I'm 31 years old. I'm not nearly old enough to have achieved that wisdom or enlightenment or whatever you old guys call it. I did, however, learn a pretty valuable lesson a long time ago. My reaction to various things in life will be almost entirely shaped by my expectations with respect to whatever those things are.
I fully expected to be dispatched to deliver in Great Falls sometime tomorrow morning. After I got unloaded at the first drop, I headed north. A little while later, my dispatch came through - 4pm today. No great shakes there. It was only a 320 mile drive. But, since I had expected tomorrow morning, I thought it was great. Getting empty today would allow me to go on the board and, even if not assigned a load today, get something first thing tomorrow. Excellent.
Ten minutes later I got a new appointment time. Tomorrow morning at 7:30. Bogus. If that had been the original dispatch I wouldn't have been thrilled but it wouldn't have bothered me. It would have met my expectations. Since I was given the expectation of getting empty today, the new dispatch time sucks. By the time I send in my empty call, the planners will already have started assigning freight. Maybe that costs me, maybe not. If I were on the board today though, I would have been sitting there waiting for them when they got to work in the morning. It's all in the expectations. It's one thing to sit here and acknowledge this. It's another to try not to be disappointed. Oh well, just another day I guess.
The drive was pretty easy today. Driving these U.S. Highways with no towns for 50 miles is actually better than driving the interstate as far as I'm concerned. There's hardly any congestion, the speed limits are more than adequate, and it just has a more relaxing feel to it. I got to the Flying J in Great Falls a little while ago. From here, it's about five miles to the place where I deliver in the morning.
I'm still a boy with a dream at this point, but I think by tomorrow I may have to discard my theory about getting great miles during the holidays. The year is quickly approaching its conclusion. Getting empty today, rather than tomorrow, would have made a pretty big difference. It wasn't meant to be. So, depending on what comes over the satellite in the morning, I'll either take a big step forward or just settle into a ho-hum pay period. I'm still hoping though...
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
12/25/07
In my quest for fame and notoriety, I think I've finally arrived. I got a note from my fleet manager yesterday mentioning that he heard about my blog. I had to chuckle as I tried to remember the last time he pissed me off and I wrote about it. I'm pretty sure it's been a little while though, so I think we're okay there.
People always talk about that show with the ice road truckers. I've never seen it, but today I got to live it for a while. Not so bad. For the first hundred miles, I don't believe my tires ever touched asphalt. I-80 was pretty lousy, but the state and U.S. highways were far worse. It might have been a problem, but as it turns out there was nobody on the road today. The bad part about the slick roads is always the speeding up and slowing down. With nobody in front of me, I could just let it roll and stay off the brakes so it wasn't that terrible. It wasn't any fun, but it wasn't terrible. My truck was doing it's best Spy Hunter smokescreen impersonation with the blowing snow, so I have no idea if anyone was behind me for a couple of hours, but there was nobody in front of me.
After I got through Lander, I saw the first signs of road maintenance since leaving I-80 in Rock Springs. The roads were a little wet and a little snowy, but not too bad. Then past Riverton it was perfect. Clear blue skies, clean dry pavement, and not a soul on the highway. Sweet.
I got another reminder today of one of my favorite things about this job. Yesterday there was the Provo Canyon situation, which may or may not have been legal. Today there were two spots that were just beautiful. First was the stretch of WY-28 winding through the mountains near South Pass City. That would have been a little better if I weren't worried about sliding off a cliff, but I got a chance to sneak a peek here and there. Then, north of Shoshoni, US-20 wound it's way through a huge canyon. I don't know what it's called, but it's every bit as picturesque as Glenwood Canyon in Colorado and a much easier drive. That was on the clean roads too, so I was able to enjoy it a little more.
For perspective, I'm a city boy. My idea of "getting away from it all" involves hopping a plane to New York and disappearing among the crowd for a week or so. I'm not what you would call a nature lover. Sometimes though, the view is pretty spectacular. I could always work in an office and drive out to Wyoming for leisure, but seriously, no. It's cool to have a job that puts me in those places every now and then.
The topper came a little further along the way. I might be the only one left who thinks that Beavis and Butthead are hilarious, but I almost lost it when I rolled through Meeteetse...
The next stretch after that was actually the slickest part of the trip, but I had such a dumbass grin on my face that I didn't pay much attention. For about ten miles, we're talking full-on hockey rink up and down hills and around curves.
