I have a theory about getting dispatches: if I'm waiting on one, the thing that makes them arrive instantly is taking off my shoes and going in back to lie down on my bed. It seems like there is a pressure sensor or something under the bunk that forces our dispatching crew to come up with something in a nanosecond. Or, I could be imagining things.
This morning after I dropped off the 650-odd HDTVs at Sony I had just sat down when my buzzer went off with a new load... and a happy Thanksgiving we will have this year!
First, I'm deadheaded north about 160 miles to Erie, Pennsylvania to pick up a load going to my own personal favorite terminal (not, but it will do in this instance), Laredo, Texas! A whopping 1,715 miles across the midwest to the border:
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I'm given until the morning of the 23rd to get it there, known in the retail sales industry as Black Friday.
Finally, a nice, long, don't-have-to-load-or-unload-every-day, just drive it, make my own hours, set my own path, kinda trip.
Thanksgiving, indeed.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
West Memphis, Arkansas to Mt Pleasant, Pennsylvania
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That was the dispatch. Only about 800 miles for the three days but hopefully I am set up for a long run now.
The load contents were 13,000 pounds of HDTV sets for Sony. This was also my first indoors dock (as opposed to underground, as in here). Pictures to follow when I get a chance to upload them.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
More high value hijinks
I finally got assigned a load this morning... it delivers sometime in the next few days someplace in the US. More details when I can share them.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Walking in Memphis
The song of that name is a good one... the singer is Mark Cohn I believe.
Anyway, made my drop in West Memphis then moved over to the terminal. I'll let the following graphically illustrate my situation now:
EDIT: It turns out the singer's name is Marc Cohn. Oops.
Anyway, made my drop in West Memphis then moved over to the terminal. I'll let the following graphically illustrate my situation now:
EDIT: It turns out the singer's name is Marc Cohn. Oops.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Merry-go-round
The Walgreens folks took their sweet time getting me unloaded, and once that was done the folks in the rear with the gear at HQ ordered me to St Louis first thing in the morning for a neat-o beer run down to West Memphis, Arkansas for noon tomorrow. Just the 357 miles I was looking forward to at the start of this weekend.
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Fall is definitely in the air
The drive this morning from Cartersville, Georgia to Mt Vernon, Illinois was interrupted in glorious fashion by a riot of fall colors on the trees. The reds, yellows, pinks, oranges... I have a good camera, but it still doesn't do it justice.
I report, you decide:
I report, you decide:
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Great things come to those who wait
Where I parked last night
I got a long, uninterrupted, restful snooze last night and got up at my usual early hour to check if the load was finally ready. Not only was it ready, it turns out it only weighs about 9,500 pounds!
After an extended "I got a light load" dance -- I'm pretty sure I busted a move there somewhere, at least I was aching afterward like I had -- I locked on to my trailer, did my walkaround and blew out of town.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Waiting for a GP
No, not a doctor, Georgia Pacific. I finished my first run this morning up in the Jacksonville area then moseyed down to Palatka, Florida for my other run to Illinois. Turns out they are backed up big time and it will be a few hours before my load is ready. By then I will be out of hours to run for the day so I'm going to take my break here and get at it first thing in the morning.
I had an exciting morning. After I got loaded I had to fuel, but the only place to do so was up near Jacksonville so I spent the better part of two hours watching my fuel gauge. Last time I was in Joplin they rotated my fuel tanks so the spouts weren't on top any more which solved the problem of the tanks showing empty after about 700 miles. It also created the problem of me not knowing exactly how far "empty" is any more, and whether or not the gauges are accurate now. My truck is happy to report that they are fairly accurate and I ran over 1,000 miles on this batch of fuel, to the tune of 150 gallons to fill it back up.
Along the way I got flashed not once but twice, and by women both times (for a change). This doesn't happen to me that often, so it makes for an interesting day sometimes. When men flash it makes for an interesting day as well, come to think of it... bleh.
