The degeneration of the republic continues... United States senators in a tweet-pissing match, seriously? One more reason that I choose to abstain from this Twitter business. I'm convinced that it will be our downfall.
Nothing in particular stands out about the day on the road. I tend to view this as a positive. My ten hour break was over at 6:45am though. You can take this as a negative. Mixing in a fuel stop and a minor delay for a bizarre-looking accident on I-80 in Pennsylvania, I got to my consignee around a half hour ahead of schedule. The drop/hook in Gouldsboro was a basic affair in a wide open drop lot. Beauty.
I had seen that the truck stop in Gouldsboro was full as I passed on my way to the drop, so I pulled off into a parking area at the end of the industrial drive to await my next chore. I was #4 on the board and it was a Saturday afternoon. That ain't exactly the ideal circumstance. I got an assignment after a few hours though. Good enough.
Next on the agenda was an 88 mile deadhead to the damned water place in Breinigsville. I never had any major disagreements with those guys until the infamous Dunn Incident. Now I think that I'll just hate them forever. What can I say? That's how I roll.
A glance at my truck stop directory didn't provide any encouragement. I could stop at a place on I-80 tonight, pay for parking, and then have an hour or so left to reach the shipper tomorrow. I could hope to find a spot at a tiny place on PA-33 tonight, pay for parking, and then have a half hour or so left to reach the shipper tomorrow. I could go straight to the shipper, try to snag a spot in their staging area, and sit for a day with no food or restroom facilities at my disposal. Or I could go a few miles past the shipper and stay in New Smithville for the night. My directory said that the place in New Smithville had a large parking lot so I decided to give it a shot. The traffic was fairly heavy but moving well the whole way, and then it was time to park this beast for the night. Shit. Now I remember. I've been to this place before. Not exactly a state-of-the-art parking arrangement. I found the least shitty spot among the few that were open and did a pretty good job of getting angled in, if I do say so myself.
Now... listening to the ballgame for a while. Then I guess I'll have to do some reading or something. I need to find a way to stay awake all night and then go to sleep tomorrow morning. I have to pick up at 9pm and then deliver in South Carolina on Monday. The delivery is a drop/hook, so I could probably get a late ETA for Monday, but they'll probably make me run all night anyway. Why? Well, because they're nihilists, of course. Might as well try to flip my schedule tonight, just to be safe.
The deadhead was enough to kick my week up to 2,067 miles, plus a few more bucks in northeast pay. Given the factors that I mentioned on Thursday, you can take this as a positive.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
8/14/09
I'm clearly being dispatched by nihilists today. As for me, my life does have a purpose. My purpose is to avoid paying cash tolls. It would be helpful if the people doing the dispatching showed more respect for my values... or something.
My trip across to Brecksville was about 90% decent. I wound up on OH-82 through the suburbs for a little while. That part took a while. A long while.
The guys at the beer distributor had me unloaded in short order. I'm not sure exactly what I was hauling, some sort of containers I suspect, but the load consisted of only nine pallets. Maybe ten minutes after bumping the dock I was good to go. I took a flyer and headed down to the crappy little Pilot truck stop in Richfield, hoping to find a place to park. It was early afternoon and there were quite a few open spaces when I got there. Beauty.
After three hours on the board at #1, I got my next assignment. Deadhead to Clyde for a drop/hook. Okay then. 80+ miles. Okay then. Be there in two hours. Nihilists. I refused to give in to the immorality of cash tolls, so I knew that it was going to be a close one. Westward on OH-18 to US-20, the traffic was heavy at times and light at others. I was picking up a pre-loaded trailer so I was pretty sure that the time wasn't a big issue, but I made it in exactly two hours anyway. Then I made a dumb move and followed the signs that said "Truck Entrance." Yeah, stupid me.
