LivingOTR.com

As I sat here tonight....

2011-04-12T23:37:00.000-04:00

I remembered my LivingOTR.com blog. Well, the LivingOTR actually redirects to the blogspot blog, but you get the picture!

We've had a lot going on lately. Trapper is back out on the road, but running regional. He's home on the weekends. He's been thinking about returning to OTR driving, but we're not quite sure of that just yet.

It's funny because he has applied with just about every company out there, who all want him to come drive for them, but there is NO WAY to compare apples to apples! Trucking is the industry unto itself!!!!!

One company pays .30 a mile, but they pay for health insurance coverage... the other pays .38 a mile and the health coverage is $120 a week.... so which is better? They both say they average 2500 miles a week, but we all know how those averages work, huh?

For me, I'm working from home now and I'm still finishing up my degree that I started while we were LivingOTR! I have 27 more weeks left! That's all!

I actually miss our days "out there". The picture that is on the front of the blog was one I took as we entered St. Lois. That trip we took the interstate closest to the city and I love that picture! I have many (well, 3000 to be exact) while we were out.

I may up the blog again and make it available as an ebook or something so if you guys and gals have a spouse or S.O. that is thinking of riding with you... you can get them to read the ebook first. Maybe I'll add some checklist of what you should and should NOT take! LOL

I appreciate all my readers. It was such fun doing this blog and I'm seriously considering starting more activity again!

Lynette

It's been awhile!

2010-05-29T23:42:00.000-04:00

We are fine... just not on the road right now. I hope everyone is safe!

Funny Things

2010-02-24T01:21:00.001-05:00

This is what worries me about bridges. Typically these trucks are 13' 6" tall... notice the truck in the picture... notice the space between the trailer and the bridge... notice the state sign that says the bridge height is 13' 8".... I was getting nervous until I saw how much space the other truck had.

The largest cross I've ever seen. Actually, I have seen only 3 of these across the USA...

Most all companies put "seals" on the trailers when we leave the dock with a shipment. Typically they are small plastic zip-tie looking things and then Trapper will put a padlock on the trailer. Evidentally, these cargo trailers are much different! The guard had to take a saws-all looking tool to cut this off the trailer so they could open the doors! And yes, he had his safety face shield on.

We ran out of paper towels so I asked Trapper to get some from the restroom in the truck stop and I would too. We were in a hurry and we didn't have time to stop and buy a roll... it's easier to use the ones in the restroom. We both return to the truck... I pull out my stack and he pulls out his.... I laughed until I cried.... his is on the left... mine is on the right...

The difference in men and women? He says no, that I'm just anal about things. I though it was funny. Actually I was really glad he remembered to grab a few!

You have to have a sense of humor out here!

Feb 23... Tues.... Politics and Comments

2010-02-24T01:06:00.000-05:00

Well... well.... we took a few days off and headed home. On our off time I neglect my blog...shame on me. I've been a little neglective lately, due to making the deicision to return to college. Um, yea... this time I might finish.

I noticed tonight when I signed-in I had a few comments. Some I had to delete, a couple I let through my barricade. I guess not everyone likes Glenn Beck. Maybe I'll write a persuasive article on Glenn Beck and everyone will then follow suit! I remember reading a saying once... Right Wing, Left Wing... they all came from the same chicken!

Anyway, we're back... sitting in Waco, TX tonight, yes... it snowed on us today as we came through Dallas and on southward. I usually like coming to Texas this time of year, but I think it was warmer this morning in Tennessee!

Fri... Feb 5... Glenn Beck Explains it Better!

2010-02-05T23:24:00.000-05:00

My post yesterday was simply observations that I make while we travel the USA. Tonight, well... Glenn Beck explains it much better! Although he was comparing Texas and California (for the most part).

Why Progressive States Fail - Glenn Beck - FOXNews.com

Sitting close to St. Louis, MO tonight watching the snow/ice/rain mixture fall. Glad we're not in DC! I hope they stocked up on more than milk and bread... like somehow to heat their homes, warm clothes, candles, etc. Two feet of snow, if the power goes out, could be out for awhile!

Thurs... Feb 4.... Poor (Pure) Michigan

2010-02-05T11:45:00.000-05:00

The trip from Oklahoma to Taylor, MI was relatively uneventful. We arrived in Taylor, MI on Thursday and dropped our load. Someone will tote it across the border for us. After quick showers and a quick cleaning of the truck... we were beeped to go to Muskegon, MI and pick up a load that we will carry back to Waco, TX.

I haven't been in Michigan in months! I noticed they have changed their "Welcome" signs to say, "Welcome to Pure Michigan." I found that interesting and don't pretend to understand the meaning.

As we left the terminal in Taylor, we drove 6 miles down (what once was a bustling busy street) to the interstate. As we were driving I counted 4 restaurants (large national chains) that were closed, a mortgage business - closed, a real estate office - closed, one business in a strip mall - burned, a strip mall - vacant. All this was within a 6 mile trip.

Earlier we passed the Mazda plant. They probably have a 50 acre parking lot that maybe 50 cars were parked in. I guess this is the employee parking. Another large car plant sat empty. The car-carrier truck business next door - empty, but with a lot of car-carriers on the lot.

On the way to Muskegon I started looking for a truck-stop for the night. There aren't that many and the only one en-route was 60 miles before our destination. We opted for the rest area. As we pulled in I noticed there were only 3 trucks here. This is unusual. Normally trucks are fighting for space and lined down the entrance ramp!

Trapper and I had been talking about the economic status of Michigan and then it dawned on me... Michigan has been hurt probably the worst of any state. If people are not purchasing then there is no need for trucks to bring stuff. I guess this answers my question about why there is so much truck parking available!

I thought back to the welcome sign... I wonder if they almost changed it to "Poor Michigan". This could be "anywhere" USA. Seeing is believing and the news does not do a good job at portraying the correct picture of the states worst hit. Taylor, MI is on the very outskirt of Detroit and looks like it could soon be a ghost town.

A perfect contrast is Texas. We have criss-crossed Texas in the past few weeks and every where you look the shopping centers are full, restaurants are full, and help wanted signs are not "strange" to see. What exactly is it that Texas does that most other states don't?

Mon... Feb 2.... Just Put Her Out!

2010-02-02T02:07:00.000-05:00

We sat in San Antonio all day Sunday with 3 other company drivers. The waiting game! We were number 4 on the board the majority of the day.

As Trapper turned in for the night...knowing the beep was coming in the middle of the night... I sat up and did school work. Finally, around 1:30 a.m. I noticed one of our fellow drivers making his way slowly out of the parking lot. I waited....

The two beeps - signifying we had a pre-plan trip - happened around 2 a.m. The noise woke Trapper and I jumped into my part of this madness.... look at the messages, see where we're headed and what time we have to be there. I plan and he does the math!

As I read the "driver instructions" I noticed it said no pets allowed on the property. We were picking up at a chemical place at one of the ports in Texas. Ports are becoming more and more strict!

I read on... "no pets, passengers, children allowed. pets must be left at weigh in station".... there were several more instructions, 2 pages of driver's instructions. I brought this to Trapper's attention quickly and reminded him of the one instance where I sat in the gaurd shack and waited.