I had an exciting morning. After I got loaded I had to fuel, but the only place to do so was up near Jacksonville so I spent the better part of two hours watching my fuel gauge. Last time I was in Joplin they rotated my fuel tanks so the spouts weren't on top any more which solved the problem of the tanks showing empty after about 700 miles. It also created the problem of me not knowing exactly how far "empty" is any more, and whether or not the gauges are accurate now. My truck is happy to report that they are fairly accurate and I ran over 1,000 miles on this batch of fuel, to the tune of 150 gallons to fill it back up.
Along the way I got flashed not once but twice, and by women both times (for a change). This doesn't happen to me that often, so it makes for an interesting day sometimes. When men flash it makes for an interesting day as well, come to think of it... bleh.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Things that make you say "Hmmmmm"
Just wondering why the Top Spy likes broadcasting that fact to everyone.
I landed a whopper!
A whopping 178 mile run, naturally.
Tomorrow, I am to show up mid-morning at a recycling place in Orlando after which I move said load to the Jacksonville, Florida area and drop it off:
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BUT, and here is the kicker, they have figured out how to leaven bad news with a bit of good, so behind that load is one from Palatka, Florida heading to ill noise, I mean Mt Vernon, Illinois:
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This is undoubtedly another load of paper products from the big mill there, which means heavy as heck and I have to drive down some narrow state highways to and from to get back to civilization.
Tomorrow, I am to show up mid-morning at a recycling place in Orlando after which I move said load to the Jacksonville, Florida area and drop it off:
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BUT, and here is the kicker, they have figured out how to leaven bad news with a bit of good, so behind that load is one from Palatka, Florida heading to ill noise, I mean Mt Vernon, Illinois:
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This is undoubtedly another load of paper products from the big mill there, which means heavy as heck and I have to drive down some narrow state highways to and from to get back to civilization.
And the winner is...
Brownsburg, Indiana to Lakeland, Florida!
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I got a load from that very same guitar warehouse place with 13 tons (this time) of guitars and amps... something like 1.5 million or so, I guess.
It was pouring cats and dogs and lots of lightning was flashing nearby as I dropped my empty trailer (the one I "loaned" from that very location the previous day) and hooked to my new one. Doing a PTI and sliding tandems in a thunderstorm sucks, folks.
Anyway, I ran down to just north of Atlanta yesterday then got a very early jump on the traffic this morning so it was a piece of cake. The rest of the way down to Lakeland was uneventful and I dropped around 1230 local time.
Hard to believe it is almost winter time... its 86 degrees down here!
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I got a load from that very same guitar warehouse place with 13 tons (this time) of guitars and amps... something like 1.5 million or so, I guess.
It was pouring cats and dogs and lots of lightning was flashing nearby as I dropped my empty trailer (the one I "loaned" from that very location the previous day) and hooked to my new one. Doing a PTI and sliding tandems in a thunderstorm sucks, folks.
Anyway, I ran down to just north of Atlanta yesterday then got a very early jump on the traffic this morning so it was a piece of cake. The rest of the way down to Lakeland was uneventful and I dropped around 1230 local time.
Hard to believe it is almost winter time... its 86 degrees down here!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Yet another secret mission
Late last night I was assigned a load that didn't pick up until Monday, then delivered in Waco, Texas the following day. This meant I would be sitting an entire day waiting around, then run that load down south.
This morning I was taken off that load and put on a new high-value load that picked up immediately, so that is what I'm doing. More info as it becomes available.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Figures don't lie, but liars sure figure
I'm not sure what that means, just tossing it out there.
I've been going over the miles I've run in the past 85 days and here are some of the figures:
Total loads: 40
Total miles run: 31,129
Deadhead miles: 3,407 (10.94% of total)
Average trip length (inc. deadhead): 778 miles
So, the average trip spans two days, totals just under 800 miles with 80 or so miles of that being deadhead.
Out of those 40 trips, only two have been over 1,500 miles in length. Nine more have been at least 1,000 miles, so those eleven total trips represent roughly 25% of the trips that I have. Another way to put it is, about 75% of the time the trips I've run have been less than 1,000 miles.
My shortest eleven trips were between 158 and 424 miles, averaging around 300.
It seems to me these figures are more representative of regional work than true 48-state OTR. I've spent an enormous amount of time in the midwest and midsouth, a bunch more on the east coast, but nothing at all west of New Mexico or Colorado in this time period.
