Wednesday, May 27, 2009
5/27/09
A good easy day of driving and nothing more... awesome. I didn't set an alarm for this morning and my truck didn't heat up too much until I was already awake... awesome. I got to Jackson after the morning rush was starting to die down and past Memphis before the afternoon rush kicked in... awesome. I made it all the way to the Nashville suburbs with only a brief rain shower along the way, just enough to de-bug the windshield... awesome. I left myself just over seven hours of driving from here to my consignee and the Google Earth check seems to indicate that I'll be able to park there tomorrow night... awesome. The GM bondholders told the board to get lost and held onto our last hope for contract law and capitalism in America... awesome. I have a nice fast internet connection so I'll be able to watch the Wings dispose of those cheapshot artists from the land of Capone, Blago, and you-know-who... awesome.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
5/26/09
You know what I really like about my job? I like the fact that I can make a hundred dumb decisions every day and, more often than not, those dumb decisions don't affect anyone but me. When other people make dumb decisions on the other hand...
I can't figure out any logical reason that I was sent to that ConWay yard on the northwest side of Houston yesterday. We've already covered the fact that they were closed. Now we can add the little tidbit that they only have two CTL trailers in their tiny little yard at a time - exactly the number that they need, incidentally. So the decision to have me drive over there was a dumb one.
UPS - no empties. ConWay - no empties. So, where to next? I got the distinct pleasure of driving down to the other side of Houston during the morning rush hour. Supposedly they always have a lot of empty trailers. 20 mile drive... 55 minutes. Sweet. Yeah, they didn't have any empties either. Dumb.
Fourth time is the charm, or something like that. From the second ConWay yard I was sent to another trucking company that does some local work in the Houston area on our behalf. The lady in charge was exceedingly pleasant and she gave me the number of an empty that I could take. The trailer was nice and clean inside just for good measure. And the gal was kinda cute. Good deal.
So, after a day and a half of nonsense, I was finally ready to head to the shipper in La Porte and pick up my next load. That place is a bit of a pain in the ass sometimes but today wasn't too terrible. Setting aside the long line of trucks waiting to get in, things seemed to be fairly efficient today. I got my 42,000 pounds of plastic and hit the road before too long. Ohio, here we come.
The paid 'practical' miles out of the Houston area to the Midwest tend to reflect a route up US-59 to Arkansas and then across to Memphis. Every truck routing program that I have ever seen lists the 'practical' route as going across Louisiana and then up I-55 to Memphis. I usually run up US-59 anyway, so it doesn't amount to a big issue. It's just odd that I can't seem to find a program listing the 'practical' route as the one for which I'm getting paid. It's like they have some magical mystery dispatch program or something. Anyhow, I'm getting sidetracked. Since the load is so heavy and I had my fill of traffic earlier in the day, I decided to take the all-interstate route and headed eastward on I-10. That's all I was trying to say.
By the time I got to Mississippi I was feeling pretty hungry and bored, so that was that for today. There's a big old truck stop at Exit 42. My delivery is set for Friday morning so I've left myself two days of 7-8 hours on the road from here. That should work pretty well for me.
So I heard those wacky North Koreans are defying UN resolutions again. Who would have figured? But it's almost like I've seen this episode before... [Content Warning: Not safe for work]
I can't figure out any logical reason that I was sent to that ConWay yard on the northwest side of Houston yesterday. We've already covered the fact that they were closed. Now we can add the little tidbit that they only have two CTL trailers in their tiny little yard at a time - exactly the number that they need, incidentally. So the decision to have me drive over there was a dumb one.
UPS - no empties. ConWay - no empties. So, where to next? I got the distinct pleasure of driving down to the other side of Houston during the morning rush hour. Supposedly they always have a lot of empty trailers. 20 mile drive... 55 minutes. Sweet. Yeah, they didn't have any empties either. Dumb.
Fourth time is the charm, or something like that. From the second ConWay yard I was sent to another trucking company that does some local work in the Houston area on our behalf. The lady in charge was exceedingly pleasant and she gave me the number of an empty that I could take. The trailer was nice and clean inside just for good measure. And the gal was kinda cute. Good deal.
So, after a day and a half of nonsense, I was finally ready to head to the shipper in La Porte and pick up my next load. That place is a bit of a pain in the ass sometimes but today wasn't too terrible. Setting aside the long line of trucks waiting to get in, things seemed to be fairly efficient today. I got my 42,000 pounds of plastic and hit the road before too long. Ohio, here we come.
The paid 'practical' miles out of the Houston area to the Midwest tend to reflect a route up US-59 to Arkansas and then across to Memphis. Every truck routing program that I have ever seen lists the 'practical' route as going across Louisiana and then up I-55 to Memphis. I usually run up US-59 anyway, so it doesn't amount to a big issue. It's just odd that I can't seem to find a program listing the 'practical' route as the one for which I'm getting paid. It's like they have some magical mystery dispatch program or something. Anyhow, I'm getting sidetracked. Since the load is so heavy and I had my fill of traffic earlier in the day, I decided to take the all-interstate route and headed eastward on I-10. That's all I was trying to say.
