12/06/2010

As unto a thief in the night I left by the dawns early light.

That is not quite true but it sounded better than I left at 8am.

Which is what I did. I made my way over to Lost Gap, MS.

I tried to look up the history of the towns name and didn't have any luck.

Anyway it was just a pleasant drive over here. That leaves about 500 miles to cover tomorrow. And if all goes to plan I should be there at 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

Have a good day

Bookerz out

02/05/2010

To get my next load I needed to take down the glass racks.  Yesterday while I sat around all day after getting I decided to be lazy and procrastinate doing so until this morning.  About 6-8 months ago I bought an air hammer to make doing this a lot easier and until today every time has gone off with an hitch.  Today there was one stubborn bolt.  I would try it for a while, do some other a frames and then try it again.  I tried spraying it with WD-40 let that soak in and tried it again.  No luck and I finally ran out of other things to do.  I ended up calling road service (actually sending off a break down macro).  And for once I had parked in a sufficiently weird enough place to make finding me difficult.  After a couple of phone calls back and forth to the road service guy he finally found me.  I explained the problem, he took a look he started digging out a chisel and a hammer.  I look at him quizzically,  "Why not try your air hammer first?".  I figured his had to be better/stronger than mine.  It was his was rated at 1100 lbs where as mine is only rated at 350.  A minute later he had it hooked up and 5 seconds later the bolt was free.  Sweet and no damage to the bolt or aframe.  Sweet.

By now it is 10:30 and I am thirty minutes away from the shipper.  A quick signature a double check that everything was secured to the head board and away I went.  I was worried that this was a bad sign about how the rest of the day was going to go.

I couldn't have been more wrong. 
11:05 Check in with shipper
11:10 Pulled into weight in scale
11:20 Parked at load spot all the way in back of the shippers facility.
11:30 loaded
11:40 Chain down area
11:50 In line for the out bound scale
12:00 Departing shipper
It doesn't get much better than that

Now it is 4.5 hours drive to the house.  With the likely hood that traffic will back up between Spartanburg and Greenville, SC.  It usually does especially during rush hour.  So I told my wife 5:30.  A quick fuel stop in Orangeburg, SC and no traffic back up today and I was calling my wife at 5:05 

Like I said it doesn't get much better that that.

Now for a nice evening at home.  A 8am departure should see me somewhere in Mississippi Saturday night.

Have a nice day!
Bookerz out

02/03-04/10

Let's see. Last time we spoke I was in Tuscaloosa, AL. I took off about 3am which put me about 10 miles short of the Atlanta beltway at 7am. Those last 10 miles took about 20 min or so to cover, but once I was on the beltway it was smooth sailing around Atlanta. I got back on I-20 up to Augusta and there took I-520 over to US78. Which I followed to I-95. There is a little truck stop there and I decided to call it a day. That left me with 60 miles to cover for a 9am delivery appointment.

This morning I trekked the 60 miles. Once there in the rather small industrial park. I tried to do a u-turn in the loading dock area of a unoccupied business. Not a good call. It was too tight and there was a dip in the pavement that set the trailer rocking. Rather spooky to look in the mirror and see your trailer rocking back and forth. After about 10 min of inching back and forth I safely got myself turn around. Upon reflection I would have been better served by going slightly past the place and doing a drivers back and three point turn around. In the end it was no harm, no foul.

I checked in at 8:30 and found out the door I was to back in is on another side of the building. Anyway I was unloaded by 10 and sent in my empty call. I didn't get a work assignment till 1:15 and it doesn't pick up till 11 am tomorrow. Oh well it does have some miles on it. It will deliver Monday morning in Fort Worth, TX.

Rather nice thing about this load is that it goes tantalizingly close to the house. I plotted it out and it only adds thirty miles to the journey and I get to spend Friday night at the house. Hmmm... to tell the wife or surprise her that is the question. Well she has been a bit low of spirits lately so I opted to tell her and perhaps brighten her day a bit. So tomorrow after loading it will be jet to the house. Spend the night and hit the road again Saturday morning. Sounds like a plan to me.

Have a nice day

Bookerz out

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Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Thank you

Forty-five years ago a happy event occurred.

One, I was as yet of sufficient years to understand.

The intervening years allowed the development of a pool of memories.

It is the knowledge that I will not be able to expand that pool any further.

That makes indulging myself in that pool even sweeter.

