1/5/08

You know what sucks about driving for eleven hours? It takes eleven hours. Today I kept looking for a fast forward button, but I couldn't find one.

After running back and forth along the Columbia last week, I went online and found a download of Oregon Trail, so I've been playing that quite a bit lately. In the spirit of adventure, there was no way I was staying on the interstate today. I angled up through Arizona and New Mexico, starting out along US-60. I got to go across Salt River Canyon, which is a drive I recommend everyone make... once. It was freaking intense. There were a series of hairpin switchbacks taking us down the wall on one side of the canyon. Then, after the bridge across the river at the bottom, another series of hairpin switchbacks scaled the wall on the other side. As I climbed the east side, I got a good look at the road I had just traveled down the west side. Holy shit! That's one of those roads you look at and think, "There's no way people could drive a truck there." Well, your loyal blogger did today and it was fun. It would have been more fun with a light load, but I'll take my diversions where I can get them.

After I made my way out of the mountains and into New Mexico, I was again reminded that we haven't gotten rid of New Mexico yet. Worthless piece of crap state. No wireless signal for my cell phone. No wireless signal for my internet card. No radio signals. I caught about ten minutes of the fourth quarter of the Redskins game, but I didn't like what I heard. I really hate football. Then I got about a half hour of NPR, so now I want to move to Iran where I can apparently enjoy more freedom than I have in the U.S. Who knew?

I knew that I needed to cover some serious ground today, so I was targeting somewhere past Tucumcari. I also knew that I wouldn't have any luck getting a wireless signal anywhere outside the major cities. I've been in the midst of a few e-mail exchanges that I would have liked to catch up with friends, so I tried to stop at the Flying J in Tucumcari. That was almost at the eleven hour mark, so stopping a few minutes short wasn't going to kill me. I don't know if there's an actual definition for the word 'clusterfuck,' but the illustration would probably involve that Flying J. What a mess. So I headed back out onto US-54 and went a little further north. No wireless signal. C'est la vie. I'll get caught up tomorrow. Sorry Mandy.

1/4/08

Upon first glance, I'd say today was a damn good day, but I try to be as objective as possible. Let's take a look.

1/3/08 "That usually means that I can find somewhere to park, even if it's not technically somewhere that I should park."
Yep, plenty of on-street parking down there. The signs said 2 hour limit, but there were lots of trucks and nobody bothered us.

1/3/08 "If I leave early enough, I should be able to beat the morning rush."
Yep, got down in the middle of the night. Traffic was about as light as you'll ever see it in LA.

1/3/08 "North sounds bad as far as this weekend goes, so I'm crossing my fingers for something going east out of Calexico or Otay Mesa."
Close, but even better. I picked up in Holtville, which is along I-8. Same general concept but I didn't have to deal with any of those border drop lots. From there, I was dispatched to Rockford, Illinois. I get to leave the mountains for a while and go back to the midwest where I belong.

1/3/08 "If you know anything about me, you know that this paragraph guarantees me a run back up I-5."
Nope. The other guy who dropped off at the same place as I did and picked up at the same place as I did... He's headed to Kent, Washington. I win!

1/2/08 "Weekend runs out of California tend to be pretty long, so that's at least a little promising."
Yep. 200+ miles on the deadhead, with almost 2,000 loaded miles to Rockford. Very productive weekend indeed.

1/2/08 "Of course I'll probably get to enjoy all of the snow that is apparently going to pound those damn mountains in the next couple of days."
Nope. The mountains on I-8 were nice and smooth and I crossed them with an empty trailer. Beauty.

So yeah, upon further review I agree with myself. Today was a damn good day. I got out of LA and past San Diego before the afternoon rush. The pickup in Holtville was nice and easy. The load is a reasonable 29,000 pounds. I'm quite content at this point in time. About the only downside is that I actually have to work a little this weekend. I had settled into a daily routine consisting of 5-8 hours of driving and lots of relaxing. This thing has to deliver by Monday afternoon, so I actually have to cover some ground. Just when I thought I'd get to watch some playoff football. Now the 'Skins will just have to win so I can check them out next week.

1/3/08

Apparently I'm no longer welcome as an Oklahoma fan. Whatever. For what little it's worth, I have Virginia Tech tonight so they'll probably get blown out by the time this thing is said and done.

