1/10/09

Occasionally, things kinda sorta look like those people in Missouri have a plan and know exactly what they're doing. Not always, mind you, but occasionally. When miles are hard to come by and our parent company owns an LTL company and a logistics outfit... So yeah, I got a Menlo load today. How about that. And I got a ConWay load before this one. Yeah, I know. Go figure. Maybe they're starting to get this merger thing sorted out. Or maybe it's just a coincidence. I pulled a few Menlo loads a long time ago and then never saw another one, so I won't put the cart before the horse yet. For now though, it looks like some logical planning is going on.

The satellite gadget woke me around 7:30am. I hopped out of bed and took a look. Grab a trailer from the yard and take it to the Atlanta suburbs for a Tuesday delivery. Ain't that something. We damn near got to a thousand bucks ($997.34) this week after all. The 1,993 miles aren't really going to set the world on fire though. I can't exactly count on $240 in layover pay every week. Georgia is better for freight than North Texas, I think, so here's hoping next week gets off to a quicker start than this week did.

I dropped my empty trailer and hooked my loaded one. Everything checked out okay and the security dude actually had my paperwork this time. Yeah, they're still using Trip Paks in lieu of regular envelopes. No issues today though. Off to the road...

It was a little over sixty degrees when I got to Kansas City yesterday. As I sat there last night the temperature started dropping like a rock. This morning's reading was twenty degrees and a light snow was falling. Pretty tame compared to what they're getting back home. Anyhow, the ground was warmer than the air but the air was well below freezing. So you get the snowfall --> snow melt --> icy glaze situation. I never did lose traction, but the road looked awfully shiny so I had to take it easy this morning. A little further to the east I got onto drier roads and dropped the hammer (kicking it up to a blazing 65mph). My 28,000 pound load is not exactly light, but it's reasonable in the hills. Definitely not heavy enough to cause me any major frustration. Good enough.

This trip is around 820 miles and I have three days' worth of driving to get there. I got into Illinois this afternoon and decided to find a truck stop to check out my internet connection. I have no major interest in any of the playoff teams this year, but I have the time so I figure I might as well watch. Last night, on the edge of a major city (K.C.), my connection was awful. Today, on the edge of a major corn field in the middle of nowhere (Okawville), it's fast as hell. Weird. At the time of this posting, 87% of respondents in this week's highly scientific Godfather Poll have picked the Titans. I think the Ravens will win. 62.5% have picked the Cardinals. I think the Panthers will win. A couple dozen of you have managed to distill my entire life into a simple metaphor. Congratulations.