knew that if they wanted me to be in New Jersey early next morning, I'd have to keep the left door closed and drive till I ran out of hours :(

Some 15 minutes later David sent another message, "Pls ask them to offload you. I'll send you a new load offer in a little bit. You'll get $150 cancellation fee. Sorry for the screw-up".

So, I got to talk to the "military" lady one more time and when she heard I was told to unload the plates because the customer had changed his mind, she said, "Freak off!" Which I understand was directed not at me but at the customer and my Dispatch :)

So, I backed up to the excavator again and the 3-man ace team took the 9 plates off two and three plates at a time. They didn't mind too much because they were on an hourly pay.

When I got back to the truck after returning all the paperwork to the shipping office, there was a new load offer on my satellite: I was picking up aluminum logs 100 mi away in Brampton, ON and delivering them to Youngstown, OH. I now know these pay quite well, so I sent the "load offer accepted" message back to the Dispatch and headed towards Toronto on QEW and then 403.

I hit the shipper about 2 pm and the first thing you do when you pull in is to go through their scale. Because I had filled only 1 tank the day before (I was getting ready to pick up the 47,000 lb load in Stevensville!), my empty weight was 30,800 lbs (the display above the shipper's window shows the weights). When I went into the office, the shipper asked me how much fuel I had in the truck. I said "1 tank" and "why?". He replied he could put 49,000 lbs on my trailer, if I didn't need fuel. I said I needed room for at least a partial fill-up and we agreed upon just over 48,300 lbs (!) which - according to the shipper - should still give me enough breathing room to get 75 gal of fuel. Out of curiosity I asked the guy if a 48,300 lb load paid any better to MacKinnon than - say - a 45,000 lb load (I"m on percentage, right?). To my surprise, the shipper said, "No. We pay in 20k lb increments." Which means, whether it's 41k lb or 59k lb load, the freight rate is still the same. So, I'm not sure what my motivation is supposed to be while pulling ... 48, 571 lbs of aluminum instead of - say - "normal" 45,000 lbs. Next time, I'm going to fill up both tanks. As Gman once said in one of his earlier posts something to the effect that "Heavy loads don't usually pay as good as lighter loads". I consider this one of the many paradoxes of the trucking industry ...

Surprisingly, with 48,571 lbs on the deck (and only 1 tank full), my axle weights were pretty much normal:

steers: 12,020 lbs
drives: 33,700 lbs
tandems: 33,580 lbs.

My fifth wheel was 1 hole forward of the center between the drive axles, and the loading guy put all the logs in the exact middle of the trailer using the side turn signal as a guide. This is probably the heaviest load I ever pulled on a tandem flat/step so far and I'm happy that my 61" spread Wilson RoadBrute was able to swing it!

I put 5 straps across the top of the load, and then used one steel tarp to cover it (I threw one $7 blanket on each side under the tarp to protect it from the sharp edges of the logs)... It took me awhile to get through the rush hour traffic on QEW and then 403 but I did it without losing any aluminum logs and I didn't have to stop to adjust the tarp. The day ended in the Duty Free parking in Fort Erie, ON, 3 min from the U.S. border ... and I now only have 3 hours worth of driving to do tomorrow, Thursday, to reach the consignee in Youngstown, OH.

One thing I noticed today with such a heavy load is that because this is a stepdeck and it is low, the truck handles much better than with a heavy load in a dry van or even flatbed trailer.

[skrissel]

Quick question, 5 straps for that much weight does not seem like enough. Is it? The WLL on the 4" straps I have is 5400# Seems a load like that would require chains. When it comes to securing, I always opt for overkill.

Glad to hear (read) your new adventure is going well. The new trailer looks good.

-scott

[jagerbomber3.0]

Good interesting thread you have going on here, I love reading what people are getting into from day to day. Keep it going with the good details.

[specialkay]

The rule of thumb I always use is 9,000lb per chain (5/16 grade 7) and 8,000lb per strap or 1 strap every ten feet if its light and bulky. I'd have probably used chains just because but the nice thing about straps is you can check/tighten them without disturbing the tarp.

