DATELINE: TOMS BROOK, VA, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Miles Today: 233
Kind of a short work day today, but I had a couple of challenging deliveries. What made them challenging was the configuration of their docks in relation to nearby obstacles, such as concrete barriers, other trucks, employee parking areas, etc. Plus I had to approach both from the blind side (angled with the passenger side of the truck closer to the dock, rather than the driver's side). But I did manage to get into both without hitting anything, though I did tire out my left leg from lots of clutch work.
After my second delivery, I hopped over to the HESS/WILCO truck stop in this town, just a few miles down I-81 from the delivery site. My intent was to get my next assignment then head that way, assuming the pickup would be either tonight or in the morning somewhere far enough away that I'd have to do some driving to get close. I did still have over 6 hours of driving I could have done today. However, when the assignment came in and I had time to find the pickup site on the map, I determined that spending the night here would be the best bet.
My pickup is at 7:00 tomorrow morning in Parsons, WV. My load assignment says it's over 250 miles from here (I'll get paid those "empty miles" to get there), but after finding it on the map, I saw it's really more like 80 to 100 miles away. It would be 250+ miles if I took the interstates to get there: I-81 north to I-68, west to I-79, south to US-33, east to US219, and north to Parsons. That would be like taking 3-1/3 sides of a rectangle. However, from where I am now (I-81 exit 291 for those of you who are "atlas-tically" inclined), I can take "back road" highways over the remaining 2/3 of one side of the rectangle. Besides, if I went the long way, I'd never have time to make the drive and get in my requisite 10-hour break before having to get to the pickup. By using the straighter route I'll get up early and hit the road around 3:30 a.m. just to ensure I'm on time. So I'll be getting to sleep right after finishing this report. (I'm still a bit fatigued from my earlier short nights, despite a good long sleep last night.)
Before signing off, I'll take time to answer reader nancyr's query, "Here's a question for you: what would the ideal truck stop look like? What amenities and services do you appreciate the most when you're stopping for the night? And do you have a favorite truck stop? (The one in Dexter doesn't count.)"
For those of you who haven't caught on, reader nancyr is Mrs. Reluctant Trucker. That's why she disqualifies the truck stop near our house from consideration as my favorite. But otherwise, here are some things that IMHO make a truck stop ideal:
1. A nice, BIG parking lot with wide aisles between the rows of parking (I've been in some that have barely enough room between the rows to be able to squeeze a truck in or out of a parking space.
2. Several food choices (e.g., its own restaurant plus a few fast food outlets either on-site or within easy walking distance)
3. Clean, large rest rooms and showers
4. A well-stocked convenience store
As for my favorite truck stop, that would have to be the TA/Iowa 80, the "World's Largest Truck Stop" on I-80 in Walcott, IA. I've written about it here before, and it does meet all of the above criteria and more: an 800+-space parking lot; Wendy's, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, and a sit-down restaurant on-site; very nice rest rooms and shower rooms; and lots of retail space (a convenience mart, truck supplies store, other various and sundry knick-knacks). Make your next vacation trip that way and check it out for yourself.
One thing it doesn't have--and no truck stop I've been to so far has one--that I would like immensely is an exercise room. That's what's sorely missing in the truck stop industry, places for us professional drivers to keep in shape.
Well, it's time now to get to bed. Thanks for taking a glance at my (near) daily reports, and keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Just Another Work Day
DATELINE: RAPHINE, VA, 6:30 a.m. EDT
Miles Yesterday: 372
Not much to tell about yesterday. After posting my update to this blog, I got myself ready for work and hit the road. Then I just drove 'til I got here (well, with a few short stops along the way). Nothing remarkable about the drive at all. "Here" is a non-chain truck stop alongside I-81. After I parked I did some shopping in their convenience store, heated up some grub for dinner, signed on and checked my e-mail, then went to bed good and early. My insufficient sleep the last few left me quite tired early last night.
So now I'll move on and reply to reader Jim the Baritone's question, "A few times you have mentioned that your truck has a max governed speed of 63 mph. Is that common? I see many trucks going a heck of a lot faster than that, like passing me when I am already doing 75."
I don't know if other companies put speed governors on their trucks or not, but obviously many do not. The majority of trucks go flying on by me as I'm puttering on down the road. Also note that the governors do not restrict the truck's speed as it's giving in to gravity on downhill stretches, especially long, steep ones when the truck has a heavy load. That's when we can really make up time. ;-)
Well, that's all I can come up with to include in this update. Have a great day, thanks for looking in, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 372
Not much to tell about yesterday. After posting my update to this blog, I got myself ready for work and hit the road. Then I just drove 'til I got here (well, with a few short stops along the way). Nothing remarkable about the drive at all. "Here" is a non-chain truck stop alongside I-81. After I parked I did some shopping in their convenience store, heated up some grub for dinner, signed on and checked my e-mail, then went to bed good and early. My insufficient sleep the last few left me quite tired early last night.
So now I'll move on and reply to reader Jim the Baritone's question, "A few times you have mentioned that your truck has a max governed speed of 63 mph. Is that common? I see many trucks going a heck of a lot faster than that, like passing me when I am already doing 75."
I don't know if other companies put speed governors on their trucks or not, but obviously many do not. The majority of trucks go flying on by me as I'm puttering on down the road. Also note that the governors do not restrict the truck's speed as it's giving in to gravity on downhill stretches, especially long, steep ones when the truck has a heavy load. That's when we can really make up time. ;-)
Well, that's all I can come up with to include in this update. Have a great day, thanks for looking in, and keep on truckin'.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Another New One
DATELINE: SPARTANBURG, SC, 10:00 a.m. EDT
Miles Yesterday: 505
Actually, add another 50-ish miles that I drove past midnight (CDT) last night, and you'll have how many miles I drove during yesterday's shift. 'Twas another long day with yet another new wrinkle regarding load assignments.
I woke up a little after 6:00 a.m., a bit earlier than I would have liked, but could not get back to sleep. So after freshening up and grabbing some breakfast, I returned to my truck and tried my hand at some more online poker, again with mixed results. I played 3 more sit-n-go tournaments, crashed and burned in the first 2, but won the third! I also played a while at a very low-stakes cash game and came out a couple buck$ ahead there, too (I was getting the good cards there that I didn't get in those first 2 tournaments). So overall the session was a plus. Then it was time to get to work for real.
At noon I did my pre-trip inspection, fueled up, and hit the road for my pickup. That drive took 2 hours (including the time to check in at the gate indicated by a big sign along the road for the Shipping Department's truck entrance--the way I had entered when I had been to this site once before--being directed to another gate, following the guard's directions and finding a gate closed and locked across a road she had included in her directions, turning around to exit the way I had originally come in, and reaching the proper entrance). Checking in at the new gate's guardhouse, pulling around to the loading docks, checking in at the shipping department (where I had to wait a few minutes for someone to return to the office), docking, sweeping out my trailer, and waiting through the load took another 1-1/2 hours or so.
When I was signing the paperwork and getting ready to leave, the shipping clerk mentioned that this load had a stopoff; that it was a split load for 2 destinations (both in VA, about 100 miles apart). My load assignment hadn't specified that, but the load number and final destination matched exactly. I had a brief Qualcomm discussion with dispatch about this new development, and they obviously weren't aware of the split load, either. They told me to take the load and get underway, anyway. (Note, this is the 2nd straight load they've messed up on for me.) I'm still waiting for word about a delivery time for the 1st stop--the last stop is tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., so my guess is I'll make the first delivery on the way, early tomorrow afternoon. I'm also trying to get directions to the surprise site, but its address doesn't show up on Yahoo! Maps or Mapquest. If USA doesn't provide some, I'll have to call the company myself.
Today I'm going to drive up to near that first stop; I have about 350-400 miles to go, depending on which truck stop I decide to patronize for the night. I arrived here in Spartanburg last night at about 1:45 EDT, so I can't go anywhere 'til around noon, when I will have had a full 10-hour break. Once again I woke up this morning far too early (around 7:45) after too little sleep (about 5 hours), and still unable to get back to sleep. So I've been up doing my online research into finding that first stopoff, having some breakfast, watching some SportsCenter in the drivers' lounge, and now blogging for you. In another little while I'll head inside for a shower and shave, prepping for my workday.
And that's yesterday's tale. Thanks for dropping by. The readers' questions and comments have been pretty scarce for a while now, so please let me know you're still out there. And, as ever, keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 505
Actually, add another 50-ish miles that I drove past midnight (CDT) last night, and you'll have how many miles I drove during yesterday's shift. 'Twas another long day with yet another new wrinkle regarding load assignments.
I woke up a little after 6:00 a.m., a bit earlier than I would have liked, but could not get back to sleep. So after freshening up and grabbing some breakfast, I returned to my truck and tried my hand at some more online poker, again with mixed results. I played 3 more sit-n-go tournaments, crashed and burned in the first 2, but won the third! I also played a while at a very low-stakes cash game and came out a couple buck$ ahead there, too (I was getting the good cards there that I didn't get in those first 2 tournaments). So overall the session was a plus. Then it was time to get to work for real.
