Back to Apr

The tour started out great.  Instead of having to find an empty trailer and get a load, I picked up a loaded trailer that was a relay.  Of course, I did that at the beginning of the last tour, but that one was a live unload across the road, and this one was going some distance, and was a drop.  The best part, if going by Chicago is a best part, was that I would get around Chicago mid-day, when the traffic moves okay.

I picked up the load, and drove into MI.  It was only a three hour drive, but I dropped the trailer, and waited for my next load.  I waited two hours.  When the orders came, the load pick up wasn't until tomorrow.  Well, I still had to go an get an empty, and then drive over a hundred miles.  If getting the trailer was anything like last Friday, it could take the rest of the day.

I drove about 30 miles to get the trailer.  There I found the trailer, but it had been reloaded with scrap paper.  I sent a note that the trailer was loaded, and waited thirty minutes for a response.  I was then told to go 140 miles to get a trailer.  This was thirty miles beyond the shipper.  At least the trailer was there.  I picked it up, and headed back towards the shipper.

It was over forty miles back to the shipper, but there wasn't any parking at the shipper, so I had to find some place to park.  Checking my trucker references, I saw that there were no truck stops along the route.  At one point, I saw a shopping mall with areas under construction.  I drove in there, and found another truck parked behind a building.  I parked behind him. 

The rest of the day was driving.  I stopped in Gary IN for fuel, and ate lunch.  Then it was back by Chicago.  I was following I80.  In IL, they want some blood money on their toll road, so even though I had driven only seven miles on the toll road, I had pay to get off I294 and continue on I80.  The problem is that they have been working on making the tolling easier for the last year, so it took over fifteen minutes to get trough the back up.  Stupid IL.  A few miles later I turned south on I57.

After that, it was clear driving.  I kept checking my clock and distance.  I wanted to get to a Flying J in MO.  At first I didn't think I would make it.  Then I thought I could.  I stopped at a rest area for quick relief, but now I wasn't sure I could make it again.  When I got into MO, I knew that the Flying J was 28 miles away.  I had 25 minutes left on my 11 hours driving, but now I was in MO, which has a higher speed limit.  I arrived at the truck stop within the fudge time.

I drove to the delivery, arriving a little early.  The place had a security gate, and there were other trucks ahead of me, so I had to wait awhile.  Once I got in, I was told to drop it in this lot.  The lot was all jammed up, and there were no spots to drop the trailer in.  Others had dropped their trailers in the middle of the lot, so I did the same.  I then had to drive off of the lot, and go a couple of miles to get an empty.

I was told to pick up a specific trailer.  It was not in the lot.  I didn't know if it was back at the other location, but I wasn't going to go back and find out.  Because the trailer wasn't in the empty trailer lot, I sent a note that the trailer wasn't on the lot, and sent the number of a trailer that was.  I was told to pick it up.  Upon checking it, I found that one of the tire was either low or flat.  A minor deviation of the route allowed me to go to the OC in Houston.  There, I had the tire changed while I ate lunch.

I drove to my next load, but I was told I was in the wrong location.  I then drove to the correct location.  Just as I got there, I got a message that the load was being canceled.  I had driven about eighty miles east, and now I was driving back seventy miles west.  I got the load, then drove to a truck stop for the night.  It had been hot all day, and I was pretty burned out.

I took off to make the delivery.  The load was a short one, and I was there in three hours.  Now I was suppose to fuel up along the way, but the stop was six miles beyond where I was to turn.  I would be going twelve mile out of route.  I had gotten orders for my next load, and I could get the fuel on the way to the next shipper.  I saved the twelve miles, but lost it by going back to that truck stop as there was a shorter route between the delivery and the shipper.  Either way, I needed to shower, and as the pick up time for the next load was five hours later, I chose to put all the down time between the delivery and the pick up.

