DATELINE: HOME
Gotta make this quick today. I got home Friday evening after:
- Delivering a load in Milwaukee
- Driving down to make a pickup in South Holland, IL
- Taking that load to a USA Truck drop yard in Blue Island, IL (10 miles or less away)
- Dropping that trailer and grabbing an empty one from Blue island
- Driving home (well, to my parking place in Romulus, MI)
It's been a busy weekend, and USA actually gave me Monday off, too, so I'm supposed to head back to my truck today. Well, we got a pretty good snowstorm here overnight and into today, so the going's a bit difficult. So I couldn't make my way (actually, my brother-in-law will be giving me a ride over) to my truck first thing this morning as planned. Instead, I'm giving the weather some time to clear up and the road crews some time to get the roads cleared up, too. I expect I'll be heading out fairly soon, providing my ride is still available.
Anyway, I need to mention that when I head out for this next tour of duty, I'll be cut off from the outside world--at least my internet pathway to it--because my laptop is down for the count. You recall that previously I had mentioned a problem with the power cord (actually the transformer cord). Well, the cord finally bit the dust and the laptop's battery gave its all.
I have a new transformer on order, but it isn't scheduled to arrive at my house 'til March 3. And I'll be out on the road by then, of course. (I thought I had asked for expedited delivery, but apparently something got lost in translation.) So I'll be offline probably 'til I get home next, which will be Easter weekend. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a load through this area so I can stop nearby and Mrs. R.T. can run the new transformer out to me. But don't count on it. So if you don't see any updates here for a while, you'll know why. I hope I can occasionally find internet kiosks at truck stops until I resolve my laptop problem so I can at least check my e-mail. But they charge a bit too much for me to spend the time I need to compose decent updates for y'all.
I gotta go now. Many thanks to R.T. daughter #2 for the use of her laptop to write this posting. Thanks for checking in on me, and keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Mad Westerly Dash
DATELINE: O'HARE OASIS, I-294, CHICAGOLAND, IL, 6:30 p.m. CST
Miles Today: 659
Finally just a day of all-out, pedal-to-the-metal driving. No pickups or deliveries. No weather problems. No waits for customs clearance at an international border. Just wake up and drive. Which I did.
I woke up on my own around 3:30 this morning, an hour before the time for which I had set my alarm. Of course, I couldn't fall back asleep, so at 4:10 I gave up the attempt and got up to get ready to start my work day. I hit the road at just after 4:30.
At 7:15 I reached Brookeville, PA and a Flying J there that's on the company's fuel network. I pulled in, topped up my tanks, then parked in the lot. I hadn't had an opportunity to take a shower the last couple of days (the ones at last night's TA were undergoing renovation), so I was ready for one of those and a shave. Besides, since I started earlier than planned, I figured I could take the time to clean up. Especially since I didn't know if I'd be someplace to have a shower tomorrow (Friday) morning.
My early wild-a** guess calculations had me thinking that I'd wind up somewhere around the OH-IN border; therefore I'd likely be spending the night at a Service Plaza along one of those states' turnpikes. Closer inspection of the mileages involved led me to believe that in 11 hours of driving I'd wind up around Gary, IN and the slew of TAs, Flying Js, and Pilots in that area. But I must have caught a favorable tail wind today, 'cuz I made it all the way into Chicagoland. As you can see by today's Dateline, I'm at the Oasis along I-294 by O'Hare airport. If you know these Oases, you know they're like turnpike Service Plazas, so I won't have a shower available first thing in the morning. So it's a good thing I took the shower break back in PA.
I do believe the 659 miles I covered today are a personal daily best, but I must confess that I did go overtime on my driving hours--by 15 minutes. I intended to stop at one of the earlier Oases coming up 294, but their truck parking areas were full already. (That's the one BIG drawback to these places--their very limited truck parking.) So I had to keep going 'til I found an opening. I almost had another 5-state day. Had I not found a spot at one if these Oases, I was ready to head for the Welcome Center across the WI state line. But I was fortunate to pull into this Oasis just as I saw another driver climbing into his cab to pull out. He, however, took his sweet time about it, and another truck two spots over pulled out first. So I backed up just a bit so I could swing into that spot. SWEET!
So here I am. I dined on a Gyros pizza from one of the establishments inside the Oasis. Pretty tasty, but a little bigger than I expected. (Urp! 'Scuse me.) Since I don't have a working 'fridge anymore, I had to eat the whole thing. (I can't believe I....oh, never mind.)
I've heard from Dispatch that I can make my delivery early tomorrow--I don't have to wait 'til noon. So I figger I'll sleep in 'til after 6:00 and get rolling at 7:00. That should get me to the customer in Milwaukee around 9:00, maybe a little sooner if traffic cooperates. Later if it doesn't. After that, I don't know yet if Dispatch will have me pick up another load to haul on my way towards home or if they'll just let me boogie straight home. The latter will get me home all the earlier, but the former will get me more paying miles. I could use the extra on my paycheck, but I also can do without the extra stress of worrying about getting back to park my truck before a) my hours run out, or b) the yard where I park closes for the weekend. So we'll see what they do. Check back to find out, though I can't promise an update tomorrow after I get home--I may be busy reconnecting with my family.
Thanks for looking in today. Send me your cards and letters--er, your comments and questions--and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 659
Finally just a day of all-out, pedal-to-the-metal driving. No pickups or deliveries. No weather problems. No waits for customs clearance at an international border. Just wake up and drive. Which I did.
I woke up on my own around 3:30 this morning, an hour before the time for which I had set my alarm. Of course, I couldn't fall back asleep, so at 4:10 I gave up the attempt and got up to get ready to start my work day. I hit the road at just after 4:30.
At 7:15 I reached Brookeville, PA and a Flying J there that's on the company's fuel network. I pulled in, topped up my tanks, then parked in the lot. I hadn't had an opportunity to take a shower the last couple of days (the ones at last night's TA were undergoing renovation), so I was ready for one of those and a shave. Besides, since I started earlier than planned, I figured I could take the time to clean up. Especially since I didn't know if I'd be someplace to have a shower tomorrow (Friday) morning.
My early wild-a** guess calculations had me thinking that I'd wind up somewhere around the OH-IN border; therefore I'd likely be spending the night at a Service Plaza along one of those states' turnpikes. Closer inspection of the mileages involved led me to believe that in 11 hours of driving I'd wind up around Gary, IN and the slew of TAs, Flying Js, and Pilots in that area. But I must have caught a favorable tail wind today, 'cuz I made it all the way into Chicagoland. As you can see by today's Dateline, I'm at the Oasis along I-294 by O'Hare airport. If you know these Oases, you know they're like turnpike Service Plazas, so I won't have a shower available first thing in the morning. So it's a good thing I took the shower break back in PA.
I do believe the 659 miles I covered today are a personal daily best, but I must confess that I did go overtime on my driving hours--by 15 minutes. I intended to stop at one of the earlier Oases coming up 294, but their truck parking areas were full already. (That's the one BIG drawback to these places--their very limited truck parking.) So I had to keep going 'til I found an opening. I almost had another 5-state day. Had I not found a spot at one if these Oases, I was ready to head for the Welcome Center across the WI state line. But I was fortunate to pull into this Oasis just as I saw another driver climbing into his cab to pull out. He, however, took his sweet time about it, and another truck two spots over pulled out first. So I backed up just a bit so I could swing into that spot. SWEET!
So here I am. I dined on a Gyros pizza from one of the establishments inside the Oasis. Pretty tasty, but a little bigger than I expected. (Urp! 'Scuse me.) Since I don't have a working 'fridge anymore, I had to eat the whole thing. (I can't believe I....oh, never mind.)
I've heard from Dispatch that I can make my delivery early tomorrow--I don't have to wait 'til noon. So I figger I'll sleep in 'til after 6:00 and get rolling at 7:00. That should get me to the customer in Milwaukee around 9:00, maybe a little sooner if traffic cooperates. Later if it doesn't. After that, I don't know yet if Dispatch will have me pick up another load to haul on my way towards home or if they'll just let me boogie straight home. The latter will get me home all the earlier, but the former will get me more paying miles. I could use the extra on my paycheck, but I also can do without the extra stress of worrying about getting back to park my truck before a) my hours run out, or b) the yard where I park closes for the weekend. So we'll see what they do. Check back to find out, though I can't promise an update tomorrow after I get home--I may be busy reconnecting with my family.
Thanks for looking in today. Send me your cards and letters--er, your comments and questions--and keep on truckin'.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Lucky (?) 7
DATELINE: BLOOMSBURG, PA, 7:15 p.m. EST
Miles Today: 466
My, what a long day. I know, they're all long (well, most of 'em), but some just seem longer than others for whatever reason. I'm sure today seemed extra lenghty because of the amount of time I spent driving on highway US-7, most of it two-lanes passing through town after town with much-reduced speed limits. But let me tell the whole story.
I got up at 4:30 this morning so I could drive the remaining 80-to-90 miles to my pickup and get there by my 7:00 appointment. I was rolling at 5:00, and spent the first two of my hours on "7", southbound along the western side of Vermont. The sun was well up by the time I reached the company in Florence, VT, so finding it was easy enough, despite it being down a couple of back roads. (The near-prominent signs along the road and Mapquesting the place last night helped a whole lot.)
The pickup was a drop-and-hook, so it went nice 'n quick with minimal human intervention. You remember my problems earlier with sliding the tandem axles on older trailers? Well, when I dropped the empty this morning, I had to slide the tandems to the back per the company's instructions. The space I parked the trailer in was mostly a thick sheet of smooth ice, so all 8 of the trailer's tires were on that surface. But the tandems slid--and the tires didn't--with nary a problem. Yes, it was a newer trailer, though not one of the absolute newest. But I was happy to have that struggle averted.
The tandems on the trailer I picked up slid into place right away, too, though I did that operation on a gravel surface instead of the ice. Anyway, I was in and out of that pickup in 30 minutes. Then it was back to southbound 7 for what seemed and interminable amount of time.
My plan was to take 7 down into MA and pick up westbound I-90 when I came across it. It seemed like a good plan when I plotted the route (Florence to Milwaukee) on the US map. However, I should have consulted the MA state map to ensure that 90 was accessible from 7. Well, it was, but via a couple other state highways. There is no direct access from US-7 to I-90. Grrrrrr! So I skipped to Plan B, which was to stay on 7 all the way down into CT, where I could grab I-84. Had I been able to take 90, I would have wound up on 84 eventually, anyway, to work my way into PA from NY. So I really wasn't going out of my way at all. It's just that the Interstates would have been much faster, even if a tad longer mileage-wise.
All-in-all, my entire journey on US-7 took about 7 hours; 2 pre-pickup, 5 post. Boy was I getting tired of that slog by the time I got to 84 and could finally let 'er rip, put the pedal to the metal, fly like the wind, make tracks, etc. What also added to how long the day felt was the realization when I hit 84 that I still had 4 more hours to drive today. Oy!
Don't get me wrong, the scenery along US-7 was very nice: hilly; a good look at "real" America; rivers and streams, many with roiling rapids; and the like. It would make a nice route on a vacation trip. But on the job with a L-O-N-G trip to make in 2 days, I really did have to be making good time, and that road just did not accommodate that.
Back to finishing up the day. It was good to finally be making headway on the Interstates, but even that was tempered somewhat. I have another very heavy load (44,000+ pounds), so the hilly terrain on my route slowed me down as well. I reached the TA at this town (where I've been twice before) with about 15 minutes to spare on my 11 driving hours for the day. So the route challenges are why, despite all the time behind the wheel, I only managed 466 miles today. But hey, today was a 5-state day! (VT, MA, CT, NY, and PA.) I can't think of any other 5-state days I've had anytime recently. (And I'm too tired to go back through my records looking for one.) I know I have had several, or perhaps many, 4-state days. I guess it helps if MA and CT are among them.
Across the street from this TA is a run-down mall, but a bunch of restaurants and fast food outlets ring the mall's grounds. Among them is a Quaker Steak and Lube establishment, a sports bar with a NASCAR theme. I visited the place on my first stop here last summer, and after today's drive I really felt like appeasing my frustrations with some of their wings and a beer. It's about a 10-minute walk over to the place, and the weather wasn't too bad at all--not too cold, not too windy--despite being February in PA. So I did. The wings (I went with the medium-spicy "Golden Garlic" sauce) and bacon cheese fries combo along with a cold Bass Ale really hit the spot. I don't ever drink alcohol when I'm out on the road, and I probably won't again, but sometimes you just gotta' say, "What the ****". (See Tom Cruise's "Risky Business" for the proper quote if you don't know it already.)
That's all for today, folks; time to step outside and see if the lunar eclipse is visible. Thanks for dropping by. I have another long haul for tomorrow, so I'll be up and at 'em early again in the morning. Check back to see how far I get. Maybe I can shoot for a personal daily distance record--but with all of the mountains to climb here in PA, that may be a long shot. Drop me a line, and keep right on truckin'.
Miles Today: 466
My, what a long day. I know, they're all long (well, most of 'em), but some just seem longer than others for whatever reason. I'm sure today seemed extra lenghty because of the amount of time I spent driving on highway US-7, most of it two-lanes passing through town after town with much-reduced speed limits. But let me tell the whole story.
I got up at 4:30 this morning so I could drive the remaining 80-to-90 miles to my pickup and get there by my 7:00 appointment. I was rolling at 5:00, and spent the first two of my hours on "7", southbound along the western side of Vermont. The sun was well up by the time I reached the company in Florence, VT, so finding it was easy enough, despite it being down a couple of back roads. (The near-prominent signs along the road and Mapquesting the place last night helped a whole lot.)
The pickup was a drop-and-hook, so it went nice 'n quick with minimal human intervention. You remember my problems earlier with sliding the tandem axles on older trailers? Well, when I dropped the empty this morning, I had to slide the tandems to the back per the company's instructions. The space I parked the trailer in was mostly a thick sheet of smooth ice, so all 8 of the trailer's tires were on that surface. But the tandems slid--and the tires didn't--with nary a problem. Yes, it was a newer trailer, though not one of the absolute newest. But I was happy to have that struggle averted.
