From Dunn, NC to Johnson City , TN 321

[henboy1]

I booked a load which would take me 4 days OTR.My pick up was from Athens , Ga to Raleigh , NC.That went smooth because it only weighed 22k ibs.Then I booked another load from Dunn, NC(on I-40) heading out to Johnson City , TN and this freight was motor oil from Warren Oil.I never knew this load would weigh soo much.If I had known the total weight I wouldn't have called this agent.It mentioned $35kibs when I booked it and so I never asked the agent on the phone.The BOL did list the weight of each item which was a long list.I asked the shipper the total weight but they didn't know.I started off on I-40 heading out to Johnson City, TN.I took I-40 to 421 to 321.This was about 100 miles of backroads.I always knew Tn had hills but I never knew I would be the one to be caught on such an adventure.The nightmare started when I started on 321 heading North.With a load of 43kibs I was going about 3-5 mph in 1 gear(definitely wouldn't be able to shift).My overheating light and buzzer kept coming on which made me pull over a few times.I pulled over numerous times to let the tired 4 wheelers who had been following me on this slow pace to pass by me.My Detroit 60 series hates hills and never again will I book a load like this going up in those mountains.It was also scary that 321 was soo narrow.My third load was gravy coming of of Conover, NC to Carrollton, Ga. Has anyone ever been on 321 heading out to Johnson city?
Detroit 60 with Eaton Fuller speed.

[Red Clay Rambler]

You didn't really "book a load up into those mountains", you just took the wrong route, one of the worst in the southeast. I guess by now you see that you should have taken I-26 up from Asheville. Shortest is not always best or fastest. I have driven that route in a car, never would in a truck. Lucky you haven't had worse problems so far, considering your lack of experience, and not knowing how to descend a grade properly, according to your posts about Monteagle.

43,000# is nothing unusual in OTR trucking.

[carolina trucker]

Interesting stuff.

If you don't mind my asking, how much did the load from Warren Oil pay from Dunn, NC to Johnson City, TN?

-- c t

[henboy1]

You are right about the lack of experience but then again one sometimes gains experience by going through the bad experience.I will take that as a good comment.
The pay on this load is $1.70 Gross(100%-2%=98%,68%X1.66cpm=1.12 to the truck))

[solo379]

Has anyone ever been on 321 heading out to Johnson city?

I've run US23, all the way to OH, from NC with 41,000lb in a 53' box! :shock:
So, i know what you mean, but i agree with R C Rambler, that was a wrong route choice! Still I'm kinda glad, i did it, was quite a challenge! 8)

[coastie]

You didn't really "book a load up into those mountains", you just took the wrong route, one of the worst in the southeast. I guess by now you see that you should have taken I-26 up from Asheville. Shortest is not always best or fastest. I have driven that route in a car, never would in a truck. Lucky you haven't had worse problems so far, considering your lack of experience, and not knowing how to descend a grade properly, according to your posts about Monteagle.

43,000# is nothing unusual in OTR trucking.

I 26 unless something changed in the last few years was not legal for ALL trucks. It has a size restriction on it. In a cabover, and short trailer I was barely legal And it too has some hills and sharp curves.

[henboy1]

I got to Johnson City , Tn and found JT Hackney.I made the turn and parked on the side.I went inside and on the door it said "driver must unload".I was perplexed, and the lady comes outside and says, "door 4" and also tells me to come inside and unload.I asked if they had a hydraulic jack for me and she said yes.I am thinking it might be easy and I was wondering why the damn agent never told me.They actually showed me how to use one of those forklifts with the long handle and buttons.I had to stand on this lift and operate the long steerring handle.It was quite fun, then the lady started to instruct me.She was picky in where everything was and she had me separate all the oils on different skids.This required lifting.After lifting about 30 cases of motor oil I was feeling the pain.I finally finished and they gave me my paper work.
I then hurried out of there to a Walmart parking and got on my laptop to to find another load that would get me out of the mountains.That was when I found one from Conover, NC to Carrollton, GA.Then my phone kept ringing.I usually don't pick up #s that I am not familiar with becasue they could be some cheap freight that would eat up my minutes.The damn agent left a vm about the delivery.I then called her back and my vm message to her went like this.... "Sharon, it would have been nice if you would have told me about unloading when I booked this load and besides the point I had to wait at Warren Oil for 4 hrs all because you screwed up on the pick up date".The Canover , NC load paid $2.20 cpm Gross and that is about $1.50cpm to my truck.

