Tuesday morning we were up bright and early to make our last drop there in New Stanton,NJ. When you take the exit, they actually have signs for Super Valu and where truck traffic needs to go. Boy I wish that all shippers and receivers were that way! I managed to get in and get delivered and was back to the truck stop by around 0930. J managed to get some good non moving sleep and I chilled in the truck while I waited for our next load.
Finally around 1400 we get a load assignment. Deadhead about 250 miles to Springfield,OH and pick up a load going to Elizabeth,NJ by 1000 the next morning. By the time we stopped and got fuel, got the trailer washed out, got something to eat to go, made it to the shipper, got our trailer, got the correct paperwork, got scaled and FINALLY got on the road, it was close to 2200 hrs. Going through the mountains of PA was a little slow but J managed to get me 300 miles closer to destination so when he got me up at 0300 I only have 273 miles to go. By the time it was daylight it had started to snow on me. Luckily nothing was sticking and I was able to make it to the receiver with 45 minutes to spare. After getting the runaround on where I needed to go to check in, I finally get to a dock and about 3 hours later I get unloaded and we are out of there.
With no where in Jersey to really park the truck, we stopped at the first travel plaza we came to and began our wait for our next load. After a while we sent in a message that we were getting out of the truck to grab something to eat. Sure enough, when we got back in the truck we had our next load. The only problem is that it doesn't pick up until the 2nd between 1500-1700 hours and it is less than an hour away. Realizing that we were going to spend close to 48 hours here in Jersey, I set out to find a hotel that had truck parking and allowed pets. I found a place in the town that we are picking up that had truck parking but they wanted an extra $50 each night for the dog. I laughed and said "No thanks" and hung up. I then decided to go with the trusty Motel 6 website and see if they had anything close by. What do you know? They have one about 13 miles away on I-287 and it is on the way to our pick-up. I knew that they would accept pets, but did they have truck parking? Usually when we stay at a Motel 6 we are bobtailing and most don't have room for the trailer, but I decided to call anyway and check. Today was our lucky day because they do indeed have room. She even put me on hold to see if any other trucks were parked out there. She said no trucks were there and the parking lot was pretty empty so we shouldn't have a problem getting in the lot. So we rounded up and were on our way within 5 minutes. I didn't want anyone else to check in and possibly block me from getting the truck in there. It was tight getting in and I will have to back out of where I had to park to get turned around in the parking lot to get out, but we are safe and warm and tucked in for the next two nights.
I had a feeling that we would end up getting stuck here. I even told my FM that if we didn't get a load that we were going to spend New Years Eve at Times Square! Of course we didn't find out about the load until too late, but it was a good plan. There is always next year. Tonight we are probably heading to bed way before midnight. J didn't get much sleep today because I woke him up to help me find the place we delivered. If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I really dislike this part of the country because everytime we get sent here we get lost! But anyway, he probably only got about 4 hours of sleep today. I guess it is a good thing that we are having to wait on a load. The load we dropped today covered our fixed costs for the week and the next load we pick up on Friday is a darn good paying load and will all be profit. Not bad considering we are taking two days off this week!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
New Stanton,PA
First off, let me apologize for not posting the Christmas pictures like I promised. I have tried three times and can't get them loaded. Not sure what the problem is.
Last I posted we were in Lubbock and now we are in New Stanton,PA. How did we get here you ask? Well, sit back and I will tell you!
Saturday morning we got up from my Mom's house and were in the truck at 0550 ready to start the day. We had received our work assignment the night before and I knew then that we would have problems. It said we were to pick up an empty trailer at the Sam's Club there in Lubbock. I knew right then that there wouldn't be a trailer there because they only have, I believe, three docks. It is a store, not a warehouse. Sure enough, we get there and there are no empty trailers to be found. So we send in a message asking to head to the Walmart DC in Plainview,TX to get an empty there because that is on the way. While we were waiting for an answer we went to get fuel at the Rip Griffins. Still no answer after we fuel so I head north to Plainview. I had only made it about 3 miles and we get a message asking where we are at. They tell me to go back to the Rip Griffins because he has a truck that can bring me an empty. Thinking that the truck is in Lubbock, I turn around to go wait. Two hours later and four unanswered messages later, I call in to find out what the hell is going on. Of course by now the night shift that I was dealing with has gone home and weekend day shift has come in. I get ahold of James and he looks and tells me that the truck that is bringing me an empty is in Amarillo, but he is on his 10 hour break so it will be a while. WTF? If I would have had a trailer right off the bat when we left that morning I would have made it to our pick up with about 30 minutes to spare. After this fiasco, I tell him to notify the shipper that we will be at least two hours late and then tell him I am going to Plainview to get an empty like I should have done to start with. He tells me that he shows several empties there so it isn't a problem. Now why couldn't night shift have just done that to start with?? UGH!! OK, northbound I go....
I find an empty trailer there with no problem and then head the next 229 miles to Elk City,OK where I am supposed to pick up at noon. I make it in there at 1445. Luckily it wasn't a problem and I was at a dock getting loaded within 30 minutes. Another hour or so there, head out, scale and then finally we are on the road around 1730. Now we have to be in Upper Marlboro,MD by 0100 on Monday morning and this is Saturday evening. We pushed it, stopping only to fuel and walk Smokey and made it in there about an hour early this morning. Whew! They got us unloaded right at 0300 and J woke me up to start my shift.
Our next drop (this load has 3 drops) is a short 138 miles away in Philadelphia. Not far, but I was worried about traffic so I wanted to head straight in and beat the traffic if I could even though our appointment wasn't until noon. Traffic was amazingly light, so I made one stop for a while to walk Smokey and figure out exactly where I was going once I got into the city. We delivered down on Front Street which is directly south of Downtown on the map so I wasn't sure what it would be like getting in and out of there. I pulled up at 0845 local time and checked in on the off chance that they would go ahead and take me, and sure enough, I was at a dock inside of 15 minutes and within an hour of the time I arrived, I was pulling out of the dock. I love it when things go smoothly, especially after the way this load started.
Ok, now off I trek to our final destination in New Stanton,PA. This appointment is at 0700 local tomorrow morning. That means that we had extra time this afternoon. I got us to a truck stop about 10 miles from the shipper at around 1500 local so we have all afternoon and evening to just be lazy. First order of business was a shower, then something to eat, and now here I am chillin in the truck updating you guys on what we have been up to. I'm really mad that the pictures won't post, but maybe in the next few months I will figure out the problem and get the Christmas pictures on here!
Also, if anyone can help me.... I got a Phillips MP3 player for Christmas and I can't figure out how the hell to download songs on it. I figured out how to do it from a CD by loading that in the computer, but I can't download them from on the web. I got on Napster and that is a cluster. My brother said you can do it from there but it is really difficult because of where it download the songs to on your computer. Like you have to go search for media/audio files. It doesn't download straight to my music folder, or whatever the hell it is supposed to do. So someone please help if you know how!!!!! Thanks! Oh, and it isn't an i-Pod so I can't use i-Tunes.
Last I posted we were in Lubbock and now we are in New Stanton,PA. How did we get here you ask? Well, sit back and I will tell you!
