04/06/2010 posted out of order

This is out oder but somehow this one didn't get posted


I've been neglectful of the blog the last couple of days.

I left you off with me grabbing a 34 hour rest in Wichita Falls, TX. Having completed that on Saturday morning. I went to the plant and grabbed my load. The next three days consisted in putting on full 600 mile days.

On day 2 I stopped in Perry, MI and discovered that the Michigan roadways in conjunction with the load crew in Wichita Falls had managed to break some glass on an optimizer rack. The glass was already tempered so at least when it broke it turned into this small pebble shaped stuff. I threw a strap around the glass using coil protectors to protect the strap and prevented any more breakage.

Monday I finished up my drive into Montreal at about 8pm. I had driven to the consignee and parked there so no driving in the morning and no alarm clock and off to bed I went.

Tuesday as they were unloading the receiver mention they would note the damaged glass. He also mentioned that the remaining glass might be scratched something I hadn't considered. So I got to learn something job related.

Prior to being loaded I got a preplan to pick up a load of peat moss in St Remi, QC and take it to Orrville, OH another 630 miles. This week is adding up pretty good. I can deliver this load either Wednesday or Thursday and the receiver is open till midnight. So the plan is to get it there today (Wednesday). But upon doing my pretrip inspection I discovered a flat tire so I am waiting on Road service to get here and replace the tire.

Only 3 days till hometime!!!

Have a good day
Bookerz out

04/07/2010

Well the Canadians kept passing the buck. Finally 4.5 hours after the call went out my tire is patched.

Now to add insult to injuring I have to deal with the bone heads at U.S. Customs. I have to admit that some of the procedures are for security reasons, but they are so impregnated with people justifying their jobs and their inflated budgets you can't tell which is which.

1 ^st they have only 2 lines open for the initial check. It took thirty minutes to get to where I could hand my paperwork over for someone to look at. 5 minutes of stupid questions. If I was really gonna break the law I would just lie.

2 ^nd I have to pay a $10.75 border crossing fee. I don't pay enough taxes already? Also could this not be incorporated into the customs tax that gets paid by the companies anyway? I get this money back from Maverick, but it is stupid anyway.

3 ^rd I can't pay this fee at the customs booth. I have to go inside this huge building to stand at a counter with 15 computers of which only 2 are in use. To be totally ignored by the two that are working the counter. Mean while there is 20-30 people milling around in the back ground not making eye contact because it might mean they have to do something. So I FINALLY get the honor of paying my money so I can get back in my country.

4 ^th I have to get the truck x rayed. Okay I can see the security reason for this and get this. There isn't a additional fee to pay for this service. I thought that rather magnanimous of them. BUT!!!!! Every border crossing point does it different. One place you stay in the truck and roll slowly through the machine. The next place you get out of the truck and walk to an area that is clearly marked, but they don't bother to tell you you are and ready to roll. Today was get out of the truck and step out of the building and finally after they got tired of me standing there they bother to say I was done. The big thing about this is if your not sure how they want it they treat you like your stupid.

5 ^th And final thing the rules or procedures change day by day. It is like there are too many rules. The head jackass comes in the morning. He throws a dart at a wall where the rules are place and on what every rule the dart lands on that rule will be enforced today. Someone needs to sneak in and place some customer service rules up on the wall.

Rules like......

These people pay our salaries so don't treat them like dummies.

If the trucks/customers are lined up a mile back. Open twice as many check stations.

If a customer is standing at the counter greet them and take care of the business.

I say something about signs with clear instructions but with the way the rules change they would have to hire another 10 slow/ don't mess with me cus I carry a gun types. Just to change the signs daily. And we are already spending way too much for what we are getting.

Enough ranting......

I am not going to make the delivery tonight. I got bogged down in to many way today so tomorrow will have to do.

Have a good day

Bookerz out

04/01/2010

Well today was about as easy as they come. I took off about 5am so I could make my projected eta to Wichita Falls, TX by 11am. I stopped off in Hewitt, Tx before the sun came up to grab a longgggggggggggg hot shower. Hot coffee and a hot shower what a way to start the day. I received my next work assignment about an hour prior to getting to Wichita Falls, TX.

I am to deliver a load of glass to the Montreal, PQ area on Tuesday morning at 10am. Now I could grab the load and dash up the highway and grab a reset somewhere along the way or I can opt to take my reset right here in Texas. Being that I am feeling lazy I decided to opt for Texas. So Saturday morning before the chickens get up I plan to grab the load and take off. I haven't quite decided to run over to Champlain, NY and enter there or proceed thru Port Heron in Michigan. I got a couple of days to make up my mind so we will see.

