We all remember the situation where the police "acted stupidly" and then some people had a beer at the White House, right? I can't say for sure, but I think today we may have seen the exact opposite. A white guy chose to employ the 'yes sir, no sir' technique in dealing with a black cop, rather than yell at the fine public servant. The black cop responded in an equally respectful manner, rather than arrest the white guy. At the end of the day, our white guy wound up with a Level 3 inspection form. The only listed violation was a warning for speeding, with no citation. No harm, no foul. For reasons that might be explained by the Fifth Amendment to our constitution, we'll have to leave this part without any further detail, but I would like The One™ to know that my preferred brand is Guinness... you know... just in case there's a teachable moment... or something.
Aside from that little bit of drama in Indy, today's drive was an easy one. My relay showed up a few minutes early and I managed to stay an hour or so behind the rain that pelted Ohio and Michigan today. I can't park at the consignee, so Ottawa Lake was about as close as I could get. A friend of mine works at Cabela's in Dundee and she was getting off work at 5pm, so she was kind enough to pick me up and we headed out for a nice dinner. You know the day is going your way when you order a New York strip and the kitchen sends out a sirloin, then they bring you a strip and apologize for the mixup, telling you to keep both steaks for one low price. Beauty. (Can I eat two steaks, you ask? Yes, I can eat two steaks.)
The pay week is going to come up just short of $1,000 this time around, but 2,541 miles is a solid performance in my book. I'll be under the jurisdiction of the folks in Taylor once I make my drop tomorrow, so I'll hold out hope for a decent start to next week. They seem to do a decent job of lining up freight. Even if there's no freight to assign, I suppose there's a chance they'll bring me back to the yard (30 miles). If so, I can sit on my comfy couch and read my mail from the last couple of months while I await whatever comes next. If not... whatever. We'll just have to see.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
8/7/09
Another afternoon with no trailer? Well, I couldn't pass on that opportunity twice in a row. A little time at a crappy shopping mall and a dinner at a crappy Applebee's seemed to do the trick. Not exactly a vacation on the Riviera, but anything to break up the routine would be good at this point. I think I'm starting to get a little burned out. Trying to hang in there for a few more weeks before taking some time off though.
I got up right at 4am and drove across the street to the Con-way terminal. In a pleasant surprise, my loaded trailer was ready and waiting for me. It seems like I've been stuck waiting until the last minute for Con-way loads lately. Getting an early start is a good way to loosen up the timeline. In a less pleasant surprise, the load was 45,700 pounds - easily the heaviest Con-way load that I've ever pulled. That'll force a fella to drive with a little extra attention and patience.
I had to be in Normal, Illinois by 10:30am Central, so it seemed that I should have plenty of time to drop down on I-69 and then run US-24 across Indiana. I wasn't sure how many towns I might encounter, but surely this would be a better ride than dealing with that I-80 fustercluck in the northwestern part of the state and then dropping down on I-55. There weren't that many towns along US-24, the speed limit was largely 55-60mph, and the traffic was light. Beauty. I even got far enough ahead of schedule for a half hour power nap once I got into Illinois before finishing off the trip.
I pulled into the little Con-way yard and the fella directed me to my dock door. Of course, I got the one door at the whole place that would be a mild pain in the ass. The lot on the south side of the building was more narrow than the lot on the north side. I was going to the south side then, obviously, but that wasn't much of an issue. The nature of the narrow lot, combined with the fuel pump that blocked my angle of approach, caused me to take a few extra minutes backing in extra carefully. I got 'er done though, 'cause that's what truck drivers do.
There were no empties on the lot, so I had to wait for one of our trailers to get unloaded. The forklift dude was working quickly at the time though. I sent in my empty call once it looked like he was almost done and I instantly was given a new assignment. Beauty.
The next order of business was to take my empty to a customer in Gibson City and drop it off, then bobtail to our yard in Pocahontas for a relay arriving tomorrow morning. IL-9 was closed and the detour added about twenty miles to my route on the way to Gibson City, but otherwise the afternoon's work was a nice and easy affair. I dropped the empty and then headed down toward Decatur, stopping in Forsyth for the aforementioned break from the routine. Continuing down onto I-70 and into Pocahontas, I never encountered more than a hint of traffic and all was right with the world.
My Tigers are giving me heartburn at the moment but they're hanging on. All these bullshit work schedules lately have been giving me heartburn as well, but I'm hanging on. Tomorrow's relay is set for 7:30am Central though, so hopefully we can continue the trend back toward normalcy. I think my 70-hour blues should be in remission for at least a few days as well. The load that I'll be receiving is going to Temperance, Michigan for Sunday morning. That's only 400-something miles so I should be able to bank a few more extra hours from those that I used last week. (To this day, I have no idea what the eight day thing is all about.) A few more busy days would put me right back in the 'waiting for midnight' role, but I don't anticipate much work on a Sunday in Southeastern Michigan.