Saturday morning we got up from my Mom's house and were in the truck at 0550 ready to start the day. We had received our work assignment the night before and I knew then that we would have problems. It said we were to pick up an empty trailer at the Sam's Club there in Lubbock. I knew right then that there wouldn't be a trailer there because they only have, I believe, three docks. It is a store, not a warehouse. Sure enough, we get there and there are no empty trailers to be found. So we send in a message asking to head to the Walmart DC in Plainview,TX to get an empty there because that is on the way. While we were waiting for an answer we went to get fuel at the Rip Griffins. Still no answer after we fuel so I head north to Plainview. I had only made it about 3 miles and we get a message asking where we are at. They tell me to go back to the Rip Griffins because he has a truck that can bring me an empty. Thinking that the truck is in Lubbock, I turn around to go wait. Two hours later and four unanswered messages later, I call in to find out what the hell is going on. Of course by now the night shift that I was dealing with has gone home and weekend day shift has come in. I get ahold of James and he looks and tells me that the truck that is bringing me an empty is in Amarillo, but he is on his 10 hour break so it will be a while. WTF? If I would have had a trailer right off the bat when we left that morning I would have made it to our pick up with about 30 minutes to spare. After this fiasco, I tell him to notify the shipper that we will be at least two hours late and then tell him I am going to Plainview to get an empty like I should have done to start with. He tells me that he shows several empties there so it isn't a problem. Now why couldn't night shift have just done that to start with?? UGH!! OK, northbound I go....
I find an empty trailer there with no problem and then head the next 229 miles to Elk City,OK where I am supposed to pick up at noon. I make it in there at 1445. Luckily it wasn't a problem and I was at a dock getting loaded within 30 minutes. Another hour or so there, head out, scale and then finally we are on the road around 1730. Now we have to be in Upper Marlboro,MD by 0100 on Monday morning and this is Saturday evening. We pushed it, stopping only to fuel and walk Smokey and made it in there about an hour early this morning. Whew! They got us unloaded right at 0300 and J woke me up to start my shift.
Our next drop (this load has 3 drops) is a short 138 miles away in Philadelphia. Not far, but I was worried about traffic so I wanted to head straight in and beat the traffic if I could even though our appointment wasn't until noon. Traffic was amazingly light, so I made one stop for a while to walk Smokey and figure out exactly where I was going once I got into the city. We delivered down on Front Street which is directly south of Downtown on the map so I wasn't sure what it would be like getting in and out of there. I pulled up at 0845 local time and checked in on the off chance that they would go ahead and take me, and sure enough, I was at a dock inside of 15 minutes and within an hour of the time I arrived, I was pulling out of the dock. I love it when things go smoothly, especially after the way this load started.
Ok, now off I trek to our final destination in New Stanton,PA. This appointment is at 0700 local tomorrow morning. That means that we had extra time this afternoon. I got us to a truck stop about 10 miles from the shipper at around 1500 local so we have all afternoon and evening to just be lazy. First order of business was a shower, then something to eat, and now here I am chillin in the truck updating you guys on what we have been up to. I'm really mad that the pictures won't post, but maybe in the next few months I will figure out the problem and get the Christmas pictures on here!
Also, if anyone can help me.... I got a Phillips MP3 player for Christmas and I can't figure out how the hell to download songs on it. I figured out how to do it from a CD by loading that in the computer, but I can't download them from on the web. I got on Napster and that is a cluster. My brother said you can do it from there but it is really difficult because of where it download the songs to on your computer. Like you have to go search for media/audio files. It doesn't download straight to my music folder, or whatever the hell it is supposed to do. So someone please help if you know how!!!!! Thanks! Oh, and it isn't an i-Pod so I can't use i-Tunes.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Merry Day After Christmas! - Lubbock,TX
Other than having a horrible head cold, this has been a great Christmas. We got into Lubbock on Monday and I think I blogged about that. Tuesday my mom and I finished up some shopping while J helped my dad do some work on his fence. Wednesday J and I went back over to my dad's to help him finish the fence. Basically I supervised since I still wasn't feeling good. :) Then we headed back to my mom's house and we started on the baking for the Christmas dinner.
Wednesday evening was spent making the dressing and an apple pie. Diane, if you read this, that sour cream apple pie was DELICIOUS! I have to admit I was a little leary of trying it because of the sour cream. When I first glanced at the recipe I thought it said cream cheese. You know how you get your mind on a certain train of thought. Anyway, when I wrote the recipe out to go shopping that is when I noticed it was sour cream. I thought, what the heck, I will try it. And boy am I glad I did. It was a hit!
We went to bed tired that night and got up the next morning to finish making the spread. My brother and his wife and their two girls were all coming over in the afternoon for a late Christmas lunch. We had a great dinner and then all of us went to the movies to go see Bedtime Stories. It was ok. I'm not a huge Adam Sandler fan, but it was pretty good considering. There were some really funny parts. I took some pictures and I will post them in the next post.
We were going to head out today but we decided to push it out until tomorrow morning. I really need another day to recouperate. I could use two more days, but if we want to get in a load before payroll cutoff then we need to head out tomorrow. We already have a load and know where we are going, which is up to Pennsylvania with a final drop on Tuesday morning at 0700. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather cooperates with us.
Today we went back over to my dad's for a while after my mom went to work to build a box to hold the Qualcomm then we went out to eat and headed back to mom's to finish packing up so we will be ready to head out in the morning. That is all for now. I'm going to post those Christmas Pictures now!
Wednesday evening was spent making the dressing and an apple pie. Diane, if you read this, that sour cream apple pie was DELICIOUS! I have to admit I was a little leary of trying it because of the sour cream. When I first glanced at the recipe I thought it said cream cheese. You know how you get your mind on a certain train of thought. Anyway, when I wrote the recipe out to go shopping that is when I noticed it was sour cream. I thought, what the heck, I will try it. And boy am I glad I did. It was a hit!
We went to bed tired that night and got up the next morning to finish making the spread. My brother and his wife and their two girls were all coming over in the afternoon for a late Christmas lunch. We had a great dinner and then all of us went to the movies to go see Bedtime Stories. It was ok. I'm not a huge Adam Sandler fan, but it was pretty good considering. There were some really funny parts. I took some pictures and I will post them in the next post.
We were going to head out today but we decided to push it out until tomorrow morning. I really need another day to recouperate. I could use two more days, but if we want to get in a load before payroll cutoff then we need to head out tomorrow. We already have a load and know where we are going, which is up to Pennsylvania with a final drop on Tuesday morning at 0700. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather cooperates with us.
Today we went back over to my dad's for a while after my mom went to work to build a box to hold the Qualcomm then we went out to eat and headed back to mom's to finish packing up so we will be ready to head out in the morning. That is all for now. I'm going to post those Christmas Pictures now!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Lubbock,TX
I have a horrible head cold so I will just hit on the hightlights of the past few days. We left California and got a load that delivered at 0100 on Thursday morning so that worked perfect for us. We delivered the load and hit a truck stop for a few hours to get some sleep Then we dropped off the trailer and were officially on vacation. We did some running around and then headed over to Michelle's house where we usually stay when we are in town.
J cooked us a great dinner Thursday night and we went to bed pretty early. We had planned on spending Friday with the kids but Justin's flight got cancelled. It worked out ok though because Michelle was having her birthday party at her house Friday night and we got to go to it since we weren't getting to see the kids.
Justin and his girlfriend decided to drive in instead of waiting on the later flight on Sunday so they got in around midnight on Saturday night. This also worked out because we had already made plans to go out with some of our other friends that night. The only thing that sucked was that we only had the truck with us since we took the car to my mom in Lubbock, so they had to come pick us up. Actually one of their friends was driving and picked them up then came and picked us up. So at the end of the night, we just spent the night with them then had them bring us back to Michelle's the next morning since they were heading that direction anyway for their early Christmas with his family.
After we got back to Michelle's on Sunday, we got rounded up and got things packed and headed down to see the kids. We did a bit of last minute shopping on the way. We met them for dinner at Babe's Chicken then went bowling after that with them. We got to meet Jessica's boyfriend which was a BIG deal because she hasn't really dated a lot, and the few others that she has dated were not deemed important enough to meet Dad but she wanted us to meet this one. We had a really nice time and her boyfriend is a nie young man. Of course Justin and his girlfriend Nicole were there but we had already met her last time we were in Chicago. We finished bowling around midnight and after saying our goodbyes, we headed to find a place to spend the night. We were just going to stay in the truck but the only 2 truck stops were full so we turned around and went back up to a Motel 6 and got a room. We got to bed around 0100 and then got up at 0800 to get ready to head to Lubbock.