At noon I did my pre-trip inspection, fueled up, and hit the road for my pickup. That drive took 2 hours (including the time to check in at the gate indicated by a big sign along the road for the Shipping Department's truck entrance--the way I had entered when I had been to this site once before--being directed to another gate, following the guard's directions and finding a gate closed and locked across a road she had included in her directions, turning around to exit the way I had originally come in, and reaching the proper entrance). Checking in at the new gate's guardhouse, pulling around to the loading docks, checking in at the shipping department (where I had to wait a few minutes for someone to return to the office), docking, sweeping out my trailer, and waiting through the load took another 1-1/2 hours or so.
When I was signing the paperwork and getting ready to leave, the shipping clerk mentioned that this load had a stopoff; that it was a split load for 2 destinations (both in VA, about 100 miles apart). My load assignment hadn't specified that, but the load number and final destination matched exactly. I had a brief Qualcomm discussion with dispatch about this new development, and they obviously weren't aware of the split load, either. They told me to take the load and get underway, anyway. (Note, this is the 2nd straight load they've messed up on for me.) I'm still waiting for word about a delivery time for the 1st stop--the last stop is tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., so my guess is I'll make the first delivery on the way, early tomorrow afternoon. I'm also trying to get directions to the surprise site, but its address doesn't show up on Yahoo! Maps or Mapquest. If USA doesn't provide some, I'll have to call the company myself.
Today I'm going to drive up to near that first stop; I have about 350-400 miles to go, depending on which truck stop I decide to patronize for the night. I arrived here in Spartanburg last night at about 1:45 EDT, so I can't go anywhere 'til around noon, when I will have had a full 10-hour break. Once again I woke up this morning far too early (around 7:45) after too little sleep (about 5 hours), and still unable to get back to sleep. So I've been up doing my online research into finding that first stopoff, having some breakfast, watching some SportsCenter in the drivers' lounge, and now blogging for you. In another little while I'll head inside for a shower and shave, prepping for my workday.
And that's yesterday's tale. Thanks for dropping by. The readers' questions and comments have been pretty scarce for a while now, so please let me know you're still out there. And, as ever, keep on truckin'.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Such Travails!
DATELINE: COTTONDALE, AL, 7:45 p.m. CDT
Sorry, folks, that I have so much catching up to do. It's been a challenging few days since last I blogged (Tuesday), so I'll get right to it.
WEDNESDAY, 419 Miles
Although the work portion of the day wasn't too bad, despite a slow loading, Wednesday was lousy because I had come down with a cold Tuesday night. I had a stuffy, runny nose that kept me from getting a good night's sleep, so I was fatigued all day long. My pickup wasn't 'til 1:00 p.m., so I spent most of the morning trying to get some rest before getting to work. My pickup site (Berwick, PA) was only a 30-minute drive from where I had spent the night (Bloomsburg, PA). I arrived for the pickup a wee bit early (45 minutes) and found the shipping department at the company on lunch. Of course. But they were back within about 10 minutes, and shortly after I was headed to my assigned dock on the other end of the complex. The docking went fine, but the loading process was slow, over 1-1/2 hours. All told I was at that site for over 2 hours. Then I hit the road south.
My destination with the load was Opelika, AL, with a delivery appointment for Friday morning, 7:00 a.m. So my goal for Wednesday's drive was to reach USA's terminal in Roanoke, VA. The trip was OK, but my illness-induced fatigue made it a challenge. In fact, I stopped at at rest area in northern VA for a nap as the sun was going down. (Because my route, I-81, goes southwest, as the sun was heading towards setting it was pretty much right in my eyes; another good reason to stop for a quick nap.) Though I didn't sleep much, the rest and break from staring into the sun helped quite a bit.
I reached Roanoke right at midnight, so the plan for Thursday would be to hit the road at 10:00, just as my requisite 10-hour break ended. Well, you know how harmful making plans can be.
THURSDAY, 208 Miles
I woke up at abut 8:45 a.m. As I was getting out of my truck to go inside and get ready to start the day, I noticed a business card stuck in my driver's door window. It was the terminal manager's card, and he had written, "B Service Appt., 9:00 a.m." on it. B Service is the regular maintenance done on the trucks to keep them running well. Such appointments generally take about 1-2 hours if nothing surprising pops up, so I figured I wouldn't get too far behind schedule. So I took the truck over to the garage, turned in my key, and headed up to the drivers' lounge to wait.
By the way, my cold had improved somewhat, as my nose was less stuffy and runny. But the cold had migrated to my lungs and my main symptom throughout the day was coughing.
Yadda, yadda, yadda, long story short, I didn't get my truck back 'til 12 hours after I had turned it over to the garage.
- Upside: I got to see the season premiere of Survivor, one of my favorite shows. (Side note about that: I recognized one of the castaways right away as a poker player I had seen on televised tournaments before. I predict he'll have trouble making friends on the island, as he wasn't a very nice guy at the poker table.)
- Downsides:
1. I had left my laptop in my truck, so I couldn't play any poker or do any blogging while I waited (and waited, and waited).
2. I'd have to drive overnight, without having gotten any sleep during the day, to make my delivery on time. Oy! So I popped a pep pill, stocked up on my caffeinated beverages, and hit the road.
FRIDAY: 505 Miles
(Note that the transition from Thursday to Friday happens somewhere in the next paragraph.)
The drive, especially my ability to stay alert and awake, went surprisingly well. When I reached the Georgia state line, I calculated that I had some extra time and pulled into the rest area/state info center for another mid-drive nap. This time I did sleep well and got a good hour of sleep. Back on the road, I had plenty of energy for the rest of the drive and reached my delivery right on time.
This delivery was a drop-and-hook, so it went quickly. (Interesting side note: the company is in an industrial park right across the street from the company I first "visited" in my professional driving career. My trainer and I made a pickup there on my first trip, and I made the drive back from there (Opelika, AL) almost all the way back to Vandalia, OH in one shot. I used up my 11 driving hours about 30 miles short of reaching Vandalia.) After dropping the loaded trailer and grabbing an empty one, I drove to a truck stop just 4 miles up the highway in Cusseta, AL--I've blogged from there before.
I parked and awaited my next assignment. It was now 8:00 a.m. local time. The drive down from Roanoke had used up 9-1/2 of my 11 hours for this shift, and I only had a couple hours left of my 14-hour driving window, so I knew there was a good chance I was done for the day (or at least 'til I could get in a 10-hour break). I was also quite tired by then, so I hit the sack. I was awakened a couple hours later by the beeping alert of my next assignment message coming in. My next pickup would be Saturday morning in Tuscaloosa, AL. After a bit of figuring, I determined that I could complete a 10-hour break at my current spot, drive the 3-ish hours to the Tuscaloosa area, and get in another 10-hour break before having to head out to the pickup. So I did that. I started by sleeping some more, first. Hence my lack of blogging from there.
When my break hit the 10-hour mark at 6:00 p.m., I hit the road for Tuscaloosa. I reached the town of Bessemer, AL at 9:00 and pulled into the Flying J there for the night. I was still pretty exhausted from my cold (which was still getting better) and my overnight drive, so I ignored my blogging duties once more and hit the sack after dinner.
SATURDAY (Today): 60 Miles
What? Only 60 miles? What up with that? Well, let me just tell you.
I got up at 6:15 this morning to have plenty of time to shower and shave (I hadn't done those since Wednesday morning) before heading out to my pickup, which was scheduled for 8:00. At 7:00 I went through my pre-trip inspection and hit the road. I had about 30 miles of highway and a few more miles of city driving to reach the company. After I got off the highway at the indicated exit, I realized the directions I had were not quite specific enough, so I zipped over to another truck stop to park and call the company for more complete directions. That delay led to a first for me.
As I was talking on the phone to the person at the company (who turned out to be the guard at the gate), she mentioned that another USA truck was pulling up. Nothing new there, as I frequently encounter other USA drivers at customer sites. So I followed the new directions and reached the company within 15 minutes. I stopped at their gate and walked into the guard room, which was empty. While I was waiting, the other USA driver pulled up to the exit side of the gate and came into the guard room as well.
Yadda, yadda, yadda, long story short, it turned out that the company only had one load to be picked up today, and the other guy got it 'cuz he was there first. Apparently USA had double booked it, and I lost out. So I drove over to the TA here outside of Tuscaloosa to wait for yet another assignment. (I've stopped here a couple times in the past as well.) The assignment did come in after a while, but I have to wait a while before I can act on it.
The pickup is at 4:00 Sunday afternoon, about 60 miles away from here in Trinity, MS. I've picked up a load from that company before, so I should be able to find it easily (though it's off a side road off of a US highway and that earlier pickup was at night, and I'll be going in broad daylight this time). So I plan (there's that word again) to leave here about noon tomorrow. With a stop for fuel en route, I'll still reach the pickup a wee bit early. Hopefully they'll happily load me up right away.
In the meantime, I've had plenty of time today to "hit the virtual felt" and catch up on my poker. I've played in seven 9-player sit-n-go tournaments and cashed in four of 'em--three third places and one win! I've also played two 2700-player freeroll (no entry fee) tourneys, but missed out on the prizes in those, though I came close in one.
