Ting's be slow raht now.... I be pullin' a food tank for Carry to fill in the gaps.... Recession's SUCK!! But we just got to hang in there and look for the silk lining in the pigs ear....

 

Sorry to hear this Pete. Good luck on getting back into the business soon. There's no telling how many of us will be in that boat with you before this thing is done. I just sat for 10 days at home waiting on a load, and I fear I'll be deadheading back home after delivery - but as you demonstrate, it could be worse.

 

Did you try Trimac? They called me Friday about an application I submitted last fall.

 

Thanks...

Hated to leave; I'm 59 yrs old and had planned on retiring with SPCR. I've actually physically worked out of Kingsport for the last two years since Nashville lost the biggest part of the Dupont Old Hickory stuff. I was originally on the DMT Old HickoryTN/FlorenceSC relay which ran right out of here (Waynesville) with day cabs. We had about 25 drivers here at it's peak and when the bulk of that ended I started back in the system out of Kingsport (Nashville has never had any good freight except the DMT) and commuting the 250 mile round trip. As an aside, they wouldn't let me transfer 'officially' to Kingsport as Nashville is technically still in the same region; dispatched, paid, and truck serviced and domiciled there, but still the red-headed stepchild as far as the big picture went... but that was their decision...:bow:

So, anyhow, for all practical reasons, I was a Kingsport driver, but when push came to shove last week, Steve Hicks said it wasn't fair to his drivers to keep me when they just laid off 11 drivers of their own 3 weeks ago. As you probably well know, and I'm not knocking the Co, seniority just doesn't mean anything here (and never has) but I was a little surprised Fri by the news as I'm #8, I think, in Kingsport, if you looked at it from purely that angle.

But that's all ancient history now as I file my NC unemployment right here on the computer this morning... wow, things have changed a bit haven't they? They even send you a debit card now for your weekly draw :clap: jeez...I may get to like not working :smokin:

Sorry about the little bit of venting but, for the rest of you at SPCR, hang in there as the Co as a whole is head and shoulders above most of the rest of the tanker pack. I'm sticking to tanks of course, but it just might take a bit of time to get situated again.

Pete C
Waynesville, NC

 

Had a good driver friend (same town as me) that got fired by Superior last year for one-to-many fender benders (good guy, but always in big rush) that went to work for them and only lasted about 4 months. Issues: low pay, ragged equipment, weeks out at a time, poorly organized dispatch, unscheduled pu and del appointments...his impression: just a total cluster and got on with another tank outfit as soon as they would take him.

I think he only got home 3 times in the 4 months he worked for them.

Pete C
Waynesville, NC

 

I should add that he ran the system out of the Duncan SC terminal, but Trimac does have a lot of dedicated stuff all over the place and, depending on where you live, that may be an option. I'm only relating his experience.

Pete C
Waynesville, NC

 

Boy!Things don't look so good at Superior at this time,next time I got home I was going to the terminal in Augusta and see if I could find out anything.I really wanted something that would get me through the house more often,but,I didn't want to sit 5 or 6 days at a time waiting on a load,may have to see if I can find someone that I knew when I was hauling gas,I'll just get on the Harley and check out the fuel haulers around there,must be at lease 10 or 12,at lease that would be local,and I could shower and sleep in my own bed,at home all the time,and if that doesn't work out,then, better be thankful I got a job,sorry to hear about you guys getting laid off,hope something will come thru for you,keep us posted and GOD BLESS ALL.

 

The ugly untold truth is, it wouldn't hurt Superior to lose about another 50-100 drivers. That would go a long way to balance freight with capacity. Rumor has it that the PA terminal parked all its drivers last week just to keep the rest of the "system" moving.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, and for the most part love Mother Superior. But we still have warts, zits, and bad breath.

Any bets on the next terminal to get the axe?

I am thinking they consolidate something along the lines of: Auburn,ME/Springfield, MA; Markham,IL/Kankakee, IL; Keasbey, NJ/Paulsboro, NJ. A whittle here and there doesn" seem to be getting the job done.

I don't get down south much. Maybe you guys could add some consolidation optons.

U guys that are moving - be safe!!

 

PDL,
It is ugly, but it's not untold...Oak Brook has got a tough nut to crack at the moment and they know it. The accountant who's looking at the weekly bottom line probably sneaks in Lin Fletcher's office late every Fri afternoon and puts the figures on his desk and runs as fast as he can out the door.:tears: Being proactive is good, but the for-hire chemical tank business by it's very nature is mostly reactive, and when the Dow's, Eastman's, Dupont's, Rohm and Haas's, etc., of this world aren't forthcoming, or just plain don't know what they are going to do in this wild economy from one day to the next, it puts all of us in a difficult spot, to put it mildly. But, no question that there are just too many drivers at the moment and I do agree with your numbers.

Consolidation? I can see it down the road, especially for the terminals that don't have a co tank wash on site or are still being leased/rented eg: Nashville and High Point and some other high dollar properties that are still owned by Archies's heirs (the old Central Transport).

What they could do immediately though, I think , based on my experience with them, is that SPCR should start to rethink it's overall tactics in regard to the system drivers; a centralized 24hr dispatch would work better in regards to moving people around IMO. This has always been a problem ( ever find yourself wondering " how does this place make any money?") and Sup is just the right size to make it work. Letting individual terminals call the shots in regard to outbound freight and driver placement is counter-productive; what worked when freight was over-plentiful just isn't going to cut it today. If one was asked to characterize SPCR management overall, today, you wouldn't be far wrong in using words like 'traditional' 'conservative' 'staid' 'uncreative'....they need to get out of Oak Brook more and see what the battlefield looks like... :usa:

Whew, enough already...
Seadawg you mentioned your Harley and that's what I'm going to do today...go for a nice long ride (on a Triumph though). :thumbsup:

Pete C
Waynesville, NC

 

Whew, enough already...
Seadawg you mentioned your Harley and that's what I'm going to do today...go for a nice long ride (on a Triumph though).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ain't nothing wrong with that,dropped my load at Lowe's in Statesville,NC a few hours ago,now Im sitting at the Wilco in Troutman trying to get them to sent me on home today because tomorrow is my travel day to go home,rather sleep in my bed at home instead of this truck,now tomorrow they'll have loads going the wrong way instead of going south.