Ok - here's the picture (keep in mind that I'm a solo driver):

I've got a Fed-Ex load that is time-critical for delivery. It's going from California to Kansas City, MO. It's set to deliver on 6/23 at 22:45. I got the load dispatched to me at 06:00 eastern time in Pheonix. I have to drive 38 miles west to meet another driver (I'm relaying it off of him). I arrive, do the drop and hook, and am on the road by 07:00. Now I have 1,261 miles to go (by 23:45 eastern time the same day).

I was originally told that I would have the load relayed off of me in Albequerque, NM when I ran out of hours. They didn't. They instead rescheduled the load to deliver on 06/24 @ 23:45 Eastern Time and I would relay the load to another driver in Oklahoma City, OK.

So, at 3am I get up and run full-tilt for OKC. At 9am I finally hear from dispatch with an answer about the relay. It's setup and I'll meet the driver in OKC @ 3pm.

I arrive in OKC at 2pm, fuel up the truck and park. When I parked I was out of hours for the day on my 70. While waiting in line at the pump, I sent my arrival message and then a free-form asking for the ETA and truck number I'll be meeting. Here's where it gets dumb.

I get a response back that the relay driver is 260 miles inbound to Waxahatchie, TX. I scratch my head trying to figure out if they made a mistake and called in. The relay driver is currently in Oklahoma somewhere, heading to Wax. Once there, they'll do the mandatory inbound trailer inspection, drop the load they have, grab an empty and deadhead to OKC to grab this load.

Well, some quick math shows that they're roughly 10hrs away from OKC. Well, in 10hrs, I can drive again with more than enough hours to deliver the load. Whether they take it or me, it's still going to be late. So, I called my DM back.

I explain all of this to him and I could tell he was scratching his head trying to figure out the load planners logic as well. I was put on hold for 10 mins or so and he came back and said "for political reasons, the other truck is staying on the load." Ok, whatever.

I go in to the t/s, use the bathroom and grabbed a quick bite to eat. While in there, my mind is just going nuts over this weirdness. When I get back to the truck, I decided to call one of the operations managers. I explained the entire situation to him and he said he'd get right back with me.

Within 5 minutes he called back saying that someone's brain had major gas and that I was staying on the load, since it was going to be late anyway, and that the other truck would arrive to pick this trailer up at about the same time I'd be able to run again.

Make any sense to anyone?

 

Makes perfect sense, someone has no brains at Celadon. Love how you were to meet the relay at 3 pm but an hour before the relay was on their way away from you by several hours...........too funny. I'd been thinking that maybe I had been told the wrong city to meet in.

 

Your story leaves me wondering how much flak your going to get when you get to KC for being late AND for not waiting for the last relay as the right hand had instructed because they didn't know that the left hand had over ridden their decision.

 

I know for a fact the last relay was cancelled because of the followup qualcomm messages I received. But, going into the consignee a minimum of 8hrs late will be another story. The dm said I don't need a new appointment - just get it there asap.

Getting ready to leave OKC in a few minutes - can't wait for the fun in KC.