This would be on Monday morning that we headed to Lubbock and I woke up with the absolute worst head cold. I drove us to Sweetwater,TX but I had to have J drive the rest of the way. I just felt miserable. Once we got in I took a nap and J went over to my dad's to look at the fence that we were going to help him with. This morning J got up and went back over there and helped dad actually get part of the fence pulled down and got some of the posts in the ground. Tomorrow he is going back over there to help him finish. I didn't go today but I am hoping I can go for a few hours tomorrow. I want to see him, but I didn't want to be outside in the cold today since I was sick.
So that is what we are doing. J is taking a nap at the moment but is going to get up around 1900 and him and my brother and some of his friends are going to go hog hunting. Actually it is just an excuse to get away from the women folk and drink whiskey and tell lies. I am on to their plan, but I don't care. I know after being in the truck with me 24/7 that he deserves a night out with the guys. Mom is cooking some soup and we will have that for dinner and then I am going to bed. I really hope that I can get to feeling better before Christmas day when my brother and his family are coming over. I don't want to get his girls sick and ruin their Christmas break.
Our plans are to head back out on Friday but that is going to depend on the mail. J went in and upgraded his phone because his display wasn't working on his current phone. He upgraded to the BlackBerry Storm but they didn't have any at all in any of the Dallas area stores and they had to mail one to him here at my Mom's address. They are saying it will either be in on Wednesday or Friday so we will have to wait for it to come in. I hope it comes in on Wednesday so we can hit the road again on Friday, but I also hope it gets here on Friday so that I will have an extra day to get to feeling better. So when we leave kinda depends on the mail.
That is all for now. Dinner is almost ready and then I am headed to bed.
J cooked us a great dinner Thursday night and we went to bed pretty early. We had planned on spending Friday with the kids but Justin's flight got cancelled. It worked out ok though because Michelle was having her birthday party at her house Friday night and we got to go to it since we weren't getting to see the kids.
Justin and his girlfriend decided to drive in instead of waiting on the later flight on Sunday so they got in around midnight on Saturday night. This also worked out because we had already made plans to go out with some of our other friends that night. The only thing that sucked was that we only had the truck with us since we took the car to my mom in Lubbock, so they had to come pick us up. Actually one of their friends was driving and picked them up then came and picked us up. So at the end of the night, we just spent the night with them then had them bring us back to Michelle's the next morning since they were heading that direction anyway for their early Christmas with his family.
After we got back to Michelle's on Sunday, we got rounded up and got things packed and headed down to see the kids. We did a bit of last minute shopping on the way. We met them for dinner at Babe's Chicken then went bowling after that with them. We got to meet Jessica's boyfriend which was a BIG deal because she hasn't really dated a lot, and the few others that she has dated were not deemed important enough to meet Dad but she wanted us to meet this one. We had a really nice time and her boyfriend is a nie young man. Of course Justin and his girlfriend Nicole were there but we had already met her last time we were in Chicago. We finished bowling around midnight and after saying our goodbyes, we headed to find a place to spend the night. We were just going to stay in the truck but the only 2 truck stops were full so we turned around and went back up to a Motel 6 and got a room. We got to bed around 0100 and then got up at 0800 to get ready to head to Lubbock.
This would be on Monday morning that we headed to Lubbock and I woke up with the absolute worst head cold. I drove us to Sweetwater,TX but I had to have J drive the rest of the way. I just felt miserable. Once we got in I took a nap and J went over to my dad's to look at the fence that we were going to help him with. This morning J got up and went back over there and helped dad actually get part of the fence pulled down and got some of the posts in the ground. Tomorrow he is going back over there to help him finish. I didn't go today but I am hoping I can go for a few hours tomorrow. I want to see him, but I didn't want to be outside in the cold today since I was sick.
So that is what we are doing. J is taking a nap at the moment but is going to get up around 1900 and him and my brother and some of his friends are going to go hog hunting. Actually it is just an excuse to get away from the women folk and drink whiskey and tell lies. I am on to their plan, but I don't care. I know after being in the truck with me 24/7 that he deserves a night out with the guys. Mom is cooking some soup and we will have that for dinner and then I am going to bed. I really hope that I can get to feeling better before Christmas day when my brother and his family are coming over. I don't want to get his girls sick and ruin their Christmas break.
Our plans are to head back out on Friday but that is going to depend on the mail. J went in and upgraded his phone because his display wasn't working on his current phone. He upgraded to the BlackBerry Storm but they didn't have any at all in any of the Dallas area stores and they had to mail one to him here at my Mom's address. They are saying it will either be in on Wednesday or Friday so we will have to wait for it to come in. I hope it comes in on Wednesday so we can hit the road again on Friday, but I also hope it gets here on Friday so that I will have an extra day to get to feeling better. So when we leave kinda depends on the mail.
That is all for now. Dinner is almost ready and then I am headed to bed.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Ontario,CA
Heading out from Amarillo, J got us to Holbrook,AZ where I took over. I was cruising along listening to Fox News on Sirius when I heard them say that there was snow in SoCal and that I-15 was shut down both directions into LA. WTF?? I decided to make a stop in Ludlow about 50 miles east of Barstow on I-40 to check the weather and the state website. I figured if it was shut down, all the trucks that didn't know and all the trucks coming from Vegas would be hitting the truck stops in Barstow and I wouldn't be able to find a place to park. After checking I found out that it was indeed shut down. J woke up about this time and we went into the Ludlow Cafe and grabbed a bite to eat. Pretty darn good chili cheese burgers, but I am paying for it today. LOL While we were in there we were talking to a retired couple that had just bought a used motorhome and were living in it. She had lost her job at a real estate office and he either quit or was laid off from Lowe's. Anyway, they put the house up for sale, downsized everything and were just starting their adventure in the RV. They were a really nice couple and we really enjoyed talking to them for a while.
Finally we headed back to the truck and checked online again and found out that I-15 was back open so off we go! We were dropping the load we had at a drop lot in Ontario, CA but wanted to get there asap so that we could get another load that would get us back to Dallas. We found the place and in the process we got another load. We were to pick up another trailer, at the same place we were dropping ours, and deliver it to the same location that ours was going, just a day earlier. Didn't pay squat, but it gives us an empty trailer to get loaded to get out of here. It didn't deliver until 0500 this morning, so last night we dropped ours there, headed to the TA for a shower and dinner and the spent the night there. I got up bright and early this morning so that I could go back and grab the trailer for this drop and get here by 0500 local. We were going to just spend the night there at the drop lot last night, but it is litterally a dirt lot inbetween two cattle lots. I think they are dairy cows, but either way, that place stunk to the high heavens! OMG it smelled like shit, and I mean litterally!! We decided that the TA was the better alternative and we don't like that TA.
So here I sit waiting for them to unload me and hoping that John is looking for us a load that will get us back. I hope he can find something close that I can head directly to so that we can get on the road. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!!
Finally we headed back to the truck and checked online again and found out that I-15 was back open so off we go! We were dropping the load we had at a drop lot in Ontario, CA but wanted to get there asap so that we could get another load that would get us back to Dallas. We found the place and in the process we got another load. We were to pick up another trailer, at the same place we were dropping ours, and deliver it to the same location that ours was going, just a day earlier. Didn't pay squat, but it gives us an empty trailer to get loaded to get out of here. It didn't deliver until 0500 this morning, so last night we dropped ours there, headed to the TA for a shower and dinner and the spent the night there. I got up bright and early this morning so that I could go back and grab the trailer for this drop and get here by 0500 local. We were going to just spend the night there at the drop lot last night, but it is litterally a dirt lot inbetween two cattle lots. I think they are dairy cows, but either way, that place stunk to the high heavens! OMG it smelled like shit, and I mean litterally!! We decided that the TA was the better alternative and we don't like that TA.
