03/24-25/2010

I thought I posted yesterday I guess I didn't. To catch you up. I got there a bit before 11am and about 11:30 got backed in the door. The unloader told me they were about to go to lunch and not to kill myself untarping the load. That was nice I thought. Once they got back from lunch he started unloading me and got interrupted to do and then to do that. It definitely extended the unload time. Roughly about 2 pm I pulled out of the door. Once the empty call went out I settled back and returned a few calls that occurred while I was unloading.

Twenty minutes or so I get a deadhead move to Laurinburg. Figuring that would be the call I had picked out a few places along the way down for tonights stop. But five minutes later that all went out the window. Scratch the move to Laurinburg. Go to Mount Holly instead. Now I am not all that familiar with I-78 and not being sure how traffic would be in New York City I decided to pull up short in Connecticut. I figured to tackle NYC in the morning and to check out I78 in case I get to go through there in the future.

I originally set my eta to mt Holly for 7am, but not getting a work assignment before the close of business today I figured actually get there about 9am would be better. Typically work assignments don't start popping until 9am edt anyway no sense in sitting unnecessarily.

I arrived there at 9:30 and 20 minutes later the work assignment came through. I was to pick up a piece of equipment in Mcconnellsburg, PA. I sent for the directions and what I got back sounded like the shipper was right off I81. In fact the shipper was 25 miles off I81 and quite the scenic drive it was. I had determined this prior to heading to the shipper so it wasn't a problem.

If all our loads were this easy I would be sitting in hog heaven. But then they wouldn't feel the need to pay me as much as they do. 30 whole minutes after arriving at the shipper I was pulling out. A mere 4 chains and 1 strap and I was on my way. The loader was quick as well.

Now when I got directions for leaving (because you don't go out the same gate your came in). They sounded a bit like “Go down to the red house with the white trim and make a right. Then you goto the center of town and make another right”. I always somehow always miss seeing the red house. You can imagine how that usually turns out. But today after looking at my gps and studying the map it made a bit of sense so no problems. So after crawling back over the mountain at 25 mph despite only hauling 35,000. and then going down the other side at 20mph. 8% grade don't ye know. And going through a couple of towns with a lot of character. I am back on I81 heading south.

The main problem for today was I was going to hit DC at the wrong time. Now while I have had a better time going through DC it's also been a lot worse. I only made it to Rutherglen, VA before the 14 hour clock was going to be a problem so I called it a day there. Whipped it in to the local Flying J and called it a day.

That leaves me a 3 hour drive into the customer tomorrow. From there it will be a couple hour drive to Laurinburg. But we will just have to wait and see how that plays out.

For tonight have a good day

Bookerz out

03/23/2010

The devil is in the details.

A mantra I should exercise now and again. Anyway the appointment read

Delivery 03/24 00:00-00:00 and if I had been thinking I would have remembered that means it is to be delivered on the 24 ^th, but the exact appointment time is to be determined. I went on the assumption (and you know what that will get you) that 7am was the target time. Today I learned a little before noon that the appointment time is 11am.

That means yesterday I fore go the Chinese buffet for no good reason. I could have actually slept in today, not that it would have really happened. I am always up before the chickens. Anyway perhaps next time I won't forget what 0:00-0:00 really means. I still put on about 500 miles today before I found out and that is good enough and tomorrow I drive the last couple of hours in and get unloaded.

With this being a dedicated glass trailer there are not many choices once I am unloaded. So I will just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

For today …. Have a good day

Bookerz out

03/22/2010

Well productivity was the word of the day. No sooner did I get down to Greensboro, NC and get unloaded. When I get two not just one load assignments. Fortunately they pulled the first off me before I could work up a sufficient head of dread. It was for Brooklyn, NY and no matter how much I may be feeling my oats about my trucking driving skills. I don't think I want to deliver in downtown NYC or one of its boroughs. What I did end up with South Easton, MA has a couple of hundred more miles to it and doesn't involve getting off the Brooklyn express way.

Figuring I would be pulled into Laurinburg and get something that heads out in the morning. I had been planning on stocking up on some Chinese food at the local eatery and then sleeping it off till morning. This load shot that idea in the butt cause with a 7am Wednesday delivery appointment I needed to get a couple of hundred miles knocked out today. Hence I am back in Virginia at the 40mm on I-95. That leaves right at 600 miles to cover tomorrow. I've been to this location once before. In fact it was the last run of my training program almost a year and a half ago. It is situated in an industrial park so parking overnight won't be a problem. Good enough!

Have a good day

Bookerz out

03/21/2010

Well today went off without a hitch. I stopped at the TA in Eaton, OH to let them figure out what my turn signal problem was. Somewhere along the line the insulation on the right turn signal line and the marker lights line had worn off and they had fused together. So... when I had the maker lights on the right turn signal or four ways wouldn't work properly. Anyway 2and a half hours later that is fixed and a couple of lights replaced and away I went.

I only made it to the first rest area in Virginia before I ran out of hours. That leaves me a little over a 2 hour drive into the consignee in the morning. With a fuel stop and the pretrip I am going to be later than my original eta, but it is an appointment window and not a set time so it won't be a problem.

Odd are once unloaded I'll be headed over to Laurinburg. There was quite a few of us pulling out of Porter, IN so the likely hood of my getting a glass load is up for debate we will just have to wait and see.

Have a good day

Bookerz out