DATELINE: CADDO MILLS, TX, 8:00 p.m. CST
Miles Today: 478
Well the sun has rose and the sun has set,
And I ain't out of Texas yet.
'Tis a long way to get out of Texas when you start from Laredo, especially when you need to leave through the northern part of the state, as I do with this load. (Well, it wouldn't be that long if you went south or west.) Actually, I could have made it today had I pushed the pace and used all of my allotted driving hours, but I have plenty of time and could use a "shorter" day. So I only drove for 8-3/4 hours today. Most of my route today was straight up I-35 from Laredo, passing through San Antonio, Waco, Austin, and more 'til I hit Dallas and headed east on I-30. I could have made it to Texarkana, AR in another 2 hours, but the truck stops there woulda' been getting full by then. Instead, I stopped here at a Pilot where I've spent the night before.
The weather today was grey with some intermittent misty rain, but no real rainfall. But it was warm enough to walk around outside in just a T-shirt and jeans; not chilly at all. Much better than the weather has been back home, from what I hear. But I'm sure I'll be back in that soon enough.
For the rest of this missive I'll respond to reader nancyr's comments and questions.
1. I don't agree that it's "goof" that I didn't have to wait until 1:00 am to drop my load in Laredo. I actually think it was quite good. (Hey, she nailed me on a typo before, so I gotta call her on hers, right?)
2. Q: Is "netizen" a made-up word? I haven't seen it before.
A: I believe I have encountered it before. I'm sure it is a made-up word, but I didn't make it up. (When you get down to it, weren't ALL words "made-up" at one point or another?)
3. Q: You're driving through a lot of Texas these days. Is there much difference between one area of Texas and another? It's a huge state - but do the different regions feel distinct?
A: Yes.
Oh, you want me to expand on that last answer? OK. The tourist info centers at the rest areas in this state proclaim 7 or 8 distinct regions, from Piney Woods to Prairie. I haven't studied them or remember all of them, but y'all can do some research to find out more. From the parts I've driven through, mainly the eastern half of the state (skipping the obvious differences between urban and "middle of nowhere" areas), the one feature that sticks out as the same to me is the wide open sky. As a Michigander, I'm used to lots of tall trees making it difficult to see much of the horizon. Here in TX, most places have quite expansive horizons. But there are differences from region to region in the amount the ground rolls, and the plant life that dominates. But it all feels like "Texas".
Thanks again for taking time to read about my meandering. Comment away, and keep on truckin'.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Across the South in 2 Days
DATELINE: LAREDO, TX, 9:45 p.m. CST
Sorry, gang, for missing a couple of days there. USA's been keeping me busy, and I've been too tired and/or in the wrong mood for creative writing at the end of those long days. I'm a-gonna make this update quick, too, 'cuz today has also been long, as will tomorrow.
On TUESDAY I finished the drive to my delivery in SC. It was a drop-and-hook, so it went nice 'n quick once I got there. My next assignment came in in record time, too, and I was on my way south across the state to North Augusta, SC (by Augusta, GA) for my next pickup. This time the pickup was a live load, and I had a goodly wait there 'til the dock door they assigned me even opened up (i.e., the truck already in it finished up and left). But once in the dock, the load didn't take too long (45-ish minutes), then I was on my way for another hour or so before stopping for the night. By the way, my new load was headed here, to USA Truck's terminal in Laredo.
WEDNESDAY was just a lot of driving PLUS two hours at a weigh station in Georgia for a DOT inspection. All that time for a clean bill of health--no violations whatsoever. It just put me behind schedule and used up a valuable chunk of my 70 work hours. I made it from eastern GA all the way to Breaux Bridge, LA, just east of Lafayette, in my allotted driving hours for the day.
TODAY (THURSDAY) I continued the long drive, making it all the way here to Laredo in 10 hours of driving. My delivery time was scheduled for 1:00 a.m. on Friday, but since I could get here today, I did. I'm spending the night here at the terminal 'cuz my next assignment is another loaded trailer I'll pick up here in the morning and haul to northern Kentucky. Besides, I only had 1 more driving hour available, so I wasn't going to get very far anyway. (Plus any truck stops I'd come across would have a good chance of being full by the time I'd get there.)
That's all I can manage for now; I gotta get me to bed. Thanks for taking a look at this update. PLEASE send me a comment and/or question...I do look forward to seeing input from my fellow netizens. And, as always, keep on truckin'.
Sorry, gang, for missing a couple of days there. USA's been keeping me busy, and I've been too tired and/or in the wrong mood for creative writing at the end of those long days. I'm a-gonna make this update quick, too, 'cuz today has also been long, as will tomorrow.
On TUESDAY I finished the drive to my delivery in SC. It was a drop-and-hook, so it went nice 'n quick once I got there. My next assignment came in in record time, too, and I was on my way south across the state to North Augusta, SC (by Augusta, GA) for my next pickup. This time the pickup was a live load, and I had a goodly wait there 'til the dock door they assigned me even opened up (i.e., the truck already in it finished up and left). But once in the dock, the load didn't take too long (45-ish minutes), then I was on my way for another hour or so before stopping for the night. By the way, my new load was headed here, to USA Truck's terminal in Laredo.
WEDNESDAY was just a lot of driving PLUS two hours at a weigh station in Georgia for a DOT inspection. All that time for a clean bill of health--no violations whatsoever. It just put me behind schedule and used up a valuable chunk of my 70 work hours. I made it from eastern GA all the way to Breaux Bridge, LA, just east of Lafayette, in my allotted driving hours for the day.
TODAY (THURSDAY) I continued the long drive, making it all the way here to Laredo in 10 hours of driving. My delivery time was scheduled for 1:00 a.m. on Friday, but since I could get here today, I did. I'm spending the night here at the terminal 'cuz my next assignment is another loaded trailer I'll pick up here in the morning and haul to northern Kentucky. Besides, I only had 1 more driving hour available, so I wasn't going to get very far anyway. (Plus any truck stops I'd come across would have a good chance of being full by the time I'd get there.)
That's all I can manage for now; I gotta get me to bed. Thanks for taking a look at this update. PLEASE send me a comment and/or question...I do look forward to seeing input from my fellow netizens. And, as always, keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Rainy Days and Mondays
DATELINE: CORBIN, KY, 11/27/07, 4:15 a.m.
Miles Yesterday: 422
Greetings from back on the road! I'll just make this quick this morning before I get ready and rolling again. I'm writing prior to work this morning because I was plumb tuckered out when I stopped last night, and just went straight to bed. Anyway, here's what's going on now.
Mrs. R.T. drove me back to my truck early yesterday morning, before 6:00 a.m. Just before 8:00 my assignment came in: pick up a load just down the road in Romulus, MI (about 2 miles from where I park my truck), at a place I've made pickups 3 times before. Then lug that load to Fountain, Inn, SC (just east of Greenville) for a noon delivery on Tuesday (today).
I scooted on over to the pickup, which went nice 'n quickly--I was done there well within 30 minutes of arriving. Then it was onto the Interstate system for my trip south. Other than brief stints on I-94 and I-275 to get to my main route, yesterday was all southbound I-75. 'Twas a lousy day for driving; rain pretty much the whole way, including a couple of heavy downpours. Add in some traffic jams around Dayton and in Cincinnati, and that Ohio stretch just continues to be magical. (Don't let the dripping sarcasm splash you.)
I made it as far as this town in southern KY before fatigue helped me decide to pack it in for the night, even though I had another 2 hours available for driving. With the darkness and rain making visibility difficult, the fatigue was the deciding factor for stopping. I've spent the night at a Pilot truck stop--er, Travel Center--like I mentioned, going to sleep upon arrival. I had planned to get up this morning at 5:15, but after getting to bed so early last night, I woke up a wee bit earlier, 3:30-ish. Oh well, that's to your benefit since I have time to post this report before starting my workday. I'll hit the road around 6:00 and should have plenty of time to get to my delivery on time. I have about 260 miles to go.
Thanks for checking back in. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 422
Greetings from back on the road! I'll just make this quick this morning before I get ready and rolling again. I'm writing prior to work this morning because I was plumb tuckered out when I stopped last night, and just went straight to bed. Anyway, here's what's going on now.
Mrs. R.T. drove me back to my truck early yesterday morning, before 6:00 a.m. Just before 8:00 my assignment came in: pick up a load just down the road in Romulus, MI (about 2 miles from where I park my truck), at a place I've made pickups 3 times before. Then lug that load to Fountain, Inn, SC (just east of Greenville) for a noon delivery on Tuesday (today).
I scooted on over to the pickup, which went nice 'n quickly--I was done there well within 30 minutes of arriving. Then it was onto the Interstate system for my trip south. Other than brief stints on I-94 and I-275 to get to my main route, yesterday was all southbound I-75. 'Twas a lousy day for driving; rain pretty much the whole way, including a couple of heavy downpours. Add in some traffic jams around Dayton and in Cincinnati, and that Ohio stretch just continues to be magical. (Don't let the dripping sarcasm splash you.)
I made it as far as this town in southern KY before fatigue helped me decide to pack it in for the night, even though I had another 2 hours available for driving. With the darkness and rain making visibility difficult, the fatigue was the deciding factor for stopping. I've spent the night at a Pilot truck stop--er, Travel Center--like I mentioned, going to sleep upon arrival. I had planned to get up this morning at 5:15, but after getting to bed so early last night, I woke up a wee bit earlier, 3:30-ish. Oh well, that's to your benefit since I have time to post this report before starting my workday. I'll hit the road around 6:00 and should have plenty of time to get to my delivery on time. I have about 260 miles to go.
Thanks for checking back in. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Home Early for T-Day
DATELINE: HOME!!!
Miles Yesterday: 355
Miles Monday: 262
Miles Sunday: 584
Many apologies for the lack of updates the last few days. Somehow I just wasn't in the right mood for blogging. Probably due to having been away from home for 4 weeks and closing in on my next home time. But I am home now--early, in fact--and ready to catch you up on my truckin' job. (Pardon the implied cursing there.)
On Sunday I just made the long drive from Oklahoma City to Effingham, IL. It's a good, full-day trip, and it went without a hitch for me. Nothing notable about the day. I got up early, hit the Sonic for a Steak, Bacon, & Egg Burrito for breakfast, then hit the road around 6:45. I stopped for the night at the Flying J in Effingham once again.
Monday morning I sent in a message to my Fleet Manager asking if the plan was for me to keep my load 'til its delivery on Wednesday or to drop it at the Vandalia, OH and pick up another load to get more miles. If the former, I was going to swing by home for a day, since the delivery would be just outside Toledo, about an hour from home. That would mean turning north at Indianapolis on my way by. But I was instructed to head to Vandalia, which meant continuing east past Indy.
I completed the 5-ish-hour drive from Effingham to Vandalia, parked and unhooked my loaded trailer, and waited for my next assignment. That came in fairly soon; I was to grab another loaded trailer from the yard and deliver it at 11:00 Tuesday morning just outside of Columbus, OH. Actually, that was the first stop of 2 for the load. The second isn't 'til December 3, so after making the first stop on Tuesday, I would take the trailer up to the yard in Romulus, MI where I leave my truck during my time home, park there, then head home. A DAY EARLY! (I wasn't due to go home 'til Wednesday.) That was the assignment because the Romulus yard would close for the Thanksgiving weekend late Tuesday night, so I'd have to be there before then or else try, at the last minute, to find somewhere else secure to leave my truck.
I spent most of the remainder of Monday in my truck having horrendous luck at the online poker tables. Tuesday morning I headed over to make the delivery, arriving there about 30 minutes early. I was slightly dismayed by a sign at the place informing drivers that live unloads could take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours. Fortunately, once they started unloading the portion for this stop, it didn't take them very long. But they didn't start 'til I had been there over 2 hours.
All in all, I was only there for about 3 hours, then on my way home. I reached the yard at 8:00. Many thanks to reader jerry for giving me a ride home, since Mrs. R.T. was working. And now I'm home, working on overeating for the weekend. I'll be back to work Monday morning, probably 'til right before Christmas. Then I'm eligible for my 1-week vacation. WOO-HOO! But now I'll take a couple minutes to answer reader dennis the accompanist's latest question.
Dennis asks, "Sometimes I see semis on the road with things (like building supplies) strapped down to a flatbed trailer. Do you haul stuff like that? Or do you only get enclosed trailers?"
Well, Den, USA Truck drivers only haul the enclosed, 53-foot trailers, what are known as "dry vans". That's fine by me, 'cuz those "strap-down" loads are a bunch more work for the drivers. But, as I understand it, those drivers do get paid a little more for that work. However, at my advanced age and late entry into this profession, I think I'd rather leave that extra work to others.
Thanks all for taking a peek at my blog today. Have a very happy Thanksgiving, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 355
Miles Monday: 262
Miles Sunday: 584
Many apologies for the lack of updates the last few days. Somehow I just wasn't in the right mood for blogging. Probably due to having been away from home for 4 weeks and closing in on my next home time. But I am home now--early, in fact--and ready to catch you up on my truckin' job. (Pardon the implied cursing there.)
