Spoken like a man of experience there mick lol
taffytrucker:
Spoken like a man of experience there mick lol
Yep, caught me out a few months back, I thought I was being clever just having 8 off in Canada, then 2 hrs off (still in Canada) when I was waiting to load. I then crossed the border around the corner and and to park up! What a numpty 
mickfly:
taffytrucker:
Spoken like a man of experience there mick lolYep, caught me out a few months back, I thought I was being clever just having 8 off in Canada, then 2 hrs off (still in Canada) when I was waiting to load. I then crossed the border around the corner and and to park up! What a numpty
Ha teach you right for trying to be a smart arse lol
Backload from hell contiues. According to the EFS book there is a flying j in Schriebrer ON with showers and a workshops so as I’m flying up highway 17 I notice am running a lil bit low on go go juice so fire macro off asking for off route fuel to be opened, I give the details of where I wanna stop message comes back sure ‘no probs all done’ I pull up to a single pump next to a fuel tanker yard (o well there goes my shower least I get fuel) so I thought. The card won’t get accepted in the machine after several messages later even EFS come back and say there shouldn’t be a problem and to top it off the flying j helpdesk only open mon - fri 8 - 5!!! So am sat here out side a closed down bar waiting for the morning. I got 1/4 tank left and 60 miles to the next fill up and I’m bout 45 tonne so touch n go if I go for it lol
Even at 3mpg you’ll only need 20 gallons to do 60 miles, quarter tanks mean you’ll have 60 gallons sloshing around if you have 120 gallon tanks on both sides, most trucks have tanks that size at least, I’d be getting myself up the road driver 
Mind you, as you’re on HW17, you could stop there where there’s SFA or go 60miles up the road where there’s SFA, tough call 
hope you’re going to do a proper diary of this trip when you get home
newmercman:
Even at 3mpg you’ll only need 20 gallons to do 60 miles, quarter tanks mean you’ll have 60 gallons sloshing around if you have 120 gallon tanks on both sides, most trucks have tanks that size at least, I’d be getting myself up the road driverMind you, as you’re on HW17, you could stop there where there’s SFA or go 60miles up the road where there’s SFA, tough call
hope you’re going to do a proper diary of this trip when you get home
Cheeky bugger lol I wish I had 120 gallon tanks if I did I not be here talking to you boyo lol I don’t know why but we got meesly 80 gallon twin tanks that’s 300 ltres to the guys back home office seem to think its touch and go
taffytrucker:
newmercman:
Even at 3mpg you’ll only need 20 gallons to do 60 miles, quarter tanks mean you’ll have 60 gallons sloshing around if you have 120 gallon tanks on both sides, most trucks have tanks that size at least, I’d be getting myself up the road driverMind you, as you’re on HW17, you could stop there where there’s SFA or go 60miles up the road where there’s SFA, tough call
hope you’re going to do a proper diary of this trip when you get home
Cheeky bugger lol I wish I had 120 gallon tanks if I did I not be here talking to you boyo lol I don’t know why but we got meesly 80 gallon twin tanks that’s 300 ltres to the guys back home office seem to think its touch and go
We have EFS and can fuel anywhere that it’s accepted, we also have UFA, Sinclair, Co-Op and Shell, our boss reckons that paying someone to watch the prices, and the extra fuel used by drivers to go ‘off track’ to find fuel, is more costly than the occasional more expensive fill up. There is also no niggle about idling 24/7 if it’s too hot/cold.
Good luck with the fuel Taff.
I have a 120gal on one side and a 135gal on the other. The only reason one is slightly smaller is because of the DEF tank.
Two eighty gallon tanks is ridiculous for long haul. Taking into account the ullage space you only have about 570 useable litres from totally empty so realistically under 500 if your not wanting to go in the red. Most drivers are carrying more like 1000 litres.
If that wasn’t bad enough it sounds like the drivers are harassed and micro managed into where they can and cannot fuel up.
If I am reading right H&R specify total base spec trucks and even delete the built in fridge freezer from the sleeper of their new Cascadia’s which as far as I know is standard in the condo.
Probably specifying extra small fuel tanks saves a small amount of money but at the cost of a nuisance factor for the driver.
