10/31/2009

As I sent my breakdown message Wed. I got a deadhead move to Mount Holly Springs, PA. This is my least favorite load point. In fact I hate it. It invaribly involves a flatbed or step deck and the tarping work is twice at much work. Last time I was there was the screwy two stop load to FL. and even the loading there took extra long because the load had to be rearranged.

So now it is Thursday and I had hoped the Mount Holly Springs ship had sailed so to speak. At 1pm they released my truck. I had my nav aids back up and running and I could again make coffee in the truck. Life is good. I kinda figured that this being my hometime weekend would disuade them from sending me to M.H.S. and they would send me to a preload point. NOPE "DH to MHS will advise". Damn and double damn what a way to end this roadtrip. So I'm tooling down the road and couple hours later the W/A comes through. Proceed to ..... Laurinburg, NC for a Jackson, MS load delivering Tuesday. Hooray!!!!!! Old fart dancin in the driver's seat. Now I'm big time happy.

I didn't have to change direction because I was told well before that would be needed. OK. New plan driving till my 11hrs were exhausted would get me to southern VA or Northern NC. I proceed down the I-86- I-180- PA322 - I-81/PA581 US15s I270-I495 I95 corridor. I get to Ruthford Glenn south of DC and see the Aunt Sarah's Pancake House on the right. there are a couple of parking spaces available and I'm hungry as I can be. Pull in and park it. It's 11pm and the place is closed. Well darn alright maybe it will be open for breakfast. I won't be able to legally leave until 9am so a nice leisurely breakfast is the plan. Off to sleep I go. Wake up at 6am and the joint is still closed. Aunt Sarah's didn't make it. Oh well putzed around on the computer till 9 and away I go.

About 12 I pull into Sadler's at xt75 in NC and decide I can't ignore the hunger any more. I take a look at the buffet there as I head to the restroom. Hmmmmm... Nah I just order something off the menu. The buffet looked a little weak. Later I realized the buffet was only 6.95 and that included the drink during lunch. So the buffet wasn't a bad deal after all, but I had a taste for some breakfast food.

About 3 o'clock I pull into the yard drop the trlr and head inside to hassle a friend who just got back on the road. Spent a few minutes doing that and got over to the plant to grab my load. Cinch up the ropes check out the securement and away I go. About 9pm drop the trlr where I rent a space for when I'm home.

Get home wife is not feeling good and she has been tending my daughter who just got 4 wisdom teeth pulled out the day before. It could be an interesting weekend. My new bluetooth interface for the truck radio has just arrived. Plan on getting it installed this weekend. Hopefully it works as well as advertised.

Have a good week end and talk to you on Monday

Bookerz out

10/28/2009

I left off last with the truck acting screwy. Much better term than I'm using in my mind.

Next question I ask myself (because we have clearly determined maintenance is no help). Can I make it to the consignee safely?? I shut down the tractor and restarted it.

*Tractor ABS warning disappears

All outside lights work. Small wiff of smoke disappears (opening windows helped that and closing didn't increase smell). Put auto tranny into gear rolls -increase speed- shifts normal. Test brakes -- they work fine.

All critical systems seem to be working fine. I make the decision to roll.

Five hours to consigneee. No XM radio (middle of the night), no college lectures on the computer (no power). buttt...... the regular radio works gotta find a new station every 15 min but it works. Made it to the consignee with 10 min to spare (don't think they were watching or worrying all that hard) but I wasn't late my own personall pet peeve.

Made it to the consignee. Got unloaded. Time to deal with Fleet net. Fleet net responds head to Rochester, NY. Address is such and such.... break out the atlas... not visible. Call Freight shaker dealer in Rochester. Directions a blind man can follow. It's a good thing too because my computer/gps is out of power. Get there nice as pie staff, Pull my tractor into the bay 45min later. They got to order the part (overnight) won'tbe here till tomorrow. Time to find a hotel for the night.

And here I sit in the hotel. Someone smuggled in a few adult beverages. Gonna call it a day at this point

Have good good day/night

Bookerz out

10/27/2009

Let's see..... I left you in Laurinburg taking off at dark 30 and making a dash for PA.