So... pretty noneventful cruise down through The People's Republic today. As much as I dislike this state, I do have to give the drivers credit for one thing. They know how to merge. In most of this country, people come flying down a ramp and then shit their pants when they see a big truck in the right lane. They apparently don't realize that we can't move over if there's a car next to us, we can't slow down all that quickly, and we sure as hell can't speed up very quickly. So they end up acting like they're going fast, until we start to slow down. Then they slow down and almost run off the road. Then it takes us five minutes to get back up to speed, so the traffic behind us is disrupted. Here, in The People's Republic, they just step on the gas and get the hell out of the way. I wish everyone did that.

I took a look at Google Earth last night and saw that my customer is in a largely industrial section of town. That usually means that I can find somewhere to park, even if it's not technically somewhere that I should park. I've stopped at the Flying J on top of the Grapevine to sit out the evening traffic, planning to head down and scout for a location later. As it gets later and this game is still mildly entertaining though, I'm thinking I might just stay and watch it. Then I can get a little rest tonight and make a pre-dawn drive down past LA. My appointment is for 7:30am, but these last 90 miles might take forever if I try to arrive at that time. If I leave early enough, I should be able to beat the morning rush. Of course, one more Kansas score might send me packing tonight. I don't know. Who cares really?

I caught a series of talk radio stations today, so that was a nice change from the Pacific Northwest where it was tough to find a signal. Lots of talk about Iowa obviously, but the weather was the biggest topic. Apparently there are three storms on the way in that are supposed to be no joke. North sounds bad as far as this weekend goes, so I'm crossing my fingers for something going east out of Calexico or Otay Mesa. If you know anything about me, you know that this paragraph guarantees me a run back up I-5. Story of my life man.

1/2/08

Dude. Mountains. Seriously. That's enough. By the time I got out of the mountains and settled into the valley, I was pretty much sick of driving today. Luckily the weather was good, but damn. My patience only lasts for so long. Downshift, upshift, foot to the floor, ride the brakes... enough I say.

I had originally planned to roll down to Lodi today. That would have been about as far as eleven hours could take me given the 55mph speed limits in Oregon and The People's Republic. After I had my fill of the aforementioned mountains though, I was checking my map and trying to see if I could stop sooner and just make a longer run into the LA area tomorrow morning. Plus, I wanted to watch a little football tonight.

CFI to the rescue... I got a message stating that my 12:30PT delivery for tomorrow is now a 07:30PT for the 4th. Trying to piss me off by making me wait an extra day, are they? Well the joke's on them 'cause I ain't mad. I felt like stopping. Now I can run down somewhere around LA tomorrow and then deliver the next morning. Weekend runs out of California tend to be pretty long, so that's at least a little promising. Of course I'll probably get to enjoy all of the snow that is apparently going to pound those damn mountains in the next couple of days. Groovy.

I can't decide for whom to root now. WVU is just the typical whiny "no respect" program that plays a shitty schedule and wonders why people think they're not so great. Oklahoma... yeah, I don't know. I happen to be one of those guys who still enjoys the academic component to college sports. So Oklahoma... yeah, I don't know.

Well, after checking my entry, I have Oklahoma for big points in my football pool so I guess I'm a loyal Sooners fan tonight. That Bradford dude is pretty good, right?

1/1/08

No bridge? That sucks. I'm like a big kid, so I like to go over those high bridges and "ooh" and "ahh" as I look at the water. Apparently the river turns north and US-730 never crosses it. Bummer.

It was a pretty short and simple drive to the customer. That was the only thing simple about today.

Let's start with the very beginning, a very good place to start. Like I said yesterday, I knew nothing about the load I would be hauling. I had no order number. I had no destination. I had no pick up number. I had no trailer number. With respect to the trailer number, I was not in fact told that it would be a drop/hook. So I knew nothing about this load, literally.

I checked in with the security guard and, much to my surprise, he asked me for no information. I guess that works out well when I have no information. He directed me to a drop yard across the street and told me to "check with my buddies." After dropping my empty, I concluded that my "buddies" were the other three CFI drivers sitting there. None of them knew where they were going either. No order numbers, none of it. We were all apparently waiting to hear instructions from Frank. Frank, as nearly as I can tell, is the shuttle driver.