The tandems on the trailer I picked up slid into place right away, too, though I did that operation on a gravel surface instead of the ice. Anyway, I was in and out of that pickup in 30 minutes. Then it was back to southbound 7 for what seemed and interminable amount of time.
My plan was to take 7 down into MA and pick up westbound I-90 when I came across it. It seemed like a good plan when I plotted the route (Florence to Milwaukee) on the US map. However, I should have consulted the MA state map to ensure that 90 was accessible from 7. Well, it was, but via a couple other state highways. There is no direct access from US-7 to I-90. Grrrrrr! So I skipped to Plan B, which was to stay on 7 all the way down into CT, where I could grab I-84. Had I been able to take 90, I would have wound up on 84 eventually, anyway, to work my way into PA from NY. So I really wasn't going out of my way at all. It's just that the Interstates would have been much faster, even if a tad longer mileage-wise.
All-in-all, my entire journey on US-7 took about 7 hours; 2 pre-pickup, 5 post. Boy was I getting tired of that slog by the time I got to 84 and could finally let 'er rip, put the pedal to the metal, fly like the wind, make tracks, etc. What also added to how long the day felt was the realization when I hit 84 that I still had 4 more hours to drive today. Oy!
Don't get me wrong, the scenery along US-7 was very nice: hilly; a good look at "real" America; rivers and streams, many with roiling rapids; and the like. It would make a nice route on a vacation trip. But on the job with a L-O-N-G trip to make in 2 days, I really did have to be making good time, and that road just did not accommodate that.
Back to finishing up the day. It was good to finally be making headway on the Interstates, but even that was tempered somewhat. I have another very heavy load (44,000+ pounds), so the hilly terrain on my route slowed me down as well. I reached the TA at this town (where I've been twice before) with about 15 minutes to spare on my 11 driving hours for the day. So the route challenges are why, despite all the time behind the wheel, I only managed 466 miles today. But hey, today was a 5-state day! (VT, MA, CT, NY, and PA.) I can't think of any other 5-state days I've had anytime recently. (And I'm too tired to go back through my records looking for one.) I know I have had several, or perhaps many, 4-state days. I guess it helps if MA and CT are among them.
Across the street from this TA is a run-down mall, but a bunch of restaurants and fast food outlets ring the mall's grounds. Among them is a Quaker Steak and Lube establishment, a sports bar with a NASCAR theme. I visited the place on my first stop here last summer, and after today's drive I really felt like appeasing my frustrations with some of their wings and a beer. It's about a 10-minute walk over to the place, and the weather wasn't too bad at all--not too cold, not too windy--despite being February in PA. So I did. The wings (I went with the medium-spicy "Golden Garlic" sauce) and bacon cheese fries combo along with a cold Bass Ale really hit the spot. I don't ever drink alcohol when I'm out on the road, and I probably won't again, but sometimes you just gotta' say, "What the ****". (See Tom Cruise's "Risky Business" for the proper quote if you don't know it already.)
That's all for today, folks; time to step outside and see if the lunar eclipse is visible. Thanks for dropping by. I have another long haul for tomorrow, so I'll be up and at 'em early again in the morning. Check back to see how far I get. Maybe I can shoot for a personal daily distance record--but with all of the mountains to climb here in PA, that may be a long shot. Drop me a line, and keep right on truckin'.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Frolicking in the Frozen North
DATELINE: ST. ALBANS, VT, 7:00 p.m. EST
I'm back! Back in the U.S. after 3 Canuck nights. Which means I can get back online and tell y'all about it. So here goes.
SATURDAY, 396 Miles:
You no doubt recall my brief update as I waited for customs clearance before crossing the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor and Canadian points east. As is usually the case, they had a SNAFU and I was delayed there an extra hour. By the time I was cleared to go, I had to boogie because my 14-hour work window for the day was closing. Happily, traffic across the bridge was very light and I sailed right on across and through the customs booth on the far side. Then it was straight to the 401 and on my way. I came across a Pilot Travel Center in Tilbury, 30-ish miles from Windsor, and pulled in there to spend the night.
SUNDAY, 500 Miles:
I woke on Sunday to see rain had been and was still falling. That sent a shot of dread through my body: with the freezing temperatures it could well disrupt my plans for the next couple of days. You see, with clear sailing I could make it all the way to Montreal on Sunday, then have plenty of time to sit out a 34-hour break to reset my 70-hour counter before heading to my Tuesday morning delivery. Otherwise I'd be short on hours on Tuesday and unable to get far on my way back home. But with freezing rain potentially making the going hazardous, that 34-hour break seemed ready to become unavailable. When I got out of my truck to head inside the truck stop to get ready for the day, I could tell that the pavement was not yet icy. So I got myself and my truck ready and hit the road. This was at 6:00 a.m.
The further I drove, the road got more and more treacherous. By the time I got to London 2 hours later, I (and all the other traffic around me) was crawling along at 30 MPH or less. I pulled off at the Flying J in that town to sit out the icy conditions, thoroughly frustrated (to put it mildly) that my grand scheme was gone with the wind. I turned on the radio to find weather updates, and heard that the temperature was supposed to rise above freezing--up to 5 degrees Celsius--in the afternoon, so I was encouraged. While I waited for the thaw, I took the time to head inside for a shower. I could have skated across the parking lot had I had ics skates with me--the ice was that bad.
All cleaned up, I skated back to my truck to await the warmth, read, and listen for further weather reports. I kept an eye on the rain that was falling and the condition of the ice that had built up on my truck and the pavement. Eventually, I could see that the ice was softening and not building up any more. I gave it a bit more time, then headed back out. My ice delay had been 2-1/2 hours long.
I was right--and relieved to see that the roads were, for the most part, just wet and not icy. There were patches here and there where cars got themselves in trouble by going too fast, but I kept my speed steady and a bit slower than the posted 100 kph and had no troubles.
As the afternoon wore on, the rain gradually let up and the roads got better. By the time I was far past Toronto, I was driving back at the speed limit. But then evening came, the sun went down, and the rain caught back up to me. I reached Quebec just after the sun was completely down, and with the drizzle on my windshield, it became difficult to read the traffic signs. Their being in French didn't help matters any. That didn't cause me any real problems, but after a long day of stressful driving, my eyes were getting quite fatigued. Fortunately, I didn't have to go very far into Quebec. My goal was another Flying J less than 30 kilometers into the province, and I reached it at about 6:30 p.m. Plenty of parking was available, and I snagged a spot.
I decided to reward my accomplishment (making it all the way despite the weather) with dinner in the Flying J restaruant. This one had some menu items not found at their U.S counterparts, including individual-sized pizzas. I decided to go for the bacon and onion one, and it was pretty darn good! I also decided not to visit the "Bar J", a "lounge" tucked in another corner of the building--something also not found in U.S. Flying Js--although a good belt would have hit the spot.
MONDAY, 0 Miles:
Break time. But without online access (no poker!), it promised to be a very boring day. I woke up early, around 5:30 since I'm in that cycle these days. After lying around a while trying to fool myself that I was going to go back to sleep, I finally sat up and read for a bit, though not with any great conviction. Then I got all the way up, got dressed, and went inside to shower and shave.
Back in the truck, I really didn't know what to do with myself. I just sat in my driver's seat contemplating my options. I could see a sign just down the road that indicated a shopping center of some kind, though it was too far away to read. I decided to walk over and check it out, since the weather was actually kinda' nice, warm enough to set the ice on the ground a-melting. So off I went.
Once I got out to the road, I could see that there was a Wal-Mart over there, about 1/4 mile down. That was good enough to occupy my time, so I trudged on over. I had to walk in the street because the sidewalks--if there were any to begin with--were covered with plowed snow. But the lanes were wide enough and traffic light enough that it wasn't any problem. The problematic part of the walk was through the Wal-Mart lot: it was very icy and slippery. I spent about an hour slowly meandering through the store, and grabbed a couple things I could use. Then it was back down the road and into the truck.
I spent the balance of the mornind and afternoon in my truck, reading and playing Freecell on my laptop. I also loaded and played a couple of poker game demos from a CD I had gotten with an issue of a poker magazine. Lunch was heat-n-eat mac-n-cheese (macaroni et fromage--I was in Quebec, after all) in the cab. Lunch 2 a couple hours later was a heat-n-eat Taco Bell Salsa Chicken Bowl and Doritos (the "bowl" food, all stirred together, makes a pretty good dip for the chips, what with refried beans, rice, and chicken). Hey, I told you it would be a boring day--eating was a viable option to fill the time.
After more poker demos and more reading, I finally reached dinner time. That pizza from last night was so good, I had to have it again. So I did. And again I stayed out of the Bar J. Then it was off to bed.
TODAY, 148 Miles:
I again woke up around 5:30. With my delivery not scheduled 'til 10:30, and it being less than 25 miles away, I had some time to kill. So I killed it with some more reading (poker books, which I'm now re-re-reading) and a shower. Breakfast was a heat-n-eat swedish meatballs entree.
By 7:45 I was tired of just killing time, so I figured I'd just get going and make the delivery early. I pulled around to the fuel islands to top up my tanks, and was rolling by 8:00. It's a good thing I got started early, because I hit a goodly traffic jam on the way that added 30 minutes to my drive time, which wound up being 60 minutes when I arrived at the company.
On the other hand, it wasn't such a good idea to go that early, because I had to wait there 'til my appointment time anyway. That really doesn't happen at very many places. So I had to park over to the side of their driveway and wait for almost 90 minutes. More reading. Finally it was time to pull into their docks to get unloaded. And that process went nice 'n quickly. Then I headed down the road to find a place to wait for my next assignment.
I had 2 choices: Head back east and return to the Flying J, or go west back into Ontario to a Welcome Center/Service Plaza just across the border. I chose Ontario because I figured my next load was likely to be down that-a-way. It only took 30 minutes to get there, but then I had another l-o-n-g wait before the assignment came in. About a 3-hour wait. I passed that time lunching at the plaza's Wendy's, reading, and taking a brief nap. Finally the assignment came in: Head to Florence, Vermont for a 7:00 a.m. Wednesday pickup.
Naturally, I had picked the wrong direction when I left the delivery site, so I had to backtrack a short ways back into Quebec before crossing to the other side of Montreal, then turning south to head back to the good ol' U.S. I hit a couple of slowdowns along the highways around Montreal, but I made it back to the homeland. There aren't very many truck stops in Vermont, so I picked the largest of the 3 on my route and made for it. And made it to it.
So that's where I now sit, at a non-brand-name truck stop along I-89. By the way, I do believe that this is my first time ever in this state, and it definitely is the first time as a trucker. So I get to buy another fridge magnet to commemorate it. (I buy one of each of the states I've trucked in.)
By my measuring on the map, I have about 80 or so miles to my pickup in the morning, so I'll be up and rolling early again. Then it'll be time for me to drive like all get-out because the load is headed for a Friday noon delivery in Milwaukee, WI, 950+ miles away. I expect that I'm expected to take the load the whole way, even though I'm due to go home on Friday. I know they (Dispatch) figure it's just a hop, skip, and jump from Milwaukee to Ann Arbor, as they've had me make that trek on my way home in the past. If all goes well, I should be able to complete the assignment, and I sure can use the miles. Let's just hope that everything does go well. No weather/road issues, please.
And now you're up-to-date with my wanderings. Thanks for following along. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
I'm back! Back in the U.S. after 3 Canuck nights. Which means I can get back online and tell y'all about it. So here goes.
SATURDAY, 396 Miles:
You no doubt recall my brief update as I waited for customs clearance before crossing the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor and Canadian points east. As is usually the case, they had a SNAFU and I was delayed there an extra hour. By the time I was cleared to go, I had to boogie because my 14-hour work window for the day was closing. Happily, traffic across the bridge was very light and I sailed right on across and through the customs booth on the far side. Then it was straight to the 401 and on my way. I came across a Pilot Travel Center in Tilbury, 30-ish miles from Windsor, and pulled in there to spend the night.
SUNDAY, 500 Miles:
I woke on Sunday to see rain had been and was still falling. That sent a shot of dread through my body: with the freezing temperatures it could well disrupt my plans for the next couple of days. You see, with clear sailing I could make it all the way to Montreal on Sunday, then have plenty of time to sit out a 34-hour break to reset my 70-hour counter before heading to my Tuesday morning delivery. Otherwise I'd be short on hours on Tuesday and unable to get far on my way back home. But with freezing rain potentially making the going hazardous, that 34-hour break seemed ready to become unavailable. When I got out of my truck to head inside the truck stop to get ready for the day, I could tell that the pavement was not yet icy. So I got myself and my truck ready and hit the road. This was at 6:00 a.m.
The further I drove, the road got more and more treacherous. By the time I got to London 2 hours later, I (and all the other traffic around me) was crawling along at 30 MPH or less. I pulled off at the Flying J in that town to sit out the icy conditions, thoroughly frustrated (to put it mildly) that my grand scheme was gone with the wind. I turned on the radio to find weather updates, and heard that the temperature was supposed to rise above freezing--up to 5 degrees Celsius--in the afternoon, so I was encouraged. While I waited for the thaw, I took the time to head inside for a shower. I could have skated across the parking lot had I had ics skates with me--the ice was that bad.
All cleaned up, I skated back to my truck to await the warmth, read, and listen for further weather reports. I kept an eye on the rain that was falling and the condition of the ice that had built up on my truck and the pavement. Eventually, I could see that the ice was softening and not building up any more. I gave it a bit more time, then headed back out. My ice delay had been 2-1/2 hours long.
I was right--and relieved to see that the roads were, for the most part, just wet and not icy. There were patches here and there where cars got themselves in trouble by going too fast, but I kept my speed steady and a bit slower than the posted 100 kph and had no troubles.
As the afternoon wore on, the rain gradually let up and the roads got better. By the time I was far past Toronto, I was driving back at the speed limit. But then evening came, the sun went down, and the rain caught back up to me. I reached Quebec just after the sun was completely down, and with the drizzle on my windshield, it became difficult to read the traffic signs. Their being in French didn't help matters any. That didn't cause me any real problems, but after a long day of stressful driving, my eyes were getting quite fatigued. Fortunately, I didn't have to go very far into Quebec. My goal was another Flying J less than 30 kilometers into the province, and I reached it at about 6:30 p.m. Plenty of parking was available, and I snagged a spot.