On Sunday I just made the long drive from Oklahoma City to Effingham, IL. It's a good, full-day trip, and it went without a hitch for me. Nothing notable about the day. I got up early, hit the Sonic for a Steak, Bacon, & Egg Burrito for breakfast, then hit the road around 6:45. I stopped for the night at the Flying J in Effingham once again.
Monday morning I sent in a message to my Fleet Manager asking if the plan was for me to keep my load 'til its delivery on Wednesday or to drop it at the Vandalia, OH and pick up another load to get more miles. If the former, I was going to swing by home for a day, since the delivery would be just outside Toledo, about an hour from home. That would mean turning north at Indianapolis on my way by. But I was instructed to head to Vandalia, which meant continuing east past Indy.
I completed the 5-ish-hour drive from Effingham to Vandalia, parked and unhooked my loaded trailer, and waited for my next assignment. That came in fairly soon; I was to grab another loaded trailer from the yard and deliver it at 11:00 Tuesday morning just outside of Columbus, OH. Actually, that was the first stop of 2 for the load. The second isn't 'til December 3, so after making the first stop on Tuesday, I would take the trailer up to the yard in Romulus, MI where I leave my truck during my time home, park there, then head home. A DAY EARLY! (I wasn't due to go home 'til Wednesday.) That was the assignment because the Romulus yard would close for the Thanksgiving weekend late Tuesday night, so I'd have to be there before then or else try, at the last minute, to find somewhere else secure to leave my truck.
I spent most of the remainder of Monday in my truck having horrendous luck at the online poker tables. Tuesday morning I headed over to make the delivery, arriving there about 30 minutes early. I was slightly dismayed by a sign at the place informing drivers that live unloads could take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours. Fortunately, once they started unloading the portion for this stop, it didn't take them very long. But they didn't start 'til I had been there over 2 hours.
All in all, I was only there for about 3 hours, then on my way home. I reached the yard at 8:00. Many thanks to reader jerry for giving me a ride home, since Mrs. R.T. was working. And now I'm home, working on overeating for the weekend. I'll be back to work Monday morning, probably 'til right before Christmas. Then I'm eligible for my 1-week vacation. WOO-HOO! But now I'll take a couple minutes to answer reader dennis the accompanist's latest question.
Dennis asks, "Sometimes I see semis on the road with things (like building supplies) strapped down to a flatbed trailer. Do you haul stuff like that? Or do you only get enclosed trailers?"
Well, Den, USA Truck drivers only haul the enclosed, 53-foot trailers, what are known as "dry vans". That's fine by me, 'cuz those "strap-down" loads are a bunch more work for the drivers. But, as I understand it, those drivers do get paid a little more for that work. However, at my advanced age and late entry into this profession, I think I'd rather leave that extra work to others.
Thanks all for taking a peek at my blog today. Have a very happy Thanksgiving, and keep on truckin'.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
On My Way Out of the South
DATELINE: OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 9:45 p.m. CST
Miles Yesterday: 364
Miles Today: 474
Well I guess I'd better get y'all an update here, since I missed yesterday. Wasn't much to write about yesterday; I just drove to Lubbock and spent the night at the Flying J there. Although that was all a new part of the country for me, it was still a pretty dull drive, just mainly the prairie. But I can now say I've been to Amarillo and Lubbock. Woo-hoo!
This morning I arose early--intentionally this time--and headed out at 6:00 towards my delivery. This was an unusual delivery, because it was to a construction site--I'm guessing some sort of oil plant. It was west of the small town of Sundown, TX, in the middle of tabletop-flat land sprouting nothing but scrub brush and oil pumps--lots of both. In fact, the only address I had was, "4 Miles West of FM301". (It actually should have said, "4 Miles West of Sundown on FM301.) "FM301" is the name of the road. But dispatch had gotten the directions ahead of time and provided them to me, so I found it with no trouble. The drive over took just about exactly one hour.
The delivery was also unusual because there wasn't a building nor any loading docks. I had to park alongside a materials staging area at the construction site and they had to unload with a fork lift built for reaching into the trailer from the ground, rather than driving into the back of the trailer. My load was 12 big, industrial ventilation fans. But all went well, although slow. It took over 2 hours from my arrival 'til my departure. But, as you regular readers know, I've spent much more time than that at many other sites, so it wasn't too bad.
After completing the delivery, I drove the hour back to the Lubbock Flying J. I expected that anywhere I'd have to go to make my next pickup, I'd have to go from there since it was the middle of nowhere. And I was right. My next assignment message came in soon after I arrived at "the J": drive 250 miles (300+ if you include the mileage from Sundown to Lubbock) to Lawton, OK to pick up a load bound for northern Ohio.
The route from Lubbock to Lawton was US-82 east to Wichita Falls, TX, then I-44 to Lawton. I gotta say that (most of) the drive along 82 was fascinating, topographically. It started out as flat prairie and farmland--mostly cotton fields. LOTS of cotton fields. (I expect that satellite photos of the area look like the ground is pure white because of all the cotton.) After a while of flatlands, all of a sudden the road descended into a canyon. Nothing like the Grand Canyon, of course, but obviously a gouge in the ground caused by water erosion. It must have been at least 10 miles across before the road came up on the other side to yet more flatlands. Not too long after that, though, the terrain became more rolling, showing that it had been carved by more erosion, rather than from uplifting of the earth's crust. Add the huge, unbroken sky and it all made for some pretty spectacular views for a Michigan boy. I highly recommend the drive for anyone who hasn't seen that part of the country yet. Anyway, back to my workday.
The Lubbock-to-Lawton transit took me 5 hours. My pickup was at a site I've been to on 3 or 4 previous occasions now, so I know the routine well. It was a drop-and-hook pickup, and I was in and out of there fairly quickly. Then I made my way up here to Oklahoma City yet again. This time I've stopped for the night at my "usual" OKC haunt, the Flying J with the Sonic across the street. (I'm sure I'll grab breakfast over there in the morning.) I had another couple hours available to drive, but I'd been on the go for almost 12 hours since starting this morning, and I was getting a bit tired. Besides, there wouldn't be any good places to stop around where my hours would run out. And, this load isn't due for delivery 'til Wednesday morning, so I'm in no rush.
I plan to reach Effingham, IL tomorrow, then on to our Vandalia, OH terminal on Monday. Since the load doesn't deliver 'til Wednesday, I plan to lobby my Fleet Manager to let me drop it in Vandalia so I can get another load to get some more miles before I head home on Wednesday. (Home. Sigh! I haven't been there for almost 4 weeks now. In fact, I haven't been north of Vandalia since, either. This tour of duty has been all across the south, including 4 trips into Texas.)
Well, it's been a long day now and I'm good 'n tired. Thanks for taking a peek at today's update. Send in a question and/or comment, and keep on truckin.
Miles Yesterday: 364
Miles Today: 474
Well I guess I'd better get y'all an update here, since I missed yesterday. Wasn't much to write about yesterday; I just drove to Lubbock and spent the night at the Flying J there. Although that was all a new part of the country for me, it was still a pretty dull drive, just mainly the prairie. But I can now say I've been to Amarillo and Lubbock. Woo-hoo!
This morning I arose early--intentionally this time--and headed out at 6:00 towards my delivery. This was an unusual delivery, because it was to a construction site--I'm guessing some sort of oil plant. It was west of the small town of Sundown, TX, in the middle of tabletop-flat land sprouting nothing but scrub brush and oil pumps--lots of both. In fact, the only address I had was, "4 Miles West of FM301". (It actually should have said, "4 Miles West of Sundown on FM301.) "FM301" is the name of the road. But dispatch had gotten the directions ahead of time and provided them to me, so I found it with no trouble. The drive over took just about exactly one hour.
The delivery was also unusual because there wasn't a building nor any loading docks. I had to park alongside a materials staging area at the construction site and they had to unload with a fork lift built for reaching into the trailer from the ground, rather than driving into the back of the trailer. My load was 12 big, industrial ventilation fans. But all went well, although slow. It took over 2 hours from my arrival 'til my departure. But, as you regular readers know, I've spent much more time than that at many other sites, so it wasn't too bad.
After completing the delivery, I drove the hour back to the Lubbock Flying J. I expected that anywhere I'd have to go to make my next pickup, I'd have to go from there since it was the middle of nowhere. And I was right. My next assignment message came in soon after I arrived at "the J": drive 250 miles (300+ if you include the mileage from Sundown to Lubbock) to Lawton, OK to pick up a load bound for northern Ohio.
The route from Lubbock to Lawton was US-82 east to Wichita Falls, TX, then I-44 to Lawton. I gotta say that (most of) the drive along 82 was fascinating, topographically. It started out as flat prairie and farmland--mostly cotton fields. LOTS of cotton fields. (I expect that satellite photos of the area look like the ground is pure white because of all the cotton.) After a while of flatlands, all of a sudden the road descended into a canyon. Nothing like the Grand Canyon, of course, but obviously a gouge in the ground caused by water erosion. It must have been at least 10 miles across before the road came up on the other side to yet more flatlands. Not too long after that, though, the terrain became more rolling, showing that it had been carved by more erosion, rather than from uplifting of the earth's crust. Add the huge, unbroken sky and it all made for some pretty spectacular views for a Michigan boy. I highly recommend the drive for anyone who hasn't seen that part of the country yet. Anyway, back to my workday.
The Lubbock-to-Lawton transit took me 5 hours. My pickup was at a site I've been to on 3 or 4 previous occasions now, so I know the routine well. It was a drop-and-hook pickup, and I was in and out of there fairly quickly. Then I made my way up here to Oklahoma City yet again. This time I've stopped for the night at my "usual" OKC haunt, the Flying J with the Sonic across the street. (I'm sure I'll grab breakfast over there in the morning.) I had another couple hours available to drive, but I'd been on the go for almost 12 hours since starting this morning, and I was getting a bit tired. Besides, there wouldn't be any good places to stop around where my hours would run out. And, this load isn't due for delivery 'til Wednesday morning, so I'm in no rush.
I plan to reach Effingham, IL tomorrow, then on to our Vandalia, OH terminal on Monday. Since the load doesn't deliver 'til Wednesday, I plan to lobby my Fleet Manager to let me drop it in Vandalia so I can get another load to get some more miles before I head home on Wednesday. (Home. Sigh! I haven't been there for almost 4 weeks now. In fact, I haven't been north of Vandalia since, either. This tour of duty has been all across the south, including 4 trips into Texas.)
Well, it's been a long day now and I'm good 'n tired. Thanks for taking a peek at today's update. Send in a question and/or comment, and keep on truckin.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Westward Expansion
DATELINE: OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 5:15 p.m. CST
Miles Today: 381
How about this? Two updates in one day! (Don't miss this morning's report, below.) Since I caught up on a lot in that earlier update, this one'll be nice 'n short. And I'll answer reader dennis the accompanist's deer-in-headlights question, too. So let's get right to my workday.
Picking up from where I left off this morning, I headed down the road to my pickup in Jacksonville, AR. 'Twas a smallish company, number-of-loading-docks-wise, but they had a huge lot and getting my truck lined up to back into the dock was easy. The loading process went nice and smooth, and I was on my way in about 45 minutes.
I made a stop about 1-1/2 hours later at a Flying J en route so I could get cleaned up. I hadn't had a chance for a shower the previous couple of mornings, and my pickup this morning had a gravel lot, so I was feeling dusty and grungy, and my face was scratchy. There was a waiting list for the showers, so I ambled over to their restaurant area and grabbed a slice of pizza. (Most Flying Js have pizza counters under the name of "Pepperoni's". Some also have "Magic Dragon" Chinese food stands, too.) My number for the shower was called just as I was finishing my slice (Hawaiian--ham and pineapple) in a burst of good timing.
All cleaned up, I was back rolling westward. Another 90 minutes later I reached the Fort Smith area and pulled into our Van Buren terminal to get some diesel in my tanks. After that, I just made my way over here to OKC, which was my goal for the day, about halfway on my journey to the Texas panhandle. I intended to stop at a Flying J here (not the one where I usually stop in this city; that one is a bit out of my route) that is on the company fuel network list. However, as I was reaching the designated exit, I noticed there's a TA at the same exit, and it has a Popeye's Chicken. 'Nuff said; I parked at the TA. I've already had my chicken dinner, too--as I was ordering at the counter I realized that I was getting shaky from hunger, another burst of good timing. And now I'm here telling y'all about it.
Tomorrow I'll hit the FJ for some more fuel before continuing my trek into the as-yet-unexplored-by-me west. I'm looking forward to seeing some new country, and will stop somewhere near Lubbock for the night (not a lot of truck stops in that area in my directory).
Now on to Dennis' query, "Have you had any encounters of the deer kind?"
First, Dennis, let me say I'm glad your run-in didn't cause any injuries or damage. Such accidents can be very catastrophic, and not just for the deer. Good to read that you're OK. As for my experiences, I have had one or two instances where I've had to jam on the brakes. A particular one I remember vividly was along I-71 in northern Kentucky at night back while I was driving with my trainer. In that instance, I caught sight of some dusky shapes in the middle of the road, and as I neared the shapes resolved into deer. Fortunately, they decided in time that they didn't want grill marks on their hides, so they lept out of the way. Other than that time, I really haven't had any deer problems. I've seen them along the side of the highway at times, and a couple of times recently some with antlers (though not very big racks). But no other close calls or actual hits. (Bugs are another matter. I've euthanized them by the thousands.)