I also go to follow most of the 4th quarter of the Michigan-Penn State game online (just on a screen displaying the results of the plays in the current drive, refreshing itself every 30 seconds, not like a live broadcast). Way to go Wolverines! Speaking of college football, on my drive through Tuscaloosa today I did catch sight of the U of Alabama stadium in the distance. Good thing they're playing a night game today or I probably would have been caught in some big-time traffic this morning.
I'll have just over 48 hours to get to the delivery in northern Virginia on Tuesday. I have 2 routes to choose from. The one that looks slightly longer will take me past USA's Spartanburg, SC terminal around the time I'll be looking to stop for the night. The other will leave me with truck stops to choose from, and since I'll be getting the late start, those truck stops may be getting full by the time I've rolled enough miles to call it a day. So check back to see which route I ultimately decide to take.
Whew! That was a lot of catching up. Sorry to have left you hanging these last few days, but as you could see, there wasn't much I could do about it. But thanks for loyally following my exploits here. (Just asking: if "exploits" are things you've done, are "ploits" the things you're doing right now?) Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Sorry, folks, that I have so much catching up to do. It's been a challenging few days since last I blogged (Tuesday), so I'll get right to it.
WEDNESDAY, 419 Miles
Although the work portion of the day wasn't too bad, despite a slow loading, Wednesday was lousy because I had come down with a cold Tuesday night. I had a stuffy, runny nose that kept me from getting a good night's sleep, so I was fatigued all day long. My pickup wasn't 'til 1:00 p.m., so I spent most of the morning trying to get some rest before getting to work. My pickup site (Berwick, PA) was only a 30-minute drive from where I had spent the night (Bloomsburg, PA). I arrived for the pickup a wee bit early (45 minutes) and found the shipping department at the company on lunch. Of course. But they were back within about 10 minutes, and shortly after I was headed to my assigned dock on the other end of the complex. The docking went fine, but the loading process was slow, over 1-1/2 hours. All told I was at that site for over 2 hours. Then I hit the road south.
My destination with the load was Opelika, AL, with a delivery appointment for Friday morning, 7:00 a.m. So my goal for Wednesday's drive was to reach USA's terminal in Roanoke, VA. The trip was OK, but my illness-induced fatigue made it a challenge. In fact, I stopped at at rest area in northern VA for a nap as the sun was going down. (Because my route, I-81, goes southwest, as the sun was heading towards setting it was pretty much right in my eyes; another good reason to stop for a quick nap.) Though I didn't sleep much, the rest and break from staring into the sun helped quite a bit.
I reached Roanoke right at midnight, so the plan for Thursday would be to hit the road at 10:00, just as my requisite 10-hour break ended. Well, you know how harmful making plans can be.
THURSDAY, 208 Miles
I woke up at abut 8:45 a.m. As I was getting out of my truck to go inside and get ready to start the day, I noticed a business card stuck in my driver's door window. It was the terminal manager's card, and he had written, "B Service Appt., 9:00 a.m." on it. B Service is the regular maintenance done on the trucks to keep them running well. Such appointments generally take about 1-2 hours if nothing surprising pops up, so I figured I wouldn't get too far behind schedule. So I took the truck over to the garage, turned in my key, and headed up to the drivers' lounge to wait.
By the way, my cold had improved somewhat, as my nose was less stuffy and runny. But the cold had migrated to my lungs and my main symptom throughout the day was coughing.
Yadda, yadda, yadda, long story short, I didn't get my truck back 'til 12 hours after I had turned it over to the garage.
- Upside: I got to see the season premiere of Survivor, one of my favorite shows. (Side note about that: I recognized one of the castaways right away as a poker player I had seen on televised tournaments before. I predict he'll have trouble making friends on the island, as he wasn't a very nice guy at the poker table.)
- Downsides:
1. I had left my laptop in my truck, so I couldn't play any poker or do any blogging while I waited (and waited, and waited).
2. I'd have to drive overnight, without having gotten any sleep during the day, to make my delivery on time. Oy! So I popped a pep pill, stocked up on my caffeinated beverages, and hit the road.
FRIDAY: 505 Miles
(Note that the transition from Thursday to Friday happens somewhere in the next paragraph.)
The drive, especially my ability to stay alert and awake, went surprisingly well. When I reached the Georgia state line, I calculated that I had some extra time and pulled into the rest area/state info center for another mid-drive nap. This time I did sleep well and got a good hour of sleep. Back on the road, I had plenty of energy for the rest of the drive and reached my delivery right on time.
This delivery was a drop-and-hook, so it went quickly. (Interesting side note: the company is in an industrial park right across the street from the company I first "visited" in my professional driving career. My trainer and I made a pickup there on my first trip, and I made the drive back from there (Opelika, AL) almost all the way back to Vandalia, OH in one shot. I used up my 11 driving hours about 30 miles short of reaching Vandalia.) After dropping the loaded trailer and grabbing an empty one, I drove to a truck stop just 4 miles up the highway in Cusseta, AL--I've blogged from there before.
I parked and awaited my next assignment. It was now 8:00 a.m. local time. The drive down from Roanoke had used up 9-1/2 of my 11 hours for this shift, and I only had a couple hours left of my 14-hour driving window, so I knew there was a good chance I was done for the day (or at least 'til I could get in a 10-hour break). I was also quite tired by then, so I hit the sack. I was awakened a couple hours later by the beeping alert of my next assignment message coming in. My next pickup would be Saturday morning in Tuscaloosa, AL. After a bit of figuring, I determined that I could complete a 10-hour break at my current spot, drive the 3-ish hours to the Tuscaloosa area, and get in another 10-hour break before having to head out to the pickup. So I did that. I started by sleeping some more, first. Hence my lack of blogging from there.
When my break hit the 10-hour mark at 6:00 p.m., I hit the road for Tuscaloosa. I reached the town of Bessemer, AL at 9:00 and pulled into the Flying J there for the night. I was still pretty exhausted from my cold (which was still getting better) and my overnight drive, so I ignored my blogging duties once more and hit the sack after dinner.
SATURDAY (Today): 60 Miles
What? Only 60 miles? What up with that? Well, let me just tell you.
I got up at 6:15 this morning to have plenty of time to shower and shave (I hadn't done those since Wednesday morning) before heading out to my pickup, which was scheduled for 8:00. At 7:00 I went through my pre-trip inspection and hit the road. I had about 30 miles of highway and a few more miles of city driving to reach the company. After I got off the highway at the indicated exit, I realized the directions I had were not quite specific enough, so I zipped over to another truck stop to park and call the company for more complete directions. That delay led to a first for me.
As I was talking on the phone to the person at the company (who turned out to be the guard at the gate), she mentioned that another USA truck was pulling up. Nothing new there, as I frequently encounter other USA drivers at customer sites. So I followed the new directions and reached the company within 15 minutes. I stopped at their gate and walked into the guard room, which was empty. While I was waiting, the other USA driver pulled up to the exit side of the gate and came into the guard room as well.
Yadda, yadda, yadda, long story short, it turned out that the company only had one load to be picked up today, and the other guy got it 'cuz he was there first. Apparently USA had double booked it, and I lost out. So I drove over to the TA here outside of Tuscaloosa to wait for yet another assignment. (I've stopped here a couple times in the past as well.) The assignment did come in after a while, but I have to wait a while before I can act on it.
The pickup is at 4:00 Sunday afternoon, about 60 miles away from here in Trinity, MS. I've picked up a load from that company before, so I should be able to find it easily (though it's off a side road off of a US highway and that earlier pickup was at night, and I'll be going in broad daylight this time). So I plan (there's that word again) to leave here about noon tomorrow. With a stop for fuel en route, I'll still reach the pickup a wee bit early. Hopefully they'll happily load me up right away.
In the meantime, I've had plenty of time today to "hit the virtual felt" and catch up on my poker. I've played in seven 9-player sit-n-go tournaments and cashed in four of 'em--three third places and one win! I've also played two 2700-player freeroll (no entry fee) tourneys, but missed out on the prizes in those, though I came close in one.
I also go to follow most of the 4th quarter of the Michigan-Penn State game online (just on a screen displaying the results of the plays in the current drive, refreshing itself every 30 seconds, not like a live broadcast). Way to go Wolverines! Speaking of college football, on my drive through Tuscaloosa today I did catch sight of the U of Alabama stadium in the distance. Good thing they're playing a night game today or I probably would have been caught in some big-time traffic this morning.
I'll have just over 48 hours to get to the delivery in northern Virginia on Tuesday. I have 2 routes to choose from. The one that looks slightly longer will take me past USA's Spartanburg, SC terminal around the time I'll be looking to stop for the night. The other will leave me with truck stops to choose from, and since I'll be getting the late start, those truck stops may be getting full by the time I've rolled enough miles to call it a day. So check back to see which route I ultimately decide to take.
Whew! That was a lot of catching up. Sorry to have left you hanging these last few days, but as you could see, there wasn't much I could do about it. But thanks for loyally following my exploits here. (Just asking: if "exploits" are things you've done, are "ploits" the things you're doing right now?) Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Short Day, Long Wait
DATELINE: BLOOMSBURG, PA, 11:00 p.m.