I decided to reward my accomplishment (making it all the way despite the weather) with dinner in the Flying J restaruant. This one had some menu items not found at their U.S counterparts, including individual-sized pizzas. I decided to go for the bacon and onion one, and it was pretty darn good! I also decided not to visit the "Bar J", a "lounge" tucked in another corner of the building--something also not found in U.S. Flying Js--although a good belt would have hit the spot.
MONDAY, 0 Miles:
Break time. But without online access (no poker!), it promised to be a very boring day. I woke up early, around 5:30 since I'm in that cycle these days. After lying around a while trying to fool myself that I was going to go back to sleep, I finally sat up and read for a bit, though not with any great conviction. Then I got all the way up, got dressed, and went inside to shower and shave.
Back in the truck, I really didn't know what to do with myself. I just sat in my driver's seat contemplating my options. I could see a sign just down the road that indicated a shopping center of some kind, though it was too far away to read. I decided to walk over and check it out, since the weather was actually kinda' nice, warm enough to set the ice on the ground a-melting. So off I went.
Once I got out to the road, I could see that there was a Wal-Mart over there, about 1/4 mile down. That was good enough to occupy my time, so I trudged on over. I had to walk in the street because the sidewalks--if there were any to begin with--were covered with plowed snow. But the lanes were wide enough and traffic light enough that it wasn't any problem. The problematic part of the walk was through the Wal-Mart lot: it was very icy and slippery. I spent about an hour slowly meandering through the store, and grabbed a couple things I could use. Then it was back down the road and into the truck.
I spent the balance of the mornind and afternoon in my truck, reading and playing Freecell on my laptop. I also loaded and played a couple of poker game demos from a CD I had gotten with an issue of a poker magazine. Lunch was heat-n-eat mac-n-cheese (macaroni et fromage--I was in Quebec, after all) in the cab. Lunch 2 a couple hours later was a heat-n-eat Taco Bell Salsa Chicken Bowl and Doritos (the "bowl" food, all stirred together, makes a pretty good dip for the chips, what with refried beans, rice, and chicken). Hey, I told you it would be a boring day--eating was a viable option to fill the time.
After more poker demos and more reading, I finally reached dinner time. That pizza from last night was so good, I had to have it again. So I did. And again I stayed out of the Bar J. Then it was off to bed.
TODAY, 148 Miles:
I again woke up around 5:30. With my delivery not scheduled 'til 10:30, and it being less than 25 miles away, I had some time to kill. So I killed it with some more reading (poker books, which I'm now re-re-reading) and a shower. Breakfast was a heat-n-eat swedish meatballs entree.
By 7:45 I was tired of just killing time, so I figured I'd just get going and make the delivery early. I pulled around to the fuel islands to top up my tanks, and was rolling by 8:00. It's a good thing I got started early, because I hit a goodly traffic jam on the way that added 30 minutes to my drive time, which wound up being 60 minutes when I arrived at the company.
On the other hand, it wasn't such a good idea to go that early, because I had to wait there 'til my appointment time anyway. That really doesn't happen at very many places. So I had to park over to the side of their driveway and wait for almost 90 minutes. More reading. Finally it was time to pull into their docks to get unloaded. And that process went nice 'n quickly. Then I headed down the road to find a place to wait for my next assignment.
I had 2 choices: Head back east and return to the Flying J, or go west back into Ontario to a Welcome Center/Service Plaza just across the border. I chose Ontario because I figured my next load was likely to be down that-a-way. It only took 30 minutes to get there, but then I had another l-o-n-g wait before the assignment came in. About a 3-hour wait. I passed that time lunching at the plaza's Wendy's, reading, and taking a brief nap. Finally the assignment came in: Head to Florence, Vermont for a 7:00 a.m. Wednesday pickup.
Naturally, I had picked the wrong direction when I left the delivery site, so I had to backtrack a short ways back into Quebec before crossing to the other side of Montreal, then turning south to head back to the good ol' U.S. I hit a couple of slowdowns along the highways around Montreal, but I made it back to the homeland. There aren't very many truck stops in Vermont, so I picked the largest of the 3 on my route and made for it. And made it to it.
So that's where I now sit, at a non-brand-name truck stop along I-89. By the way, I do believe that this is my first time ever in this state, and it definitely is the first time as a trucker. So I get to buy another fridge magnet to commemorate it. (I buy one of each of the states I've trucked in.)
By my measuring on the map, I have about 80 or so miles to my pickup in the morning, so I'll be up and rolling early again. Then it'll be time for me to drive like all get-out because the load is headed for a Friday noon delivery in Milwaukee, WI, 950+ miles away. I expect that I'm expected to take the load the whole way, even though I'm due to go home on Friday. I know they (Dispatch) figure it's just a hop, skip, and jump from Milwaukee to Ann Arbor, as they've had me make that trek on my way home in the past. If all goes well, I should be able to complete the assignment, and I sure can use the miles. Let's just hope that everything does go well. No weather/road issues, please.
And now you're up-to-date with my wanderings. Thanks for following along. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Visiting the Great White North Again
DATELINE: DETROIT, MI, 4:32 p.m. EST
Miles Today: Still Counting
I gotta make this fast today, gang. I'm on my way to Quebec, a town just outside of Montreal, so I'm sitting in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge while my customs paperwork is being processed. I have about another half hour to wait, then if it's ready at that point, I fire up the truck and head across the bridge. (If it's not ready, I just wait some more 'til it is.)
I'm not going to get very far into Canada today, as my 14-hour window is dwindling--it ends at 6:15 p.m. EST. So the sooner they finish up the customs rigamarole, the better. But my load isn't due for delivery until Tuesday morning, so I have plenty of time to hike up the 401 to get there.
Since I'm going to be in Canada, and I don't have an international plan for my computer's phone card, I won't be able to keep you up-to-date with my Canuck adventures. I'm sure I won't be back on U.S. soil 'til at least Wednesday, so keep me in your thoughts if not on your web browser.
Thanks for following along. Drop me a line so I'll have pleny to read when I get back into the comm channels. And keep on truckin, eh?
Miles Today: Still Counting
I gotta make this fast today, gang. I'm on my way to Quebec, a town just outside of Montreal, so I'm sitting in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge while my customs paperwork is being processed. I have about another half hour to wait, then if it's ready at that point, I fire up the truck and head across the bridge. (If it's not ready, I just wait some more 'til it is.)
I'm not going to get very far into Canada today, as my 14-hour window is dwindling--it ends at 6:15 p.m. EST. So the sooner they finish up the customs rigamarole, the better. But my load isn't due for delivery until Tuesday morning, so I have plenty of time to hike up the 401 to get there.
Since I'm going to be in Canada, and I don't have an international plan for my computer's phone card, I won't be able to keep you up-to-date with my Canuck adventures. I'm sure I won't be back on U.S. soil 'til at least Wednesday, so keep me in your thoughts if not on your web browser.
Thanks for following along. Drop me a line so I'll have pleny to read when I get back into the comm channels. And keep on truckin, eh?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Long Morning's Journeys Into Afternoon
DATELINE: BUFFALO, OH, 7:30 p.m. EST
Miles Yesterday: 541
Miles Today: 519
Time for another 2-day update. So I'll get right to it.
Yesterday I, as a matter of course these days, got up early and hit the road. I had a long drive--which I had estimated to be about 350 miles--to reach my scheduled delivery in Ogdensburg, NY. As it turns out, I checked my odometer when I was sitting in the dock after I got there: exactly 350 miles. How 'bout that? Anyway, 'twas an uneventful drive, save for the few minutes of snow squall as I trudged northward along I-81 (after a long eastward trudge on I-90). But the skies cleared up soon and let the sun shine for a while up in the north country. It took me just under 7 hours to make the trip.
The delivery/pickup went pretty quickly--an hour or so once I docked--considering they unloaded the trailer then put another load on. Getting into the dock was a bit of a chore, though. The space was kind of tight, downhill to the dock, and somewhat icy. At one point, as I was trying to pull forward to straighten up in front of the dock, I just spun my wheels on the ice. The combination of a very heavy load, an uphill climb, and the ice led to that situation. Fortunately, they had some sand to throw down under my tires, and we quickly resolved the problem.
That company's location also made the drive to it "interesting". It is down by the town's port (Ogdensburg is on the St. Lawrence Seaway), and the truck route there is down a narrow, residential street for mile or so, then a right turn onto a narrower street next to the port, and one more right turn onto another narrow street. That all leads to a final left turn into the company's lot, before the narrow, tight spaces moving around the main building to the dock. (Don't forget I had to go back through all that on the way out.) So that delivery kept me on my toes.
Once done there, I had about 4 hours left that I could drive for the day. I decided I had to take the most direct route to my next delivery in Caldwell, OH. That meant back down I-81 to westbound I-90 and spending the night somewhere in NY state. I made it as far as a Service Plaza near Rochester, about where I expected to. I had called my brother, who lives in that area with his family, the day before to see if I could impose on him to pick me up so I could spend the night at his house because of the no-idling laws in the state. That plan was fine with him and his wife, but wound up being unnecessary and less-than-practical.
The no-idling laws actually allow trucks to idle for a few minutes at a time (up to five minutes, I think). So my truck's auto-idle system could keep my cab warm enough by cycling on and off in response to the cab's thermostat readings. Also, I'd need to get up and rolling really early again in the morning, so it'd just be easier if I stayed with the truck. As much as it would have been great to see the relatives, it just wasn't practical this time around. Perhaps next time, and perhaps it won't be as long 'til I get another load passing through that part of NY state.
This morning I again had a long drive to an afternoon delivery. This time it took me 8 hours of driving (plus extra time for stops for fuel and to weigh the truck) to reach my destination. Most of the way was through snowy weather, though none heavy enough to make the roads hazardous. But as I got further south, close to Caldwell, the precipitation tapered off.
The company I was headed for this time was hidden back off of another narrow road off of a 2-lane state highway, and I missed it the first time by. I had to take the state road 9 miles before I could get back on I-77 (which, happily, it parallelled) and head back to the original exit. So that added about 20-30 minutes to my drive. But I found it the second time.
The unloading there was uneventful, save for another dock placed curiously enough (in relationship to the pavement in front of it) to make it difficult to line the truck up for a "clean" backing maneuver into it. But I overcame that difficulty and completed my mission.
Next up was a pickup just over the border into West Virigina, at a company I've been to once before. It was a short, 40-mile jaunt to the pickup, which was a drop-and-hook, in Willow Island, WV. The drive took about an hour, and the pickup about 45 minutes. I'll be taking this load to the Vandalia, OH terminal, because it's not due for delivery until Monday in Indiana. Dispatch will get me another load that will give me more paying miles over the weekend.
I ran out of available work time for today as I came back up I-77. I'm parked at a rest area along the highway, and I'll be getting to bed soon after I wrap up this report. I'll be getting up early again tomorrow so I can get to Vandalia and drop this load. Hopefully they'l have something else for me soon afterwards, but word is they don't have anything pre-planned for me yet. My Fleet Manager had called me while I was at my delivery today to see if I'd be able to take a load from Vandalia to Berwyck, PA (400+ miles) tomorrow, but it turns out that just won't work out for me. I still have 3 hours to go to get to Vandalia from here, and only 10-1/4 hours available for the whole day. So Berwyck's out. Somebody else will have to do that job.
So check back tomorrow to see where I'm headed next. I am due back at home next Friday, so this will be a "home stretch" week. I have a couple of short days coming up on Monday and Tuesday, unless I wind up with a 34-hour break before then to re-set my 70-hour counter. Thanks for reading today's report. Let me know what you want to know about this trucking life, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 541
Miles Today: 519
Time for another 2-day update. So I'll get right to it.
Yesterday I, as a matter of course these days, got up early and hit the road. I had a long drive--which I had estimated to be about 350 miles--to reach my scheduled delivery in Ogdensburg, NY. As it turns out, I checked my odometer when I was sitting in the dock after I got there: exactly 350 miles. How 'bout that? Anyway, 'twas an uneventful drive, save for the few minutes of snow squall as I trudged northward along I-81 (after a long eastward trudge on I-90). But the skies cleared up soon and let the sun shine for a while up in the north country. It took me just under 7 hours to make the trip.
The delivery/pickup went pretty quickly--an hour or so once I docked--considering they unloaded the trailer then put another load on. Getting into the dock was a bit of a chore, though. The space was kind of tight, downhill to the dock, and somewhat icy. At one point, as I was trying to pull forward to straighten up in front of the dock, I just spun my wheels on the ice. The combination of a very heavy load, an uphill climb, and the ice led to that situation. Fortunately, they had some sand to throw down under my tires, and we quickly resolved the problem.
That company's location also made the drive to it "interesting". It is down by the town's port (Ogdensburg is on the St. Lawrence Seaway), and the truck route there is down a narrow, residential street for mile or so, then a right turn onto a narrower street next to the port, and one more right turn onto another narrow street. That all leads to a final left turn into the company's lot, before the narrow, tight spaces moving around the main building to the dock. (Don't forget I had to go back through all that on the way out.) So that delivery kept me on my toes.
Once done there, I had about 4 hours left that I could drive for the day. I decided I had to take the most direct route to my next delivery in Caldwell, OH. That meant back down I-81 to westbound I-90 and spending the night somewhere in NY state. I made it as far as a Service Plaza near Rochester, about where I expected to. I had called my brother, who lives in that area with his family, the day before to see if I could impose on him to pick me up so I could spend the night at his house because of the no-idling laws in the state. That plan was fine with him and his wife, but wound up being unnecessary and less-than-practical.
The no-idling laws actually allow trucks to idle for a few minutes at a time (up to five minutes, I think). So my truck's auto-idle system could keep my cab warm enough by cycling on and off in response to the cab's thermostat readings. Also, I'd need to get up and rolling really early again in the morning, so it'd just be easier if I stayed with the truck. As much as it would have been great to see the relatives, it just wasn't practical this time around. Perhaps next time, and perhaps it won't be as long 'til I get another load passing through that part of NY state.
