onadventure's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Look up wait in the dictionary, and there is a picture of an expediter. Waiting for a load until Monday paid off. Got one to Michigan from Delaware. Everyone says how great transport insurance is. I think it is the most incompetent business I have ever dealt with. As of todays date, I still have never received a policy telling me what is covered, or a bill. Repeated calls to their office has not resolved anything. They told me they sent the stuff to me and it came back. Hmm Maybe fucking call me. Ya think? That is the first time I have ever used that word online. Though I use it all the time in "real" life. Got a couple of short loads in Michigan, and then one from Ann Arbor to Austin, Tx. I am gambling on getting one out of here. The temps hit 0104 today. That makes it pretty hot in a van. I ended up opening all my doors and ran a fan. Still sucked. The weather service has issued a severe weather alert for Laredo. Seems a big cold front is moving in tonight, and the temp tomorrow is only going to be 89. Wow, I am scared. I hope I don't freeze to death. So I had 1500 plus miles by Monday, and here it is Thursday, and I have the same miles. Maybe I should have bought a straight truck, or a TT. 11:25 p.m. - 2008-04-17 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREAT PLACES TO GET LOADS and other fairy tales. Ok, I hate to sound like a broken record. I never got a load out of Charlotte, Nc. As soon as I decided to just move on my own, I got one. Charlotte is supposed to be good. That means a lot of people go there, and there is so much competition that I left on my own money rather than run cheap stuff. I got to Virginia, and got a call asking if I wanted a load from Crossville, Tn. (not a good place to get a load) going to Newark, De. I got paid for driving 250 miles empty to Tn. and then 654 miles loaded to Delaware. So here I am in Delaware, actually Elkton, Md. (great place to get freight), within few miles of Philly, Baltimore, Newark Nj, etc. I have sat here for two days now. I have only seen a couple of expediters in the area, so not much competition. I was offered 38lb box to Cleveland, and when I accepted it, they cancelled it. I will probably just sit here until Monday as there is little going on until then. (waiting for the factories to open back up) I hope GM gets back to work soon, as that will eliminate a lot of competition. The moral of this story is where it is great one minute is not where it is great the next. Myspace9:10 p.m. - 2008-04-05 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KNOW YOUR OIL...KNOW WHO DOES SERVICE What a week this has been. I am a little bit south of the North, South, Carolina border. Ran about 1750 miles by Wed, then have done nothing since. I learned not to trust dealerships when it comes to service. Went to Metrolina in Charlotte, NC, and had my first service done. 418 bucks, and all I needed was an oil change, and tire rotation. They charged me for oil they did not give me, and 24 dollars labor to change my oil filter. I am pretty sure I could do that myself. I will the next time. Also learned I needed a special oil starting with the 08 Sprinter. Ten to twelve bucks a quart, and very difficult to find. They say Charlotte area is a great place for freight. I have spent three days here on two consecutive weekends waiting for a load. I think it is not that great. The ten vans sitting in the parking lot of the Flying J with me agree I would imagine.
10:05 p.m. - 2008-03-28 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OIL HEAT AND PAY I have solved the heat problem by putting up curtains, and separating my cargo area from my living area. I also bought a bed, and am up off the floor to sleep. I have my heat blowing up under my bed, and it is toasty warm. It also blows over near the table where I have my computer. Got paid for the first time, and so far am making more than I made working for someone else. Made a ton of mistakes which cost me a few hundred dollars a week. Mostly to do with fuel and vehicle speed. I have learned to slow down when I am able which is most of the time. This has resulted in a net gain of 5 mpg. Now that I have the heat issue resolved, I have cut my idle time from hours a day to minutes. The only time I have to idle now is to recharge my auxiliary batteries. Of course now that I have that figured out, I am in seventy degree weather. Next I will have to work on how to keep cool, I suppose. Found out that I need to use a special oil called Mobil 1 ESP Formula M, designed for the European Mercedes motor I have. Even calling the Mobil company did not really help me to find the stuff. Seems hardly anyone carries it. A few Chrysler dealers do, and some auto supply stores. Being a holiday weekend, I could not find any open around Charlotte, NC. Also I discovered that I can buy the oil at Mercedes dealers that do service work. The price of this oil is almost double what other oil costs. I am going to order it by the case online, to get better prices. Have not checked ebay yet. Myspace12:12 p.m. - 2008-03-22 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHOWER ALTERNATIVES http://www.expeditersonline.com/forum/women-s-view/30220-shower-truck.html Myspace12:30 a.m. - 2008-03-10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE IS THE HEAT? I have not been here for awhile. I am in Newark, Delaware at the Chrysler assembly plant waiting to get unloaded when they open up. My first week (actually 4 days now) of expediting. I have been running like crazy, and it is about time I started to make some money instead of just spending it. The Espar heater does not keep me warm enough to suit me, but it does keep me warm enough to keep me alive. Temps have been in the twentys and I need to insulate, and block off some of the space with a curtain. Right now my van is so full I am not even able to get in the back til I am empty. At least I will get paid a B rate for the load, so that is good. Myspace5:11 a.m. - 2008-03-06 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIME TO JUST DO IT Ok, tomorrow is the big day. Orientation at Expressway. This will be the first time I have actually spent anytime in this van. I have napped in it before, just never spent the night. Myspace6:44 p.m. - 2008-03-02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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