Miles Today: 291
Today wound up being a rather short work day, even though I delivered 2 loads. I started this morning by taking the load I had to the Bethel, PA terminal and dropping it there (delivery #1). That was about a 3-1/4-hour drive. Next, dispatch assigned me to take another load from Bethel and deliver it to a company in Northumberland, PA (a bit north of Harrisburg, and about 2 hours from Bethel). The delivery appointment for the new load was 7:00 p.m. this evening, but I sure didn't want to just sit around all afternoon waiting for the appropriate time to head towards Northumberland. So dispatch gave me the OK to head out early.
That drive did take just about exactly 2 hours, and I arrived 6 hours ahead of the appointment time. The receiving department there was happy to let me back into a dock so they could unload their goodies. (This was a smallish company with only 2 dock doors, and they weren't very busy on the docks anyway.) That unloading took about 30 minutes (nice 'n quick), and I was ready for my next assignment.
That message came in pretty quickly: Pick up a load in Berwick, PA and haul it to Opelika, AL. The downside: Pickup time is 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, so I have nearly 24 hours between that last delivery and the next pickup. Berwick is only about an hour from Northumberland, so I covered most of that distance today. I'm parked for the night at a TA here in Bloomsburg. It's in the midst of a busy commercial intersection, with a mall and several eatin' places right nearby. After I arrived here I walked over to a place called Quaker Steak and Lube (you've seen them on your travels out this way, si?) for an afternoon snack. I had an order of chicken wings with their spicy garlic sauce. Verdict: Not too bad, but IMHO they don't match up against those at Buffalo Wild Wings.
After the snack I walked over to the mall and took a lap around the inside. It's a small mall with many vacant stores, and was nearly deserted. With my lap complete, I headed back to my truck and hit he ol' laptop for some online work and play. I played a couple of 45-player Hold-Em Sit-N-Go tournaments--I haven't had any time to play any online poker for 2 weeks! I finished 13th in the first one, in which I was "card dead" pretty much the whole way through. In the second one, though, I took 4th place! The top 6 get paid, though with only a $1.25 entry fee, the prizes are small. But I wound up ahead for the day, so I'm pleased about that. I also played in a 2700-player freeroll tournament (no entry fee) and came in 149th, again being mostly card dead throughout.
All in all, I woulda' done better if USA woulda' had a load I coulda' picked up this afternoon and gotten headed down the road. The low-stakes poker I'm playing doesn't pay as well as driving miles does. But the poker is more fun. ;-)
And now it's getting late and I'm gonna' have to get to sleep soon. Thanks again for reading up on my travels and travails. Please send in a question and/or comment--they do brighten my day when I find some. And, as ever, keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 291
Today wound up being a rather short work day, even though I delivered 2 loads. I started this morning by taking the load I had to the Bethel, PA terminal and dropping it there (delivery #1). That was about a 3-1/4-hour drive. Next, dispatch assigned me to take another load from Bethel and deliver it to a company in Northumberland, PA (a bit north of Harrisburg, and about 2 hours from Bethel). The delivery appointment for the new load was 7:00 p.m. this evening, but I sure didn't want to just sit around all afternoon waiting for the appropriate time to head towards Northumberland. So dispatch gave me the OK to head out early.
That drive did take just about exactly 2 hours, and I arrived 6 hours ahead of the appointment time. The receiving department there was happy to let me back into a dock so they could unload their goodies. (This was a smallish company with only 2 dock doors, and they weren't very busy on the docks anyway.) That unloading took about 30 minutes (nice 'n quick), and I was ready for my next assignment.
That message came in pretty quickly: Pick up a load in Berwick, PA and haul it to Opelika, AL. The downside: Pickup time is 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, so I have nearly 24 hours between that last delivery and the next pickup. Berwick is only about an hour from Northumberland, so I covered most of that distance today. I'm parked for the night at a TA here in Bloomsburg. It's in the midst of a busy commercial intersection, with a mall and several eatin' places right nearby. After I arrived here I walked over to a place called Quaker Steak and Lube (you've seen them on your travels out this way, si?) for an afternoon snack. I had an order of chicken wings with their spicy garlic sauce. Verdict: Not too bad, but IMHO they don't match up against those at Buffalo Wild Wings.
After the snack I walked over to the mall and took a lap around the inside. It's a small mall with many vacant stores, and was nearly deserted. With my lap complete, I headed back to my truck and hit he ol' laptop for some online work and play. I played a couple of 45-player Hold-Em Sit-N-Go tournaments--I haven't had any time to play any online poker for 2 weeks! I finished 13th in the first one, in which I was "card dead" pretty much the whole way through. In the second one, though, I took 4th place! The top 6 get paid, though with only a $1.25 entry fee, the prizes are small. But I wound up ahead for the day, so I'm pleased about that. I also played in a 2700-player freeroll tournament (no entry fee) and came in 149th, again being mostly card dead throughout.
All in all, I woulda' done better if USA woulda' had a load I coulda' picked up this afternoon and gotten headed down the road. The low-stakes poker I'm playing doesn't pay as well as driving miles does. But the poker is more fun. ;-)
And now it's getting late and I'm gonna' have to get to sleep soon. Thanks again for reading up on my travels and travails. Please send in a question and/or comment--they do brighten my day when I find some. And, as ever, keep on truckin'.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Heading Back East
DATELINE: SOMERSET, PA, 10:30 p.m. EDT
Miles Today: 402
Miles Yesterday: 0
Miles Saturday: 618
Oops! Missed a couple of days again. My humblest apologies, but I managed to get home Saturday night and spent my free time with my family instead of blogging on my laptop.
As you recall when last I wrote (Friday night), I had stopped for the night in southern Tennessee. On Saturday I managed to make it all the way home within my available work hours. So I parked at my "home" truck stop for the night, Mrs. R.T. came over, and we went out for a quick bite to eat. Since I was under a load and not "officially" home, I spent the nights in my truck. But I did get to spend quite a bit of time with my family (well, except for our oldest daughter, who's at college) on Sunday, even doing a bit of much-needed yard work.
This morning I got to sleep in 'til 7:00 before leisurely getting ready to start my workday. I was on the road a little after 8:00, headed to my delivery in Wyandotte, MI. The drive there and the delivery went OK (it was a live unload, but didn't take inordinately long). After that, my next assignment came across a few minutes after I left: Pick up a load at the place I had just left. (Note: I had made a pickup there once before, a few months back, so I knew that could be a possibility. It would have been nice to get a "heads up" about that while I was waiting.)
Anyway, I turned back around and returned. It turned out the pickup was a drop-and-hook, so at least I could do that quickly and not have to wait around during a loading process. This load is headed for eastern Pennsylvania, just outside of Philly, but my task is to take it to our terminal in Bethel, PA and drop it there. So I hit the road in that direction, making it this far today. I'm at the Somerset Service Plaza along the PA turnpike--I've been here before--for the night. I had a couple more hours available to drive today, but I was getting tired, it was getting dark (I stopped around 7:30 p.m.), and the truck stops and rest areas/service plazas were filling up. So I figured I'd just stay here.
I have about 3 more hours to go to get to Bethel, and I'll do that in the morning. Then I'll get to find out where I'll be headed next. Be sure to check in tomorrow to find out where that'll be. In the meantime, thanks for following along, please drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 402
Miles Yesterday: 0
Miles Saturday: 618
Oops! Missed a couple of days again. My humblest apologies, but I managed to get home Saturday night and spent my free time with my family instead of blogging on my laptop.
As you recall when last I wrote (Friday night), I had stopped for the night in southern Tennessee. On Saturday I managed to make it all the way home within my available work hours. So I parked at my "home" truck stop for the night, Mrs. R.T. came over, and we went out for a quick bite to eat. Since I was under a load and not "officially" home, I spent the nights in my truck. But I did get to spend quite a bit of time with my family (well, except for our oldest daughter, who's at college) on Sunday, even doing a bit of much-needed yard work.
This morning I got to sleep in 'til 7:00 before leisurely getting ready to start my workday. I was on the road a little after 8:00, headed to my delivery in Wyandotte, MI. The drive there and the delivery went OK (it was a live unload, but didn't take inordinately long). After that, my next assignment came across a few minutes after I left: Pick up a load at the place I had just left. (Note: I had made a pickup there once before, a few months back, so I knew that could be a possibility. It would have been nice to get a "heads up" about that while I was waiting.)
Anyway, I turned back around and returned. It turned out the pickup was a drop-and-hook, so at least I could do that quickly and not have to wait around during a loading process. This load is headed for eastern Pennsylvania, just outside of Philly, but my task is to take it to our terminal in Bethel, PA and drop it there. So I hit the road in that direction, making it this far today. I'm at the Somerset Service Plaza along the PA turnpike--I've been here before--for the night. I had a couple more hours available to drive today, but I was getting tired, it was getting dark (I stopped around 7:30 p.m.), and the truck stops and rest areas/service plazas were filling up. So I figured I'd just stay here.
