Greetings my friends. I managed to make it to my drop in California with only a couple of hitches, namely the flat tire hitch and the burned-out low beam headlight hitch, unfortunately noticed by the member of the Arizona Highway Patrol. So, once those were fixed, I made my way to my stopping point, amazingly enough right across from the drop point. I settled in and waited for the morning.
I was bright and early for my delivery time, and to my surprise, all I had to do was drop the full trailer at the site. Okay, no problem there, but there were no empty trailers from our company, so I had to wait until they found one for me to pick up. Which they did. In San Diego.
Off to San Diego I went, moving incredibly well over the mountains thanks to having no weight on my back end (and no trailer). I got to the pickup point, got the trailer, and waited for the load that would, mercifully and hopefully, take me toward home.
No such luck. I got a pickup in Brawley, California, heading to Denver. I sighed heavily, called in for my mandatory talk regarding the specific load I had to pick up, and called my driver manager to notify him that I would need to buy a new load lock (one was still in the trailer I dropped back in Calexico), and to ask when it would be possible to head towards home. He did some finagling, and amazingly enough, I get to have a 34-hour reset of my hours of service (which was necessary no matter what load I received as I had nowhere near enough hours to get anything moving), and then I pick up a load here, heading to Fort Worth.
Which is near Dallas.
Which is near home.
I have my fingers and toes crossed that, after delivering this load, I can finally bring the truck back and take some well-deserved home time. For now, though, I relax, make my trip plan for the load (picks up on Wednesday and delivers Monday, plenty of time to run). I may call the receiver and see if I can deliver early, if I'm in the area early. I just pray I don't get repowered. I may tell the one that tries to repower me that this is my home load, and unless they're giving me a load directly to Dallas, to go piss up a rope (although I'll put it in a nicer way).
I'll let you know how things go.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Does sightseeing count if you can't stop?
The sun is sinking low, and another 640 miles have been subtracted from my destination. I am currently in Winslow, Arizona, and much to my dismay, I can't go stand on the corner. It's about a mile or so from the truck stop I'm camping at for the night, and yet I have no way to get there, nor do I have a way to get back.
Such is the downside of the job I have. I get to go to some pretty cool places, and pass by some very interesting attractions, but I just don't have time to play tourist, nor is there really anywhere to park 70 feet of truck so I can do so. For example, yesterday I passed through Oklahoma City and went by Tinker Air Force Base. There was an air museum there, with several types of aircraft on display outside, ranging from fighter planes to one of the old jumbo jets used as Air Force One. I would have LOVED to have been able to stop and just wander for a few hours or so, but alas...
I had a similar experience when I passed through Huntsville, Alabama. I could see the Space Museum, or at least one of the Apollo-class rockets was visible from the highway. Again, couldn't stop, couldn't even take a damn picture.
I would have loved to have been able to take a picture when I saw the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile heading east on I-40 through New Mexico earlier today. Or maybe just some photos from one of the many tourist traps/attractions along the way, just so I had definite proof that yes, I was in fact nearby.
Maybe one of these days I'll get the chance to play tourist. It's a longshot, and would require a major lottery win, but I'd love to take someone special along with me, and show her the sights that I've seen.
And this time, we'd be able to stop.
Such is the downside of the job I have. I get to go to some pretty cool places, and pass by some very interesting attractions, but I just don't have time to play tourist, nor is there really anywhere to park 70 feet of truck so I can do so. For example, yesterday I passed through Oklahoma City and went by Tinker Air Force Base. There was an air museum there, with several types of aircraft on display outside, ranging from fighter planes to one of the old jumbo jets used as Air Force One. I would have LOVED to have been able to stop and just wander for a few hours or so, but alas...
I had a similar experience when I passed through Huntsville, Alabama. I could see the Space Museum, or at least one of the Apollo-class rockets was visible from the highway. Again, couldn't stop, couldn't even take a damn picture.
I would have loved to have been able to take a picture when I saw the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile heading east on I-40 through New Mexico earlier today. Or maybe just some photos from one of the many tourist traps/attractions along the way, just so I had definite proof that yes, I was in fact nearby.