[GMAN]

Quick question, 5 straps for that much weight does not seem like enough. Is it? The WLL on the 4" straps I have is 5400# Seems a load like that would require chains. When it comes to securing, I always opt for overkill.

-scott


There may not be much difference in the working weight of straps and chains. Some freight does better with chains and others with straps. I don't usually use straps with coils unless the coil is aluminum. I may throw a strap across the top of a coil if it is a particularly heavy coil. Chains work better with equipment and certain types of machinery. It depends on what you want to secure. I never use a strap to secure something if there is a chance the product could cut my strap without protecting my straps. Steel can cut a strap in a heartbeat if you are not careful. Regardless of what you want to secure it is important to know the working weight of your chains or straps.

[tracer]

Quick question, 5 straps for that much weight does not seem like enough. Is it? The WLL on the 4" straps I have is 5400# Seems a load like that would require chains. When it comes to securing, I always opt for overkill.

Glad to hear (read) your new adventure is going well. The new trailer looks good.

-scott

WLL of straps must be equal to 50% of the load weight, not 100%. So, if you have 40,000 lbs you only need to get enough straps to total the WLL of 20,000 lbs. That's what the law says.

[tracer]

There may not be much difference in the working weight of straps and chains. Some freight does better with chains and others with straps. I don't usually use straps with coils unless the coil is aluminum. I may throw a strap across the top of a coil if it is a particularly heavy coil. Chains work better with equipment and certain types of machinery. It depends on what you want to secure. I never use a strap to secure something if there is a chance the product could cut my strap without protecting my straps. Steel can cut a strap in a heartbeat if you are not careful. Regardless of what you want to secure it is important to know the working weight of your chains or straps.

I'm hauling 9 small coils right now and they are loaded "eyes forward". I set up racks on 4x4s, rubber mats etc and used one strap per each coil to tie them down. Might be an overkill in terms of weight (the total is only 41,175 lbs) but the crane guy said he was required to leave 3"-4" gaps between the coils, so I felt I needed to have them all strapped.

[specialkay]

There's more than one way to skin a cat Tracer. I probably would have put a 4X4 across the rack to keep the coils 4" apart and chained them conventionally through the eye and have 3 groups of 3 coils with two chains through the eye of each group. Something to remember paper wrapped coils can slide a lot easier than bare ones.

[GMAN]

I'm hauling 9 small coils right now and they are loaded "eyes forward". I set up racks on 4x4s, rubber mats etc and used one strap per each coil to tie them down. Might be an overkill in terms of weight (the total is only 41,175 lbs) but the crane guy said he was required to leave 3"-4" gaps between the coils, so I felt I needed to have them all strapped.


Unless they are aluminum I would have used chains to secure them. I might still have used a strap over the top, but I feel more comfortable securing coils with chains. I would probably have put a couple of chains on each coil and thrown at least 1 strap on each one as well. I also use racks and rubber mats, but that won't stop a coil if it decides to move. It is not as likely to move with it being loaded shotgun or eye to the front, but you never know. I doubt that I will ever be 100% comfortable hauling coils. I usually over secure them, if that is possible. I suppose that I have just seen too many that have rolled off the truck or over it. :eek2:

[tracer]

Unless they are aluminum I would have used chains to secure them. I might still have used a strap over the top, but I feel more comfortable securing coils with chains. I would probably have put a couple of chains on each coil and thrown at least 1 strap on each one as well. I also use racks and rubber mats, but that won't stop a coil if it decides to move. It is not as likely to move with it being loaded shotgun or eye to the front, but you never know. I doubt that I will ever be 100% comfortable hauling coils. I usually over secure them, if that is possible. I suppose that I have just seen too many that have rolled off the truck or over it. :eek2:

I don't like coils either ... but straps did hold them pretty good especially because there was rubber everywhere: between racks and the trailer deck; and between coils and 4x4 pieces they were sitting on. I delivered them in Peterborough, ON this afternoon and when I took the tarp off I didn't see any shifting or any other surprises. No tarps were cut.