This morning I again had a long drive to an afternoon delivery. This time it took me 8 hours of driving (plus extra time for stops for fuel and to weigh the truck) to reach my destination. Most of the way was through snowy weather, though none heavy enough to make the roads hazardous. But as I got further south, close to Caldwell, the precipitation tapered off.
The company I was headed for this time was hidden back off of another narrow road off of a 2-lane state highway, and I missed it the first time by. I had to take the state road 9 miles before I could get back on I-77 (which, happily, it parallelled) and head back to the original exit. So that added about 20-30 minutes to my drive. But I found it the second time.
The unloading there was uneventful, save for another dock placed curiously enough (in relationship to the pavement in front of it) to make it difficult to line the truck up for a "clean" backing maneuver into it. But I overcame that difficulty and completed my mission.
Next up was a pickup just over the border into West Virigina, at a company I've been to once before. It was a short, 40-mile jaunt to the pickup, which was a drop-and-hook, in Willow Island, WV. The drive took about an hour, and the pickup about 45 minutes. I'll be taking this load to the Vandalia, OH terminal, because it's not due for delivery until Monday in Indiana. Dispatch will get me another load that will give me more paying miles over the weekend.
I ran out of available work time for today as I came back up I-77. I'm parked at a rest area along the highway, and I'll be getting to bed soon after I wrap up this report. I'll be getting up early again tomorrow so I can get to Vandalia and drop this load. Hopefully they'l have something else for me soon afterwards, but word is they don't have anything pre-planned for me yet. My Fleet Manager had called me while I was at my delivery today to see if I'd be able to take a load from Vandalia to Berwyck, PA (400+ miles) tomorrow, but it turns out that just won't work out for me. I still have 3 hours to go to get to Vandalia from here, and only 10-1/4 hours available for the whole day. So Berwyck's out. Somebody else will have to do that job.
So check back tomorrow to see where I'm headed next. I am due back at home next Friday, so this will be a "home stretch" week. I have a couple of short days coming up on Monday and Tuesday, unless I wind up with a 34-hour break before then to re-set my 70-hour counter. Thanks for reading today's report. Let me know what you want to know about this trucking life, and keep on truckin'.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Northeast Through the Midwest
DATELINE: HARBORCREEK, PA, 6:15 p.m. EST
Miles Today: 502
Just another dull, dreary day of drive, drive, drive. The dreary part was that most of the day I was crossing Ohio, from southwest to northeast. Jeepers!
I started out this morning by getting up at 4:30, then hitting the shower before hitting the road at 5:15. I had gone to bed early last night, 6:30 or 7:00, so I got a much-needed good night's sleep for once. I actually woke up a few minutes before my alarm sounded at 4:30.
By 6:00 I was in Kentucky (I had started in Indiana, remember?), following I-71 along the state's northern edge from Louisville before crossing into Ohio at Cincinnati. Then came the interminable part, across the Buckeye state--mostly I-71 before taking I-271 over to I-90 and out to Pennsylvania. The highlight of the crossing was stopping for lunch at a Hardee's in a Love's truck stop. I indulged in a Jalapeno Burger and fries--tasty!
I stopped for the night just as my available work hours for today were running out. I reached the place I had set as my goal for today's drive, the TA here, just 10-ish miles from the NY state line. This place has, along with its in-house restaurant, a Subway and Pizza Hut Express. But I heated up a heat-n-eat entree--Beef Pot Roast--in my truck and had that instead of patronizing the establishments inside. Gotta save money where I can.
So that's about all there was for today. I think I'll be hitting the sack soon so I can get rolling early again in the morning. I still have quite a ways to go--something on the order of 350 miles--to my delivery, which fortunately isn't scheduled 'til 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. So it'll be a long day before I even get there.
This will be a first for me; this customer will unload everything from my trailer, then put another load on that I'll take to the final stop on this run. Every other multiple-stop run I've had so far has involved partial loads for each stop. So the unload/load process this time around may take longer than usual. We'll just see how that goes.
Once that's done I have to finish wrestling with my dilemma and decide which route to take to the final stop, which is in Crawford, OH on Friday. As you recall, NY state has no-idling laws (meaning I can't run the engine to keep my cab warm), so my first inclination is to hightail it south on I-81 to refuge in PA, which should take about 3 hours, about all the time I'll have left for the day. On the other hand, that route is a bit longer and may well make it impossible for me to get to the final on time (the deadline is 2:00 p.m. Friday). So what to do? What to do? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
Thanks for stopping by today. Your comments and questions are always welcome--encouraged, even--and as always, keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 502
Just another dull, dreary day of drive, drive, drive. The dreary part was that most of the day I was crossing Ohio, from southwest to northeast. Jeepers!
I started out this morning by getting up at 4:30, then hitting the shower before hitting the road at 5:15. I had gone to bed early last night, 6:30 or 7:00, so I got a much-needed good night's sleep for once. I actually woke up a few minutes before my alarm sounded at 4:30.
By 6:00 I was in Kentucky (I had started in Indiana, remember?), following I-71 along the state's northern edge from Louisville before crossing into Ohio at Cincinnati. Then came the interminable part, across the Buckeye state--mostly I-71 before taking I-271 over to I-90 and out to Pennsylvania. The highlight of the crossing was stopping for lunch at a Hardee's in a Love's truck stop. I indulged in a Jalapeno Burger and fries--tasty!
I stopped for the night just as my available work hours for today were running out. I reached the place I had set as my goal for today's drive, the TA here, just 10-ish miles from the NY state line. This place has, along with its in-house restaurant, a Subway and Pizza Hut Express. But I heated up a heat-n-eat entree--Beef Pot Roast--in my truck and had that instead of patronizing the establishments inside. Gotta save money where I can.
So that's about all there was for today. I think I'll be hitting the sack soon so I can get rolling early again in the morning. I still have quite a ways to go--something on the order of 350 miles--to my delivery, which fortunately isn't scheduled 'til 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. So it'll be a long day before I even get there.
This will be a first for me; this customer will unload everything from my trailer, then put another load on that I'll take to the final stop on this run. Every other multiple-stop run I've had so far has involved partial loads for each stop. So the unload/load process this time around may take longer than usual. We'll just see how that goes.
Once that's done I have to finish wrestling with my dilemma and decide which route to take to the final stop, which is in Crawford, OH on Friday. As you recall, NY state has no-idling laws (meaning I can't run the engine to keep my cab warm), so my first inclination is to hightail it south on I-81 to refuge in PA, which should take about 3 hours, about all the time I'll have left for the day. On the other hand, that route is a bit longer and may well make it impossible for me to get to the final on time (the deadline is 2:00 p.m. Friday). So what to do? What to do? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
Thanks for stopping by today. Your comments and questions are always welcome--encouraged, even--and as always, keep on truckin'.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Hoosier Highlights
DATELINE: LEAVENWORTH, IN, 2:45 p.m. CST
Miles Today: 399
Oy! An early day to be sure. I woke up at 11:30 last night to shower and shave before hitting the road this morning (rather, this middle of the night) at 12:30. I had a pickup scheduled for 7:00 a.m. at the other end of the state (Indiana; I started out in Gary, the pickup was in Grandview.) My load assignment listed the distance as 274 miles. However, I actually drove almost 350 miles--through wet, snowy, and icy conditions--to get there. The "official" distances are measured by straight lines from town edge to town edge, not taking the actual interstate highway routes between the two into account, hence the big discrepancy. Oh well, such is the life.
By the time I reached the pickup, I had used up 8 of the 9-3/4 hours I had available to work today. Because of the road and traffic conditions, I had kept my speed down to stay safe, especially after a couple of quick "bobbles" early on when I gave the accelerator a gentle push. So it was a long, fairly tense drive. But I made it OK, though a bit behind schedule, which couldn't be helped.
The company from which I was picking up the load only has one dock door, and another truck was at it when I arrived. Plus the company's fork lift had a flat tire that they had to fix before anybody could do any loading. So I had a bit of a wait before they could get to loading my trailer.
The wait turned out to be only an hour, then an hour after that I was done there and back rolling. Since my time was short, I obviously couldn't go very far. I've found refuge for the night at a Pilot Travel Center at this town, about an hour west of Lousiville, KY. It's been a long day after a short night of sleep, so I'm pretty bushed now. But I don't want to go to sleep yet. I want to get back on a "normal" schedule, so I'm staying up 'til around 8:00 tonight. I can go to sleep then, then get up at 4:00--well, maybe 5:00--and start tomorrow's work day after a full night's sleep.
I have a full day of driving to do tomorrow. I plan to get to a TA along I-90 in PA, just shy of the NY state line. (Remember, NY state has laws prohibiting commercial vehicles from idling, so I pretty much can't spend the night in that state during the months when it gets COLD at night. February fits that bill.) Hopefully the roads'll be clear and the winter storm system will have moved out of the areas between here and there before I get there. Check back tomorrow to see how it all went.
Thanks for checking my progress today, and every day. Entertain me with some comments of your own, or some questions, and keep on truckin'.
P.S., I updated my other blog today, too. Take a peek at it at http://ziptochips.blogspot.com.
Miles Today: 399
Oy! An early day to be sure. I woke up at 11:30 last night to shower and shave before hitting the road this morning (rather, this middle of the night) at 12:30. I had a pickup scheduled for 7:00 a.m. at the other end of the state (Indiana; I started out in Gary, the pickup was in Grandview.) My load assignment listed the distance as 274 miles. However, I actually drove almost 350 miles--through wet, snowy, and icy conditions--to get there. The "official" distances are measured by straight lines from town edge to town edge, not taking the actual interstate highway routes between the two into account, hence the big discrepancy. Oh well, such is the life.
By the time I reached the pickup, I had used up 8 of the 9-3/4 hours I had available to work today. Because of the road and traffic conditions, I had kept my speed down to stay safe, especially after a couple of quick "bobbles" early on when I gave the accelerator a gentle push. So it was a long, fairly tense drive. But I made it OK, though a bit behind schedule, which couldn't be helped.
The company from which I was picking up the load only has one dock door, and another truck was at it when I arrived. Plus the company's fork lift had a flat tire that they had to fix before anybody could do any loading. So I had a bit of a wait before they could get to loading my trailer.
The wait turned out to be only an hour, then an hour after that I was done there and back rolling. Since my time was short, I obviously couldn't go very far. I've found refuge for the night at a Pilot Travel Center at this town, about an hour west of Lousiville, KY. It's been a long day after a short night of sleep, so I'm pretty bushed now. But I don't want to go to sleep yet. I want to get back on a "normal" schedule, so I'm staying up 'til around 8:00 tonight. I can go to sleep then, then get up at 4:00--well, maybe 5:00--and start tomorrow's work day after a full night's sleep.
I have a full day of driving to do tomorrow. I plan to get to a TA along I-90 in PA, just shy of the NY state line. (Remember, NY state has laws prohibiting commercial vehicles from idling, so I pretty much can't spend the night in that state during the months when it gets COLD at night. February fits that bill.) Hopefully the roads'll be clear and the winter storm system will have moved out of the areas between here and there before I get there. Check back tomorrow to see how it all went.
Thanks for checking my progress today, and every day. Entertain me with some comments of your own, or some questions, and keep on truckin'.
P.S., I updated my other blog today, too. Take a peek at it at http://ziptochips.blogspot.com.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Breaking the Silence
DATELINE: GARY, IN, 4:30 p.m. CST
Oops! I did it again...I let several days slip by without updating this blog with reports about my doings. Sorry 'bout dat. So I guess it's time I rectified the situation and brought y'all up-to-date. Here goes.
FRIDAY, 396 Miles
I started out the day early in the morning in northern Virginia, bound for an 8:00 a.m. delivery in Louisburg, North Carolina. That part--the drive down, the delivery, and the jaunt over to my next pickup--went just fine, no problems whatsoever. The delivery was a live-unload, but it went quickly. And I didn't have a long wait until my next assignment came in, which was to make a pickup in Wilson, NC at a company I've been to once before.
The pickup in Wilson was a drop-and-hook, and once I saw the ID number of the trailer I'd be picking up, I feared it may cause trouble. The number indicated that the trailer was older, and the older trailers generally present some "challenges". This one didn't disappoint: its tandem axle brakes would not hold the wheels in place to allow me to slide the tandems forward. (This company requires all trailer tandems slid all the way back as a safety issue when they load and unload them at the docks. So we drivers need to slide 'em when we drop off or pick up the trailers.) Instead, the wheels rolled along with the trailer. Grrrrrr!
I "fiddled" with trying to slide the darn things for about 30 minutes before I gave in and called the Breakdown Department for help. They directed me to a trailer sales and service shop a few miles down the road in Wilson. So I boogied on over there (overcoming some unclear directions on the way) to get some professional assistance.
After some more "fiddling" by a couple of the mechanics there, the second of which eventually made some adjustments to the brake mechanisms, we finally got the accursed tandems to slide up to where I needed them. (If I had just left them all the way back and gone on my merry way, the load's weight would not have been legally distributed among the truck's axles, and I likely would not have been happy at the first weigh station I came across.) After that, I was back on my merry way, but more than an hour behind schedule.
That load was headed for another facility of the same company, this one in Woodridge, IL, just a bit west of Chicago. Based on the miles I had to take the load and the hours I had available to do so, I knew I'd have to be just a bit late of the scheduled delivery at 10:00 Sunday night. I had enough hours to get close on Sunday, but not enough to get there and make the delivery (then high-tail it to a truck stop for the night). When I stopped for the night on Friday--which I did at a TA in Greensboro, NC--I let Dispatch know about my hours shortage. In consultation with them, it appeared that I'd drop the trailer at the Vandalia, OH terminal for another driver to pick up and complete the run.
SATURDAY, 464 Miles
Greensboro to Vandalia, back along major portions of the route I'd taken just a few days earlier, US 52, I-77, I-64, and US 35. That drive went just fine, too. I've complained about US-35 in WV, calling it my least favorite stretch of road because it's twisty and narrow. But you know, in the daylight it's not so bad. At nighttime it was scary, but with plenty of light to see the whole picture--the road ahead, oncoming traffic, the sides of the road--it really is OK. But I digress.