I've been going over the miles I've run in the past 85 days and here are some of the figures:
Total loads: 40
Total miles run: 31,129
Deadhead miles: 3,407 (10.94% of total)
Average trip length (inc. deadhead): 778 miles
So, the average trip spans two days, totals just under 800 miles with 80 or so miles of that being deadhead.
Out of those 40 trips, only two have been over 1,500 miles in length. Nine more have been at least 1,000 miles, so those eleven total trips represent roughly 25% of the trips that I have. Another way to put it is, about 75% of the time the trips I've run have been less than 1,000 miles.
My shortest eleven trips were between 158 and 424 miles, averaging around 300.
It seems to me these figures are more representative of regional work than true 48-state OTR. I've spent an enormous amount of time in the midwest and midsouth, a bunch more on the east coast, but nothing at all west of New Mexico or Colorado in this time period.
Super-secret load
Yesterday I received strict instructions to not reveal to anyone that I had been given this load going from Bensalem, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia area) to Brownsburg, Indiana. It was about six tons of guitars, of all things! Apparently they are fairly pricey ones, as I've had loads of valuable electronics and such with fewer dire warnings over the satellite system.
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Anyway, the load was almost ready yesterday when I arrived with my empty trailer, so I dropped it in another dock then locked on to the new trailer. The building was set at an odd angle to the street, which actually curved away from it so the back was fairly difficult until you got it lined up correctly. Eventually, everything was set and I was given all the paperwork, the seal and a kick in the rear to get going.
I managed to throw off any potential pursuer when I misread my GPS system and ended up having to take all four loops of a cloverleaf to finally get to the correct highway so I could head out of town.
After 150 miles or so I pulled off at a truck stop for the night and went to bed shortly thereafter. When I awoke at 0300 I had to get moving so I could make my deadline here in Indiana. They schedule high value loads like that so the driver doesn't have time to do much other than drive... less chance an enticing sign for a casino or something similar catches their eye, I suppose.
I spent two hours in the first snow I've encountered this fall in the hills of central and western Pennsylvania. I lost traction a couple times but it was easy enough to correct. Spending all last winter out in the storms has paid dividends.
My arrival was about 20 minutes ahead of schedule and I dropped the trailer alongside an enormous warehouse that stocks... you guessed it... guitars (and amps). It is amazing there is that much demand for the things in all of the US. The guard mentioned they got in 60 truckloads like mine last week. It boggles the mind.
After grabbing a new trailer and moving down the road one exit, I'm parked for the rest of the day and hoping I finally, FINALLY, get a nice, long, boring, well-paying, easy-sneezy, don't-have-to-stress-over-it run.
In case I didn't make myself clear last time.
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Anyway, the load was almost ready yesterday when I arrived with my empty trailer, so I dropped it in another dock then locked on to the new trailer. The building was set at an odd angle to the street, which actually curved away from it so the back was fairly difficult until you got it lined up correctly. Eventually, everything was set and I was given all the paperwork, the seal and a kick in the rear to get going.
I managed to throw off any potential pursuer when I misread my GPS system and ended up having to take all four loops of a cloverleaf to finally get to the correct highway so I could head out of town.
After 150 miles or so I pulled off at a truck stop for the night and went to bed shortly thereafter. When I awoke at 0300 I had to get moving so I could make my deadline here in Indiana. They schedule high value loads like that so the driver doesn't have time to do much other than drive... less chance an enticing sign for a casino or something similar catches their eye, I suppose.
I spent two hours in the first snow I've encountered this fall in the hills of central and western Pennsylvania. I lost traction a couple times but it was easy enough to correct. Spending all last winter out in the storms has paid dividends.
My arrival was about 20 minutes ahead of schedule and I dropped the trailer alongside an enormous warehouse that stocks... you guessed it... guitars (and amps). It is amazing there is that much demand for the things in all of the US. The guard mentioned they got in 60 truckloads like mine last week. It boggles the mind.
After grabbing a new trailer and moving down the road one exit, I'm parked for the rest of the day and hoping I finally, FINALLY, get a nice, long, boring, well-paying, easy-sneezy, don't-have-to-stress-over-it run.