Maybe one of these days I'll get the chance to play tourist. It's a longshot, and would require a major lottery win, but I'd love to take someone special along with me, and show her the sights that I've seen.
And this time, we'd be able to stop.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Just to get my mind off things
As I travel the roadways around this great country of ours, sometimes my mind wanders off to new and different locations. After the past few weeks, I decided to let it go today, mainly because any thoughts of work, or the people I work for, would be just enough to make me go screamingly insane. Okay, more screamingly insane than I currently am. And with more screaming.
As I'm heading along I-40 in Tennessee, I see this billboard advertising one of the local strip clubs. The ad has a picture that consists of a woman's arm and hand, holding a garment that could either be a segment of underwear, or possibly even part of a swimsuit. It was tough to tell because along the length of the picture where the garment was, was a big yellow bar with the word "CENSORED" covering up the item of clothing. Note that the only thing you see of the girl was her outstretched arm.
So, this got me thinking: is it against the law in Tennessee to publicly show photographs of clothing not being actually worn? And, could there be a market for a website devoted to laundry porn? You know, on the tame side, maybe show some one-piece bathing suits or pajama bottoms, get a little more risque and show G-strings and thongs, possibly some lacy lingerie ... we could do the "group" thing with pictures of clotheslines, and for those that prefer the "mature" angle maybe some photos of underwire bras and girdles.
These are the kind of thoughts that show why I have the job I do, and why I need to be segregated from the population at large.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Will this moment of truth set me free?
So, remember about how I thought I would be able to take a 34-hour restart before taking a load into Buffalo, and then getting a load back toward Texas? Guess what?
I got taken off that load, and essentially had to run through the night to deliver a load in New Jersey, in a town that isn't even listed in my road atlas. I found it, and my GPS even had a better route than the company's automated routing system. But, there was one other obstacle standing in my way.
The truck wouldn't start. Again.
After messing around with it for about two hours, I finally got it to turn over and run, but had to keep starting it repeatedly to make sure it would actually work when I needed it to. Bear in mind that I still needed to catch a nap since I'd be running all night long to make my delivery time. I managed to get a whole hour's worth of sleep, but at the cost of not being able to start the truck. Another hour later, I got the truck running, met up with the driver I was repowering, pulled next to the trailer I had to hook up with, shut the truck down for not more than fifteen minutes, and ... I think you can guess what happened, or more accurately, didn't happen.
More futzing, swearing, and manipulating, and the truck finally started, I got hooked up, and away I went to Joisey. Made it on site, checked in, and lost even more sleep because I was at least two and a half hours early. Couldn't go to sleep, had to keep the truck going you know. So, I got unloaded, drove to the nearest safe haven, let sleep overrule my brain and posted what I was really thinking on Google Plus, then collapsed as sleep finally won out.
I had a load to pick up this morning, and lo and behold, truck wouldn't start. Back and forth once again with the repair people at my company, got it started (finally), and drove to the nearest approved repair facility. They had me pull in to the service bay, and after about an hour the mechanic came over, tried to start the truck, and ... nothing. He hooks up a battery booster, gets the truck running, and does his diagnostics. Batteries are really good, alternator works fine, no loose or shorted connections, starter motor's okay ... nope, this one has to go to a Kenworth dealer. Nearest one is about an hour's drive away. Clock's still ticking on my pickup, but gotta get this problem fixed. I get to the dealer, and after checking in, I'm told the truck won't even be looked at until tomorrow and I better get a hotel room.
Great.
I call the office to speak with my driver manager. As of 4 pm Central time, I still haven't heard from him. In fact, I've heard nothing from the company at all. I don't know what to conclude from that. And, at this point, I really don't care.
I'm staying at a Holiday Inn on my own dime, and fortunately they get a reduced rate for being a customer of the Kenworth dealer. I will sleep in a real bed for the first time in a month and a half, and I will be applying to any job I am qualified to do because this is the last straw.
Maybe now, I'll get to go home. Maybe.
I got taken off that load, and essentially had to run through the night to deliver a load in New Jersey, in a town that isn't even listed in my road atlas. I found it, and my GPS even had a better route than the company's automated routing system. But, there was one other obstacle standing in my way.
