Going Owner-Operator

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BK Vissers
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Re: Going Owner-Operator

#11 Post by BK Vissers » 29 Jan 2017 18:56

Very entertaining!
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andrei383
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Re: Going Owner-Operator

#12 Post by andrei383 » 23 Feb 2017 14:52

One of the great things about being an owner-operator was that I was no longer forced into assigned routes. At my old employer, we were required to follow their pre-determined routes which usually meant highways and interstates. "Today," I thought, "is time for a relaxing drive." My load was not time sensitive and I purposely looked for the most isolated route on the GPS. What I has found was one of the most beautiful farmlands in California. I love my job.

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This load was headed to Rail Export in Bakersfield, a rail terminal operator and warehousing company which serviced major freight companies like Union Pacific and BNSF. The yard foreman wanted the trailer tucked in behind some industrial equipment, right next to the tracks. Usually a "yard dog" would handle this, but I guess they were on lunch break or something. A fellow trucker, we call him xDope, had done the same drop, but he had 13 feet less trailer and a daycab to boot. First was to make a u-turn:

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With the trailer rear pointed in the right direction I slowly backed up to the next corner. When the trailer wheels were in, I used a tip I learned from a "yard dog" and used the trailer brakes to pivot the trailer on the axles. Sure it wasn't good for the tires, but it was useful in tight situations like this:

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Slowly I was able to back the trailer in, and finally it came to rest with just a few feet between me and the wall. The foreman, who unbeknownst to me was watching the whole maneuver, came up to my truck's window. "Hey, you want a job here? I'll make sure you're top spotter on the yard!" I smiled to him. "My life's on the open road, sir." I extended my hand and gave a firm handshake. "But I appreciate the offer."

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Last edited by andrei383 on 01 Jul 2017 17:51, edited 1 time in total.
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xDope
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Re: Going Owner-Operator

#13 Post by xDope » 23 Feb 2017 15:49

With less room to work with you did a great job! Excellent shots and story ;)
If it is stupid but it works, it isn't stupid.
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Hakan
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Going Owner-Operator

#14 Post by Hakan » 23 Feb 2017 16:08

Agree very nice!
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BK Vissers
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Re: Going Owner-Operator

#15 Post by BK Vissers » 23 Feb 2017 16:14

Oh, goody, you're back! Lovely stuff! :)
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andrei383
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Re: Going Owner-Operator

#16 Post by andrei383 » 24 Feb 2017 20:54

Thanks all! BK, I'm glad to be back in the driving seat after all the time in the trailer paint shop!

I received a dispatch for a load of solvents headed for Holbrook. Chemso's factories usually run 24 hours a day but their yard only opened at 4 AM. Guess who arrived at 3:55? The security guard, still half asleep just waved me through. What never fails to amaze me is the sheer size of their factories. As a truck driver, I was used to feeling like the biggest on the road. These factories really put your truck's size into perspective:
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Since I didn't have much hours left, I decided to save most of the driving for the afternoon. I pulled in to the truck stop and quickly went to sleep. By the time my alarm went off, it was about 2 PM. I stepped out to begin my pre-trip inspection. This was one aspect of trucking I never skipped. Having seen a trailer fall off a truck, one of the places I make doubly sure to check is the fifth-wheel and kingpin:
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As I was doing the pre-trip, I noticed the old school Peterbilt daycab next to my truck. The driver wasn't there so I quickly sneaked in a snapshot:
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On the way to Holbrook, I noticed quite a queue on the right lane. One by one the traffic in front of me overtook the offending vehicle. Once it was clear, I merged into the hammer lane and gunned it. The kickdown activated and I began overtaking the truck. As I passed, I was greeted by a unique (read: ugly) paint scheme. Not my taste, but interesting nontheless. What I didn't understand was how a Pete could go so slow with a 26 foot pup...
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The delivery was at another Rail Export terminal. This time the yard spotters were on duty and I only had to drop the trailer at the entrance. Without an outbound load, I headed to the nearest truck stop for a much needed meal. Much to my amusement, I pulled in next to another T800. I couldn't resist getting a pic of my truck with one of her sisters:
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Last edited by andrei383 on 01 Jul 2017 17:53, edited 1 time in total.
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Hakan
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Going Owner-Operator

#17 Post by Hakan » 24 Feb 2017 21:00

Very nice story dude!
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BK Vissers
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Re: Going Owner-Operator

#18 Post by BK Vissers » 25 Feb 2017 14:19

Love your write-up. Your shots make it an authentic story. Well done!

Here's something from an incident yesterday showing just how important those pre trip inspections are. There's a brief video by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) too showing loose wheels.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/tr ... -1.3997811
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andrei383
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Re: Going Owner-Operator

#19 Post by andrei383 » 25 Feb 2017 17:08

Thank you both!

The next morning my dispatcher still didn't have a load for me. Even though I was an owner-op, I still relied on a shipping firm for loads. I opened up TruckLOAD, a new dispatch app I had, to check the loads available in Holbrook. I found a load of silica headed to Elko and quickly confirmed the load. When I had arrived at the shipper, Coastline Mining, they were still loading the trailer. Instead of sitting in the truck, I put my reflective vest on and took a look around the site, even sneaking in a pic in one of their excavators:
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Since the trailer was just loaded, they needed to verify the weight of the load on their scales to fill in the necessary paperwork. The result? 40,087 lbs of silica:
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I made it a goal to get into Nevada tonight. That meant I had to drive nearly all my hours for that day. Nearing Nevada, I at least had the pleasure of seeing the Hoover Dam, despite it going past at 65 mph. Such is the life of a trucker, although I learned to love every bit of it.
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Welcome to Sin City. I have fond memories here, I visited once with a group of friends for a bachelor party. I managed to turn $100 into $2500 in a really tense game of blackjack. My friend Geoff, on the other hand, lost nearly 10 grand at the poker table that night. Needless to say he never went back:
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I didn't want to stop off in Vegas for the night, so I pressed on, until I came upon a lone truck stop. I had merely 49 gallons of diesel and an hour on my clock when I pulled in. The fuel bill came to $619. Perhaps I should've tried my luck at the blackjack table:
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My credit card and I were worn out. Underneath the ever dimming sky, I dozed off, prepping for an early start tomorrow:
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Last edited by andrei383 on 01 Jul 2017 17:54, edited 1 time in total.
Dukeone
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Re: Going Owner-Operator

#20 Post by Dukeone » 25 Feb 2017 19:05

Very good stories! Every time i read it, i must Start ATS. :D
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