11/03/2009

I left the Flying J about 20 min to 7 wanted to get there abit early to pull the bungees and untie the ropes. I no sooner pop the brakes and hop in back to change into work pants and slip on my boots. Before I could get my boots on the unloader comes out and tells me to back in. Weird truly weird. Never before 7:55 have I been told to back in. Next weird thing is once I get the tarp off and the securement clear. They almost unloaded me quickly. It was at the very least a damn sight faster than normal. All very strange indeed.

I was concerned that I might not get another load that closed this week. Whilst I was unloading *BEEP* Preplan Tulsa, OK to Statesboro, GA delivering Friday. SWEET! Going to close the week with a shade over 2900. Best check in a while.

Once unloaded worked my way back to I-20 over to US65 in LA upto I530 then to I40w. All in all put on about 330mi for the day. That leaves me only 212 to get to the loader by noon tomorrow. I plan on trying to get there by 10 so I don't get caught up in the lunch break like last time. Then attempting to put on about 250-300 after loading.

Well thats the plan

Have a good day

Bookerz out

11/02/2009

Weelll I got lazy last night and stopped just over the border in Alabama. That was about 50-60 min short of the initial objective and there might have a bit of luck involved in that stop. It seems that Talladega had the "Amp Energy 500" over the weekend and I have a feeling that getting through there at 7pm would have been fraught with peril.

Bullet dodged and all that we come to todays leisurely drive through the country side. At a mere 322 miles and a delivery appointment of 8am on the 3rd another lazy day ensued. Done by 2pm I lazied about at the Flying J and about 5pm decided it was time to grab a bite. By 7 was back in the truck laying down reading and............ Midnight I wake up way to early and decided to putzes around a bit before I go back to bed.

Have a good day

Bookerz out

11/01/2009

Naught but two months remain in 2009. Christmas is looming on the horizon and this husband did good for once. I usually wait until almost christmas before I ponder what to get my spouse as a gift. Usually we are poor as church mice by then because we got to get this that and the other to get. Either to eat for christmas or a couple of last minute gifts pop up and deplete the remaining funds. For the last sixteen years we have refused to go into debt or increase the debt level for one day. And my wife ends up with nothing as a gift for that day.

So there I was Saturday morning, drinking copious amounts of coffee and watching previously recorded program on the dvr. When a bolt of lightning in the form of a TV commercial strikes. The perfect gift a balance between the monetary funds available and price. Something with which she could start the day slightly spoiled and still not require a stop by starbucks.

My wife drinks single cups of tea or coffee. So this Keurig single cup brewer was the perfect answer. She manages the money on a day to day basis, so I had to get clearance so that I wouldn't screw up the bills. Off to Sear's we went to get her a personal coffee/tea maker. It comes with 18 k-cup variety pack which includes a couple of teas. After we got home and set it up. I commenced to do some web surfing looking for some tea varieties (her preference). We found 4 different teas and a pumpkin spice coffee (yuck) and ordered them. There is also an adapter you can get which allows you to use the pods that are made for different single brew makers so I ordered that. That should all be in by the end of the week. This doesn't make me a perfect husband. The jewerlry makers would definitely prefer I dumped my money on thier products. But I'm most assuredly a happy one and my christmas shopping is already done.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program...........

Took off Sunday about 2pm wanted to get beyond Atlanta, GA. Top off my tanks by the pilot just down the interstate. Made my way over to the Alabama border rest area and called it a day.

Last week I ordered a bluetooth add-on for my truck stereo and it was at the house when I got there. I have been using one that you place in your ear. But sometimes I have a hard time hearing the person on the other end of the line. Somedays and sometimes the truck seems nosier than others. Anyway this thing will allow me to hear the other person on the truck stereo speakers. Now I got to hook it up to get it working. And then I'm going to see if there is anyway to hide the additional wires. My dashboard is getting overloaded with wires for this and that.

Have a good day

Bookerz out

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