[GMAN]

You learned some valuable lessons. Always ask a lot of questions about a load before booking it. We all make a lot of mistakes starting out. Hopefully, we learn by them and don't make the same ones more than once. I have been on 321 with about 45,000 pounds. Once was all it took for me. Unfortunately, it was the only way I could get to where I needed to go at the time. :x

[Red Clay Rambler]

I asked if they had a hydraulic jack for me and she said yes.I am thinking it might be easy and I was wondering why the damn agent never told me.They actually showed me how to use one of those forklifts with the long handle and buttons.I had to stand on this lift and operate the long steerring handle.It was quite fun, then the lady started to instruct me.She was picky in where everything was and she had me separate all the oils on different skids.This required lifting.After lifting about 30 cases of motor oil I was feeling the pain.I finally finished and they gave me my paper work.

You just experienced the standard unloading procedure used at most grocery/food/wholesale distibution houses. The breakdown/sorting/stacking of cases is a legendary hated aspect of hauling dry van and reefer freight. Somehow the trucking industry decided that is was OK to expect the driver to perform the tasks that warehouse people should be doing. Even more ridiculous is expecting the driver to operate POWER EQUIPMENT for them. Imagine the legal mess if a driver injures himself or someone else. Many of these facilities have a third-party company operating on the premises that supplies the labor to unload, known as "lumpers". (they will sometimes almost "look and act" like employees of the warehouse.) Of course, the driver/trucking company will have to pay extra for their services, or do the unloading themselves.

Such facilities are famous for delaying trucks and drivers for hours, even if you make your appointment time. If you're late, you'll be lucky to unload that same day at all. Maybe the recent trend toward the payment of detention time has helped, I don't know since I stay away from such places as much as possible.

We wish you well, henboy, I'm sorry to hear of some of your struggles. With a little more time, you will be doing OK. If you have any questions about routes/loads/delivery points, post them here, maybe even before you accept the load if you have time before you have to decide. Chances are someone here has been there and can help you.

Good luck!

[solo379]

The pay on this load is $1.70 Gross(100%-2%=98%,68%X1.66cpm=1.12 to the truck))

No offence, but I'd think hard, if offered twice that, for such run, not to mention extra for unloading! That agent owns you the big time! :wink:

[coastie]

I asked if they had a hydraulic jack for me and she said yes.I am thinking it might be easy and I was wondering why the damn agent never told me.They actually showed me how to use one of those forklifts with the long handle and buttons.I had to stand on this lift and operate the long steerring handle.It was quite fun, then the lady started to instruct me.She was picky in where everything was and she had me separate all the oils on different skids.This required lifting.After lifting about 30 cases of motor oil I was feeling the pain.I finally finished and they gave me my paper work.

You just experienced the standard unloading procedure used at most grocery/food/wholesale distibution houses. The breakdown/sorting/stacking of cases is a legendary hated aspect of hauling dry van and reefer freight. Somehow the trucking industry decided that is was OK to expect the driver to perform the tasks that warehouse people should be doing. Even more ridiculous is expecting the driver to operate POWER EQUIPMENT for them. Imagine the legal mess if a driver injures himself or someone else. Many of these facilities have a third-party company operating on the premises that supplies the labor to unload, known as "lumpers". (they will sometimes almost "look and act" like employees of the warehouse.) Of course, the driver/trucking company will have to pay extra for their services, or do the unloading themselves.

Such facilities are famous for delaying trucks and drivers for hours, even if you make your appointment time. If you're late, you'll be lucky to unload that same day at all. Maybe the recent trend toward the payment of detention time has helped, I don't know since I stay away from such places as much as possible.

We wish you well, henboy, I'm sorry to hear of some of your struggles. With a little more time, you will be doing OK. If you have any questions about routes/loads/delivery points, post them here, maybe even before you accept the load if you have time before you have to decide. Chances are someone here has been there and can help you.

Good luck!

I had one place wanted me to not only unload the truck, but moveit down Warehouse Rows. LUMPER!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dejanh]

When i was with Werner i dropped of a load of beer in Hazard(yes HAZARD) KY once. Name of the city should conclude this response but looking at it on a map i took HYW 52 short route and ended up on a two lane road with the width of my truck for 30 miles with nothing but ,,S'' type of curves with 80-90 degree sharp turns. This was my first load after training and the worst expirience in this buisiness since then.


Longest drive of my life in my 2004 Classic XL...

[allan5oh]

Sort of OT, but since I'm Canadian, I cannot unload past the end of my trailer in the states. Some consignees want me to unload, "no can do". If they have a problem with it, they can deal with immigration!

I'm not going to go to somebody else's country and steal their jobs!