And that's this evening's report. Check back tomorrow for some western OK/northern TX news. Thanks for pointing your browser here. Drop me a question and/or comment, and keep right on truckin'.
Miles Today: 381
How about this? Two updates in one day! (Don't miss this morning's report, below.) Since I caught up on a lot in that earlier update, this one'll be nice 'n short. And I'll answer reader dennis the accompanist's deer-in-headlights question, too. So let's get right to my workday.
Picking up from where I left off this morning, I headed down the road to my pickup in Jacksonville, AR. 'Twas a smallish company, number-of-loading-docks-wise, but they had a huge lot and getting my truck lined up to back into the dock was easy. The loading process went nice and smooth, and I was on my way in about 45 minutes.
I made a stop about 1-1/2 hours later at a Flying J en route so I could get cleaned up. I hadn't had a chance for a shower the previous couple of mornings, and my pickup this morning had a gravel lot, so I was feeling dusty and grungy, and my face was scratchy. There was a waiting list for the showers, so I ambled over to their restaurant area and grabbed a slice of pizza. (Most Flying Js have pizza counters under the name of "Pepperoni's". Some also have "Magic Dragon" Chinese food stands, too.) My number for the shower was called just as I was finishing my slice (Hawaiian--ham and pineapple) in a burst of good timing.
All cleaned up, I was back rolling westward. Another 90 minutes later I reached the Fort Smith area and pulled into our Van Buren terminal to get some diesel in my tanks. After that, I just made my way over here to OKC, which was my goal for the day, about halfway on my journey to the Texas panhandle. I intended to stop at a Flying J here (not the one where I usually stop in this city; that one is a bit out of my route) that is on the company fuel network list. However, as I was reaching the designated exit, I noticed there's a TA at the same exit, and it has a Popeye's Chicken. 'Nuff said; I parked at the TA. I've already had my chicken dinner, too--as I was ordering at the counter I realized that I was getting shaky from hunger, another burst of good timing. And now I'm here telling y'all about it.
Tomorrow I'll hit the FJ for some more fuel before continuing my trek into the as-yet-unexplored-by-me west. I'm looking forward to seeing some new country, and will stop somewhere near Lubbock for the night (not a lot of truck stops in that area in my directory).
Now on to Dennis' query, "Have you had any encounters of the deer kind?"
First, Dennis, let me say I'm glad your run-in didn't cause any injuries or damage. Such accidents can be very catastrophic, and not just for the deer. Good to read that you're OK. As for my experiences, I have had one or two instances where I've had to jam on the brakes. A particular one I remember vividly was along I-71 in northern Kentucky at night back while I was driving with my trainer. In that instance, I caught sight of some dusky shapes in the middle of the road, and as I neared the shapes resolved into deer. Fortunately, they decided in time that they didn't want grill marks on their hides, so they lept out of the way. Other than that time, I really haven't had any deer problems. I've seen them along the side of the highway at times, and a couple of times recently some with antlers (though not very big racks). But no other close calls or actual hits. (Bugs are another matter. I've euthanized them by the thousands.)
And that's this evening's report. Check back tomorrow for some western OK/northern TX news. Thanks for pointing your browser here. Drop me a question and/or comment, and keep right on truckin'.
Fun (?!) Times
DATELINE: BEEBE, AR, 6:30 a.m. CST
Miles Yesterday: 160
Miles Tuesday: 109
Sheesh! My next paycheck is gonna suck! I've had too many low-mileage days lately. Today I'm here to tell you about the last 2. At least Tuesday started with some success.
As you recall from my last post, I was engaged in a $1-entry online Hold-Em tournament, planning to go deep into the field. Well, I did. Out of 421 entrants, I finished 9th! The tournament paid the top 54 places, and I turned my $1 into $7.58. Woo-hoo! Playin' for the big bucks now! ;-) Anyway, my real job hasn't been as fun since.
After wrapping up the tourney, I got ready to start my work day. I set out for the delivery early, hoping to get that over and done with and on to my next assignment. (By the way, the 10 miles I get credit for that drive was more like 30.) I arrived at the customer--a big distribution center for a grocery chain--and checked in at the gate around 6:15 p.m. (my delivery appointment was at 8:00). Naturally, I was directed to wait until summoned, so I pulled into their "Truck Staging Area" lot, backed into a spot, and sat. And read. And read some more. Finally, sometime after 8:30, they called me forth to enter the grounds.
Unfortunately, there had been a shift change at the gatehouse. The new guard apparently didn't understand a word I was saying when I told him I had already checked in and they had called me to head to the docks. He had me pull back out into the street to park and check in. OK, so I did, then had to wait outside the shack while he dealt with another couple of drivers. Finally it was my turn and I managed to get him straightened out about my status. He gave me my assigned door number, I got back in my truck, and headed to the dock.
Docking was fine, then I went inside to the Receiving Office and checked in there. Yadda, yadda, wait, wait. Long story short, I didn't get out of there 'til after midnight. Afterwards I pulled out to the street in front of the place and parked along the curb (this was in an industrial park) to wait for my next assignment. I expected it'd be a while, so I stretched out on my bunk to catch some rest. (Remember, I was operating on 4 hours of sleep from the previous night, and a couple other short nights before that.)
I woke up around 5:30 a.m., still without a load assignment. So I sent in a message asking if one was forthcoming. It came in soon after: pick up a load at 10:00 at a site just a few miles away. Well, I couldn't drive 'til I'd completed a 10-hour break, which would be at 10:30. I sent that info in to dispatch, and my Fleet Manager replied for me to get there when I could, no problem.
When I was in Trucker School, the instructor taught us that if an activity takes less than 7-1/2 minutes, we don't have to account for it in our log. (Our time is broken down into 15-minute increments.) I didn't want to spend my whole 10-hour break on the street (although plenty of other trucks were parked there, too), so I took 5 minutes to drive over to a nearby Pilot truck stop. I hadn't done that after the delivery because at that time of night the parking spots would have been full. But now, after 6:00, spots would be open. And plenty were. After a quick breakfast, I hit my bunk again to catch up on some more sleep before having to get another work day started.
I got up at 10:00, hoping to catch a shower at the truck stop (I have a couple shower credits at Pilot). I got on the waiting list, but 10:30 was rapidly approaching, and I had to get to work. So no shower.
It took me only 15 minutes to reach my next pickup. I checked in there and got assigned a door right away--this place had, like, 20 dock doors, and only 2 or 3 were filled at that time. Which is why I'm mystified that it took 2 hours before they even started loading my trailer. In the meantime, it started raining.
A couple weeks earlier, when I had my truck's regular maintenance done at the Vandalia, OH terminal, they replaced my driver's side windshield. Apparently they didn't get it sealed completely, and it started leaking at the top, where water from the cab's big, sloping roof was pouring over it. So while I was waiting I called in to Maintenance and got an appointment to get that fixed up at the West Memphis terminal after I was done with the pickup. (By the way, this load was headed for a midnight delivery in Searcy, AR, only about 100 miles away, so I had plenty of time to stop by West Memphis for the repair.)
Fortunately, they finally loaded my trailer and I was out of there in just enough time to get to the terminal just at my 3:00 appointment time. Of course, there, the shop clerk let me know that it would be at least 4:00 before they could get to my truck. Yadda, yadda, another long story short, I was done there and on my way by 6:00 p.m.
My delivery with this load was a drop-and-hook, rather than a live unload, so being early would not be a problem this time. I arrived there around 8:15, dropped my loaded trailer in the assigned slot ('twas a narrow space between 2 other trailers, so it took a few minutes of nice, slow, work), found the lot with the empty trailers, found an acceptable USA empty, hooked up to it, and headed out.
I had to go about 15 miles down the highway (US67, northeast of Little Rock, if you're keeping score at home) to this town to find a truck stop. This one's just an Exxon station with truck parking spaces in back, but it'll do. I snagged the last open spot. I got my next assignment before too long and, fortunately, it's for a pickup this morning in Jacksonville, AR, another town not very far from here. That meant I could just stay here and grab some sleep, rather than having to keep working into the night.
So this morning I woke up around 5:30 again, nearly fully refreshed, and unable to catch even a few more Zs. So I got outta' bed, hit the McDonald's for breakfast (FINALLY! A Steak, Egg, 'n Cheese Bagel! Haven't had one in a while!), and had time to compose this update for ya'. But now it's time for me to get back to work. After I make my pickup I'm headed with the load back out west, farther west than I've been on this job before: Sundown, TX, just west of Lubbock. I deliver there Saturday morning, so it won't be a huge rush to get there.
Well, gotta' go. Thanks for your readership, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 160
Miles Tuesday: 109
Sheesh! My next paycheck is gonna suck! I've had too many low-mileage days lately. Today I'm here to tell you about the last 2. At least Tuesday started with some success.
As you recall from my last post, I was engaged in a $1-entry online Hold-Em tournament, planning to go deep into the field. Well, I did. Out of 421 entrants, I finished 9th! The tournament paid the top 54 places, and I turned my $1 into $7.58. Woo-hoo! Playin' for the big bucks now! ;-) Anyway, my real job hasn't been as fun since.
After wrapping up the tourney, I got ready to start my work day. I set out for the delivery early, hoping to get that over and done with and on to my next assignment. (By the way, the 10 miles I get credit for that drive was more like 30.) I arrived at the customer--a big distribution center for a grocery chain--and checked in at the gate around 6:15 p.m. (my delivery appointment was at 8:00). Naturally, I was directed to wait until summoned, so I pulled into their "Truck Staging Area" lot, backed into a spot, and sat. And read. And read some more. Finally, sometime after 8:30, they called me forth to enter the grounds.
Unfortunately, there had been a shift change at the gatehouse. The new guard apparently didn't understand a word I was saying when I told him I had already checked in and they had called me to head to the docks. He had me pull back out into the street to park and check in. OK, so I did, then had to wait outside the shack while he dealt with another couple of drivers. Finally it was my turn and I managed to get him straightened out about my status. He gave me my assigned door number, I got back in my truck, and headed to the dock.
Docking was fine, then I went inside to the Receiving Office and checked in there. Yadda, yadda, wait, wait. Long story short, I didn't get out of there 'til after midnight. Afterwards I pulled out to the street in front of the place and parked along the curb (this was in an industrial park) to wait for my next assignment. I expected it'd be a while, so I stretched out on my bunk to catch some rest. (Remember, I was operating on 4 hours of sleep from the previous night, and a couple other short nights before that.)
I woke up around 5:30 a.m., still without a load assignment. So I sent in a message asking if one was forthcoming. It came in soon after: pick up a load at 10:00 at a site just a few miles away. Well, I couldn't drive 'til I'd completed a 10-hour break, which would be at 10:30. I sent that info in to dispatch, and my Fleet Manager replied for me to get there when I could, no problem.
When I was in Trucker School, the instructor taught us that if an activity takes less than 7-1/2 minutes, we don't have to account for it in our log. (Our time is broken down into 15-minute increments.) I didn't want to spend my whole 10-hour break on the street (although plenty of other trucks were parked there, too), so I took 5 minutes to drive over to a nearby Pilot truck stop. I hadn't done that after the delivery because at that time of night the parking spots would have been full. But now, after 6:00, spots would be open. And plenty were. After a quick breakfast, I hit my bunk again to catch up on some more sleep before having to get another work day started.
I got up at 10:00, hoping to catch a shower at the truck stop (I have a couple shower credits at Pilot). I got on the waiting list, but 10:30 was rapidly approaching, and I had to get to work. So no shower.
It took me only 15 minutes to reach my next pickup. I checked in there and got assigned a door right away--this place had, like, 20 dock doors, and only 2 or 3 were filled at that time. Which is why I'm mystified that it took 2 hours before they even started loading my trailer. In the meantime, it started raining.
A couple weeks earlier, when I had my truck's regular maintenance done at the Vandalia, OH terminal, they replaced my driver's side windshield. Apparently they didn't get it sealed completely, and it started leaking at the top, where water from the cab's big, sloping roof was pouring over it. So while I was waiting I called in to Maintenance and got an appointment to get that fixed up at the West Memphis terminal after I was done with the pickup. (By the way, this load was headed for a midnight delivery in Searcy, AR, only about 100 miles away, so I had plenty of time to stop by West Memphis for the repair.)
Fortunately, they finally loaded my trailer and I was out of there in just enough time to get to the terminal just at my 3:00 appointment time. Of course, there, the shop clerk let me know that it would be at least 4:00 before they could get to my truck. Yadda, yadda, another long story short, I was done there and on my way by 6:00 p.m.
My delivery with this load was a drop-and-hook, rather than a live unload, so being early would not be a problem this time. I arrived there around 8:15, dropped my loaded trailer in the assigned slot ('twas a narrow space between 2 other trailers, so it took a few minutes of nice, slow, work), found the lot with the empty trailers, found an acceptable USA empty, hooked up to it, and headed out.
I had to go about 15 miles down the highway (US67, northeast of Little Rock, if you're keeping score at home) to this town to find a truck stop. This one's just an Exxon station with truck parking spaces in back, but it'll do. I snagged the last open spot. I got my next assignment before too long and, fortunately, it's for a pickup this morning in Jacksonville, AR, another town not very far from here. That meant I could just stay here and grab some sleep, rather than having to keep working into the night.