One thing about Taff’s honest diary. It answers some questions why H&R find it difficult to recruit local Canadians.
wire:
I have a 120gal on one side and a 135gal on the other. The only reason one is slightly smaller is because of the DEF tank.
Two eighty gallon tanks is ridiculous for long haul. Taking into account the ullage space you only have about 570 useable litres from totally empty so realistically under 500 if your not wanting to go in the red. Most drivers are carrying more like 1000 litres.
If that wasn’t bad enough it sounds like the drivers are harassed and micro managed into where they can and cannot fuel up.
If I am reading right H&R specify total base spec trucks and even delete the built in fridge freezer from the sleeper of their new Cascadia’s which as far as I know is standard in the condo.
Probably specifying extra small fuel tanks saves a small amount of money but at the cost of a nuisance factor for the driver.
One thing about Taff’s honest diary. It answers some questions why H&R find it difficult to recruit local Canadians.
I hope taffy doesn’t get ‘bubbled’ by the H&R drivers who read his diary on here.
Think yourself lucky ! We have 120 gallon tanks on the passenger side of the Columbia’s and nothing driver side. On the Cascadia’s we have a 60 gallon tank each side which you can only get 50 gallons in each if you are lucky because of the blowback caused by the anti syphon thng. My truck has a 13DD under the hood and averages 7 to the gallon loaded with 52000 lbs of liquid sugar so he would be ok.
I have two 140 gallon tanks on mine, it just about does me.
Don’t get me wrong it is a pain having to fill up in certain places every day but its just a case of getting used to it and know where the stops are that’s all after all its one big learning curve but I do see where you guys are coming from. For now I try to latch onto someone and follow them if its a major problem then the office will ‘unlock’ a station still don’t know why my EFS card not work in that station yesterday.
Made it onto the esso 60 miles up the road in Nipogen with a bit to spare got some long steep hills on the way sucked the tanks almost dry got upto Winnipeg and the gauge showing somewhere between 1/4 and half a tank so top up in Flying J in the morning (more points accroding to the GPS Calgary is just over a days drive something like 800 miles or about so not get there tomorrow ill pull in on Weds morning. In all considering the ‘little mistakes’ that have happened I think I’ve made some pretty good time. I still chuckle when the GPS says stay on road for 560 miles lol dam that’s a full days drive in the UK if you’re lucky.
On the point if anything is said to me in the office about this thread then we know its come from a loyal TNUK reader but atleast someone had posted how they have found it first hand and not MMTM but TBH I not said or found anything thay wrong with the company and once I get back to Leth have a good few beers to wash this backload out of my system ill be heading back down the road.
As for the comment regards the unit spec yea sure they are basic no fridge etc its not that bad a unit compared to what we are used to back home ok so yea you pop to Wallmart or somewhere and spend a few $ on one or save up points on fuel card and it cost you even less either way you can live without one even if it does mean stopping to pick up fresh cold drink but its not the end of the world lol. Would I like a unit with suede seats built in fridge etc■■? O hell yea what driver wouldn’t but you make do with what you have got, least we are seeing more units with a tri pack on and giving the choice between tri pack or built in fridge? Bolt that dam thing to the frame I say just wish they put some decent mounts on it so not feel the vibration so much 
Pat Hasler:
Think yourself lucky ! We have 120 gallon tanks on the passenger side of the Columbia’s and nothing driver side. On the Cascadia’s we have a 60 gallon tank each side which you can only get 50 gallons in each if you are lucky because of the blowback caused by the anti syphon thng. My truck has a 13DD under the hood and averages 7 to the gallon loaded with 52000 lbs of liquid sugar so he would be ok.
On your work Pat is the small tanks due to tanker work been weight critical?