"Read that again," he asked.

"Hand me my phone, please."

A call to dispatch took place..... "I just received a pre-plan that does not allow passengers on the property. I have a passenger... she's been on the truck for a year and a half... did anyone notice this? Do we need to make other arrangements for this load?"

The dispatcher replied, "Hang on, I will check with the planner." (so he's holding, holding, holding.....)
"The planner said you are the only truck in the area and you will have to put her out."

"Put her out?????" he replied while laughing and speaking sarcastically, "I'm NOT putting her out!" (I'm relieved at this point!) Where do you want me to put her out at? And no, I'm not the only truck in the area... there are 2 more right beside me that don't have pets, children, or riders."

"I'll let you talk to the planner.," the dispatcher replied.

The load was unassigned immediately, while he was on hold.

What the planner failed to realize is that this actually worked out for everyone. The chemical company is very strict. They might not have let me sit in the guard shack, as I'm not a licensed driver and wasn't allowed on the property. If they had refused to load us, due to having a passenger (me) then the company would have had to send another truck there and the load would have been late, etc. The planner should have looked on the driver screen and picked the logical choice of trucks on the board.

Oh the rest of the driver's instructions, which I noticed later said.....

"Beware of alligators in the parking lot after dark!"

I'm glad I'm still in the truck and currently sitting in Oklahoma City, OK!

Fri... Jan 29.... Into the Storm!

2010-01-30T01:57:00.000-05:00

This week has been crazy... nights, nights, and more nights. There's nothing like picking up a load at 11 p.m. driving/riding 400 miles and delivering at 8 a.m. You fall asleep at the dock while you're being unloaded and then wake-up to find a truck stop or parking area. Once your there, you go back to sleep for a few hours, get up, eat, and wait to get beeped... or not sometimes. If not, you're just up all night. This has been our week, until Thursday night....

We left MS on Thursday morning and drove to West Memphis, TN to relay a load. Our relay arrived and we headed to Joplin, MO. I was skeptical because of the winter storm that was brewing! Our trip to Joplin was uneventful and I was sure that we'd get shut-down there because the weather was suppose to turn bad. I was making plans to sit in the truck until at least Saturday and the Joplin terminal. It's a nice place so I was content.

However; Trapper asked me where I wanted to go, if we were given a choice, and I quickly said, "North!We can anywhere but OK, AR, or TN." I had studied the weather maps and wanted no part of Oklahoma or all the snow that was being forcast.

Well 7:00 a.m. Friday morning we are dispatched to Coffeyville, KS and then to Dallas, TX! That's right.... due west and then due south.... right through Oklahoma!

We left Joplin, MO around 7:30 a.m. on our 444 total mile trip. Conditions weren't all that bad, but I prefer dry. We drove 70 miles west to Coffeyville, KS and I was ready to shut-down... I'm such a passenger!
Here we are approaching Coffeyville.

We made it to our pick-up and within a little while we were headed toward Oklahoma. Here we are on a 4-lane state hiway that runs through OK... I was ready to call it a day! Due to all the bad weather this month, etc. the company would say, "If conditions are too bad to drive in, find a secure place, and stop. Communicate with us." My question to you... as you look out our front windshield.... do you see a place to stop???

South of Tulsa, OK our pilot car finally showed up! We fell in behind a snow plow and we stayed behind the snow plow!!!!

A little futher south, as we crossed into TX, the snow stopped and the roads were much better. We made our delivery (a little late) and headed to the terminal.

The majority of today was spent at 30-35 mph. We averaged our drive time and I think it was 41 mph. It was a long day!

Fri... Jan 22.... Back to Texas

2010-01-23T00:54:00.000-05:00

The trucking gods must have been in our corner Thursday morning when the qualcomm beeped. We were sitting in Roanoke, VA when we were dispatched to Abingdon, VA to pick-up and deliver in Laredo, TX.

As for tonight.... Fri night... we sit in Lancaster, TX..... tomorrow night, yes, Laredo! I don't mind Laredo, as I've stated many times before. I think we are going to reset there so I will be able to go in the terminal, spread out, and concentrate on school work.

Last week one of my assignments was "time management". We had to complete a "daily schedule" and analyze it to find time in our schedule that could be utilized better. OK.... I looked at it and laughed then I emailed my instructor.... "Melody... after reviewing this week's assignment, I have a question for you. I ride, up to 11 hours a day... I can't change it, make it better, or sugar coat it. bla, bla." She replied, "Do the best you can with it." Boy... it took a master's degree to tell me that? I pushed through the assignment and came out on top!

The other assignment was "learning to study and finding the right atmosphere that works for you. There was a worksheet to complete. (I know I drive my instructor's insane with my answers.) Here's a sample:

1. What was your environment while studying?
Answer: Sitting in the back of our cab on the bunk with my material spread out, bouncing down I-70 in Indiana. I felt like I was sitting on a trampoline with someone else jumping on it. Studying was impossible.

2. What did you do to change/enhance your environment to better aid your study time?
Answer: I decided to wait until we crossed into Illinois where the interstate was smoother.

How many other students do you think they get answers like that from? Probably not too many. But, I decided that I should make good use of my time out here and finishing my education was my goal. Trip planning has also turned into school planning in order to get assignments turned in on time, etc.

Another experience!

Wed... Jan 20... Coffee-Mate Crush

2010-01-20T16:47:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when the Coffee-Mate bottle gets stuck under one of the front seats. The seats are "air-ride" so with every bump.... it gets lower, lower, lower!

Yesterday we left Rocky Mt, NC and headed towards Greensboro, NC. We're really kind of messed up right now because we only have a very limited number of hours on our 70 ours. I think we are down to 2 hours. Where can you go in 2 hours.... not far!

We spent Tuesday sitting at K-Mart Dist in Greensboro, NC. We picked up our trailer around midnight and headed out to Roanoke, VA around 3:30 a.m. Arriving in Roanoke, VA at 6:00 a.m., I decided it was time to say goodnight.

According to Trapper it took them 3 hours to unload us. The K-Mart store unloads by hand and the trailer was full... We are stopped now just outside Roanoke in the pouring rain. Laundry, clean house, and lunch were all that was on the agenda for today. Hopefully we'll be dispatched after midnight.... we gain a good many hours at midnight. These little shuffle runs are enough to drive a person insane.... maybe we will actually go somewhere this time!

Mon... Jan 18, 2010.... My 200th Post

2010-01-19T00:35:00.001-05:00

January 18, 2010 and I am making my 200th post! I can't believe I've written so much! Some day I'm going to spend weeks reading this and remembering the fun (most of the time) that we have had out here.

My 200th post is going to be dedicated to the folks that read this blog (and others) to decide if trucking would be for them.....