So this morning I woke up around 5:30 again, nearly fully refreshed, and unable to catch even a few more Zs. So I got outta' bed, hit the McDonald's for breakfast (FINALLY! A Steak, Egg, 'n Cheese Bagel! Haven't had one in a while!), and had time to compose this update for ya'. But now it's time for me to get back to work. After I make my pickup I'm headed with the load back out west, farther west than I've been on this job before: Sundown, TX, just west of Lubbock. I deliver there Saturday morning, so it won't be a huge rush to get there.
Well, gotta' go. Thanks for your readership, and keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Shifting
DATELINE: WEST MEMPHIS, AR, 11:30 a.m. CST
Miles Yesterday: 482
I guess my shift has shifted now. My work day yesterday was from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. this morning. Today I pick up a load here at 6:00 p.m. and take it all the way over to Memphis, TN to deliver at 8:00 p.m. After that I'll probably get another load to haul somewhere overnight. Sheesh! Just what I don't want. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you 'bout yesterday.
Being used to waking up early, my body did it to me again. I woke up around 5:30 a.m., even though I could have slept in a good, long while yet. Since I was unable to get back to sleep, I just got up, got dressed, then headed into the truck stop building to grab a Steak and Egg Burrito breakfast at their Carl's Jr. Tasty! After that, I returned to my truck and headed back to the virtual felt.
Flush from the previous day's online poker success, I first--well, this is a truck driving blog, not a poker one, so I'll gloss over the details. Suffice to say that I played a couple of 6-handed cash games and a couple of 6-handed sit-n-go tournaments. By the time I was done, I was $9.45 ahead, having won one of the sit-n-gos and hit a big hand at the cash table. Not a bad start to the day.
Next it was time for work. I hit the road in plenty of time to reach my 2:00 delivery early--in fact, I had to stop at another Love's truck stop near the customer to avoid getting there too early (they don't want drivers showing up more than 30 minutes early). So I arrived just after 1:30. Less than an hour later I was done there and back on the road.
I just headed to another nearby truck stop to await my next assignment. (The same truck stop where I waited after my last delivery in Ennis, just over a week earlier.) Again I had a long wait. At one point I sent a message to dispatch asking for an ETA of my next assignment. My Fleet Manager replied back that I was, "like 85th on the board." That wasn't a good sign. So I stretched out on my bunk to rest awhile.
Eventually (just before 5:00) the assignment came in: just deadhead (drive empty) back to the West Memphis terminal, a 459-mile drive. Good enough for me; I get paid for those empty miles just as much as the loaded ones. Coincidentally, the driving time to West Memphis would be just about exactly the amount of time I had left in my 14-hour window for this shift. Unfortunately, that meant driving deep into the night--until 1:30 a.m. Which is when I arrived and parked. I finished up some paperwork, then went right to bed, too tired to blog.
Again this morning my body wouldn't let me sleep. I woke up at 6:22 (that's when I looked at my watch) after getting to sleep at 2:00. But again I couldn't get back to sleep. This time I did some reading and 'net surfing before heading into the terminal to eat and take a shower. After that I returned to my truck. I still hadn't received a new assignment, so I sent in a "back to work" message to stimulate the system to send me one. It came in shortly thereafter, the West Memphis-to-Memphis route. Since it's an evening run, I'll likely need to grab a nap this afternoon, but for now I'm playing in a $1 entry tournament that just started. This one attracted 451 entrants, so we'll see how I do. I plan on getting deep into it.
That's the news for now. Thanks for taking a look, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 482
I guess my shift has shifted now. My work day yesterday was from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. this morning. Today I pick up a load here at 6:00 p.m. and take it all the way over to Memphis, TN to deliver at 8:00 p.m. After that I'll probably get another load to haul somewhere overnight. Sheesh! Just what I don't want. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you 'bout yesterday.
Being used to waking up early, my body did it to me again. I woke up around 5:30 a.m., even though I could have slept in a good, long while yet. Since I was unable to get back to sleep, I just got up, got dressed, then headed into the truck stop building to grab a Steak and Egg Burrito breakfast at their Carl's Jr. Tasty! After that, I returned to my truck and headed back to the virtual felt.
Flush from the previous day's online poker success, I first--well, this is a truck driving blog, not a poker one, so I'll gloss over the details. Suffice to say that I played a couple of 6-handed cash games and a couple of 6-handed sit-n-go tournaments. By the time I was done, I was $9.45 ahead, having won one of the sit-n-gos and hit a big hand at the cash table. Not a bad start to the day.
Next it was time for work. I hit the road in plenty of time to reach my 2:00 delivery early--in fact, I had to stop at another Love's truck stop near the customer to avoid getting there too early (they don't want drivers showing up more than 30 minutes early). So I arrived just after 1:30. Less than an hour later I was done there and back on the road.
I just headed to another nearby truck stop to await my next assignment. (The same truck stop where I waited after my last delivery in Ennis, just over a week earlier.) Again I had a long wait. At one point I sent a message to dispatch asking for an ETA of my next assignment. My Fleet Manager replied back that I was, "like 85th on the board." That wasn't a good sign. So I stretched out on my bunk to rest awhile.
Eventually (just before 5:00) the assignment came in: just deadhead (drive empty) back to the West Memphis terminal, a 459-mile drive. Good enough for me; I get paid for those empty miles just as much as the loaded ones. Coincidentally, the driving time to West Memphis would be just about exactly the amount of time I had left in my 14-hour window for this shift. Unfortunately, that meant driving deep into the night--until 1:30 a.m. Which is when I arrived and parked. I finished up some paperwork, then went right to bed, too tired to blog.
Again this morning my body wouldn't let me sleep. I woke up at 6:22 (that's when I looked at my watch) after getting to sleep at 2:00. But again I couldn't get back to sleep. This time I did some reading and 'net surfing before heading into the terminal to eat and take a shower. After that I returned to my truck. I still hadn't received a new assignment, so I sent in a "back to work" message to stimulate the system to send me one. It came in shortly thereafter, the West Memphis-to-Memphis route. Since it's an evening run, I'll likely need to grab a nap this afternoon, but for now I'm playing in a $1 entry tournament that just started. This one attracted 451 entrants, so we'll see how I do. I plan on getting deep into it.
That's the news for now. Thanks for taking a look, and keep on truckin'.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Shreveport Shake-Up
DATELINE: VAN, TX, 9:00 p.m. CST
Miles Today: 265
Another short work day. I went to bed relatively early last night, so I woke up (on my own, w/o benefit of alarm) around 4:30 this morning. I figured I might as well get my day started so I'd get it over with sooner, so I got up and did that. After a shower, shave, and breakfast, I was on the road around 5:30.
En route I stopped in at our terminal in Shreveport, LA--my first time there. I made use of the fuel pumps, then parked to go inside and check out the facility. I walked in the main door, walked along the short hallway, and turned the corner (to the right)--and had quite a "whoa!" moment. Apparently this building and the one at the West Memphis terminal were patterned after each other, because looking down the hallway sure felt the same as looking down the corresponding hallway in West Memphis. The drivers' lounge is on the right side, the laundry room and men's room on the left, offices towards the end of the hallway. I went into the men's room and it even smelled the same as the one in West Memphis.
OK, there are many obvious differences between the 2 buildings, but the general layout is about the same. Shreveport's seems nicer, though; cleaner and a better paint job.
I only stayed at the terminal for about 30 minutes, then I resumed my drive. I eventually reached the Love's truck stop in this town. I've stopped here 2 or 3 times before to grab meals at the Carl's Jr. burger joint inside. This time I decided to spend the night so I can get one of Jr.'s Steak & Egg Burritos for breakfast tomorrow. Besides, I only have about 100 miles or less to go to get to my delivery tomorrow from here, so I can leave around noon and get there right on time.
I've been playing some more online poker tournaments this afternoon, and I had a fairly good day (compared to recent results). I played two six-handed sit-n-gos, finishing 3rd in one (out of the money) and 2nd in the other (in the money). I also played in two $1.00 buy-in tourneys (all no-limit Texas Hold-Em, of course). In the first one I cashed in at 39th place out of 592 entrants. In the second I grabbed 53rd place out of 1109, also for small cash winnings. I also played in a freeroll (no entry fee) tourney, but was card-dead throughout and only managed to hang on for 194th place out of 2700. I wish I had gotten some good cards in that one 'cuz of the ridiculous calls some other players were making. Oh well, mebbe next time.
Well, it's been a long day now, considering when I woke up, so I'll be signing off and starting to work on some shut-eye. Thanks for looking in, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 265
Another short work day. I went to bed relatively early last night, so I woke up (on my own, w/o benefit of alarm) around 4:30 this morning. I figured I might as well get my day started so I'd get it over with sooner, so I got up and did that. After a shower, shave, and breakfast, I was on the road around 5:30.
En route I stopped in at our terminal in Shreveport, LA--my first time there. I made use of the fuel pumps, then parked to go inside and check out the facility. I walked in the main door, walked along the short hallway, and turned the corner (to the right)--and had quite a "whoa!" moment. Apparently this building and the one at the West Memphis terminal were patterned after each other, because looking down the hallway sure felt the same as looking down the corresponding hallway in West Memphis. The drivers' lounge is on the right side, the laundry room and men's room on the left, offices towards the end of the hallway. I went into the men's room and it even smelled the same as the one in West Memphis.
OK, there are many obvious differences between the 2 buildings, but the general layout is about the same. Shreveport's seems nicer, though; cleaner and a better paint job.
I only stayed at the terminal for about 30 minutes, then I resumed my drive. I eventually reached the Love's truck stop in this town. I've stopped here 2 or 3 times before to grab meals at the Carl's Jr. burger joint inside. This time I decided to spend the night so I can get one of Jr.'s Steak & Egg Burritos for breakfast tomorrow. Besides, I only have about 100 miles or less to go to get to my delivery tomorrow from here, so I can leave around noon and get there right on time.
I've been playing some more online poker tournaments this afternoon, and I had a fairly good day (compared to recent results). I played two six-handed sit-n-gos, finishing 3rd in one (out of the money) and 2nd in the other (in the money). I also played in two $1.00 buy-in tourneys (all no-limit Texas Hold-Em, of course). In the first one I cashed in at 39th place out of 592 entrants. In the second I grabbed 53rd place out of 1109, also for small cash winnings. I also played in a freeroll (no entry fee) tourney, but was card-dead throughout and only managed to hang on for 194th place out of 2700. I wish I had gotten some good cards in that one 'cuz of the ridiculous calls some other players were making. Oh well, mebbe next time.
Well, it's been a long day now, considering when I woke up, so I'll be signing off and starting to work on some shut-eye. Thanks for looking in, and keep on truckin'.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
West Across the South
DATELINE: TALLULAH, LA, 6:30 p.m. CST
Miles Today: 529
Yes, that's really the name of the town. It's on the eastern side of the state along I-20.
Just a driving day today. Once I hit the road at 6:30 (EST) this morning, I just kept on going, only making rest stops every couple of hours. I didn't make any extended stops 'til I needed fuel about an hour before I finished up for the day. I made the fuel stop just outside Jackson, MS, and bought a couple of small sandwiches for lunch while there. (I only ate one of 'em while continuing my drive; the other's for later.) But that also was a fairly quick stop so I could just make tracks before shutting down for the day.
I halted at this town for the night 'cuz they have a TA. I had driven for 9 hours today, so I could have driven for 2 more, but I'm in no rush. You recall from yesterday's update that I don't have to make my delivery 'til 2:00 Monday afternoon, so I do have plenty of time to get there. Shreveport's still 150+ miles away, so I wasn't going to be able to get to our terminal there within my allotted hours today anyway. I'll stop by there tomorrow for fuel and to check it out.
So that's all there is about my truckin' today. Now I'll move on to answering a couple questions from my fan mail bag.
First, from reader nancy r: "Do you ever see any husband-wife driving teams?"
Yes I do. Well, I assume when I see a man and woman in or coming out of a truck, they're a married couple. It could be they're just an unrelated team, or a trainer and student. But I suspect most of the time male-female teams are husband and wife. I know that it is quite common. Funny thing along those lines; this morning I stopped at a rest area. When I was walking back to my truck, I noticed another parked in the lot. Painted on the sleeper berth's window was "JUST MARRIED". Quite the romantic honeymoon, eh?
Second, reader Jim the Baritone wants to know, "I see a lot of trucks with just about every edge lined with lights - amber, green, red. What gives? Is this some sort of cult thing?"
It's just a personal style thing, the way some people like to "trick out" their cars, to make 'em look "cooler". You can bet those trucks with the extra lighting are owner-operators; company trucks tend to stay uniformly unadorned. USA Truck has a fairly strict policy against extra adornments on its equipment.
Another possible reason for all the extra lights is safety. It can be hard to make out a trailer's full dimensions in the dark, and many people have gotten hurt (and worse!) driving into or under trailers they didn't see that were in their way at night. So all the extra lights do define the trailer's outline to other motorists.
That's all I have to say--er, type--for today. Thanks once again for checking my reports out. Drop me a comment and/or question, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 529
Yes, that's really the name of the town. It's on the eastern side of the state along I-20.
