No Tractor Tuesday

[Johney]

Most of us won't go on a road run with a full long box without a twin screw. I've waited for a few hours on more than one occasion for a twin. The highway patrol here will definitely pull us over and ticket us.

Wow! If that were the case here nothing would move.

 

[Old International]

We are always short of tractors. Since I start at a small center, my tractor is always there, but I have to be careful when it goes in for a PMI. THe Mechanic will do the PMI, and since the tractor is "ready", give the keys to dispatch. Then my tractor goes off somewheres for weeks, until I pitch a hissy fit to get it back.

I finally got smart, bought the night mechanic a bottle of Crown, and now my tractor keys go into his toolbox, and I get my tractor back.

 

[cachsux]

How is a driver to know if their load is overweight?(aside from Covemasters explanation) 100% long boxes here on single axle is routine. Granted there aren't any weigh stations where our guys run local/railyard runs. DOT Po-Po?

One clue is when they try and back under it and break a spring doing so.

 

[Johney]

One clue is when they try and back under it and break a spring doing so.

So besides the obvious,what else?

 

[cachsux]

So besides the obvious,what else?

1) Trailers squatted down on the springs. Especially fun since we're an "open door" building.
2) Try and move it with a tractor and it seems like the brakes are dragging.

It's not too hard to tell. Like what was said, if we waited on a twin screw for every 53' trl then nothing would move.

 

[joeboodog]

Amazing. A multi billion dollar company can spend a half a billion on some high tech gee whiz computer program (orion) that doesn't work but we don't have enough tractors to get the job done. Someone in Atlanta has some messed priorities.

 

[raceanoncr]

1) Trailers squatted down on the springs. Especially fun since we're an "open door" building.
2) Try and move it with a tractor and it seems like the brakes are dragging.

It's not too hard to tell. Like what was said, if we waited on a twin screw for every 53' trl then nothing would move.

Reminds me of yrs ago. We had customer-load pickup. Trailer docks were inclined, that is, you had to back down, hook and pull it out of a hole. Old friend-Model Mack, single axle. Hooked, squatted, let legs up (the old air/hydraulic), watch tractor sit on its haunches, pulled out in 1st gear (only 5-sps back then), groaned outta there and onto highway, crossed scale, got green light. About 2 miles down the road, flashing lights pulled me over. Scale guy: "You know you were overweight?" Me: "Well, you gave me the green light". Scale guy: "Well, we're so used to you guys being well-within limits I just punched green. You gotta come back, get ticket and download".

It was 96,000 lbs on a 40'. I thot it pulled hard. Of course, with those old friend-Models, even an MT pulled hard.

 

[cachsux]

The worst one I've seen is a trailer bottomed out onto its tires and it had to be unloaded until it came up enough to roll.

 

[pharacyde]

We have had a bunch of rentals since peak. some are pretty nice.
I've also heard that a lot of our "California Certified" tractors are being "swapped out" with other hubs.

 

[cachsux]

Probably 3/4 of the new tractors coming in are twin screw. Good for moving big boxes from A to B. Bad for making pickups or having to back the trailer in when you get somewhere.

We've also gotten in tons of LNG tractors. Word is they can't pull themselves out of the box they came in.

 

[MaceFremonti]

One clue is when they try and back under it and break a spring doing so.

We received a handful of the tag (fake) twin axle single screws about 6 months ago because drivers coming from the railyard with full 53' containers were overweight with the single screws.

They are a PITA to get under almost any trailer that is not at the perfect height as the drive tires just spin while all the weight sits on the tag axle.

To top it off 5 of them this week were discovered to have broken leaf springs.....

 

[Dracula]

1) Trailers squatted down on the springs. Especially fun since we're an "open door" building.
2) Try and move it with a tractor and it seems like the brakes are dragging.

It's not too hard to tell. Like what was said, if we waited on a twin screw for every 53' trl then nothing would move.

I guess it just goes to show how different things are in different areas. We both know how much bigger your area is than mine. The old timers have always trained us to NEVER take a full long box with a single axle on a road job. Our sups know it too. When we get short of tractors, it's not uncommon for drivers to stand around the check-in room waiting for a twin screw if we're dispatched with a 53 footer. Going to the rail yard is different, although you are rolling the dice at the scales.

The fact remains, though, UPS has been on a spending spree with these new 53' trailers. Yet, the matching tractors are nowhere to be seen.

Typical brown.

 

[Dracula]

1) Trailers squatted down on the springs. Especially fun since we're an "open door" building.
2) Try and move it with a tractor and it seems like the brakes are dragging.

It's not too hard to tell. Like what was said, if we waited on a twin screw for every 53' trl then nothing would move.

Flat springs tell you that you are illegal.

 

[Dracula]

Amazing. A multi billion dollar company can spend a half a billion on some high tech gee whiz computer program (orion) that doesn't work but we don't have enough tractors to get the job done. Someone in Atlanta has some messed priorities.

All part of the plan. Never question the boardroom.

 

[Dracula]

Probably 3/4 of the new tractors coming in are twin screw. Good for moving big boxes from A to B. Bad for making pickups or having to back the trailer in when you get somewhere.

We've also gotten in tons of LNG tractors. Word is they can't pull themselves out of the box they came in.

My old beast was a twin screw Sterling. Overall, huge POS. No power, bumpy as hell. But it had a rockin' A/C, and that thing was a champ in the snow. I went through two white out snow storms in big hills, and never lost traction. I have a different job going to the same destination, but now I'm in a single axle. This will be a rougher winter, for sure.

 

[cachsux]

I guess it just goes to show how different things are in different areas. We both know how much bigger your area is than mine. The old timers have always trained us to NEVER take a full long box with a single axle on a road job. Our sups know it too. When we get short of tractors, it's not uncommon for drivers to stand around the check-in room waiting for a twin screw if we're dispatched with a 53 footer. Going to the rail yard is different, although you are rolling the dice at the scales.

The fact remains, though, UPS has been on a spending spree with these new 53' trailers. Yet, the matching tractors are nowhere to be seen.

Typical brown.

Illinois DOT could be in the black just by pulling over single axle tractors/53' trailers leaving our gates alone. IF the Illinois DOOT were ever so inclined to do so. In 20 years of feeder I have never seen it happen.

 

[brownmonster]

A little off topic but I passed a rig the other day with 10 wheels instead of 18. Instead of 4 duals on the tractor and 4 on the trailer, they were single wide tires.

 

[cosmo1]

My old beast was a twin screw Sterling. Overall, huge POS. No power, bumpy as hell. But it had a rockin' A/C, and that thing was a champ in the snow. I went through two white out snow storms in big hills, and never lost traction. I have a different job going to the same destination, but now I'm in a single axle. This will be a rougher winter, for sure.

As I understand it, Sterlings were basically Fords, but the manufacturer was Daimler, at the time when Daimler owned most if not all of Chrysler, and the trucks were definitely not Dodges.

Right?

 

[cachsux]

As I understand it, Sterlings were basically Fords, but the manufacturer was Daimler, at the time when Daimler owned most if not all of Chrysler, and the trucks were definitely not Dodges.

Right?

The difference is when they were labeled Fords the front axles fell off them. When labeled Sterlings they did not.

 

[Dracula]

As I understand it, Sterlings were basically Fords, but the manufacturer was Daimler, at the time when Daimler owned most if not all of Chrysler, and the trucks were definitely not Dodges.

Right?

Maybe. I always thought Ford owned Sterling, and Ford used to make some of the better diesels, but my old girl had 750,000 miles on her and was on her second our third motor.