Quick Escape from TX

DATELINE: PRESCOTT, AR, 10:30 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 505

Just another uneventful day of driving up through and out of Texas. I only drove 8-3/4 hours today 'cuz I'm in no rush to get to my delivery. That's scheduled for late Tuesday morning, and I only have another 500 or so miles to go to get there. So tomorrow I'll get close (probably stop in the Nashville, TN area) before heading to the company on Tuesday. That is unless, of course, I find out that an early delivery would be OK. In that case I'll just head straight there tomorrow.

For today, though, I've stopped for the night at the TA here in southwest AR, one of my favorite stops, even though it doesn't have a Popeye's Chicken stand. It does have a Taco Bell Express, and I've patronized that stand a few times previously, but tonight I just heated up an entree from my larder in my lunchbox oven.

Like I stated up top, 'twas an uneventful day, but it still sure is nice riving the new truck. And it's very nice being able to cruise at up around 70 MPH, since this vehicle doesn't have a 63-MPH governor on it. I will have to monitor the mileage, and if it's not quite up to company goals, I'll back off on the speed to the 65-MPH range. But for now, since I'm running low-ish on my 70 hours, I'll make tracks to this delivery as quickly as I can.

By the way, a few more features on this new truck that I didn't mention a couple days ago:

• Power windows (the old truck had hand cranks)
• Power mirrors (only the passenger-side one on the old truck was powered)
• A CD player (alas, no cassette player, so I can't finish the book I was listening to in my old truck when I got to West Memphis for the trade-in)

So 'tis late once more and time for bed. I'm blogging late tonight 'cuz I hit the poker tables to work on my supplemental income. I won't bore you with the details, but it was another night of mixed results and I came out a whopping 30 cents ahead. (Please don't tell the IRS, OK?) Thanks for taking a read today, and keep on truckin'.

Bouncing Off the Bottom of Texas

DATELINE: VON ORMY, TX, 9:30 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 490

Oops! I've delayed too long before getting to blogging, so I'll have to make this relatively quick. At least this time I was out getting some walking exercise, which led to my late start on this report. But I'll get right to it.

• Up at 4:15 this morning in Waco to cop a shower and shave before starting work at 5:00.
• Drove 4 hours before stopping for breakfast at the Carl's Jr. inside a Love's truck stop so I could grab one of my favorites, the Steak & Egg Burrito. (Add a packet of their salsa and it's to die for! But I digress.)
• Drove 2 more hours to reach the terminal in Laredo to drop off my loaded trailer.
• Then had a couple-hour wait 'til my next assignment came in. (I actually had to hit the road and drive around town a bit to get the messages "un-stuck" and hit my Qualcomm box. Messages have a bad habit of not coming in to a stationary truck.)
• My new assignment is to grab a load from the Laredo lot and haul it to its destination in Russellville, KY, due on Tuesday.
• Grabbed the trailer and drove over to the Laredo TA to weigh my truck on their scales
• Proceeded back north to the Love's where I had stopped for breakfast and have stopped here for the night, as my 14-hour driving window was getting short.

So that's how my day went, at least the notable points. 'Twasn't quite so hot today, but still plenty warm to have the AC running full-time in the truck. How nice it is to drive in cool comfort instead of being all sweaty and sticky.

Alas, I do need to sign off now and get to bed. Thanks for following along, and keep on truckin'.

Way Cool (NOT!) Waco

DATELINE: WACO, TX, 9:00 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 540

This was my first day running in my new truck, and (just about) all I gotta say is, "SUH-WEEEET!" Runs like a dream, nice 'n quiet, not clutching is nice, and not shifting is gonna let my messed-up right shoulder heal some, I think. The automatic shifting took just a bit of getting used to, as it's not as quick and smooth as happens in a car with automatic trans. As this thing shifts, it hesitates a bit, about as much as a manual shift would take. And it takes off more slowly from a dead stop than I could manage in my old truck, so I just have to keep that in mind when deciding when to turn across oncoming traffic.