So here I sit waiting for them to unload me and hoping that John is looking for us a load that will get us back. I hope he can find something close that I can head directly to so that we can get on the road. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Amarillo,TX
HOLY MOLY is is windy outside today! This morning I woke up at the OK/AR border on I-40 and that is where my day began. J told me is had been windy all night and there was no change once I started driving. I was all over the road today. People probably thought I was drunk. Well, except that every other 18-wheeler out on the road was driving the same way. Someone once told me they figured we didn't get blown around as much as cars since we were so big and heavy. The exact opposite is true. A truck this big has so much more area for the wind to hit. We are roughly 75 feet long and over 13 feet tall. We are a rolling flat billboard and when the wind hits it, POOF! Imagine two people holding a sheet at both ends and holding it vertically in front of a fan. See how the fan hits it and pushes it out. That is a semi an the effect the wind has on it. It blows you all around. I a litterally worn out after holding on to the steering wheel for dear life all day.
Today I only made it 428 miles and called it a day here in Amarillo. I had the time to get the 500 I wanted, but I was just so freaking tired. I pulled into the Petro here in Amarillo at about 1330 and hit the sack until 1500 which is when I had the alarm set to wake J up. I also have a headache that I can't get rid of but the nap helped. We got up and went inside to eat and let me tell you, it was cold outside! I had stopped at the rest area on I-40 between Amarillo and the OK state line to take Smokey out. It showed it was 69 degrees outside and I didn't even have a jacket on. The wind had been coming straight out of the south, When I got back in the truck and drove the last 60 miles into Amarillo it changed and started coming out of the north. A cold front definitely blew through. The temperature guage is now showing 27. And yes, I typed that right, 27. It is cold ladies and gentlemen!
Anyway, we grabbed something to eat, took Smokey for a walk and then hit the road again. We have just a little over 1100 miles to go. I figure we will be there tomorrow afternoon and them hopefully get a load tomorrow night or on Tuesday morning to get us back for Christmas. We shall see....
Today I only made it 428 miles and called it a day here in Amarillo. I had the time to get the 500 I wanted, but I was just so freaking tired. I pulled into the Petro here in Amarillo at about 1330 and hit the sack until 1500 which is when I had the alarm set to wake J up. I also have a headache that I can't get rid of but the nap helped. We got up and went inside to eat and let me tell you, it was cold outside! I had stopped at the rest area on I-40 between Amarillo and the OK state line to take Smokey out. It showed it was 69 degrees outside and I didn't even have a jacket on. The wind had been coming straight out of the south, When I got back in the truck and drove the last 60 miles into Amarillo it changed and started coming out of the north. A cold front definitely blew through. The temperature guage is now showing 27. And yes, I typed that right, 27. It is cold ladies and gentlemen!
Anyway, we grabbed something to eat, took Smokey for a walk and then hit the road again. We have just a little over 1100 miles to go. I figure we will be there tomorrow afternoon and them hopefully get a load tomorrow night or on Tuesday morning to get us back for Christmas. We shall see....
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Murfreesboro,TN
After getting unloaded at Dole up in Bessemer City,NC on Thursday morning, I drove around to the shipping side of the facility and got checked in. It was about 1000 hrs local and my appointment wasn't until 1300 but she went ahead and had me back up to a dock. Around 1330 we were finally loaded and ready to go. I checked the bills and sure enough, just like the qualcomm said we had two stops. The first one at 2100 hrs in Birmingham,AL and the last one at 0800 the next morning in Indianola,MS. I called in for our depart call and informed John that we would get there as fast as we could, but with the rain and the tight schedule to get 350 miles in 7 hours that we may be a little late. He called and they said not a problem, just get there when we could. At that point, I headed to bed.
Around 0230 J is waking me up letting me know it is my turn to drive. The only problem is that we were STILL in Birmingham. C&S Allied (AKA Birmingham Consolidated) is a cluster of a place to deliver at. When he gets there, he finds out that we have to pay $290 for the lumper service. WTF??? He finally gets it squared away that we will be reimbursed for that, cuts them a check, and he gets back to a dock. They come get his paperwork and say that they will bring it back out when they are done. He sat there for about 2 hours and could feel them moving the product out of the truck periodically so he knew they were still working. Of course at this place once they get it off the truck, they break it down to smaller pallets to be distributed to the stores. So another 2 hours goes by and he doesn't feel anything. During this time he is thinking they are breaking the pallets down. Finally, after being there for about 4 hours, he goes in to find an EMPTY warehouse. He sees two guys standing around by the timeclock waiting to clock in and asks where everyone is, like the ones that were unloading our truck. They tell him that those guys already went home. After a few choice words to them about how the place is run, of which they laugh and agree, he finds out that our paperwork is back at the front and to pick it up around there. He pulls around, gets it, gave them and earfull I am sure, then drives back around back to wake me up and take Smokey for a walk.
Once up, I get ready and hit the road. Not happy with the situation because now I have 5 hours to go 250 miles. Not gonna happen if I make even one stop. And of course I have to get off the interstate and traverse the backroads of Mississippi to get to destination. I let dispatch know, and all in all, I did fairly well. I was only 45 minutes late, but they were advised of it, so it was all cool. When I checked in at the gate, there was an older black woman working the gate who was just a sweetheart. She couldn't believe "a little 'ol thing like me" was driving a truck. She was absolutely delightful. After we talked for a few minutes and she got my information, she told me where to head. I get backed in to the dock and head in with my paperwork. They tell me to see the man in the red jacket behind me about a lumper. I do and he informs me that it will be $187 for them to unload. Again, I am like, WTF is with these expensive lumpers. But everyone at this location was extremely nice, so I just cut the check because I knew we would get it back. I was there for about three hours when they finally got me unloaded.
When I got done, the first thing I did was to send off my depart. I wanted them to know right away that I was empty so that while I was shutting the doors and getting ready to leave they would have time to send me our next load. During this time, J got up and we sat there for a few minutes waiting. I decided to send in a message and ask if I had time to head towards a shower. A few minutes later they responed that we had time. The closest place was about 55 miles back at a Pilot which was on I-55. I sent a message that we would be heading to that Pilot that is in Winona,MS and to let us know when we got a load.
We found a good place to park when we got there and I like that. I got out and took Smokey for a walk then got in and got our stuff ready so we could go grab a shower. We first decided to eat because we were hungry, so we grabbed something from the only fast food they had there, Taco Hell. UGH! Not my favorite, but oh well. After the shower we headed back to the truck and still no load. He said that he was working on something out of TN but there was too much time on it. After getting with sales, he found out we could drop it early, so he went ahead and assigned us the load. At this time it was around 1500 hours. And we had until 1500 hrs today to pick it up and only 350 miles to get to the pickup in Murfreesboro,TN. Since it was mid afternoon, we knew that if we took off that we wouldn't find a place to park later on, so we decided to just hang out there for the night and then I would take off in the morning. We stayed up for a while watching the trucks back in and out, but after a while, I had to head to bed. 0230 that morning when J woke me up was a LONG time ago and I was worn out. I hit the sack and J stayed up till around 0100 or so trying to stay on his schedule.
My alarm went off at 0300 of the intention of me being on the road by 0400. I hit the snooze until 0345. Oops! I guess I was more tired than I thought. I finally drug my ass out of bed and farted around and made it out of there around 0500. I pulled into the shipper at about 1315 hours. As I was walking in a Stevens Transport was walking in. We were talking and he said the plant was running 24 hours behind. He was there the day before and was told to come back today. Great, I thought to myself. I get in there and I luck out. They only have two loads ready and mine is one of them. YES!!! Another Prime came in behind me and I saw him drop his empty and pick up a loaded so the other load must have been his. After a quick scale at the Pilot we hit the road. Now I am hauling 42K of yogurt across the country.