I moved over the the Walmart on the southwest side of town. There is a mall and quite a few eateries within walking distance. In fact there is a Texas Roadhouse just down the street and I am debating whether to make that tomorrow nights dinner or not. I will just have to wait and see how that plays out. For today there is a chinese buffet over by the mall everytime I went to stand up and go to the buffet she wanted to give me the check. Perhaps she thought I was eating to much or she was just trying to be nice. Not quite sure. Anyway it was about a mile from the truck so the way back to the truck was quite the challenge. I did fail to mention it was very good.

So for the rest of the day. I'll split my time between reading watching movies and perhaps a nap.

Life is good

Have a nice day

Bookerz out

03/31/2010

I've been genetically blessed. Even though I am closer to 50 than 40 and my physique considering my age has not failed me. But you will never find me in public without a shirt on.

This all leads into the premise that I found Billy Bob redneck tonight and I was disgusted. A man a decade or 2 younger than I and his genetics have totally failed him. While I don't hold the genetic failure against him. The fact that it had to paraded around the parking lot in Bib overalls (without a shirt) I will hold against him. Just like the idiot that runs around in a speedo. If your belly is larger than your waist you have no business in a speedo. If your man tits are larger than even a small portion of the female population you have absolutely no business running around without a shirt. On another note the wife beater t-shirts are tainted and should be avoided. The nick name should say it all.

Enough P.S.A. Message. And for those without total indoctrination in government speak that public service announcement.

Back to our regularly scheduled blog.

After I took off I made it to Grosse Tete, LA (please don't ask me to pronounce it, especially if a lady is around). Anyway next door to the truck stop was a place called “ Big head Barbq”. I ordered my old stand-by chicken fried steak. It was good! Admittedly it is hard to screw up chicken fried steak but I've seen it done. I got rolling as early as possible to make it to San Antonio a bit early in the hope I might get unloaded early, but it was not destined to be. I arrived 2 hours early for my appointment and they unloaded me exactly when the appointment time was. I can't and won't complain. It beats the hell out of getting unloaded late.

Once unloaded I got a dead head move to Wichita Falls, TX. Just in time for rush hour in not 1 but 2 cities. Both San Antonio and Austin, TX although admittedly I should have figured Austin as well and should have stopped short of Austin. So far my experience with Austin has not revealed a good time to hit Austin. So I'll be in Wichita Falls some time between 9-11am tomorrow morning. Until then …...

Have a good day

Bookerz out

03/29/2010

Today. What can I say about today without a long line of expletives.

Well unloading the glass went well. It was a small mom and pop operation and other than the drive area in front of the door I was to back in being to small (a little less than a truck length). They were extremely nice so the unloading process was pleasant.

After pulling out I broke down the racks figuring that my next load would a system load. My suspicion was confirmed when I was dispatched to GP in Throsby, Al for a load of lumber. I get there and the load is a preload. So all I have to do is secure and tarp the load and away I can go. After doing that I sent off my loaded macro. And I get back a bad trailer location message “call dispatch”. I called and that is when the pain started. We (meaning the specialized division) do not back haul system freight out of Texas. What that means to me is they can't send me with this load into Texas. So the final decision was for me to untarp and unsecure this load and return it to the factory. Not in that order by the way. Return to the factory was first in the list of things to do.

Somewhere along the line I lost my reading glasses. And I can't read the messages bouncing back and forth. So I am calling dispatch everytime to find out what is going on.

Well after returning the load I received a new work assignment. I am going back up to Birmingham (where I started my day) and pick up a load of steel. Along the way up there I found a place where I could pull over and go in and get several pairs of reading glass. I determined it is good to have back ups just in case this happens again.

I finally get upto Birmingham and this has to be the worst steel mill I've been to so far at least as far as getting you in and out of the plant. I get there about 7:30 and after everything was said and down it was 12:30 cst.

Not fun. So now I am just waiting for my 10 break to be over to start this days adventure. After yesterday today will seem like a breeze.

Have a good day

Bookerz out

03/26/2010 - 03/28/2010

As I was headed to the customer I got my next work assignment. I am to go to Laurinburg and pick up a load to Bessemer, Al for Monday.

So no sooner do I get unloaded I headed to Laurinburg grabbed my load and headed for the house. There was a bit of a hold up at the plant but I still got home by 7pm.

I'll be leaving the house Sunday at 2pm. I googled the place and it looks like I'll be able to park over night at the customer. So I plan to head straight to the customer. I am pulling a flatbed so the possibilities for tomorrow are pretty much endless. At any rate it should be easier to find a load for me.

Have a nice day
Bookerz out

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