The truck wouldn't start. Again.
After messing around with it for about two hours, I finally got it to turn over and run, but had to keep starting it repeatedly to make sure it would actually work when I needed it to. Bear in mind that I still needed to catch a nap since I'd be running all night long to make my delivery time. I managed to get a whole hour's worth of sleep, but at the cost of not being able to start the truck. Another hour later, I got the truck running, met up with the driver I was repowering, pulled next to the trailer I had to hook up with, shut the truck down for not more than fifteen minutes, and ... I think you can guess what happened, or more accurately, didn't happen.
More futzing, swearing, and manipulating, and the truck finally started, I got hooked up, and away I went to Joisey. Made it on site, checked in, and lost even more sleep because I was at least two and a half hours early. Couldn't go to sleep, had to keep the truck going you know. So, I got unloaded, drove to the nearest safe haven, let sleep overrule my brain and posted what I was really thinking on Google Plus, then collapsed as sleep finally won out.
I had a load to pick up this morning, and lo and behold, truck wouldn't start. Back and forth once again with the repair people at my company, got it started (finally), and drove to the nearest approved repair facility. They had me pull in to the service bay, and after about an hour the mechanic came over, tried to start the truck, and ... nothing. He hooks up a battery booster, gets the truck running, and does his diagnostics. Batteries are really good, alternator works fine, no loose or shorted connections, starter motor's okay ... nope, this one has to go to a Kenworth dealer. Nearest one is about an hour's drive away. Clock's still ticking on my pickup, but gotta get this problem fixed. I get to the dealer, and after checking in, I'm told the truck won't even be looked at until tomorrow and I better get a hotel room.
Great.
I call the office to speak with my driver manager. As of 4 pm Central time, I still haven't heard from him. In fact, I've heard nothing from the company at all. I don't know what to conclude from that. And, at this point, I really don't care.
I'm staying at a Holiday Inn on my own dime, and fortunately they get a reduced rate for being a customer of the Kenworth dealer. I will sleep in a real bed for the first time in a month and a half, and I will be applying to any job I am qualified to do because this is the last straw.
Maybe now, I'll get to go home. Maybe.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday Coffeehouse Post
Okay, I'm not really at a coffeehouse, but I do have a bottle of Frappuccino, and dammit, I think that should count.
As I sit here at the truck stop, under the lead-grey skies, watching the occasional snow flurry pass overhead, I feel glad that I don't have to go anywhere until tomorrow when conditions will improve, and sad because I'm nowhere near being close to home. I've been on fifteen trips so far, with two more in line. I'm tired. I'm grateful for the brief break but know I need something longer to fully recharge myself.
I'm also concerned about the trip I've been pre-planned on for Monday. I suppose, under ideal conditions, I could make it in the time frame they set, but not knowing the exact delivery time makes it look fairly impossible right now. I'm hoping the confusion will lift once I know more about it, which won't happen until Monday.
Being up here in actual winter conditions only reinforces why I moved to Dallas in the first place. My hatred for winter knows no bounds, especially after spending a good chunk of my driving career in places like southern New England and the Upper Midwest. I'd much prefer to be in a climate where I can actually feel, let alone move, my fingers and toes. I can handle winter in small doses now, but prolonged periods, where antigel in the fuel tanks and praying the truck will start on some frosty morning are de rigeur has, surprisingly, lost it's allure.
Speaking of starting the truck, I can only hope I can do that come tomorrow morning, or else the emergency repair phone line will be getting a very heated call from me demanding that they actually fix the damn problem, instead of throwing another palliative measure at it and hoping it will carry me through.
Although, given the forecast, some extra heat wouldn't be a bad thing right now.
As I sit here at the truck stop, under the lead-grey skies, watching the occasional snow flurry pass overhead, I feel glad that I don't have to go anywhere until tomorrow when conditions will improve, and sad because I'm nowhere near being close to home. I've been on fifteen trips so far, with two more in line. I'm tired. I'm grateful for the brief break but know I need something longer to fully recharge myself.
