04/29/2010

I am not sure what is happening with PPG, but it is spooky.

I took off at 8am and the put me at the plant at 11:30am. At noon I was backed in the door and 50 minutes later I pulled out of the door empty. See what I mean spooky. The load went well and the unload went equally as well.

After unloading I pulled back into the drop yard and sat around there for several hours. About 3 I got a work assignment picking up a load in Jefferson Hill, Pa and taking it over to Owatonna, MN for a Tuesday delivery. That is a bit of a long time between pick up and delivery, but they did talk about relaying the load in either Ottawa, Il or Dewitt, IA. Well see, as lazy as I am feeling I would be just as happy to take the load all the way in and sit on it for the extra time.

I made it over to Sliding Hill service plaza for the night. It leaves me about 2 hours out from Jefferson Hills. I plan to make it in there about 9am and perhaps I'll get loaded a bit early.

The only aggravating thing of the day was the trailer I had to pick up. The idiot who had it before me taped the bridge boards to the a frames with ½ inch paper masking tape. Tied the straps to the frame and left the honeycomb cardboard all over the trailer. Once that stuff gets wet it makes a huge mess. So I spent way to much time setting up the trailer for travel. Once that was done the rest of the day went smoothly.

Well I need to get to work

Have a nice day

Bookerz out

04/28/2010

What can you say. The weather was excellent, the roads were good at least until I got to Pennsylvania. So the hardest battle I fought today was the urge to pull into a rest area and grab a nap. I won that battle and made it over to Smithton, PA by 5:15. My appointment isn't till noon so the plan is to start rolling about 8am.

I'll be at a glass factory so odds are they will try to load me out of there.

Have a good day
Bookerz out

04/27/2010

Well the unloading didn't go as fast as I would have liked. But when the receiver said they would get to me as soon as they could the big red flag reared its ugly head. All things considered it wasn't too bad 3 hours later I pulled out of the door.

If I had bet on what the rest of today would have entailed I would have lost. Granted they want us to haul glass as much as possible, but it was 300 miles to the nearest glass plant and I have a trailer which can be broken down to haul system freight. So odds would be a system load.

Nope not happening off to Mt Zion, IL I went. Now Mt. Zion is the worst live location we service. It is a union shop and is a personification of all the worst things unions entail. Having said all those negative things. Today was totally different there.

My appointment was at 5pm.
I was backing in the door at 4:15 (weird)
At 5:10 they started loading me. (strange)
At 5:35 they were done. (fantastic)
At 6:10 when I was ready for the crane to put the tarps over the glass. They were on break.
At 6:30 they were back and using the crane to put the tarps up. (unbelievable)
At 7:30 I was pulling off the property.

If someone had told me I would be pulling off the property as the sun went down I would have ask the to share the drugs they were on. Today might have just been an aberration, but I take it and run with it.

This load is due in Mt Holly Springs, PA Thursday. I just about make it there tomorrow or pull up a bit short all depends on how lazy I feel and what time they set my appointment for.

Until then....
Have a good day
Bookerz out

04/26/2010

Well I dodge the misadventures with the bees. It was raining to hard and they probably wouldn't have shown themselves anyway.

Two good notes for today. I-40 in western North Carolina is open, it doesn't officially open till tomorrow so I went through as a test dummy today. They only have one lane open but it is not widely known that it is open so no back up today. The second good note. I have in fact been here before. It is a nice facility and it does have space for over night parking. So that was the target for today.

I took off when my wife had to go to work. Might as well leave then and she makes an excellent back up alarm clock, though I don't think she likes that role. I am not a mind reader she told me as much Sunday night. I actually did pretty good waking myself up. I usually make her beat me about the head and shoulders when I know she'll be there. On the road I have an alarm clock called the "Screamin Meanie" and as the name suggest it produces a god awful sound. If it is left run long enough it will wake neighboring drivers. Not a good scene. I usually spring out of bed/bunk once it goes off.