In case I didn't make myself clear last time.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Splatterfest
Truck drivers see a lot of dead animals on and alongside the road. I've seen dogs, cats, armadillos, birds of all descriptions, pigs, rabbits, coyotes and just about anything else that moves from one place to another.
Ordinarily, you pass the poor carcass by. Perhaps even avert your eyes, if only to check to make certain the recirculate option is selected for the HVAC system. This morning, however, I ran across the most egregious example yet of this brand of vehicular mayhem: some poor animal splattered the full width of a lane and chunks of pulp that went on for a football field or so. It was dark and around a bend in the road so I, along with the vehicle that originally hit the poor thing, didn't really have time to move aside once finding myself rolling through its remains.
I only hope the mistake is mine and a truck hauling a considerable amount of very rare roast beef has arrived at his destination only to find most of it vanished out the back door.
Total splatterfest.
Anyway, I made it to the Walmart DC here in Delaware. Turns out my GPS didn't have it, so before I left I looked it up using Google maps then panned my GPS to the right spot and put down a virtual marker there, then used that as my destination. This works very well for any big building, which stands out like a sore thumb in aerial shots:
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I spoke with my fleet manager last night, asking plaintively (I even sniveled!) for a nice, long, relaxing, high-paying, not-much-thought-involved weekend run. My last three trips have been 600, 300 and 400 miles long and it is time for a change.
Ordinarily, you pass the poor carcass by. Perhaps even avert your eyes, if only to check to make certain the recirculate option is selected for the HVAC system. This morning, however, I ran across the most egregious example yet of this brand of vehicular mayhem: some poor animal splattered the full width of a lane and chunks of pulp that went on for a football field or so. It was dark and around a bend in the road so I, along with the vehicle that originally hit the poor thing, didn't really have time to move aside once finding myself rolling through its remains.
I only hope the mistake is mine and a truck hauling a considerable amount of very rare roast beef has arrived at his destination only to find most of it vanished out the back door.
Total splatterfest.
Anyway, I made it to the Walmart DC here in Delaware. Turns out my GPS didn't have it, so before I left I looked it up using Google maps then panned my GPS to the right spot and put down a virtual marker there, then used that as my destination. This works very well for any big building, which stands out like a sore thumb in aerial shots:
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I spoke with my fleet manager last night, asking plaintively (I even sniveled!) for a nice, long, relaxing, high-paying, not-much-thought-involved weekend run. My last three trips have been 600, 300 and 400 miles long and it is time for a change.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Today was a breeze...
If you mean Breezewood, Pennsylvania where I shut down for the night. I was getting anxious the last hour or two before my arrival, thinking I would use more than my allotted eleven hours of drive time. As it turns out, the clock I was referring to switched to Eastern time at some point which put everything an hour ahead.
Took quite a while to get the stuff loaded this time... turns out the new guy I swapped trailers with neglected to sweep his (now mine) out, so I got that chore. Thanks a pantload, dude!
My new favorite cute business name: Cabinets en-counters
Runner up: Quaker Steak
Took quite a while to get the stuff loaded this time... turns out the new guy I swapped trailers with neglected to sweep his (now mine) out, so I got that chore. Thanks a pantload, dude!
My new favorite cute business name: Cabinets en-counters
Runner up: Quaker Steak
Off to Smyrna
Smyrna, Deleware, that is. As soon as I swapped trailers with the new guy my buzzer went off, sending me first back about 50 miles near Cleveland to pick up a load for Walmart. Non-stick cookware, looks like.
I don't have that many hours left today to run this, so it will get there sometime tomorrow most likely. Live load at the start, drop and hook at the end most likely. Most likely.
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I don't have that many hours left today to run this, so it will get there sometime tomorrow most likely. Live load at the start, drop and hook at the end most likely. Most likely.
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Relay made
Made it to Girard, Ohio about 90 minutes early so the next driver in the relay can get out ahead on his leg of the trip up to Massachusetts. He is a new driver on his third load with CFI and doesn't yet have a GPS or computer in his truck. He wasn't sure where to go so I showed him my GPS route then printed him directions from Google Maps.