Trucking might be for you if.....

you can sit in your walk-in closet for an entire weekend.
you can handle NOT taking a shower every day.
you can read a map.
you can drive 600 - 650 miles a day within 11 eleven hours.
you don't mind sitting for very very long hours.
you don't mind crazy people slamming their brakes on... in front of you!
you don't mind extreme climate changes.
you are not totally dependent on your GPS.
you don't want to pay rent and utilities. (some people don't have a physical address)
you like the hermit lifestyle currently.
you don't like being around humans or having interactions with humans.
you like a change of scenery... every hour.
you can back a trailer.
you can handle wearing the same clothes a couple of days in a row.
you can handle being away from your family.
you understand that not many people care where you've been or what you've done.
you understand everyone else's life goes on while you're on the road.
you can understand the "70 hour rule".
you are not high maintenance.
you don't require your t-shirts ironed.
you can figure out how to keep all your "business affairs" in order.
you can manage to not drink or smoke dope for weeks on end. (no, mom... this is not a problem for us, but it is for some people that we've crossed path's with! LOL)
you if you don't need contstant entertaining.
you can live in one time zone, run a log in another, and deliver in yet another and be on time!

AND the BIG SURPRISE.....

you like the potential to make as much money (solo 1-2 yrs.) as a school teacher (in SC) with a bachelor's degree and 25 YEARS service!

I think the last reason is the main reason most people subject themselves to this industry and this lifestyle. It's still funny to me.... this job is classified as "unskilled" labor.

Fellow drivers/riders are reading the list laughing to themselves (you know it's all true) and future drivers are thinking that I'm crazy!

I look forward to the next 200 posts!

Sun...Jan 17.... Back in PA

2010-01-17T23:06:00.000-05:00

Our relay arrived in Pocahontus, IL last night around 10:00 p.m. Our 14 hours were exhausted so after the quick trade of trailers... they were on their way to Phoenix, AZ and Trapper's only thought was going back to sleep!

I knew we were headed right back the way we had just come and my intentions were to stay up as last as possible so I could sleep through Indiana! I-70 is terrible in my opinion. So, I woke up this morning some 300 miles back toward PA... I think we were in Ohio. I will have to stay "thank you" to the folks that finally decided to raise the truck speed limit in Ohio and Illinois... made the trip a little easier!

The rain sat in and so did the fog! The flashing traffic signs were blasting a warning to slow down to 30 mph and even that was too fast. Luckily, it was just a few miles of fog coming down the mountain.

Tomorrow morning we deliver at 8:00 a.m. and I really hope they let us sit.... Trapper may disagree but we're both exhausted. He doens't say much, but I can tell.

We only have a few hours falling off our 70 hours, so we may get stuck on the PA shuffle! Those are those short tedious runs between PA and Jersey and if we're really unlucky..... over to NYC.

It's no wonder companies pay drivers more for driving in the northeast. PA is alright... the turnpike is easy to navigate and parking is not that big of an issue. New Jersey and New York (along with Delaware and Rhode Island).... well, forget it. There are too many people (drivers) and very limited parking. Everything is so compact shall I say!

I forget exactly which state, but the welcome center sign proudly boasts..... "Welcome to _______" and underneath.... "NO TRUCKS ALLOWED"..... ok... One day the trucking companies are going to say, "No mass, No mass.... if you want it, come to the state line and get it yourself!"

Three days of that and the citizens would let us park in their front yard! LOL

Map.... Jan 10 - 17

2010-01-16T00:48:00.000-05:00

View Larger Map

You can click on the map to make it bigger or use the link. We had a busy week!

Thurs-Fri... Jan 14-15.... How Do Solo Drivers Do It?

2010-01-16T00:36:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, my admiration for solo drivers to get anywhere on time is at an all time high!

We made it to Rome, NY on Thursday. I did find some snow as well... it was pushed up in the parking lot and the pile of snow was taller than the cab of the truck. I'm glad I wasn't there watching it fall!

Thursday we were dispatched to Cortland, NY to pick-up and load and deliver it in Monroe Township, NJ on Friday.

Friday we delivered in Monroe Township, NJ and picked-up in the same town. That's a rariety. We then delivered that load in Mercerville, NJ. On the way to Mercerville, NJ we were pre-palnned on a load to Phoenix, AZ.

Ok... stop the clock! Time out! We had to stop and do the math on the pre-plan. Our 70 hours are getting low with not a lot falling off... we had to break the news that since there was no delivery "window" we would have to relay the load. The company choose Pochahontas, IL for the rely.

I was dreading getting to Pochahontas. There's really nothing there. It's a nice drop yard with bathroom facilities and that's it. A big gravel parking lot. The best thing is this restaurant next door with fabulous Walleye!!!!

My dreading was cut short with another pre-plan! As soon as we drop our load at the yard, we are picking up there and heading back to Mechanicsburg, PA!

For all the non-drivers that read this let me explain... every time we stop there are at least 5 qual comm messages to send in. There are directions to the next place to write down with other info and we put the directions into the map and the GPS. The driver has to calculate their hours to make sure they can get to the next place legally. And then... there is getting there.

It saves us time because I am always available to do to the paperwork or computer stuff while Trapper does the trailer and the paperwork inside. I would go crazy, forget what stop I was at, and probably drive off without my trailer if I were doing this all by myself. Oh! and don't forget the 600 miles to drive (or however far it is.)

Truck drivers are a tough breed of people. This job and this lifestyle would not suit everyone!

Wed... Jan 13... Where's the Snow????

2010-01-13T23:56:00.000-05:00

We arrived at our logistics place in Savannah, GA at 2:30 a.m. We were, like always, 30 minutes early for our pick-up. Trapper slept most of the evening due to the fact he would have to drive all night.

Of course, when he walked back out to the truck and asked me to check the qualcomm to ensure we had written down the right order #.... we both new something wasn't going to be right with this load.

And guess what! We were correct! There was NO paperwork nor was there a load going to Rome, NY.... nothing.... nada..... the poor guard looked the guard shack over for the paperwork. A call to dispatch was unproductive, so we headed back to the truck stop and to send a quick "free form" message.

The qualcomm said it was to be a live load, but the place was actually closed. The employee's didn't come in to work until 7 a.m. My typing skills and interpersonal skills.... that's right... he dictated and I typed.... "Shipper has no record of load, they open at 7 a.m., will continue sitting at truck stop until advised further."

That sounded professional, huh? I finally went to sleep around 4 a..m. and poor Trapper stayed up, reading. He slept all afternoon... sleep was not on his agenda.

Finally, around 8 a.m. the qualcomm buzzed us to return to the shipper. As much as I wanted to blame someone on the night shift, it wasn't their fault this time. The clerk that transports the bills to the guard shack at night had "dropped" a couple of bill of ladings and our load was one of them! How cool was that? Lucky us... wish I could pick the right lottery numbers!

We hooked up, it was a drop n hook, not a live load and headed north. I really wanted to see some snow and I figured I would about the time we crossed into Virginia. Here's all I could find, so far.

I'm sure as we trek northward toward NY I will find some more.

Truck driving and flexibility must go hand and in hand!

Sat - Tues... Jan 9-12... Playing Catch-Up

2010-01-12T23:52:00.000-05:00

We decided to reset our hours in West Memphis and Trapper suggested we go to a motel for Saturday night! Needless to say... I put up NO fight about that. We've only been out a week and we're headed to the motel. How sad... we're getting old. Normally we stay out 6-9 weeks without resorting to the motel. LOL

It was a great break. While we were at the terminal we did the normal things... shower, laundry, fill the water jugs, clean the truck out... we got to the motel later on Saturday... Trapper watched tv and I worked on school work. I thought this online schooling would be easy out here... well, being on the road is an added challenge!

