09/24/07
Well I did it. I got up early and hit the road. I only stopped once to call the customer for directions and their receiving hours. I then proceeded on and made it there with almost 2 hours to spare.

However, this was a bitch because it was right next to the University and the roads are not truck friendly. Then to top it off, I had to remove both tarps completely and then all the straps, and then redo everything. I also discovered a substantial tear in one of the tarps that had to be repaired.

Once I was all buttoned up again, I back tracked about 10 miles to the TA truck stop for fuel, repair the tarp and shut down. I have about 800 miles to go for the next drop and it looks like my final drop is less than 100 miles from the 2nd one. I am hoping to have it all off by Wednesday afternoon but no later than Thursday morning.

 

ouch......sorry to hear of you luck lately. Hopefully yours will turn around soon.....seems like mine is getting better. Hell where can it go but up once you're down right?

 

I know the town of Albert Lea as I made a mistake and got off on the business route and did a drive through the town. It was a quaint town. I am not used to looking so low for the traffic lights but it was charming.

You and hubby can compare note on the Universities. He did not like his drop at the one in Arizona. It was just getting in. With multiple drops that is the pain taking off the tarps and redoing them. At least you have good miles to run in between them. It is a pain with like 300-350 miles because you usually do not get out in time from one to make it to the other and that is all the miles you get for the day.

What are you hauling this time? I know the machine equipment really tore up hubbys tarps very bad. They did not have anything on the corners at this one place he had picked up from. The last time he said a different place had cardboard for the corners and sharp edges of the machines and he was fine.

Hubby enjoyed chatting with you on Saturday!

I miss hearing from you on my thread :sad:

Goin Fer It's Wife

 

:twisted:
I had about three paragraphs of stuff typed and when I went to submit.... It prompted me to re-log on... In doing so I lost everything I typed... damn thing..

anyway.... I'm not retyping.

I'm in Memphis at a pilot waiting for a load.

 

Hey when that happens to me I log in then I back up a page or two. The information is still there and all I have to do is resubmit. Hope this helps.

 

I am enjoying my week off in Canada. I have been camping out the last few nights because when you are unemployed you have to save money. In Sparwood, BC I never could find the campground attendent and there were no drop box, so that was a free night.

I was surprised that when I exchanged my USD to CAD that didn't get back more. The Canadian dollar is now just about equal to the US dollar.

I did fill up my diesel pickup in Bonners Ferry, ID before crossing the border. In Bonners Ferry diesel was 3.049 a gal. In Canada it is running about 0.999 a liter(I will let the listeners do the math). I haven't fully used the rear tank yet, so hopefully I will make it back to the States w/o having to get any.

I found an hotel in Cardston that is letting use there lobby, wireless network, and power to do update my email. The campground last night had wireless Internet access but the signal was too weak and I couldn't connect.

Hope to check back in when I get to Missoula on Sunday night. I will be in the Days Inn while attending orientation.

 

9/25-26/07
I got a call from one of the guys I went to orientation with late Tuesday afternoon. As we were chatting, it turned out that I was only about 20 miles west of him in New York. So since I was going to be passing right by the Truck Stop he was at, I stopped to have a cup of coffee and catch up on things. It’s a good thing too as there was only 3 parking spaces left and it was only about 4:30 in the afternoon. I guess the in the East, you can be hard pressed for parking if you’re not careful. Had I gone to my pre-planned stop in CT, I surely would not have found and parking. In other words, guess his call and my decision to stop was a blessing in disguise.

We went inside and had some coffee and a slice of pie while catching up on things. Afterwards, we ended up standing at the back of my trailer shooting the shit some more when all of a sudden, right in front of us, this truck pulling a dry van comes barreling around the corner and clips the dry van that was parked right next to me. It ripped the bottom 2 hinges right off the trailer door and pulled the corner of the door outward. Ouch!

Anyways, I was only 150 miles from my customer but decided to get up early and try to avoid any traffic. So at 3am Eastern time, I was up and doing my usual morning routine and by 4am on the road. I was utterly surprised to find so much traffic on the roads at this hour. It was like rush hour traffic at 4am. (WTF is up with that?) Not to mention the crappy roads, tight turns, etc….the list could go on.

I always see recruitment ads of trucking companies enticing drivers by stating that they do not run the NE, or if they do they offer extra $ for it. I never paid much mind to it until now. I understand why and I can whole heartily say that I HATE the NE!!! I will never, and I mean never come back here again. Davis is a forced dispatch for the company drivers and when I say I will never come back here, I am sure you all know what that means. Some of you may think I am being a baby or over reacting, but that is the way I feel about it and that’s the bottom line.

On a brighter note, I did get these last 2 drops 2 days early!! The down side is, even though I called in my empty status at noon Eastern Time, they never found me another load and now I am stuck here at a “Travel Center” on the turnpike in MA. I will call in first thing tomorrow and cross my fingers they have something for me heading WEST!!

 

It was Cedar, a high cube load at 13'6" and 45,000+ pounds. I too enjoy chatting with hime and comparing road stories. Although I haven't posted on your thread, I still read it. heck, as you can see, I don't even keep mine update on a regular basis.

 

carpet is good for padding....usually you can get some at any carpet store sometimes they will just give you the pieces. My uncle lays carpet so we get our supply from him.

Also good padding can be old torn straps. At Arrow we used to take the burlap bags that padded the pipe and keep them when we unloaded. Also old torn up tarps. Arrow used to let us get pieces of old tarp to use under our good tarps.

tootie

 

Hey DD, Im in San Antonio, Tx. I got a load out of Arkansas to here.... now I wish I can get a load to CA. I wanna go home....lol....

I think I'll have to talk to my truck boss and put request in.

Have you hit rain yet? I hit a gusher in Texas. turned on the wipers and they wouldn't clear the windshield. Passenger side was fine.... So off to Flying J I went....nope they don't have one that fits a KW. I got back on the road and 2 exits later there is a KW dealer... Now I can see.... when ever it decides to rain on me..

pb
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