I reached Vandalia after 9 hours of driving, unhooked the trailer, and sent in my "Arrived at Final Stop" and "Empty Call" messages. Then I went inside the terminal for a while. When I returned to my truck, Dispatch had sent me a message asking why I had sent those messages; the load wasn't set up to drop there. Sheesh! These weekend Dispatchers!
I communicated back my reason--short on hours--and that I had let them know the previous night. They came back asking when I could make the delivery, and I told them I could get there around 1:00 Monday morning, after I got more hours back from the day that was dropping off the front end of my rolling 8-day work window. (Refresher: Truckers can work only 70 hours in any 8 consecutive days.) Then I heard nothing back from them. So I figured I was "still on the case", and went to bed so I could get up early in the morning, hook the trailer back up, and head to the Chicagoland area.
SUNDAY, 263 Miles
I had 5 hours available to work on Sunday, which was enough to get from Vandalia to a TA in Gary, IN. I woke up earlier than I had planned, but figured I'd just get the drive over with so I'd have plenty of time for a 10-hour break before heading out at midnight to the delivery. 'Twas another easy drive, but less than 30 minutes from reaching Gary, I heard my Qualcomm box sound 3 quick beeps, the sound it makes when a load assignment message comes in. Hmmm.
I reached the TA and parked, then checked my message. Sure enough, it was an assignment to pick up a loaded trailer in Vandalia. I replied back, "No can do. I'm in Gary 'cuz nobody confirmed that I was off the load." Hal let me know that yup, they had set up my current load for a swap at Vandalia and had assigned it to another driver, but they never let me know. Not my fault. So chalk another one up for the weeked crew in Dispatch.
After using up my 5 available work hours for Sunday, I'd only have 2-1/4 hours available to work on Monday, just enough time to run from Gary to the delivery site, make the delivery (I suspected it would be a drop-and-hook, but didn't know for sure), then find a place to spend the balance of Monday. So I figured I'd just stay up 'til I completed the delivery.
I went online and did some more of the poker thing, playing in a number of tournaments (the majority of them single-table sit-n-go's, but also some multi-table events) and one cash game. I played for quite a while, and boy did I have a bad day. I played pretty well for the most part, making the correct decisions most of the time (IMHO), getting fairly deep in the tourneys, but lady luck had other plans for me. She kept knocking me out just before I could reach the money (although I did rack up 2 second-place sit-n-go finishes), thereby taking my entry fees with her. I did come out 4 cents ahead in the cash game, however. Eventually I had had enough and decided a nap (and dinner--this TA has a Taco Bell) would be a good idea before hitting the road.
I hit the sack at around 10:00 p.m., planning to get up at 11:30. I don't know if I actually slept any, what with my poker frustration level being a bit elevated, but my alarm finally sounded and I got up to get back to work.
MONDAY (Today), 88 Miles
A short work day, but more frustrations. The drive over to deliver the load was another breeze, about 45 minutes or so--I tell ya' midnight Sunday/Monday is the time to be driving the highways around Chicago. I checked in with the guard at the gate, who informed me that it was indeed a drop-and-hook delivery, although I would open the trailer and back it to a dock door. Of course, this being the same company , I had to slide the tandems back again. And, naturally, they didn't want to. But this time I was able to wedge something beneath one of the tires and it held, so that didn't delay me much at all.
After docking and dropping, I drove around the back of the facility to look for an empty trailer in their empties lot. No USA trailers there. That was fine, it'd be easier to get into a truck stop at that time of the night with just a cab and no trailer. Then as I was heading back to the front gate, I saw a couple of USA empties by the fence. One was older, and one was newer. Guess which one I wanted. That's right, the newer one. So I hooked right up and got rolling...er, sliding.
One (or more, I never discovered the exact number) of the trailer's brakes was frozen, clamped down on the drum. Unlike the trailer I had just dropped off, this brake held the wheels fast, so it/they just slid along the pavement. (This was on the "passenger" side of the trailer; the driver's side wheels rolled fine. I could tell by the skid marks on the asphalt.) I thought moving might break them free, so I headed out the gate, which was right nearby. However, by the time I got there, it was evident they would not release, so I got permission from the guard to turn back around and come back into the lot to deal with the problem.
The street in front of the gate was too narrow to turn the truck around, so I had to head down the street to the next intersection--about 150 yards--to make the U, dragging the frozen wheels the whole way. Once back in the lot, I called Breakdown for some more help. Yadda, yadda, yadda, long story short (this post is getting lengthy), after a bit of waiting on hold--twice--and some useless banging at the brake drums with a hunk of metal, I wound up just swapping and taking the older trailer. Its wheels roll just fine, of course, and I had no problems sliding its tandems.
Anyway, while I was at that site, my next load assignment came in. It was the same one: Pick up a loaded trailer at Vandalia; destination: Flat Rock, MI. So I just headed back to Gary and the same TA. Because of the delay dealing with the trailers, I got here after some truckers who had been parked here had gotten
their work days started, so I easily found a spot to park my own rig. I was still a little wound up, and hungry, so I treated my frustrations to an early morning (4:15) dinner at the truck stop's sit-down restaurant. The Chicken Fajita Wrap sandwich and fries looked good, and they were nice and hot, which was a must. Did I mention that the temperatures were sub-zero all the time I was here yesterday and last night? (They have warmed up considerably today, into the high teens or twenties.) That made all that fun with the trailers so much more enjoyable. So hot food hit the spot.
After dinner it was finally time for some sleep, and I managed about 6 hours. Since them I've been online most of the time, checking e-mail, playing a little more poker (not as much, and not quite as bad as yesterday), and checking weather forecasts. Oh yeah, I did get a new load assignment this afternoon, so I won't get to swing by the old home state just yet. Tomorrow morning I need to traverse the length of the Hoosier state to go pick up a load in Grandview, IN. Pickup's set for 7:00 a.m., so I'll be getting up and rolling around midnight again to get there on time. Of course, a winter storm warning is in effect for this part of the country, so the going's going to be slow--if at all possible. I'll find out when I get up.
The load will be headed for 2 stops, the first in upstate New York (Ogdensbug is the town, if you want to look for it on a map) on Thursday afternoon, the second in southeastern Ohio (Caldwell) on Friday morning. Go figure why they're in that order. Oh well, lots more miles that way. My main concern, besides the weather and road conditions, is where I'll spend a couple of nights. New York state has no-idling laws for trucks, so I'll have to see if I can plan routes that get me in and out of that state to the delivery there within one day. Wish me luck with that.
This has taken me 2 hours to compose, and it's time for me to get to bed. Thanks for looking in, send me your comments and questions, and keep on truckin'.
Oops! I did it again...I let several days slip by without updating this blog with reports about my doings. Sorry 'bout dat. So I guess it's time I rectified the situation and brought y'all up-to-date. Here goes.
FRIDAY, 396 Miles
I started out the day early in the morning in northern Virginia, bound for an 8:00 a.m. delivery in Louisburg, North Carolina. That part--the drive down, the delivery, and the jaunt over to my next pickup--went just fine, no problems whatsoever. The delivery was a live-unload, but it went quickly. And I didn't have a long wait until my next assignment came in, which was to make a pickup in Wilson, NC at a company I've been to once before.
The pickup in Wilson was a drop-and-hook, and once I saw the ID number of the trailer I'd be picking up, I feared it may cause trouble. The number indicated that the trailer was older, and the older trailers generally present some "challenges". This one didn't disappoint: its tandem axle brakes would not hold the wheels in place to allow me to slide the tandems forward. (This company requires all trailer tandems slid all the way back as a safety issue when they load and unload them at the docks. So we drivers need to slide 'em when we drop off or pick up the trailers.) Instead, the wheels rolled along with the trailer. Grrrrrr!
I "fiddled" with trying to slide the darn things for about 30 minutes before I gave in and called the Breakdown Department for help. They directed me to a trailer sales and service shop a few miles down the road in Wilson. So I boogied on over there (overcoming some unclear directions on the way) to get some professional assistance.
After some more "fiddling" by a couple of the mechanics there, the second of which eventually made some adjustments to the brake mechanisms, we finally got the accursed tandems to slide up to where I needed them. (If I had just left them all the way back and gone on my merry way, the load's weight would not have been legally distributed among the truck's axles, and I likely would not have been happy at the first weigh station I came across.) After that, I was back on my merry way, but more than an hour behind schedule.
That load was headed for another facility of the same company, this one in Woodridge, IL, just a bit west of Chicago. Based on the miles I had to take the load and the hours I had available to do so, I knew I'd have to be just a bit late of the scheduled delivery at 10:00 Sunday night. I had enough hours to get close on Sunday, but not enough to get there and make the delivery (then high-tail it to a truck stop for the night). When I stopped for the night on Friday--which I did at a TA in Greensboro, NC--I let Dispatch know about my hours shortage. In consultation with them, it appeared that I'd drop the trailer at the Vandalia, OH terminal for another driver to pick up and complete the run.
SATURDAY, 464 Miles
Greensboro to Vandalia, back along major portions of the route I'd taken just a few days earlier, US 52, I-77, I-64, and US 35. That drive went just fine, too. I've complained about US-35 in WV, calling it my least favorite stretch of road because it's twisty and narrow. But you know, in the daylight it's not so bad. At nighttime it was scary, but with plenty of light to see the whole picture--the road ahead, oncoming traffic, the sides of the road--it really is OK. But I digress.
I reached Vandalia after 9 hours of driving, unhooked the trailer, and sent in my "Arrived at Final Stop" and "Empty Call" messages. Then I went inside the terminal for a while. When I returned to my truck, Dispatch had sent me a message asking why I had sent those messages; the load wasn't set up to drop there. Sheesh! These weekend Dispatchers!
I communicated back my reason--short on hours--and that I had let them know the previous night. They came back asking when I could make the delivery, and I told them I could get there around 1:00 Monday morning, after I got more hours back from the day that was dropping off the front end of my rolling 8-day work window. (Refresher: Truckers can work only 70 hours in any 8 consecutive days.) Then I heard nothing back from them. So I figured I was "still on the case", and went to bed so I could get up early in the morning, hook the trailer back up, and head to the Chicagoland area.
SUNDAY, 263 Miles
I had 5 hours available to work on Sunday, which was enough to get from Vandalia to a TA in Gary, IN. I woke up earlier than I had planned, but figured I'd just get the drive over with so I'd have plenty of time for a 10-hour break before heading out at midnight to the delivery. 'Twas another easy drive, but less than 30 minutes from reaching Gary, I heard my Qualcomm box sound 3 quick beeps, the sound it makes when a load assignment message comes in. Hmmm.
I reached the TA and parked, then checked my message. Sure enough, it was an assignment to pick up a loaded trailer in Vandalia. I replied back, "No can do. I'm in Gary 'cuz nobody confirmed that I was off the load." Hal let me know that yup, they had set up my current load for a swap at Vandalia and had assigned it to another driver, but they never let me know. Not my fault. So chalk another one up for the weeked crew in Dispatch.
After using up my 5 available work hours for Sunday, I'd only have 2-1/4 hours available to work on Monday, just enough time to run from Gary to the delivery site, make the delivery (I suspected it would be a drop-and-hook, but didn't know for sure), then find a place to spend the balance of Monday. So I figured I'd just stay up 'til I completed the delivery.
I went online and did some more of the poker thing, playing in a number of tournaments (the majority of them single-table sit-n-go's, but also some multi-table events) and one cash game. I played for quite a while, and boy did I have a bad day. I played pretty well for the most part, making the correct decisions most of the time (IMHO), getting fairly deep in the tourneys, but lady luck had other plans for me. She kept knocking me out just before I could reach the money (although I did rack up 2 second-place sit-n-go finishes), thereby taking my entry fees with her. I did come out 4 cents ahead in the cash game, however. Eventually I had had enough and decided a nap (and dinner--this TA has a Taco Bell) would be a good idea before hitting the road.
I hit the sack at around 10:00 p.m., planning to get up at 11:30. I don't know if I actually slept any, what with my poker frustration level being a bit elevated, but my alarm finally sounded and I got up to get back to work.
MONDAY (Today), 88 Miles
A short work day, but more frustrations. The drive over to deliver the load was another breeze, about 45 minutes or so--I tell ya' midnight Sunday/Monday is the time to be driving the highways around Chicago. I checked in with the guard at the gate, who informed me that it was indeed a drop-and-hook delivery, although I would open the trailer and back it to a dock door. Of course, this being the same company , I had to slide the tandems back again. And, naturally, they didn't want to. But this time I was able to wedge something beneath one of the tires and it held, so that didn't delay me much at all.
After docking and dropping, I drove around the back of the facility to look for an empty trailer in their empties lot. No USA trailers there. That was fine, it'd be easier to get into a truck stop at that time of the night with just a cab and no trailer. Then as I was heading back to the front gate, I saw a couple of USA empties by the fence. One was older, and one was newer. Guess which one I wanted. That's right, the newer one. So I hooked right up and got rolling...er, sliding.
One (or more, I never discovered the exact number) of the trailer's brakes was frozen, clamped down on the drum. Unlike the trailer I had just dropped off, this brake held the wheels fast, so it/they just slid along the pavement. (This was on the "passenger" side of the trailer; the driver's side wheels rolled fine. I could tell by the skid marks on the asphalt.) I thought moving might break them free, so I headed out the gate, which was right nearby. However, by the time I got there, it was evident they would not release, so I got permission from the guard to turn back around and come back into the lot to deal with the problem.
The street in front of the gate was too narrow to turn the truck around, so I had to head down the street to the next intersection--about 150 yards--to make the U, dragging the frozen wheels the whole way. Once back in the lot, I called Breakdown for some more help. Yadda, yadda, yadda, long story short (this post is getting lengthy), after a bit of waiting on hold--twice--and some useless banging at the brake drums with a hunk of metal, I wound up just swapping and taking the older trailer. Its wheels roll just fine, of course, and I had no problems sliding its tandems.