Sunday our relay arrived from California and we hooked up and headed to Atlanta, GA. We arrived at the terminal there around 11:00 p.m., dropped our trailer and started looking for an empty. Ok... no empties. Now, again, it's a pain in the butt if you don't have a trailer, so we were bummed and headed over to the drop yard in Atlanta. This place spooks me... I've made mention of this before... it's the drop yard next door to the prison... the drop yard with razor wire across the top of the fence.... the drop yard from.... I don't think I need to say more.

Luckily though, we found an empty there and hooked up immediately!

Monday, we ventured over to the Pilot... fellow drivers... you know the one... the second smallest Pilot in the world... Ex 53 I-285.... this place is ridiculously small and if you get in... well... getting out is another story. There was a bump up in the parking lot and we decided it was time to go back to the drop yard.

We were finally dispatched to pick-up at 10:00 p.m. and haul butt to Jacksonville, FL. We had to be in Jacksonville at 4:30 a.m. Yippee... night shift!

We rolled into Jacksonville, FL around 3:00 a.m. (we loaded and left a little early from Atlanta) and ended up sitting until 4:00 p.m. We were dispatched to pick up in Savannah, GA and ultimately we will end up in Rome, NY.... I'm sitting here in Savannah with the windows rolled down a little, truck turned off, and the bunk heater is off.... I think my luxury will come to an end soon... somewhere around the Virginia state line probably! I see cold weather in my future!

Fri... Jan 8... West Memphis, AR

2010-01-09T01:33:00.001-05:00

We left Baton Rouge, LA on Wednesday morning and arrived in Laredo, TX around 7:00 p.m. Wednesday night. We were both ready to get stopped.

Normally I look forward to the warm weather in Laredo and it was warmer.... than the rest of the country... for a short while. I think it was 57 degrees when we arrived. Of course, we took advantage of the easy showers and by the time I turned in for the night it was 42 degrees. That still wasn't too bad.

Thursday morning, anxious to get out of there, we sat and sat and sat some more. Finally, around 4:30 p.m. we were dispatched to West Memphis, AR. The weather Thursday was horrible everywhere. We kept getting qualcomm messages about wrecks in Iowa. If I had been in charge I would have called all the drivers in Iowa and asked them to stop as soon as they safely could. Wreck after wreck after wreck. The temperature in Laredo was around 30 degrees by now and the wind was rocking the truck.

Due to all the backed up freight in the country, we (along with 9 other trucks) were deadheaded (paid for it, but no load...) 879 miles from Laredo to West Memphis. Evidentally, the company had a lot of expected trucks that had gotten stuck various places in the US.

I wasn't particulary looking forward to traveling north, empty trailer, and the wind blowing as bad as it was, but we had to go.

We stopped at the terminal in Lancaster, TX around midnight and left there on Friday morning. We safely arrived in West Memphis, AR at the terminal this afternoon and then came the fun part. The dispatcher asked us where we wanted to go....

Our choices were New Brunswick, Canada (north of Maine), Quebec, Canada (west of Maine), or Georgia! The two first trips would have been awesome in miles and scenery (under good conditions) but we decided to stick with Georgia. We were both at home so long, getting back out here and getting used to traveling 600 miles a day is kicking our butt's right now. There were two other drivers that jumped on the long loads, so everyone will be leaving West Memphis happy!

Our load doesn't pick up until Sunday night, so we're going to reset here. Groceries and laundry tomorrow and I'll even be able to get a jump start on school for next week. I see a trip to the hotel in order!

Did You Feel That?

2010-01-06T02:01:00.001-05:00

Sitting here quietly at the itsty, bitsy, tiny, small, no space Pilot in Denham Springs, LA (exit 10, I10) broad daylight, sparsely occupied....our trailer rocks!

I hear a faint "bang" and then I feel the cab shove forward and backwards. I quickly asked Trapper, "Did you feel that?" At the same time I look out my side mirror and see a Swift trailer sideways behind us.

"Oh my gosh, we just got hit!"

"What? No we didn't. Are you sure?" (I'm still trying to figure his thought pattern with that series of sentences.... didn't he hear me, was he making a statement, or asking a question... all three at the same time?)

In my excitement all I can say is, "Yea... the Swift truck." as I bail out my door to run check this out!

I don't know what I was thinking.... here I am a professional passenger... if I saw damage was I going to run after the truck? What was I going to do if I caught the truck? I could see me now... chasing a Swift truck through the parking lot, jumping up on the step and demanding the driver stop?

I checked out the trailer and there wasn't any damage that I could see. I never see the trailers when we pick them up... I'm always in the truck. I wouldn't have known if we were damaged or not, unless the doors were ripped off or something! Trapper was out of the truck quickly too, checking to make sure we weren't damaged. If we had been, I wonder if he would have said, "Catch that truck!" (probably so, lol)

The bump was no worse than backing into a dock, but it was the principle. Someone, a professional driver, driving in a tiny parking lot (this has got to be the wierdest Pilot in the USA) as if they were driving a Smart Car.

Wed... Jan 6 .... Trailer Theory

2010-01-06T01:39:00.000-05:00

Anyone who is in the truck driving industry knows that you don't want to get stuck without a trailer! When Trapper came home for Christmas he was dispatched to take his "empty" trailer to Columbia, SC. We knew it could be a mess when we went back on the board.... but....

Sunday morning we go on the board at 7 a.m. We are preplanned to pick up a load at the terminal about 30 miles from home at 10 pm Sunday night. Ok... we thought... that's easy. Trapper called the company just to ensure they knew we had NO trailer. The qualcomm was showing a live load. Here lies the problem... How were they going to live load us and us bobtail???? Can you say weekend crew????

We decided to leave the house around 5 p.m. The truck was fairly ready with all the clothes, supplies, food, my stuff (and lots of it), etc., etc. We turned the heat down, set the light timers, turned the hot water heater off, unplugged tv's, computers, and small appliances. Leaving a house for weeks at a time is time consuming. We loaded a few more things in the truck and off we were.

As we're driving our few miles he calls dispatch just to reconfirm that we have NO trailer. The dispatcher, "Hold on." Next thing.... the qualcomm... "Load Unassigned." Next thing, "Sorry, you have no trailer, we can't load you if you have no trailer." My comment... well.... I won't type that.

We make a U-turn and return home. It's funny. Once you decided to come home you are ready to come home... once you make the decision to go back out... you're ready to go back out. Period! It's a mind set!

I was willing to stay at the truck stop vs. going back home for the night. That probably sounds pathetic but upon returning we had to undo all the stuff to the house that we had just done an hour before! Being mentally worn out by this time, sandwiches were in order for dinner. I couldn't face unpacking anything out of my fully and very carefully stocked fridge in the truck!

Monday rolls around and we were dispatched to Aiken, SC to pick up an empty trailer. Ok, so let's close the house up one more time.... we arrived in Aiken and.... wait for it...... the shipper wouldn't give us an empty!!!! I just laughed.