These guys will unload you early if they can so that is good. But nobody will be in load planning till 9am est. So... what happens tomorrow is a mystery. I think the last time I was here I had a double drop which we can only load glass on, today I have a step deck, which once the racks are down anything is possible. It is 360 miles to Ottawa, Il my favorite place and 300 miles to Mt Zion, Il not my favorite but it keeps me hauling glass. So we will just have to see what the jury(CSRs) says.

Until then
May your roads be flat
May the wind be at your back
May all the four wheelers take smart pills
May you have a safe day

Bookerz out

04/24/2010

They had me swing through the Laurinburg yard grab a different trailer. Monday I will be running to Richburg, SC and picking up a load of glass which will deliver in Kentucky. This or that will be the first time delivering anything in Kentucky. So I can knock that state off the list.

This weekend will consist of a few honey dos. Apparently the fan I installed last time I was home is faulty. Well the switch in it that changes the speed of the motor is messed up.

I need to get the forms filled out and sent off to the IRS. My wife fill out and extension form and sent it off while I was on the road. I forgot to do it last time I was home so there we are.

Lastly we have some bees that seem to have taken up residence. I need to find where they have decided to call home and change their mind about the niceness of the neighborhood. That could be interesting I should have Cheri video it but more likely than not they would attack her instead of me. Insects don't like attacking me for some reason.

Tonight it is off to the local minor league baseball field to watch the Greenville Drive play Lexington, KY. A small irony. Sunday may consist of a trip to the picture show and perhaps the relatively new Chinese joint over on Woodruff road. The jury on the picture show is still out but the tickets for the game have already been purchased.

SIDE NOTE:
Dad sorry I haven't called! It is either too early or to late when I think of it.


That is all for now.

Have a good day
Bookerz out

04/23/2010

I called the plant as soon as I pulled into the yard at Laurinburg, NC. The trailer was in the bay but not loaded yet. Ok np I wasn't going to run with it till the morning anyway.

Had chinese for dinner. Finished moving in the truck. Kicked back and watched some Boston Legal episodes. All in all not a bad way to spend the afternoon and evening.

Got up in time to grab my load and make my way over to the customer and arrive an hour early. You never know when that or earlier will pay off. Well I arrived at the plant and search the loaded trailer area and no luck. The I started searching the bays to see if maybe the glass was on but not tarped yet. I finally found the trailer on the far side of the plant and there wasn't a stitch of glass on the trailer. This was a first for me so I fired off a message to extended services. No response. Ok even if they responded there would be nothing any of us could do. But I did my part by informing (or trying to) them of the situation.

About five hours later after a phone call with my FM it was decided to push back the load 24 hours. Ok good enough. Bobtailed back to town and parked at the Walmart. Now it is time to spend the day reading, watching dvds and fighting periodic boredom. I picked up that Avatar movie yesterday man the graphics and scenery are awesome. I saw it at the picture show and just had to have the dvd.

Well I am at the place I was to deliver to yesterday and in the process of getting unloaded. From here I can ether go straight home or swing back by Laurinburg and grab a load that will delivery Monday or Tuesday.

Either way it home time today!!!

Have a good day
Bookerz out

04/21/2010

Well getting unloaded Tuesday was easy, but unloading untarped product is always easy. I didn't get a load out of Geneva. I did however swing by the plant and traded out trailers. Upon do so I was given a deadhead to Mt. Holly Springs, PA and prior to my arrival there the dh was changed to Laurinburg, NC.

So I got to Thurmont, MD there is a nice little truckstop there with a virtual cornucopia of eating establishments within a stones throw of the truckstop. Only a few of which are recognized national chains. And a awesome mom and pop pizzeria within the travel plaza. I do so like getting away from the big chains when possible.

Well I got down to Laurinburg about noon grabbed a well deserved/ much needed shower. And proceeded to finish setting up my new truck. Still had to set up my CB and hide some wires just to unclutter the dash.

Tomorrow I have a short run upto the Raliegh, NC area and after that I should get a load assignment that will take me home for the weekend.

Well I need to hit the sack tomorrow morning will arrive much to soon.

Have a good day
Bookerz out