I'm also concerned about the trip I've been pre-planned on for Monday. I suppose, under ideal conditions, I could make it in the time frame they set, but not knowing the exact delivery time makes it look fairly impossible right now. I'm hoping the confusion will lift once I know more about it, which won't happen until Monday.
Being up here in actual winter conditions only reinforces why I moved to Dallas in the first place. My hatred for winter knows no bounds, especially after spending a good chunk of my driving career in places like southern New England and the Upper Midwest. I'd much prefer to be in a climate where I can actually feel, let alone move, my fingers and toes. I can handle winter in small doses now, but prolonged periods, where antigel in the fuel tanks and praying the truck will start on some frosty morning are de rigeur has, surprisingly, lost it's allure.
Speaking of starting the truck, I can only hope I can do that come tomorrow morning, or else the emergency repair phone line will be getting a very heated call from me demanding that they actually fix the damn problem, instead of throwing another palliative measure at it and hoping it will carry me through.
Although, given the forecast, some extra heat wouldn't be a bad thing right now.
Friday, January 20, 2012
At least I'd be heading homeward...
While I never made it to Massachusetts, I did my super-early-morning delivery in upstate New York. I wasn't too pleased with this, mostly because of the monster snowstorm forecast to move in to the area, and I knew I was going to get trapped in it one way or another. Sure enough, I got dispatched to pick up a load even further north, as in right along the lake north, and it's here that we rejoin our comedy of errors.
I get to the shipper early, because the pickup time was scheduled for later that evening and I knew I couldn't get there at the time specified with the hours I had remaining for the day. I got there, checked in, and the load wasn't ready yet, as I expected. I was allowed to take my break on-site, so I parked and settled in.
I got a message from the dispatcher saying the load time had been moved to the next day, same time. Worked for me, I was already there, they bumped the delivery date up to accommodate, and all was good. Until I got called back and was told the load was back on for that night. Right around the time the storm was going to hit, naturally. Since the delivery date was bumped up, I said no problem, I'd finish my break there, stay the night because of the weather, and roll in the morning.
I did my trip plan while I was waiting. Had I enough hours, I probably could have made it fairly close to the actual delivery date. I double checked -- not happening with the hours I had left. I notified my driver manager and settled in for the rest of the night.
I got up this morning, went to start my truck -- nothing. Even though the APU (auxiliary power unit) was running and theoretically charging the batteries, I still couldn't get the truck running. I put in a call for maintenance and kept trying to start it, at the mechanic's request. I finally got it to fire and was able to get rolling with my load. I wasn't too far off the time I said I was going to be leaving. So far, we're doing okay.
I got to my fuel stop, filled the truck, parked to have a quick lunch, and sent in a request to repower the load. My driver manager called back and we reviewed the time I would have, and he said he'd see what he could do. I started rolling to my planned stopping point.
I got the message to detour to a different place for the repower. I got here, parked, and waited. The other driver showed up, and I could see he had a load on his trailer. Turns out he has two loads, going to different places in Buffalo. They both deliver on Monday. No problem, thought I, I camp here tonight and tomorrow, and on Sunday I drive the four hours or so back to Buffalo.
Then I got the preplan for my next load. Pick up in Batavia (about an hour east of Buffalo) Monday afternoon, going to Beaumont, Texas. About fifteen-hundred miles. And when is the delivery date, you ask? Wednesday.
Basically, I've been given a day and a half to run fifteen-hundred miles. A trip that takes at least three days (figuring eleven hours available to drive, it clocks in at two 11-hour days with another 9-hour day) and they want it there in a day and a half.
I can only hope this is some way to get me headed back toward home, and someone will repower this load. Or, maybe dispatch screwed up yet again, and I will have enough time to run the load. Either way, it's indicative of what I've been going through these past few weeks, and pretty much through my entire time out here.
I just want to go home.
I don't think it's too much to ask.
So, I'll watch the snow fall here in Ohio, and plan my next moves. And pray I can get the truck running when I need to.
I get to the shipper early, because the pickup time was scheduled for later that evening and I knew I couldn't get there at the time specified with the hours I had remaining for the day. I got there, checked in, and the load wasn't ready yet, as I expected. I was allowed to take my break on-site, so I parked and settled in.
