May be off-line for a while, power cord to AC adapter just shorted out-- will have to replace.

Batboy is on vacation this week and won't be back until after 7/7/08

well for the first time in recent history- Radio Shack had exactly what I needed. The went in to Staples and bought a $156.00 universial ac/dc laptop adapter in order to comply with the strict No Inverter of any kind policy--

guess what, It doesn't work... oh sure, it says on the package DC INPUT 12v-24v, will automatically adjust to the correct output voltage for your laptop.....mine requires 19V 6.5 A--- well, it certainly doesn't step up that 12v to 19v!

Ok, Wednesday Evening(late) I'll be setting at 1493 miles for the week ending Friday 4th of July. So 2 days left in week(1 of which is a holiday) so maybe 2493 max miles + was home for 42 hours. Need at least 604 to reach the magic recruiter suggested 2100 figure. To which, I've created an hypotheretical budget for.

I've decided since I need the coin- plus I'm the FNG and my young fleet manager has already told me how impossible getting home every weekend will be. I'm not going to press the issue this week- on the other hand I'm not volunteering to work either.

I'm sure all the old hands( if there are that many) all want to be home this holiday weekend, I'll pay my dues .....if I have too.

This Lowe's store load-- has really ruined this weeks running-- especially since they want me to politely wait until the 1900 appt time before checking in. Basically, 1.5 days for 656 miles. Then again the week isn't over either.

Roy reports- Heartland authorized $100.00 from the Heartland Cares fund- for his layover in Va all weekend(most of). He's now on a two dropper from Va Beach, Va to Milwaukee & Madison-- but he claims the guard at the Chester Heartland terminal didn't want to let him out the gate with that trailer--claimed it was the wrong trailer-- Roy disagreed- and told him to get out of the way or get ran over! Then Roy took off down I-64 because he didn't want to run back up around DC and catch I-270, called me from West Virgina wanting to know how far out of route I believed he was- and if I thought he should go up I-77 or which way to go...

I was just about to tell him to take AA to Cincinnati then I-74 to I-65, but lost the cell signal-- he called me back later and said he was on US35 heading into Columbus, Oh to get fuel at the terminal.


Wife reports I received first check in mail from Heartland-- 127.00 reimbursment for what the cost of a bus to orientation would have cost.

then they deducted the $100.00 personal advance. So the check was for 27.00 hey atleast that means that Thursday's check won't have a deduct on it. Also got a card from my new fleetmanager-- welcoming me to Heartland and stating that my first weeks froformance was outstanding and that he looked forward to working with me-- and included a $25.00 Walmart Gift certificate.---- I'll thank him for it-- Friday( if a. I'm heading home or b. running decent miles this weekend. Until then, I'm playing dumb with no idea it came in the mail.

Lonnie says he feels like a mail man this week-- had several 250 mile or less runs-- but doesn't really ever want to talk about trucking-- he wants out of this line of work and to get into Movie Making. He was working for Jevic until they closed their doors-- so he says he's used to not getting home & short miles---- right now just happy to be making "something".


Hmm, just checked Roy's routing on PC Miler-- either he's really lucky or just "playing dumb" sandbagging on me-- to see If I'd bite-- seems he was actually on the short route all along( or got lucky) wonder if he continued on that actual short rt or changed it up from Columbus?

Got the recruiter BS shaft again eh......and here I thought he would give ya the straight scoop since he is one of the admins here.......

not entirely sure... who's not on the level... Fleet Manager is new, young 26 year old-- and you know his job is to Milk every productive mile out of me-- and not let me go home until I'm of no further use to the company(out of hours) and He's currently running the most productive board last 3 months out of Olive Branch--- he could be just "making excuses" he even tried the whole--- this is trucking, it's not always wine & roses! the wine & roses must be a big thing at Heartland. Or it's in the Heartland Management Manual.

Could be it's entirely up to the Driver-- to dictate what he will, and will not accept-- just how far a Driver will bend or not. But, this means same old "game" playing...and I'm tired of Playing "games" I hate being confrintational- and doing "end runs" around your "supervisor" to higher chain of command-- means low miles and bad problem loads for pay back.

Just a lot easier to Move on when you've determined you've been sold a bill of goods- that arrives and isn't what was described.

could be TF just doesn't get out of the recruiting department that much to know how the program really works in practice vs what's printed on the recruiting media.

Well I thought you were going to a regional job with weekends off...

Yeah, that was what I was thinking too-- 2100 to 2200 in 5-6 days home 2 days(mostly weekends) 3 weekends out of 4. Like the recruiting poster stated.

I feel for your situation. Overall do you think you took a step backwards or did you join the right company at the wrong time? I hope it works and freight picks up to where there is more going past your house. I got offered a load that delivered today and if I wanted to go home I was going to have to run 1 mile oor to get there. Needless to say i am not sleeping in the truck tonight. Would you ever consider not pulling a van or reefer?

I had that exact same problem with a recruiting poster once. It said I would travel to fun, exotic and exciting places and meet new and interesting people. It didnt say I had to kill them......