I had to get turned around and head over to a different warehouse, then make my drop/hook. That part was nice and easy and then it was time for my next dispatch. Go to Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania. Okay then. 450+ miles. Okay then. Be there by 1:30pm tomorrow. Nihilists. The road to hell is paved with people who pay cash tolls, you know. I'll go ahead and cling to my convictions. So... back across US-20 to OH-18. Criss cross, criss cross. The traffic in the 'burbs was much more reasonable this time around, later in the evening and whatnot.
I caught back up with I-77 and dropped down to I-76, not really knowing how far I would go tonight but feeling like my day had been plenty long already. I spotted what I thought was a truck stop at Exit 33. Nope, just a little gas station. Shit. But I swear I saw a couple of parked trucks. I decided to play a hunch and turned into the driveway of the neighboring McDonald's. Beauty. Truck parking area out in the back. There's a sign saying that unauthorized vehicles will be towed. I suppose that, having spent my seven bucks on dinner, my vehicle is probably authorized.
It will be all interstates from this point, with no toll roads involved, so that's a pretty good deal. I still won't have a whole lot of wiggle room ahead of that 1:30pm appointment though. I burned up seven and a half total hours of driving today, covering only 330 miles. Now I'll have to get cracking as soon as my ten hour break is over, bright and early tomorrow. Nihilists.
My trip across to Brecksville was about 90% decent. I wound up on OH-82 through the suburbs for a little while. That part took a while. A long while.
The guys at the beer distributor had me unloaded in short order. I'm not sure exactly what I was hauling, some sort of containers I suspect, but the load consisted of only nine pallets. Maybe ten minutes after bumping the dock I was good to go. I took a flyer and headed down to the crappy little Pilot truck stop in Richfield, hoping to find a place to park. It was early afternoon and there were quite a few open spaces when I got there. Beauty.
After three hours on the board at #1, I got my next assignment. Deadhead to Clyde for a drop/hook. Okay then. 80+ miles. Okay then. Be there in two hours. Nihilists. I refused to give in to the immorality of cash tolls, so I knew that it was going to be a close one. Westward on OH-18 to US-20, the traffic was heavy at times and light at others. I was picking up a pre-loaded trailer so I was pretty sure that the time wasn't a big issue, but I made it in exactly two hours anyway. Then I made a dumb move and followed the signs that said "Truck Entrance." Yeah, stupid me.
I had to get turned around and head over to a different warehouse, then make my drop/hook. That part was nice and easy and then it was time for my next dispatch. Go to Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania. Okay then. 450+ miles. Okay then. Be there by 1:30pm tomorrow. Nihilists. The road to hell is paved with people who pay cash tolls, you know. I'll go ahead and cling to my convictions. So... back across US-20 to OH-18. Criss cross, criss cross. The traffic in the 'burbs was much more reasonable this time around, later in the evening and whatnot.
I caught back up with I-77 and dropped down to I-76, not really knowing how far I would go tonight but feeling like my day had been plenty long already. I spotted what I thought was a truck stop at Exit 33. Nope, just a little gas station. Shit. But I swear I saw a couple of parked trucks. I decided to play a hunch and turned into the driveway of the neighboring McDonald's. Beauty. Truck parking area out in the back. There's a sign saying that unauthorized vehicles will be towed. I suppose that, having spent my seven bucks on dinner, my vehicle is probably authorized.
It will be all interstates from this point, with no toll roads involved, so that's a pretty good deal. I still won't have a whole lot of wiggle room ahead of that 1:30pm appointment though. I burned up seven and a half total hours of driving today, covering only 330 miles. Now I'll have to get cracking as soon as my ten hour break is over, bright and early tomorrow. Nihilists.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
8/13/09
Hey, look at that. I get to not care about Michael Vick again. How exciting. At least my 'Skins didn't get in the mix this time around.
I do find the nighttime weather up north to be quite salubrious. I managed to sleep fairly soundly in the cool air and in the absence of idling trucks last night. Beauty. Ahh, nice and refreshed today. After a quick hop over to Antigo, it was time to check in and see what was in store for me next.
There was some confusion with the loader guy but the lovely lady in charge of shipping showed up for work a few minutes after I got there. She knew what was going on and got it all sorted out for me. It took me around five minutes to back in from the street and then another five minutes or so for the fella to load my trailer. 2,300 pounds on nine pallets? Sweet. Southward we go...
