2008 Shaffer-Heartland CHRONICLES

[headborg]

BlueBeetle is Bill? I talked to him two or three times while here at orientation. I thought about asking him if he's on CDL A.

What is CDL A? something like LSD?

oh? you mean on here CAD? ok...got yeah...

yeah, I've been coming here for a while and never seen a single post of his-- until I went 'negative' on Shaffer/Crete.

Then here comes a Mod out of the woodwork!

Do you have to be a Recruiter to be a Mod around here?

[headborg]

week#14 final figures;

completed/banked--- 1364 trip miles

Wednesday-Friday 4/11/08
dispatched to Anahiem, Ca

completed running-----1695

total running paid miles= 3059 for week.

the week started with refusing a load to New England
and ended by being dispatched with a load to California-- for the purpose of 'getting through the house' T-calling in Memphis for time off- which I had scheduled before the Easter Disaster week- then went home early. So, coming back out the 3rd-I rescheduled my dentist appointment for later this month- but forgot to have fleet manager update my hometime.

(Nobody in Dispatch) is paying any attention to stuff like that-- when was He home last-etc. If they were, they would have asked or questioned it.
They are just pushing a button and covering loads and Granted doing their job- they saw I was "due home" Monday & Tuesday. So what do we have that will get this SOB home?--- but, they would have gotten me Home 2 days in advance--just nine days from my last "hometime".... can't make a paycheck that way.
So anyone saying they can't get home here is having a completely different problem than I. One thing I have learned recently is- don't accept a load to Pa or New England --if it delivers Friday or Saturday(morning)--- you'll lose a weekend- then if you take a New England you'll lose another day or so-- waiting for a load out of there.
Best to hit Pa at the beginning of the week-to- midweek.

[Evinrude]

[quote="Karnajj"]Trying to find a happy Shaffer driver these days is like trying to find diamonds in a coal mine. It just ain't easy. Talked to a driver who has been with company over 15 years and over the last year or so has been averaging 1800 miles/week. He sits while rookies making 10-15 cpm less than he does get all the miles. He also said that trying to get home is becoming harder and harder. Sad thing is his story is not the exception, its the rule.



The Problem is easy to slove. Get organizied, get the the driver trainers to drive solo until things get better.

[jonekatz1]

Headborg, I've been reading some of Ur post's & it is plain to see that

Ur a little bit more than Disgruntled, And in our Line of work when U,

become a miserable & unhappy driver, I know from past experiences,

I just want to make a suggestion to U, I am in no way affliated with this

Transportation Co, Anylonger due to circumstances boyond my control,

but would be if I could. Don HUmmer Trucking of Oxford, Ia. was a joy
to work for, very considerate people in dispatch as we'll as the Owners

& I'm not a recruiter, Non- Forced Dispatch 48 state operation & there Trucks will run 71 mph if U don't Idle them all Auto's, they run reffer &
dry freight. they have a web site call & speak with Angie 8) :idea:

[gmh]

BlueBeetle is Bill? I talked to him two or three times while here at orientation. I thought about asking him if he's on CDL A.

What is CDL A? something like LSD?

oh? you mean on here CAD? ok...got yeah..

You try making sense after sitting in orientation for two days

[headborg]

Headborg, I've been reading some of Ur post's & it is plain to see that

Ur a little bit more than Disgruntled, And in our Line of work when U,

become a miserable & unhappy driver, I know from past experiences,

I just want to make a suggestion to U, I am in no way affliated with this

Transportation Co, Anylonger due to circumstances boyond my control,

but would be if I could. Don HUmmer Trucking of Oxford, Ia. was a joy
to work for, very considerate people in dispatch as we'll as the Owners

& I'm not a recruiter, Non- Forced Dispatch 48 state operation & there Trucks will run 71 mph if U don't Idle them all Auto's, they run reffer &
dry freight. they have a web site call & speak with Angie 8) :idea:

hmmmm, yes apparently i need to tone it down some-- no I'm by no means disgruntled-- you haven't SEEN disgruntled... I'm just too stupid to keep my mouth shut-- until AFTER I've left the company.. No I'm a professional( with experience ) and will leave the company on my own terms- returning the equipment, etc. Unless they decide to fire me for- Blasting them on this public forum. Which I sure they would write it up as something else... but I would still seek the advice of a employment lawyer it that happened.