[GMAN]

You are not likely to cut a strap with the coils loaded shotgun. I rarely rely on a single strap, even if it is all that is legally required. Rubber mats can make a difference in whether a coil moves or not. I have had a coil move forward even with the mats. It didn't move much, but it got my attention. I had to lock my truck down when a 4 wheeler cut me off. Had that not happened it would likely not have moved.

[SickRick]

I don't like coils either ... but straps did hold them pretty good especially because there was rubber everywhere: between racks and the trailer deck; and between coils and 4x4 pieces they were sitting on. I delivered them in Peterborough, ON this afternoon and when I took the tarp off I didn't see any shifting or any other surprises. No tarps were cut.

Do you carry all the dunnage to make those racks and spacers onboard - or does the shipper provide some of the material for you?

Just curious - lotta wood went into that setup there...

Rick

[rank]

It took about 5 hours from start to finish and a special escort ($45/hr) to take me in and out of the port. All because I didn't have the TWIC card.
Which escort service did you use and did MacKinnon pay for that or you?

Also, those winch tracks that you were complaining about? Wait until winter. The sand and water gets on the winch rail and the only way to get them to slide is to beat them with your winch bar. They kinda suck that way.

Bruce never bought me breakfast or gave me a jacket. Hmm.

[tracer]

Do you carry all the dunnage to make those racks and spacers onboard - or does the shipper provide some of the material for you? Rick

Good question ... I was worried as I pulled in their "Staging Yard". All the notices on the shack's outside walls said truckers needed to have their own dunnage for coils! I had none on my trailer (it's heavy, i'm not a flatbed, and usually most shippers provide the stuff for free anyway; these are some of the reasons why I don't carry any wood). Another notice on the wall there said I could purchase 4x4s at a store nearby and that the approximate price was ... US$7 per piece. I lucked out with the crane guy who was loading me: he talked to his supervisor and instead of sending me away to the store they supplied me with the wood and rubber mats and spacers to put between the coils at $0 cost. I got rid of the wood again at the consignee (who was happy to take it) but kept most of these long and narrow rubber mats - they can be handy in protecting straps put on sharp edges ... their only drawback is they are heavy as hell.

[tracer]

Sunday, September 20th, 2009
Kingdom City, MO, USA

Some people posted here they enjoyed my trucking tales ... so I'll keep updating till I get the first stepdeck work pay slip. That should happen on October the 1st.

I'm sitting at the Petro off I-70 west in MO writing this as I have to deliver 2 transformers to a customer in Lake Ozark, MO tomorrow. For some reason they don't look like cars, but rather like 2 big steel cabinets. Each is 8 ft tall and 7.5 ft wide and about 6 ft long. They weigh only 4,000 lbs each. And they've been keeping to themselves the entire 900 mile trip from Guelph, ON Canada to here.

Here's what happened. When I delivered Load #6 (9 coils to Peterborough, ON) on Friday, Dispatch asked if I needed a reset. I replied I had only done 2 loads and had a ton of hours. So they told me they were working on a load that delivered on Monday in MO.

I did something like 650 miles on Friday to be back in Guelph for the early Saturday morning (8 am) pickup. The customer was a plant 1 min away from our own yard and this was my first time there. The shipper was surprised to see me (which is never good) because:

A couple of "scientists" with big screwdrivers were still doing something inside the machines I was picking up; and "David (the Load Planner) promised me a rolling tarp stepdeck", according to the shipper.

I said I can't help him there but I re-checked their address and the shipper's name in the truck and told the guy, "You are on my satellite as my pickup location." He went to his computer and started sifting through emails about this load but couldn't find the one he was looking for, so he gave up and just shrugged.

The "scientists" were still deep at work inside of the machines so I told the shipper I'd drive over to the nearest shopping plaza to grab a bite to eat (there's one right next to our yard).

I took the truck and trailer and drove to the plaza and the only place to park was near a sign that said, "Bus stop" because the entrance to the parking inside the plaza had concrete islands and I didn't feel like rolling over them with my new 17.5" trailer tires.