The first part of the drive wasn't bad. Is it possible to pass through Oshkosh without thinking of children's overalls? I think not. Then the damned Brewers had to play baseball or something this afternoon. I don't appreciate their thoughtless scheduling. I expect them to be on the West Coast the next time I'm passing through. That took a while.
Then, in a sign that some sense of (unpleasant) normalcy is returning, Chicagoland brought another thirty miles of bullshit stop-and-go traffic. That's twice this week. Good times. Good times. Things shook out by the time I got onto the Indiana Toll Road, so the road rage threat level moved back down from red to yellow. The long slow afternoon almost convinced me to abandon my commitment to my 'no cash tolls' approach to driving. I don't have to deliver until 1pm tomorrow though, so off the freeway and onto the two-lanes it was. Ohio is supposed to be on the EZPass network later this year. That will certainly help the cause. Until then though, here we are.
I'm presently working my way across on US-20A toward Toledo. I've stopped in Delta for the night, leaving somewhere around three hours to drive in the morning. I'll have to catch US-20 over toward the Cleveland area and then cut over to Brecksville on some state route. My miles for the week are a little over 1,400 at the moment. One decent run for the weekend should kick me over 2,000. Given that I spent a couple of days at home to start the week and then took my time on the first run out of Michigan, I don't imagine I should expect a whole lot more.
I do find the nighttime weather up north to be quite salubrious. I managed to sleep fairly soundly in the cool air and in the absence of idling trucks last night. Beauty. Ahh, nice and refreshed today. After a quick hop over to Antigo, it was time to check in and see what was in store for me next.
There was some confusion with the loader guy but the lovely lady in charge of shipping showed up for work a few minutes after I got there. She knew what was going on and got it all sorted out for me. It took me around five minutes to back in from the street and then another five minutes or so for the fella to load my trailer. 2,300 pounds on nine pallets? Sweet. Southward we go...
The first part of the drive wasn't bad. Is it possible to pass through Oshkosh without thinking of children's overalls? I think not. Then the damned Brewers had to play baseball or something this afternoon. I don't appreciate their thoughtless scheduling. I expect them to be on the West Coast the next time I'm passing through. That took a while.
Then, in a sign that some sense of (unpleasant) normalcy is returning, Chicagoland brought another thirty miles of bullshit stop-and-go traffic. That's twice this week. Good times. Good times. Things shook out by the time I got onto the Indiana Toll Road, so the road rage threat level moved back down from red to yellow. The long slow afternoon almost convinced me to abandon my commitment to my 'no cash tolls' approach to driving. I don't have to deliver until 1pm tomorrow though, so off the freeway and onto the two-lanes it was. Ohio is supposed to be on the EZPass network later this year. That will certainly help the cause. Until then though, here we are.
I'm presently working my way across on US-20A toward Toledo. I've stopped in Delta for the night, leaving somewhere around three hours to drive in the morning. I'll have to catch US-20 over toward the Cleveland area and then cut over to Brecksville on some state route. My miles for the week are a little over 1,400 at the moment. One decent run for the weekend should kick me over 2,000. Given that I spent a couple of days at home to start the week and then took my time on the first run out of Michigan, I don't imagine I should expect a whole lot more.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
8/12/09
Is it possible to approach a town called Menomonie without thinking of The Muppet Show? I think not.
After making my drop/hook, I found myself on the board at #1. That's usually a good start. Unfortunately though, there was no assignment forthcoming. There was a truck stop around the corner from my consignee, so I parked and kicked back to relax for a while. At some point during the afternoon, I stepped forward from the bunk to change the channel on my radio. I saw that there was a dude in a car stopped in front of my truck. You don't tend to see that every day in the truck parking area, but I didn't think much of it. Maybe a driver was being dropped off or picked up from time at home or something. Then the fella held up a camera and took a picture of my truck. Okay, now that's a little weird. I'm not quite sure what to make of that one.