Oh, and this one doesn't have a governor set at 63 MPH; I can run faster than that. YAHOO! Good for when I have a long way to go and not much time to get there. But most of the time I'll keep my speed to around 65, I think, in order to keep my fuel efficiency above the company's goal. I'll need a few days to see what kind of mileage this beast gets at that speed.

I did figure out my lighting issue that I mentioned yesterday, or, rather, it worked itself out. I don't know why the lights wouldn't work yesterday, but they're fine now. I also had a glitch with my APU when I arrived here in Waco (at the Flying J)--it kept quitting and giving a system error message. (Remember, the APU runs the cab's climate control systems when I'm parked so the truck's engine doesn't have to.) I searched the system manual for help, found where it said to press the "Engine Reset" button (the APU's engine, not the truck's), then had to find that button. I finally did, tucked into the luggage compartment accessible through a hatch on the outside of the truck, and everything's working just hunky-dory now. Which is essential 'cuz it's fierce hot down here. It was probably only in the low-to-mid-90s this afternoon, but Texas heat just feels hotter than the same or higher temperatures elsewhere. Probably has something to do with the angle of the sun beating down on everything.

Anyway, I'm staying up too late now...need to get to bed so I can get up and rolling early again tomorrow. I expect it'll take me only another 5 or 6 hours to get to Laredo and drop this load at our terminal there. I'll be a day early, so I can get another assignment and back on the road for some more paying miles.

Thanks for the good wishes and congratulations about the truck from those who sent them. I gotta say that, as much as I do like this truck, (and these trips out to the southwest), I'd still rather be home with y'all. But if I gotta be out here, this is much nicer than old 7630. (My old truck's number.)

Thanks for glancing this way today, please send me lots of questions and comments, and keep on truckin'.

All Moved In

DATELINE: WEST MEMPHIS, AR, 9:45 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 0

Just a quick update tonight to let y'all know that I'm getting ready for bed here in my new home--er, truck. 'Twas long about 4:00 this afternoon when I ambled back into the shop to inquire about the status of my trade-in. They finally did have the proper info on their computer system, and they handed me the keys.

I walked over to where she was parked, unlocked the door, climbed in, turned the key in the ignition, and...par for the course, the batteries were dead. What else would I expect but more drama? But that was a minor stumbling block as a mechanic wheeled over a charger, got the beast started, and the rest is history.

I spent the next few hours moving my stuff (it's amazing just how much stuff I do have in here) from my old home to my new, finding places to put it all, and familiarizing myself with my new accommodations. Notable differences:

1. I'm still trying to decide if the new truck has more or less storage, or if it's pretty much equivalent but just different. I have found places for everything, so I'm leaning for the "equivalent but different" verdict. This one definitely has more "closed" storage; what they call "airline cabinets" under high shelves on either side of the sleeper berth.

2. Instead of small windows high up above the shelves on either side of the sleeper, this one has larger windows on either end of the bunk. That adds more light to the sleeper in the daytime, but now I don't have one wall to lean against to work (or play) with my laptop on my lap. That was my preferred position for computing in my old truck. However, this truck has a slide-out work table in front of the bunk, so I have my laptop on it right now as I sit on the bunk and compose this update. I think this'll work pretty well, though I do have to sit up to work here.

3. This truck has an APU, or "Auxiliary Power Unit", that I can set to run the climate controls instead of having the engine idling to run them. That's gonna save lots of fuel, and it's a whole lot quieter and doesn't shake the whole cab as much as the engine did when turning on and off. However, the APU itself is a small diesel engine tucked under the cab, and it does produce a vibration throughout when it's running. But no doubt I'll get used to that, too.