We figure we will drop this there in Carson on Monday afternoon and then hopefully get a load back out that night or first thing on Tuesday morning. We have time at home scheduled on the 18th so when we drop this on Monday the 15th, they should get us a load headed back to Dallas. Planning on spending the first part of our time off with the kids then heading to Lubbock to see my family and make the rounds there.
Happy Holiday's everyone and watch all those crazy travelers that are out there on the roads!
Around 0230 J is waking me up letting me know it is my turn to drive. The only problem is that we were STILL in Birmingham. C&S Allied (AKA Birmingham Consolidated) is a cluster of a place to deliver at. When he gets there, he finds out that we have to pay $290 for the lumper service. WTF??? He finally gets it squared away that we will be reimbursed for that, cuts them a check, and he gets back to a dock. They come get his paperwork and say that they will bring it back out when they are done. He sat there for about 2 hours and could feel them moving the product out of the truck periodically so he knew they were still working. Of course at this place once they get it off the truck, they break it down to smaller pallets to be distributed to the stores. So another 2 hours goes by and he doesn't feel anything. During this time he is thinking they are breaking the pallets down. Finally, after being there for about 4 hours, he goes in to find an EMPTY warehouse. He sees two guys standing around by the timeclock waiting to clock in and asks where everyone is, like the ones that were unloading our truck. They tell him that those guys already went home. After a few choice words to them about how the place is run, of which they laugh and agree, he finds out that our paperwork is back at the front and to pick it up around there. He pulls around, gets it, gave them and earfull I am sure, then drives back around back to wake me up and take Smokey for a walk.
Once up, I get ready and hit the road. Not happy with the situation because now I have 5 hours to go 250 miles. Not gonna happen if I make even one stop. And of course I have to get off the interstate and traverse the backroads of Mississippi to get to destination. I let dispatch know, and all in all, I did fairly well. I was only 45 minutes late, but they were advised of it, so it was all cool. When I checked in at the gate, there was an older black woman working the gate who was just a sweetheart. She couldn't believe "a little 'ol thing like me" was driving a truck. She was absolutely delightful. After we talked for a few minutes and she got my information, she told me where to head. I get backed in to the dock and head in with my paperwork. They tell me to see the man in the red jacket behind me about a lumper. I do and he informs me that it will be $187 for them to unload. Again, I am like, WTF is with these expensive lumpers. But everyone at this location was extremely nice, so I just cut the check because I knew we would get it back. I was there for about three hours when they finally got me unloaded.
When I got done, the first thing I did was to send off my depart. I wanted them to know right away that I was empty so that while I was shutting the doors and getting ready to leave they would have time to send me our next load. During this time, J got up and we sat there for a few minutes waiting. I decided to send in a message and ask if I had time to head towards a shower. A few minutes later they responed that we had time. The closest place was about 55 miles back at a Pilot which was on I-55. I sent a message that we would be heading to that Pilot that is in Winona,MS and to let us know when we got a load.
We found a good place to park when we got there and I like that. I got out and took Smokey for a walk then got in and got our stuff ready so we could go grab a shower. We first decided to eat because we were hungry, so we grabbed something from the only fast food they had there, Taco Hell. UGH! Not my favorite, but oh well. After the shower we headed back to the truck and still no load. He said that he was working on something out of TN but there was too much time on it. After getting with sales, he found out we could drop it early, so he went ahead and assigned us the load. At this time it was around 1500 hours. And we had until 1500 hrs today to pick it up and only 350 miles to get to the pickup in Murfreesboro,TN. Since it was mid afternoon, we knew that if we took off that we wouldn't find a place to park later on, so we decided to just hang out there for the night and then I would take off in the morning. We stayed up for a while watching the trucks back in and out, but after a while, I had to head to bed. 0230 that morning when J woke me up was a LONG time ago and I was worn out. I hit the sack and J stayed up till around 0100 or so trying to stay on his schedule.
My alarm went off at 0300 of the intention of me being on the road by 0400. I hit the snooze until 0345. Oops! I guess I was more tired than I thought. I finally drug my ass out of bed and farted around and made it out of there around 0500. I pulled into the shipper at about 1315 hours. As I was walking in a Stevens Transport was walking in. We were talking and he said the plant was running 24 hours behind. He was there the day before and was told to come back today. Great, I thought to myself. I get in there and I luck out. They only have two loads ready and mine is one of them. YES!!! Another Prime came in behind me and I saw him drop his empty and pick up a loaded so the other load must have been his. After a quick scale at the Pilot we hit the road. Now I am hauling 42K of yogurt across the country.
We figure we will drop this there in Carson on Monday afternoon and then hopefully get a load back out that night or first thing on Tuesday morning. We have time at home scheduled on the 18th so when we drop this on Monday the 15th, they should get us a load headed back to Dallas. Planning on spending the first part of our time off with the kids then heading to Lubbock to see my family and make the rounds there.
Happy Holiday's everyone and watch all those crazy travelers that are out there on the roads!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Bessemer City,NC
Well, we finally made it here. But boy did we go through some nasty weather to get here! Yesterday morning I got up and started driving in Terrell,TX. It was nothing but rain ALL the way in from there. There was a nasty storm on the radar that we were following on the tail end of. UGH!
We got a preplan before we got here and it happens that we are loading at the Dole that we are dropping off at here in NC. We got in around 0230 and I am currently sitting in a dock getting unloaded. Once I finish up here, I will head around to the other side of the building to where shipping is and go check in. With any luck, they will have what I need and I can get loaded early. But I'm not holding my breath. LOL. My appointment is at 1000 hrs local time so that is only an hour and 15 minutes from now so it won't be a big deal if I have to wait. This load is a short 650 miles or so and will take us down to Indianola,MS. It doesn't deliver until tomorrow morning sometime so we will have plenty of time. I wish it was a longer run, but it pays ok. Not great, but decent. With us having the truck in the shop last week and being delayed another day by that load getting pushed back we only had one run on the paycheck so we need a few more this week.
Heffard, I forgot to answer your question. For the most part, we usually don't have to wait very long. Sometimes we will have a delivery in the late afternoon and then we will have a load that picks up the next morning but usually we have something right away. Having to wait on that load in Louisville and again down in Yuma was the exception to the rule. Of course they had to happen within a week of each other. I am hoping this isn't a sign of things to come. I know the economy is slowing down, and I have heard the news actually used the dreaded "recession" word stating we were finally actually IN one as opposed to the talks that we could be HEADED for one. I guess we will just have to play it by ear and see what happens. I think a lot also has to do with geography. I know another team here with Prime who have been running their asses off with almost no down time. They just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Now, if I could get my FM to get me into the freight lanes they are running, then we would be in business. Also, making money is not at the top of our list as it is for some people. Wait, that didn't sound right. Of course it is important, but we don't have a house so we don't have a mortgage to pay every month or utilities. We have no credit cards at all. We basically have our suburban, insurance, cell phones, J's child support and well, that is basically it. So if we have a short week, it doesn't effect us like it does some people who have the bills that we don't. We have worked hard to get out of debt and living in the truck has done that for us. So now, when the money rolls in, we just stash it away. And when we have a slow week or two, it is ok, because we have the money set aside. However, I can see how others who are in the financial position we used to be in, could be having a hard time with the way things are right now. It is tough everywhere.