Thinks for the suggestion.. but I already have 2 jobs lined up already- just waiting for the phone call from the 1st, and hence the second is waiting for me to finish waiting for what I'm waiting on.

In the mean time, I'll drive extra safe, and see what kind of money- revenue I can make myself & Shaffer up to that Last Day-- then I will give them a written resignation letter- and let them decide if they want another 2 weeks out of me or Not.

But, yeah if you could provide a phone number I'll give them a call-- next time I have some free time. Never hurts to explore the possibilities.

[headborg]

BlueBeetle is Bill? I talked to him two or three times while here at orientation. I thought about asking him if he's on CDL A.

What is CDL A? something like LSD?

oh? you mean on here CAD? ok...got yeah..

You try making sense after sitting in orientation for two days

Well it's Saturday nite-- you off and running in your own Shiny Red Century?

Now you know I'm expecting you to start a HONEST accounting of your new adventures in solo trucking... only my new advice( like you need it) is don't be Negative or say anything bad about Crete here on the board-- BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING and you would risk the treat of termination if you do. So we may need to work out a CODE. Good luck & God Bless.

[evertruckerr]

Headborg wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion.. but I already have 2 jobs lined up already- just waiting for the phone call from the 1st, and hence the second is waiting for me to finish waiting for what I'm waiting on.

Sorry to hear things have been so disastrous for you. It looks like Shaffer is having a tough time adjusting to the Crete dispatch system, or maybe refer freight is just being hurt more than than our dry van freight. Personally I feel that by trying to run refer freight like dry freight is hurting the miles on your side. The two commodities are completely different animals, as you know, and can not be treated the same.

Anyway, I realize you are a bit down on the company, and I can't blame you, but have you considered switching over to the Crete side. I thought you were married to the refer business, but see that you are looking into Heartland also.

I don't even know if they are allowing that these days, but if they are you might want to give it a shot before giving up your seniority, insurance, vacation pay standing, etc. A number of drivers have left Crete only to return after a reality check. From where I sit the freight on our side seems to be very strong again. Over the last 3-4 weeks I have no longer been getting the "no freight, check back in three hour" message. Has only happened to me once in that time frame and I still got a load within 2hrs. As a matter of fact after my home time last week I came out with a fresh 70hrs and was able to put in around 3900mi this week. I'm even getting a number of multiple load offers, even on Saturday in Ohio.

Just a thought, hope things work out well for you and keep us all in touch with how things are going regardless of where you end up.

[gmh]

Well it's Saturday nite-- you off and running in your own Shiny Red Century?

Now you know I'm expecting you to start a HONEST accounting of your new adventures in solo trucking... only my new advice( like you need it) is don't be Negative or say anything bad about Crete here on the board-- BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING and you would risk the treat of termination if you do. So we may need to work out a CODE. Good luck & God Bless.

I'm in a red truck; it isn't quite shiny. Previous driver went to hospital a few days ago.

I'll write up some stuff tonight. Had a doozy of a day yesterday. Running a little tight today, so need quick nap before driving again.

[headborg]

Headborg wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion.. but I already have 2 jobs lined up already- just waiting for the phone call from the 1st, and hence the second is waiting for me to finish waiting for what I'm waiting on.

Sorry to hear things have been so disastrous for you. It looks like Shaffer is having a tough time adjusting to the Crete dispatch system, or maybe refer freight is just being hurt more than than our dry van freight. Personally I feel that by trying to run refer freight like dry freight is hurting the miles on your side. The two commodities are completely different animals, as you know, and can not be treated the same.

Anyway, I realize you are a bit down on the company, and I can't blame you, but have you considered switching over to the Crete side. I thought you were married to the refer business, but see that you are looking into Heartland also.

