Did someone hear somthing? Nahh, didn't think so. :D

I think it was a mouse fart or someting. :lol:

Fisrt DOT ever...
 

Ok, i'm pissed.

I pull into this scalehouse in Mayview, MO and get pulled into the inspecion bay. Logs, Fine. Tractor, Fine. Trailer, not so much. Leveling valve is off, so i'm 22600 on the front axle, and 15620 on the rear axles. Yayy. Also need to readjust the rear two brakes on this POS 96".

So yeah, only god knows how long i'll be sitting here. I need to get to Lincoln, NE by 8AM tomorrow. Have about 4 hrs to drive. By the time my 14 is up, i'm probably still here.

Happy times over? PLS not. I had a winning streek till this week. Never got overlayed, always delivered 5 loads a week, and avaraged a total of $830 a week to the truck rolling avarage. Now this week, on monday i take the truck in for service, took them fricking 7 hours to do a full service that probably would've taken me about 2.5 hrs. Than i get overlayed, b/c there was no loads in VA for the night.

I pick up this load, pass about 5 scales till they look at it closely and pull me out. So yayy.

Also my wife lost her job, b/c she had to go back to Europe on a Family emergencie just after she came back 2 weeks ago, and her boss didn't like the concept. Atr least once she gets back, she'll be coming out on the road wirth me.

Anyways, wish me luck, that i'm not still here tomorrow.

Cheers

Re: Fisrt DOT ever...
 

How will you ever be able to fit your wife in your truck with your, microwave, egg poacher, refrigerator, ice maker, George Foreman grill, merry-go-round, bicycle, and big screen TV?
:)

BND
Please explain (rolling average of $830 a week to the truck) . What does that mean to you? What does that put in your pocket? Also are you line haul or long haul? Thanks

TMC's procentage pay is based on rolling avarage revenue to the truck, Out of route, and your fuel milage.

Rolling avarage is based on the last 13 weeks, they add up all your revenue to the truck, and take 23% of that. and my certification today just came out, and my rolling avarage is $870 or so, really good, almost the best.

what that means to me? I'll get a lot of point towards certification. :D

Any more Q's?

cheers

BND

BoyNextDoor,

Sorry to hear about your experience running across the scale. But that is part of trucking. It is also a very good example of why a companies SafeStat score matters. I was pulled in going over Tapatche CA and was told that I was pulled in because of the score that TMC had. You have to realize that driving a TMC is like driving with a target on your chest in regards DOT.


Devildice,

The company I am working for is BTI Special Comodities. They are a smaller company with only 85 company trucks. They require at least 2 years experience. But it is 180 degree difference from what I experienced at TMC. If you want more info on it PM me.

Saw something really funny going South on 35 just North of KC MO. I was just passing the North bound scale where I saw a TMC 387 with a permitted over sized load. What was really funny, he had his yellow and black " OVERSIZED LOAD " banner strapped across the front of his LOAD, not the bumper............I guess he was really proud of that shiney chrome bumper and did not think it should be covered by the banner. I am sure the scale master had a good laugh also. The thing is even if he had never pulled an oversized load before, it is obvious where the banner is supposed to go just by looking at the other oversized trucks that go down the highway.

Buzzdog,
Well glad to hear you're enjoying it there and hope your success continues. BOL

FYI

I've been thru 3 other scales with the same load, with the same problem on the axles in the back the same day, i got pulled in on my prepass, and had to jump on the pad. None of them ralizes my split axle problem b/c my combined on the split axle was arount 37500. so they let me go. This last scale pulled me in b/c he did his job right. Not b/c i was a TMC.

That being said, I did get a clean DOT after the leveling valve got adjusted by a tech, and he even gave me stickers for the truck, and trailer. So i don't think they specifically target TMC trucks.

In TQM class they told us that the chances of us getting pulled into a scale for DOT is 97% b/c of our ratings. So you are right on that aspect. But i don't believe that just by chance they gonna pull out more TMC's than other trucks. If we F up, we get pulled in, if we don't we don't. I got pulled in b/c i was 2600 pounds over on my front axle on my trailer. Mechanical fault on the trailer that i could not know of. I even scaled out the load when i got it, everything was fine. so i'm not being charged for that ticket.

What i'm saying, I don't feel like i have a big target on my chast b/c i work for TMC. I tend to think, that you only seen the bad of the crop, b/c every company is going to have bad drivers. Try disprooving me on that one. Not everyone is perfect.

This was my first DOT ever, and now i know what to expect. It's not all that bad. But than again it might be b/c i keep my logbook up to date, have all my paperwork in order, my truck is always clean, inside and out, and i'm always anal about everything working correctly on my truck as it's supposed to.

My $.02 worth

cheers

BND

I'm pulling an oversized load for the first time. From Laredo, TX to St. Paul, MN. I was born in Mn and haven't been back since, so I'm looking forward to this trip. It was supposed to be picked up on Wenesday, but I couldn't move until I had, at least, the Texas permit. I got all of them eventually. I have to deliver on Monday, Austin is on the way so I get an extra day at home because it won't take me four plus days to get there.

My take home pay for this week was over $1,100.00, I guess I did some hustling last week. Next week is going to suck big time, I was dispatched on some poorly paying runs. I was supposed to pick up a load of aluminum bound for In. I couldn't take it because I would be overweight. Then I had a flat. Most of that day was wasted.

I've been in Texas for over a week now. Usually, I am far away from Texas. I am used to the heat, but I really want to go back to the mountains. It has been in the 90's in far South Texas and that is not even close to being hot yet.