4. The APU also has a power inverter, so there are 4 AC power outlets in the sleeper. I have my laptop plugged into one right now, and it's working like a dream. WOO-HOO! No more laptop power problems! I can blog and hit the virtual poker tables right here once again, so I have no ready-made excuse for not posting daily updates on this blog. (Is that a downside or an upside? The jury's still out.)

5. One "irregularity" I haven't conquered yet--with the engine off, I can't turn the sleeper berth's lights on. The overhead lights in the cab will come on and do provide enough light to work by, but it'd be better with more direct light back here, especially when I have to get up when it's dark. The switch for the cab lights is way up on the console, and it'd be much easier if I could just reach up by the side of my bunk and switch on the sleeper's lights. We'll see if I can figure that one out.

6. This truck does have an automatic transmission, so I'm gonna have to get used to that--not shifting, stepping on a clutch pedal, resting my hand on the shifter, etc. One thing I have noticed already is that, with the truck in gear--Drive or Reverse--if I take my foot off the accelerator, the engine doesn't provide any power to the transmission. So it'll take some practice with the pedals, especially in docking maneuvers.

Well, I'm gonna get up early tomorrow--4:15--to hit the road to Laredo by 5:00, and it's late now, so time to wrap this up. Thanks for checking in to today's second update, and be sure to keep on truckin'.

Moving Day

DATELINE: WEST MEMPHIS, AR, 8:00 a.m. CDT

Miles Yesterday: 636

Well, Dispatch did wind up setting up a relay for my Sarnia-to-Smyrna load. I got the message at about 3:45 a.m., inquired about the other truck's ETA, and was told they were 154 miles away. So that gave me another 2-1/2 hours for copping more shut-eye.

I woke up again just after 6:00, got dressed, and as I opened up my curtains, I saw the other truck just pulling up. How's that for timing? So I unhooked my loaded trailer, pulled around to where they had dropped their empty, and sent in my new "empty call" message to trigger Dispatch to send me a new assignment.
(By the way, that relay really didn't do anything to get the load on its way any quicker than if I'd just completed my 10-hour break and continued on with it. By the time my break reached that 10-hou mark, the relay truck was still at the Flying J. But that's not my concern anymore.)

Next up: a pickup in Troy, OH yesterday afternoon, for a load bound for our terminal in Laredo, TX. It's due there at noon on Sunday, so for once I have some extra time built in to a run. I asked my Fleet Manager if I could go to Laredo by way of our Van Buren, AR terminal so I could pick up my new truck there. (As you may recall, my old truck's AC still doesn't work, so it'd be one HOT trip to deepest, darkest TX.) He surprised me and said that I could get a new truck at the West Memphis, AR terminal, since that was on my route. He even gave me my new "address", my new truck's number. If all goes as it should, keep an eye out for number 1787 of the USA Truck fleet and give me a wave. That is a brand-spankin' new truck--an International ProStar--and more than likely an automatic transmission, so maybe finally I'll have a good piece of equipment to drive. (I hope I'm not jinxing things by posting this update before the trade-in is a done deal. Send your good thoughts my way, if you please.)

I pushed hard yesterday and made it to West Memphis just within my allotted driving hours for the day. I got here at about 11:30 p.m., so it was too late to handle the truck swap then. (Besides, my FM said he'd set up the swap for this afternoon.) I was also much too tired to blog for you. It'd been a LONG, hot drive.

When I woke up this morning, I checked in with the shop about the trade-in, but it hadn't been set up in the computer system yet, So, naturally, I have to wait once more. It's too darn hot 'n humid to wait in my truck, so I've sought refuge in the drivers' lounge, plugged in, and tuned in to the web. So that's a plus for you as I have time to let y'all know about it. When I finally do get the new unit, I'll be busy moving my stuff between the old and the new, then I'll more than likely need to hit the road for Laredo, so I probably won't post an update telling you the news right away. Then again, like I mentioned earlier, I have plenty of time on this load, so I could just wait 'til tomorrow morning to get rolling. Just keep an eye out here to see what happens.

