Going International

DATELINE: BEAVERDAM, OH, 9:45 p.m. EST

Whoops, more catching up to do. Here goes.

MONDAY, 467 Miles:
I got up at 1:15 a.m. in order to make the drive to my 6:00 delivery on time. I started out about 44 miles east of the Texas border in Arkansas, and had to go to Fort Worth. After getting myself ready, I hit the road at 2:00. Four hours of driving and a 15-minute fuel stop later, I reached my destination. 'Twas a drop-and-hook delivery, and I was in and outta' there in 30 minutes. Then I had to find a place to wait for my next assignment.

I decided to truck on over to a Pilot on the far side of Fort Worth. (The delivery was on the east side, Pilot on the west.) The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is a huge area, and it took me an hour (including rush hour traffic) to get to the truck stop. There I grabbed some breakfast at the McDonald's in the building while I waited. And waited. And waited. After a while I sent a message to my Fleet Manager (FM) asking how long it'd be 'til an assignment came along. His reply was that, due to my available hours situation (it was low), I'd probably have to wait to get a morning pickup.

So I hauled out my laptop, went online, and registered for a daily 1:00 p.m. (EST) Texas Hold 'Em tournament. (This was around 11:00 CST.) About 30 minutes later, an assignment came in. I was to pick up a load from a company just a bit south of Texarkana, TX at 3:00 p.m. Because of my lengthy wait, the issue became whether or not I could reach (and complete) the pickup before my 14 hour driving window for the expired at 3:45. It all hinged on how much traffic I'd encounter getting out of the DFW area.

And traffic there was. I ran out of time about 30 miles short of Texarkana, so I pulled into a rest area to sit out my required 10-hour break. Unfortunately, that rest area is in the middle of nowhere and I could not get a signal for my laptop, hence my lack of blogging that day. Sorry 'bout dat.

TUESDAY, 536 Miles:
Up at 1:15 again, this time I was rolling at 1:45. It took me about 45 minutes to reach the pickup, which was another drop-and-hook. 30 minutes later, I was hauling my new load towards its destination.

And that destination will be a new experience for me; it's an international route. This load is headed for Cornwall, Ontario, which is W-A-A-A-A-Y over near Montreal, almost as east as you can get in Ontario. Delivery is scheduled for Friday morning, and again I have concerns about my available hours being sufficient to get me there in time. I should be able to make it if I have no major delays.

I had enough hours available on Tuesday to drive all the way to Fariview, TN, just west of Nashville. I stopped at the Flying J there (I've been there a couple times before) for a good night's sleep. Because of my consecutive early starts, I was too plumb tuckered out to blog coherently, so I didn't. Sorry 'bout dat.

WEDNESDAY, 439 Miles:
Today I only had 8-3/4 hours available to work, so I slept in a bit later--this time 'til 5:00. I know, I'm such a lazy slacker. Anyway, after a shower and a shave, I was on the road by 5:45. My goal was the Vandalia, OH terminal, because my FM had indicated that I'd probably drop the load there because of my hours situation.

The drive to Vandalia went fine, and I got there at about 2:15 EST. (I crossed the time zone line in western KY.) I was getting ready to unhook the trailer when I got a message from my FM to call him. I did, and we decided that I'd keep the load. We figured that I did have just enough hours to complete the run on time, and besides, there weren't any other drivers available to pick up the load in Vandalia. So I got back in the truck and headed a bit further up the road since I had another 90 minutes available to work today.

Tonight I'm at the Flying J in this town. Posting an update for you tonight is essential because my laptop phone card does not have coverage in Canada, and I'll be in that country for at least the next 2 nights. I only have 6-1/4 hours available to work tomorrow, enough to get to Detroit, cross the Ambassador Bridge, deal with customs, and make my way as far as I can into Ontario in the time I do have.

Then on Friday I'll have to get up R-E-A-L early again to make the delivery on time (10:00 a.m., but I hear there's actually a window 'til 4:00 p.m.). That drive will most likely use up most of the 8-3/4 hours I'll have available that day, so that'll be another night to spend in the Great White North.

Anyway, this will likely be the last you hear from me 'til sometime this weekend. Don't let that stop you from submitting questions and comments--I'd like plenty to read when I get back to the U.S. Thanks for reading today, and keep on truckin'.