I made the delivery, drove to get fuel, showered, and rested.  Then I drove to the shipper.  The local road to get to the shipper was probably the worst road I have ever been on.  I pumped my seat up, so I wouldn't bottom and break my butt.  I was bouncing up and down  as I kept hitting one bump or pot hole after  another.

I was loaded quickly, and was on my way in two hours.  I only had two hours and fifteen to go on my fourteen, but I want to get in as many hours today as I could.  I drove two hours, and stopped in Gulf Port MS.  I was practically in the middle of ground zero of where hurricane Katrina had hit.  There were still signs of the destruction, but it looked a lot better than the last time I came through this area.

It the truck stop, I was able to nose into a spot at the back of the lot.  It was quite peaceful, and I was able to get a good nights sleep.  It got cooler during the night, and this helped.

I had thirty hours to use over today and the next two days.  On the 9th, I will have only 6.75 hours, as that is what I drove on the first day of the tour.  I drove a little over nine hours for the day.  If I drive the same amount over the next two days, I'll have about nine hours on the 9th.

Just before the trailer was empty, I got my orders.  I was to take the empty to the Atlanta OC, and pick up my load there.  The load was a two stop load.  The first stop was only thirty miles from Atlanta, and I barely had enough time to get there.  I got there about five minute late.  I was put into a dock, and the items to be delivered here were taken off in about fifteen minutes.

The second stop, the bulk of the load, was 160 miles away, and had an appointment time tomorrow morning.  Another wasted day.  I had hoped to be able to delivery it this afternoon, and maybe get another load, but it didn't work out.  I drove to a truck stop about two miles from the delivery, and camped out.  The only redeeming value in this load was the I was pretty tired, I now a could rest.

I took a break for an hour.  I then decided to drive to the shipper in case the load was ready early.  I sent a note to my TL to see if I could pick up the load early.  I was asked my ETA.  I said 1330 EST, or 1230 CST.  I got there at 1300 EST, and ate lunch.  I arrived at 1330.  The load was ready to go just then.  A break.  I picked it up, and headed for Atlanta.  There I took a shower, and got back on my way within a half hour.  However, it was now late enough, that I was slowed down rush hour traffic.  Plus, I had to get around this.

I was pushing to get as far as I could.  There was no delivery time specified, but it was expected that I would delivery the load at the end of the day tomorrow.  If I didn't get at least seventy miles north of Atlanta, I don't think I could drive the rest of the way in eleven hours.  When I left the OC, I had four hours and fifteen available on my fourteen, so I knew that I would get far enough to make the delivery tomorrow.  The only question is, how much did I want to drive or how soon did I want to arrive.  I drove right up to the end of the fourteen hours.  Now I only have 500 miles to make the delivery.  If I make good time, I could actually have two hours available to use at the end of the day.

I was driving near Chicago, and the route said to go around, but because I had so much time that wasn't going to be used, I drove through Chicago.  I had heard that the highway south of downtown was being worked on, and I wanted to see how bad it was.  The road destruction involved the express lanes.  This left only three local lanes, rather than the usual six.  It was mid-day, so I got through in under an hour.  North of Chicago, I could have taken the toll road, but, again, I had the time, so I took U.S. 41 to WI.  I don't know if the company checked this out, but I had saved the company about $27.00 dollars.

The load was going to Racine, which is near where I park my tractor when I go home.  I parked at the lot, took my person vehicle, and ran an errand.  I then made the delivery, and drove back to the lot, dropped the empty, parked the tractor, and went home.  This was the lousiest tour ever, and I don't expect to get paid much.  But, I could be fooled, as there was short hauls, live loads/unloads, and maybe even some downtime.

End of tour 32.

To start the tour, I picked up a relay load at the home lot, and drove it two hours away.  It was suppose to be a drop, but they unloaded me quickly.  I then took the empty an hour way an got live loaded.  It was early afternoon when I was on my way with the load.  The load had to be delivered tomorrow, so I had to get a certain distance yet today.  I drove to Springfield IL.  This put me within nine hours of the delivery point.