Then upon rolling into Powell, I was reminded that I'm retarded. By the measure of every standardized test I've ever taken, my IQ is in the exceptional range. Personally, I have my doubts. I didn't realize until I got here that I had no idea where I was going. I never got directions from my employer, only an address. I meant to check Streets & Trips to get an idea before I left this morning, but I never did. So I found a parking lot and stopped to take a look. Then I passed the place and had to drive a couple of miles to find a turnaround spot. I sent in directions, but I have no idea who is working today or if they'll actually put the directions in the CFI computer. Oh well, at least I did my part. Now I get to hang out on the street until morning and then see what tomorrow holds.
Merry Christmas everyone.
People always talk about that show with the ice road truckers. I've never seen it, but today I got to live it for a while. Not so bad. For the first hundred miles, I don't believe my tires ever touched asphalt. I-80 was pretty lousy, but the state and U.S. highways were far worse. It might have been a problem, but as it turns out there was nobody on the road today. The bad part about the slick roads is always the speeding up and slowing down. With nobody in front of me, I could just let it roll and stay off the brakes so it wasn't that terrible. It wasn't any fun, but it wasn't terrible. My truck was doing it's best Spy Hunter smokescreen impersonation with the blowing snow, so I have no idea if anyone was behind me for a couple of hours, but there was nobody in front of me.
After I got through Lander, I saw the first signs of road maintenance since leaving I-80 in Rock Springs. The roads were a little wet and a little snowy, but not too bad. Then past Riverton it was perfect. Clear blue skies, clean dry pavement, and not a soul on the highway. Sweet.
I got another reminder today of one of my favorite things about this job. Yesterday there was the Provo Canyon situation, which may or may not have been legal. Today there were two spots that were just beautiful. First was the stretch of WY-28 winding through the mountains near South Pass City. That would have been a little better if I weren't worried about sliding off a cliff, but I got a chance to sneak a peek here and there. Then, north of Shoshoni, US-20 wound it's way through a huge canyon. I don't know what it's called, but it's every bit as picturesque as Glenwood Canyon in Colorado and a much easier drive. That was on the clean roads too, so I was able to enjoy it a little more.
For perspective, I'm a city boy. My idea of "getting away from it all" involves hopping a plane to New York and disappearing among the crowd for a week or so. I'm not what you would call a nature lover. Sometimes though, the view is pretty spectacular. I could always work in an office and drive out to Wyoming for leisure, but seriously, no. It's cool to have a job that puts me in those places every now and then.
The topper came a little further along the way. I might be the only one left who thinks that Beavis and Butthead are hilarious, but I almost lost it when I rolled through Meeteetse...
The next stretch after that was actually the slickest part of the trip, but I had such a dumbass grin on my face that I didn't pay much attention. For about ten miles, we're talking full-on hockey rink up and down hills and around curves.
Then upon rolling into Powell, I was reminded that I'm retarded. By the measure of every standardized test I've ever taken, my IQ is in the exceptional range. Personally, I have my doubts. I didn't realize until I got here that I had no idea where I was going. I never got directions from my employer, only an address. I meant to check Streets & Trips to get an idea before I left this morning, but I never did. So I found a parking lot and stopped to take a look. Then I passed the place and had to drive a couple of miles to find a turnaround spot. I sent in directions, but I have no idea who is working today or if they'll actually put the directions in the CFI computer. Oh well, at least I did my part. Now I get to hang out on the street until morning and then see what tomorrow holds.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Monday, December 24, 2007
12/24/07
Hahahaha, Tarvaris Jackson... hahahaha! I only got to watch the first quarter, but it looked a lot like last week's game against Chicago for that poor kid. Just out of his league man.
So... my plan summary said that I was to receive a relay in Salt Lake City at 3am Mountain. So, I set my alarm for a half hour before. When I woke up, I still hadn't received the information on the inbound truck and trailer. That's unusual. I sat around until 3am came and went, then hopped back in bed. I guessed that it was one of those imaginary ConWay loads. Sometimes ConWay will tell CFI that a load needs to go from here to there. Then CFI will get the trucks all lined up to relay the load across the country. Since the freight is time-sensitive, we have to be at the relay point early enough to take a full ten hour break. That way we can run a full shift without stopping once we get the load. Then sometimes ConWay calls CFI back and says, "Just kidding." Then the drivers have all wasted a day preparing to pull a load that doesn't exist. Maybe that's what happened to this relay, maybe not. I don't know.