Well I got up at 1am cinched down the load and hit the road. Made it just shy of the VA line on I-95 and figured my mind and eyes were drifting a bit too touch. Time to grab a nap. Pulled off before I got to VA and grabbed a 1:45min nap. Woke up somewhat refreshed (at least no wonering mind) and took off yet again. Gonna try a different route that avoids the DC metro area. Turned off on US17 to I-66, I-81, then back to the (now) normal route to upstate NY. It adds 30-40 miles to the route but avoids the stress of the DC area. Fair trade if you ask me. Made it to New Buffalo, PA and Angie's Truck stop/Resturant. I could have driven an hour more but I didn't like the Petro at I-80/I-180. More specifically I didn't like the buffet there or the parking. Nuff said. I thought about eating at Angie's but there was never enough cars parked at the resturant there to give an indication thast it was any good. So I didn't. Made sandwiches in the truck andcalled it a night.

I made it there early enough to get up at midnight and venture the rest of the way to my consignee.

Now a little background. When I sleep, I sleep, the sleep of the dead. Idling trucks, reefers turning on every 10 minutes, boneheads with thier jake brakes running through perfectly flat parking lots be damned. I'm asleep.

10:30 last night my dash board is beeping and flashing to beat the band. It actually wakes me up before it goes nuclear. This isn't your typical low voltage regulator gonna shut everything down because the battery is low thing. What do I do? I fire up the truck. So far so good. Beeping stops, dashboard isn't flashing. Only warning light still iluminated is the tractor abs is out. KK now we are idling turn the heat on it is a bit cold after all. Ten minutes later XM radio cuts out, Computer is on battery and I can no longer make my morning coffee. Not good especially the coffee part. And I still have an hour before I can head to the consignee 11/14 rules afterall. I don't have any interior lights and the cig lighter plugs and my inverter won't work. I called maintenance in Laurinburg (wasted phone call) "Did you check the fuses?". I could have called myself and got that answer even though I'm mechcanically handicapped or disinclined depending on which way you want to look at it. To be PC (politcally correct) or to not be PC that is the question.

The rest of the saga belongs on tomorrow journal/blog entry.

Have a nice day

Bookerz out

10/26/2009

Today was pretty straight forward. Drive 90 min to consignee. Check in. Pull in and and unstrap. Wait 45 min for them to start unloading me. Found out later some snafu in the paper work delayed my unload. All in all in and out in 90 min not too bad. Sent in my empty call and 10 min later work assignment arrived. DH to Laurinburg, NC take load to Manchester, NY for Wed 6am. KK NP. Get back to Laurinburg, NC by 1 pm. Loads not ready and won't be until it is too late to effective go anywhere.

Plan B -- Get up at dark 30. Tighten down the load and boggie. Plan is to make it where I-180/I-80 and find the Petro there and call it a night. Should leave about 150 to do Wed morn before 6am. Stop off in Dunn, NC top off the tanks. Not necessarily in that order.

Got to try and sleep after almost doing nothing today and resting too much over the weekend

Have a Good day

Bookerz Out

10/25/2009

Leave it to the Bucs to screw up a perfectly good weekend. Almost half way through the year and not 1 win.

Spent the morning reading, putzing around with the computer and last but not least cleaning the truck. The truck looks much better now at least on the inside. Tomorrow might try to find a Blue Beacon to spritz up the outside.

Went over to the Nottoway resturant for lunch. The prices were more in line for a fancy joint than a mom and pop place. For instance chicken fried steak $11.95 with two sides. It tasted ok and filled the void in my stomach so I guess I shouldn't complain so much.

My appointment for the morning is at 9:30 after that expect to dh down to laurinburg. Debating on getting the engine looked at to see what the mpg problem might be. I'll cross that bridge tomorrow.

Have a good day

Bookerz out

10/24/2009

Showered, fueled and armed with a fresh pot off coffee and away I go. Basic route today consisted of I86, US15, I180, PA147, US11/15, 322/22, I81, PA581, US15, I270, I495, I95, I85. Almost full speed all day except for a short stretch on I270 where it was raining hard enough to make you slow down a bit. I guess my timing must have been good was on the cell with a friend as he headed north and he told me I270 was at a stand still when he went through later in the afternoon. Stopped at exit 39 in VA leaves me about an hour to go Monday morning after my 34 reset is completed. Checked my mpg for the day still to low for comfort.

Watched a couple of movies. Bought that Ken Burns Civil War series a little while back might make a marathon of that today will see. Sundays goal outside of watching movies and reading will be clean to interior of my truck.

Have a good day

Bookerz out