And so I remember....

02/02/2010 Light show

I got out of the gate at 3:30 this morning as planned.

I had only been driving for about 40 minutes when I received a wake up call in my mirrors. The cruise control was locked in at 60 mph and entering a town somewhere along Texas hwy 31. And looked up in my mirror and someways back I see a police car with alls the lights going. It was one of those towns that you lose 10 mph of legal speed limit every quarter mile or so until your down to 35 mph. Problem was I wasn't sure were along the slow down phase I was. Anyway, I felt the light show was for me mainly because there wasn't anyone else around. About the time the cop get even with me he does a power slide left turn complete with sound effects and dust cloud. So with a sigh of relief and a wish that what ever was going on wasn't all that bad I continued my journey.

I had decided to scale the load to be safe. There are not any scales in the immediate area. There was a scale 20 miles to the north, which would add 60 miles to the trip or there was another scale 80 miles down the road, but it was on the way. I opted for the scale that was on the way mainly because I didn't think this load was over weight. Fortunately I was right. I did find a “CAT” scale that is only charging $9 I haven't seen one of those since last summer.

Well I got to Jackson, MS and after checking in with my lazy butt it was decided that more distance was in order. I put on another 2-3 hours of driving and made it over to Tuscaloosa, AL. That leaves me a mere 508 miles tomorrow only 489 if I opt for the over the river and through the wood route. I have to see what I feel like once I get to Augusta, GA tomorrow as to which way I go.

Have a good day

Bookerz out

02/01/2010 Nice way to start the month

Well I tried to make the backing in hard. It should have been an easy back in, but I tried every trick in the book to make it more difficult. Some days are just like that.

The unload crew was almost spry compared to their normal laid back pace. And the CRS (Maverick's term for dispatcher) was spot on today as well. 15 minutes after sending in my empty call I was on my way to ….. wait for it. Corsicanna, TX (yea I finally got one right). I made a phone call to verify that I could pick up the product on this trailer and it was decided that I could, but make sure to weigh the load. Ok no problem. This is usually a live load facility for the over the road drivers. The last time I was here it was preloaded but there wasn't much time on the load. There was plenty of time on this load so I figured it would be a live load for sure. Happily I report that it was in fact preloaded and the glass in question doesn't weigh as much as indicated in the load assignment as well. So no loading or weight problems and I only have 1100 miles to cover for a Thursday morning delivery. All that adds up to one happy truck driver.

Tomorrows preliminary destination is Jackson, MS. That's only 400 miles or so. Once I get there I will poll my lazy butt and see if more miles or in order. We will just have to wait and see.

A laid back Sunday drive through the country side. A win win kind of Monday. 2500 miles in on Thursday morning. Things are looking real good.

Have a nice day

Bookerz out

01/31/2010

There was enough ice on the decks and tarp of the trailer to make me wonder how weight does the ice add. It will have to remain a mystery. It wasn't too far down the road and the tarp started shedding ice. The deck ice I didn't start loosing until I got south of Atlanta.

Speaking of Atlanta, until I got fairly close to the I-75/I-285 interchange it was smooth sailing. A few miles north of the interchange a four wheeler decided to crash test their car into the wall. And that slowed up traffic a bit and the actually interchange was backed up today as well. It was a first for me usually (or luckily) I just sail around the west side.

Alabama law enforcement in two separate locations set up speed traps. Civilian looking truck park on the over pass using the radar and up to six troopers lie in wait on the far side to collect their booty. And a collecting they were no less than four cars stopped and a trooper or two repositioning themselves to fire up their mighty pens. So much for revenue shortfall. On a side note there wasn't an 18 wheeler in the bunch of course in a company truck it is difficult to break 70mph enough to warrant a pull over.

Today was so laid back that once I got to Cottondale, Al that a nap was in order. A nap wasn't on the agenda, but the yawing was getting to be too much.

Figuring that I usually end up going west from here and the consignee is on the northwest side of town. Once I got to Jackson, MS on I-20 I fueled (for the second time today) at the Pilot on the south end of town. Then I just meandered my way over to the consignee.

Tomorrow's likely destination hmmmmmm...

Wichita Falls, TX 40%

Corsicanna, TX 40%

Tulsa, OK 15%

Laurinburg, NC 5% probably less likely than that.

Mind you I'm not placing any money on those likelihoods.

Have a nice day

Bookerz out