I have about 3 more hours to go to get to Bethel, and I'll do that in the morning. Then I'll get to find out where I'll be headed next. Be sure to check in tomorrow to find out where that'll be. In the meantime, thanks for following along, please drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Overtime
DATELINE: ARDMORE, TN, 9:30 p.m. CDT
Miles Today: 613
Now that was one overly long day. I went to work at 5:30 a.m., driving to my delivery. That drive, including an hour-long stop in Tuscaloosa, AL for lunch and a shower, took 9-1/2 hours. The delivery was a drop-and-hook, so I didn't have to wait for an unloading process there. I had my next assignment before I left that site: Zip over to Decatur, AL and pick up a load there at 8:00 p.m.
Now, 8:00 was beyond my 14-hour window for driving (it started when I began my workday at 5:30 a.m.), but I figured I could get to the pickup early, get loaded, and get to a truck stop or rest area within that window. Wrong-o. It was about 4:15 when I left the delivery site in Gadsden, and it took 2-1/2 hours to get to Decatur, though my assignment listed it as only 75 miles away. I did have to take back roads (2-lane state highways through towns with stoplights) a large part of the way, so that accounted for the lengthy trip.
So it was 6:45-ish when I arrived at the pickup in Decatur. However, everyone there was on their meal break, including the gate guard, so I had to wait over half an hour before I could even get in the gate. And this was a live load, so I had to back into a dock (this was one of those awful places with little extra room for straightening up the truck easily) and wait through the loading. Fortunately, the loading part went quickly, but when all was said and done, I was out of there at 8:15.
This place was a bit of a ways off the interstate (down another state highway), so it took a few minutes to get back to it (I-65) before I could start heading north looking for a place to spend the night. By the way, this load is headed for Wyandotte, MI, with delivery scheduled for Monday morning. I should be able to make it to my "home" truck stop fairly early on Sunday, so I hope to make it to my men's chorus rehearsal that night. (Those of you loyal readers who are members of that group, don't be surprised if you see me there! Those readers who do not know the group, check us out at www.measure4measure.org.)
Anyway, I've stopped for the night at the Tennessee Welcome Center/Rest Area on northbound I-65. (They have "Two-Hour Parking Limit" signs up, but don't tell anyone...I may be here a bit longer than that. Shhhh!) As I typed up top, it's been a very long day, and now I'm hitting the wall. Time to hit the sack instead. Thanks again for your loyal readership, and be sure to keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 613
Now that was one overly long day. I went to work at 5:30 a.m., driving to my delivery. That drive, including an hour-long stop in Tuscaloosa, AL for lunch and a shower, took 9-1/2 hours. The delivery was a drop-and-hook, so I didn't have to wait for an unloading process there. I had my next assignment before I left that site: Zip over to Decatur, AL and pick up a load there at 8:00 p.m.
Now, 8:00 was beyond my 14-hour window for driving (it started when I began my workday at 5:30 a.m.), but I figured I could get to the pickup early, get loaded, and get to a truck stop or rest area within that window. Wrong-o. It was about 4:15 when I left the delivery site in Gadsden, and it took 2-1/2 hours to get to Decatur, though my assignment listed it as only 75 miles away. I did have to take back roads (2-lane state highways through towns with stoplights) a large part of the way, so that accounted for the lengthy trip.
So it was 6:45-ish when I arrived at the pickup in Decatur. However, everyone there was on their meal break, including the gate guard, so I had to wait over half an hour before I could even get in the gate. And this was a live load, so I had to back into a dock (this was one of those awful places with little extra room for straightening up the truck easily) and wait through the loading. Fortunately, the loading part went quickly, but when all was said and done, I was out of there at 8:15.
This place was a bit of a ways off the interstate (down another state highway), so it took a few minutes to get back to it (I-65) before I could start heading north looking for a place to spend the night. By the way, this load is headed for Wyandotte, MI, with delivery scheduled for Monday morning. I should be able to make it to my "home" truck stop fairly early on Sunday, so I hope to make it to my men's chorus rehearsal that night. (Those of you loyal readers who are members of that group, don't be surprised if you see me there! Those readers who do not know the group, check us out at www.measure4measure.org.)
Anyway, I've stopped for the night at the Tennessee Welcome Center/Rest Area on northbound I-65. (They have "Two-Hour Parking Limit" signs up, but don't tell anyone...I may be here a bit longer than that. Shhhh!) As I typed up top, it's been a very long day, and now I'm hitting the wall. Time to hit the sack instead. Thanks again for your loyal readership, and be sure to keep on truckin'.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Crossing the Southland (Not Singing Songs About It)
DATELINE: DENHAM SPRINGS, LA, 8:00 p.m. CDT
Miles Yesterday: 645
Miles Today: 449
Pardon my absence yesterday, but 'twas a long day driving from southern IL down into northeastern TX. By the time I stopped for the night, I was exhausted and needed some shut-eye. But let me give you a re-cap of that day as well as today.
As I mentioned, yesterday was just one long drive (with short stops for food, fuel, and other necessities), as you can tell by my mileage figure. The weather and traffic conditions were good the whole way, but as I drove south along US-59 in Texas, the skies did turn cloudy.(Little did I know what was heading that way.) I did finally get to see what that northern stretch of 59 looks like in daylight. I had traversed it many times during my training period late last year, but always at night. It's much better in the daytime. Anyway, I made it all the way to the city of Lufkin, TX, where I stopped at an apparently abandoned truck stop. The parking lot was still open and a lot of other trucks were parked there, and since I had used up my available driving hours, I pulled in. There is a restaurant right next door that was open, so at least I had access to food and a restroom.
Lufkin was still about a 3-hour drive from the Houston area where I was headed with my load (specifically, La Porte, TX, along highway 225). Since my delivery appointment was at 7:00 a.m., I was up at 3:00 this morning and rolling at 3:30. I made a fuel stop en route at a Flying J in New Cany, TX where my trainer and I had stopped many times. 'Twas good to be travelling familiar territory.
I made it to the customer site early, and waited in line with a few other trucks 'til they opened their gate. The delivery went fine, yadda, yadda, yadda, and I was done there at 8:00. I drove just a couple miles up the road to a truck stop, and en route there my next assignment came in. So I read it after parking my truck. Next up: Continue the direction I was heading (west, back towards Houston) a few more miles and make a pickup at 9:00 a.m. Then take that load to Gadsden, Alabama to deliver it Friday afternoon.
I drove over to the pickup site, checked in at the gate, got my directions to my assigned loading dock, negotiated the narrow roads in the complex, backed to the dock, and checked in at the Shipping Office. Then I waited about an hour while they loaded (I had to wait inside the plant at a designated waiting area--they don't want drivers waiting in their trucks at this site), picked up my paperwork, closed up my trailer, squeezed back around the tight corner onto the main road to the gate, and was on my way.
As I headed east along I-10, I noticed that the sky was quite cloudy, almost threatening, even. Since I listen to audiobooks while I'm driving and had spent the last 2 nights at sites without TVs (a rest area and a ghost truck stop), I had no knowledge of the weather system dubbed "Humberto". A couple of other drivers at my delivery this morning had been discussing the heavy rain in the Beaumont area, so I had some clue that something was going on. Anyway, I did see lots of standing water in fields and ditches along the roads as I made my way across eastern Texas and into Louisiana, and I drove through some patches of rain. But only one of those patches was heavy, and it didn't last very long. And I never encountered any strong winds, either. By the time I reached my current spot, a Pilot truck stop in this town, no rain was falling. (Though it's raining now as I compose this.) I stopped here because my 14-hour driving window for the day was reaching its end. Besides, I was getting tired again. (I did pull into a rest area near the eastern edge of Texas for an hour-long nap earlier because of fatigue.)
I've been back on the road for 3 days now, and I've worked 11-plus hours each. I certainly do want the miles for my paychecks, but the long days do tend to wear one down some. I haven't had the energy to attempt keeping to my fitness plan as I outlined last week. That's the (well, at least one of the) downside to these assignments with little "wiggle room" (extra hours beyond the necessary time to drive the distance) built into the trip between pickup and delivery times. My current load does have a few extra hours, so I can sleep in just a bit in the morning before having to head out. But tomorrow will be another long day--I have probably 8 to 9 hours to drive to reach Gadsden before my 4:00 p.m. delivery appointment. Then I'll probably get another pickup to make before I can call it a day. But be sure to check back tomorrow to find out where I'll be headed next.
Thanks again for taking a look-see at my blog. Do please drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 645
Miles Today: 449
Pardon my absence yesterday, but 'twas a long day driving from southern IL down into northeastern TX. By the time I stopped for the night, I was exhausted and needed some shut-eye. But let me give you a re-cap of that day as well as today.
As I mentioned, yesterday was just one long drive (with short stops for food, fuel, and other necessities), as you can tell by my mileage figure. The weather and traffic conditions were good the whole way, but as I drove south along US-59 in Texas, the skies did turn cloudy.(Little did I know what was heading that way.) I did finally get to see what that northern stretch of 59 looks like in daylight. I had traversed it many times during my training period late last year, but always at night. It's much better in the daytime. Anyway, I made it all the way to the city of Lufkin, TX, where I stopped at an apparently abandoned truck stop. The parking lot was still open and a lot of other trucks were parked there, and since I had used up my available driving hours, I pulled in. There is a restaurant right next door that was open, so at least I had access to food and a restroom.