Anyway, while I was at that site, my next load assignment came in. It was the same one: Pick up a loaded trailer at Vandalia; destination: Flat Rock, MI. So I just headed back to Gary and the same TA. Because of the delay dealing with the trailers, I got here after some truckers who had been parked here had gotten
their work days started, so I easily found a spot to park my own rig. I was still a little wound up, and hungry, so I treated my frustrations to an early morning (4:15) dinner at the truck stop's sit-down restaurant. The Chicken Fajita Wrap sandwich and fries looked good, and they were nice and hot, which was a must. Did I mention that the temperatures were sub-zero all the time I was here yesterday and last night? (They have warmed up considerably today, into the high teens or twenties.) That made all that fun with the trailers so much more enjoyable. So hot food hit the spot.
After dinner it was finally time for some sleep, and I managed about 6 hours. Since them I've been online most of the time, checking e-mail, playing a little more poker (not as much, and not quite as bad as yesterday), and checking weather forecasts. Oh yeah, I did get a new load assignment this afternoon, so I won't get to swing by the old home state just yet. Tomorrow morning I need to traverse the length of the Hoosier state to go pick up a load in Grandview, IN. Pickup's set for 7:00 a.m., so I'll be getting up and rolling around midnight again to get there on time. Of course, a winter storm warning is in effect for this part of the country, so the going's going to be slow--if at all possible. I'll find out when I get up.
The load will be headed for 2 stops, the first in upstate New York (Ogdensbug is the town, if you want to look for it on a map) on Thursday afternoon, the second in southeastern Ohio (Caldwell) on Friday morning. Go figure why they're in that order. Oh well, lots more miles that way. My main concern, besides the weather and road conditions, is where I'll spend a couple of nights. New York state has no-idling laws for trucks, so I'll have to see if I can plan routes that get me in and out of that state to the delivery there within one day. Wish me luck with that.
This has taken me 2 hours to compose, and it's time for me to get to bed. Thanks for looking in, send me your comments and questions, and keep on truckin'.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
In a Rut
DATELINE: REST AREA, MILE 152, SOUTHBOUND I-95, VA, 8:00 p.m.
Miles Today: 467
Another long, busy day. The "Rut" alluded to in today's headline is I-95, on which I seem to be trapped. But I'll get off of it tomorrow. Here's the scoop.
I started today by waking up at 4:45 so I could shower, shave, and run across the street to try the McSkillet Burrito with Steak at McDonald's for breakfast before I hit the road. (Burrito review: Nothing special--but what at McD's is? I prefer the Steak, Egg, & Cheese Bagel.) I got rolling at 6:00 on my way north on 95 to Westampton, NJ.
Actually, I did leave I-95 for a while; I had to take I-295 in NJ to get to my delivery. But 295 is a "spinoff" (using a TV term, not a driving term) of 95, and they run parallel and very close together for the stretch I was on 295, so I was still essentially on the "parent" road.
The delivery went fine, although I arrived during break time for the dock team and had to wait more than 30 minutes before they (one guy, actually) started unloading my trailer. At least for some of that wait I was taking my time backing to the dock door, so once I was docked it wasn't that long. I also had to wait on the dock during the unloading, so I couldn't sit in my truck and read, which I normally do during live loads/unloads.
Once the guy started unloading, it went quickly--less than 10 minutes. So all-in-all I was done there in just over an hour. (Well, plus a few more minutes to finish up my paperwork and close up the trailer doors after I got back to my truck.) Afterwards I headed a bit further up 295 to a rest area, and while on the way there my next assignment came in. So I didn't have a long wait for that. The assignment: Go to Linden, NJ (56 miles farther north on the NJ Turnpike, a.k.a. I-95, in he Newark area) and pick up a load bound for Louisburg, NC. And the route from Linden to Louisburg is, of course, mostly southbound I-95. But I'll come back to that.
First, I gotta tell you about the pickup. Actually, not much to tell about that, except that I arrived just after noon (the scheduled pickup time was 1:00), right during lunchtime for the dock team. Fortunately, one of the guys was around and at least let me know which dock to use, so I could spend some of my waiting time doing the backing-to-the-dock thing.
Lunch was done at 12:30, and again I had to "supervise" the loading on the dock instead of waiting in my cab. "Supervise" in this context meant just watching and verifying the count of the product loaded onto the trailer, not a big deal. But it also went quickly (20 pallets), and I was on my way before 1:00. Now I had to get as far as I could within the 6-1/2 hours I had left to drive today.
The mileage quoted in my load assignment is 435 miles from pickup to delivery. (Figure in about 10% more, for the likely actual milage.) Delivery is scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow (Friday) morning, and I set out at 1:00 p.m. I normally figure I can average 50 miles per hour when accounting for rest and fuel stops, so I was looking at roughly 9 or 10 hours to drive that far. Plus I'd have to fit in a 10-hour break somewhere. (Never mind added time for driving through the Baltimore and D.C. areas at rush hour.) So that's 20 hours, and I had 18-1/2 hours from the time I left 'til the scheduled delivery time. That math just doesn't work, so I'm gonna be just a tad late.
I stopped for the night at a trucks-only rest area here in northern VA at 7:00 tonight. So I'll get up in the morning in time to get back on the road at 5:00 as my requisite break hits the 10-hour mark. I'll be on I-95 'til I get just past Richmond, when I'll get to swing onto I-85 instead. Then I'll take that for a while 'til I have to take some state highways down to Louisburg.
So that's the story of my day. Oh, I did stop by the Jessup, MD TA again for old time's sake on the way back south. Well, I did need fuel, so I suppose that's really why I stopped there. I considered staying there for the 3rd consecutive night, but it was just too early; I still had another couple hours available to drive. Who knows? I may get the chance tomorrow night, the way things are going lately. Now let me move on to some reader questions.
Dennis the accompanist is wondering how many states I've visited in my trucking career so far. Well I counted 'em up tonight, and the answer is 30--plus one Canadian province. They are: ON, AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, and WI.
And nancy r asks this two-parter: "Is the Washington DC area new for you? Where do you think you'd like to go that you haven't been to so far?"
I have had some trucking work in the DC area before, though not actually in the city. It's all been in MD. Plus, I have driven around the city on a couple other occasions on my way past to other destinations.
As for new places I'd like to go, a couple come to mind. Well, a few actually. I wouldn't mind heading across the northern tier of the western states over to Washington, and trips to Colorado, Utah, and Idaho would be cool. Of course, it'd be much better to do those trips in the summertime rather than this time of year, so I can wait.
That's all I can muster tonight; I gotta get to bed so I can get up early come the morning. Thanks for taking a peek inside my trucking life today. Comments and questions, please, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 467
Another long, busy day. The "Rut" alluded to in today's headline is I-95, on which I seem to be trapped. But I'll get off of it tomorrow. Here's the scoop.
I started today by waking up at 4:45 so I could shower, shave, and run across the street to try the McSkillet Burrito with Steak at McDonald's for breakfast before I hit the road. (Burrito review: Nothing special--but what at McD's is? I prefer the Steak, Egg, & Cheese Bagel.) I got rolling at 6:00 on my way north on 95 to Westampton, NJ.
Actually, I did leave I-95 for a while; I had to take I-295 in NJ to get to my delivery. But 295 is a "spinoff" (using a TV term, not a driving term) of 95, and they run parallel and very close together for the stretch I was on 295, so I was still essentially on the "parent" road.
The delivery went fine, although I arrived during break time for the dock team and had to wait more than 30 minutes before they (one guy, actually) started unloading my trailer. At least for some of that wait I was taking my time backing to the dock door, so once I was docked it wasn't that long. I also had to wait on the dock during the unloading, so I couldn't sit in my truck and read, which I normally do during live loads/unloads.
Once the guy started unloading, it went quickly--less than 10 minutes. So all-in-all I was done there in just over an hour. (Well, plus a few more minutes to finish up my paperwork and close up the trailer doors after I got back to my truck.) Afterwards I headed a bit further up 295 to a rest area, and while on the way there my next assignment came in. So I didn't have a long wait for that. The assignment: Go to Linden, NJ (56 miles farther north on the NJ Turnpike, a.k.a. I-95, in he Newark area) and pick up a load bound for Louisburg, NC. And the route from Linden to Louisburg is, of course, mostly southbound I-95. But I'll come back to that.
First, I gotta tell you about the pickup. Actually, not much to tell about that, except that I arrived just after noon (the scheduled pickup time was 1:00), right during lunchtime for the dock team. Fortunately, one of the guys was around and at least let me know which dock to use, so I could spend some of my waiting time doing the backing-to-the-dock thing.
Lunch was done at 12:30, and again I had to "supervise" the loading on the dock instead of waiting in my cab. "Supervise" in this context meant just watching and verifying the count of the product loaded onto the trailer, not a big deal. But it also went quickly (20 pallets), and I was on my way before 1:00. Now I had to get as far as I could within the 6-1/2 hours I had left to drive today.
The mileage quoted in my load assignment is 435 miles from pickup to delivery. (Figure in about 10% more, for the likely actual milage.) Delivery is scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow (Friday) morning, and I set out at 1:00 p.m. I normally figure I can average 50 miles per hour when accounting for rest and fuel stops, so I was looking at roughly 9 or 10 hours to drive that far. Plus I'd have to fit in a 10-hour break somewhere. (Never mind added time for driving through the Baltimore and D.C. areas at rush hour.) So that's 20 hours, and I had 18-1/2 hours from the time I left 'til the scheduled delivery time. That math just doesn't work, so I'm gonna be just a tad late.
I stopped for the night at a trucks-only rest area here in northern VA at 7:00 tonight. So I'll get up in the morning in time to get back on the road at 5:00 as my requisite break hits the 10-hour mark. I'll be on I-95 'til I get just past Richmond, when I'll get to swing onto I-85 instead. Then I'll take that for a while 'til I have to take some state highways down to Louisburg.
So that's the story of my day. Oh, I did stop by the Jessup, MD TA again for old time's sake on the way back south. Well, I did need fuel, so I suppose that's really why I stopped there. I considered staying there for the 3rd consecutive night, but it was just too early; I still had another couple hours available to drive. Who knows? I may get the chance tomorrow night, the way things are going lately. Now let me move on to some reader questions.
Dennis the accompanist is wondering how many states I've visited in my trucking career so far. Well I counted 'em up tonight, and the answer is 30--plus one Canadian province. They are: ON, AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, and WI.
And nancy r asks this two-parter: "Is the Washington DC area new for you? Where do you think you'd like to go that you haven't been to so far?"
I have had some trucking work in the DC area before, though not actually in the city. It's all been in MD. Plus, I have driven around the city on a couple other occasions on my way past to other destinations.
As for new places I'd like to go, a couple come to mind. Well, a few actually. I wouldn't mind heading across the northern tier of the western states over to Washington, and trips to Colorado, Utah, and Idaho would be cool. Of course, it'd be much better to do those trips in the summertime rather than this time of year, so I can wait.
That's all I can muster tonight; I gotta get to bed so I can get up early come the morning. Thanks for taking a peek inside my trucking life today. Comments and questions, please, and keep on truckin'.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Out and Back
DATELINE: JESSUP, MD, 8:20 p.m. EST
Miles Yesterday: 453
Miles Today: 501
Even though I didn't post an update last night (I was just too tired at the end of my work day), I have a second chance from the same place. In fact, right this minute I'm probably only 20 or 30 feet from where I spent last night (and started out this morning). But I'll get to that. First, a re-cap of yesterday's truckin'.
Things started out fine as I got up and headed inside (I was at the TA in London, OH) to take a shower. OK, the self-serve kiosk for purchasing a shower couldn't connect to the network so I had to use old-fashioned human interaction at the fuel desk to get my shower ticket.
When I was all cleaned up and went back to the fuel desk to buy a bottled, caffeinated beverage, I saw through the window that it was raining--and raining hard. I stepped outside after completing my purchase and could tell that the rain just wasn't going to let up anytime soon. In fact, the deluge was accompanied by lightning and thunder. It was raining so hard there was no rhythm of the pouring rain to listen to. I had about 100 yards to walk back to my truck, so I set out, fully expecting to get a bit moist.
I was wearing a fairly water-resistant jacket with a hood, so my upper body stayed dry. But my jeans got soaked, especially the front of the thighs. So once back in the truck I had to change into a dry pair. (Well, it was time for a clean pair, anyway.) And I needed dry socks, too, because my fairly water-resistant work boots proved not to be waterproof. Oh well.
I hit the road for the short-ish drive into Columbus with the sun still down and the rain still coming down in buckets. The directions to my pickup had me approach the company from the west end of the street on which it's located. I had a couple miles to go on that street, and as I neared the company, based on the addresses I saw along the road, I came across a sign warning of a low bridge just before where I needed to go. (13'2" clearance, and my truck is 13'6" tall.) Who submitted those directions, anyway? There was a business park to the right, so I turned down that street to see if the next major street over would allow me to pass.
At the intersection of that next major street (still just a 2-laner), I looked to the left and saw another bridge, but no signs warning of low clearance. So I made the turn and finally could make out the clearance sign on the bridge itself--13'0". Sheesh! So I had to back up a bit to turn into another company's driveway to turn around. I consulted my atlas and its Columbus detail map, and headed back to the highway so I could approach the company from the east.
After all of that, I arrived 15 minutes late instead of 15 minutes early. (I made sure to let dispatch know about the proper directions so they could pass them on to other drivers headed there in the future.) Never mind the mixup at the shipper about which trucking company was supposed to take my load (someone had assumed the wrong one). I backed into their dock, got the load, then hit the road for Upper Marlboro, MD. (The rain had lessened somewhat by then.)
The rest of the day I just drove eastboud I-70 for most of the way, 'til I got to the Baltimore area and swung around the sothwest corner of that town on I-695. Then a short jaunt down I-95 to the town of Jessup and a TA Travel Center. I'd had a short night of sleep, so by the time I parked my truck, I was beat, too tired to blog coherently. Despite that, alas, I still had trouble falling asleep, so I wound up reading for a good while before finally drifting off.
This morning I got up at 4:00 to hit the shower before hitting the road. My delivery was scheduled for 6:00, and the site was less than 50 miles away. I got rolling at 4:45 and arrived an hour later. This was a live-unload, but despite the early hour and lack of other trucks delivering then, it still took them a little while to get started after I docked. But they finished up a little after 7:00.
