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'.