I bought a plastic mini-box of raspberries and two 250 ml cartons of raw egg whites (good snack when you're in a hurry). My next stop was at the Starbucks where I rewarded myself with a 'tall Americano, no room". That's a double espresso in a small cup, topped up with hot water. It tastes much better than dripped coffee and - surprisingly - each shot has only 75 mg of caffeine, or 150 mg per 2 shots. That compares favorably with a large cup of regular coffee that would put my count of caffeine in the 300 to 400 mg range. And for some reason I find that espresso tastes stronger even with water ...

A girl in front of me in the line bought a 'grande' (large) cup of ... white tea (hot water + tea bag in a cup with the Starbucks logo), one muffin and one cookie or something (2 pieces of various types of pastry). The salesgirl punched some numbers on the register and said, "$8.75" I almost said something :) this is Canadian dollars but still ... almost 9 bucks on a cup of tea and 2 donuts seemed extreme at 8:30 in the morning (I'm sure this girl hasn't even had breakfast yet).

My Americano clocked in at $2.45 and I left the coffee shop feeling like a financial genius. Back to the truck ... Now how do I get out of here? I have to go back towards the lights the way I came, but I can't turn around and I can't go into the plaza. I can only go straight deeper into the residential area, or I can turn left into a crossing residential street with no evident exit. So, I turn left into this residential street, put the truck and trailer straight and then back up into the plaza. I watch both mirrors and move slowly so that people don't ram into me and then get out of the plaza, turn left - back towards the lights. Sounds a bit risky but this was Saturday morning and and there was hardly any traffic.

When I get back to the shipper, the 'scientists' with big screwdrivers are gone and now a regular grunt just walks around the machines wrapping each in plastic. He puts on so many layers that I ask the shipper: "With that much plastic, maybe I shouldn't be tarping?" The shipper doesn't see the irony and answers seriously, "No, you have to tarp."

When the forklift guy (the "grunt") brings the machines one by one to the truck with 1 mile long FORK EXTENSIONS on, I ask him not to bump the guard rail. He listens and then moves towards the trailer and hits the guard rail! I tell him to back off and inspect the rub rail. No damage has been done as far as I can see, but I tell the guy (half-kidding) if he does that again I'm going to grab my pry bar and damage something on his forklift. The grunt smiles but doesn't hit the guard rail again after that.

Each machine weighs 4k lbs as I mentioned and is mounted on its own skid. The shipper insists I put 2 separate chains on the bottom of each skid and then add 2 straps on top of each machine! I try to argue but the shipper says that's their procedure and if I don't like it he can call David the Load Planner and let him talk to me. Naturally, that puts an end to the argument :) and after a very-very-very long time the machines are strapped, chained and covered with one piece of my 24'x 20' tarp (I got some help from the grunt while spreading the tarp on the top).

I leave the shipper close to ... 12 noon! Because the chains and straps are in the front, as I"m driving I see in the mirrors how the tarp balloons on both sides. So I stop to rearrange the tarp:

- in Cambridge, ON - some 10 minutes out of the shipper; then again in
- London, ON; then again in
- Sarnia, ON (on the border); then again in
- Lansing, MI

It drove me nuts .. No matter how many bungee cords I used and how hard I tried to seal the front (I used the remaining 3 tarps as a counter weight at the bottom of the first machine), the tarp kept puffing up.

Finally, as I stopped for the night at the Flying J in Battle Creek, MI I just took off all the bungee cords, put the front strap on top of the tarp, and got rid of the first chain. Its binder kept the tarp open at the bottom corner ... and the air was evidently coming in the hole at 58 MPH. I used a small ratchet strap to hold down the skid. It had only 3,000 lbs WLL but I figured that was more than enough to hold a 4,000 lbs transformer.

I can't say the tarp sat perfect after that but it looked much better and I got to where I'm now (Petro Truck Stop at Exit 148 in 70 west in MO) without any incidents.

It'd be interesting to see how much this painful load pays when I get my payslip on October 15th (we have 2 weeks delay in pay). The shipper said the machines were expensive and the trip is almost 900 miles.... so I hope it pays good. Of course they should tell us the freight charge in advance, but the only way to change the system at MacKinnon is to quit and become 100% independent and I'm not ready for that yet.