In any case, they beeped me at around 8am to say that I was being re-assigned. I would be heading about 60 miles south and getting loaded for one stop in Wyoming and a second in Montana. I went down to the shipper and found that it was actually a drop/hook. The trailer was ready. The paperwork was ready. Not bad. Then, back to the north.
I got off I-15 at the exit for US-189 and ran it up through Provo. They had signs along the way saying, "Overweight and overheight vehicles, including 53' trailers, prohibited in Provo Canyon/US 189." Now, I think they probably meant that you aren't supposed to take a 53' trailer through the canyon. I think so, but I don't know. The wording was ambiguous enough to let my curiosity get the best of me. Maybe they meant the overweight/overheight part applies to 53' trailers, right? In that case, I was neither overweight nor overheight. Good enough for me. Into the canyon I went.
About four miles in, I saw something that I was hoping not to see. There sat a sheriff, hanging out and monitoring traffic. As I approached, he inched out toward the road. Shit. Well, you win some and you lose some. I started preparing my best, "Sorry sir, I misunderstood the sign." Then I passed him. He pulled out onto the road... and headed south. Beauty. Either my interpretation was good enough for the law or he just had better shit to do. Either way, it was onward and northward for me.
I kept waiting to see a reason that they didn't want 53' trucks going through there, but I couldn't find one. The lanes were nice and wide. There were no prolonged climbs. There was no snow on the road. There were no tight turns. There were no towns. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. In point of fact, it was about the nicest ride I've had in the last few months out here. I guess the locals just don't want these big ugly trucks screwing up their view.
I got up to Little America and stopped for a break. The rest of the trip is a little over 300 miles, but I don't have to be there until the morning of the 26th. I was planning to head a little further north today, but I don't know man. It's all off the interstate once I hit Rock Springs. There are no 24 hour truck stops on my route and tomorrow is Christmas, so I'm not too confident that I will find a place open with adequate restroom options along the way. I'm probably better off spending the day here and driving up tomorrow. An eight hour drive with no restrooms I can handle. A day and a half, not so much. My brother got me a couple of books for Christmas, so I guess I'll do a little reading.
So, what's the net result of the day's events? Lost a 500 mile run, replaced by a 518 mile run plus a 58 mile deadhead. I can't deliver this until the 26th, which makes tomorrow a lost day. But the original plan would have probably had me sitting tomorrow anyway. Plus, I have something like 320 miles from the first drop to the second one. At least that's some more miles plus a few bucks for the extra stop. All in all, it probably worked out better for me in the long run. By the time I drop in Montana I'll be right around 3,000 miles for the pay period. I'm still holding out hope for a strong finish to the year. Then apparently we'll have a five-day pay period as we transition to weekly pay. Then it will settle in to a paycheck once a week.
So... my plan summary said that I was to receive a relay in Salt Lake City at 3am Mountain. So, I set my alarm for a half hour before. When I woke up, I still hadn't received the information on the inbound truck and trailer. That's unusual. I sat around until 3am came and went, then hopped back in bed. I guessed that it was one of those imaginary ConWay loads. Sometimes ConWay will tell CFI that a load needs to go from here to there. Then CFI will get the trucks all lined up to relay the load across the country. Since the freight is time-sensitive, we have to be at the relay point early enough to take a full ten hour break. That way we can run a full shift without stopping once we get the load. Then sometimes ConWay calls CFI back and says, "Just kidding." Then the drivers have all wasted a day preparing to pull a load that doesn't exist. Maybe that's what happened to this relay, maybe not. I don't know.
In any case, they beeped me at around 8am to say that I was being re-assigned. I would be heading about 60 miles south and getting loaded for one stop in Wyoming and a second in Montana. I went down to the shipper and found that it was actually a drop/hook. The trailer was ready. The paperwork was ready. Not bad. Then, back to the north.
I got off I-15 at the exit for US-189 and ran it up through Provo. They had signs along the way saying, "Overweight and overheight vehicles, including 53' trailers, prohibited in Provo Canyon/US 189." Now, I think they probably meant that you aren't supposed to take a 53' trailer through the canyon. I think so, but I don't know. The wording was ambiguous enough to let my curiosity get the best of me. Maybe they meant the overweight/overheight part applies to 53' trailers, right? In that case, I was neither overweight nor overheight. Good enough for me. Into the canyon I went.