Thanks for peeking in today. Let me know your thoughts and questions about my job, and keep on truckin'.

On the Road Once More

DATELINE: BEAVERDAM, OH, 10:15 p.m. EDT

Miles Today: 336

Just a quick update tonight 'cuz I'm running on battery power (well, my laptop is; I'm running on caffeine).

Well, my first day back from home time and the ridiculosity starts already. Ya' know, what'd be nice would be if I could just be able to make pickups and deliveries, and just drive in between. But no, there's all sorts of other "stuff" that comes up--and FAR, FAR too regularly--that really makes this job stressful and unenjoyable. Here's today's tale.

Mrs. R.T. returned me to my truck at 6:30 this morning, and within an hour I had my first assignment for this tour of duty. Not that a pickup in Sarnia, ON was ridiculous. Nor is a delivery of that load to Smyrna, TN (outside of Nashville) tomorrow morning. (Though the lack of "wiggle room" in the schedule was a bit "iffy".) No, what was ridiculous today was the 3-hour wait at customs in Detroit.

Now, I know you're thinking that the line coming off of the Ambassador Bridge was just that backed up, but that wasn't the case (though that did take about 45 minutes). Instead, when I was at the customs booth, the officer there apparently found a problem with the load's paperwork (I think some record in a computer database hadn't gotten updated properly). So he directed me to pull around to the "exam" area, back into a dock, and see the nice people inside.

I did as instructed, and wound up sitting in a concrete block drivers' waiting room for 3 hours while the Customs/Border Patrol agents did a search of my truck. That included opening the sealed trailer an hauling out all of the load (racks of auto parts this time). Meanwhile, I couldn't leave the waiting room nor use my cell phone. At least I had plenty of company in there. But it was still a long, dull wait.

I was hoping that this time out on the road would be relatively simple, because the last tour was chock full of what I used to call "challenges" in these pages. But no, we start out with this customs &*%$@# that put me way behind schedule and unable to make it to my delivery on time (within DOT hours of service regulations, anyway).

I've stopped for tonight at the Flying J here along I-75, and I'm waiting to hear from Dispatch whether they'll arrange for a relay to get my load to its destination on time, or if I'll just keep it and deliver late (by about 3 hours). I can pretty much guarantee that I won't hear anything 'til I finally fall asleep. But, since I can say that with such confidence, despite heavy fatigue, I won't be able to fall asleep out of concern that a message will wake me up right away. How's that for a Catch-22?

Anyway, I am quite tired now and am gonna try to get to sleep. Thanks for getting back on board with me after my "vacation". Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.

Breaking the Silence Once More

DATELINE: HOME

Many apologies for my long silence the last 2 weeks. I've been having more, continued laptop power and/or connection issues. But I'm home now for a few days, so I can plug in and reach out to the web, finally.

When last we talked, I was sitting out a 34-hour break in West Memphis, AR. In the 2 weeks since, I've been from western TN to Springfield, OH, to Ottawa and Topeka, KS, to Vandalia, OH (where I finally got my truck serviced and Qualcomm fixed), then into Ontario, Canada (about 100 miles east of Toronto--I forget the actual town name), back to Troy and Vandalia, OH. Next was east to Hagerstown, MD, Bethel, PA, Millsboro, DE, back to Bethel, and finally home.

What made the latter part of the last 2 weeks much more fun was on Friday the 13th when my truck's air conditioner stopped conditioning the air. Being in MD with upper 80s temperatures during the day, 'twasn't fun. Plus, I'd been running overnight for a couple of days (starting with the runs into and out of Ontario), so I had to sleep during the day, with the truck under the full sun.

After delivering in Millsboro, DE on Monday this week, my Fleet Manager sent me up to Bethel to get the AC fixed. A couple of problems arose there:

1. The company's been cutting back on shop hours, so the Bethel shop closes at 5:00 each afternoon. And that's on weekdays; they're closed on the weekends. I couldn't get there after the Millsboro delivery 'til about 3:30 p.m., so they couldn't get me in that day. And in the mornings they just handle maintenance appointments, so it'd be at least Tuesday afternoon before they could get to me.