By the time I got to Mississippi I was feeling pretty hungry and bored, so that was that for today. There's a big old truck stop at Exit 42. My delivery is set for Friday morning so I've left myself two days of 7-8 hours on the road from here. That should work pretty well for me.
So I heard those wacky North Koreans are defying UN resolutions again. Who would have figured? But it's almost like I've seen this episode before... [Content Warning: Not safe for work]
Monday, May 25, 2009
5/25/09
Man. Someone is going to have to retrieve an empty trailer from a construction site in College Station within the next week or so. I do not envy that driver. That being said, I put the damn thing in there in reverse, so my sympathy only runs so deep. My drive to the site took around an hour this morning. The process of dropping the trailer took another hour. We won't be able to have any fun with satellite imagery this time around, on account of the fact that the place isn't fully built yet. Thus, it hasn't been photographed. I do believe that it may have been the single toughest course to navigate that I've seen in my nearly three years working this gig. The guy who met me at the entrance this morning asked if I've been driving for a while. "About an hour or so," said I. No, no, no. He wanted to know how long I have been a truck driver. Apparently the guy who delivered last week (from a company that rhymes with Shmerner) had some issues. They were hoping that I would do a little better.
What can I say? I'm a pro (or I'm lucky... or I'm blessed... or whatever it is). The construction entrance was closed due to freshly poured cement, so I had to drive in through the main entrance to an apartment complex. Then it was a pretty damn tight serpentine route through to the part of the complex that is currently being built. I started to exhale once that part was over, since I didn't tear up any of the landscaping like my predecessor had done. We were just getting started though.
Next I had to make a wicked tight turn between two long dumpsters and set up to move backward. I won't bore you with the whole play-by-play but it was crazy. The final maneuver was to drop the trailer, unhook, reorient my truck, hook the trailer again from the side, and back my truck to move the front of the trailer sideways, getting it out of the street. I thought of that slick move myself. There wasn't enough room for me to swing my truck around as long as I was hooked to the trailer. Every productive movement of my truck was being offset by a counterproductive movement of the trailer. By unhooking in the middle of the process, I was able to leave the ass end of the trailer in place while I got jacked around to the side of it. I don't think they recommend that sort of thing in truck driving school, but it worked like a beauty. Sucks for whoever has to pick up that trailer next though.
I headed over to Wal Mart to grab a fantastic Italian BMT with double meat for lunch and wait for whatever came next. I had to get on the board without a trailer and the computers won't let me do this via Qualcomm, so it was time for my first phone call of the day to Joplin. The fella on the other end didn't seem entirely clear on what was being done ("Let us know if you do find an empty...") but he did get me on the board. He said that I was #10 at the time. The web portal said I was #1. I dunno. By the time I ate my lunch, took a nap, and went back in to do some shopping, I had an assignment waiting for me.
In order to make my next pickup, I would need an empty trailer. No worries, I was told. Head to the UPS terminal in Houston and grab an empty. I drove to Houston and checked in with the security gal at UPS. After two laps around the terminal it was clear that they had no CTL empties. Time for the second call to Joplin. The gal on the phone this time said that I would have to wait at the ConWay yard until they had an empty. Of course, this might have made sense if I were at a ConWay yard. So she sent me directions to the ConWay on the west end of Houston. And off we go...
The ConWay yard is all chained up and nobody's home. Third call to Joplin. Since my next load is about thirty miles from here and I'm not due until 11am, I was told to hang out here until ConWay opens in the morning and then grab an empty. We'll see how that goes, but good enough. I found an empty parking lot around the corner and set up camp for the night. A little while later, I received a call from Joplin (fourth call today). The guy this time asked me if I had an empty trailer yet. I don't guess I really need to comment on that one. Yeah.
On the plus side...
Single use charcoal grill combo from Wal Mart - $6
Comfy camp chair from Wal Mart - $10
Burgers, buns, and cheese from Kroger - $11
A sunny sky and a holiday cookout for dinner - Priceless
Happy Memorial Day everyone.
What can I say? I'm a pro (or I'm lucky... or I'm blessed... or whatever it is). The construction entrance was closed due to freshly poured cement, so I had to drive in through the main entrance to an apartment complex. Then it was a pretty damn tight serpentine route through to the part of the complex that is currently being built. I started to exhale once that part was over, since I didn't tear up any of the landscaping like my predecessor had done. We were just getting started though.