As I was getting close to the delivery, I got orders for the next load.  I was to drive 175 miles to get an empty container, and then drive 180 miles to get the load.  Given the deliver time, I was going to have to drive eleven hours today, and six tomorrow.  When I delivered the current load, I checked the location of the empty container and the shipper on a map.  I was only twenty miles from the shipper, so going all that distance to get an empty didn't make sense. Surely there must be a container closer.  I called my TL, he checked, and I was able to get a container where I was currently at.  I drove over to the shipper, picked up the load, and drove out onto the turnpike, and stopped at the service area that was near by.

I was close to a Pilot station, so I bobtailed over to it, where I fueled up, ate lunch, and showered.  To get my next load, I had to bobtail 120 miles. Along the way, I came upon this accident scene.  The flatbed was hauling flat, decorative, concrete, slabs.  Notice that the flatbed is twisted, with the slabs on the ground.  A van box would tip the whole trailer and tractor over.  Also, along the route was this plane next to the road. 

It was 1630 by the time I left with the load.  I had under four hours left on my fourteen, and the load had to be delivered at 1000 tomorrow.  It was about 350 miles away.  I wanted to drive at least 150 miles, so that I would be within 200 miles, and four hours from delivery.

I was following the prescribed route, but when I got to the point where I was to turn off I45 between Dallas and Houston, I continued on I45 because I wasn't sure where I would be able to park.  I stopped twenty miles farther down on I45.

Some more excitement for the day occurred at the truck stop.  I was talking to another trucker who had an odd trailer, like many I have seen.  I wanted to know what was hauled in this trailers.  The trailer is actually an empty water tank.  Anyway, while we were talking, there was an explosion, and a trash container when flying, dumping its contents.  It looked like this truck had squeezed it with the trailer, but closer inspection of the trailer showed that a tire rim had hooked on a metal and concrete, fuel island, guard.  This caused the tired to loose inflation with a bang, and a gush of air that sent the trash container flying. 

After I made the delivery, I took an empty trailer to a shipper, and left it there.  I was now done for the day.  the company was having me take a sleep study test.  It was now 1300, and I didn't have to be to the motel where I was to take the test until 1930.  I was checking Streets and Trips to find the motel, and noticed that there was a cinema a half mile away.  I went to the cinema, and watched two shows, Poseidon, and MI 3.  After the show, I drove to the motel, arriving at 1815.

When I left, I drove to an OC that was close by, and fueled up.  I then drove twenty-two miles to get an empty trailer.  The customer wouldn't release any trailers, so I was sent back to the OC to get a trailer.  There, the one I was told to pick up, had a bad tire.  I had the tire replaced.  Then I drove twenty-two mile, because the shipper was in the same area as where I was supposed to have gotten the empty.  The company is always asking the drivers to save fuel.  The trailer control guys had just wasted about fie gallons.

It was early afternoon, and I was finally on my way.  But, the load was only going a little more than 200 miles, and I delivered it late afternoon.  After the delivery, I got a load from the same location.  This one was much longer.  I drove about have the distance, and stopped for the night in an abandoned truck stop.  I had stopped here once before.

I could have gone farther, but wasn't sure where I could stop.  Plus, I had orders for the next load, and they said the pick up time was in the afternoon, tomorrow.

I put together the machine I was to use to help me sleep better.  But, that isn't what happened.  Over three hours, I must have woke up a dozen times.  At 0200, I took off the mask, and shut down the machine.  I had to get some sleep.

The delivery and pick up were at the same location, in the middle of AR, just above the LA border.  The route went east on U.S. 82, out of AR, where I crossed the MS river at a new place, across MS state, and half way across AL before getting on I20.  I continued across AL, and into GA, where I stopped at a Pilot Station.  There, I showered.