Going to the ninth inning and then going to bed, I think...
I got up right at 4am and drove across the street to the Con-way terminal. In a pleasant surprise, my loaded trailer was ready and waiting for me. It seems like I've been stuck waiting until the last minute for Con-way loads lately. Getting an early start is a good way to loosen up the timeline. In a less pleasant surprise, the load was 45,700 pounds - easily the heaviest Con-way load that I've ever pulled. That'll force a fella to drive with a little extra attention and patience.
I had to be in Normal, Illinois by 10:30am Central, so it seemed that I should have plenty of time to drop down on I-69 and then run US-24 across Indiana. I wasn't sure how many towns I might encounter, but surely this would be a better ride than dealing with that I-80 fustercluck in the northwestern part of the state and then dropping down on I-55. There weren't that many towns along US-24, the speed limit was largely 55-60mph, and the traffic was light. Beauty. I even got far enough ahead of schedule for a half hour power nap once I got into Illinois before finishing off the trip.
I pulled into the little Con-way yard and the fella directed me to my dock door. Of course, I got the one door at the whole place that would be a mild pain in the ass. The lot on the south side of the building was more narrow than the lot on the north side. I was going to the south side then, obviously, but that wasn't much of an issue. The nature of the narrow lot, combined with the fuel pump that blocked my angle of approach, caused me to take a few extra minutes backing in extra carefully. I got 'er done though, 'cause that's what truck drivers do.
There were no empties on the lot, so I had to wait for one of our trailers to get unloaded. The forklift dude was working quickly at the time though. I sent in my empty call once it looked like he was almost done and I instantly was given a new assignment. Beauty.
The next order of business was to take my empty to a customer in Gibson City and drop it off, then bobtail to our yard in Pocahontas for a relay arriving tomorrow morning. IL-9 was closed and the detour added about twenty miles to my route on the way to Gibson City, but otherwise the afternoon's work was a nice and easy affair. I dropped the empty and then headed down toward Decatur, stopping in Forsyth for the aforementioned break from the routine. Continuing down onto I-70 and into Pocahontas, I never encountered more than a hint of traffic and all was right with the world.
My Tigers are giving me heartburn at the moment but they're hanging on. All these bullshit work schedules lately have been giving me heartburn as well, but I'm hanging on. Tomorrow's relay is set for 7:30am Central though, so hopefully we can continue the trend back toward normalcy. I think my 70-hour blues should be in remission for at least a few days as well. The load that I'll be receiving is going to Temperance, Michigan for Sunday morning. That's only 400-something miles so I should be able to bank a few more extra hours from those that I used last week. (To this day, I have no idea what the eight day thing is all about.) A few more busy days would put me right back in the 'waiting for midnight' role, but I don't anticipate much work on a Sunday in Southeastern Michigan.
Going to the ninth inning and then going to bed, I think...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
8/6/09
Man, I'm really getting boring. A whole afternoon to kill, with no trailer, and what do I do? I sit in my truck and read a freaking book. It's a pretty decent book, but still. Lame.
There are only a handful of ways that a day can go when I get started before 2am and use half the day's hours in reaching my consignee. The way that the day usually goes, especially in the Midwest, is that I get assigned to a Con-way load for the following morning. Today stayed true to form. As I turned into the consignee's lot in Columbia City, my next planned load info came through. Picking up in Fremont and going to Normal. Eh, good enough. Maybe I'll get a little breathing room vis a vis the 70 hour rule for a few days.
The 44,000 pounds of copper consisted of only six spools, so the unloading was done in short order and I was on my way further up I-69 to Fremont. I dropped my trailer and headed over to the Pilot for some lunch and a shower. Wendy's was still serving breakfast. Dude, that sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit is awesome. I never had breakfast at Wendy's before. May have to keep them in mind.
My internet connection sucks, so searching online for something entertaining to do in this area was a little too frustrating. I wasn't really in the mood to start wandering aimlessly, so we arrive at the lame conclusion of this day's saga - reading. A textbook, no less. Lame.
A 4am wakeup call is a little better than a 1:30am wakeup call, so I think we're making some progress on the work front. Not sure what may come up for the weekend after I'm empty tomorrow. The light day today has left me with some hours to burn and I'll be a little over 1,900 miles, so the week could turn out pretty good with a decent weekend.
I just got a text message from a friend of mine. He put on his Brooks Brothers clothes today and got in line for Congressman Dingell's town hall meeting an hour before it was scheduled to start. The meeting organizer was expecting 175 people. 300 were already inside. He had about 50-60 more ahead of him and wasn't sure if he would be able to get in. Behind him...