We got a preplan before we got here and it happens that we are loading at the Dole that we are dropping off at here in NC. We got in around 0230 and I am currently sitting in a dock getting unloaded. Once I finish up here, I will head around to the other side of the building to where shipping is and go check in. With any luck, they will have what I need and I can get loaded early. But I'm not holding my breath. LOL. My appointment is at 1000 hrs local time so that is only an hour and 15 minutes from now so it won't be a big deal if I have to wait. This load is a short 650 miles or so and will take us down to Indianola,MS. It doesn't deliver until tomorrow morning sometime so we will have plenty of time. I wish it was a longer run, but it pays ok. Not great, but decent. With us having the truck in the shop last week and being delayed another day by that load getting pushed back we only had one run on the paycheck so we need a few more this week.
Heffard, I forgot to answer your question. For the most part, we usually don't have to wait very long. Sometimes we will have a delivery in the late afternoon and then we will have a load that picks up the next morning but usually we have something right away. Having to wait on that load in Louisville and again down in Yuma was the exception to the rule. Of course they had to happen within a week of each other. I am hoping this isn't a sign of things to come. I know the economy is slowing down, and I have heard the news actually used the dreaded "recession" word stating we were finally actually IN one as opposed to the talks that we could be HEADED for one. I guess we will just have to play it by ear and see what happens. I think a lot also has to do with geography. I know another team here with Prime who have been running their asses off with almost no down time. They just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Now, if I could get my FM to get me into the freight lanes they are running, then we would be in business. Also, making money is not at the top of our list as it is for some people. Wait, that didn't sound right. Of course it is important, but we don't have a house so we don't have a mortgage to pay every month or utilities. We have no credit cards at all. We basically have our suburban, insurance, cell phones, J's child support and well, that is basically it. So if we have a short week, it doesn't effect us like it does some people who have the bills that we don't. We have worked hard to get out of debt and living in the truck has done that for us. So now, when the money rolls in, we just stash it away. And when we have a slow week or two, it is ok, because we have the money set aside. However, I can see how others who are in the financial position we used to be in, could be having a hard time with the way things are right now. It is tough everywhere.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Van Horn,TX
Boy, yesterday was a long day! Around 1100 we got a load assignment to pick up at 1300 there at Dole. The only good thing about it was that J didn't drive on Monday so he was able to pick up the load with a complete 70 hours. And since I didn't drive on my shift yesterday, I was able to get a restart also. So we are both starting this load with a fresh set of 70 hours to burn through. That should take us through the 18th when we are due home for Christmas.
Around 1230 local time yesterday J heads over to Dole and gets checked in. They tell him he will be loading around back. Okay... Head out the front gate and go find the back gate. Pull in, get scaled and they tell us our load isn't ready and to pull over by the stack of pallets and wait. Since we had a 1300 appointment we figured it would be a fairly short wait and they were just getting the rest of the product ready. They finally call us up to a dock at 1700 hrs. We get done, go scale to pick up the paperwork and they tell us to come back in that they need to put 2 more pallets on. Sheesh. Ok, flip around, go back in, get two more pallets. FINALLY make it out to the gate and to the Love's to scale and it is almost 2100 hrs. That is crazy! And for a 1300 hrs appointment. J heads out and makes it to Tucson,AZ where he stops for the night.
I get up this morning and head out around 0430. I only made it about 20 miles down the roadf before it started raining. Then I hit Lordsburg,NM where it started snowing. Then it started raining again. And finally as I pull into Van Horn,TX to switch drivers, it is snowing on me again! This is south Texas people! What the hell is with the snow?!?!? We go inside and take a shower and grab something to eat and when we come back out, the snow is actually stickin. We have ice on our mirrors and or front windows are only clear where the wipers are working, but even the wipers are covered with snow. I just don't know what to make of this. I realize this is winter, and I expect the snow in the midwest or up north, but not down here in south Texas and south New Mexico where it is like 8 miles from the Mexico Border. Mexico is supposed to be sunny!
Ok, enough of my rant about the snow. We are only about 6 miles from the I-10 and I-20 split and we will be taking I-20. According to the weather that should be a fairly clear route and the majority of the snow and rain is on I-10. Hopefully we will push out of this in the next hour or so. I know I have a heck of a time sleeping when the weather is bad. That goes back to my control issues. :) I know J is about ready to tie me up and stick me in a gunny sack and put me in the trailer where he doesn't have to deal with my "issues", but he won't. For some odd reason, he loves me and puts up with me.
Around 1230 local time yesterday J heads over to Dole and gets checked in. They tell him he will be loading around back. Okay... Head out the front gate and go find the back gate. Pull in, get scaled and they tell us our load isn't ready and to pull over by the stack of pallets and wait. Since we had a 1300 appointment we figured it would be a fairly short wait and they were just getting the rest of the product ready. They finally call us up to a dock at 1700 hrs. We get done, go scale to pick up the paperwork and they tell us to come back in that they need to put 2 more pallets on. Sheesh. Ok, flip around, go back in, get two more pallets. FINALLY make it out to the gate and to the Love's to scale and it is almost 2100 hrs. That is crazy! And for a 1300 hrs appointment. J heads out and makes it to Tucson,AZ where he stops for the night.
I get up this morning and head out around 0430. I only made it about 20 miles down the roadf before it started raining. Then I hit Lordsburg,NM where it started snowing. Then it started raining again. And finally as I pull into Van Horn,TX to switch drivers, it is snowing on me again! This is south Texas people! What the hell is with the snow?!?!? We go inside and take a shower and grab something to eat and when we come back out, the snow is actually stickin. We have ice on our mirrors and or front windows are only clear where the wipers are working, but even the wipers are covered with snow. I just don't know what to make of this. I realize this is winter, and I expect the snow in the midwest or up north, but not down here in south Texas and south New Mexico where it is like 8 miles from the Mexico Border. Mexico is supposed to be sunny!
Ok, enough of my rant about the snow. We are only about 6 miles from the I-10 and I-20 split and we will be taking I-20. According to the weather that should be a fairly clear route and the majority of the snow and rain is on I-10. Hopefully we will push out of this in the next hour or so. I know I have a heck of a time sleeping when the weather is bad. That goes back to my control issues. :) I know J is about ready to tie me up and stick me in a gunny sack and put me in the trailer where he doesn't have to deal with my "issues", but he won't. For some odd reason, he loves me and puts up with me.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Yuma,AZ
We had a nice uneventful drive into Fullerton,CA. We stopped in Holbrook and switche drivers on Saturday afernoon and drove up the road just a bit into Winslow and grabbed a bite to eat. I am not sure of the exit there, but there is a Flying J on the south side of the interstate. If you go to the north side there is a little mexican food restaurant that you will miss if you aren't looking for it. It is on the northwest corner by the RV park. Across the street on the northeast corner there is a big empty lot that is for truck parking. If you get by that way and like mexican food, you should try this little place. It was really good. And we were the only truck parked in that huge lot.
Still having some time on our hands J got us into Barstow around 0200 (Saturday night/Sunday morning our time)where we called it a night. We didn't deliver until 1130 Sunday morning local so we got some good non moving sleep. We managed to get ourselves out of bed around 0800 our time and headed in to grab a shower and breakfast. We finally headed out around 1030 our time (0830 local) to make the short 100 mile drive in to Kraft. I like delivering on a Sunday morning in the LA area. Traffic is not bad at all. We made a short pit stop at the TA in Ontario for me to go to the restroom and then made it to Kraft about 45 minutes early. They let me in a door right away as I was the only truck they were expecting that morning. I got unloaded quickly and sent my depart before I pulled away from the dock in the hopes that I would have my next load assignment before I left. Didn't hear anything back for a few so I sent a message asking if I had something coming or if I needed to find a place to park. They told me to head to Yuma,AZ and they would load me out of there, so off I go!