There was a spot along the side of their driveway where I could park for a few minutes while finishing up my paperwork and waiting for my next assignment. Happily, that came in soon thereafer and I was back on the road by 7:30.
This next assignment was to head to Franklin, VA, not far north of the NC border, and pick up a load bound for Westampton, NJ (between Philly and Trenton), due for delivery at 9:00 tomorrow (Thursday) morning. It was about 200 miles from this morning's delivery to the next pickup, which was due at noon, so I made tracks. I've been to that pickup site once before, just about exactly a year ago, so I remembered the way and the procedures at the site.
It was a drop-and-hook pickup, so it went quickly. Then I was headed back the way I came. As happenstance would have it, my route to and fro--in conjunction with the distances I covered and the time to cover them--brought me right back to where I started the day as my available work hours for the day were winding down. In fact, I'm only one or two parking spaces away from last night's. Go figure.
When I arrived back here I first fueled up my truck (you need to pay to park here unless you stay less than 2 hours, buy 50+ gallons of fuel, or make a $20+ purchase in their store--last night I bought some food and a new pillow to qualify for free parking under the $20 rule), then went for some dinner at a Panda Express in a strip mall down the street before coming back to the truck to blog for y'all. And now that I've done all that, fatigue is finally setting in as it should by rights have done long ago. So I'll beg off of responding to the questions posed by readers dennis the accompanist and nancy r for tonight. Check back tomorrow for my answers to those oh-so-vital queries.
Thanks for taking a look at my trucking life today. Please follow Dennis' and Nancy's leads and send me your own questions and comments. And, as ever, keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 453
Miles Today: 501
Even though I didn't post an update last night (I was just too tired at the end of my work day), I have a second chance from the same place. In fact, right this minute I'm probably only 20 or 30 feet from where I spent last night (and started out this morning). But I'll get to that. First, a re-cap of yesterday's truckin'.
Things started out fine as I got up and headed inside (I was at the TA in London, OH) to take a shower. OK, the self-serve kiosk for purchasing a shower couldn't connect to the network so I had to use old-fashioned human interaction at the fuel desk to get my shower ticket.
When I was all cleaned up and went back to the fuel desk to buy a bottled, caffeinated beverage, I saw through the window that it was raining--and raining hard. I stepped outside after completing my purchase and could tell that the rain just wasn't going to let up anytime soon. In fact, the deluge was accompanied by lightning and thunder. It was raining so hard there was no rhythm of the pouring rain to listen to. I had about 100 yards to walk back to my truck, so I set out, fully expecting to get a bit moist.
I was wearing a fairly water-resistant jacket with a hood, so my upper body stayed dry. But my jeans got soaked, especially the front of the thighs. So once back in the truck I had to change into a dry pair. (Well, it was time for a clean pair, anyway.) And I needed dry socks, too, because my fairly water-resistant work boots proved not to be waterproof. Oh well.
I hit the road for the short-ish drive into Columbus with the sun still down and the rain still coming down in buckets. The directions to my pickup had me approach the company from the west end of the street on which it's located. I had a couple miles to go on that street, and as I neared the company, based on the addresses I saw along the road, I came across a sign warning of a low bridge just before where I needed to go. (13'2" clearance, and my truck is 13'6" tall.) Who submitted those directions, anyway? There was a business park to the right, so I turned down that street to see if the next major street over would allow me to pass.
At the intersection of that next major street (still just a 2-laner), I looked to the left and saw another bridge, but no signs warning of low clearance. So I made the turn and finally could make out the clearance sign on the bridge itself--13'0". Sheesh! So I had to back up a bit to turn into another company's driveway to turn around. I consulted my atlas and its Columbus detail map, and headed back to the highway so I could approach the company from the east.
After all of that, I arrived 15 minutes late instead of 15 minutes early. (I made sure to let dispatch know about the proper directions so they could pass them on to other drivers headed there in the future.) Never mind the mixup at the shipper about which trucking company was supposed to take my load (someone had assumed the wrong one). I backed into their dock, got the load, then hit the road for Upper Marlboro, MD. (The rain had lessened somewhat by then.)
The rest of the day I just drove eastboud I-70 for most of the way, 'til I got to the Baltimore area and swung around the sothwest corner of that town on I-695. Then a short jaunt down I-95 to the town of Jessup and a TA Travel Center. I'd had a short night of sleep, so by the time I parked my truck, I was beat, too tired to blog coherently. Despite that, alas, I still had trouble falling asleep, so I wound up reading for a good while before finally drifting off.
This morning I got up at 4:00 to hit the shower before hitting the road. My delivery was scheduled for 6:00, and the site was less than 50 miles away. I got rolling at 4:45 and arrived an hour later. This was a live-unload, but despite the early hour and lack of other trucks delivering then, it still took them a little while to get started after I docked. But they finished up a little after 7:00.
There was a spot along the side of their driveway where I could park for a few minutes while finishing up my paperwork and waiting for my next assignment. Happily, that came in soon thereafer and I was back on the road by 7:30.
This next assignment was to head to Franklin, VA, not far north of the NC border, and pick up a load bound for Westampton, NJ (between Philly and Trenton), due for delivery at 9:00 tomorrow (Thursday) morning. It was about 200 miles from this morning's delivery to the next pickup, which was due at noon, so I made tracks. I've been to that pickup site once before, just about exactly a year ago, so I remembered the way and the procedures at the site.
It was a drop-and-hook pickup, so it went quickly. Then I was headed back the way I came. As happenstance would have it, my route to and fro--in conjunction with the distances I covered and the time to cover them--brought me right back to where I started the day as my available work hours for the day were winding down. In fact, I'm only one or two parking spaces away from last night's. Go figure.
When I arrived back here I first fueled up my truck (you need to pay to park here unless you stay less than 2 hours, buy 50+ gallons of fuel, or make a $20+ purchase in their store--last night I bought some food and a new pillow to qualify for free parking under the $20 rule), then went for some dinner at a Panda Express in a strip mall down the street before coming back to the truck to blog for y'all. And now that I've done all that, fatigue is finally setting in as it should by rights have done long ago. So I'll beg off of responding to the questions posed by readers dennis the accompanist and nancy r for tonight. Check back tomorrow for my answers to those oh-so-vital queries.
Thanks for taking a look at my trucking life today. Please follow Dennis' and Nancy's leads and send me your own questions and comments. And, as ever, keep on truckin'.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Mayberry Morning
DATELINE: LONDON, OH, 10:50 p.m. EST
Miles Yesterday: 118
Miles Today: 373
My highlights from yesterday (Super Sunday):
- Sleep in (past 8:30)
- Drive to Mt. Airy, NC, parking at a non-name-brand truck stop
- Some reading
- Some walking (for exercise, about 40 minutes)
- Watch the Super Bowl
This morning I could sleep in again...but didn't. I woke up around 6:30 and just could not get back to sleep. So I eventually got up and did some more walking around the truck stop's lot for some more exercise. I admit I wasn't walking very briskly, but it's a start on my road back to some semblance of fitess.
My pickup this morning was scheduled for 10:00, so I set off from the truck stop for the drive over at about 9:15. I arrived at the company at 9:45 and checked in at the Shipping Department. This was the second of two pickups for this load, and they only had six pallets of goods to load onto the back of the trailer. So I was in and out of there right quick, on my way by 10:15.
Now, Mt. Airy is apparently the "real life" Mayberry, NC. The truck stop I stayed at sold Mayberry merchandise in its shop, and passing through town I saw businesses such as "Aunt Bea's Barbecue" and "Goober's 52", which was apparently a bar. I thought that was kind of interesting. Anyway, back to my work day.
After leaving town, my mission was to get to my delivery in Grove City, OH, just to the southwest of Columbus. By my reference materials, it was about a 350-mile drive, so I expected it to take about 7 hours. Which it just about did, driving time, anyway. With stops for fuel and lunch (and other necessary respites), I got to the delivery at about 5:45 p.m.
The delivery was a quick drop-and-hook, and went nice and quick. The only down was the lot where they park the empty trailers (where I had to find one to take with me after dropping the loaded one). It is a dirt lot, and it had rained quite a bit in the area. So I had to walk around in some pretty good mud while hooking up the empty.
After completing the delivery, I hightailed it on over to a TA in this town, about 15 miles west of C'bus. My next assignment has come in already: Tomorrow morning I head into Columbus to pick up a load at 8:00. Then I haul it to Upper Marlboro, Maryland for a 6:00 Wednesday morning delivery. Upper Marlboro is just east of Washington, DC, so I'll have a goodly drive tomorrow after picking up the load. I'm not yet sure where there is to stay in that area, so I'll have to consult my truck stop directory. I may wind up stopping early tomorrow in, say, Breezewood, PA, and getting underway very early Wednesday to finish the drive into the DC area. Check back tomorrow to find out where I wind up.
And now it's late once again, and I need to get to bed. Thanks for checking in once more, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Yesterday: 118
Miles Today: 373
My highlights from yesterday (Super Sunday):
- Sleep in (past 8:30)
- Drive to Mt. Airy, NC, parking at a non-name-brand truck stop
- Some reading
- Some walking (for exercise, about 40 minutes)
- Watch the Super Bowl
This morning I could sleep in again...but didn't. I woke up around 6:30 and just could not get back to sleep. So I eventually got up and did some more walking around the truck stop's lot for some more exercise. I admit I wasn't walking very briskly, but it's a start on my road back to some semblance of fitess.
My pickup this morning was scheduled for 10:00, so I set off from the truck stop for the drive over at about 9:15. I arrived at the company at 9:45 and checked in at the Shipping Department. This was the second of two pickups for this load, and they only had six pallets of goods to load onto the back of the trailer. So I was in and out of there right quick, on my way by 10:15.
Now, Mt. Airy is apparently the "real life" Mayberry, NC. The truck stop I stayed at sold Mayberry merchandise in its shop, and passing through town I saw businesses such as "Aunt Bea's Barbecue" and "Goober's 52", which was apparently a bar. I thought that was kind of interesting. Anyway, back to my work day.
After leaving town, my mission was to get to my delivery in Grove City, OH, just to the southwest of Columbus. By my reference materials, it was about a 350-mile drive, so I expected it to take about 7 hours. Which it just about did, driving time, anyway. With stops for fuel and lunch (and other necessary respites), I got to the delivery at about 5:45 p.m.
The delivery was a quick drop-and-hook, and went nice and quick. The only down was the lot where they park the empty trailers (where I had to find one to take with me after dropping the loaded one). It is a dirt lot, and it had rained quite a bit in the area. So I had to walk around in some pretty good mud while hooking up the empty.
After completing the delivery, I hightailed it on over to a TA in this town, about 15 miles west of C'bus. My next assignment has come in already: Tomorrow morning I head into Columbus to pick up a load at 8:00. Then I haul it to Upper Marlboro, Maryland for a 6:00 Wednesday morning delivery. Upper Marlboro is just east of Washington, DC, so I'll have a goodly drive tomorrow after picking up the load. I'm not yet sure where there is to stay in that area, so I'll have to consult my truck stop directory. I may wind up stopping early tomorrow in, say, Breezewood, PA, and getting underway very early Wednesday to finish the drive into the DC area. Check back tomorrow to find out where I wind up.
And now it's late once again, and I need to get to bed. Thanks for checking in once more, and keep on truckin'.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Disappointment, But Some Positives
DATELINE: ROCK HILL, SC, 8:30 p.m. EST
Miles Today: 108
A nice short day today, but if I had my druthers, I'd rather have had a good long drive. A short day means few paying miles, which is what I get for someone else's mess-up from yesterday. (If you didn't read about that yet, look at yesterday's update.) Anyway, here's how today went.
I woke up around 5:30 to send a message to Dispatch to find out if they had a load assignment for me yet. (I halfway expected them to send me one during the middle of the night, waking me from my beauty sleep. But they didn't.) It took quite a while for them to respond--perhaps an hour and a half--with, "Not yet". During that wait, I tried to sleep some more but was largely unsuccessful. So I got up and did some reading. And more reading. And heated up some ravioli for breakfast. And read some more.
As 10:00 approached, they finally sent me an assignment. I was to head to Fort Lawn, SC for a 1:00 p.m. pickup, the first of two pickups for this load. The second is Monday morning in Mt. Airy, NC, then delivery is on Tuesday (perhaps) just southwest of Columbus, OH. The load assignment says the delivery time is one minute after midnight on Tuesday, but I suspect that's just a default value 'til we set an actual appointment. There's no way I can deliver at that time within DOT hours of service guidelines, so I'll have to make that delivery either Monday evening after driving up from pickup #2, or later Tuesday morning after I can get in a 10-hour break. I'll have to check with Dispatch about that.
Anyway, this is a disappointing assignment 'cuz it's too few miles for the amount of time involved. But that's often what happens on weekend pickups. Because of the problem with my original pickup yesterday, I lost not only the chance to stop by home, but also a lot of paying miles. Drat! (And I really mean a much stronger word than "Drat". But I'm too polite to use such language for public consumption.)
So I made the drive from Shelby, NC to Ft. Lawn in about 1:45, arriving at 12:15. I checked in, backed to the dock, then had to wait a few minutes before they started loading 'cuz I had arrived during lunch break. Otherwise the load went pretty quickly--after all, they weren't loading the entire trailer.
Once done there, I had a decision to make. I could drive all the way up to near the site of my Monday pickup (another 120 or so miles), or stop for the night at the Flying J here, then drive the rest of the way either tomorrow or Monday morning. Since there's a dearth of "brand-name" truck stops along I-77 between here and the northern part of NC, I decided just to stay here. Besides, I have a shower credit outstanding with Flying J, and I'll need one in the morning. Since I spent Thursday night at a turnpike service plaza, and last night alone in a gravel parking lot at a city park baseball diamond, I haven't had a chance to shower up since getting back on the road. Well, I could have this afternoon when I got here, but I perfer to shower in the morning to get my "bed head" under control. Besides, I haven't had to do anything the past 3 days that worked up a sweat, so I'm not too bad off.