About four miles in, I saw something that I was hoping not to see. There sat a sheriff, hanging out and monitoring traffic. As I approached, he inched out toward the road. Shit. Well, you win some and you lose some. I started preparing my best, "Sorry sir, I misunderstood the sign." Then I passed him. He pulled out onto the road... and headed south. Beauty. Either my interpretation was good enough for the law or he just had better shit to do. Either way, it was onward and northward for me.
I kept waiting to see a reason that they didn't want 53' trucks going through there, but I couldn't find one. The lanes were nice and wide. There were no prolonged climbs. There was no snow on the road. There were no tight turns. There were no towns. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. In point of fact, it was about the nicest ride I've had in the last few months out here. I guess the locals just don't want these big ugly trucks screwing up their view.
I got up to Little America and stopped for a break. The rest of the trip is a little over 300 miles, but I don't have to be there until the morning of the 26th. I was planning to head a little further north today, but I don't know man. It's all off the interstate once I hit Rock Springs. There are no 24 hour truck stops on my route and tomorrow is Christmas, so I'm not too confident that I will find a place open with adequate restroom options along the way. I'm probably better off spending the day here and driving up tomorrow. An eight hour drive with no restrooms I can handle. A day and a half, not so much. My brother got me a couple of books for Christmas, so I guess I'll do a little reading.
So, what's the net result of the day's events? Lost a 500 mile run, replaced by a 518 mile run plus a 58 mile deadhead. I can't deliver this until the 26th, which makes tomorrow a lost day. But the original plan would have probably had me sitting tomorrow anyway. Plus, I have something like 320 miles from the first drop to the second one. At least that's some more miles plus a few bucks for the extra stop. All in all, it probably worked out better for me in the long run. By the time I drop in Montana I'll be right around 3,000 miles for the pay period. I'm still holding out hope for a strong finish to the year. Then apparently we'll have a five-day pay period as we transition to weekly pay. Then it will settle in to a paycheck once a week.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
12/23/07
Sometimes timing is everything. I got through most of Wyoming last night, then they closed I-80 behind me this morning. As the winds kicked up last night, I thought about turning in early. The fact that I decided to keep moving then paid off today. Snow started kicking up as I left Wyoming, but the accumulation was still light at that time. If I were a little later, that too might have been a problem.
I'm not a meteorologist and I guess that's a good thing. I would tend to think that the windward side of the mountains would have worse conditions than the leeward side, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Down the west side and into Salt Lake City everything was clean and dry.
I got to the ConWay yard and checked in, only to be told that they had no empties. Yeah, nice. Here we go again... I dropped my trailer, although it took twenty minutes to get out from under it. Freaking icy drop lots. Then, I caught a break. Apparently they had one guy breaking down loads today and I went looking for an empty right after he brought one out. Sometimes timing is everything.
Over at Sapp Brothers, I put my feet up and hoped for the best. I wasn't sure about what kind of freight to expect, but I got an answer about an hour later. They have me scheduled to take a relay here at the truck stop tomorrow morning and then pass it off to another driver in Sparks. That's a good 500 mile day for tomorrow, so I have no complaint there.
Waiting for Santa in a casino? Maybe.
I have to get some sleep on account of an early relay tomorrow, so I won't be able to watch much, but you guys know where my heart is tonight:
I'm not a meteorologist and I guess that's a good thing. I would tend to think that the windward side of the mountains would have worse conditions than the leeward side, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Down the west side and into Salt Lake City everything was clean and dry.
I got to the ConWay yard and checked in, only to be told that they had no empties. Yeah, nice. Here we go again... I dropped my trailer, although it took twenty minutes to get out from under it. Freaking icy drop lots. Then, I caught a break. Apparently they had one guy breaking down loads today and I went looking for an empty right after he brought one out. Sometimes timing is everything.
Over at Sapp Brothers, I put my feet up and hoped for the best. I wasn't sure about what kind of freight to expect, but I got an answer about an hour later. They have me scheduled to take a relay here at the truck stop tomorrow morning and then pass it off to another driver in Sparks. That's a good 500 mile day for tomorrow, so I have no complaint there.
Waiting for Santa in a casino? Maybe.
I have to get some sleep on account of an early relay tomorrow, so I won't be able to watch much, but you guys know where my heart is tonight:
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