[chromewheelz]

Tracer,

Thansk for the info on trucking ive been watching and following ur videos for a long time now i really like them ! very informative. do you have a blog anywhere? if not keep up the posting here i love reading it. great color choices on the trailer!!

[tracer]

Tracer,

Thansk for the info on trucking ive been watching and following ur videos for a long time now i really like them ! very informative. do you have a blog anywhere? if not keep up the posting here i love reading it. great color choices on the trailer!!

Thanks for the kind words, chromewheelz. I"m glad to be able to shed some light on the fascinating world of independent trucking :) thanks for the tip about a blog: after i post here my first pay slip for the stepdeck loads, i'll move the entire content (my posts only) to stepping ahead blog on blogger.com (http://sergeydratchev.blogspot.com).

as for the trailer's color i wanted yellow originally - like my truck's - but the salesman said it would affect the trailer's price at resale. since i wanted something bright, he suggested the so called "wilson red". it turned out a great choice. i love it.

[tracer]

I'm stuck in MO for the second day in a row so I got busy by moving my thread to www.blogger.com (thanks to user Chromewheelz for the suggestion). This is my last post in the stepping ahead thread on classadrivers.com. For future updates, pictures and more please bookmark/visit my new "Stepping ahead" blog at: Stepping ahead (http://sergeydratchev.blogspot.com/) Thanks to everyone for their comments.

[jasontherock]

Tracer,

I enjoyed your posts, keep em up!

I am looking in to start traveling to canada (hopefully for more $$). Never have done it before, I run flatbed (plain old skateboard) under my own authority. What is involed in regards to shipment paperwork, my own documents (passport?), etc. I have no criminal record nor any DUI's.

Thanks!

[GMAN]

It has been several years since I have crossed the border, but I will see if I can remember a few things that might be helpful. The first thing you need to do is make sure you have those provinces where you will be traveling added to your cab card. You also need to make sure you have authority for Canada. You need to make sure you have a manifest for your load and that it has been cleared before you get to the border. Your shipper or broker should have taken care of this, but you should make sure before getting to he border. You can call ahead and make sure the shipment has been cleared before getting to the border. If not, I would call the broker or forwarding agent to make sure it is done before arriving at the border. You will also need a passport. I understand that there is a card you can get instead of a regular passport that may cost a little less. I would also make sure your truck is in good working order and that everything is working and adjusted properly. I don't recall ever having been inspected in Canada, but I understand that they have been checking for speed limiters. A friend of mine runs Canada frequently and he had his truck set for a maximum speed of 65 mph, which is a little over 100 kph. I believe 62 mph is equivalent to 100 kph. Like I said, it has been a few years. I would also either use a debit or credit card for any purchases other than the border crossing. It is usually less expensive due to the exchange rates. Some truck stops and companies add a little extra to make the exchange into Canadian dollars. Unless you run Canada frequently, you don't want to come back with a lot of Canadian dollars. Most U.S. companies won't accept them. When I ran Canada the U.S. dollar was worth quite a bit more than the Canadian dollar so I usually gave the U.S. dollars to the waitresses for a tip. At that time most of the truck stops would accept U.S. dollars, but would give back Canadian Toward the end of my time crossing the border I believe the Canadian dollar was worth about $0.68 in U.S. dollars. I believe they are pretty close right now, but it will still work better using a debit or credit card. You will need cash to cross the border. U.S. or Canadian will both work. I am sure the cost has gone up since I crossed.

[bikerboy]

US debit cards will work in atm machines in canada, but not usually at interac machines at the cash register.

credit cards work anywhere.

[BanditsCousin]

Count on 15-20 bucks U.S.D. at each border crossing. I've been up there several times and haven't been checked for a speed limiter, but that doesn't mean they aren't checking. One driver said it is a 375$ fine, one said 1000$. Mine is set to 65mph (on the floor), but the cruise control is another story....