Just a driving day today. Once I hit the road at 6:30 (EST) this morning, I just kept on going, only making rest stops every couple of hours. I didn't make any extended stops 'til I needed fuel about an hour before I finished up for the day. I made the fuel stop just outside Jackson, MS, and bought a couple of small sandwiches for lunch while there. (I only ate one of 'em while continuing my drive; the other's for later.) But that also was a fairly quick stop so I could just make tracks before shutting down for the day.
I halted at this town for the night 'cuz they have a TA. I had driven for 9 hours today, so I could have driven for 2 more, but I'm in no rush. You recall from yesterday's update that I don't have to make my delivery 'til 2:00 Monday afternoon, so I do have plenty of time to get there. Shreveport's still 150+ miles away, so I wasn't going to be able to get to our terminal there within my allotted hours today anyway. I'll stop by there tomorrow for fuel and to check it out.
So that's all there is about my truckin' today. Now I'll move on to answering a couple questions from my fan mail bag.
First, from reader nancy r: "Do you ever see any husband-wife driving teams?"
Yes I do. Well, I assume when I see a man and woman in or coming out of a truck, they're a married couple. It could be they're just an unrelated team, or a trainer and student. But I suspect most of the time male-female teams are husband and wife. I know that it is quite common. Funny thing along those lines; this morning I stopped at a rest area. When I was walking back to my truck, I noticed another parked in the lot. Painted on the sleeper berth's window was "JUST MARRIED". Quite the romantic honeymoon, eh?
Second, reader Jim the Baritone wants to know, "I see a lot of trucks with just about every edge lined with lights - amber, green, red. What gives? Is this some sort of cult thing?"
It's just a personal style thing, the way some people like to "trick out" their cars, to make 'em look "cooler". You can bet those trucks with the extra lighting are owner-operators; company trucks tend to stay uniformly unadorned. USA Truck has a fairly strict policy against extra adornments on its equipment.
Another possible reason for all the extra lights is safety. It can be hard to make out a trailer's full dimensions in the dark, and many people have gotten hurt (and worse!) driving into or under trailers they didn't see that were in their way at night. So all the extra lights do define the trailer's outline to other motorists.
That's all I have to say--er, type--for today. Thanks once again for checking my reports out. Drop me a comment and/or question, and keep on truckin'.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Another Southern Swing
DATELINE: COMMERCE, GA, 7:00 p.m. EST
Miles Today: 336
Not quite as long a work day today, but I have the luxury of extra time with my new load to stop early today for some rest. Here's how my day went.
I got up at 5:00 this morning, got ready for the work day, and hit the road by 5:30. As you recall, my first task was to drop my Michigan-bound loaded trailer at a drop yard in Hickory, NC. My drive there took a little under an hour, and I found the place pretty easy (a good set of directions!). I parked, unhooked the trailer, sent in my "empty call" message, and waited for my next assignment.
That came in about 30 minutes later: head down to Shelby, NC to pick up a load bound for Ennis, TX. Yes, the town I where I just was a week ago, though this load is for a different customer. Anyway, the pickup was scheduled for 2:30 p.m., it was just about 7:00 or so, and Shelby was only about 45 miles away. I obviously wasn't going to wait all that time, so I hooked up an empty trailer at the yard and set out to get there early.
But I did have plenty of time for a side trip over to a Pilot truck stop in Charlotte to fuel up the truck. My tanks were getting low, so the detour was necessary because that was the nearest one of USA's network fuel stops.
Fuel situation taken care of, I headed west from Charlotte over to Shelby. A little while later I found the shipper and drove in. I checked in with the guard at the gate, who directed me to the Shipping Office towards the back of the complex (big company, big property). I dove over and checked in over there, and the guy there gave me directions and sent me to one of their warehouses a couple miles away. I just love it when they do that. So I made that drive.
Once at the proper facility, I checked in and found out they were loading the trailer I was to pick up right then. They had me back my empty trailer to one door, unhook that one, the move over and hook up to the one they were loading. 30 minutes later they finished up, gave me my paperwork, and I was on my way.
As I mentioned, I'm taking this load to Ennis, which is 20-ish miles southeast of Dallas. Delivery is set for 2:00 Monday afternoon, so I have plenty of time to get there. Hence my decision to stop somewhat early today. I pulled into the TA here in Commerce (I've been here before--it's another company network fuel stop) around 3:30, bought some more diesel (remember, I've been having trouble with my cab being heavy, so I don't fill my tanks all the way; I only get 50 or 60 gallons at a time--the tanks hold over 100 gallons), and parked. Though it was a "short" work day, I still recorded 9 work hours: 7-1/2 hours of driving, 1-1/2 hours of other "on duty, not driving" time.
A note on this load's Bill of Lading says not to arrive more than 30 minutes before the delivery appointment, so I'll have to start my work day kind of late on Monday. But I'll worry about that when the time comes. For now I have a couple of long days of driving over the weekend. I figure I'll drive into Louisiana tomorrow, after crossing GA, AL, and MS, before stopping for the night. Maybe if all goes well I can get to Shreveport and check out our terminal there--I haven't been there yet, but I have seen it from the highway on my way past on a couple other trips. Then Sunday I'll drive to the Ennis area, poised for Monday's delivery. By the way, I'm following I-85 to Atlanta, and from there I'll take I-20 all the way to Dallas, in case you want to follow my route on a map.
Another reason I stopped early today is 'cuz I'm tired. When I get fatigued my eyes find it hard to focus, so stopping was pretty necessary. So I'm going to wrap up now and get ready for bed. I'll answer reader nancyr's and jim's questions tomorrow when I'm not so tired. Thanks for your readership. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 336
Not quite as long a work day today, but I have the luxury of extra time with my new load to stop early today for some rest. Here's how my day went.
I got up at 5:00 this morning, got ready for the work day, and hit the road by 5:30. As you recall, my first task was to drop my Michigan-bound loaded trailer at a drop yard in Hickory, NC. My drive there took a little under an hour, and I found the place pretty easy (a good set of directions!). I parked, unhooked the trailer, sent in my "empty call" message, and waited for my next assignment.
That came in about 30 minutes later: head down to Shelby, NC to pick up a load bound for Ennis, TX. Yes, the town I where I just was a week ago, though this load is for a different customer. Anyway, the pickup was scheduled for 2:30 p.m., it was just about 7:00 or so, and Shelby was only about 45 miles away. I obviously wasn't going to wait all that time, so I hooked up an empty trailer at the yard and set out to get there early.
But I did have plenty of time for a side trip over to a Pilot truck stop in Charlotte to fuel up the truck. My tanks were getting low, so the detour was necessary because that was the nearest one of USA's network fuel stops.
Fuel situation taken care of, I headed west from Charlotte over to Shelby. A little while later I found the shipper and drove in. I checked in with the guard at the gate, who directed me to the Shipping Office towards the back of the complex (big company, big property). I dove over and checked in over there, and the guy there gave me directions and sent me to one of their warehouses a couple miles away. I just love it when they do that. So I made that drive.
Once at the proper facility, I checked in and found out they were loading the trailer I was to pick up right then. They had me back my empty trailer to one door, unhook that one, the move over and hook up to the one they were loading. 30 minutes later they finished up, gave me my paperwork, and I was on my way.
As I mentioned, I'm taking this load to Ennis, which is 20-ish miles southeast of Dallas. Delivery is set for 2:00 Monday afternoon, so I have plenty of time to get there. Hence my decision to stop somewhat early today. I pulled into the TA here in Commerce (I've been here before--it's another company network fuel stop) around 3:30, bought some more diesel (remember, I've been having trouble with my cab being heavy, so I don't fill my tanks all the way; I only get 50 or 60 gallons at a time--the tanks hold over 100 gallons), and parked. Though it was a "short" work day, I still recorded 9 work hours: 7-1/2 hours of driving, 1-1/2 hours of other "on duty, not driving" time.
A note on this load's Bill of Lading says not to arrive more than 30 minutes before the delivery appointment, so I'll have to start my work day kind of late on Monday. But I'll worry about that when the time comes. For now I have a couple of long days of driving over the weekend. I figure I'll drive into Louisiana tomorrow, after crossing GA, AL, and MS, before stopping for the night. Maybe if all goes well I can get to Shreveport and check out our terminal there--I haven't been there yet, but I have seen it from the highway on my way past on a couple other trips. Then Sunday I'll drive to the Ennis area, poised for Monday's delivery. By the way, I'm following I-85 to Atlanta, and from there I'll take I-20 all the way to Dallas, in case you want to follow my route on a map.
Another reason I stopped early today is 'cuz I'm tired. When I get fatigued my eyes find it hard to focus, so stopping was pretty necessary. So I'm going to wrap up now and get ready for bed. I'll answer reader nancyr's and jim's questions tomorrow when I'm not so tired. Thanks for your readership. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
An SC Day
DATELINE: TROUTMAN, NC, 8:00 p.m. EST
Miles Today: 402
Whew! Another long day (almost my full 14 hours), although somehow the mileage seems kinda' short. Well, here's how it al went.
Up at 4:30 for a shower and back to work at 5:00. As expected, the drive to my delivery in Columbia, SC took about 3 hours (a little longer with a rest stop en route), so I arrived nearly an hour early. I checked in at the Receiving Office and was assigned a dock right away.
This was another site with a tremendously tight (front-to-back) dock area, so there wasn't enough room to pull up far enough to straighten up the trailer to the dock platform. (Not to mention a few of those yellow metal, concrete-filled safety pylons on either side of the dock, making it tight from side-to-side, too.) But I got it close enough to straight for them to be able to unload the trailer.
For once the unloading went really quickly, and I was done there by 9:00. I then hightailed it to a Flying J on the other side of Columbia to get some fuel in the tanks and wait for my next assignment. After pumping in 60 gallons of diesel, I parked and got ready to exit my cab when the assignment message came in. My next pickup was at noon in Summerville, SC, about 95 miles southeast along I-26. Since it was just 9:30, I took the time to do what I was getting ready to exit my cab for: walk to the Hardee's across the street to get some breakfast.
Now that my own tank was filled, I hit the road to the southeast. I found the company just before noon and headed inside to check in. So much for everything going smoothly today. The one guy they had there who loads and unloads trucks had just gone to lunch; he'd be out for 30 minutes.
I took that time to back my truck to one of their docks, complete some paperwork, and read a bit. When the hi-lo (forklift) driver returned, he of course had one or two other things to do first, so I had to wait just a bit longer. In the meantime, I received a message from my Fleet Manager that I'd be dropping this load at a drop yard in Hickory, NC, instead of taking it to its final destination. Which was? Yup, in Michigan. Alma, to be precise. The problem was that the load doesn't delivery until Monday, so the 800-some miles would not be enough for the 4 days 'til delivery. Since I need as many miles (and the pay that goes with them) as I can get, I'm more than happy to drop this load and get another with more miles.
Meanwhile, back to the pickup, it was finally my turn and the load was complete and I was on my way around 2:15. Now I had to get to Hickory, around 220 miles away. I had just enough hours for today to get there...if all went well. However, my course took me through Charlotte, NC right at 5:00, aka rush hour. It was slow going through the city, but the big slowdown was north of town where the highway narrows to 2 northbound lanes. After a while it became clear that I wouldn't make Hickory within my allotted hours, so I pulled into a truck stop here in Troutman for the night. I've stopped here--a Hess Wilco Travel Plaza--a couple of times before on my way by on previous trips, so I knew it has a good-sized lot. Besides, it wasn't quite 7:00 p.m. yet, so it wasn't likely to be filled up just yet.
I'm going to let myself sleep in 'til 5:00 tomorrow morning, then I'll get going as soon as I can after that. The drop yard in Hickory is, by my quick calculation, about 45 miles away, so I'll get there good and early. Once I drop the trailer and let dispatch know I've done that, I'll have to wait for my next load assignment. I assume they'll have one there they'll want me to grab and go with, but I won't know 'til then. So you'll have to check back tomorrow to find out where I'm headed next.
Thanks for following along. Please do supply a comment; it's pretty depressing to see, "0 comments" after the previous day's update when I sign on each day. :-( And do, as always, keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 402
Whew! Another long day (almost my full 14 hours), although somehow the mileage seems kinda' short. Well, here's how it al went.
Up at 4:30 for a shower and back to work at 5:00. As expected, the drive to my delivery in Columbia, SC took about 3 hours (a little longer with a rest stop en route), so I arrived nearly an hour early. I checked in at the Receiving Office and was assigned a dock right away.
This was another site with a tremendously tight (front-to-back) dock area, so there wasn't enough room to pull up far enough to straighten up the trailer to the dock platform. (Not to mention a few of those yellow metal, concrete-filled safety pylons on either side of the dock, making it tight from side-to-side, too.) But I got it close enough to straight for them to be able to unload the trailer.
For once the unloading went really quickly, and I was done there by 9:00. I then hightailed it to a Flying J on the other side of Columbia to get some fuel in the tanks and wait for my next assignment. After pumping in 60 gallons of diesel, I parked and got ready to exit my cab when the assignment message came in. My next pickup was at noon in Summerville, SC, about 95 miles southeast along I-26. Since it was just 9:30, I took the time to do what I was getting ready to exit my cab for: walk to the Hardee's across the street to get some breakfast.