Another team that we know was currently sitting in Yuma waiting on their appointment so we were hoping that we would make it there before there appointment time. Luckily we made it about 1830 local and their appointment wasn't until 2000 local. We met up at the Walmart there and got to have dinner with them and visit for a while. It is always nice to catch up with friends because out on the road, you may talk on the phone to them once in a while, but you may go months without crossing paths. I think the last time we saw them was some time in August. they told us to follow them back to Dole and they would show us where an empty lot was across the street so we could park there overnight. See, Prime told us to head to Yuma to get a load, but we still didn't have a load yet and they told us it would be sometime Monday, so we were in need of a place to park. And there is only one truckstop here and there was NO place to park at all. We followed them back and when they turned right they told us to turn left. Nope, not the right place. So we have to go back down the forad a few miles to find a place to turn around. As we are headed back they said they called and said they gate guard said we could park on a lot by the gate so we headed back and went in the main entrance and proceeded to where the guard pointed us to. I had put in a full day at this point so J and I quickly called it a night and headed to bed.
Hoping we may get a load this morning, I set my alarm for 0700. I got up and got dressed and then got J up. Our first order of business was a bathroom so we headed up to the Love's. Took care of business and found that some of the trucks had cleared out so we had some open spots to choose from. I backed into a spot and figured we would wait here since we have a bathroom! It is not 1030 and we still don't have a load. I sent a message to our FM making sure he knew that weekend dispatch sent us to Yuma. He said he knew and that freight was slow but he is hoping he can get us something out of here today. Sheesh! I hope he can too! I am looking around and there are probably at least 10 Prime trucks parked here. I talked to the Prime parked right next to me and they were told the same thing. They don't have a load yet either but they were told to head down here. Looks like a lot of people waiting. I guess we will just have to play the waiting game then....
Still having some time on our hands J got us into Barstow around 0200 (Saturday night/Sunday morning our time)where we called it a night. We didn't deliver until 1130 Sunday morning local so we got some good non moving sleep. We managed to get ourselves out of bed around 0800 our time and headed in to grab a shower and breakfast. We finally headed out around 1030 our time (0830 local) to make the short 100 mile drive in to Kraft. I like delivering on a Sunday morning in the LA area. Traffic is not bad at all. We made a short pit stop at the TA in Ontario for me to go to the restroom and then made it to Kraft about 45 minutes early. They let me in a door right away as I was the only truck they were expecting that morning. I got unloaded quickly and sent my depart before I pulled away from the dock in the hopes that I would have my next load assignment before I left. Didn't hear anything back for a few so I sent a message asking if I had something coming or if I needed to find a place to park. They told me to head to Yuma,AZ and they would load me out of there, so off I go!
Another team that we know was currently sitting in Yuma waiting on their appointment so we were hoping that we would make it there before there appointment time. Luckily we made it about 1830 local and their appointment wasn't until 2000 local. We met up at the Walmart there and got to have dinner with them and visit for a while. It is always nice to catch up with friends because out on the road, you may talk on the phone to them once in a while, but you may go months without crossing paths. I think the last time we saw them was some time in August. they told us to follow them back to Dole and they would show us where an empty lot was across the street so we could park there overnight. See, Prime told us to head to Yuma to get a load, but we still didn't have a load yet and they told us it would be sometime Monday, so we were in need of a place to park. And there is only one truckstop here and there was NO place to park at all. We followed them back and when they turned right they told us to turn left. Nope, not the right place. So we have to go back down the forad a few miles to find a place to turn around. As we are headed back they said they called and said they gate guard said we could park on a lot by the gate so we headed back and went in the main entrance and proceeded to where the guard pointed us to. I had put in a full day at this point so J and I quickly called it a night and headed to bed.
Hoping we may get a load this morning, I set my alarm for 0700. I got up and got dressed and then got J up. Our first order of business was a bathroom so we headed up to the Love's. Took care of business and found that some of the trucks had cleared out so we had some open spots to choose from. I backed into a spot and figured we would wait here since we have a bathroom! It is not 1030 and we still don't have a load. I sent a message to our FM making sure he knew that weekend dispatch sent us to Yuma. He said he knew and that freight was slow but he is hoping he can get us something out of here today. Sheesh! I hope he can too! I am looking around and there are probably at least 10 Prime trucks parked here. I talked to the Prime parked right next to me and they were told the same thing. They don't have a load yet either but they were told to head down here. Looks like a lot of people waiting. I guess we will just have to play the waiting game then....
Friday, December 5, 2008
Tulsa,OK
After a good nights sleep on Wednesday night, we got up and headed back to the Freightliner shop to pick up the trailer and head to our pick up there in Louisville,KY. I got there a little early and there were already 2 Prime trucks there. I go in to check-in and they ask me if my pickup number ended in 01. Sure enough it did and I was the Prime truck they were waiting on. The two other trucks that were there had appointments, but like us yesterday, they told them that they couldn't load them until the next morning because they were running behind. I explained to the two drivers that it also happened to me the day before and I had to wait overnight for the load I was there to pick-up. I got backed into a dock with no problems and got loaded fairly quickly. I was out of there by about 1000 I think and it was an 0830 appt, so not too bad.
L
While I was getting loaded I was looking for a place to scale but the only one I could find was about 20 miles the opposite direction. When I picked up the paperwork it showed I was only hauling 29,919 so I figured I would head out the direction I needed to go and stop at the first scale that direction. I checked the map and it didn't show any DOT scales so I was safe. I stopped at a Pilot in Levenworth,IN and sure enough I was good on weight. Total was just a little over 69,000. Grabbed some lunch and a new GPS while we were there. Maggie, our Magellan, is freaking out on us. I think being on continuously for close to two years is taking it's toll on her. They only had Garmin's so we got one and figured we would try it. Some things we like and others we don't. But I suppose it is just because we were used to Maggie. We will get the hang of it though. And she has been appropriately named Gabs. :)
I stopped right outside of St Louis and that is where J took over driving. When I was double checking our appointment time at our destination I found something I liked. Because they had to reschedule our pick-up, they also had to reschedule the delivery. I guess all of the delivery appointment times were take so we ended up with an extra day, a whole 27 hours extra on this load. Sweet! We needed to get through Springfield to get some stuff taken care of so J just drove there and parked for the night. We got up this morning and hit the Friday meetings they have, then grabbed a shower, talked to our FM, picked up my TWIC card (J's isn't in yet), got our 08 tax stuff from our accountant, got the truck washed and gave Smokey a bath. Finally around 1430 we were ready and hit the road.
I drove a little later than usual, until around 1830, so that J could get in a nap since we were both up at 0700 this morning. When I stopped just west of Tulsa we only have about 1400 miles till destination which is Fullerton,CA. We will make it into Barstow,CA tomorrow night and then I will drive the rest of the way in on Sunday. Our appointment time is at 11oo which is at 1300 our time, so we will get to sleep in!
I am hoping that we will be able to get a load out on Sunday that will deliver before payroll cutoff on Tuesday, but I kinda doubt it. We will just wait and see what happens.
L
While I was getting loaded I was looking for a place to scale but the only one I could find was about 20 miles the opposite direction. When I picked up the paperwork it showed I was only hauling 29,919 so I figured I would head out the direction I needed to go and stop at the first scale that direction. I checked the map and it didn't show any DOT scales so I was safe. I stopped at a Pilot in Levenworth,IN and sure enough I was good on weight. Total was just a little over 69,000. Grabbed some lunch and a new GPS while we were there. Maggie, our Magellan, is freaking out on us. I think being on continuously for close to two years is taking it's toll on her. They only had Garmin's so we got one and figured we would try it. Some things we like and others we don't. But I suppose it is just because we were used to Maggie. We will get the hang of it though. And she has been appropriately named Gabs. :)
I stopped right outside of St Louis and that is where J took over driving. When I was double checking our appointment time at our destination I found something I liked. Because they had to reschedule our pick-up, they also had to reschedule the delivery. I guess all of the delivery appointment times were take so we ended up with an extra day, a whole 27 hours extra on this load. Sweet! We needed to get through Springfield to get some stuff taken care of so J just drove there and parked for the night. We got up this morning and hit the Friday meetings they have, then grabbed a shower, talked to our FM, picked up my TWIC card (J's isn't in yet), got our 08 tax stuff from our accountant, got the truck washed and gave Smokey a bath. Finally around 1430 we were ready and hit the road.
