3rd Time's a Charm

DATELINE: STRATFORD, MO, 6:30 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 507

Well lookie here, I actually CAN blog two days running! How 'bout dat? I want to start by thanking first-time commenter (Commentor? Commentator?) and long-time reader Dennis the Accompanist for joining the ranks of the correspondents. And I'll answer his question before reliving my lengthy day for you.

Dennis is wondering about how the tractor hooks up to a trailer. It is very simple, really. Each trailer has what is known as a "kingpin" on its underside near the front. It's basically a notched cylinder protruding downward. Mounted to the top of the tractor's frame in the back is what's known commonly as a "5th wheel" (I forget its actual name, some sort of "plate"). The back of the 5th wheel has an opening that the kingpin slides into as the tractor backs under the trailer (not really very difficult once you've done it once or twice). Once the kingpin hits the center of the 5th wheel, where the opening ends, it engages a latch that closes around and holds the kingpin in place. The driver then hooks up 1 electrical line and 2 air lines to the connectors on the front of the trailer (they originate from the back of the tractor). Take a look at a truck next time you're near one. Between the tractor and the trailer you'll see the (usually) green electrical line and one blue and one red air line. The air lines are usually coiled to prevent "kinking". The electrical line provides power for the trailer's running and brake lights. The air lines, a primary and a secondary, provide the compressed air for the trailer's brakes. Oh, I should also mention the part about cranking up the "landing gear"--the legs up front that the trailer rests on when not hooked to a tractor. They need to be fully retracted when the trailer is being pulled behind a tractor to avoid catching on the ground.

And that's about it for hooking up a trailer. Was that complete and concise enough? If you're still confused about any part of this explanation, just lemme know.

As for today's doings, all went pretty well. I started by waking up at 4:00 this morning in Stringtown, OK, and was on the road by 4:30. I reached my delivery in Durant about an hour later. It took another 15 minutes or so to get through the line at the guard shack, check in at the receiving office, and back into my assigned dock. Then it was another 1/2 hour before they started unloading my trailer. But that part went quickly and I was done there by 6:45. I headed to a truck stop virtually across the street and grabbed a Croissanwich meal at their Burger King while I waited for my next assignment.

Lo and behold, my next pickup became my first 3-timer since I hit the road as a solo driver. I was sent to a company I've been to twice before in Shawnee, OK. (What I like about the place is that it's on a street by the name of "Wolverine".) That was a 3-hour drive from where I had made my delivery, so I spent the bulk of the rest of the morning getting there. The pickup was a drop-and-hook, which went quickly as well. Just after 11:00 I was back on the road, headed for my new destination. Which is...Neenah, Wisconsin. Back north once more! My load assignment lists it as a 902-mile trip (but it's probably a tad longer than that), and my delivery appointment is for 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday, so I need to hustle to get there. I'm sure I have plenty of driving time available to get there, but it'll be a long drive tomorrow. And I'll probably have a little ways left to finish the drive Wednesday morning after driving all of my allotted hours tomorrow, but I should get there on time. I did bite off a good chunk of the distance today, reaching my current locale--a TA truck stop--at 5:30 p.m. But I do still have quite a long trip ahead. But that's good; more miles means bigger paychecks. Last weeks mileage was a bit light, so I want as many miles as I can get this week before heading home for the weekend.

And that's how to hook up a trailer and how my day went. Drop me a line and let me know if you want me to 'splain any other aspects of operating a big rig that you're curious about. Thanks as ever for taking your valuable time to read my blabberings, and do keep on truckin'.