Now that my own tank was filled, I hit the road to the southeast. I found the company just before noon and headed inside to check in. So much for everything going smoothly today. The one guy they had there who loads and unloads trucks had just gone to lunch; he'd be out for 30 minutes.
I took that time to back my truck to one of their docks, complete some paperwork, and read a bit. When the hi-lo (forklift) driver returned, he of course had one or two other things to do first, so I had to wait just a bit longer. In the meantime, I received a message from my Fleet Manager that I'd be dropping this load at a drop yard in Hickory, NC, instead of taking it to its final destination. Which was? Yup, in Michigan. Alma, to be precise. The problem was that the load doesn't delivery until Monday, so the 800-some miles would not be enough for the 4 days 'til delivery. Since I need as many miles (and the pay that goes with them) as I can get, I'm more than happy to drop this load and get another with more miles.
Meanwhile, back to the pickup, it was finally my turn and the load was complete and I was on my way around 2:15. Now I had to get to Hickory, around 220 miles away. I had just enough hours for today to get there...if all went well. However, my course took me through Charlotte, NC right at 5:00, aka rush hour. It was slow going through the city, but the big slowdown was north of town where the highway narrows to 2 northbound lanes. After a while it became clear that I wouldn't make Hickory within my allotted hours, so I pulled into a truck stop here in Troutman for the night. I've stopped here--a Hess Wilco Travel Plaza--a couple of times before on my way by on previous trips, so I knew it has a good-sized lot. Besides, it wasn't quite 7:00 p.m. yet, so it wasn't likely to be filled up just yet.
I'm going to let myself sleep in 'til 5:00 tomorrow morning, then I'll get going as soon as I can after that. The drop yard in Hickory is, by my quick calculation, about 45 miles away, so I'll get there good and early. Once I drop the trailer and let dispatch know I've done that, I'll have to wait for my next load assignment. I assume they'll have one there they'll want me to grab and go with, but I won't know 'til then. So you'll have to check back tomorrow to find out where I'm headed next.
Thanks for following along. Please do supply a comment; it's pretty depressing to see, "0 comments" after the previous day's update when I sign on each day. :-( And do, as always, keep on truckin'.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Eastward Across the South
DATELINE: MADISON, GA, 9:45 p.m. EST
Miles Today: 461
Not much to tell you about today. I'm just continuing my march to Columbia, SC and tomorrow morning's delivery.
I got up and hit the road by 6:30 this morning. The West Memphis terminal's fuel pumps were up & running, so I was able to put some diesel into my truck's tanks before getting underway. Other than a couple of rest stops en route and a stop in Birmingham, AL for lunch, I just kept my wheels turnin'. I stopped here at a TA, a bit earlier than I could have, because:
a. The drive was just droning on and I was getting tired of it for today,
b. By the time I got to the pack of truck stops in the area near where my available hours would run out, it'd be getting to the time when the truck stops would be filling up and parking could be hard to come by,
c. It's a TA and I can use one of my earned shower credits to get clean in the morning before getting started, and
d. With my delivery not 'til 9:00 in the morning, I can get up early (or around my usual wake-up time) and finish the drive then.
And that's about all there was to my work today. I'll have more exciting news to blog about tomorrow when I have a new destination after delivering my current load, so be sure to check back for that. Thanks for dropping by, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 461
Not much to tell you about today. I'm just continuing my march to Columbia, SC and tomorrow morning's delivery.
I got up and hit the road by 6:30 this morning. The West Memphis terminal's fuel pumps were up & running, so I was able to put some diesel into my truck's tanks before getting underway. Other than a couple of rest stops en route and a stop in Birmingham, AL for lunch, I just kept my wheels turnin'. I stopped here at a TA, a bit earlier than I could have, because:
a. The drive was just droning on and I was getting tired of it for today,
b. By the time I got to the pack of truck stops in the area near where my available hours would run out, it'd be getting to the time when the truck stops would be filling up and parking could be hard to come by,
c. It's a TA and I can use one of my earned shower credits to get clean in the morning before getting started, and
d. With my delivery not 'til 9:00 in the morning, I can get up early (or around my usual wake-up time) and finish the drive then.
And that's about all there was to my work today. I'll have more exciting news to blog about tomorrow when I have a new destination after delivering my current load, so be sure to check back for that. Thanks for dropping by, and keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
2-Day Catch-Up
DATELINE: WEST MEMPHIS, AR 11:00 p.m. CST
Miles Yesterday: 38
Miles Today: 278
Well these last 2 days didn't go exactly as I had planned. Yesterday started well, as I got to my noon delivery appointment a little early. This was the 5-mile trip I told you about in my last update. But that wound up being a bit of a longer trip because the customer sent me (with my load) to another warehouse about 15 more miles away (but still in Fort Smith, AR). No problem there. I found the place, checked in at the new place, backed my trailer to the assigned dock door, dropped it there and hooked up to an empty trailer as instructed, and boogied down the road to a very nearby truck stop. There I waited for my next assignment.
It took over an hour and a half for the assignment to come in, during which time I had some lunch (hot wings from the truck stop's deli counter--not bad), read a bit, and snoozed a bit, too. Long about 2:00 I got the news: pick up a load from another Fort Smith company at 3:00. The trip to the pickup was again less than 5 miles, and I got there just after 2:30.
I checked in at the gate, then again at the shipping department, and was directed to park in their yard to await an open dock. 2 other USA drivers had gotten there just before I did, and they were waiting as well. Their appointments were for 6:00 and 7:00 but, of course, when the yard jockey at the company came around to assign docks, he did so in the order we arrived. Anyway, I finally got a dock assignment around 4:00. Then the fun began.
First of all, this was one of those places that has absolutely no spare room in front of the docks--just barely enough to maneuver a truck in if you have to do so around one that's already there, which I did. It was difficult, but do-able with enough attempts to get lined up just right and by doing everything v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, which I did.
Once docked, I hopped out to chat with the other 2 USA drivers, who were also in the same dock area (around the back of the building). Couple of nice guys, James and Roger. Roger is also a Michigander, so we had that in common to chat about. It also turns out that all 3 of us are headed for the same destination with our loads: Columbia, SC, delivering on Thursday. We got to chat a lot because this customer was V-E-R-Y slow in loading our trucks. USA requires its customers to load (or unload) its trucks within 2 hours of arrival. Well, this place apparently did not get that memo; I wasn't out of there 'til 8:00 (and James and Roger didn't leave very long before me, either).
I had figured that I would make that pickup, then drive to the West Memphis terminal. That would be about a 5-hour drive. However, by the time I was done at the pickup, I only had about 4-1/2 hours left of my 14 hour work/drive window for the day. So I just headed back to the Van Buren terminal and spent the night there. 'Twas quite a long work day for only 38 miles driven, and I only got paid for 5 of 'em. Sheesh!
This morning I got up and hit the road by 6:30. My plan was to drive 'til I used up the 8-1/4 work hours I had left of my 70-in-8-days. That started out OK, and I stopped in Russellville, AR, about 80 miles into the trip, to weigh my truck at a Pilot truck stop there (the first set of scales I'd come across). Longish story short, it took me 3 weighings and 2 tandem slides to get my load balanced legally, with time to park and lengthy waits in line to get (and pay for) the scale printouts after each. Afterwards I walked up the road to a nearby Sonic for breakfast.
After walking back from Sonic, I got back in my truck and zipped over to the Flying J at the same exit to use one of my shower credits to get cleaned up. All in all, my stop in Russellville took 2 hours. But that's OK since only the time to get my truck weighed counts towards my work hour limits.
Once done in R'ville, I just beelined it for West Memphis. (OK, I did make a couple of rest stops.) That took another 3-1/2 hours. My plan was to fuel up here, but when I arrived the fuel island was closed. I haven't found out why, but it was enough for me to decide to just stay here for the night and see if the pumps are back in business in the morning. I need to fuel up here because there aren't any fuel stops on the company network on the route I'll be following next (US 78 from Memphis to Birmingham, AL). I could get out-of-network fuel at one of the few truck stops right near here, but that's a bit of a hassle.
Anyway, I'm here in West Memphis. I'll get going early again tomorrow--I have a long way to go and I'll get back a bunch of hours to do it in. My atlas says it's 610 miles (I think that was the number, if I remember correctly from when I looked it up yesterday) from Memphis to Columbia. I don't have to drive all the way tomorrow, though; my delivery isn't 'til 9:00 Thursday morning, so I can save a couple hours of the drive for that day.
So that's what's up lately. It's time I head to bed--I spent too much time playing that online poker, hence the late hour of this composition. Thanks for looking in. Check back tomorrow for (hopefully) an update about how the day's drive went and where I wound up. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 38
Miles Today: 278
Well these last 2 days didn't go exactly as I had planned. Yesterday started well, as I got to my noon delivery appointment a little early. This was the 5-mile trip I told you about in my last update. But that wound up being a bit of a longer trip because the customer sent me (with my load) to another warehouse about 15 more miles away (but still in Fort Smith, AR). No problem there. I found the place, checked in at the new place, backed my trailer to the assigned dock door, dropped it there and hooked up to an empty trailer as instructed, and boogied down the road to a very nearby truck stop. There I waited for my next assignment.
It took over an hour and a half for the assignment to come in, during which time I had some lunch (hot wings from the truck stop's deli counter--not bad), read a bit, and snoozed a bit, too. Long about 2:00 I got the news: pick up a load from another Fort Smith company at 3:00. The trip to the pickup was again less than 5 miles, and I got there just after 2:30.
I checked in at the gate, then again at the shipping department, and was directed to park in their yard to await an open dock. 2 other USA drivers had gotten there just before I did, and they were waiting as well. Their appointments were for 6:00 and 7:00 but, of course, when the yard jockey at the company came around to assign docks, he did so in the order we arrived. Anyway, I finally got a dock assignment around 4:00. Then the fun began.
First of all, this was one of those places that has absolutely no spare room in front of the docks--just barely enough to maneuver a truck in if you have to do so around one that's already there, which I did. It was difficult, but do-able with enough attempts to get lined up just right and by doing everything v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, which I did.
Once docked, I hopped out to chat with the other 2 USA drivers, who were also in the same dock area (around the back of the building). Couple of nice guys, James and Roger. Roger is also a Michigander, so we had that in common to chat about. It also turns out that all 3 of us are headed for the same destination with our loads: Columbia, SC, delivering on Thursday. We got to chat a lot because this customer was V-E-R-Y slow in loading our trucks. USA requires its customers to load (or unload) its trucks within 2 hours of arrival. Well, this place apparently did not get that memo; I wasn't out of there 'til 8:00 (and James and Roger didn't leave very long before me, either).
I had figured that I would make that pickup, then drive to the West Memphis terminal. That would be about a 5-hour drive. However, by the time I was done at the pickup, I only had about 4-1/2 hours left of my 14 hour work/drive window for the day. So I just headed back to the Van Buren terminal and spent the night there. 'Twas quite a long work day for only 38 miles driven, and I only got paid for 5 of 'em. Sheesh!
This morning I got up and hit the road by 6:30. My plan was to drive 'til I used up the 8-1/4 work hours I had left of my 70-in-8-days. That started out OK, and I stopped in Russellville, AR, about 80 miles into the trip, to weigh my truck at a Pilot truck stop there (the first set of scales I'd come across). Longish story short, it took me 3 weighings and 2 tandem slides to get my load balanced legally, with time to park and lengthy waits in line to get (and pay for) the scale printouts after each. Afterwards I walked up the road to a nearby Sonic for breakfast.
After walking back from Sonic, I got back in my truck and zipped over to the Flying J at the same exit to use one of my shower credits to get cleaned up. All in all, my stop in Russellville took 2 hours. But that's OK since only the time to get my truck weighed counts towards my work hour limits.
Once done in R'ville, I just beelined it for West Memphis. (OK, I did make a couple of rest stops.) That took another 3-1/2 hours. My plan was to fuel up here, but when I arrived the fuel island was closed. I haven't found out why, but it was enough for me to decide to just stay here for the night and see if the pumps are back in business in the morning. I need to fuel up here because there aren't any fuel stops on the company network on the route I'll be following next (US 78 from Memphis to Birmingham, AL). I could get out-of-network fuel at one of the few truck stops right near here, but that's a bit of a hassle.
Anyway, I'm here in West Memphis. I'll get going early again tomorrow--I have a long way to go and I'll get back a bunch of hours to do it in. My atlas says it's 610 miles (I think that was the number, if I remember correctly from when I looked it up yesterday) from Memphis to Columbia. I don't have to drive all the way tomorrow, though; my delivery isn't 'til 9:00 Thursday morning, so I can save a couple hours of the drive for that day.
So that's what's up lately. It's time I head to bed--I spent too much time playing that online poker, hence the late hour of this composition. Thanks for looking in. Check back tomorrow for (hopefully) an update about how the day's drive went and where I wound up. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Some Time to Relax
DATELINE: VAN BUREN, AR, 9:45 p.m. CST
Miles Today: 221
Finally, a short work day. I was up early once more to shower, shave, and have some breakfast before setting out towards my delivery. Since I had a little extra time, for breakfast I walked to the McDonald's down the road for something hot, instead of my usual Pop Tarts in the truck. Surprisingly, this McD's had bacon and sausage bagel sandwiches, but not my favorite, the steak, egg, and cheese bagel. Bummer. So I settled for a sausage, egg, & cheese McGriddle instead.
