I've been doing local stuff this week and I really don't like it. I end up at home every night but it's tough loading and unloading every day. Not my cup of tea for sure. This will be my last local load today then I hope to get out of Dodge tomorrow for 3 weeks.

I have a load of 3 small tanks or something like that. I'm hauling for the Army and these look like little tanks or snow cats. Not sure. No guns so that's a bummer. Places for them to stick guns out of holes but Hell, this is the army, there should be freaking guns sticking out everywhere.

I've been going back and forth with round trip loads between Rhode Island and Vermont.

So I get a call from C.H. Robinson yesterday about a load to Colorado and they send me there carrier package which was over 20 pages long and a survey that was 7 pages. It says the survey is mandatory. I read it and they want to know who my cell phone provider is, where I buy my fuel, what nationality I am, how much I make a year and tons more personal questions.

I call back the broker and say WTF is this? It's non of your business. He says you don't have to fill it out. I tell him it says it's mandatory. He's never read it also so I tell him to do it and check if I do have to fill it out.

He calls back and says most of it's optional then starts to tell me which things need to be filled out. He won't let me talk and he's pretty much naming off everything.

I tell him I'm not doing it and don't want to haul for them (while he's still talking) I hang up on him.

Yeah it's a pain, especially when you have to tarp and wait and fight traffic. But as a truck owner I will take the high dollars/all miles every time...even if it's less miles. I like the idea of fewer miles on the truck, less fuel. I think you make more in the long run.

What's the money like......on a dollar per loaded mile and dollar per all mile basis?

It must be something new. I have been set up with CH Robinson for some time and they have never asked me to fill out a survey such as you mentioned. If they did, I would probably have the same attitude. It seems odd that they would ask such personal questions.

I was setup with them also and still have all my original paper work and an account with username and password but I never hauled a load for them so I think they took that as an opportunity to make me resubmit my paperwork.

I can't believe they didn't call back and say forget the survey.

I don't like it one bit. I think I actually passed out when I got home instead of falling asleep. Didn't brush my teeth, threw my clothes on the floor, left the lights on down stairs.

I haven't done my log book but I know I was illegal yesterday. I've been getting $1,000 a day no matter how long or short the runs were. It's been from one broker and they are all military loads. Some loads were 240 miles and some were 500.

Up in Vermont I got to see the Vulcan machine gun in action. Un-F^%^-ing believable. The noise alone would scare anyone to death. It completely disintegrated a 10x10x10 foot block of concrete in a 3 second burst. It was put into a mode where it you pick a target and it will shoot a radius parttern. Sort like when there's a whole group you want to take out.
The sound it makes I can't describe but I will never forget it.

I climbed over Abrams tanks, road around in John Deere Gators, little snow cat tractors and pretty much had the run of the place. I hit it off with the Captain and we talked for quite some time. This was the first time I saw an actual unit that all looked like kick ass fighting men. Not just a bunch of kids with zits. The captain has them train almost every day. It was pretty cool.

I got a bunch of calls yesterday to pick up loads here in NH going short distances to PA and NJ but I didn't take them. I would be stuck in one of those places for the weekend and would rather a long run to keep me driving over the next few days. If not, I'll stay at home until Monday.

My day yesterday was like this. I was loaded up the day before and had the load at home.

Got up at 2am and on the road at 3am.

Drove to Vermont and there at 6am waiting for the Captain and his men for 7am. I don't want to be late. This guy commands authority and I said I would be there at 7 and so didn't he.

7am he shows up with his men to unload me and load me back up. There's a problem though. No bill of laden for the load and nobody knows anything about it. We all know where it's going and everyone is aware of it. I pull out a blank BOL and we use that. On the road at 10.

Get to Rhode Island at 2:30 and back on my way at 3:00 for a 2 hour ride home. I didn't want another load although I could keep doing this for some time from what I understand.

Meet DOT cop at rest area. Didn't realize I was probably illegal or close to it at that time.

Make it home close to 6 and die!

Oh yea. Forgot to mention. This broker is all run by women from what I can see. They screwed up all the information on contacts and directions. I ended up working with one guy in the transportation department and he directed me to all my pickups and drops.

The brokers were pissed that I was taking orders from the customer instead of them. I would pick up at 8, take 2 hours to chain and on my way at 10. It's a 6 hour ride and I would be there at 4 if I didn't take a break so I would stop half way and spend the night at home.

The broker was pissed about this and wanted the load delivered the same day. The captain told her I spoke to him directly and we both agreed on times. His loading and unloading men go home at 3:30 and I wouldn't make it and it made no sense for me to spend the night there when I could sleep at home and be there for 7 anyways. Well, she didn't like that.

This broker looks at a load and says 280 miles and she must think, 280 miles? Hell, I can do that no problem in 1 day with my car, what's his problem. She does not take into consideration loading, unloading and just plain waiting on fork lifts, paper work and who knows what.

They want me to call when I get to the customer site, then when I'm done loading, then when I leave and in route. Same thing when I get to the destination. So I say, wait, you want me to call when I'm done loading then when I leave? She says yes. I say, so lets see, I call you when I'm done loading then hang up. The I pick the phone up right away and call to say I'm leaving? Of course I had a tone in my voice. She's pissed again.

On my way back to RI to deliver and she calls for status. She says you need to call this number. (I don't need any numbers, they are all wrong and I'm already hooked up with everyone). I say, what do I need the number for? She just says you need to call this number? She won't say that it's the customer or anything like that. I say, so, I call this number and say, Hello, this is Steve, do you know why I'm calling because I don't. She's pissed again and says well, if you don't want the number your on your own with the load. I say, OK, I'm all set then.

I get to the customer site which was wrong on the paper work and deliver. I call the 10 minutes before I get there and they are waiting for the load. It's that bunch of John Deer Gators that they really want so they can ride around the base. All the officers are waiting when I pull in. Like a bunch of kids.

I unload and call the broker and tell her I'm done unloading. She says what? Who did you deliver to? I tell her the Captains name which is correct but she knows she didn't give me the name so of course, she's pissed again. Take a Midol, I'm done hauling these loads (didn't say that, but thought it).

Sounds like you have excellent customer service but terrible broker skills!

Ya, pretty much. I don't like the brokers who treat me like I'm there employee and keeping track of me.

Very few brokers keep track of me. I always tell them, don't worry, I'll take care of it and I'll be on time. 3 big companies I haul for don't track or call me anymore. I think after a few times of delivering on time they must put a check mark next to your name or something.

Yeah that seems to be the way. I had a CH robinson load once, we used to haul that exact same load years back. I guess there was some blip on the radar screen, I don't know. The chick wanted me to call every morning etc, thank god I was dropping it off at the yard the next day.

Shortly after picking up the load, I called the broker as per instructions. Right after that, my GF's mom called my gf(shes in the truck) and said her dad went in for surgery #4, yet this one he had a 50% chance of living. I said fuck it, stopped right there. I think I did 200 miles that day or something. Anyways, I never called the broker back, I just didn't care!

I get my safety audit this morning at 8 from DOT.