Another call to dispatch.... this time we had to explain the circumstances of the prior day and try to explain why we are running all over the state with no trailer! Finally, we were preplanned to pick a load up at this same shipper at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

All is well now. We have a good trailer, stocked full! We're sitting tonight in Baton Rouge, LA. Every job has it's draw backs I suppose. There must be a trailer theory though. The qualcomm doesn't allow you to send some info if you can't put in a trailer number, you can't be actually put "on the board" if you have no trailer. My suggestion... death to the trailer theory! It's hard enough out here!

Fri... Jan 1... A New Year!

2010-01-01T23:16:00.000-05:00

My month at home has come to an end now and I'm actually looking forward to returning to my home away from home!

The Christmas holiday's were a hoot around here. Trapper made it home on the 23rd. He was highlighted and sitting 50 miles from home but it took a little coercing to get the company to go ahead and dispatch him home. On the way to the house, the qualcomm beeps 4 times and the message was to take the trailer 100 miles east, drop it, and bobtail home. WHAT????

His mom, who has a passenger pass, was here at the house so I took her.... hauled butt down the interstate, and met him on the shoulder! She had never riden with him so the 200 mile trip was an experience for her! I told her she could mark it off her bucket list!

We had a house full for Christmas.... Trapper's mom and son and then my two children came down. My parents came down a couple of days after Christmas and spent the day with us.

We are very blessed to have the family we have.

My mother climbed up in the truck and was kinda amazed looking when she realized we had only one bunk! We had to have the top one taken out and a shelf put in. We needed the room.

Everyone seems amazed that we both can live and survive in such a small place. At times, we are surprised and impressed both!

It does actually take a lot of patience and the ability to adapt to change in order to survive living on the road. This lifestyle would not be for everyone.

So we will be headed back out, together, on Sunday morning. Being stuck without a trailer won't be the ideal situation but I'm sure the company will find us one somewhere close!

Tues... Dec 22.... We Should all Stop and Think About This...

2009-12-23T00:13:00.000-05:00

Trapper is slowly but surely making his way home. He left IL this morning and is delivering in SC on Wednesday afternoon. Hopefully he'll be home Wednesday afternoon! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I left on Monday afternoon to go see my family in Charlotte, NC. As I talked to Trapper he was routing himself around a wreck with a fatality.

This afternoon I caught a snippet of the news and there was a sandstorm in Arizona that claimed 4 people, due to the wrecks involved and as I talked to Trapper he was, again, sitting in traffic on I-24 just before Chattanooga, TN with an accident that involved a fatality. A van had crossed the median and hit an 18-wheeler head-on. Who do you think won?

I was driving down I-85S today in South Carolina, returning home from North Carolina and was behind what could have been a horrible scene. Something blew out on a vehicle in the front and all of a sudden all I saw were brake lights. Vehicles had been running "in a pack" with a couple of big trucks and I had just backed off. I get really uncomfortable when cars are bunched up together.

Being that I have been in the seat of a truck and I see, first hand, what 4-wheelers do (and don't do) I have to wonder what will it take for them to understand how to drive? Do people go brain dead when they get behind the wheel of a car?

Long before I ever rode in a truck, my daughter and I were almost (killed, hurt, run off the road) in an accident on I-40W. I was in the driver's blind spot. I looked up, realized he could not see me, and the next thing I knew he was coming over. Luckily, there was no one behind me so I slammed the brakes on and he was able to get over in the lane safely.

However; I am a very caucious driver. I was then. I simply wasn't going fast enough and the timing was off. I was crusin' right in his blind spot... just behind his driver's door. He did not see me, period. And it was my fault.

There are at least 6 families that are getting horrific news either yesterday or today. Right at the holidays. Is there a worst time? It's never a good time. Do you think these truck drivers that were involved with today's accidents are sleeping well tonight? I doubt it. I know we wouldn't be if we had been involved in a wreck that killed someone today.

My point is... tell your family to drive safely, but mean it. Tell them how to drive safely. At times, mechanical things are going to happen to someone's vehicle and the vehicle will be out of control... but what I've seen is more driver stupidity. Tell your family and loved ones to ... stay away from the big trucks!!!! Give the big trucks... big room!

A lot of the country is covered with snow right now. White out conditions, you typically see coming... sand storms... you see coming.... heavy rain... you see coming... slow down.... don't drive into a storm at 70 mph... and move away from the big trucks....

Please drive safe this Christmas Season! Your family and friends want to see you at their house, not the morgue or funeral home.

Thurs... Dec 16... Just a Few More Days!

2009-12-16T22:24:00.002-05:00

As I've mentioned in previous post, I've been home since the middle of November AND I am ready to get back on the road! Poor Trapper, he would probably appreciate a break... well, he'll get one when he gets here for Christmas.

He calls and tells me what's going on and how pretty everything is and I miss it! I know, two months of being back on the road, I'll be ready to come home! He said today that last night he had a bottle of water stuck between the mattress and the wall of the sleeper (3" from his head) and it was frozen solid this morning! I just laughed. I know the bunk heater works but the inside walls of the cab do get cold! (click the read more below)
This week's run hasn't been too bad, he says. Dispatched a little fast for the snowy conditions (49-52 mph) and an occasional two-lane road.... but he's been delivering gun safes to small businesses in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and now he is finally dropping the last one tomorrow in Minnesota. Hopefully they will head him to South Carolina soon!

This week (and a couple of days from last week)

View Larger Map

Sun... Dec 13... Weathering the Storm

2009-12-14T02:53:00.001-05:00

Ok, so when Trapper left IL, he was preplanned to go to WV... plans change, as is with life, and he called and explained he would be going to Utah!

Oh wow... time for me to jump into action. I checked the weather maps Friday and he would have smooth sailin'. And then came Saturday night and Sun... no more smooth sailin'.

Sat, I was on the computer, here at home for a couple of hours, trying to decide what was facing him. Sat night he stopped somewhere around Laramie, WY.

Then came Sunday! Sunday had a wide variety of snow report, incidents reports, and chain requirements. The only time we have practiced with the chains was at home, in the driveway, clear conditions, and a week ago.

He called Sunday morning to tell me exactly where he was and for the next 3 hours I was like a weather- road condiiton- first source for info! I now know UTAH like the back of my hand!

It's hard enough being in the truck, listening to the CB, and trying to figure a way around... but to be 2,500 miles away makes it even harder.

He is safe and sound in Salt Lake City... the load is delivered, it is cold, and snow covered!

.... The Tiniest Apt in NYC... ???

2009-12-08T22:19:00.000-05:00

I read this article and had to try to post it here. I hope the link works.

2 people bought the tiniest studio apt in NYC and it's still bigger than the cab of the truck! They don't even cook in this apt!!! At least most of us have managed to conquer the cooking!
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/city_tiniest_studio_AF3nqD1kArYgpdyTyjNnXP

source: NYPost.com

Maybe LivingOTR.com is moving up??????

2009-12-08T09:48:00.001-05:00

Ok... anyone who has a blog or website knows that the more visits you have the more likely google is to recognize you.

This was not my intent with LivingOTR.com. I originally started this as truckerlife101.blogspot.com but decided to have it redirected to LivingOTR.com because the shorter the name the easier it is to remember.