I got a message from the dispatcher saying the load time had been moved to the next day, same time. Worked for me, I was already there, they bumped the delivery date up to accommodate, and all was good. Until I got called back and was told the load was back on for that night. Right around the time the storm was going to hit, naturally. Since the delivery date was bumped up, I said no problem, I'd finish my break there, stay the night because of the weather, and roll in the morning.
I did my trip plan while I was waiting. Had I enough hours, I probably could have made it fairly close to the actual delivery date. I double checked -- not happening with the hours I had left. I notified my driver manager and settled in for the rest of the night.
I got up this morning, went to start my truck -- nothing. Even though the APU (auxiliary power unit) was running and theoretically charging the batteries, I still couldn't get the truck running. I put in a call for maintenance and kept trying to start it, at the mechanic's request. I finally got it to fire and was able to get rolling with my load. I wasn't too far off the time I said I was going to be leaving. So far, we're doing okay.
I got to my fuel stop, filled the truck, parked to have a quick lunch, and sent in a request to repower the load. My driver manager called back and we reviewed the time I would have, and he said he'd see what he could do. I started rolling to my planned stopping point.
I got the message to detour to a different place for the repower. I got here, parked, and waited. The other driver showed up, and I could see he had a load on his trailer. Turns out he has two loads, going to different places in Buffalo. They both deliver on Monday. No problem, thought I, I camp here tonight and tomorrow, and on Sunday I drive the four hours or so back to Buffalo.
Then I got the preplan for my next load. Pick up in Batavia (about an hour east of Buffalo) Monday afternoon, going to Beaumont, Texas. About fifteen-hundred miles. And when is the delivery date, you ask? Wednesday.
Basically, I've been given a day and a half to run fifteen-hundred miles. A trip that takes at least three days (figuring eleven hours available to drive, it clocks in at two 11-hour days with another 9-hour day) and they want it there in a day and a half.
I can only hope this is some way to get me headed back toward home, and someone will repower this load. Or, maybe dispatch screwed up yet again, and I will have enough time to run the load. Either way, it's indicative of what I've been going through these past few weeks, and pretty much through my entire time out here.
I just want to go home.
I don't think it's too much to ask.
So, I'll watch the snow fall here in Ohio, and plan my next moves. And pray I can get the truck running when I need to.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
GOD HATES PLANS-POSSLQs PLAN GOD LAUGHS
I was amazed at how smoothly things were going on this latest trip. The load I was to pick up in Missouri was actually ready to go not long after I arrived at the shipper, and I was having no trouble making my time and sticking to my trip plan. I had a southerly route planned to take me away from any potential snowy spots, so it appeared that there would be no real delays along the way.
So, if all is going so swimmingly, why the title above?
I was enroute to my next stop-off point when I got a message to call in. They wanted me to repower a load going just over the border in upstate New York. Right along the lake. Just east of Erie, PA to be exact. It delivers at 4 am.
I've been up since 5 am, I'm not even remotely sleepy, and I'm seeing snow all along the route for today and tomorrow.
So, new plan: I'm going to do some laundry (drying now, actually), get a shower, and see if I can't grab a few hours of a nap before setting off along the snow trail to wherever it is I have to be at the crack of I-can't-freakin'-believe-this-crap.
Should I make it intact, I'll write more when I can.
PS - I can go home soon, right??
So, if all is going so swimmingly, why the title above?
I was enroute to my next stop-off point when I got a message to call in. They wanted me to repower a load going just over the border in upstate New York. Right along the lake. Just east of Erie, PA to be exact. It delivers at 4 am.
I've been up since 5 am, I'm not even remotely sleepy, and I'm seeing snow all along the route for today and tomorrow.
So, new plan: I'm going to do some laundry (drying now, actually), get a shower, and see if I can't grab a few hours of a nap before setting off along the snow trail to wherever it is I have to be at the crack of I-can't-freakin'-believe-this-crap.
Should I make it intact, I'll write more when I can.
PS - I can go home soon, right??
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