Around 6:30pm, I finally got a new assignment. My next pickup will be tomorrow morning in Antigo and the run will take me to the Cleveland area. Pretty decent miles overall, but I had to make a quick decision on how to handle the scheduling. There's always an element of uncertainty in giving up a parking space late in the day. On the other hand, getting out of bed early enough to cover 160 miles by 9am is not really my style. I decided to hit the road and then let the parking sort itself out as I went along. As the evening wore on, I rolled the dice and passed on several truck stops along WI-29. I was hoping to catch a break at the BP in Wausau. There were only a couple of spots open when I got here, but one is all I need. Beauty.
I can't, for the life of me, figure out how my Tigers are still in first place. They are though, for now...
After making my drop/hook, I found myself on the board at #1. That's usually a good start. Unfortunately though, there was no assignment forthcoming. There was a truck stop around the corner from my consignee, so I parked and kicked back to relax for a while. At some point during the afternoon, I stepped forward from the bunk to change the channel on my radio. I saw that there was a dude in a car stopped in front of my truck. You don't tend to see that every day in the truck parking area, but I didn't think much of it. Maybe a driver was being dropped off or picked up from time at home or something. Then the fella held up a camera and took a picture of my truck. Okay, now that's a little weird. I'm not quite sure what to make of that one.
Around 6:30pm, I finally got a new assignment. My next pickup will be tomorrow morning in Antigo and the run will take me to the Cleveland area. Pretty decent miles overall, but I had to make a quick decision on how to handle the scheduling. There's always an element of uncertainty in giving up a parking space late in the day. On the other hand, getting out of bed early enough to cover 160 miles by 9am is not really my style. I decided to hit the road and then let the parking sort itself out as I went along. As the evening wore on, I rolled the dice and passed on several truck stops along WI-29. I was hoping to catch a break at the BP in Wausau. There were only a couple of spots open when I got here, but one is all I need. Beauty.
I can't, for the life of me, figure out how my Tigers are still in first place. They are though, for now...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
8/11/09
I really do love my mother and all, but that alarm at 7am this morning was pretty brutal. I think I would have been content to sleep until noon. Breakfast is truly overrated... or something. I did manage to doze off for a little while after I got back home though, so I guess all's well that ends well.
I headed up to work later in the morning and grabbed my loaded trailer. The dispatcher gave me a nice late ETA for tomorrow so I could take my time on the way to Wisconsin. Not surprisingly, I was feeling a little sluggish by the time I got out to Western Michigan. A good long nap did the trick and I got back on the road shortly before my Tigers started their game against those dirty little thugs from Boston. The game, complete with a bench-clearing brawl and a lengthy rain delay, lasted long enough to keep me entertained all the way to the Wisconsin welcome center on I-90. That's enough for today.
I have until 10pm tomorrow to reach Menomonie and make my drop/hook on the back end of this run. I'm sure I'll get there much sooner, but I am most certainly not setting an alarm tonight. My little respite at home has, per usual, left me feeling more worn out than I do after a few long days on the road. My log book is stocked full of hours and I have a long break scheduled for the beginning of September. Time to get settled back into the routine and do some driving... I think.
I headed up to work later in the morning and grabbed my loaded trailer. The dispatcher gave me a nice late ETA for tomorrow so I could take my time on the way to Wisconsin. Not surprisingly, I was feeling a little sluggish by the time I got out to Western Michigan. A good long nap did the trick and I got back on the road shortly before my Tigers started their game against those dirty little thugs from Boston. The game, complete with a bench-clearing brawl and a lengthy rain delay, lasted long enough to keep me entertained all the way to the Wisconsin welcome center on I-90. That's enough for today.
I have until 10pm tomorrow to reach Menomonie and make my drop/hook on the back end of this run. I'm sure I'll get there much sooner, but I am most certainly not setting an alarm tonight. My little respite at home has, per usual, left me feeling more worn out than I do after a few long days on the road. My log book is stocked full of hours and I have a long break scheduled for the beginning of September. Time to get settled back into the routine and do some driving... I think.