The blog started as a way for friends and family to keep up with us and for us to remember our days on the road. And, once I'm dead and gone, it would be a way for my kids (and grandkids, and grandkids) to remember me being plain 'ole me.

I never really expected it to even be noticed by other "truckers" and I'm glad for those of you that do read and follow along!
However...my point for now... a couple of weeks ago I started noticing spam comments that included links to other websites. How annoying for me because I had to go in and delete them! I hate spammers.

I have also, in the past month, realized how many people actually get paid to leave comments and "back links" on blogs. I never said I was a computing wizard and I'm just now figuring some of this out.

This is also annoying to me.

So... as notice to all spammers.... I am deleting you! However; YOU have also made me change my "leave comments" from anyone can leave a comment to Administrator must approve. This is a pain in my backside and it's a pain for people who do occasionally leave comments because now they have to type that annoying little keyword, etc. Sorry.

I realize this blog is "out there" for the world to see and although I do enjoy comments from other drivers and people in general.... I really hate the spammers. I refuse to be infiltrated by the world... on the other hand I must be moving up in the search engines or I wouldn't be getting so many spam comments.

It's a catch 22.

Tues... Dec 8.... Dirty Laundry...

2009-12-08T09:27:00.003-05:00

Trapper left Laredo, TX with a load headed to South Carolina on Saturday morning. I was excited because it's a 20 hour drive and he didn't deliver until Monday at 11:00 a.m. This meant a little stop over at the house, for at least a few hours.

Now, I've been home since the middle of November. I've become quite comfortable in the house, by myself. I spend most of my days here, by myself. I've started doing some odd "freelance" jobs... a couple of articles here and there and a couple of personal assistant type jobs for people in various parts of the country.

The dining room has turned into my office and my classroom! The bar in the kitchen has turned into my "I really need to file all this stuff somewhere" place. I had paperwork all over these two adjoining rooms. The rest of the house has stayed in order, even through the recent painting of the ceiling and walls in the dining room.

We had gotten about 3 inches of rain a few days earlier and the next day the wind was blowing about 30 mph, so the pool had come over the top, was full of leaves again, the basement flooded, ladders laying on the patio, and I left the lights on in the pick-up truck (and it was dead as a wedge.) I had told him all these things and he told me what I should probably do about them.

Well, I didn't mention the truck... It was really cold outside so I didn't bother doing anything to the pool and it was too far to walk to the barn to put the ladders away. I threw towels downstairs to soak up the water... I figured I had done my part.

I was being irresponsible and procrastinating and the worst part was I knew it! I know better! I am usually really together!

As fate would have it and as soon as I found out he was going to be here on Monday, stuff starting flying!! It's funny how "together" you can get something when you push it!

Sunday I managed to get my office and classroom straightened up and all the stuff on the bar found its way downstairs to the real office. As I was walking over the towels, that were now soaking wet and lying on the floor, I decided to throw those in the washing machine! I cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed the house, did my laundry, and put all that way. I was feeling good about myself!

It was raining out, so I still couldn't do the pool. I decided that I'd get up really early on Monday and do the pool, cold or not! I knew Trapper would try to surprise me and get here earlier than I was expecting, so I tried to do the mileage/driving hour math and see how much time I had.

Monday I was outside at 9:00 am! Pool vacuum in hand.... I vacuumed up 3 baskets of leaves. I had to drain the water out (to start the winterizing process) so I got that started. As the water was pumping out, I ran inside and jumped in the shower. I had to get myself together too, right?

An hour later I walk outside, to put the ladders away, and it looked like we had a river running through it.... the backyard that is... I forgot that the ground was completely saturated and all that pool water was standing! It was standing in the side yard (where the drain pipe from the pool disperses the water.) Crap! There was nothing I could do about that, so I just turned the pool off.

I was expecting a phone call around 4:00 p.m. from him saying he was here and the call came at 1:30 p.m. told you, I knew he'd sneak in early.

I drove over to the truck stop and rescued my truck driver!

The first thing you always do when you get home, after being gone for a month or two, is look around. Trapper helped me get the stuff out of the car and he was walking around outside. He came in and I showed him the two rooms that were painted (since he was last here) and various other things.

He said, "Wow... the place looks great!"

"Whew," I thought... "if he only knew..."

Tues... Dec 1... We are Orphaned (Again)

2009-12-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

We lost our fleet manager about a month ago, so here we are orphaned again. However; it's working beautifully... miles are up, confusion is down, and we're trucking right on. I hope it doesn't curse us when we get a new fleet manager.

In other events; Trapper picked up in Michigan this morning, well he delivered and picked-up, and now he is en route to Laredo, TX. Maybe it will be a good week for us too.

For me, I'm still home painting and doing this school work. I hope I made the right decision. For some reason, I thought being on-line studies would be easier; but I'm finding it is harder. Not only are you "teaching" yourself... you have to type everything. Classroom conversations are in a forum. Your responses and assignments are all typed. I spend a lot of time typing!

I don't know what all is going on "on the road." I'm not there and I miss it. I'm looking forward to taking my seat again!

Sun... Nov 29... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2009-11-29T18:54:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's that time of the year again... Trapper's birthday! And it was two years ago tonight that we had our first "date." That time has flown by!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Trapper's in Michigan tonight with the cold and the rain. I'm at home doing homework. I survived my first week of class and now I am embarking on week two! Strange being back in class after 100 years of being out of school. We're both trying to figure out how we're going to manage this in the truck. I don't really know, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T01:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all the men and women that keep this country moving... and a special Happy Thanksgiving to my trucker!

As I sit at home, Trapper is in OK tonight picking up at 2:00 a.m. and taking a load to Amarillo, TX. We were in TX last year at Thanksgiving, but ventured across to Mexico. I'll stay in the states... thank you.

Be safe in your travels!

Happy "Almost" Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T02:10:00.000-05:00

I am officially a college freshman. I started classes on Monday and I just now finished my second day of homework. Trapper is in TX (headed to OK) laughing at me and wondering how I am going to do this on the road?

I don't know exactly because I'm still trying to make sure I "attend" class, participate in classroom discussions, and do my assisgnment while sitting in the comfort of our home. I guess I will figure out how to handle this on the road. I will update as we go.

Happy "almost" Thanksgiving to everyone! Be safe!

Sun... Nov 22... What Time Is It???

2009-11-22T02:27:00.001-05:00

Trapper is making it just fine without me... I think... you see, we have our own routine when we're in the truck together. Normally, because he is the driver, he turns in early at night... me, because I am the rider... I stay up late at night. Works out good for us, most of the time, because if we're running early morning hours I can continue to stay up with him while he drives. I am quite the night owl.

Well... a couple of nights ago, after running a week's worth of getting up at 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. (while it was dark mind you) he calls me at 4:00 p.m. and says goodnight. He had to pick up at 2:00 a.m. that next morning.

He called me at 7:30 p.m. (which surprised me because he was up) and I could tell the truck was moving because I could hear the roar.

As it turned out... he fell asleep... woke up and looked at his watch which was showing 6:30. He said he jumped up, (probably said a choice word or two) threw his pants on and started driving. By now it's around 7:00 and he kept wondering why it wasn't getting daylight. (He thought it was a.m.) He called headquarters and asked them if they could push the pick-up time back, he had overslept. They said it was no problem and pushed the pick-up time back.