Next I had to make a wicked tight turn between two long dumpsters and set up to move backward. I won't bore you with the whole play-by-play but it was crazy. The final maneuver was to drop the trailer, unhook, reorient my truck, hook the trailer again from the side, and back my truck to move the front of the trailer sideways, getting it out of the street. I thought of that slick move myself. There wasn't enough room for me to swing my truck around as long as I was hooked to the trailer. Every productive movement of my truck was being offset by a counterproductive movement of the trailer. By unhooking in the middle of the process, I was able to leave the ass end of the trailer in place while I got jacked around to the side of it. I don't think they recommend that sort of thing in truck driving school, but it worked like a beauty. Sucks for whoever has to pick up that trailer next though.
I headed over to Wal Mart to grab a fantastic Italian BMT with double meat for lunch and wait for whatever came next. I had to get on the board without a trailer and the computers won't let me do this via Qualcomm, so it was time for my first phone call of the day to Joplin. The fella on the other end didn't seem entirely clear on what was being done ("Let us know if you do find an empty...") but he did get me on the board. He said that I was #10 at the time. The web portal said I was #1. I dunno. By the time I ate my lunch, took a nap, and went back in to do some shopping, I had an assignment waiting for me.
In order to make my next pickup, I would need an empty trailer. No worries, I was told. Head to the UPS terminal in Houston and grab an empty. I drove to Houston and checked in with the security gal at UPS. After two laps around the terminal it was clear that they had no CTL empties. Time for the second call to Joplin. The gal on the phone this time said that I would have to wait at the ConWay yard until they had an empty. Of course, this might have made sense if I were at a ConWay yard. So she sent me directions to the ConWay on the west end of Houston. And off we go...
The ConWay yard is all chained up and nobody's home. Third call to Joplin. Since my next load is about thirty miles from here and I'm not due until 11am, I was told to hang out here until ConWay opens in the morning and then grab an empty. We'll see how that goes, but good enough. I found an empty parking lot around the corner and set up camp for the night. A little while later, I received a call from Joplin (fourth call today). The guy this time asked me if I had an empty trailer yet. I don't guess I really need to comment on that one. Yeah.
On the plus side...
Single use charcoal grill combo from Wal Mart - $6
Comfy camp chair from Wal Mart - $10
Burgers, buns, and cheese from Kroger - $11
A sunny sky and a holiday cookout for dinner - Priceless
Happy Memorial Day everyone.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
5/24/09
I was forced to write another new law today. Effective immediately, the residents of Texas are forbidden to drive on any major freeway when rain is falling from the sky. 35mph in the left lane is absolutely unacceptable under any circumstance, especially when traffic in the right lane is also moving at 35mph. I now have data points ranging from El Paso to San Antonio to Dallas to Houston. The facts speak for themselves. These people can't drive in the rain.
The depressing saga of my days in the darkness continued for another chapter today. It was sunny when I left Slidell. That lasted for about ten minutes. Then the soakers started. The people in Louisiana weren't handling the rainy weather a whole lot better, but they at least had the sense to get the hell out of the way when I approached from behind them in the left lane. The traffic from Orange to Houston was ludicrous. The traffic in Houston was worse. By the time I got onto US-290 toward Austin, I had endured all that I could handle. I found a Shell station with truck parking within a few minutes and thus managed to preserve what little is left of my sanity. It looks like I'll have about 60 miles to drive in the morning.
Since my recommendations regarding traffic laws will never be implemented, I'll go ahead and make a recommendation for the folks who play hockey in Chicago. This recommendation won't be implemented either, but here goes... Every team that plays the Red Wings, every year in the playoffs, year after year after year, thinks that it will intimidate them and gain some kind of advantage. It doesn't work. They've seen it all a thousand times and they're better than you. Knock off the cheap shots after the whistle and you won't spend as much time in the penalty box. Your wannabe tough guy routine is not helping your cause. If your coach isn't going to tell you this, then somebody has to.
It's not raining. I'll be damned.
The depressing saga of my days in the darkness continued for another chapter today. It was sunny when I left Slidell. That lasted for about ten minutes. Then the soakers started. The people in Louisiana weren't handling the rainy weather a whole lot better, but they at least had the sense to get the hell out of the way when I approached from behind them in the left lane. The traffic from Orange to Houston was ludicrous. The traffic in Houston was worse. By the time I got onto US-290 toward Austin, I had endured all that I could handle. I found a Shell station with truck parking within a few minutes and thus managed to preserve what little is left of my sanity. It looks like I'll have about 60 miles to drive in the morning.
Since my recommendations regarding traffic laws will never be implemented, I'll go ahead and make a recommendation for the folks who play hockey in Chicago. This recommendation won't be implemented either, but here goes... Every team that plays the Red Wings, every year in the playoffs, year after year after year, thinks that it will intimidate them and gain some kind of advantage. It doesn't work. They've seen it all a thousand times and they're better than you. Knock off the cheap shots after the whistle and you won't spend as much time in the penalty box. Your wannabe tough guy routine is not helping your cause. If your coach isn't going to tell you this, then somebody has to.
It's not raining. I'll be damned.
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