I don't even know if they are allowing that these days, but if they are you might want to give it a shot before giving up your seniority, insurance, vacation pay standing, etc. A number of drivers have left Crete only to return after a reality check. From where I sit the freight on our side seems to be very strong again. Over the last 3-4 weeks I have no longer been getting the "no freight, check back in three hour" message. Has only happened to me once in that time frame and I still got a load within 2hrs. As a matter of fact after my home time last week I came out with a fresh 70hrs and was able to put in around 3900mi this week. I'm even getting a number of multiple load offers, even on Saturday in Ohio.

Just a thought, hope things work out well for you and keep us all in touch with how things are going regardless of where you end up.

where do I start?
lets see.... it's not just getting 'adjusted to Crete's dispatch system- in the last 3 months our complete operation has been gutted and remodeled to exact specifications of Crete system... every policy- hometime, yearly raise, hazmat, now across the board changes..

the freight fell apart because of the closing and moving/merging of two offices to Lincoln. Then Crete started "cherry picking" dry accounts from our side-- yes, I've heard Shaffer has started do the dog food from Denver back to Harrisburg( I suspect as a excellent backhaul to get Shaffer drivers back into the Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg, Palmyra area- makes sense)

You are dead right on the money about not doing Reefer freight by Zone Dispatch... it is a completely different animal-- won't work for very long-- all they have to do is look at Unit productivity drop like a rock-- but, the problem with being Big is they Never want to admit when they make a mistake. Zone Dispatch works for dry freight because of volume of loads that can be dropped/hooked. Doesn't work for frozen loads-- especially when AMS doesn't keep the Reefers repaired/working reliability enough to drop them.

Cant consider switching over to Crete-- it's the new Crete policy of Get Hazmat or leave that's the #1 reason for my departure at this time anyway.

With the way the miles are dropping off- and all the B.S. changes that pot holes to my continued productivity here- it would be foolish for me to drop $200.00 for a haz-mat just for crete-- especially with the way they are tighting their belts over fuel(like the new no pets)-- it's just a matter of short order when they start telling me-- I live too far off their freight lanes to afford to keep me on... remember my AVERAGE deadhead home is 200 miles.

Married to Reefer Business? hardly, true I ran reefer for over 6 years then went to Westside Transport(500 trucks-Dry vans- zone dispatch) for 4 years....
I almost didn't come back to Reefer-- with the new hours of service-- I was very worried about all the extra time lost prep-time, live load & unload with reefer- but was pleasently surprised to find how the reefer business had changed in 4 years- and was very pleased with Shaffer's freight. I still maintain- their freight is probably the best reefer freight I reefer puller could hope to find.

yeah Like I said before, I don't really want to burn the bridge behind me this time... there are still enough positives in play that make this leaving a tough decision. Even tougher is deciding who next to try.

[Karnajj]

Very well thought out post there Headborg. No emotion just facts and conjecture based on experience.

[headborg]

Very well thought out post there Headborg. No emotion just facts and conjecture based on experience.

You know Karnajj, many of your recent posts- I've had a change of heart about the way I invisioned you- i know early on- I accused you of being a "
real company man" and possibly being a RAT-FINK, but when compared to the Phil X character-- you're not nearly as bad. Perhaps, you were trying to tell me "to watch what You post" here...but I took it the wrong way -- like you were about to drop a dime on me. Sorry..... never too late to admit you're wrong about someone?.... but, I will still respectfully disagree with you
on many things.

[Twilight Flyer]

yeah, I've been coming here for a while and never seen a single post of his-- until I went 'negative' on Shaffer/Crete.

Then here comes a Mod out of the woodwork!

Bill was off the board for a while. He does not recruit anymore...at least not like he used to. He does a lot of traveling now, chatting with noobsters in school.

Do you have to be a Recruiter to be a Mod around here?

No, the only 2 mods that are recruiters are me and Bill.

Ridge works in the office...dispatch or safety, I think. He'll straighten me out of I'm mistaken.

Doc drives.

So does Heavenbound.

And I believe Scoe is back in the truck, too.

[Ridge Runner]

Ridge works in the office...dispatch or safety, I think. He'll straighten me out of I'm mistaken.

I drove until Oct. '07. I'm considered Dispatch now. That's the title anyway. Do I miss the truck??? Every day!!! :wink:

[Karnajj]

Very well thought out post there Headborg. No emotion just facts and conjecture based on experience.