Long story short... it took him turning the radio on (Bill O'Reily was on FoxNews) and looking at his cell phone which said 7:30 P.M. to realize he had only slept a couple of hours!

He called me and confessed. I couldn't help but laugh. I would have thought he had lost his mind if I had been sitting in the front seat, playing on the computer, when he jumped up from a dead sleep thinking we were late!!!!!! Even our dispatch didn't catch it.

He needs me!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2009-11-20T20:12:00.001-05:00

The truck driving industry has always been one of high turnover. Drivers would leave one company for another for any reason from .01 a mile to an additional .50 on an added drop. I was sitting here internet surfing and noticed a lot of companies are now boasting "low driver turnover." That's good, huh? Everyone wants to work for a stable company, right?

My next stop was etrucker.com... they always have the latest news and this is what I found...

*From etrucker.com, Avery Vise, 11-20-09* Payroll employment among for-hire trucking companies in October dropped 0.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from September levels – slightly more than the decline the month before. Employment is down 9.3 percent from October 2008, according to preliminary figures released Friday, Nov. 6, by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

With the estimated 7,500 jobs lost in October, the trucking industry has lost more than 91,000 jobs since the end of 2008 – a decline of 6.8 percent. Job cuts since July 2008 – just before the current decline – total 141,400. The BLS numbers reflect all payroll employment in for-hire trucking, but they don’t include trucking-related jobs in other industries, such as a truck driver for a private fleet.

Within 16 months the trucking industry has lost 141, 400 jobs. No wonder driver turnover is at an all-time low. The industry, on average, has a lost approximately 300 jobs per DAY (including Sunday) for 16 months.

The trucking industry was one of the last stricken industries when the economy fell last year. People still have to have certain essentials for basic survival which means we have to get it to you. Merchandise must move from point A to B. Rice grown in Arkansas must get to California and oranges from Florida must get to Maine.

However; trucking companies are having to get very creative in these down times because the demand market is determining the rates shippers are willing to pay to move freight. There is less freight to move, people aren't buying as much, and this drives freight hauling charges down. Trucking companies are going on a more regional basis or hiring more teams. The companies can move a higher volume of cheap freight in a tight radius (regional runs) and they can move more expensive freight cross country twice as fast with a team truck.

Neither of us relish the thought of running a regional route, but a job is a job and only the strong proactive trucking companies will survive and only the drivers that are willing to adjust will survive.

Tues... Nov 17... G.O.A.L.

2009-11-17T22:39:00.002-05:00

I miss everything when I stay home... blowout's, flat tires, and tonight Trapper gets hit! (The truck got hit!)

Trapper said he was in the back lying down and just all of a sudden WHAM! And then, to beat that, the guy pulls forward really quick and there you have it, our home away from home is damaged. The next two hours he spent calling the company, getting names and numbers of the vehicle at fault, and taking pictures…

I wonder if this driver’s (driver) side mirror has G.O.A.L. on it? You know... it stands for... Get Out And Look!

Good thing I wasn’t there… I would have probably been sitting in the passenger working on the computer... and as soon as I saw we were going to be hit... I would have been ON that air horn. The other drivers would have thought the tornado sirens were blasting.

As the truck driving world turns....

Mon... Nov 16... Do You See a Regional Pattern?

2009-11-17T00:36:00.000-05:00

The company we run for has been toying with the idea of going more towards regional runs (for their solo's) vs. long haul. The long haul will be more for the teams to run.

The last update we heard said the drivers would be given the choice; however, if you look at the map of where Trapper has been the past 4 days... do you see a pattern? A southeast pattern maybe?

We are not complaining, but I wish they would hurry up and make it official. This way the drivers that are being experimented on could at least enjoy the regional runs and start coming home more often. That's part of the benefit of running regional, right?

The only thing better than running long haul would be a dedicated run. Long haul works for us. We enjoy it and since we are a "glorified team"... meaning he drives and I do all that other stuff... then we can usually make pretty good time. I guess we will get used to running the southeast too!

View Larger Map

I stayed home this time for a couple of weeks to get ready for the holiday's and get ready to start school. School... I'm excited to get this started!

Sights from the States

2009-11-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

I decided to try a new slideshow service and I put together some pictures from across the states. I have a collection of 3,000+ pictures at this point, but don't worry... I only did this sample of 20!

I'm Coming Out!

2009-11-16T19:12:00.002-05:00

Ok, I've been in the closet for awhile...

I started writing various articles for AssociatedContent.com just to try my hand at "real" writing. I'm going to post some of those articles, the ones that relate to truck driving, on the blog occasionally.

To read the entire article just click on the heading or click on the "read more". You'll be redirected to the article.

Let me know what you think!

Trucker Boredom!

2009-11-16T19:09:00.000-05:00

Long Haul Truck Driver: What to Do when Boredom Strikes!
All professional drivers experience driver boredom. Here are a few tried and true suggestions to combat driver boredom when it creeps in the driver seat with you.
Read More

Sun. Nov 15... Ok... Home again!

2009-11-15T19:32:00.002-05:00

I know it's been a few days. We decided to come home last week and we were greeted with the remnats of some hurricane (don't remember the name) which of course, caused the basement to flood. Hooray! Oh well, at least we were home this time and could combat it. Luckily, the 6-8" of rain we got here in the upstate of SC didn't do too much damage.

Interesting Video... Truck Vs. Bridge

2009-11-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

I-95 in Connecticut. I wouldn't want to go under this in a truck and if the car drivers had any sense... they would stay extremely far back when they see a truck approaching this bridge....CT has plans to correct this in... 2012!

Sat... Nov 7... We are headed to Greenville!

2009-11-07T20:04:00.000-05:00

Last night finally ended this morning around 4:00 a.m. A person can only take so much aggravation. It's still my belief that dispatchers, sales people, and anyone else that is in the chain of moving merchandise should have to ride in a truck for a month before assuming their position!

We left West Memphis, AR this morning and headed to Birmingham, AL and then northeast to Atlanta, GA for the night. We traveled Hwy 78 between Memphis, TN and Birmingham.

As we entered Birmingham I couldn't help but remember spending months here when I worked with BellSouth. I couldn't help but take a picture of the place several of us called home back then.

I should have zoomed in... it's the place way up on the hill.

I would have never thought way back then (15 years ago) that one day I be back in the city but rolling through in an 18-wheeler.

Funny how things change.

You never know what you're going to run into when you stop at a truck stop.

Today, as we stopped to clean the windshield (that looked like a bug masacre had occurred) and I could hear Christmas music playing. It was so pretty.... it didn't sound like it was coming over the intercom... but it took me a minute to find it. Trapper got back into the truck and asked him where it was coming from. He pointed out the door back towards the fuel pumps.

At first we both thought the guy was playing for tips... but it turns out he was a driver for JB Hunt. He was walking around the fuel pumps playing this horn while he was fueling. Awesome.

He was starting to get quite a crowd gathered around... but then he was gone. He fnished fueling and was off to entertain someone else.

Our day ended in Tyler, GA, about 60 miles south west of Atlanta.