Lufkin was still about a 3-hour drive from the Houston area where I was headed with my load (specifically, La Porte, TX, along highway 225). Since my delivery appointment was at 7:00 a.m., I was up at 3:00 this morning and rolling at 3:30. I made a fuel stop en route at a Flying J in New Cany, TX where my trainer and I had stopped many times. 'Twas good to be travelling familiar territory.
I made it to the customer site early, and waited in line with a few other trucks 'til they opened their gate. The delivery went fine, yadda, yadda, yadda, and I was done there at 8:00. I drove just a couple miles up the road to a truck stop, and en route there my next assignment came in. So I read it after parking my truck. Next up: Continue the direction I was heading (west, back towards Houston) a few more miles and make a pickup at 9:00 a.m. Then take that load to Gadsden, Alabama to deliver it Friday afternoon.
I drove over to the pickup site, checked in at the gate, got my directions to my assigned loading dock, negotiated the narrow roads in the complex, backed to the dock, and checked in at the Shipping Office. Then I waited about an hour while they loaded (I had to wait inside the plant at a designated waiting area--they don't want drivers waiting in their trucks at this site), picked up my paperwork, closed up my trailer, squeezed back around the tight corner onto the main road to the gate, and was on my way.
As I headed east along I-10, I noticed that the sky was quite cloudy, almost threatening, even. Since I listen to audiobooks while I'm driving and had spent the last 2 nights at sites without TVs (a rest area and a ghost truck stop), I had no knowledge of the weather system dubbed "Humberto". A couple of other drivers at my delivery this morning had been discussing the heavy rain in the Beaumont area, so I had some clue that something was going on. Anyway, I did see lots of standing water in fields and ditches along the roads as I made my way across eastern Texas and into Louisiana, and I drove through some patches of rain. But only one of those patches was heavy, and it didn't last very long. And I never encountered any strong winds, either. By the time I reached my current spot, a Pilot truck stop in this town, no rain was falling. (Though it's raining now as I compose this.) I stopped here because my 14-hour driving window for the day was reaching its end. Besides, I was getting tired again. (I did pull into a rest area near the eastern edge of Texas for an hour-long nap earlier because of fatigue.)
I've been back on the road for 3 days now, and I've worked 11-plus hours each. I certainly do want the miles for my paychecks, but the long days do tend to wear one down some. I haven't had the energy to attempt keeping to my fitness plan as I outlined last week. That's the (well, at least one of the) downside to these assignments with little "wiggle room" (extra hours beyond the necessary time to drive the distance) built into the trip between pickup and delivery times. My current load does have a few extra hours, so I can sleep in just a bit in the morning before having to head out. But tomorrow will be another long day--I have probably 8 to 9 hours to drive to reach Gadsden before my 4:00 p.m. delivery appointment. Then I'll probably get another pickup to make before I can call it a day. But be sure to check back tomorrow to find out where I'll be headed next.
Thanks again for taking a look-see at my blog. Do please drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Back to Work Once More
DATELINE: MT. PLEASANT, IL, 10:00 p.m. CDT
Miles Today: 548
Well, gang, I'm back in the truck and on the road. I tell ya', I need to hit the road so I can get some rest after being home for a couple days. Because my time at home is always so short, I always have lots to do in that time and wind up getting too little sleep. So during my first couple days back on the road each time I'm always a bit fatigued and ready for bed when I stop for the night. Tonight's no different.
I'm at a rest area along southbound I-57 in Illinois, about 31 miles from the Missouri state line. I had gotten back to my truck a little after 6:30 this morning (many thanks to Mrs. R.T. for the ride over there), and didn't get my assignment 'til about 8:30 a.m. My mission: Make a pickup at a company in Kalamazoo, MI, at 10:45 and take the load to La Porte, TX (just east of Houston). Delivery is due Thursday morning--I have less than 48 hours to make the trip--so I gotta make tracks to get there on time. So today after the pickup I just drove for many hours to get this far. And tomorrow will be all about driving fast and far, too. Hopefully I'll get some restful sleep tonight and have some energy at the end of the day to tell you about it.
By the way, I didn't get home last weekend 'til Saturday; I did wind up spending Friday night at a rest area outside of Terre Haute, IN. I had to make my load swap on Friday in Mt. Vernon, IL, about an hour south of Effingham, where the plan had been to make the swap. But at least I got some more miles out of the deal.
Well, it has been a long day after a short night of sleep, so I'm going to wrap up here. Thanks for checking in on me, and please keep checking back and sending me some comments and questions. And keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 548
Well, gang, I'm back in the truck and on the road. I tell ya', I need to hit the road so I can get some rest after being home for a couple days. Because my time at home is always so short, I always have lots to do in that time and wind up getting too little sleep. So during my first couple days back on the road each time I'm always a bit fatigued and ready for bed when I stop for the night. Tonight's no different.
I'm at a rest area along southbound I-57 in Illinois, about 31 miles from the Missouri state line. I had gotten back to my truck a little after 6:30 this morning (many thanks to Mrs. R.T. for the ride over there), and didn't get my assignment 'til about 8:30 a.m. My mission: Make a pickup at a company in Kalamazoo, MI, at 10:45 and take the load to La Porte, TX (just east of Houston). Delivery is due Thursday morning--I have less than 48 hours to make the trip--so I gotta make tracks to get there on time. So today after the pickup I just drove for many hours to get this far. And tomorrow will be all about driving fast and far, too. Hopefully I'll get some restful sleep tonight and have some energy at the end of the day to tell you about it.
By the way, I didn't get home last weekend 'til Saturday; I did wind up spending Friday night at a rest area outside of Terre Haute, IN. I had to make my load swap on Friday in Mt. Vernon, IL, about an hour south of Effingham, where the plan had been to make the swap. But at least I got some more miles out of the deal.
Well, it has been a long day after a short night of sleep, so I'm going to wrap up here. Thanks for checking in on me, and please keep checking back and sending me some comments and questions. And keep on truckin'.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Dispatch's Duty Dereliction
DATELINE: ROCHELLE, IL, 10:00 p.m. CDT
Miles Today: 393
Pardon me if this update is not especially eloquent today. I'm exhausted from a long day and royally pi**ed off at USA Truck. After delivering my load this morning (never mind that it took 3-1/2 hours for that), I got my assignment for my next load, which was a pickup literally across the street from my delivery. That was progressing well for 30 minutes, then everyone on the dock stopped and went to lunch. They had a sign posted that listed that schedule, so it wasn't a surprise to me, just a disappointment that they didn't finish loading my trailer before lunchtime. Anyway, 30 minutes later they returned and finished my load--within 10 minutes. Probably a union shop--had to take lunch on time, no matter how soon thy could have finished my load so I could get on my way. But I digress.
This load is destined for Valdosta, GA, so I obviously wasn't going to take it all the way there because I'm supposed to get home tomorrow for a couple days off. I knew dispatch would have me swap the load with another driver somewhere. What raised my ire is the solution they came up with. I need to take this load to Effingham, IL, and the swap is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. tomorrow. The several problems with this "solution":
1. Effingham is a good 200+ miles--one way--out of my way home.
2. I can't possibly make it to the yard where I park in Romulus from Effingham if I leave at 4:00 before the yard closes for the weekend. (And don't forget the time zone difference. And the likelihood that the swap itself will be late.)
3. I can't possibly make it all the way from here to Effingham to home without violating several DOT hours of service regulations. But I'm going to violate 'em; no way I'm staying out another night when I'm supposed to be home.
4. I will need to drop off the load I'll be picking up in E'ham in Coldwater, MI on my way home, so that's another delay. (I'm told it will be a drop-and-hook rather than a live unload--we'll see how accurate that info turns out to be.)
So you can see why I'm "unhappy". This is the 2nd straight time dispatch has missed getting me home on time. I'll be coming home late at night after a L-O-N-G day working to get there. I'll have to park my truck at an unsecured location--the truck stop nearest my house--and I'm hoping that leaving it there unattended for a couple days won't get it towed.
Well, that's all I have the energy for to write tonight. I hope your days are going better than mine. Thanks for reading, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 393
Pardon me if this update is not especially eloquent today. I'm exhausted from a long day and royally pi**ed off at USA Truck. After delivering my load this morning (never mind that it took 3-1/2 hours for that), I got my assignment for my next load, which was a pickup literally across the street from my delivery. That was progressing well for 30 minutes, then everyone on the dock stopped and went to lunch. They had a sign posted that listed that schedule, so it wasn't a surprise to me, just a disappointment that they didn't finish loading my trailer before lunchtime. Anyway, 30 minutes later they returned and finished my load--within 10 minutes. Probably a union shop--had to take lunch on time, no matter how soon thy could have finished my load so I could get on my way. But I digress.
This load is destined for Valdosta, GA, so I obviously wasn't going to take it all the way there because I'm supposed to get home tomorrow for a couple days off. I knew dispatch would have me swap the load with another driver somewhere. What raised my ire is the solution they came up with. I need to take this load to Effingham, IL, and the swap is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. tomorrow. The several problems with this "solution":
1. Effingham is a good 200+ miles--one way--out of my way home.
2. I can't possibly make it to the yard where I park in Romulus from Effingham if I leave at 4:00 before the yard closes for the weekend. (And don't forget the time zone difference. And the likelihood that the swap itself will be late.)