Monday, August 10, 2009
8/10/09
What comes to mind when you open your eyes in the morning? For me, it's apparently not what I would hope that it was. No, in point of fact, it seems that I think of padlocks. I rolled over this morning, looked at the clock, and then realized that I left my padlock on the trailer that I dropped yesterday. Shit.
So then... a really quick (and completely convenient) trip down to Temperance it is (at 6am). Win some and lose some, I suppose. My trailer hadn't been moved so I was able to retrieve my lock without any issues.
I probably should have gone to the Secretary of State and renewed my license after my morning drive, but instead I went back home and took a long nap. Sue me. I got an assignment several hours later. Since the loads out of Michigan tend to be overnight beer or water runs, I was happy to find that I didn't have to leave until tomorrow morning. Beers at the pub (even during a Tigers' loss) are clearly better than working all night.
My next assignment will take me from the Taylor yard up to the northwest corner of Wisconsin. I thought that I had managed to fly below the radar for a while, but apparently an informant sold me out to Mom. Now I get to go to Pete's Place for breakfast at 7am and then head to work. That's exciting. No chance that I'll have a hangover tomorrow, of course. No chance at all.
I wish that I had more to say tonight but I don't. Buzzes are notoriously unforgiving.
So then... a really quick (and completely convenient) trip down to Temperance it is (at 6am). Win some and lose some, I suppose. My trailer hadn't been moved so I was able to retrieve my lock without any issues.
I probably should have gone to the Secretary of State and renewed my license after my morning drive, but instead I went back home and took a long nap. Sue me. I got an assignment several hours later. Since the loads out of Michigan tend to be overnight beer or water runs, I was happy to find that I didn't have to leave until tomorrow morning. Beers at the pub (even during a Tigers' loss) are clearly better than working all night.
My next assignment will take me from the Taylor yard up to the northwest corner of Wisconsin. I thought that I had managed to fly below the radar for a while, but apparently an informant sold me out to Mom. Now I get to go to Pete's Place for breakfast at 7am and then head to work. That's exciting. No chance that I'll have a hangover tomorrow, of course. No chance at all.
I wish that I had more to say tonight but I don't. Buzzes are notoriously unforgiving.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
8/9/09
The small victories just keep on coming. The last time I was home, I took a survey for some company. They were asking "transportation professionals" to answer some questions about travel plazas. I do get paid for my work. Therefore I am, technically speaking, a professional. I checked a few boxes, entered my address, and dropped the survey in a mailbox, expecting nothing more than to be added to someone's junk mailing list. I was supposedly entered into some kind of drawing as thanks for my participation, but we all know that nobody actually wins those drawings, right? Hey, look at that, I won a $25 Visa gift card. I'll be damned.
I got up bright and early this morning and made the trip across to Temperance. I wasn't on a numbered route, but I wasn't too worried about it since I was out in the sticks. All those roads are made for tractors and shit, or so I thought. Yeah, so I thought. 25 ton weight limit, eh? Oh well, not exactly anything you can do once you're already heading down the road. Onward we go. I got to the consignee without incident and checked in with the security guard. Closed for the weekend but I can drop anyway, eh? So I could have slept as late as I wanted to, eh? Or I could have gotten rid of the load last night, eh? Oh well, at least I got to head out for that delicious BOGO steak deal in Dundee last night.
After making my drop/hook, I called the Taylor terminal to see what was what. I was #24 on the board and nowhere near any truck stop. The dispatcher said that it was up to me. I could stay down there or I could head back to the terminal, but either way I wasn't going to have another assignment until tomorrow. Gee, let me think about that one. Go home and take the day off or park my ass somewhere out in the boondocks? Tough call. I cruised up Telegraph to Eureka and then turned onto Racho toward the yard. What the...? Apparently there was some kind of trucking convention in Taylor this weekend and I never got the memo. There were exactly zero open slots for me to drop my trailer. There were exactly zero open slots for me to park my truck. There were at least a dozen additional trucks, four of them with trailers, parked out in the middle of the yard. What the...? I've seen that yard crowded before. I've never seen anything like this morning.
