R&L | Partially rebuilt JUNK...

Richard Herbert

TB Lurker
Credits
0
You can put a new engine and transmission is a 15 year old truck with a million and a half miles, but basically what you end up with, is a JUNK 15 year old truck with a new motor and transmission.

What wonder brains in Wilmington don't understand is, or most likely just don't care about is, the rest of truck is worn out.

The dash, all the guages, the radio, the seat, the steering system, the rear end, the springs, the air bags, the fifth wheel etc; etc;etc;

If you are going to rebuild the truck, rebuild the truck like Con-way does..Strip the thing down to the frame rails, rip the dash out, get rid of the 15 year old seat, rebuild the thing, not just the engine and transmission.

Here is a novel idea, why don't you do what most of the competition is doing (Con-way, Fed-ex, UPS Freight, Old Dominion) BUY SOME NEW EQUIPMENT.
 
Man if do not like it here driving our junk as you say why don't you go to work for the competition I am really getting tired of the drivers on here bashing the company. You all hide behind your screen names. you guys also will not tell everyone that the drivers cause a lot of the abuse to the equipment and that the company does not take care of them you guys need to take a close look in the mirror be part of the solutions and not the problems. man you guys are hipocrates
 
go work for con-way. you drive & work on the dock. RICHARD i think you started ::shit:: on the old trucking boards
 
go work for con-way. you drive & work on the dock. RICHARD i think you started ::shit:: on the old trucking boards

No he didnt and hes been with the company for a long time,long before the combo drivers came about with little to no experience and started tearing up the equipment.And I FIX THEM,you can really sit there as a mechanic at this company and say the equipment is not falling apart and not getting any better? Ive been here 7 yrs and had two new trucks in the first 4 yrs working here and haven't seen a single new truck or trailer at our terminal in the last 3 yrs.The newest tractors we have are 07s.By the way you two,everyone has a right to an opinion here so stop telling people to leave and quit the company.
 
Not to mention the new trucks they bought were the macks and they were the biggest piece of craps ever. They have cost the company more to keep on the road than they are worth. It all go back to the upper management. I just drove home from vacation in Myrtle Beach and could not believe the condition of the units i saw on 95 from south carolina to I got home in New Jersey,Trucks with lights out, missing mudflaps, headlights shaking in the hoods, trailers were in rough shape too, missing dot tape on the rear door frames. Thats what i saw driving bye imagine actually lifting the hood.... I fix um you are right drivers are to blame as well and so are the mechanics and upper management, cause if the units is being damaged someone should be holding them accountable for the damage. The shop foremans should be writing the damage up etc etc.
 
I guess the TRUTH HURTS. All the new tractors we got 3-4 years ago went to California.. I drive a 97 International, the newest truck on out yard is a 2000.
(11 years old for those of you in Rio Linda).

Have been putting 2 gallons a coolant in it a day, just to keep it from shutting down, am told to drive it, cause there is nothing else to drive, its all broke down.

Pop and I FIX THEM, the fact is, all the money that they used to put into equipment, is going to pay the salary and bonuses of the YRC crew they hired, the ones BTW who are running the joint into the ground.

Not starting crap, just stating the facts..Sorry if THE TRUTH HURTS.
 
I am definitly not trying to bash the mechanics, they can only deal with the cards they have been dealt.

I appreciate the job they do. At out barn, they are as frustrated, maybe more so than everyone else.

The problem is the policies from the YRC-RL crew that allowed our equipment to run down to this point.
 
sorry i busted on you i just remember your name from the old board. i can fix the stuff my big deal is getting the parts.
 
a few years ago i got onto the talk to rlc site and sent them a question about fixin this crap, they made a big deal about it, for the next 3 weeks we got everything fixed, had a conference call and all sorts of stuff, then once the VP got out of it and handed the rains back to the regional boss everything thing went back to the crapper. so i am not sure who is to blame, i do know that i don't blame most of our mechanics, "i just blame a few of the stupid ones" lol, and the bosses. the bosses are the ones that wont give them the "tools" to do there job. i.e. parts
 
When are we (as a collective whole) going to stop finger pointing and become part of the solution??

A truck that leaks 2 gallons of antifreeze per day is a safety risk. Shop won't fix it? Call Safety, let them deal with it.

