Happy Thanksgiving

Birmingham, AL

I almost made it home today, but according to DOT regulations I'm too tired to drive. So I'm sitting in B-Ham for ten hours.

Yesterday, I left Jacksonville at 6am and made it to Orlando at 9am for my delivery appointment. Then it was back to Jacksonville to get loaded at a recycling facility that barely accommodates cars, let alone tractor-trailers. Way too tight. Just getting there was a challenge. When I got off I-95 I needed to go left, but I could only go right. Good times. I was only a couple miles away, but my appointment time was fast approaching and I didn't know how long it would take for me to get un-lost, so I made a quick call to my dispatcher to apprise her of the situation so she could call the shipper. Two left turns later, I was heading in the right direction. Then, the entrance to the facility snuck up on me, so I ended up having to get turned around again. Once I got loaded I drove over to Baldwin and stopped for the night.

I had a lot of ground to cover today, so I woke up at 3:15am and I was rolling by 4:30am. I made it to the receiver in Childersburg, AL for a nice easy drop/hook around noon. Next, I had to go over to Fairfield, AL to pick-up the load that is getting me home. Yellow posts by the road, dirt driveway...alright, I found it. Goat path is a pretty accurate description of the entrance to this place. A ninety degree turn here, down a hill, another ninety degree turn, up a hill....I think they found an old logging site and just started building crap. Whatever, they had me loaded in no time and I was on my way.

I hope to be home by 7-ish and on the road to K-town by 8. See y'all soon.

Jacksonville, FL

I had a nice smooth ride down I-75 today and made my appointment with no problems. The problem happened after I was unloaded when I noticed a significant puddle of fluid under the truck. I'll be calling the shop in the morning to see what they want me to do.

I'm fortunate enough to have a couple friends in the Jacksonville area, so after I parked the truck for the night, they picked me up and we went out to dinner.

Time for a good night's sleep before the fun begins tomorrow morning.

Hometime?

I asked my dispatcher when I could plan on being home. This was her reply.

Lebanon, IN

The weekend is off to a good start! The mechanic came knocking at 7am to take my truck, so I hopped out and went across the street for some breakfast. The brakes had to be inspected, plus I wanted a few other items taken care of. I now have a power inverter installed so I can have a tv and mini-fridge. They also fixed the lumbar support and the "desk" in the cabinet behind the driver's seat. The best part is they were done around lunch time. I've heard stories about guys being stuck there for days getting their truck worked on, so I guess I got lucky.

And because the shop guys were so awesome and got me out of there quickly, I still got the Florida load. I made it to the shipper around 3pm and was told the trailer was pre-loaded, sealed, and ready to go. Sweet. I was out of there in an hour. I actually have two stops, one in Jacksonville on Monday, and the last in Orlando on Tuesday. Including today, that will be three days of nothing but wake up and drive, then shut down and sleep. If only every day were like this.

"Pull around..."

In this profession, I have learned, planning is absolutely pointless. Whether it's waiting in the docks, stuck in traffic, snowed in, or being inspected by the fine folks at Wisconsin DOT, something is going to happen that rips my neat little plan to shreds. Now I know. And knowing is half the battle. If you picked up on that reference, good for you. If not, you were deprived as a child.

Around noon, after seeing traffic moving pretty well and not hearing any horror stories on the CB, I decided it was time to get back on the road. The roads were damp but clear, it wasn't snowing, and the sun was trying to peek through. Five seconds later, I couldn't see the pavement in front of me. The snow didn't last long and I made it out of Michigan and through Indiana without any problems. Then into Illinois. Chicago traffic was, well, Chicago traffic.

As soon as I get into Wisconsin, I go over the scales and get the dreaded "Pull around to the inspection garage" sign. I knew I wasn't overweight, so I figured I was just the unlucky sap they decided to pick on. The officer checked my lights and brakes, looked over my logs and paperwork and told me I could go, but that I needed to get the trailer brakes adjusted soon. So I made my delivery in Menasha and headed to the yard to drop the trailer. So much for picking up the load to Florida. It actually worked out well because I can get the shop to install my inverter and fix the driver's seat while I'm here, hopefully.

More snow!

No more tire tracks...