After I sat and caught up my logbook, packed up my overnight bag, and other such menial tasks, someone pulled out from a slot on the north side of the yard. Okay then. Trailer dropped. One down, one to go. Since I still had nowhere to put my truck, I parked by the vacuum and gave my floor a thorough scrubbing. By the time this was done, a couple of trucks had left the bobtail parking area. Truck parked, homeward bound. Beauty.
One tends to gather quite a bit of unopened mail after a couple of months on the road, so I had to spend a little time sifting through all that. The highlight, of course, was my $25 Visa gift card. Woohoo! Otherwise though, just a peaceful and lazy day. 'Much-needed rest,' I think they call it. Tigers won. White Sox lost. I've moved from #24 to #19 on the board. Hopefully I don't shoot up too fast tomorrow morning. It would be pretty nice if I got a chance to renew my driver's license before heading out. My birthday is next month so I'll have to deal with those Secretary of State peckerheads sooner or later.
I do think I'm supposed to win another award for staying home and relaxing, rather than heading out and carousing. I did have to make a trip to my parents' house and retrieve a couple of packages, but otherwise today has been all about the R&R. The authors of the 70 hour rule should be pleased. Maybe I'll get another $25 gift card... or something.
I got up bright and early this morning and made the trip across to Temperance. I wasn't on a numbered route, but I wasn't too worried about it since I was out in the sticks. All those roads are made for tractors and shit, or so I thought. Yeah, so I thought. 25 ton weight limit, eh? Oh well, not exactly anything you can do once you're already heading down the road. Onward we go. I got to the consignee without incident and checked in with the security guard. Closed for the weekend but I can drop anyway, eh? So I could have slept as late as I wanted to, eh? Or I could have gotten rid of the load last night, eh? Oh well, at least I got to head out for that delicious BOGO steak deal in Dundee last night.
After making my drop/hook, I called the Taylor terminal to see what was what. I was #24 on the board and nowhere near any truck stop. The dispatcher said that it was up to me. I could stay down there or I could head back to the terminal, but either way I wasn't going to have another assignment until tomorrow. Gee, let me think about that one. Go home and take the day off or park my ass somewhere out in the boondocks? Tough call. I cruised up Telegraph to Eureka and then turned onto Racho toward the yard. What the...? Apparently there was some kind of trucking convention in Taylor this weekend and I never got the memo. There were exactly zero open slots for me to drop my trailer. There were exactly zero open slots for me to park my truck. There were at least a dozen additional trucks, four of them with trailers, parked out in the middle of the yard. What the...? I've seen that yard crowded before. I've never seen anything like this morning.
After I sat and caught up my logbook, packed up my overnight bag, and other such menial tasks, someone pulled out from a slot on the north side of the yard. Okay then. Trailer dropped. One down, one to go. Since I still had nowhere to put my truck, I parked by the vacuum and gave my floor a thorough scrubbing. By the time this was done, a couple of trucks had left the bobtail parking area. Truck parked, homeward bound. Beauty.
One tends to gather quite a bit of unopened mail after a couple of months on the road, so I had to spend a little time sifting through all that. The highlight, of course, was my $25 Visa gift card. Woohoo! Otherwise though, just a peaceful and lazy day. 'Much-needed rest,' I think they call it. Tigers won. White Sox lost. I've moved from #24 to #19 on the board. Hopefully I don't shoot up too fast tomorrow morning. It would be pretty nice if I got a chance to renew my driver's license before heading out. My birthday is next month so I'll have to deal with those Secretary of State peckerheads sooner or later.
I do think I'm supposed to win another award for staying home and relaxing, rather than heading out and carousing. I did have to make a trip to my parents' house and retrieve a couple of packages, but otherwise today has been all about the R&R. The authors of the 70 hour rule should be pleased. Maybe I'll get another $25 gift card... or something.
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