[henboy1]

Dejanh, I went to your part of your nightmare in Lebannon ,KY.
Microsoft streets and trips took me through SR -84 (about 50 miles) backroads.Every farm owner and homeowner had to wave at me because they raely see big trucks come through that narrow road.I picked up a load from Savannah (Ocean terminal) to Lebannon , KY.I wasn't too far from Hazard , KY that you had visited.All the agent said was to take 68 and make some turns but she was getting those directions from the shipper which she wasn't sure.She also didn't seem to want to give me the shippers phone #.I then routed this on my MS streets and trips only to be put on some narrow back roads right off I-65.I usually do my own routing after I see soo many turns on my print-out from MS trips and streets.But this time I forgot to do so.My trailer wheels was some times leaning towards the edge of the cliff driving on the backroad, never again.Randy McNally's map would never have street names for such small towns.

Anyway, I just recieved this MAGELLAN ROADMATE 300 GPS as a A gift.I have never used a GPS and I started reading the manual which I downloaded a pdf file from www.magellan.com
The damn thing never came with the manual or a preloaded SD CARD.The cd I need is the Magellan RoadMate Manager Application which will enable me to download all the point of interest and regional mapping info via USB to the GPS device.Does anyone on here have this CD that they can burn?I can get a preloaded SD card but what if I get to a region that the preload does not cover?This is a $500 equipment but I hate to dump it for not having an installation software.Magellan wants me to buy another unit to get the CD.I am tired of reading off my MS streets and trips while driving.Can I get help?

Most of the manuals for a GPS unit are on the unit itself. Plug the GPS into your laptop then it should show up as a disk with different folders. One should be documentation and you can print or read it online.

I know what you mean about waving. I tend to go places that most people don't out into the middle of nowhere. I have to wave at everyone on the side of the road plus the people in cars!!!

[henboy1]

I already have the manual which indicated that I needed that Magellan RoadMate Manager Application to install all the updates.I think you are talking about the drivers for the GPS.My XP already found the drivers and automatically installed it which became an F drive in "my computer".That CD is not only a driver CD but rather a median that lets you update the GPS by regiosn of the US and POI(point of interest).
Ouch! I hate Magellan.My last hope is to get a preloaded SD card but hoping that I stay within that loaded region.

[Red Clay Rambler]

henboy, good to hear from you, I was wondering how you have been doing with flats. Do you like it better?

Also, what don't you like about Microsoft Streets and Trips?

[henboy1]

I am happy for what I am doing although I shed more sweat than when I was pulling vans.LOL!I was new at this and I have learned a lot in securing cargo.I have a Landstar stepdeck and which they charge $170 a week for leasing.I am still trying to find me a stepdeck at a decent price or finance for one only 2 years.Another Landstar BCO taught me all about securing cargo and that Landstar class mostly taught us about fmcsa/DOT regualtions.I have pulled about 16 platform loads so far in the past 2 months.I have also noticed that 80% of the loads that I call for, will either take a step or flat.But when they only request a step the rates are more than a flat's rate.There are very few stepdeck loads on the landstar boards but if I get them they put your ass to work than even a flatbed load.I pulled a BOOM (39 feet long),the hoist and all the other stuff that goes with it.I had to use about 6 chains and 10 straps for the whole load.It took me an 1hr and half to secure thisl but it paid very well at $1.70 TTT.Not a bad rate to be leased on to a company.Another good paying load was a caterpillar engine/generator from atlanta to Jacksonville ,fl at 2.98cpm gross=$2.30 TTT.I consider that a short run but the rate is not that bad.Then I had one of those Dave Mathews shows which they only needed a step and these where custom metal pieces looking like a boom which paid well.The agest for platform freight seem more desperate when I call and more appreciative than the Van agents.They also seem to lie less.I got my first lie, well not.This agent wanted me to haul a 9.9 ft tall and 8.6 wide elavator/escalator(legal) to an auction but he never told me I would have to operate their forklift/dozer to unload.I wish I had that experience.I had to cancel that good paying load until I know how to operate those machines.


MS streets and trips is good and at times it can put you through some dangerous back roads.I am just getting tired of reading all the turns from my printouts and I would prefer a Magellan that has voice activated prompts and you also have the option of picking "more/less freweways".

[silvan]

I 26 unless something changed in the last few years was not legal for ALL trucks.

I don't know about any restrictions on I-26 past or present, but the I-26 the other guy was talking about used to be US 19-23 and I-181. They worked on a new road in NC for years and years, and finally got it open a couple years ago or so. I-26 runs from Charleston, SC up to Kingsport, TN now, straight through, except for some weirdness around Asheville where you have to do some crazy lane swapping to stay on I-26 (and I guess the same crazy lane-swapping around Columbia, come to think of it... wasn't it I-26 where I didn't realize I had to exit to stay on the Interstate, and wound up going through downtown on US 76?)

Anyway, it's got some steep hills in both directions, and lots of pulls and heavy crosswinds and other mountainy goodness, but it's a pretty good, modern road. BIG improvement over 19-23.