After a little while, I got a message saying that the load wouldn't be ready until tomorrow on account of the customer not having completed the paperwork. Whatever. I started finding ways to keep myself occupied and kill some time. The other drivers, having received the same message, mentioned that they were heading out for some food. I chose to stay at the customer. I don't like people (aside from attractive young co-eds) much in the first place. Add in the fact that we were a collection of truck drivers who just got shafted... no thanks. That's a conversation I could do without.

An hour or so after that, Frank (I think) came up to my window. He said that the loads would in fact be ready today. Groovy. At some point during my latest battle with the Persians, I dozed off.

I awoke to a knock on the door. It was one of the other CFI drivers who had been there earlier in the day. He said that the loaded trailer was right across the yard, the paperwork was in the back, and the scale was right down the street. Sweet. Let's roll. So I hooked to the trailer, checked it over, grabbed the paperwork, and scaled out the load. Sounds okay so far, right?

There are a lot of things about my job that I like. There are a lot of things about my job that I don't like. There is exactly one thing about my job that I love. I love the fact that I am a nobody. I am never asked for input about decisions. I am never asked to solve problems. I am never asked to motivate people. I am never asked to provide direction. I am an irrelevant peon and that's exactly what I was hoping to become when I started this career. This paragraph is in green, but you'll understand in a minute.

I sent in my loaded call, complete with the trailer number and the destination - La Mirada, California. I rolled down the street a little ways and got a message asking what empty trailer I have and what was the license plate number. What empty? Now, I already sent a loaded call. I already provided the trailer number. What seems to be the issue? You know what, not my problem. (See green paragraph.) So I replied informing them that I had the trailer I have and that it was loaded. I was rolling down the highway so I couldn't see the license plate.

Next message - I was supposed to have picked up a different trailer, so they needed the license plate number to "make sure." Make sure of what, who knows? I can see the freaking trailer number in my mirror and I know their computer system has the license plate numbers in it. I know what trailer I am pulling. You know what? Fine. (See green paragraph.) I pulled into a rest area and checked the license plate number. I sent the number in a message, along with an explanation that I was never told what trailer to get, I was never told my destination, and I just did what I was told at the customer (see green paragraph).

Next message - I was informed that I don't need to get so upset about it. Huh? I hate to break it to ya homey, but I ain't upset about anything. (See green paragraph.) None of this is costing me anything. I have a loaded trailer, I have the paperwork that goes with that trailer, and I'm heading south. Whatever needs to be done on the other end is not affecting me at all. The rest of the message had me scratching my head...

I'm not a big fan of philosophers. I have a few philosophies of my own, but the ones that everybody quotes are usually a bunch of shit. I got my first introduction in high school, I think. I was out with this chick and she had just become acquainted with the notion that "all is in all." I had to listen to her pretend to understand it for like two hours before I could get in her pants. It wasn't... well, yeah actually it was worth it, but I still didn't like the philosophical bullshit. Be that as it may, I think old William of Ockham was right on the money with his famous philosophy. The simplest solution is usually the right one, all other things being equal. So, when I didn't know what trailer to pull or the location of my intended destination... and when I sent in a loaded call with a different trailer and a different destination... I would conclude that I got the wrong load. Acoording to the message in question, the folks on the other end concluded that I had the right load, on the wrong trailer, with the wrong destination on the bills. Umm?

I try to stay out of the analytical end of this job (see green paragraph). I really felt compelled to help out in this case though. Somebody was going to get the trailer that CFI had planned for me and never told me about, so I tried to steer them in the right direction. Maybe that would save the other driver from the series of confusing messages that I was seeing. I sent a message telling them that the loads are probably on the correct trailers and that I probably got the wrong load.

Then I was unassigned from the prior load and dispatched for La Mirada. I think they have it all sorted out, although they sent me directions to a place in Pico River. I'm set to deliver on the 3rd, so I'll try to get some clarification on my destination tomorrow. I think I've given these guys enough to think about tonight. I have no idea what the information looks like on their end, so I don't mean to minimize the amount of trouble they had. I'm sure it was confusing, but at the very least my dispatched miles are now correct so we'll go from there.

So, back across I-84 one more time and around Portland, I've set up shop at a rest area until morning. The ride down I-5 is not one of my favorites, but the miles on this run are decent so I can't complain too much. I'll try to cover a lot of miles tomorrow and then cruise in on the 3rd to make my delivery.