Again, I hooked myself up to the breathing machine.  I slept for about two-three hours, and woke up.  My throat was sore, my sinuses ached, and the machine was hurting my face.  No matter how I adjusted it, it was still uncomfortable.  I took it off.  It had gotten cool out, and the lot was only half full.  There were no noisy trucks around, and I slept good.

Along the way, I got orders for the next load.  For the third time it was deliver and pick up at the same location.  As with the current load, the pick up was mid-afternoon.  I was going to arrive before noon.  I stopped to see how far I could get today.  I drove a little farther, and stopped for lunch.  Then I drove to the delivery point.  Just as I got there, at 1315 EST, I received a note from customer service saying the load I was picking up, was ready.

I dropped the load, and picked up the next.  While inspecting the trailer, I saw that a section of tread on a tire was gone.  I check my services map, and saw that there was a tire bank twenty miles away.  I drove there only to find they were closed.  It is Sunday.  I called the company, and they called the after hours number for the tire company I was at.  Less than hour after I had arrived at the tire bank, the serviceman showed up and replaced the tire.  I was on my way in an hour.

I drove for three hours, stopped for fuel, and drove fifteen more minutes, to a Flying J.  This was the first time I was able to stop at a Flying J.  I checked my mail, updated this page, and posted the page to the Internet.  I also checked my bank account, and saw how much was deposited for work done last week.  It was low.

Now I going to trying to hook myself up to the machine the right way, assuming I must not have done it right the last two nights.

I drove on towards the delivery point, looking for a place to park.  I was less than five miles away when I saw a Wal-Mart.  I stopped, and did some shopping.

As for the sleep machine, I am not going to write about it here, for now.  The company might be reading this blog, and I don't want to say anything that may be used against me.  I have to used the machine because it records data, and the company would know if I didn't use it.  So I do use it.

I sent to note that I was available.  I had to wait over two hours to get orders.  I drove to get an empty trailer.  The lot looked like it was leased for use as a company drop lot, as there were a lot of trailers there, including the one I was to take.  I drove the empty to the shipper, where I got the load quickly.

As it turns out, the area where the shipper was, happen to be the site of the original Penn colony.  There was a historical marker claiming so.  I got a picture of it, but it didn't come out well.

This load didn't have far to go.  If I had had all day, I could have gotten it there today.  The appointment time was on 25th, so today was a short drive day.  I drove to the fuel stop I needed to make, and stopped for the night, even though it was early afternoon.  I was west of the traffic problems of Baltimore and Washington.

Today was a day of note, I went over 200,000 of driving since I started.

At noon, I pulled into a Flying J, where I ate lunch, and did some research on the Internet.  I was only about an hour from the delivery, so I called my TL to see if I could deliver early.  He checked, and I was told to go on in.  When I got there, I was told that they couldn't take me early.  I couldn't park on the consignee's lot, so I parked on a trailer lot next to the road down near the Interstate.  Across the road is a new truck stop that is due to open next week.

I watched a lot of TiVo, and went to sleep early.  It has been a restful two days.

My next order involved pick ups at three of the shippers plants.  Initially, I thought I could make all the pick ups, and the 1600 delivery within the day.  However, because of the back roads though KY and OH to get to Cincinnati, I was beginning to wonder as I reached the first pick up.  There I only took on five pallets of product.

The next pick up was about 120 miles away.  It was after 1200, and I was in the EST zone.  South of Cincinnati, I got stuck in a traffic jam caused by an accident.  Nothing was moving,  though CB talk said the right lane was open.  From where I was at, the accident was two miles down the road.  There was an exit where I was at, so I check my map, and saw that I could get around the backup.  I pulled off, and was going along well until I turned onto the road parallel to the Interstate.  Even though it was a US highway, it went through a town on narrow streets, and lots of stop lights.  When I got back to the Interstate, the traffic at this point was moving.  I am not sure if I gained or lost time.