A broken seat is a safety risk, they replace them at our terminal IF the driver writes it up... We also get new radios when the displays stop working.

Old air bags? Really? They either leak or they don't. Fifth wheel loose? write it up. The mechanics can not fix something that they do not know is broken or worn.

Work with your mechanics, not against them.

My wish for all employees is the motto of "just do YOUR job". Stop taking shortcuts, do what is expected of you.

I am getting so tired of;

Drivers that cannot be bothered to put equipment where it belongs, can't clean out their own truck, can't be bothered to write up trailers for what is wrong with them.

Mechanics that can't be bothered to actually do a PM on the trailer/dolly that they signed off on.

Dispatchers that can't be bothered to tell you what you are doing tonight or how long it will be.

TM's that can't be bothered to post things that you are supposed to know.

BOL
 
when are we (as a collective whole) going to stop finger pointing and become part of the solution??

A truck that leaks 2 gallons of antifreeze per day is a safety risk. Shop won't fix it? Call safety, let them deal with it.

A broken seat is a safety risk, they replace them at our terminal if the driver writes it up... We also get new radios when the displays stop working.

Old air bags? Really? They either leak or they don't. Fifth wheel loose? Write it up. The mechanics can not fix something that they do not know is broken or worn.

Work with your mechanics, not against them.

My wish for all employees is the motto of "just do your job". Stop taking shortcuts, do what is expected of you.

I am getting so tired of;

drivers that cannot be bothered to put equipment where it belongs, can't clean out their own truck, can't be bothered to write up trailers for what is wrong with them.

Mechanics that can't be bothered to actually do a pm on the trailer/dolly that they signed off on.

Dispatchers that can't be bothered to tell you what you are doing tonight or how long it will be.

Tm's that can't be bothered to post things that you are supposed to know.

Bol

aint that the truth preach on
 
I am getting so tired of;

Drivers that cannot be bothered to put equipment where it belongs, can't clean out their own truck, can't be bothered to write up trailers for what is wrong with them.

Mechanics that can't be bothered to actually do a PM on the trailer/dolly that they signed off on.

Dispatchers that can't be bothered to tell you what you are doing tonight or how long it will be.

TM's that can't be bothered to post things that you are supposed to know.

BOL

Don't forget being afraid to go on vacation because of what might be broke on your truck when you get back, or how many returns you might be stuck with from the friday before.
 
It worries me that I see no long range planning for this company. I would like to know that this company will be around in 10 years,but I see no plan in place for that. All I see right now is patch it up to get by for now. I too have had a run in or two with the shop,but alot of it comes from what they are able to do. They work for the same company that we do,so they are getting pressure to cut back too. On the same note local management is getting pressure to cut back every way they can,so they are in the same boat as the rest of us. The ones at the very top are the ones making all these cut backs and short changing us. Why is it that all that matters is how it LOOKS on paper. We are moving just as much freight,but they want us believe that we are barely treading water. I see all the used equipment that is being bought and I wonder if it is because it was a good deal,or is that all that upper management thinks that all we need or deserve. I wonder if anyone is thinking long term,I don't see it from where I sit. I've heard that there are some new trucks in Wilmington,but I've yet to see any come anywhere near us. By the way-if you have an 07 truck you are doing good. The thing that I have had the most problems with are the junk dollies. They are truely junk and can be dangerous. As far as hiding behind a screen name on here,THEY know that I'll say in person what I say on here-can they say the same about you?
 
they putting rebuild engine not new and not tranmission just the engine. i see it at my shop as far as fixing things on truck, i find it hard that they got parts shop and they dont have parts for the truck only place that got everything they need to fix the truck is the big house wilmington . my shop is a parts always have order from wil and they fix terminal trucks too and alot trucks old ford,old steringhave of the fleet we have is the old ford we still use them i no chicago have macks when they first start getting them they dont have power to pull the load they they push out they r buy other company junks .i guess they dont no why the other r sell they old truck because they got new truck we buy them anyway put new paint job on them rl had a card that the p&d drivers hand out say they truck was less five years old
 
I don't have a problem with R&L buying used tractors and trailers. The problem I have is we purchase most of these trucks on the internet, and most we never lay eyes on until we get them to the terminal to put them in service. I know I've never purchased my personal vehicle without looking at it first, why should we be doing the same with the bulk number of trucks we are purchasing?