I don't exactly agree with his politics, but I will say this much for Congressman Dingell. He has occasionally bucked his party in order to stick up for his constituents. Not often, but at least once every few years or so. Usually on matters of gun rights (lots of hunters back home) and environmental matters (lots of factories back home). I'll be interested to hear how this one turns out. Probably about as one would expect, since he was the one who introduced the current House bill into committee. I live in solid Democrat country anyway, so maybe they're showing up in support of the congressman. I don't know. Hopefully my buddy can get his paycheck from the insurance lobbyists and buy a ticket to that Notre Dame game next month though.
There are only a handful of ways that a day can go when I get started before 2am and use half the day's hours in reaching my consignee. The way that the day usually goes, especially in the Midwest, is that I get assigned to a Con-way load for the following morning. Today stayed true to form. As I turned into the consignee's lot in Columbia City, my next planned load info came through. Picking up in Fremont and going to Normal. Eh, good enough. Maybe I'll get a little breathing room vis a vis the 70 hour rule for a few days.
The 44,000 pounds of copper consisted of only six spools, so the unloading was done in short order and I was on my way further up I-69 to Fremont. I dropped my trailer and headed over to the Pilot for some lunch and a shower. Wendy's was still serving breakfast. Dude, that sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit is awesome. I never had breakfast at Wendy's before. May have to keep them in mind.
My internet connection sucks, so searching online for something entertaining to do in this area was a little too frustrating. I wasn't really in the mood to start wandering aimlessly, so we arrive at the lame conclusion of this day's saga - reading. A textbook, no less. Lame.
A 4am wakeup call is a little better than a 1:30am wakeup call, so I think we're making some progress on the work front. Not sure what may come up for the weekend after I'm empty tomorrow. The light day today has left me with some hours to burn and I'll be a little over 1,900 miles, so the week could turn out pretty good with a decent weekend.
I just got a text message from a friend of mine. He put on his Brooks Brothers clothes today and got in line for Congressman Dingell's town hall meeting an hour before it was scheduled to start. The meeting organizer was expecting 175 people. 300 were already inside. He had about 50-60 more ahead of him and wasn't sure if he would be able to get in. Behind him...
I don't exactly agree with his politics, but I will say this much for Congressman Dingell. He has occasionally bucked his party in order to stick up for his constituents. Not often, but at least once every few years or so. Usually on matters of gun rights (lots of hunters back home) and environmental matters (lots of factories back home). I'll be interested to hear how this one turns out. Probably about as one would expect, since he was the one who introduced the current House bill into committee. I live in solid Democrat country anyway, so maybe they're showing up in support of the congressman. I don't know. Hopefully my buddy can get his paycheck from the insurance lobbyists and buy a ticket to that Notre Dame game next month though.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
8/5/09
Anyone out there tired? I didn't think I was. Turns out I was wrong. As of 2pm today, I'm officially too tired to drive. Not much else to say really. It was a pretty easy and uneventful trip across Missouri and into Illinois. My hours held out until I got to Vandalia, so I should have around 300 miles to go from here. 2am wake-up call, anyone? That should be pretty awesome for keeping tired drivers off the street. On the bright side, I'll probably get through Indy before the morning traffic gets too heavy. You know me - always Mr. Sunshine... or something.
The economic depression in Michigan finally hit home today. I found that Notre Dame has some tickets available for the opening game on September 5th against Nevada. It seems that the Wolfpack don't travel particularly well, so they returned some tickets. Face value seats, in the endzone but you know, not too bad. I know exactly four Notre Dame fans in Michigan, other than myself. Two unemployed friends of mine have no money and can't swing a trip to South Bend. One unemployed brother of mine has no money and can't swing a trip to South Bend. And that other brother of mine... married. The wife didn't necessarily put the clamps on him per se, but he's using up all of his leave time to take her on another trip when they just had a honeymoon six weeks ago. So he can't take the Saturday off work to attend the game. Priorities? Questionable indeed.
There is hope on the horizon though. I really didn't think there would ever be a way to pay off the national debt. Thankfully, someone has a pretty clever idea...
U.S. Government Stages Fake Coup To Wipe Out National Debt
The economic depression in Michigan finally hit home today. I found that Notre Dame has some tickets available for the opening game on September 5th against Nevada. It seems that the Wolfpack don't travel particularly well, so they returned some tickets. Face value seats, in the endzone but you know, not too bad. I know exactly four Notre Dame fans in Michigan, other than myself. Two unemployed friends of mine have no money and can't swing a trip to South Bend. One unemployed brother of mine has no money and can't swing a trip to South Bend. And that other brother of mine... married. The wife didn't necessarily put the clamps on him per se, but he's using up all of his leave time to take her on another trip when they just had a honeymoon six weeks ago. So he can't take the Saturday off work to attend the game. Priorities? Questionable indeed.
There is hope on the horizon though. I really didn't think there would ever be a way to pay off the national debt. Thankfully, someone has a pretty clever idea...
U.S. Government Stages Fake Coup To Wipe Out National Debt
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