Back in the truck, I got rolling by 6:15 a.m. Including yet another fuel stop, this one at the Flying J in Joplin, MO, the drive to my delivery near Bentonville, AR took about 2-1/2 hours. The process of checking in--at the gate then at the Receiving Office--then backing to my assigned dock door took about 30 minutes, then I had to wait 'til the unloading was done. That took about 1-1/2 hours, then it was back on the road for me. I hit the highway to find a parking space at a truck stop to await my next assignment.
Now this was along a less populated, less busy highway, so the truck stops were smaller as well as fewer and farther between. I first pulled into a Pilot, but the last open space in its small lot was being filled as I pulled in (coincidentally by another USA driver who had been at the same delivery site and left just as I did--I had followed him all the way down to the Pilot). So 'twas back to the highway to the next truck stop another 15-ish miles down the road. This time there was plenty of parking at the next facility, a non-name-brand truck stop. I waited there for over an hour before my assignment came in. (While waiting I had time to grab some lunch from another Sonic drive-in just down the road. Lucky day.) Being the weekend, especially Sunday, pickups are hard to come by, so it was no surprise that I was to drive down to our Van Buren, AR terminal to pick up a load that had been dropped there.
It was an hour's drive from that truck stop to the terminal, and once at the terminal I quickly found my assigned trailer, parked my empty, and hooked up to the new one. The new load doesn't deliver until noon tomorrow (Monday), and it will set a new record for me: shortest distance from pickup to delivery. I have to take this load all the way to Fort Smith, a whopping 5 miles away. (At least that's the mileage I'll get paid for; I'll try to remember to get an actual odometer reading when I get there.) So I've had the whole afternoon and evening free.
I've watched some NFL action in the drivers' lounge (big screen TVs and big, leather recliners--luxury!), played some online poker, and even did some laundry. What I haven't done is eat much since I got here, and now all of a sudden I'm feeling hungry. So I'll finish up and go take care of that.
But first I want to mention that the latter part of my drive today, between Joplin, MO and Van Buren, AR along US-71 and I-540 is another of my favorite stretches of road in the country. It's along rolling hills (small mountains, even) with lots of scenic views. It was even better today with bright, sunny skies and the leaves changing color on the trees. I highly recommend you find an occasion to take a trip through that area for the sheer beauty of the terrain.
Thanks again for taking the time to stop by this corner of the web and following my trucking experiences. Let me hear from you via the comments feature of this blog, and keep on truckin'.
By the way, just askin' (I don't know what made me think of this observation, but here it is anyway, even though it would be much more effective verbally than written)...If a fault is a crack in the ground, I guess we know what asphalt is, eh? ;-)
Miles Today: 221
Finally, a short work day. I was up early once more to shower, shave, and have some breakfast before setting out towards my delivery. Since I had a little extra time, for breakfast I walked to the McDonald's down the road for something hot, instead of my usual Pop Tarts in the truck. Surprisingly, this McD's had bacon and sausage bagel sandwiches, but not my favorite, the steak, egg, and cheese bagel. Bummer. So I settled for a sausage, egg, & cheese McGriddle instead.
Back in the truck, I got rolling by 6:15 a.m. Including yet another fuel stop, this one at the Flying J in Joplin, MO, the drive to my delivery near Bentonville, AR took about 2-1/2 hours. The process of checking in--at the gate then at the Receiving Office--then backing to my assigned dock door took about 30 minutes, then I had to wait 'til the unloading was done. That took about 1-1/2 hours, then it was back on the road for me. I hit the highway to find a parking space at a truck stop to await my next assignment.
Now this was along a less populated, less busy highway, so the truck stops were smaller as well as fewer and farther between. I first pulled into a Pilot, but the last open space in its small lot was being filled as I pulled in (coincidentally by another USA driver who had been at the same delivery site and left just as I did--I had followed him all the way down to the Pilot). So 'twas back to the highway to the next truck stop another 15-ish miles down the road. This time there was plenty of parking at the next facility, a non-name-brand truck stop. I waited there for over an hour before my assignment came in. (While waiting I had time to grab some lunch from another Sonic drive-in just down the road. Lucky day.) Being the weekend, especially Sunday, pickups are hard to come by, so it was no surprise that I was to drive down to our Van Buren, AR terminal to pick up a load that had been dropped there.
It was an hour's drive from that truck stop to the terminal, and once at the terminal I quickly found my assigned trailer, parked my empty, and hooked up to the new one. The new load doesn't deliver until noon tomorrow (Monday), and it will set a new record for me: shortest distance from pickup to delivery. I have to take this load all the way to Fort Smith, a whopping 5 miles away. (At least that's the mileage I'll get paid for; I'll try to remember to get an actual odometer reading when I get there.) So I've had the whole afternoon and evening free.
I've watched some NFL action in the drivers' lounge (big screen TVs and big, leather recliners--luxury!), played some online poker, and even did some laundry. What I haven't done is eat much since I got here, and now all of a sudden I'm feeling hungry. So I'll finish up and go take care of that.
But first I want to mention that the latter part of my drive today, between Joplin, MO and Van Buren, AR along US-71 and I-540 is another of my favorite stretches of road in the country. It's along rolling hills (small mountains, even) with lots of scenic views. It was even better today with bright, sunny skies and the leaves changing color on the trees. I highly recommend you find an occasion to take a trip through that area for the sheer beauty of the terrain.
Thanks again for taking the time to stop by this corner of the web and following my trucking experiences. Let me hear from you via the comments feature of this blog, and keep on truckin'.
By the way, just askin' (I don't know what made me think of this observation, but here it is anyway, even though it would be much more effective verbally than written)...If a fault is a crack in the ground, I guess we know what asphalt is, eh? ;-)
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Lengthy Catch-Up
DATELINE: STRAFFORD, MO, 10:00 p.m. CDT
Oops! I've done it again! Gone several days without blogging, that is. Sorry about that dear readers, but they've been some very long, busy days. So I have some catching up to do. But first, let me answer reader andy's questions:
1. I've lost track--are you always using the same cab? The same trailer?
-I do keep the same cab--or, more correctly, "tractor" (or just "truck"). (The cab is the part of the tractor where the driver and passenger sit.) Considering it's our home, we drivers load up our tractors with our personal belongings--clothes, bedding, fridges and other appliances, books, etc. 'Twould be quite a pain to have to keep moving that stuff between different trucks. Sometimes drivers are issued new tractors, such as in cases of mechanical difficulties with their unit or when the company decides it's time to retire a truck. That hasn't happened with me yet; I'm still driving my original equipment, good ol' #7630.
As for trailers, we swap them pretty regularly. Some customers pre-load their shipments into empty trailers that have been left at their location, so when a driver comes to pick up the load, s/he drops the empty s/he brought along and takes the pre-loaded one. Some receiving customers also have the driver drop the loaded trailer there and take a previously emptied one. Both save the driver a lot of time, since s/he doesn't have to wait during a load or unload process. On other occasions USA has drivers swap loads mid-trip, such as in cases where one driver is getting low on available hours or has truck problems.
2. In those cases where you run out of hours, do they sometimes have to send someone to grab your load, or does it just wait until you're road-ready again?
- Dispatch keeps track of our available hours, and when they see we're running low, they'll assign us a pickup that we can take somewhere--usually a company terminal--to drop for another driver to come get it. Or they'll just not assign us a new pickup after a delivery 'til we go take the requisite break to "reset" our hours. Most loads do not have enough travel time (the time between pickup and delivery appointments) to sit with a driver while s/he sits out the 34-hour break.
Now, back to the story of my last 4 days.
WEDNESDAY, 550 Miles
As you recall from my most recent update, I started Wednesday in central North Carolina, with a delivery due that morning. I was up early and on the road, driving the final 80-100 miles to the delivery in Dunn, NC. The drive and the delivery went just fine, although it was a live unload and I did have to do some waiting there.
Afterwards, I had 110 miles to drive to my next pickup, straight north up I-95 from Dunn nearly to the VA border. That pickup was a drop-and-hook, but I had to sweep out my empty trailer before dropping it and grabbing the loaded one. That load was headed for southern Indiana, but I was directed to take it to Knoxville, TN to swap with another driver who was headed to his hometime in Indiana. The swap was scheduled for 7:00 that night, but I just couldn't get there; it was too far for me to drive in the hours I had available for the day. Dispatch had given me the other driver's cell phone number (at his request) and we arranged to meet the next morning instead. He'd have plenty of time to get the load from our rendezvous point to its 6:00 p.m. delivery in Indiana.
I stopped for the night at a small, older TA in eastern NC. Its parking lot was just about full when I arrived after 7:30, my day's hours expiring, but I managed to find a spot to park for the night. Good thing, 'cuz there weren't many other parking options anywhere close by.
THURSDAY, 617 Miles
Up early again to hit the road as soon as I was allowed (having fulfilled the requisite 10-hour break). I had about 100 miles to go to reach the Knoxville truck stop where the other driver and I would swap loads. That drive was uneventful, and the swap went well. In fact, wonder of wonders, there was an open parking spot right next to the other driver's truck (he had spent the night there), so it couldn't have been easier.
My new load, one of those that pays extra per mile, was destined for Ennis, TX, just a bit southeast of Dallas. Lots of miles, extra pay; good deal. But the delivery appointment was set for 2:00 on Friday, so I had to boogie.
I made it all the way to North Little Rock, AR just as I was using up the last of my hours for the day (the 11 driving hours AND the 14-hour window to get those driving hours in). I had stopped for a while at a truck stop near Jackson, TN for a much-needed nap--fatigue's a problem when you're using up all your allowed work hours day in and day out. That stop plus others for food and rest areas, along with the time to swap trailers in the morning, accounted for today's extra 3 hours. I parked at the Petro truck stop in North Little Rock and spent the night there.
FRIDAY, 536 Miles
Up early once again to ensure I'd get to my delivery on time. I included some extra time to stop at a TA or Flying J en route to take a shower and fuel up my truck, but met some resistance to that plan.
First I stopped at a TA in Prescott, AR for a shower (that TA is not on USA's fuel network, so I wasn't gonna get any diesel there). I parked, walked in, found the self-serve shower kiosk (for purchasing the shower), and found a sign saying the showers were out of order. An employee also told me they were having water pressure problems. Grrrrr. So I went back to my truck and resumed my drive.
40 Miles later I came to a Flying J in Texarkana, AR. This one is on our fuel network, so I pulled up to an open pump at the fuel island--and found an out-of-order bag on the driver's side pump (since these trucks have tanks on both sides of the truck, truck stop fuel islands have pumps on both sides). Since I wasn't yet desperate for fuel, I decided not to swing around and wait in line for that. But I parked and went inside to attempt a shower there. I went to their self-serve shower terminal. One driver was there swiping his Frequent Fueler card in the card reader, but the reader wasn't picking up his card's info. After a number of attempts, he gave up and headed to the cashier desk to buy his shower. I tried my card but encountered the same problem. After a number of unsuccessful attempts, I headed to the cashier. But I noticed on the monitor that lists the assigned showers that there was a waiting list. GRRRRRR. So I decided I didn't really have time to wait, so I just went back to my truck and once more hit the road.
A couple hours later I came to a Pilot truck stop in Caddo Mills, TX that is also on USA's fuel network. By this time I really did need fuel, so I pulled in. This time I had no problems with the fuel island (except for a brief wait for a pump to open up) and, by buying 50+ gallons of fuel, I earned a shower credit (good for 5 days). So I parked and headed inside. And a shower was available! Hallelujah! After getting cleaned up, I also took time there to grab lunch at the McDonald's in the truck stop (McRibs are back!).
OK, after the fuel and shower fiascoes and resolutions, it was time to head for Ennis. From Caddo Mills it only took me a little over an hour to get to the delivery site. This wound up being another live unload, and I had to squeeze through a narrow, twisting driveway and parking lot, around a low wall and a small truck parked in the driveway at a most inopportune spot, to get to their dock at the back of the building. But once back there at least they had plenty of room for me to line up my truck to back into the dock.I was at that site for an hour and a half from check-in 'til they were done unloading, then I hit the road for a truck stop just a few miles up the highway, where I would wait for my next assignment.
Actually, the assignment came in as I was driving to the truck stop. I also got another message saying to ignore that assignment and another would soon follow. The first assignment was to head to Wichita Falls, TX and pick up a load headed for 2 stops in PA. However, delivery to the first stop would be in 2 days, so that load would have to be taken by a team truck in order to get there on time. Hence the message to ignore that one.
It took nearly an hour for my "real" assignment to come in: Pick up another load from that same location in Wichita Falls; pickup set for 11:00 p.m. Problems:
1. 11:00 was well beyond my 14-hour window for the day, and
2. I had just 3-1/4 hours left of my 14, and Wichita Falls was about a 3-hour drive away. I checked with dispatch, and they told me to go ahead and pick it up early. So I headed out.
