An Update on the Situation....
Well the good news is that I will be paid for all of the miles I had to drive to get the load, scale the load, go back to shipper, etc. But it was still not really worth the frustration for me. Plus, now instead of getting home like I was going to on Thursday it'll more likely be Saturday at best. Bah.
As far as the weight issue goes, I talked to a couple of other people at the company last night and again today and learned that the load weights out of that particular shipper are common, however, our trucks and trailers are just heavier than most of the carriers that run through there. Most of the trucks coming and going while I was sitting there were day cabs, which are way lighter than our condo conventional cabs.
After being emptied out and leaving, I headed back to the scale to see what my rig weighed empty. It was 34,060 at half tank fuel level. The load they wanted to give me was 46,695... do the math.. =80,755. So if our average empty weight is consistently around the 34K mark, then the company should have known better.
I don't believe they intended for me to take the load over gross. There were very specific instructions on how much fuel to go in with and where to scale before hitting the road. That leads me to believe that they knew it would be close to gross.
As to why the shipper wouldn't just adjust the shipment to the consignee by removing a skid or two, I can't say. It sucks, because apparently we will no longer be dealing with that particular location. However, it will at least save another company driver the same headache and BS I dealt with yesterday.
In other news:
Shortly after blogging the previous bitch fest I started receiving a new work assignment on the Qualcomm. I headed farther north into Maine where I picked up a load of paper rolls from Sappi and was quickly headed south. I made good time getting there and was able to drop and hook and roll. I ended up at the last service plaza on the ME TPKE for the night. Today I hauled ass hoping to make the first of two drops on time in Jersey.
I actually arrive an hour early, which pleased everyone involved since they didn't think I'd have the time to do it since I acquired the load so late in the evening yesterday. I don't like to be underestimated.... so whenever I can, I kick ass and that's that. I then had to make a decision as to whether to stay at the first consignee until morning or go a little out of route to find a real truck stop where I could bathe and enjoy a nice hot meal. That decision came easily as I felt grimy and in need of sustenance.
Tomorrow I will deliver the rest of the rolls to another place here in Jersey and then hopefully will be directed to pick up my next load, bound for home. I'm really bummed that I'm not sitting at home tonight drinking a cold one with my sweetness. But things don't always work out the way we want them to. So I will just roll with the punches and hope that tomorrow brings brighter more homely horizons.
As far as the weight issue goes, I talked to a couple of other people at the company last night and again today and learned that the load weights out of that particular shipper are common, however, our trucks and trailers are just heavier than most of the carriers that run through there. Most of the trucks coming and going while I was sitting there were day cabs, which are way lighter than our condo conventional cabs.
After being emptied out and leaving, I headed back to the scale to see what my rig weighed empty. It was 34,060 at half tank fuel level. The load they wanted to give me was 46,695... do the math.. =80,755. So if our average empty weight is consistently around the 34K mark, then the company should have known better.
I don't believe they intended for me to take the load over gross. There were very specific instructions on how much fuel to go in with and where to scale before hitting the road. That leads me to believe that they knew it would be close to gross.
As to why the shipper wouldn't just adjust the shipment to the consignee by removing a skid or two, I can't say. It sucks, because apparently we will no longer be dealing with that particular location. However, it will at least save another company driver the same headache and BS I dealt with yesterday.
In other news:
Shortly after blogging the previous bitch fest I started receiving a new work assignment on the Qualcomm. I headed farther north into Maine where I picked up a load of paper rolls from Sappi and was quickly headed south. I made good time getting there and was able to drop and hook and roll. I ended up at the last service plaza on the ME TPKE for the night. Today I hauled ass hoping to make the first of two drops on time in Jersey.
I actually arrive an hour early, which pleased everyone involved since they didn't think I'd have the time to do it since I acquired the load so late in the evening yesterday. I don't like to be underestimated.... so whenever I can, I kick ass and that's that. I then had to make a decision as to whether to stay at the first consignee until morning or go a little out of route to find a real truck stop where I could bathe and enjoy a nice hot meal. That decision came easily as I felt grimy and in need of sustenance.
Tomorrow I will deliver the rest of the rolls to another place here in Jersey and then hopefully will be directed to pick up my next load, bound for home. I'm really bummed that I'm not sitting at home tonight drinking a cold one with my sweetness. But things don't always work out the way we want them to. So I will just roll with the punches and hope that tomorrow brings brighter more homely horizons.
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Bijou