I know that H&R have quite a few trucks on the road, so managing their fuel purchases can bring huge savings to the company, yes it may be a PITA for a driver, but hey ho, can’t blame any company that is trying to maximise its profits. Trucking Companies exist to make money, not to make drivers happy 
After learning the way the fuel tax and all that works over here, there is no way on earth I would let drivers fill up wherever they wanted if I ran trucks of my own. I would pay close attention to optimizing the purchase of fuel so that the nett cost of the diesel was as cheap as possible, so some States would never see any of my $, I would also have a sole supplier agreement with my supplier to get the best price possible. The reason behind that is that there is the potential to make up to $5,000pa on each truck if you buy your fuel at the cheapest price and in the cheapest States, even if you only had ten trucks, that’s a nice little $50,000 straight in the bank, a hundred trucks and you could save half a million, a thousand and you’re talking about $5,000,000 every year in extra profit 
Same thing with the fridges and smaller tanks, probably knocks a grand off the purchase price, times that by a hundred new trucks a year and you’ve got a free truck
When you see it like that, it’s easy to understand why bigger companies spec trucks and run their business the way they do
newmercman:
Same thing with the fridges and smaller tanks, probably knocks a grand off the purchase price, times that by a hundred new trucks a year and you’ve got a free truckWhen you see it like that, it’s easy to understand why bigger companies spec trucks and run their business the way they do
…and one of the reasons why so many companies here, big and small have so many trucks stood empty in their yards despite the endless job adverts and a team of driver recruiters constantly employed at huge cost to bring in more meat in the seat. They scrimp and save at one end and then employ 2, 3 or 4 full time driver recruiters because of the constantly revolving door due to their crap conditions. Two of the large companies I worked for here would send drivers on a 3 or 4 day orientation course with hotels and meals all in, they were doing this each and every week for 10 or more drivers and by the end of the year 90% of them would have moved on. I think I’d be looking at why thats happening rather than specing a truck without a fridge or putting a smaller tank on to save a few hundred dollars when each driver they bring in and then leaves costs them far more.
Hi all Robinhood.Sorry for appearing inquisitive but where are u from in Lincolnshire,i ask because a good friend of mine who i worked with and who has lived for many years in Holland like i did came from Coningsby.Mike
Robinhood, an interesting observation, but I wonder how many drivers quit a job because of the size of their tanks or if they don’t have a fitted fridge in the cab
If that is the case, then God help us
I go to work to earn money, I won’t do a job I don’t like, but if the price is right, I’ll drive whatever I’m given, I like a nice truck, but that’s a bonus really, the wages and the job itself are my main concerns. If I have to buy a cooler from the Flying J, then so be it, I most certainly wouldn’t quit a job over it
newmercman:
Robinhood, an interesting observation, but I wonder how many drivers quit a job because of the size of their tanks or if they don’t have a fitted fridge in the cabIf that is the case, then God help us
I go to work to earn money, I won’t do a job I don’t like, but if the price is right, I’ll drive whatever I’m given, I like a nice truck, but that’s a bonus really, the wages and the job itself are my main concerns. If I have to buy a cooler from the Flying J, then so be it, I most certainly wouldn’t quit a job over it
The point I’m making is that some companies go to extreme lengths when it comes to saving cents on fuel but then hemmorage money at the other end by doing nothing at all to address driver turnover and in turn have to employ numerous recruiters just to keep the trucks at 75% occupancy, if they’re lucky.
hutpik:
Hi all Robinhood.Sorry for appearing inquisitive but where are u from in Lincolnshire,i ask because a good friend of mine who i worked with and who has lived for many years in Holland like i did came from Coningsby.Mike
I’m from New Holland near Barton/Humber bridge in North Lincolnshire.
If you employ good lads who have been with you for a long time they won’t just fill up wherever they like without any regard for cost. That mainly happens when you employ hundreds of new starters every year. Especially if they have just got off an aeroplane and don’t know any better.
A decent boss gives guidelines as to what is expected regarding fuel policy and trusts the drivers to use common sense in following those guidelines because his drivers respect him.
He returns this respect by spec’ing the trucks properly with the driver in mind.
This scenario might sound a bit too much like an ideal world but it works just fine where I work and everywhere else I have worked except perhaps Big Freight.
kr79:
Pat Hasler:
Think yourself lucky ! We have 120 gallon tanks on the passenger side of the Columbia’s and nothing driver side. On the Cascadia’s we have a 60 gallon tank each side which you can only get 50 gallons in each if you are lucky because of the blowback caused by the anti syphon thng. My truck has a 13DD under the hood and averages 7 to the gallon loaded with 52000 lbs of liquid sugar so he would be ok.On your work Pat is the small tanks due to tanker work been weight critical?
Yes mate, most loads are 52000lbs, we try and use the newer lighter tankers if they are available, they run them with super singles and my truck has them too, it saves a lot of weight.