As for tomorrow, after sleeping in as late as I want and getting cleaned up, I think I will just make the drive to the Mt. Airy area (say that 3 times fast). My truck stop directory tells me there's a large truck stop--though not a name-brand one--at the exit off of I-77 that I'll need to take, so that looks like my target. But I'm tempted just to stay here to watch the Super Bowl 'cuz I know this place has a TV in their drivers' lounge. I don't know what awaits up north. But I think duty calls, and I'll need to be nearby for the pickup (set for 10:00 Monday morning) so I can drive as far as possible after making it, possibly all the way to the delivery.
With all my free time this afternoon and evening (I arrived here about 1:30 or 2:00), first I treated myself to the buffet at the Flying J restaurant for lunch. I've been eating cheap the last couple of days, and mainly stuff I've brought along with me in the truck, so a splurge was in order, especially after yesterday's fiasco. After lunch I headed back to my truck, pulled down my laptop from its storage space, and went online to the virtual poker rooms. I entered a tournament with a 10-cent buy-in, and turned that dime into $1.06! Not a bad ROI. That was for finishing 39th out of 6120 entrants. But it took a bit over 2 hours, so it's a bad hourly return. Then again, I'm trying to build up a bankroll after having started with nothing, so the 96-cent profit was a nearly 15% increase in the $7.26 I started the day with, so not too shabby. Read all about it in my other blog, http://ziptochips.blogspot.com/.
After that tournament success, I decided it was time for some much-needed exercise. Today had been a beautiful day, sunny and probably in the low 70s, maybe upper 60s. It was dusk when I finally flamed out of the tournament, making a perfect time for a walk. I spent an hour taking laps around the truck stop's property. My legs were getting pretty heavy shortly after the mid-point of that hour, due to my physical inactivity the last few months (I haven't kept up the fitness regimen I tried to start back in the summer), but I made myself finish the whole hour. And boy I'm tired now; I ought to sleep well tonight!
I think that's my whole story for today. Thanks for looking in. Do please drop me a line so I'll know you're out there, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 108
A nice short day today, but if I had my druthers, I'd rather have had a good long drive. A short day means few paying miles, which is what I get for someone else's mess-up from yesterday. (If you didn't read about that yet, look at yesterday's update.) Anyway, here's how today went.
I woke up around 5:30 to send a message to Dispatch to find out if they had a load assignment for me yet. (I halfway expected them to send me one during the middle of the night, waking me from my beauty sleep. But they didn't.) It took quite a while for them to respond--perhaps an hour and a half--with, "Not yet". During that wait, I tried to sleep some more but was largely unsuccessful. So I got up and did some reading. And more reading. And heated up some ravioli for breakfast. And read some more.
As 10:00 approached, they finally sent me an assignment. I was to head to Fort Lawn, SC for a 1:00 p.m. pickup, the first of two pickups for this load. The second is Monday morning in Mt. Airy, NC, then delivery is on Tuesday (perhaps) just southwest of Columbus, OH. The load assignment says the delivery time is one minute after midnight on Tuesday, but I suspect that's just a default value 'til we set an actual appointment. There's no way I can deliver at that time within DOT hours of service guidelines, so I'll have to make that delivery either Monday evening after driving up from pickup #2, or later Tuesday morning after I can get in a 10-hour break. I'll have to check with Dispatch about that.
Anyway, this is a disappointing assignment 'cuz it's too few miles for the amount of time involved. But that's often what happens on weekend pickups. Because of the problem with my original pickup yesterday, I lost not only the chance to stop by home, but also a lot of paying miles. Drat! (And I really mean a much stronger word than "Drat". But I'm too polite to use such language for public consumption.)
So I made the drive from Shelby, NC to Ft. Lawn in about 1:45, arriving at 12:15. I checked in, backed to the dock, then had to wait a few minutes before they started loading 'cuz I had arrived during lunch break. Otherwise the load went pretty quickly--after all, they weren't loading the entire trailer.
Once done there, I had a decision to make. I could drive all the way up to near the site of my Monday pickup (another 120 or so miles), or stop for the night at the Flying J here, then drive the rest of the way either tomorrow or Monday morning. Since there's a dearth of "brand-name" truck stops along I-77 between here and the northern part of NC, I decided just to stay here. Besides, I have a shower credit outstanding with Flying J, and I'll need one in the morning. Since I spent Thursday night at a turnpike service plaza, and last night alone in a gravel parking lot at a city park baseball diamond, I haven't had a chance to shower up since getting back on the road. Well, I could have this afternoon when I got here, but I perfer to shower in the morning to get my "bed head" under control. Besides, I haven't had to do anything the past 3 days that worked up a sweat, so I'm not too bad off.
As for tomorrow, after sleeping in as late as I want and getting cleaned up, I think I will just make the drive to the Mt. Airy area (say that 3 times fast). My truck stop directory tells me there's a large truck stop--though not a name-brand one--at the exit off of I-77 that I'll need to take, so that looks like my target. But I'm tempted just to stay here to watch the Super Bowl 'cuz I know this place has a TV in their drivers' lounge. I don't know what awaits up north. But I think duty calls, and I'll need to be nearby for the pickup (set for 10:00 Monday morning) so I can drive as far as possible after making it, possibly all the way to the delivery.
With all my free time this afternoon and evening (I arrived here about 1:30 or 2:00), first I treated myself to the buffet at the Flying J restaurant for lunch. I've been eating cheap the last couple of days, and mainly stuff I've brought along with me in the truck, so a splurge was in order, especially after yesterday's fiasco. After lunch I headed back to my truck, pulled down my laptop from its storage space, and went online to the virtual poker rooms. I entered a tournament with a 10-cent buy-in, and turned that dime into $1.06! Not a bad ROI. That was for finishing 39th out of 6120 entrants. But it took a bit over 2 hours, so it's a bad hourly return. Then again, I'm trying to build up a bankroll after having started with nothing, so the 96-cent profit was a nearly 15% increase in the $7.26 I started the day with, so not too shabby. Read all about it in my other blog, http://ziptochips.blogspot.com/.
After that tournament success, I decided it was time for some much-needed exercise. Today had been a beautiful day, sunny and probably in the low 70s, maybe upper 60s. It was dusk when I finally flamed out of the tournament, making a perfect time for a walk. I spent an hour taking laps around the truck stop's property. My legs were getting pretty heavy shortly after the mid-point of that hour, due to my physical inactivity the last few months (I haven't kept up the fitness regimen I tried to start back in the summer), but I made myself finish the whole hour. And boy I'm tired now; I ought to sleep well tonight!
I think that's my whole story for today. Thanks for looking in. Do please drop me a line so I'll know you're out there, and keep on truckin'.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Stresses in N.C.
DATELINE: SHELBY, NC, 8:15 p.m. EST
Miles Today: 408
Well, today was kinda' "different" in some respects. But also much the same. I woke up at 5:35 this morning and was rolling at 6:00. It was raining and things were coated with ice along the sides of the road (which I didn't notice 'til the sun started coming up a while later), but the roads had been salted and were quite safe.
It took me 4-1/2 hours to get to my delivery today, as opposed to the 3 hours I had figured on, for a couple of reasons.
1. I had a very heavy load and was driving through mountainous territory on potentially slick roads, so I (and gravity during uphill portions) kept my speed down for the most part. And,
2. Part of the route I intended to take (US-52 in NC) wound up being restricted to vehicles under 8 tons. At nearly 39 tons, my loaded truck didn't qualify. So I had to take a longer route.
Anyway, my tardiness didn't seem to cause anybody any concern. I had to wait just a few minutes (10 - 15) before I was assigned a dock door. After docking and checking in with the Receiving Department at the dock, 'twas time to wait out the unload. That took about 2 hours, during which time I discovered the phone system at company HQ was messed up.
You see, at this site I had to hire a "lumper" (an unloading service) to unload my trailer. That's common at some types of sites that don't hire their own staff to do that work. The lumper company is on-site, and to pay them I had to get a "Comcheck" (don't ask, just understand it as a company check, though that's not really what it is) authorized by Dispatch. When I tried calling in to them, I kept getting routed to a voicemail system instead of directly to my Fleet Manager. So I had to resort to using my Qualcomm box to send a message instead. Now, I needed to get that check authorized before I could leave, 'cuz I had to pay the lumper. So I had a bit of a raised stress level while trying to get in touch with Dispatch. Fortunately, it was a slow unload, and I finally got a call from Dispatch to authorize my check before the unloading was complete. Whew!
Next I headed east on I-40, my target being a Flying J on the company's fuel network so I could fill my tanks, which were getting low. The FJ was at least 30 miles away, and before I could get there, my next load assignment message came in. I pulled into a rest area so I could read it, and found out that the pickup would be back to the west. I had enough fuel to get to another network outlet (this one a Pilot) on the way to the pickup, so I just turned around instead of proceeding the remaining 10 miles to the FJ.
The assigned pickup was set for 5:00 p.m. at a company I've been to once before, here in Shelby. With the fuel stop and rush hour traffic to contend with, I arrived at about 5:15. Then things got "interesting".
When I went into the guard shack at the gate to sign in, I gave them the pickup number USA sent in my load assignment. The interesting part was that the list the guards had did not include my pickup number. So I had to return to my truck to communicate via Qualcomm (remember, the phone system at HQ was down--probably still is) with Dispatch to confirm the pickup number. After a moderate wait, I got a response that the number jibed with the info they had, and to send them the name and phone number of the person I was talking to here. Which I did.
Long story short, I sat and waited in the company's driveway (fortunately, it's a nice wide one, so I wasn't in the way) for 2 hours, as my 14-hour driving window for the day melted away, 'til USA finally relented and took me off the load. However, I didn't have enough time left to get to a truck stop, so I've pulled over to a dirt parking lot alongside the company's property to spend the night (as offered by the guard). I also didn't want to drive any distance 'cuz I don't know yet where Dispatch will send me for my next pickup. Could be back here in the morning for all I know.
A couple of downsides to this fiasco.
1. While I was at this site, 4 or 5 other USA Truck trucks were here picking up loads. Why was mine the only one messed up?
2. The load I was gonna get was headed for Fowlerville, MI, due for a Monday morning delivery. I could have taken that load to my "home" truck stop by Sunday in time to zip home to watch the Super Bowl in my own living room. Now I don't know yet where I'll be on Super Sunday.
Oh well, such is the life of an over-the-road trucker. It's been another lengthy day, so it's time to wrap up this report and head to bed. Thanks again for taking your valuable time to take a peek at my bloggings, and keep on truckin'.
Miles Today: 408
Well, today was kinda' "different" in some respects. But also much the same. I woke up at 5:35 this morning and was rolling at 6:00. It was raining and things were coated with ice along the sides of the road (which I didn't notice 'til the sun started coming up a while later), but the roads had been salted and were quite safe.
It took me 4-1/2 hours to get to my delivery today, as opposed to the 3 hours I had figured on, for a couple of reasons.
1. I had a very heavy load and was driving through mountainous territory on potentially slick roads, so I (and gravity during uphill portions) kept my speed down for the most part. And,
2. Part of the route I intended to take (US-52 in NC) wound up being restricted to vehicles under 8 tons. At nearly 39 tons, my loaded truck didn't qualify. So I had to take a longer route.
Anyway, my tardiness didn't seem to cause anybody any concern. I had to wait just a few minutes (10 - 15) before I was assigned a dock door. After docking and checking in with the Receiving Department at the dock, 'twas time to wait out the unload. That took about 2 hours, during which time I discovered the phone system at company HQ was messed up.
You see, at this site I had to hire a "lumper" (an unloading service) to unload my trailer. That's common at some types of sites that don't hire their own staff to do that work. The lumper company is on-site, and to pay them I had to get a "Comcheck" (don't ask, just understand it as a company check, though that's not really what it is) authorized by Dispatch. When I tried calling in to them, I kept getting routed to a voicemail system instead of directly to my Fleet Manager. So I had to resort to using my Qualcomm box to send a message instead. Now, I needed to get that check authorized before I could leave, 'cuz I had to pay the lumper. So I had a bit of a raised stress level while trying to get in touch with Dispatch. Fortunately, it was a slow unload, and I finally got a call from Dispatch to authorize my check before the unloading was complete. Whew!
Next I headed east on I-40, my target being a Flying J on the company's fuel network so I could fill my tanks, which were getting low. The FJ was at least 30 miles away, and before I could get there, my next load assignment message came in. I pulled into a rest area so I could read it, and found out that the pickup would be back to the west. I had enough fuel to get to another network outlet (this one a Pilot) on the way to the pickup, so I just turned around instead of proceeding the remaining 10 miles to the FJ.
The assigned pickup was set for 5:00 p.m. at a company I've been to once before, here in Shelby. With the fuel stop and rush hour traffic to contend with, I arrived at about 5:15. Then things got "interesting".
When I went into the guard shack at the gate to sign in, I gave them the pickup number USA sent in my load assignment. The interesting part was that the list the guards had did not include my pickup number. So I had to return to my truck to communicate via Qualcomm (remember, the phone system at HQ was down--probably still is) with Dispatch to confirm the pickup number. After a moderate wait, I got a response that the number jibed with the info they had, and to send them the name and phone number of the person I was talking to here. Which I did.
Long story short, I sat and waited in the company's driveway (fortunately, it's a nice wide one, so I wasn't in the way) for 2 hours, as my 14-hour driving window for the day melted away, 'til USA finally relented and took me off the load. However, I didn't have enough time left to get to a truck stop, so I've pulled over to a dirt parking lot alongside the company's property to spend the night (as offered by the guard). I also didn't want to drive any distance 'cuz I don't know yet where Dispatch will send me for my next pickup. Could be back here in the morning for all I know.
A couple of downsides to this fiasco.
1. While I was at this site, 4 or 5 other USA Truck trucks were here picking up loads. Why was mine the only one messed up?
2. The load I was gonna get was headed for Fowlerville, MI, due for a Monday morning delivery. I could have taken that load to my "home" truck stop by Sunday in time to zip home to watch the Super Bowl in my own living room. Now I don't know yet where I'll be on Super Sunday.
Oh well, such is the life of an over-the-road trucker. It's been another lengthy day, so it's time to wrap up this report and head to bed. Thanks again for taking your valuable time to take a peek at my bloggings, and keep on truckin'.
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