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Estes | P & D using 53' trailers

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rob0126

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Hi folks, Im new to the board and might become a p & d driver soon for estes.

My question is, why does p & d mostly run 53' trailers, especially for residential runs?

I thought ltl companies ran pups for p & d deliveries, considering all the doubles ive seen ran over the years.

Im new to ltl which is why I ask.

thanks!

Robert
 
Can't give you a logical answer on the question but will advise you slide the tandems up and get a smart phone, use the mapquest feature with sat. so you get a birdseye view of what your getting into it saved me a lot of aggrarvation! Also ask other drivers before you leave if they know anything about the area,and if you call the customer be wary if the tell you "we get tractor trls all the time most dont know the difference between a ups trk and a 53--good luck
 
Simple answer...You can get more deliveries and make more pickups on a 53.Also,when you get empty,you can drop off an empty 53 at a customers..Not really an ideal form of LTL p and d,but alot of them do it.
 
We did it at every LTL carrier I've worked for (well they were 40's, then 45's and ultimately 48's) but now I see 53's all over the place.

It's usually a matter of how far away from the terminal the heavy pickups are. If you need a 53' trailer to service all the pickups 40 miles from the terminal, then it saves more time and fuel by sending a driver out with a 53' even if it slows him down on deliveries because it would cost more to send somebody out with another pup to finish servicing the pickups. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to send a guy on a route 10 minutes from the terminal with 15 deliveries on a 53' just because you have one pick up 10 minutes from the terminal that needs a 53' every day.
 
EX396 said:
We did it at every LTL carrier I've worked for (well they were 40's, then 45's and ultimately 48's) but now I see 53's all over the place.

It's usually a matter of how far away from the terminal the heavy pickups are. If you need a 53' trailer to service all the pickups 40 miles from the terminal, then it saves more time and fuel by sending a driver out with a 53' even if it slows him down on deliveries because it would cost more to send somebody out with another pup to finish servicing the pickups. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to send a guy on a route 10 minutes from the terminal with 15 deliveries on a 53' just because you have one pick up 10 minutes from the terminal that needs a 53' every day.
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Bottom line is, it is about the company not the driver. They benefit in every way if each driver leaves the terminal with a 53. That makes their dispatching much more simple (and lord knows that's how they like it). All of the pressure (legally and personally), lies solely on the shoulders of the driver.
 
rob0126 said:
Hi folks, Im new to the board and might become a p & d driver soon for estes.

My question is, why does p & d mostly run 53' trailers, especially for residential runs?

I thought ltl companies ran pups for p & d deliveries, considering all the doubles ive seen ran over the years.

Im new to ltl which is why I ask.

thanks!

Robert
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First, welcome to Truckingboards... Second, good luck on getting on with Estes, we'll help you all we can.... Third, the 53' gives you more space to make more pickups without using more people,,, And, you can pickup and deliver long items...

(I should talk to Rob about an executive position.. Didn't I sound very professional?)
 
If you need a gps don't get car one,spend some dough and get it for a trk, that's why morons run into bridges and get on roads they shouldn't be on-using wrong type of gps. where is your term at?
 
Volnuck said:
Bottom line is, it is about the company not the driver. They benefit in every way if each driver leaves the terminal with a 53. That makes their dispatching much more simple (and lord knows that's how they like it). All of the pressure (legally and personally), lies solely on the shoulders of the driver.
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Following your logic you should all be making P&D stops in a 3/4 ton pick up truck. I mean that would be much easier for the drivers and who cares how many trips you need to make to and from the terminal or how inconvenient for your customers to have several different drivers show up in a single day trying to provide service?
 
kantgetryte said:
If you need a gps don't get car one,spend some dough and get it for a trk, that's why morons run into bridges and get on roads they shouldn't be on-using wrong type of gps. where is your term at?
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Paducah,Ky.
Trucking gps's ive seen reviews and most are glorified car gps, and lots of wrong directions. Got any suggestions?
 
Mrclean091 said:
You have taken taken what Volnuck has said and brought it to California. It was sent to Maine.
Just saying.
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Perhaps I did. I saw a complaint about a situation and a response that indicated it was entirely for the benefit of the company. I was merely "bringing it to California" to show that if it were all about the drivers everybody would be in 3/4 ton pickups. Fact is, it is about servicing the customers as effectively as possible.
 
rob0126 said:
Paducah,Ky.
Trucking gps's ive seen reviews and most are glorified car gps, and lots of wrong directions. Got any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Common sense when using a GPS and talking to other drivers, even ones from other companies you meet at customers. They've usually been to a customer you aren't familiar with and will be glad to help. Also calling a customer before heading to their residence if you get one of those can help. I always call ahead on residential deliveries. Also Rand McNally makes city and county maps. Sometimes nothing beats the old fashioned way we used to do it. :) Good luck driver :1036316054:
 
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Truckdriver79 said:
Common sense when using a GPS and talking to other drivers, even ones from other companies you meet at customers. They've usually been to a customer you aren't familiar with and will be glad to help. Also calling a customer before heading to their residence if you get one of those can help. I always call ahead on residential deliveries. Also Rand McNally makes city and county maps. Sometimes nothing beats the old fashioned way we used to do it. :) Good luck driver :1036316054:
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Calling customers is my first step. If they dont know, then we have problems. :)

I started using google maps a few years ago to compliment the atlas. Nothing like sat. view to get an idea of the layout.

Years of being an OTR driver, I've not had to worry too much about driving thru towns on non-designated truck routes. Now I do, which makes me a bit nervous.

I considered a tablet with gps software on it too; Even a laptop with streets and trips. If I go mobile gps, I sure want my moneys worth for sure.

thanks everyone for all the advice, and keep it coming. :)
 
Gee Whiz, how did we as drivers manage before GPS and smart phones? I see guys at my house that type in the address to the GPS of stops they go to everyday, they are a slave to the damn thing.

I guess a sense of direction and old fashioned know how are not needed in todays trucking environment.
 
grocerythrower said:
Gee Whiz, how did we as drivers manage before GPS and smart phones? I see guys at my house that type in the address to the GPS of stops they go to everyday, they are a slave to the damn thing.

I guess a sense of direction and old fashioned know how are not needed in todays trucking environment.
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my pappy always said "you can work hard or work smart"
 
grocerythrower said:
Gee Whiz, how did we as drivers manage before GPS and smart phones? I see guys at my house that type in the address to the GPS of stops they go to everyday, they are a slave to the damn thing.

I guess a sense of direction and old fashioned know how are not needed in todays trucking environment.
Click to expand...
I use to go in when I was off and ride with one of the older drivers. He would enjoy my help and I would learn the ins and outs of his route.
 
grocerythrower said:
Gee Whiz, how did we as drivers manage before GPS and smart phones? I see guys at my house that type in the address to the GPS of stops they go to everyday, they are a slave to the damn thing.

I guess a sense of direction and old fashioned know how are not needed in todays trucking environment.
Click to expand...


might as well take advantage of the tech we have available.
but basic map skills should always stay as the foundation. :)
 
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