Long time

I can't believe that 12 August was the last time I posted. One of the boys came out with me for a week from the 15th to the 19th. We ran around in circles MI, IL, IN, KY area for most of the week. Last week I was hauling all kinds of weird freight around.... this is the slow time for water heaters apparently. Had 2 really choice western loads pulled out from under me. One was a 500# load of foam insulation going from Mt. Pleasant TN to El Paso TX and the other was a 3000# portable conveyer belt going from Atlanta to San Francisco. Not sure why they went to other drivers but I guess I'll live with it.


I have several rants saved up that I promise I'll post but for right now I'll go with I'm becoming increasingly convinced that motorhomes should require a special license to operate. I've lost count of the number of dangerous things I've seen them do. The biggest part of the problem as near as I can tell is that people get in them (pulling their huge driving around car) and treat them like they're driving the Lexus.

I'll be getting a laptop RSN and I promise I'll post more often then. Got to get to bed. Out early tomorrow for a pickup in Red Boiling Springs TN for a 0700 delivery Monday in Columbia SC.

Into the routine

Ok so this week looked kind of like this: Ashland City to Franklin OH. Deadhead to Jeffersonville, IN. Jeffersonville to Johnson City TN. Unloaded at the American Water Heaters plant and ran across the street to pick up a loaded trailer bound for Las vegas NV. Dropped the Las Vegas load in the Lebanon yard and turned around for a multi-drop at Statesville & Raleigh NC. Unloaded in Raleigh and deadheaded to Charlotte for a load to Nashville, TN. Went home.


Not sure about the miles but it's a short week and I was really tired. I could just never get really rested. Now that I'll have had a couple of days off I'm sure I'll feel much better. I have an outbound load from AShland City to Franklin OH to start the week again.

The load to Franklin last week was one of the least pleasant driver assist unloads I've had so far. They loaded these "fatboy" water heaters on the front deck of the trailer 3 high. I'm sure they put them up there with a clamp and then pushed them to the front of the trailer. Anyway there wasn't any way for the guy to get them back off with a clamp in Franklin and they were too heavy to get down by hand. WE ended up kind of rotating the stacks really carefully until he could get them with the clamp.

Nothing much new this week except that I've noticed that probably 50% of the cars have a person in them screwing around with a cell phone. Not necessarily the driver--I think some of them are playing games on their phones. I don't think I mentioned it before so I'll make it the most interesting sight for this week (even though it was when I was out west).

I was driving along and saw this Harley coming up next to me. The rider was in full leather and all alone. The bike got up next to me and the rider looked up and started to wave a beauty pageant/parade queen kind of wave. It was then I realized that the rider was this 75 year old grandmother type. Lose the leathers and she could have posed for a Norman Rockwell Mrs. Santa painting. Then she grabbed the throttle and took off. It was surreal.


Bitch of the Week

I'm not sure if it's something that's been going on all along and I just now noticed it and have become hypersensitive but the last week or so I've noticed an increasing number of really expensive motorhomes pulling cars parked in truck stop parking lots and sleeping or eating. The first one I remember noticing was a Prevost motorcoach pulling a Hummer. I thought 'This guy can afford a $300,000 motorhome and a $50,000 car but can't pay $30 to park it for the night?' In my younger days he would have come out and found his Prevost and Hummer keyed to hell and back. I just think it's kind of sad that people that this are taking parking places away from people who work for a living.

Long overdue update

Sorry for the long absence but you'll understand why in a minute....

End of Week 3

Week 3 looked like this: Lebanon TN to Burlington Ont Canada, deadhead to Middleville MI, loaded from Middleville to a multi-stop in Merced & Visalia CA. Deadhead to Sacramento. Loaded Sacramento to Chagrin Falls (I shit you not) OH. Deadhead to Middleville MI. Pick up trailer bound for Charlotte & Concord NC & Greenville SC but swap for an empty in the Flying J on I81 in Wytheville VA. Deadhead to Johnson City TN pick up trailer for Lebanon yard. Return Lebanon Tuesday afternoon. Total for Week 3= just short of 7600 miles.

I was released from training and got my truck. It's not a Century like all the others in the fleet. It's one of the overflow Columbia's. Powertrain is spec'd the same but Columbia's are not as nice. When I get the chance I'm going to ask if I can trade for a Century when somebody quits.


1st Week on my own.

Ran home and had about 15 hrs before leaving on my first run. Eat, sleep, do laundry. 1st 10 days looked like this: Ashland City to some suburb of Dayton that I can't remember the name of. Deadhead to Middleville MI (I can almost run this in my sleep now) bound for Riverside CA. Deliver in Riverside and pick up 31000 # of shoes in Ontario CA bound for Lebanon. Total for 10 days = about 6000 miles.

Observations

Earlier I mentioned that there were a lot of nice historical farmhouses in PA. Driving along I81 in Virginia, there are a lot there too. And the Climate's nicer. And it's not flat. Or full of Pennsylvanians. So all things considered I think I'd prefer that if any of you are looking for something to get me for Christmas.

As near as I can tell the person who designed the showers in Flying J Truck stops has never actually taken one on the road. Except for the one in Ontario Canada and SLC UT. Those are both really nice.

More in a little while.