Like GMan said, have your broker in place prior to arriving to make sure the shipment is clear. Also, you may need an ACE manifest to come back stateside, loaded or empty. I know I do, being leased onto United.

HTH

[tracer]

Tracer, I enjoyed your posts, keep em up! I am looking in to start traveling to canada (hopefully for more $$). Never have done it before, I run flatbed (plain old skateboard) under my own authority. What is involved in regards to shipment paperwork, my own documents (passport?), etc. I have no criminal record nor any DUI's. Thanks!

jasontherock, I moved the thread to my blog (see the link below). As for Canada, what I can add to what Gman wrote is this:

- if you have a FAST card (especially the new secure one), no one will bother asking for a passport, either entering Canada and US when you come back. I used to have a passport but it expired early this month, so I'm not even getting a new one. in 5 years i had it i was asked for it only once - by a U.S. customs guy when going into US. 99.9% of the time border guards are happy to see the new updated FAST card

-PARS is something you need to have when going to Canada. it's a bar code/sticker (with a bunch of numbers and your carrier's name) that we put on the Customs Invoice (a very important piece of paper that is usually provided by the shipper). You stick this PARS on the invoice (or the bill of lading, if the shipper didn't give you the invoice) and fax it to the broker on the Canadian side. ACE doesn't exist unless you go back to US. It's important to write down right next to the PARS where you're going to cross and your ETA to the crossing point (not just the date but time as well). If you show up in Windsor, ON and your paperwork is set up to cross via Sarnia, ON, you'll be told to park the truck and "go see your broker".

- US dollars: most stores, coffee shops and restaurants will take US dollars; but nowadays the exchange rate isn't the best. I"d use a credit card wherever possible. The only coffee shop chain that doesn't take VISA is Tim Horton's but they do take MasterCard.

- if you cross into Ontario or Quebec, your truck must be governed for 65 MPH

- the speed limit on 401 in Ontario is 62.15 MPH (100 km/h) but 99.9999999% of four wheelers do at least 70 mph. police usually doesn't bother you unless you go above 75 MPH (120 Km/h). I know that fines raise sharply when you exceed the speed limit by more than 15 km (9.5 mi). We have a new law in Ontario now that was designed to fight street racers: if you're caught doing 50 km (30 mi) above any speed limit, you can: lose the vehicle, lose the license, and be fined for ... $10,000.

[allan5oh]

Tracer you snob!

That was me yelling at you, at your famous pit stop. The blue water bridge duty free. I was heading into Canada. Big white Volvo with the big ugly tarped load on the back.

Nice rig btw, looked very clean!

[rank]

Tracer you snob!

That was me yelling at you, at your famous pit stop. The blue water bridge duty free. I was heading into Canada. Big white Volvo with the big ugly tarped load on the back.
What are you doing out this way allan? I thought you were a western boy? All you van drivers are flooding the ON market with cheap steps LOL.

[allan5oh]

Don't come out there often, and don't plan on it either. I did ~2800 miles in 11 days. Basically Winnipeg to Illinois to st. catherines and back.

[tracer]

Tracer you snob!

That was me yelling at you, at your famous pit stop. The blue water bridge duty free. I was heading into Canada. Big white Volvo with the big ugly tarped load on the back.

Nice rig btw, looked very clean!

Alan, I heard someone yelling but I didn't recognize the truck so I thought a guy yelling at me from 100 m away on the other side of the bridge was just loosing it because of too many days on the road :) If I knew it was you, I"d have yelled back :)

[allan5oh]

Alan, I heard someone yelling but I didn't recognize the truck so I thought a guy yelling at me from 100 m away on the other side of the bridge was just loosing it because of too many days on the road :) If I knew it was you, I"d have yelled back :)

No big deal! I guess I should've yelled "tracer" instead of "sergei".

I knew it was you before I even saw your name on the tarps.

[tracer]

No big deal! I guess I should've yelled "tracer" instead of "sergei".

I knew it was you before I even saw your name on the tarps.

alan, i just got an account on twitter (see the link below). if you have an account, maybe we could be online friends. my user name is ... "step48" :)