I drove a little later than usual, until around 1830, so that J could get in a nap since we were both up at 0700 this morning. When I stopped just west of Tulsa we only have about 1400 miles till destination which is Fullerton,CA. We will make it into Barstow,CA tomorrow night and then I will drive the rest of the way in on Sunday. Our appointment time is at 11oo which is at 1300 our time, so we will get to sleep in!
I am hoping that we will be able to get a load out on Sunday that will deliver before payroll cutoff on Tuesday, but I kinda doubt it. We will just wait and see what happens.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Louisville,KY
We made our top secret delivery yesterday and got a preplan for this morning at 0800. Since we delivered yesterday before noon we decided to head towards this pick up and get a hotel overnight. We got a hotel in Indianapolis and that only left us a short 120 mile drive this morning. We stayed at a COMPLETE dive. Deadbolt didn't work, bathroom exhaust fan was as loud as a fire alarm and when I went to take a shower, there was no hot water. We had to call maintenance to come and replace the handle on the tub. The carpet looked to be at least 30 years old and the upholstered chair in the room needed re-upholstered about the time the carpet was put in. The heat wasn't on in the room and it took a good three hours to get the room warm. UGH! But, we had a trailer and they had truck and trailer parking so that was our choice if we wanted out of the truck for the night. It is Budget Inn East off of I-70 and Shadeland in Indianapolis in case anyone happens to need a hotel. But I wouldn't recommend it!
On a positive note, there was a nicer hotel next door with a restaurant (bar/grill) in it that we walked over to for dinner. I will definitely recommend that place. It was called Damon's. I had the NY Strip and J had the ribs and salmon combo. Absolutely delicious. It was a $54 meal, but well worth it. Good size portions also.
So after a great meal and a Bud Light we headed back to the hotel and I headed to bed. J wanted to stay on his sleep schedule so he was a doll and headed to the laundry room and did laundry. I have to admit though, he is usually the one who does laundry. I have nothing against laundry, it just seems that when we stop and have time to do it is during my time to sleep. After that he headed to bed and then we were up bright and early at 0330 our time (0430 local) to be on the road and headed to Louisville,KY and to the shipper at 0800.
As I was about to the shipper I took a wrong turn and got on I-64 the wrong way. I called John and let him know that I was going to be a few minutes late when he informs me that he just got off the phone with sales and they found out that this load will not be ready until tomorrow at 0800. So that means that we dropped our last load around noon on the 2nd and can't pick up this load until 0800 on the 4th. Hmmm Well we need some work done on the truck so I called Freightliner here in Louisville and they were able to get us in the shop. The front drive axle pinon seal is leaking and the right front shock is out. They said they they should have us done late this evening but we didn't want to wait all day there in the truck. So we called a taxi and had them take us and Smokey down the road to the Motel 6 where we are currently at. We just ordered a pizza and salads from Domino's because there is nothing within walking distance and it is just plain cold outside.
So here we sit for the second night in a hotel room. They are supposed to call us when the truck is ready and one of us will grab a taxi back down there and pick it up then bobtail back to the Motel. They open at 0700 in the morning so we can go back down there and grab the trailer when they open and still have time to get to our appointment on time.
That is what we are up to. More to come as the adventures continue!
On a positive note, there was a nicer hotel next door with a restaurant (bar/grill) in it that we walked over to for dinner. I will definitely recommend that place. It was called Damon's. I had the NY Strip and J had the ribs and salmon combo. Absolutely delicious. It was a $54 meal, but well worth it. Good size portions also.
So after a great meal and a Bud Light we headed back to the hotel and I headed to bed. J wanted to stay on his sleep schedule so he was a doll and headed to the laundry room and did laundry. I have to admit though, he is usually the one who does laundry. I have nothing against laundry, it just seems that when we stop and have time to do it is during my time to sleep. After that he headed to bed and then we were up bright and early at 0330 our time (0430 local) to be on the road and headed to Louisville,KY and to the shipper at 0800.
As I was about to the shipper I took a wrong turn and got on I-64 the wrong way. I called John and let him know that I was going to be a few minutes late when he informs me that he just got off the phone with sales and they found out that this load will not be ready until tomorrow at 0800. So that means that we dropped our last load around noon on the 2nd and can't pick up this load until 0800 on the 4th. Hmmm Well we need some work done on the truck so I called Freightliner here in Louisville and they were able to get us in the shop. The front drive axle pinon seal is leaking and the right front shock is out. They said they they should have us done late this evening but we didn't want to wait all day there in the truck. So we called a taxi and had them take us and Smokey down the road to the Motel 6 where we are currently at. We just ordered a pizza and salads from Domino's because there is nothing within walking distance and it is just plain cold outside.
So here we sit for the second night in a hotel room. They are supposed to call us when the truck is ready and one of us will grab a taxi back down there and pick it up then bobtail back to the Motel. They open at 0700 in the morning so we can go back down there and grab the trailer when they open and still have time to get to our appointment on time.
That is what we are up to. More to come as the adventures continue!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Clinton,MA
Last night after we made it to the Produce Market I headed to bed to get a little sleep. J stayed up until they came in and unloaded us and then he woke me up so I could help him get out of there. Luckily we made it out of there with no problems, thanks to taking the wrong turn last time we were there so we knew exactly where to go this time!
Now our problem was goig to be finding a place to park at 0100 in the morning in the Boston area. Figuring it would be near impossible, we headed back to I-90 to try the first Service Plaza we came to in Natick. Neither of us could believe it when we pulled in and there were only 2 trucks parked there. Thanking the good Lord for our good fortune, we parked and headed in to go to the restroom and hopefully get something to eat. We lucked out and McDonalds was still open so we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to the truck for some well deserved rest after traversing the tiny roads of Chelsea.
We decided we could sleep in since we didn't have to pick up our next load until sometime between 1300-1600 so off to bed we went. We must have been worn out because I woke up at 1145! Dang I was tired but I had to get J up so we could get ready and get to our pick up on time. After a quick restroom stop inside the Service Plaza and a quick bite of lunch we were off.
We found our pickup fairly easily but DANG, another tiny little town that wasn't built for semi trucks. We were able to get right in to get loaded and ended up with only 6110 lbs! That is my kind of load! Gonna get great fuel mileage on this one. Unfortunately it is a high value load and I can't tell you where I am going but we should be there tomorrow when I post again and I will let you know how everything went.
So that is all for now. :)
Now our problem was goig to be finding a place to park at 0100 in the morning in the Boston area. Figuring it would be near impossible, we headed back to I-90 to try the first Service Plaza we came to in Natick. Neither of us could believe it when we pulled in and there were only 2 trucks parked there. Thanking the good Lord for our good fortune, we parked and headed in to go to the restroom and hopefully get something to eat. We lucked out and McDonalds was still open so we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to the truck for some well deserved rest after traversing the tiny roads of Chelsea.
We decided we could sleep in since we didn't have to pick up our next load until sometime between 1300-1600 so off to bed we went. We must have been worn out because I woke up at 1145! Dang I was tired but I had to get J up so we could get ready and get to our pick up on time. After a quick restroom stop inside the Service Plaza and a quick bite of lunch we were off.
We found our pickup fairly easily but DANG, another tiny little town that wasn't built for semi trucks. We were able to get right in to get loaded and ended up with only 6110 lbs! That is my kind of load! Gonna get great fuel mileage on this one. Unfortunately it is a high value load and I can't tell you where I am going but we should be there tomorrow when I post again and I will let you know how everything went.
So that is all for now. :)
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