How does it work, exactly?

One of my readers (I have readers!) sent me an email asking how exactly the whole system worked from start to finish on a load. Ask and ye shall receive.....

The first thing that happens after I deliver a load is that I will send in a pre-programmed message (called a "macro") on my onboard computer system (Qualcomm) to my Driver Manager in Jonestown (home terminal) letting her know how many hours I have left within the federal limits. Now I'm ready for my next load.

The next thing to happen is my Qualcomm will beep and let me know that I have what's called a "pre-plan". The pre-plan tells me the shipper and shipper's city, receiver (or consignee) and their city, the type of trailer needed, the weight of the load, the pickup and delivery windows, and whether the trailer is already loaded or whether I will have to wait for it to be loaded. Pre-loaded trailers are usually easiest as I just have to unhook the trailer I have and hook up to that one and off we go, whereas if it's not pre-loaded, I have to wait for the shipper to load me up.

Once I get the pre-plan, I review it and make sure I can complete the trip legally in the time allotted and make sure that the trip doesn't interfere with getting home, getting sleep, etc. Once I've determined that I can take the load, I send a "Accept Pre-Plan" macro to my driver manager to be dispatched on it.

Again, my Qualcomm will beep and let me know the shipper info including address, loading time and date, company phone number and contact, Bill-of-lading (BOL) and pickup numbers, and any special instructions. Then I get the same info for the receiver.

Next I get a "fuel route". The fuel route tells me where Swift wants me to go get fuel and show me a recommended route to take between the shipper and receiver.

Once I get all of this, I have to send in a macro 23, which is directions to the shipper and receiver. These also contain any special instructions that must be adhered to at either locations. These might include certain types of trailers (ie only Wabash trailers, no roll-up door trailers, etc).

Now that I have all this info, I plan my trip. I check my Rand McNally trucker atlas and plan which routes I'm going to take and write it all down on sticky-notes which I stick to the side of the windshield. These are invaluable for truckers as our Qualcomms shut off when we're driving as a safety measure.

Then comes the driving. I drive to the shipper. Upon arrival, I check in with security and/or the shipping office and get my BOLs and send in a macro 1 (Arrived at shipper). They will also tell me where the load is on their yard. Lets say for the sake of saying that this is a drop and hook (trailer swap) load. They will then tell me where to park my empty. I park the empty trailer, and drive over to the loaded one. Then, I back under the new trailer and hook up the airlines and electrical lines. Once I pre-trip inspect the trailer and send in my macro 2 (loaded at shipper) we're ready to go!

Now comes the fun part. Driving! I drive until I'm tired, until I run out of hours, or until I arrive at my destination. Let's say that I can't make it in one day. When I get within 2 hours of the end of my legal hours, I consult my truckstop book. It's an invaluable book that contains every truck stop in the US. Best $4 I ever spent. Once at the truck stop, I've gotta find a space, which is sometimes very easy, but sometimes very hard. Often if you arrive at a truck stop after about 6Pm or so, you won't be able to find any spots at all, in which case it's on to the next one.

Once I arrive at the receiver, I send in a macro 5 (Arrived at final destination). Then check with the guard shack/receiving area to find out what to do with it. Once the trailer is unloaded, I send in a macro 6 (Empty at final) and find the nearest truck stop to fill out my paperwork and get it scanned in to the company so I get paid. The truck stops scan the bills into a system that sends them into Swift so that I get paid.

There it is folks. That's the whole thing. It isn't all that terribly hard, but there's a lot to do in a certain order.

If you have any questions about trucking, let me know and I'll try to answer them.
Russ