2. As I was arriving at Bethel, I got a Qualcomm message from my FM: My truck is (finally!) due for trade-in this month! I'll be getting a new truck. Now, I don't yet know if "new" means brand-new, or a less-used one than I have now. I won't know 'til I get to the trade-in, which will be at our terminal (and company HQ) in Van Buren, AR. And because of the truck's due-for-trade-in status, the shop at Bethel wasn't going to be eager to spend a lot of time and/or money to fix the AC. And they wouldn't be able to get the truck in until late in the day on Tuesday.

So, after wasting nearly 24 hours waiting at Bethel, my FM and I decided to just skip the repair so I could get a load and get on my way back home. (Did I mention that I was scheduled to start my next home time on Wednesday?) I wound up with an assignment to pick up a load in Middletown, PA, just outside of Harrisburg, at 3:00 Tuesday afternoon. The load was headed to Lansing, MI for delivery Thursday morning (4:00 a.m.!), but I'd be dropping it at the yard in Romulus where I park my truck when I'm at home. Cool!

The pickup went fine, then I stopped at a Service Plaza along the PA Turnpike for the night, before getting started early Wednesday morning to finish the trip home.

And now I am back home; I got to Romulus and parked the truck at about 12:30 p.m. By the way, I wanted to get home on Wednesday because it was my birthday. So I was giving myself a present by getting home on that day. And it was good because I got to go to dinner with my whole family (Mrs. R.T., 2 daughters, and daughter #1's boyfriend) at a favorite watering hole in town.

So that's the quick version of the story of my last 2 weeks. Again, I wish circumstances would have allowed me to keep this blog up-to-date, but that was not to be. We'll see if I can get things straightened out when I head back to the truck next week.

Thanks for checking up on me, and keep on truckin'.

West Memphis, AR

DATELINE: WEST MEMPHIS, AR, 4:00 p.m. CDT

Well, things aren't going as swimmingly as I'd have liked, at least in regards to my truck's issues. I got up yesterday morning, drove to (5 hours) and made my delivery (which took 2 hours) in Brownsville, TN. While I was waiting for my trailer to get unloaded, I called in to Breakdown to set up an appointment to get my Qualcomm repaired at the West Memphis terminal. Because I was about out of hours, I was heading to WM to sit out a 34-hour break, so that was a natural time to get the work done. However, Breakdown informed me that the WM shop didn't have any appointments available, but I could walk in and see if they could fit me in. Besides, a Qualcomm fix should be an expedited repair.

Once the delivery was complete, I drove the hour or so back to the terminal. After parking, I checked in with the shop. Long story short, since my truck is also due for maintenance, they won't fix the Qualcomm until I bring it in for the regular maintenance. And I need an appointment for that. And I can't ever get an appointment 'cuz Dispatch keeps me either too busy or routed away from the terminals or, when I am headed to a terminal, they have no appointments available. The exception, of course, was last week when I did have an appointment here, but a delay at a shipper made me miss the appointment. Anyway, it looks like I'll be heading back to work early tomorrow (Thursday) still without a working communication device. I'll have to resort to calling in on my cell phone, and that can mean some long delays on hold. I'm also hoping nothing happens where I'll needed to call in someplace where my phone service isn't available. But I think I'm obsessing on the point. Time to move on.

Last night after arriving and getting shunned by the shop, I was too, er, steamed to do anything on my laptop (blogging, poker), so I just sat in the drivers' lounge and watched TV. (Well, after I had dined at a nearby Mexican restaurant--a tasty Chicken Fajita Burrito.) I went to bed around 10:00.