3. I can't possibly make it all the way from here to Effingham to home without violating several DOT hours of service regulations. But I'm going to violate 'em; no way I'm staying out another night when I'm supposed to be home.
4. I will need to drop off the load I'll be picking up in E'ham in Coldwater, MI on my way home, so that's another delay. (I'm told it will be a drop-and-hook rather than a live unload--we'll see how accurate that info turns out to be.)
So you can see why I'm "unhappy". This is the 2nd straight time dispatch has missed getting me home on time. I'll be coming home late at night after a L-O-N-G day working to get there. I'll have to park my truck at an unsecured location--the truck stop nearest my house--and I'm hoping that leaving it there unattended for a couple days won't get it towed.
Well, that's all I have the energy for to write tonight. I hope your days are going better than mine. Thanks for reading, and keep on truckin'.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
First Stop in MN
DATELINE: ROGERS, MN, 11:00 p.m. CDT
Miles Today: 522
Oy! Such a long day. It was all drive, drive, drive again, with just a few short stops for fuel, food, and rest areas. I got up at 5:00, hit the road shortly after, and just made my way here, arriving just before 4:00. So I was on the go for about 11 hours straight.
By the time I got here, I was wiped out. ("Here", by the way, is a TA truck stop. USA has only 2 fuel stops in the whole state of Minnesota on its network list, and this just happens to be one of them. It also just happens to be right at the exit I need to take to get to my delivery tomorrow morning, which is maybe just a little over a mile from here.) So after parking and checking in with a call home, I hit my bunk for a much-needed nap. When I woke up 4 hours later (8:45 p.m.), I was ready to face the evening.
Though still not completely refreshed, I had enough energy to keep up with my fitness plan. I headed out for a walk, despite the night already being dark. This is a commercial area (eateries, a cineplex, retail shops) and business park, and my route was mainly through the business park. At 9:00 at night, there was very little traffic, so walking along the roads was pleasant. My morning delivery site was close enough to make it the far end of my loop, so I walked past there to scope it out, to see where I'll need to pull in when I arrive with my truck. (It looks like the delivery shouldn't be a problem; plenty of room for maneuvering the truck in the loading dock area.) The walk took just about exactly an hour, so that was in keeping with my daily goal.
And now I'm back in my bunk, having handled today's e-mail messages and written all about my day for y'all. Thanks again for keeping up with my journeys. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 522
Oy! Such a long day. It was all drive, drive, drive again, with just a few short stops for fuel, food, and rest areas. I got up at 5:00, hit the road shortly after, and just made my way here, arriving just before 4:00. So I was on the go for about 11 hours straight.
By the time I got here, I was wiped out. ("Here", by the way, is a TA truck stop. USA has only 2 fuel stops in the whole state of Minnesota on its network list, and this just happens to be one of them. It also just happens to be right at the exit I need to take to get to my delivery tomorrow morning, which is maybe just a little over a mile from here.) So after parking and checking in with a call home, I hit my bunk for a much-needed nap. When I woke up 4 hours later (8:45 p.m.), I was ready to face the evening.
Though still not completely refreshed, I had enough energy to keep up with my fitness plan. I headed out for a walk, despite the night already being dark. This is a commercial area (eateries, a cineplex, retail shops) and business park, and my route was mainly through the business park. At 9:00 at night, there was very little traffic, so walking along the roads was pleasant. My morning delivery site was close enough to make it the far end of my loop, so I walked past there to scope it out, to see where I'll need to pull in when I arrive with my truck. (It looks like the delivery shouldn't be a problem; plenty of room for maneuvering the truck in the loading dock area.) The walk took just about exactly an hour, so that was in keeping with my daily goal.
And now I'm back in my bunk, having handled today's e-mail messages and written all about my day for y'all. Thanks again for keeping up with my journeys. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Heading North
DATELINE: FARMER CITY, IL, 9:30 p.m. CDT
Miles Yesterday: 235
Miles Today: 450
Once more I must apologize for missing a daily update. My laptop froze up on me when I was going to start my update, and I had to resort to letting the battery run down in order for it to shut down. That process usually takes 2-3 hours, and by the time it had run down, so had I, and it was time for bed. Anyway, here's my recap of yesterday's and today's activities.
Yesterday I slept in 'til 8:30. It was, after all, a holiday, and I only had a couple hundred miles to drive. I was on duty by 9:15, on my way east to the Nashville area. My destination was the TA in Antioch, just southeast of the big city, where I've "Datelined" before. I took the drive nice 'n easy, and arrived in the early afternoon. I had lots of free time, so I played in 3 more 9-player sit-n-go Hold-Em tournaments. The nasty combination of bad cards and bad beats knocked me out of the first two in 4th and 5th place (4th place is seeming to become a specialty of mine--not so good since only the top 3 places are in the money), but I finally got my share of good cards and won the third one. After that it was time for dinner. I closed up my laptop and headed in to the Popeye's Chicken stand inside the truck stop. I look forward to stopping at the TAs with Popeye's, 'cuz that chicken is go-o-o-o-o-od! (And so are their biscuits!).
After dinner I returned to my truck to blog away for you. That's when the aforementioned laptop freeze-up occurred. So I read a little bit, then decided to continue my new fitness regimen. You recall I had done a little running in West Memphis the previous night, so last night I went out for a walk. My plan is to either run or walk (or both) each day, if location and weather circumstances permit. On days I run, I'll combine running and walking for at least 30 minutes. On walk-only days (with my bad knees I can't run every day), I'll walk for at least 60 minutes. So last night I headed down the road for a couple miles and back, for a little more than an hour total. My walk was during the hour of dusk, and it was pretty nice out; not too hot, and the road I travelled--through a business park area--had light traffic. Then it was back to the truck to agonize (that's the polite word for it) about my uncooperative computer, read some more, and hit the sack.
This morning I arose at 6:00 to prepare for my workday. My delivery was scheduled for 8:00 and was less than 15 miles away, so I had plenty of time for a shower, shave, breakfast (just a bowl of cereal), and to be early for my appointment. The delivery was another drop-and-hook, and went just fine.
Before I left there I had my next assignment: Make a pickup in Nashville at 2:00, the load bound for a Minneapolis, MN suburb and a Thursday morning delivery. Now this was still just about 8:00, so first I headed back to the Antioch TA (which was on the way back to Nashville) for lunch and to check with Dispatch if the load would be ready early. I didn't want to sit still for several hours while my 14-hour clock for the day was ticking, especially since the trip would be 800+ miles.
Popeye's opens at 9:00, so I had my "lunch" then (I just can't pass up their spicy fried chicken when it's available). Afterwards I returned to my truck and a message from dispatch: "the load was pre-loaded and should be ready." So I set out for the short drive to the northern side of N'ville for the pickup. This was, obviously, another drop-and-hook, though the place was busy and I had to wait a bit to check in and get my instructions. But I was finished there in 60 minutes and on my way north.
The rest of my workday was just driving to here, which is a rest area along I-74 in central IL, about halfway between Bloomington and Urbane-Champana--er, I mean, Urbana-Champaign. I did make some rest stops and one for a bite to eat (a Quizno's at a truck stop in Kentucky--found another food frolic--their Baja Chicken sandwich--tres bien!), but otherwise it was just steady driving. I got here about 6:45 p.m. then, with the terrific weather, took another dusk-hour walk, taking laps around the rest area for 60 minutes. So far, so good with the fitness plan. And now I'm filling you in with all of the insignificant details of my last 2 days.
Tomorrow I'll be able to get to the Minneapolis area so I'll be poised to swoop in quickly to my delivery Thursday morning. After that I anticipate getting a load headed for Michigan, since I'm scheduled to get home on Friday. Perhaps I'll get to stop in the Milwaukee area on Thursday night and see my sister and her family there once more. But I won't know about that 'til I get that load assignment. Keep checking back to find out.
Thanks for checking in. Please do send in some comments, 'cuz Mrs. R.T. is having computer problems of her own and can't read my blog or comment on it. And don't forget to keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 235
Miles Today: 450
Once more I must apologize for missing a daily update. My laptop froze up on me when I was going to start my update, and I had to resort to letting the battery run down in order for it to shut down. That process usually takes 2-3 hours, and by the time it had run down, so had I, and it was time for bed. Anyway, here's my recap of yesterday's and today's activities.
Yesterday I slept in 'til 8:30. It was, after all, a holiday, and I only had a couple hundred miles to drive. I was on duty by 9:15, on my way east to the Nashville area. My destination was the TA in Antioch, just southeast of the big city, where I've "Datelined" before. I took the drive nice 'n easy, and arrived in the early afternoon. I had lots of free time, so I played in 3 more 9-player sit-n-go Hold-Em tournaments. The nasty combination of bad cards and bad beats knocked me out of the first two in 4th and 5th place (4th place is seeming to become a specialty of mine--not so good since only the top 3 places are in the money), but I finally got my share of good cards and won the third one. After that it was time for dinner. I closed up my laptop and headed in to the Popeye's Chicken stand inside the truck stop. I look forward to stopping at the TAs with Popeye's, 'cuz that chicken is go-o-o-o-o-od! (And so are their biscuits!).