When it comes to rebuilding "junk" you also have to realize there are reasons why they do this. Brand new trucks for one, have many problems with the new emission standards in place. For example, ALL 2010 or newer tractors require DEF. DEF is very expensive and requires a stable temp environment. Plus think about this, just using some example numbers here, a new tractor will run an easy $108,000. That price for example is on a 2012 Internation Prostar Daycab with a MAXXFORCE engine. That's another thing that we often forget is that with the new emission standards comes new kinds of engines. Our mechanics would need training and resources that let's just put isn't cost effective right now. Getting back on track here, a used truck might run you $37,000 (2007 International 9200i Daycab).

Basically they purchase the used equipment because they can buy it cash out without a "loan" and they don't have to worry about paying it off. Plus there is an abundance of used equipment on the market right now. Don't get me wrong I would love to see some brand new units on the road and they are going to purchase some brand new trucks and spread them out over the system basically so the shops can get familiar with them before they start purchasing them in large numbers. I like the fact that they are trying to save money and not get themselves in a bad spot.

Now I could list all kinds of way I would like to see R&L improve. First off I look at "Pride in our people. Pride in our performance" all day long. Now the guy that I work with today made a comment to me and he hasn't been working with me long. He said "Pride in our people? How come they don't show it?" I got thinking about things that R&L used to do for their employees, the things they used to give away throughout the company. Where did it all go? Hey guys I know you're trying to save some money, but remind us why we work for you and not the other guys. (I KNOW for a fact you are reading this) <- Reference not meant for the average reader.

When it comes to parts, this is a HUGE issue. Lets take WIL for example. You're waiting for parts from WIL. OKAY lets say in the computers at the shop at NOR (for example) lets say they used 15 wheelbearings in FEB. Okay so WIL will send them 15 bearings. And lets say we've only had 20 bearings at WIL. So we shipped 15 JUST TO fill the numbers at NOR to make the computer happy. Well now we've shut down 7 tractors due to weather change for seals. Lets say we shut down PT9999 for a LFD and a RRD seal. Ok that's 2. We shut down PT9998 for a left steer. That's 1. PT9997 - RRD, PT9996 - LFD... and so forth. Well before you know it we NEED 12 seals. Well we only have 5 because out of 20 we shipped 15 to NOR to make the computer happy. Make since there?

Could we solve this issue? Sure. We'd have to order larger numbers of stock. Does WIL have room for that? HAHAHAHAHAHA NO! Our company has become wayyy toooooo big with the small parts wearhouse we have. I believe that it's time for R&L to make a nice, organized, external warehouse to hold additional parts.

Anyway I just wanted to throw a couple cents in. I know it doesn't mean much I'm still going to get bashed because you will NEVER make a truck driver happy.

Just kick back, relax, and if you help take care of your truck (if your assigned one) or take care of the spares we could keep the fleet up to date. Don't wait 4 weeks to write up something because of your fear of not getting it back. There is no one person to blame. If you eat white castle and you can't get off the toilet, who do you blame? White Castle for cooking, or yourself for shoving 27 sliders into your gut?

Do proper pretrips, and don't take for granted the programs that we do have. Think about this, if your safety lane shuts down a trailer for a wheelseal, and then it gets fixed and it's back on the road within hours. Lets say you decided the bypass the safety lane that day. You leave Monday and get 300 miles out, and oops your LF axle just lost it's wheels because a seal was gone that didn't get caught. Sometimes we forget how good we do have it at times and we forget to tell each other how much we appreciate them.

To the drivers, P&D:
Thank you for picking up the freight that makes the money that pays me everyweek

To the drivers, LH/Teams:
Thank you for moving the freight from terminal to terminal quickly which makes the customer comes back so the P&D guys can keep shipping their freight

To the dock:
Thank you for loading and unloading

To the mechanics (Last but not least):
Thank you for fixing the tractors, trailers, forklifts, pallet jacks, load bars, generators, air compressors, and everything else you fix with the little that you have to fix the stuff so that the other guys can keep moving freight.

I hope everyone has a safe weekend, and thank you for what you do, and I hope you stop today and tell someone thank you.

Remember, relax and go with the flow and you'll be less stressed out I promise.

Okay BASH away lol
 
Top