Now I knew that I could not make the delivery time for the third pick up point.  A short time later, I also thought that I would not make the second pick up time.  Mainly, I wasn't sure if the pick up was in the CST or EST time zone.  When I arrived, it didn't make any difference which time zone I was in, the shipping dept. was gone for the day.  Luckily, I was allowed to stay on the grounds for the night.  This way I didn't have to worry about the security of the very high value load.

I drove the finished load to Louisville, where I dropped it in a secure lot.  When I had picked up the loads, I had to watch what was being loaded, and verify the count.  When I left each location, my picture was taken, and my CDL license scanned.  The reason for all the checking and security was that I have picked up various alcoholic products from Jim Beam Distilleries.

After dropping the booze, I bobtailed to my next load.  First I was directed to get an empty at one location, and then take it to another to get loaded.  There were no trailers at the location I was directed to, but my load was to be loaded there.  I called my TL, explained the error, and that I need a trailer.  I was directed to another company to get a trailer, that was there.  It was only about five miles away, but took a half hour to get because of a busy street with a dozen unsynchronized stop lights.  And , they were long lights.

I got loaded, and took off.  The delivery date would be the 28th, in the evening, giving me two and a half days to get there, but I drove almost a third of with the way today.  I had a plan that will unfold tomorrow.  I stopped in West Memphis.  There I fueled, and showered.

I now had a twenty-two hour layover.  I had planned this so that I could have a PM done on my truck.  I went to the shop to put in for the PM, but was told that the truck wouldn't come into the PM window for another 300 miles.  Morons.  Now I am wasting time.  Anyway, I do know that I will be coming back here after I deliver the load, and that I will have another eighteen hour layover.  Maybe I can get it in at that time.

There was a Flying J within walking distance, so I went there for three hours to check things on the Internet.

I could have made it back to Dallas yet today.  I would have arrived around 0130 tomorrow.  I had fueled up at a TA, and decided to park for the night.

I arrive back at the OC around 1230.  I ate lunch, and then got my truck in for the PM.  I also had the trailer looked at.  After it is unloaded, I could get a load with it, and have it for the rest of the week.

I packed up some gear, and got the shuttle to the motel.  There I check my pay vouchers for errors, and worked on this page.

There I discovered that my truck was just then being stated on.  Now I was really irritated.  I got a loaner, and delivered the load.  I was back at the OC before noon.  I ate lunch.  After lunch, I attended a class on changes to macros, the messages sent using the Qualcomm.  The biggest change was to the availability macro.

After the class, I checked on my truck.  They were taking the radiator out of it.  I had noticed that I was losing coolant over the last two months, and it was happened faster.  The other day, I noticed coolant on the ground.  I apparently I was right when I thought there must be a leak somewhere.

It was going to be a couple of hours, so I walked to the Flying J, updated this page, and posted it to the Internet.

It was after 1800 when the truck was ready to go.  I could have driven eleven hours because I had been on more than a ten hour break, but I don't like to drive at night.  I sent in that I would be available tomorrow at 0600.  If I was sent orders to pick up a load a couple hundred miles away, I would have driven it tonight.  Nothing came in.

Ahead to June

I checked the truck, and took off.  I hadn't gotten very far when a motorcycle cop pulled in front of me, and waved to follow him.  He took me of the Interstate, and under a bridge, where the DOT had a truck inspection set up.  The truck was check, and it was okay, (should be after a PM), except that the lower radiator hose was leaking a little.  I tried to tighten it, but the hose clamp was bad.  I told the officer that I would take it back to the shop, and he let me go.

Back at the shop, it took over an hour to replace the clamp.  Then I was back on the road.  I got the trailer, and drove to the shipper.  There I was told that they were out of some of the product I needed.  They said they would let me know soon when I could be loaded.  Two hours later, I call me TL, who called cusomer service, who called the shipper.  After awhile, the load was cancelled.  I was given another load, but the pick up time was tomorrow.  I dropped the trailer I had at the shipper, and drove to a small truck stop for the night.  What a wasted day.