After dinner I returned to my truck to blog away for you. That's when the aforementioned laptop freeze-up occurred. So I read a little bit, then decided to continue my new fitness regimen. You recall I had done a little running in West Memphis the previous night, so last night I went out for a walk. My plan is to either run or walk (or both) each day, if location and weather circumstances permit. On days I run, I'll combine running and walking for at least 30 minutes. On walk-only days (with my bad knees I can't run every day), I'll walk for at least 60 minutes. So last night I headed down the road for a couple miles and back, for a little more than an hour total. My walk was during the hour of dusk, and it was pretty nice out; not too hot, and the road I travelled--through a business park area--had light traffic. Then it was back to the truck to agonize (that's the polite word for it) about my uncooperative computer, read some more, and hit the sack.
This morning I arose at 6:00 to prepare for my workday. My delivery was scheduled for 8:00 and was less than 15 miles away, so I had plenty of time for a shower, shave, breakfast (just a bowl of cereal), and to be early for my appointment. The delivery was another drop-and-hook, and went just fine.
Before I left there I had my next assignment: Make a pickup in Nashville at 2:00, the load bound for a Minneapolis, MN suburb and a Thursday morning delivery. Now this was still just about 8:00, so first I headed back to the Antioch TA (which was on the way back to Nashville) for lunch and to check with Dispatch if the load would be ready early. I didn't want to sit still for several hours while my 14-hour clock for the day was ticking, especially since the trip would be 800+ miles.
Popeye's opens at 9:00, so I had my "lunch" then (I just can't pass up their spicy fried chicken when it's available). Afterwards I returned to my truck and a message from dispatch: "the load was pre-loaded and should be ready." So I set out for the short drive to the northern side of N'ville for the pickup. This was, obviously, another drop-and-hook, though the place was busy and I had to wait a bit to check in and get my instructions. But I was finished there in 60 minutes and on my way north.
The rest of my workday was just driving to here, which is a rest area along I-74 in central IL, about halfway between Bloomington and Urbane-Champana--er, I mean, Urbana-Champaign. I did make some rest stops and one for a bite to eat (a Quizno's at a truck stop in Kentucky--found another food frolic--their Baja Chicken sandwich--tres bien!), but otherwise it was just steady driving. I got here about 6:45 p.m. then, with the terrific weather, took another dusk-hour walk, taking laps around the rest area for 60 minutes. So far, so good with the fitness plan. And now I'm filling you in with all of the insignificant details of my last 2 days.
Tomorrow I'll be able to get to the Minneapolis area so I'll be poised to swoop in quickly to my delivery Thursday morning. After that I anticipate getting a load headed for Michigan, since I'm scheduled to get home on Friday. Perhaps I'll get to stop in the Milwaukee area on Thursday night and see my sister and her family there once more. But I won't know about that 'til I get that load assignment. Keep checking back to find out.
Thanks for checking in. Please do send in some comments, 'cuz Mrs. R.T. is having computer problems of her own and can't read my blog or comment on it. And don't forget to keep on truckin'.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Two-Fer
DATELINE: WEST MEMPHIS, AR, 9:15 p.m. CDT
Miles Yesterday: 388
Miles Today: 471
Once again I owe you a two-fer, since I failed to compose and post an update yesterday. So here goes.
Yesterday's update, had I made one, would have been entitled, "Workday Interrupted." I get up in the morning at 6:30 and was rolling at 7:15. It took me 4-1/2 hours to reach my delivery in Marietta, OK. The delivery was a simple drop-and-hook, and took me just a few minutes to complete. (And I did a perfect job of backing the loaded trailer into the spot I was assigned--I didn't even need a single pull-up to straighten the trailer in the space! Wahoo!) Before I left my next assignment came in: pick up a loaded trailer (another drop-and-hook) in Ardmore, OK, 17 miles up the highway from Marietta, at 9:00 p.m.
Since it was now 12:30, that gap concerned me. Mainly, that pickup time was when my 14-hour driving window for the day would expire. I zipped over to the truck stop near the customer to whom I had just delivered, parked, and sent a message to dispatch asking if that load would be ready early. Fortunately, they had word that it would be ready at 4:00. So I relaxed for 3-1/2 hours mid-day, having lunch and playing a couple of online sit-n-go tournaments (I won one of 'em).
At 4:00 I headed up the road to Ardmore to make the pickup. That went mostly OK, as I had to back my empty trailer to a dock door before snagging the new loaded one. Because of the location of the specific dock door near the gate, the empty trailers they had parked across from the docks, and another truck parked in front of those trailers and almost in front of the assigned dock, it was a very tight squeeze getting positioned just right to successfully back into the dock. It took me 3 or 4 attempts to get into the perfect setup, but I did get it in there.
After that docking and hooking up the new trailer, I headed north, aiming to spend the night at a Flying J in Oklahoma City that I've been to a couple times before. By the way, this load is destined for the Nashville, TN area, due for a Tuesday morning delivery. My plan was to make the OKC stop, drive to West Memphis today, then Nashville tomorrow. So far, so good. I slept in this morning and didn't hit the road 'til 9:30. OK, I was up late last night pokering, so I didn't get a real good night's sleep. But with all the extra time I have on this load, I could afford to do so.
Anyway, today's drive was uneventful. I arrived here at the West Memphis terminal at 6:00. The weather was warm and sunny, though not as ungodly hot as the south has been lately. So I got into my running clothes and took a run around the parking lot (this is USA's biggest terminal lot). I'm badly out of shape, so the lot was plenty big enough for my efforts--10 minutes of slogging before I had to reduce to a walk. I did keep walking a while longer and threw in 4 "sprints" of 150 yards or so just to work a little bit on a faster pace. It felt good (afterwards) to get in the workout; I'm going to have to make time for more in the future. It's just sometimes difficult to find safe places to run or walk at truck stops.
And that's all the news for now. Tomorrow will be a short work day (4 hours or so to drive to Nashville), despite it being Labor Day. Thanks for checking in again, have a great holiday, and keep on commentin' and truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 388
Miles Today: 471
Once again I owe you a two-fer, since I failed to compose and post an update yesterday. So here goes.
Yesterday's update, had I made one, would have been entitled, "Workday Interrupted." I get up in the morning at 6:30 and was rolling at 7:15. It took me 4-1/2 hours to reach my delivery in Marietta, OK. The delivery was a simple drop-and-hook, and took me just a few minutes to complete. (And I did a perfect job of backing the loaded trailer into the spot I was assigned--I didn't even need a single pull-up to straighten the trailer in the space! Wahoo!) Before I left my next assignment came in: pick up a loaded trailer (another drop-and-hook) in Ardmore, OK, 17 miles up the highway from Marietta, at 9:00 p.m.
Since it was now 12:30, that gap concerned me. Mainly, that pickup time was when my 14-hour driving window for the day would expire. I zipped over to the truck stop near the customer to whom I had just delivered, parked, and sent a message to dispatch asking if that load would be ready early. Fortunately, they had word that it would be ready at 4:00. So I relaxed for 3-1/2 hours mid-day, having lunch and playing a couple of online sit-n-go tournaments (I won one of 'em).
At 4:00 I headed up the road to Ardmore to make the pickup. That went mostly OK, as I had to back my empty trailer to a dock door before snagging the new loaded one. Because of the location of the specific dock door near the gate, the empty trailers they had parked across from the docks, and another truck parked in front of those trailers and almost in front of the assigned dock, it was a very tight squeeze getting positioned just right to successfully back into the dock. It took me 3 or 4 attempts to get into the perfect setup, but I did get it in there.
After that docking and hooking up the new trailer, I headed north, aiming to spend the night at a Flying J in Oklahoma City that I've been to a couple times before. By the way, this load is destined for the Nashville, TN area, due for a Tuesday morning delivery. My plan was to make the OKC stop, drive to West Memphis today, then Nashville tomorrow. So far, so good. I slept in this morning and didn't hit the road 'til 9:30. OK, I was up late last night pokering, so I didn't get a real good night's sleep. But with all the extra time I have on this load, I could afford to do so.
Anyway, today's drive was uneventful. I arrived here at the West Memphis terminal at 6:00. The weather was warm and sunny, though not as ungodly hot as the south has been lately. So I got into my running clothes and took a run around the parking lot (this is USA's biggest terminal lot). I'm badly out of shape, so the lot was plenty big enough for my efforts--10 minutes of slogging before I had to reduce to a walk. I did keep walking a while longer and threw in 4 "sprints" of 150 yards or so just to work a little bit on a faster pace. It felt good (afterwards) to get in the workout; I'm going to have to make time for more in the future. It's just sometimes difficult to find safe places to run or walk at truck stops.
And that's all the news for now. Tomorrow will be a short work day (4 hours or so to drive to Nashville), despite it being Labor Day. Thanks for checking in again, have a great holiday, and keep on commentin' and truckin'.
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