One of the doors on the trailer I brought was bent down a smidgen too far for it to close correctly so I had to use some "persuasion". After that, I put the hammer back in my truck.
One of the doors on the trailer I brought was bent down a smidgen too far for it to close correctly so I had to use some "persuasion". After that, I put the hammer back in my truck.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Today and Tomorrow
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That is what it looks like. Today I make a short, 120 mile run to South Bend, Indiana then stage for a Conway load tomorrow morning at 0400. That load I will run for a whopping 311 miles then relay it to another driver in Girard, Ohio.
I'm not sure why I got so lucky this time... I was unloaded at 0240 this morning and was showing basically full hours available (11-14-60). Must be my lucky day(s).
Time slipping on a banana peel
Today's lesson in trucking: nice guys don't always finish first.
I was up around 0100 when the dock workers from the CDW warehouse came around to take off the seals to our trailers and assign dock doors. By the time I had my rig backed in, brakes set and wheels chocked I decided to grab a banana for some energy and then made my way inside the warehouse.
As I was walking in I passed a slower driver from Fedex LTL and didn't think anything of it. I was through with my snack and there was a dumpster about fifty feet beyond the driver's door so I detoured there to chuck the peel away, then opened the door for the Fedex guy and followed him inside to the waiting area.
Big mistake.
It turns out you are unloaded in the order in which you enter that door and sign in, and LTL (Less Than Truckload) guys have dozens or hundreds of BOLs (Bills of Lading) in each load. So I sat and waited while the lady behind the desk painstakingly entered each of them, stamped each of them, put a sticker on each of them then carefully piled them up for the driver. For more than thirty minutes!
Then, my turn came and mine took less than a minute, but the fun was only starting. Since his paperwork was done first, he started to get unloaded before me. As each package came off they had to hunt down the right BOL and check it off. Maddening.
Fortunately they had another dock worker there unloading so once he was done with the previous load he skipped past the Fedex guy and handled my load. One BOL, 24 simple pallets, no problem.
Turns out, the load was ten tons of HP laptops with a retail value of $800,000 to $1,000,000 or so. High value indeed.
I was up around 0100 when the dock workers from the CDW warehouse came around to take off the seals to our trailers and assign dock doors. By the time I had my rig backed in, brakes set and wheels chocked I decided to grab a banana for some energy and then made my way inside the warehouse.
As I was walking in I passed a slower driver from Fedex LTL and didn't think anything of it. I was through with my snack and there was a dumpster about fifty feet beyond the driver's door so I detoured there to chuck the peel away, then opened the door for the Fedex guy and followed him inside to the waiting area.
Big mistake.
It turns out you are unloaded in the order in which you enter that door and sign in, and LTL (Less Than Truckload) guys have dozens or hundreds of BOLs (Bills of Lading) in each load. So I sat and waited while the lady behind the desk painstakingly entered each of them, stamped each of them, put a sticker on each of them then carefully piled them up for the driver. For more than thirty minutes!
Then, my turn came and mine took less than a minute, but the fun was only starting. Since his paperwork was done first, he started to get unloaded before me. As each package came off they had to hunt down the right BOL and check it off. Maddening.
Fortunately they had another dock worker there unloading so once he was done with the previous load he skipped past the Fedex guy and handled my load. One BOL, 24 simple pallets, no problem.
Turns out, the load was ten tons of HP laptops with a retail value of $800,000 to $1,000,000 or so. High value indeed.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Here I Am
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My high value load of HP products is sitting in my trailer, at the destination in Vernon Hills, Illinois at a CDW warehouse. They don't start unloading until 0200 so now is a good time to take my 10-hour break and get a good night's sleep.
Suspended
A few days ago I promised pictures of the wacky air suspension problem my trailer had. I took a number of pics but I realize belatedly they don't illustrate the problem very well.
In this picture you can see three of the normal air bags... the nearest two are on the back axle, the one behind is on the front axle. The one you can't see to compare is blocked by the left air bag. Whoops.
Here is a slightly different shot showing the bottom of the front left air bag as well:
And here is a close-up which doesn't really give you an idea what is wrong with the airbag. Sorry.