However, this happened to be right at afternoon rush hour, and I would have to circle Dallas to get from Ennis to Wichita Falls. And, of course, I hit the obligatory traffic snarls. But once eventually free of them, the driving to Wichita Falls was pretty easy. However (there's that word again), my available work hours expired as I was reaching Wichita Falls, before I could get to the pickup. Lord knows I don't want to violate the 14-hour rule. I pulled into a Love's truck stop for the night and sent a message to dispatch letting them know I couldn't make the pickup on time and asking if they wanted me to just got get it in the morning, of if we'd just scrub that one. Their reply was they'd check and let me know. While waiting I heated up some dinner, ate it, checked my e-mail, then got ready for and went to bed.
A couple hours later I got a message (waking me up) asking what time I could make the pickup. I replied that I could get there at 6:00, then went back to sleep.
SATURDAY, 438 Miles
Up early once more, I was on the road at 5:30. First stop was another Flying J to get fuel. (My steer tire axles have been heavy when I've weighed my truck a few recent times--though I thankfully haven't been nabbed for that at weigh stations--so I'm not filling my tanks all the way in order to combat that. I'm only buying 50 gallons at a time--enough to earn shower credits--so I have to stop for fuel more frequently.) That FJ wound up being less than a mile down the road from the Love's where I had spent the night--go figure. But that's just an amusing story point, nothing significant for the day. 30 minutes later I was at the pickup, checking in with the gate guard. This was another drop-and-hook, so it didn't take long at all--in and out in 30 minutes.
I hit the road with the load heading north towards Oklahoma City. The load--like the aborted one--is also headed for PA, but with one more day to get there. Still, it would be quite a chore for me to get it there on time, if I could. And I don't think I could, 'cuz I'm running low on hours already, what with my many long days lately. (I tell ya', I do love getting the miles--they do wonders for my paychecks.) But that point became moot.
I pulled into the Flying J in Oklahoma City to weigh my truck (and yes, get more fuel). I also had a message: head to the TA on I-44 at exit 88 in Missouri to swap loads. Since I was already following I-44 across Oklahoma, that seemed reasonable. I've been to that TA before, and it was about 300 miles (or a little less) away. So after weighing and fueling (and getting breakfast from the Sonic across the street--I always gotta' eat there when zipping through OKC), I made for Mizzou. I made it there--here--in just under 5 hours and found a good parking spot. 'Twas just 2:30 in the afternoon. The other truck wasn't here yet, so I sent a message to dispatch asking for its ETA. The reply: "Going to be just a little time b4 there."
Well, that was definitive and helpful. I caught a few Zs while waiting, but not many. Long story short, yada, yada, yada, the other guy (guys, actually, 'twas a trainer and his student; a team to get the load to PA on time) showed up around 6:30. So we made the swap, then I went inside to grab dinner from the Taco Bell here. My new load is going to Bentonville, AR, only about 110 miles from here, and delivers at 9:30 tomorrow morning. So I'm spending the night here and will head out early once more. At least there's that extra hour due to going back to standard time now. But I think I've used that all up--and more--composing this missive. So I'd better wrap up and get to sleep.
Thanks for following along (and slogging through this whole, lengthy report). Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Oops! I've done it again! Gone several days without blogging, that is. Sorry about that dear readers, but they've been some very long, busy days. So I have some catching up to do. But first, let me answer reader andy's questions:
1. I've lost track--are you always using the same cab? The same trailer?
-I do keep the same cab--or, more correctly, "tractor" (or just "truck"). (The cab is the part of the tractor where the driver and passenger sit.) Considering it's our home, we drivers load up our tractors with our personal belongings--clothes, bedding, fridges and other appliances, books, etc. 'Twould be quite a pain to have to keep moving that stuff between different trucks. Sometimes drivers are issued new tractors, such as in cases of mechanical difficulties with their unit or when the company decides it's time to retire a truck. That hasn't happened with me yet; I'm still driving my original equipment, good ol' #7630.
As for trailers, we swap them pretty regularly. Some customers pre-load their shipments into empty trailers that have been left at their location, so when a driver comes to pick up the load, s/he drops the empty s/he brought along and takes the pre-loaded one. Some receiving customers also have the driver drop the loaded trailer there and take a previously emptied one. Both save the driver a lot of time, since s/he doesn't have to wait during a load or unload process. On other occasions USA has drivers swap loads mid-trip, such as in cases where one driver is getting low on available hours or has truck problems.
2. In those cases where you run out of hours, do they sometimes have to send someone to grab your load, or does it just wait until you're road-ready again?
- Dispatch keeps track of our available hours, and when they see we're running low, they'll assign us a pickup that we can take somewhere--usually a company terminal--to drop for another driver to come get it. Or they'll just not assign us a new pickup after a delivery 'til we go take the requisite break to "reset" our hours. Most loads do not have enough travel time (the time between pickup and delivery appointments) to sit with a driver while s/he sits out the 34-hour break.
Now, back to the story of my last 4 days.
WEDNESDAY, 550 Miles
As you recall from my most recent update, I started Wednesday in central North Carolina, with a delivery due that morning. I was up early and on the road, driving the final 80-100 miles to the delivery in Dunn, NC. The drive and the delivery went just fine, although it was a live unload and I did have to do some waiting there.
Afterwards, I had 110 miles to drive to my next pickup, straight north up I-95 from Dunn nearly to the VA border. That pickup was a drop-and-hook, but I had to sweep out my empty trailer before dropping it and grabbing the loaded one. That load was headed for southern Indiana, but I was directed to take it to Knoxville, TN to swap with another driver who was headed to his hometime in Indiana. The swap was scheduled for 7:00 that night, but I just couldn't get there; it was too far for me to drive in the hours I had available for the day. Dispatch had given me the other driver's cell phone number (at his request) and we arranged to meet the next morning instead. He'd have plenty of time to get the load from our rendezvous point to its 6:00 p.m. delivery in Indiana.
I stopped for the night at a small, older TA in eastern NC. Its parking lot was just about full when I arrived after 7:30, my day's hours expiring, but I managed to find a spot to park for the night. Good thing, 'cuz there weren't many other parking options anywhere close by.
THURSDAY, 617 Miles
Up early again to hit the road as soon as I was allowed (having fulfilled the requisite 10-hour break). I had about 100 miles to go to reach the Knoxville truck stop where the other driver and I would swap loads. That drive was uneventful, and the swap went well. In fact, wonder of wonders, there was an open parking spot right next to the other driver's truck (he had spent the night there), so it couldn't have been easier.
My new load, one of those that pays extra per mile, was destined for Ennis, TX, just a bit southeast of Dallas. Lots of miles, extra pay; good deal. But the delivery appointment was set for 2:00 on Friday, so I had to boogie.
I made it all the way to North Little Rock, AR just as I was using up the last of my hours for the day (the 11 driving hours AND the 14-hour window to get those driving hours in). I had stopped for a while at a truck stop near Jackson, TN for a much-needed nap--fatigue's a problem when you're using up all your allowed work hours day in and day out. That stop plus others for food and rest areas, along with the time to swap trailers in the morning, accounted for today's extra 3 hours. I parked at the Petro truck stop in North Little Rock and spent the night there.
FRIDAY, 536 Miles
Up early once again to ensure I'd get to my delivery on time. I included some extra time to stop at a TA or Flying J en route to take a shower and fuel up my truck, but met some resistance to that plan.
First I stopped at a TA in Prescott, AR for a shower (that TA is not on USA's fuel network, so I wasn't gonna get any diesel there). I parked, walked in, found the self-serve shower kiosk (for purchasing the shower), and found a sign saying the showers were out of order. An employee also told me they were having water pressure problems. Grrrrr. So I went back to my truck and resumed my drive.
40 Miles later I came to a Flying J in Texarkana, AR. This one is on our fuel network, so I pulled up to an open pump at the fuel island--and found an out-of-order bag on the driver's side pump (since these trucks have tanks on both sides of the truck, truck stop fuel islands have pumps on both sides). Since I wasn't yet desperate for fuel, I decided not to swing around and wait in line for that. But I parked and went inside to attempt a shower there. I went to their self-serve shower terminal. One driver was there swiping his Frequent Fueler card in the card reader, but the reader wasn't picking up his card's info. After a number of attempts, he gave up and headed to the cashier desk to buy his shower. I tried my card but encountered the same problem. After a number of unsuccessful attempts, I headed to the cashier. But I noticed on the monitor that lists the assigned showers that there was a waiting list. GRRRRRR. So I decided I didn't really have time to wait, so I just went back to my truck and once more hit the road.
A couple hours later I came to a Pilot truck stop in Caddo Mills, TX that is also on USA's fuel network. By this time I really did need fuel, so I pulled in. This time I had no problems with the fuel island (except for a brief wait for a pump to open up) and, by buying 50+ gallons of fuel, I earned a shower credit (good for 5 days). So I parked and headed inside. And a shower was available! Hallelujah! After getting cleaned up, I also took time there to grab lunch at the McDonald's in the truck stop (McRibs are back!).
OK, after the fuel and shower fiascoes and resolutions, it was time to head for Ennis. From Caddo Mills it only took me a little over an hour to get to the delivery site. This wound up being another live unload, and I had to squeeze through a narrow, twisting driveway and parking lot, around a low wall and a small truck parked in the driveway at a most inopportune spot, to get to their dock at the back of the building. But once back there at least they had plenty of room for me to line up my truck to back into the dock.I was at that site for an hour and a half from check-in 'til they were done unloading, then I hit the road for a truck stop just a few miles up the highway, where I would wait for my next assignment.
Actually, the assignment came in as I was driving to the truck stop. I also got another message saying to ignore that assignment and another would soon follow. The first assignment was to head to Wichita Falls, TX and pick up a load headed for 2 stops in PA. However, delivery to the first stop would be in 2 days, so that load would have to be taken by a team truck in order to get there on time. Hence the message to ignore that one.
It took nearly an hour for my "real" assignment to come in: Pick up another load from that same location in Wichita Falls; pickup set for 11:00 p.m. Problems:
1. 11:00 was well beyond my 14-hour window for the day, and
2. I had just 3-1/4 hours left of my 14, and Wichita Falls was about a 3-hour drive away. I checked with dispatch, and they told me to go ahead and pick it up early. So I headed out.
However, this happened to be right at afternoon rush hour, and I would have to circle Dallas to get from Ennis to Wichita Falls. And, of course, I hit the obligatory traffic snarls. But once eventually free of them, the driving to Wichita Falls was pretty easy. However (there's that word again), my available work hours expired as I was reaching Wichita Falls, before I could get to the pickup. Lord knows I don't want to violate the 14-hour rule. I pulled into a Love's truck stop for the night and sent a message to dispatch letting them know I couldn't make the pickup on time and asking if they wanted me to just got get it in the morning, of if we'd just scrub that one. Their reply was they'd check and let me know. While waiting I heated up some dinner, ate it, checked my e-mail, then got ready for and went to bed.
A couple hours later I got a message (waking me up) asking what time I could make the pickup. I replied that I could get there at 6:00, then went back to sleep.
SATURDAY, 438 Miles
Up early once more, I was on the road at 5:30. First stop was another Flying J to get fuel. (My steer tire axles have been heavy when I've weighed my truck a few recent times--though I thankfully haven't been nabbed for that at weigh stations--so I'm not filling my tanks all the way in order to combat that. I'm only buying 50 gallons at a time--enough to earn shower credits--so I have to stop for fuel more frequently.) That FJ wound up being less than a mile down the road from the Love's where I had spent the night--go figure. But that's just an amusing story point, nothing significant for the day. 30 minutes later I was at the pickup, checking in with the gate guard. This was another drop-and-hook, so it didn't take long at all--in and out in 30 minutes.
I hit the road with the load heading north towards Oklahoma City. The load--like the aborted one--is also headed for PA, but with one more day to get there. Still, it would be quite a chore for me to get it there on time, if I could. And I don't think I could, 'cuz I'm running low on hours already, what with my many long days lately. (I tell ya', I do love getting the miles--they do wonders for my paychecks.) But that point became moot.
I pulled into the Flying J in Oklahoma City to weigh my truck (and yes, get more fuel). I also had a message: head to the TA on I-44 at exit 88 in Missouri to swap loads. Since I was already following I-44 across Oklahoma, that seemed reasonable. I've been to that TA before, and it was about 300 miles (or a little less) away. So after weighing and fueling (and getting breakfast from the Sonic across the street--I always gotta' eat there when zipping through OKC), I made for Mizzou. I made it there--here--in just under 5 hours and found a good parking spot. 'Twas just 2:30 in the afternoon. The other truck wasn't here yet, so I sent a message to dispatch asking for its ETA. The reply: "Going to be just a little time b4 there."
Well, that was definitive and helpful. I caught a few Zs while waiting, but not many. Long story short, yada, yada, yada, the other guy (guys, actually, 'twas a trainer and his student; a team to get the load to PA on time) showed up around 6:30. So we made the swap, then I went inside to grab dinner from the Taco Bell here. My new load is going to Bentonville, AR, only about 110 miles from here, and delivers at 9:30 tomorrow morning. So I'm spending the night here and will head out early once more. At least there's that extra hour due to going back to standard time now. But I think I've used that all up--and more--composing this missive. So I'd better wrap up and get to sleep.
Thanks for following along (and slogging through this whole, lengthy report). Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
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