12/31/07

Well, another light day today. I hung around Portland this morning and then got my assignment this afternoon. Back east on I-84 for a few hours. If I could get a dedicated run along that route, I might be convinced to move up here with the hippies. Nah, who am I kidding? It is one of the easiest routes anywhere though. I've stopped in Umatilla for the night and found that someone in the area provides free wi-fi. Groovy.

My load is scheduled to pick up tomorrow morning just across the bridge in Wallula, Washington. From there it's supposed to go to... Wallula, Washington. They do that sometimes. Apparently the customer just said they need a truck and nobody knows where the load is going just yet. No big deal. Hopefully it's somewhere far, far away from the northwest.

I didn't get the big finish I had hoped for, but the 217 mile dispatch will put me right at 5,100 miles for the pay period. Considering that I haven't worked very hard at all, I guess it's not so bad. The next pay period is only a five day thing, so a decent dispatch tomorrow will kick that off to a good start. I hope. Hey, I'll be making .37 a mile tomorrow too, I think.

So it was 126,948 miles for the year. I was home for 77 days (what!?!), so that was certainly the biggest factor in my miles slowing from the 147,000 I had from July 2006 through June 2007 (my first twelve months). When I first started I ran my ass off and hardly ever went home. There were numerous times this year that I spent a day at home on account of freight passing through the area. The rest were actual home time. I have to admit that I thought 60 days would be a high estimate. I had no idea I was home that much. If I can be off work for two and a half months and still make more than the 10,000 mile monthly average that I was told to expect... well that ain't too bad.

The nice thing about getting out of the first year is that the income is a lot easier to earn. My gross wages were $47,618. That's almost exactly what I made in the first twelve months, even though I drove 20,000 fewer miles. Getting through that first year of wage increases certainly has its benefits. To be honest I was hoping that 2007 would be over $50,000 but I gave that up a while back. I reached the .36 pay rate some time in May or June (can't remember) so I spent roughly half the year at my current pay rate. I had to acknowledge that, once I get drunk for a day or two, I tend to drag my feet about getting back on the road. Every time a couple of days off turns into a week off, it costs money. If anything kept me under $50,000 it was myself.

So, what will '08 have in store? It will have a half hour drive to a customer in Washington. I can tell you that much for certain. Beyond that, I guess we'll just have to find out. Happy New Year everyone.

12/30/07

Today was nice and easy. The stretch of I-84 along the Columbia River is nice. For some reason though, it made me want to go back to elementary school and play Oregon Trail on one of those old Apple computers. It runs along the bottom of the gorge so there aren't a lot of elevation changes. Plus, the 55mph speed limit means I can just set the cruise control and watch people pass me along the way. Well, for most of the trip...

The evergreen trees, sunny skies, and moss-covered ground made it look like a nice spring morning for a few hours. After recent weeks, it was almost enough to make me forget that it was winter in the northwest. Almost. The last thirty miles into Portland were a pretty snowy mess. The weather was above freezing and it was just wet snow so it didn't cause me any problems, but the motorists were either really fast or really slow at that point. I wound up cruising along in the left lane more often than not until we got into Portland and it turned to rain. All in all though, a pretty cool ride.

Not only was the beer distributor open today, it was like Grand Central Station. I had to wait a while for a dock. That worked out cool for me because my wireless connection is wicked fast within major cities. I got to kick back and watch the Redskins spank the Cowboys and secure a playoff spot. (They would have backed in anyway, but they finished the season with authority.) Great job boys.

I was at the customer for a couple of hours, then tooled up the road to the Jubitz truck stop. I was #2 on the board when I got here (and I'm still #2 now), so my chances of tacking on some decent miles tomorrow to close out the year should be pretty good. I haven't been up this way a ton, but every time I've left Washington (closest to Portland I've picked up) the run has been a long one.

So I've spent the evening reading and eating and smoking cigars and just generally being useless. I did get an e-mail from YouTube saying that Paramount Pictures told them to remove my ninety second clip of Beavis and Butthead. That's pretty pathetic, honestly. It's their copyrighted material, of course. But seriously, a few laughs? Who is that harming? Where was the financial damage to them and where was the financial gain to me? People need to get a life.