You know Karnajj, many of your recent posts- I've had a change of heart about the way I invisioned you- i know early on- I accused you of being a "
real company man" and possibly being a RAT-FINK, but when compared to the Phil X character-- you're not nearly as bad. Perhaps, you were trying to tell me "to watch what You post" here...but I took it the wrong way -- like you were about to drop a dime on me. Sorry..... never too late to admit you're wrong about someone?.... but, I will still respectfully disagree with you
on many things.

Headborg, it would never even cross my mind to "drop a dime" on another driver here at CAD. As far as I'm concerned this is an open forum (within the posting rules anyways) and people are entitled to speak their minds and let off a little steam now and then. Though the idea that someone might lose their job over something they might say here scares me a little bit. I don't know if that has ever happened before but I wouldn't want to be the first.

My issues with Crete are ones of seeing one of the truly great OTR companies going downhill because of newly implemented policies. It just seems to me that the respect they used to have for their drivers just isn't there anymore. I don't have any pets, though I was just starting to seriously think about it, and I don't smoke either. I realize that companies are facing hard times and have to make tough decisions but the fact that Crete hasn't even bothered to explain to us WHY these choices are being made leaves me baffled. At some point in time the money we make here won't be enough to keep us here. Hasn't reached that point for me as yet but I see it coming.

[headborg]

You Know KJ;

that's almost my position to the letter. Here was a perfectly great place to work with great pay- great freight, great hometime( Shaffer) Yeah, a typical amount of b.s. every now- and- again. Then the Crete Florida accident-- then came new Stupid rules--- no more split sleeper logging, and this and that.. then suddenly just before Christmas... Wham--BAM... let's turn it upside down and shake it up....I don't have a pet, or smoke either-- but with all the other reasons --Shaffer drivers might have for bailing right now... go and add yet another.. and another...

I'm wondering if they really looked at any HARD DATA on the whole pet issue( concerning fuel) ... they got the SensorTracs in all the trucks.... You think that have actually pulled the idle time- fuel mileage for both groups-- Pet Trucks & non-pet trucks and actually compared the cold hard facts? and even if the DATA proved the average mpg of the pet owners was lower than non-pet......why not just make a policy that Challenged the pet owner/driver to address the issue.....Like a policy like:

To continue to have a pet "Pass" said driver must maintain at least the AVERAGE non-pet fleet mpg or average non-pet truck idle gallons- something like that.

[headborg]

By the months:

January- 10500 miles 3 days home 10500/28= 375 miles a day
Febuary- 8625 miles 5.5 days home 8625/23.5= 367 miles a day
March -- 7150 miles 4 days home 7150/27= 264 miles a day

April:

2370
3059
1190

6619 total miles this month to date

3.25 days home so far to date = 10.75 days worked 6619/10.75= 615 miles a day so far but about to do a 34 reset which will bring that down to 600 miles a day. Plus planning another 2-4 days home end of month.

[Karnajj]

Sheesh Headborg, I don't know if I could handle those kinds of numbers. Looks like Jan wasn't too bad given the time of year but my god, Feb and Mar are terrible. But you know, they fit in pretty well with what I'm hearing from other Shaffer drivers.

[gmh]

It's my fault: me and my trainer got all the good Shaeffer loads in March. Sorry.

[headborg]

Sheesh Headborg, I don't know if I could handle those kinds of numbers. Looks like Jan wasn't too bad given the time of year but my god, Feb and Mar are terrible. But you know, they fit in pretty well with what I'm hearing from other Shaffer drivers.

actually-- I don't even have very much trouble with Feb. Numbers-- that was a solid 5.5 days at home + short miles on both ends( getting me home) so, really I look at Feb as more like 8000 miles for 3 weeks of running. Which makes it kinda OK--

it's the downward dive on March-- and now what would have happened- might still happen to April--- the graph should be taking off-- since winter is coming to a close-- not a decline. And 'throw the dog a bone' isn't going to work either-- this zone dispatch isn't working- nobody is managing this truck
productivity except Me(and I'm not in position to do anything but make noise) and now that all the dispatchers are no longer responsible for a fixed number of trucks and keeping them productive-- they just push a button and 'cover a load' .