In this picture you can see three of the normal air bags... the nearest two are on the back axle, the one behind is on the front axle. The one you can't see to compare is blocked by the left air bag. Whoops.
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| View all Suspended pics |
Here is a slightly different shot showing the bottom of the front left air bag as well:
And here is a close-up which doesn't really give you an idea what is wrong with the airbag. Sorry.
Falling
Yes, it is that time of year again. For the past few weeks I've driven past many sights like this:
This morning, when I got up I noticed it was below freezing for the first time this fall, at least where I've been:
I ran the bunk heater to keep me warm and the cooler to keep my food cold overnight, and my batteries didn't give out! I had to start my truck a bit earlier than I wanted to when the low battery alarm came on, but it started with no trouble -- just like last winter. Yay!
This morning, when I got up I noticed it was below freezing for the first time this fall, at least where I've been:
I ran the bunk heater to keep me warm and the cooler to keep my food cold overnight, and my batteries didn't give out! I had to start my truck a bit earlier than I wanted to when the low battery alarm came on, but it started with no trouble -- just like last winter. Yay!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Another high value load
As soon as I got on the board this morning I was presented with my load choices. I could:
Odd thing with the trailer: it is one of our newer trailers with the large super-single tires, like our tractors. Three of the four tires were the kind you put on a trailer (almost full rubber across the tire with a couple deep grooves in the middle), but the fourth was one of the ones we put on tractors. So, I had to go by the tire shop to have them take off that one and put on a trailer tire.
My tractor got a lot of TLC in the repair shop this time... new wiper blades installed, an air leak fixed, both of my fuel tanks rotated so the caps aren't vertical and the batteries swapped out with new ones. They looked at the alternator and charging system and those were the only weak links. You can say many things about CFI, but most people would be hard pressed to find fault with the maintenance.
- Pick up a load tonight in Coffeeville, Kansas from the Amazon.com warehouse there and deliver it to Kentucky in a few days.
- Take one of a number of loads up to Ontario, Canada.
- Take a high value load.
Odd thing with the trailer: it is one of our newer trailers with the large super-single tires, like our tractors. Three of the four tires were the kind you put on a trailer (almost full rubber across the tire with a couple deep grooves in the middle), but the fourth was one of the ones we put on tractors. So, I had to go by the tire shop to have them take off that one and put on a trailer tire.
My tractor got a lot of TLC in the repair shop this time... new wiper blades installed, an air leak fixed, both of my fuel tanks rotated so the caps aren't vertical and the batteries swapped out with new ones. They looked at the alternator and charging system and those were the only weak links. You can say many things about CFI, but most people would be hard pressed to find fault with the maintenance.
Friday, November 2, 2007
The Secret Mission
I made it to Joplin ahead of schedule, got the rig inspected only to find the trailer had a very interesting air suspension problem... one of the four air bags had been knocked loose during the trip and somehow managed to remain inflated. I will upload pics later when I get to civilization someplace with broadband.
The trailer got dropped off for repairs and I took care of fueling and cleaning my tractor so I will be ready to go on Monday. May as well "spend" that time now since my hours will reset, than spend them next week.
I rented what is perhaps the most soulless automobile ever... a 2007 Honda Civic. It is about as fun to drive as watching paint dry -- I'm serious, the best part of the cockpit was watching the digital fuel display dropping as I drove.
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I decided to make an overnight trip up to Omaha, Nebraska on a (for now) secret mission. Details in a few months, perhaps.
I'm back in Joplin now for a couple day's rest at the Holiday Inn then back to the truck on Sunday to reorganize and toss out some junk.
The trailer got dropped off for repairs and I took care of fueling and cleaning my tractor so I will be ready to go on Monday. May as well "spend" that time now since my hours will reset, than spend them next week.
I rented what is perhaps the most soulless automobile ever... a 2007 Honda Civic. It is about as fun to drive as watching paint dry -- I'm serious, the best part of the cockpit was watching the digital fuel display dropping as I drove.
View Larger Map
I decided to make an overnight trip up to Omaha, Nebraska on a (for now) secret mission. Details in a few months, perhaps.
I'm back in Joplin now for a couple day's rest at the Holiday Inn then back to the truck on Sunday to reorganize and toss out some junk.
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