This morning I woke up--purely unintentionally--at 4:00, and I just knew I was awake for good. So, since I had some dirty laundry accumulating after 3 weeks on the road, I brought it inside to wash it in the free machines they have here. Go figure that the machines would be available at 4:00 a.m. Anyway, clothes all clean now.

Since finishing my laundry, I've been playing single-table sit-n-go poker tournaments online (all no-limit Texas Hold 'Em). I played 9 of 'em and cashed in 5 (2 third places, 2 seconds, and 1 win), so I'm up a little bit (a whole $2.70) for the day. Always a plus. After winning the last one (finally!), it was time for a break to blog and get some dinner. So here's my report. Once I post it, I'll have to make myself decide what's for dinner. I'll probably just heat something up from my larder; I just need to decide what I'm in the mood for.

Now let me address reader dennis the accompanist's questions, "So what happens at a weigh station? Do you drive on through, or do you have to stop? What happens if something is wrong with the truck weight?"

As trucks drive through the weigh station's ramp, they cross the scales. Some states have full-length scales that we have to stop on, others have pads that weigh each axle as it crosses in motion. Still others have "preliminary" weigh-in-motion pads that check the weight before getting to the "real" scales. If the weight is OK there, the driver is directed to the bypass lane (always preferred) instead of across the scales at the scale house.

If any of the truck's axles or tandems is overweight, the driver is directed to the station's parking area, and instructed to come inside with his/her paperwork (bills of lading, log book, truck & trailer registrations, driver's license and medical form). Then the fun part--the nice officer writes up a ticket for the driver. Yes, I got a ticket (and fine) once when I picked up a loaded trailer with tandems that were stuck and I couldn't move them to get the load in balance. Besides, the load was a bit lighter so I didn't think it'd be a problem. On-the-job training, as it were.

Sometimes--especially when hauling a Hazmat load--the officers at the weigh station decide to pull you around to inspect the truck and trailer. That's more rigmarole, and I've had an inspection take 2 hours. If they find violations, they write 'em up and can put the truck out of service (you can't move it 'til the cited problems get fixed) or advise you to get 'em fixed promptly. The citation goes in to the company. The driver may or may not get a ticket, depending on the violations involved.

So that's a nutshell explanation of the weigh station experience. Usually it's just a slight irritation of having to interrupt a good, steady roll down the road. Incidentally, it seems that states are more vigilant on the weight issues the further south you go. The weigh stations in the more northern states are frequently (if not usually) closed, while they're almost always open in the south. (Not Texas, though--they're hardly ever open.) You'd thing the opposite, that the northern states with the frequent freeze-thaw cycles making the roads more fragile would be more vigilant about overweight trucks. Go figure.

Thanks for taking a look at today's report. I hope I'm being informative and entertaining on this site. Drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.

Meridian, Ft. Worth, Prescott

DATELINE: PRESCOTT, AR, 7:30 p.m. CDT

Oops, missed a couple of days again, due to:
Saturday: Uncooperative laptop power, and
Sunday: Trucking fatigue.
So it's catch-up time again. On to it.

When last we spoke, I was primed for a Saturmorning delivery in Norcross, GA, a northeast Atlanta 'burb. I got up and made it to the company about 25 minutes early (my appointment was for 8:00 a.m.), then wound up waiting 'cuz nobody was at work there yet. They showed up at about 8:15. Turns out it was a small company (or a small facility for a larger company), in what appeared to be a cross between a strip mall and an industrial park. It was down a narrow, 2-lane street that seemed primarily residential, with some industrial/commercial buildings squeezed in here and there.

The site I went to has a narrow parking lot/loading dock area, and the company to which I was delivering was right at the narrowest point. To make things more "interesting", the opposite side of the lot from the loading docks was bordered by a 6-1/2-foot-tall stone wall. So backing to the dock, instead of lining up with the slot and backing into it, was a matter of angling in from the side and pivoting the trailer wheels at just the right spot for the butt-end of the trailer to hit the dock just as it gets straight, too. Always fun. Once I got in there, I had about 6 feet between the nose of my truck and the stone wall.

Anyway, not to belabor the site's fun points. Otherwise, the delivery went fine, although a bit slow. Afterwards I called in to Dispatch to let 'em know I completed the delivery (remember, my Qualcomm is still on the fritz) and get my next assignment. Next up: a pickup in Belle, GA (just southeast of Hotlanta) for a Monday morning delivery in Roanoke, TX (just north of Fort Worth).

So I drove over to the pickup and overcame the incorrect directions (they said to turn north from a certain road to reach the company, when the company really was south of that road) to get there. Pickup time was set for 1:00, but I got there at noon. They gave me a slot right away (a big place with lots of dock doors), but didn't start loading 'til 1:00 anyway. Once that was done, it was back to the road west: I-20 the whole way 'til it was time to turn north at Fort Worth.

I stopped for Saturday night at the TA in Meridian, MS, took my 10-hour break, then spent Sunday on the westward trek. I thought I had slept enough Saturnight, but by the latter part of Sunday's drive I was really getting tired. I finally reached the Pilot in north Fort Worth, about 6 miles from my slated delivery site, and thankfully found a parking spot after circling the lot only twice. I was surprised the place was so full so relatively early--4:30 p.m. on a Sunday. But, then again, it was dinner time, so a lot of truckers were stopped temporarily for some grub.

I treated myself to dinner at the IHOP next door to the Pilot--Chicken Florentine Crepes, tasty! Then I got back into my truck, set the air conditioning ('twas in the upper 90s outside), read a little bit, then went to bed. Man, was I tired; more "head tired" than bodily worn out--must be all the staring at the road.

This morning, because I had gone to bed so early (by 7:30), I woke up before 4:30. That left me plenty of time for a leisurely shower, shave, and McDonald's breakfast before starting my work day at 5:45. My delivery appointment was 7:00, but I got to the company at about 6:15 and found a line of trucks at their gate. Thankfully, they didn't wait 'til 7:00 to open up; I was inside by 6:45. It was a drop-and-hook delivery, so I was done within half an hour. I called in and Dispatch didn't have my next assignment pre-planned, so I zipped back to the Pilot to fuel up, send in my paperwork for the just-completed load, and wait.

By my second call (at 8:45), they had an assignment for me: head up to Wichita Falls, TX to pick up a load headed for Brownsville, TN. It's about 100 miles or so from FW to WF, all on US highways, and it took me 2 hours to complete the trip. The pickup was another drop-and-hook, so again it was relatively quick (30 minutes). Then it was back to another US highway--US-82 this time--for the interminable drive eastward across north Texas to Texarkana. Except for a quick stop 30 minutes in to weigh the truck and grab a slice of pizza at a truck stop, I covered the US-82 stretch non-stop. Good thing I hadn't been drinking very much today. I finally stopped at the Flying J in Texarkana (after hopping onto I-30 at New Boston) for more fuel and other necessary functions, then continued just a bit further here to the TA in Prescott.

Because I've been working a lot the last few days, my hours are again getting low. I'm down to 5-1/2 for tomorrow, then will only get 3-1/2 back for Wednesday. I think the 5-1/2 are just enough to make my delivery tomorrow, then retreat to a nearby truck stop. Brownsville is 40-to-50-ish miles northeast of Memphis, and my delivery is due at noon. So I'll get rolling by 6:00 in the morning and shoot for getting there a bit early. Then I'll have all afternoon for more sleep. I really hope Dispatch'll let me go to West Memphis on Wednesday to get my Qualcomm (and overdue maintenance) attended to, instead of assigning me a load with the 3-1/2 hours I'll have for that day.

Anywho, I'm once again a bit "head tired" and ready for sleep. My laptop's all charged up (I came inside and plugged in at the food court--Taco Bell and Subway--dining area), so everything's ready for the end of the day. Thanks for checking in today, drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.