Looks like we'll be in Greenville, SC tomorrow night and hopefully home by Monday afternoon!

Fri... Nov 6... The Night The Lights Went Out in Memphis!

2009-11-07T19:47:00.000-05:00

Our delivery was 8:00 a.m. and we arrived in Memphis, TN around 7:00 a.m. We were unloaded and dispatched to our terminal in West Memphis, AR around 10:30 a.m. Arriving in West Memphis, AR we were assigned a load to pick up at 10:00 p.m. in Memphis, TN and deliver this to Charlotte, NC on Monday at 10:00 pm.

After killing our 10 hour break we were off to Memphis, TN ready to start our trip to Charlotte, NC.

As fate would have it, our load was actually bound for New Columbia, PA not Charlotte! What the heck? Who dropped the ball this time? Oh that's right, it's called double booking in the trucking business... not ball dropping.... a thing that happens that no one takes responsibility for.

Trapper called dispatch and he was then asked to "walk back in and get the person's name that told you the load was bound for PA not NC. A phone call would have been too hard? I should get off my soapbox here.

As he was walking back in to the terminal every single light goes out. All the inside lights, the outside terminal lights... everything. It was pitch black! As we were arriving at the terminal earlier, we saw numerous blue lights and heard sirens off in the distance. By the time the power was shut off, the news helicopters were buzzing around and you could see the glow of flames (in the near distance).

Turns out that the city cut the power off. There was an old, abandonded school that was burning. It was kind of interesting watching the dock workers running around on fork lifts holding flash lights so they could see. They didn't miss a beat. Our load was ready but we couldn't get our paperwork... the office couldn't print the bills of lading... so we sat for two hours making small talk with the other drivers.

Finally, the office workers decided to hand write the time in and time out on the bills of lading and release us! In the meantime the local dispatch out of West Memphis, AR had decided we were bringing this load back to the terminal there and it would be relayed to another driver.

We arrived back at the West Memphis, AR terminal around 1:30 a.m. and we were assigned a load going to Greenville, SC that is due there on Monday morning.

By now, I've got 3 separate maps saved and still didn't know where we were headed. I was afraid it would change again. The other aggravating part of tonight is the fact that neither of us really want to start driving at 2:00 a.m. (to finish our hours for today) so the less of the two evils is to take another 10 hour break and start out tomorrow morning at lunch time. We have plenty of time to make the 537 mile run by Monday morning.

At least after we deliver on Monday, our 8 weeks out will come to an end with us being at home for a couple of days. That's always a nice thought.

Thurs... Nov 5... Making Our Way Through Texas

2009-11-05T20:35:00.000-05:00

We left Texas around 2:30 a.m. I knew I might as well stay awake until we made it through the border crossing check about 30 miles into Texas. The last time we left Texas in the middle of the morning, the border crossing agent made Trapper wake me up just to ask me "are you an american citizen?" I probably looked more like a martian as I stuck my head out of the back.

I finally gave in around 4:30 a.m. and had to find my comfortable place in the sleeper! Sleeping on I-35 is easy... it was a very smooth ride with our 35k lbs of rope in the trailer.

We've been out 5 weeks and seems as though most of that time we've been in some part of Texas. Our trip today came right up Interstate 35 through San Antonio, Waco, and Austin. It also takes us right through the area of Fort Hood. What a sad day there today.

With our 11 hours of driving time being up, we stopped in Gurdon, Arkansas, took a nap, grabbed dinner, and Trapper is currently resting while I play on the computer. His day will start again at 3:00 a.m. with our delivery being at 8:00 a.m. in Memphis, TN.

Who knows where we will go from Memphis!

Wed... Nov 3... Ok... Back to West Memphis

2009-11-04T18:08:00.000-05:00

We were number 22 when we arrived in Laredo today. We have now been assigned a load back to West Memphis, AR... like I said doing the terminal runs. We're not complaining though. Easier work for me... we know the way well!

So, we'll deliver in West Memphis, AR on Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. I must go was dishes now that I know we're leaving in a little bit.

Wed... Nov 4... Back South

2009-11-04T16:32:00.001-05:00

We've been in this "terminal" mode it seems... we're back in Laredo! I think we were just here a week ago.

Our load was ready yesterday morning and we headed out of MS and made it all the way to northern TX last night. We arrived in Laredo around 10:00 a.m.

Not much going on today... but a word to the wise... if you are going to drive in TX.... be sure and wear your seat belt!!!

Mon/Tues...Nov 1/2.... You're Kiddin', right?

2009-11-03T00:08:00.001-05:00

Just when you think you have this trucking thing down pat...

We arrived in West Memphis on Sunday around 7:00 a.m. Trying to figure out how to log the day light savings time was a trick. We gained an hour, as did all the other drivers logging this day, but couldn't really decide the right way to log the gained hour... a quick call to the log department resulted in not too much of an answer either. My recommendation was to write Daylight Savings Time across the top and someone else could figure why we were only showing a 9 hr break.

Sunday was without incident and actually another nice break. Laundry, Wal-Mart, clean the truck, and showers were on the agenda. We were given 2 pre-plans so this took up a few minutes doing the trip planning.

Monday our first load picked up at 3:00 in Memphis, TN and we delivered this in Richland, MS. When you're in 3 states in a couple of hours (AR,TN, and MS) for some reason I thought we were already in TX. Too many loads at once. LOL

We left Richland, MS and headed toward Taylorsville, MS. According to my map and the GPS it was 59.8 miles but for some reason the dispatch said 9 miles. Ok... we don't have to be there until 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, so we have time to figure this out....

A call to dispatch didn't help much. They were looking at the same info we had. A second call to dispatch (just to ensure we were actually going to the right place) and we were able to figure out that there are 2 Taylorsville's in MS. One was 9 miles from where we were and the other was 59 miles from where we were.

We all decided we were headed the correct way and that the computer picked up the first Taylorsville, MS that is located in Hinds County.

After driving another 30 miles, following our directions and maps, we get turned on the street where the shipper is located. The name of the company, according to our directions, was Ducksworth. Ok... it's pitch dark on this little tiny unmarked country road in the middle of Mississippi. I am looking for a 214 (the building number) or a Ducksworth. Neither are happening.

Finally I spot a 214 above the door on a building and we stop. We kinda of looked at each other like... where are the docks? Again, it's pitch black outside. I notice what looks like a gravel drive around the side of the building and we decide to drive up to that driveway. For everyone that doesn't drive... it's much easier keeping this 70' of truck going forward vs. getting jammed up trying to get turned around or going down what looks like a neighborhood street vs. road of any kind.

Luckily there were docks behind the building and a couple of empty trailers. We sent in "arrived at customer". The only problem is the name of the business is Remy. We see no Duckworth's anywhere.

A few minutes pass and we get a message asking if we are at the customers? I'm thinking "What!" I sent a message back to them explaining we are at the location of the directions, however; and then I added all the crazy things with the address, dispatch, and company name and then my last sentence was "am I at the customer?"

It's been a couple of hours now and no one has responded. I guess we'll find out in the morning.

Moral to the story is check your dispatch miles. Our dispatch from here to Laredo will be wrong, as well, due to being dispatched from the wrong city. Wrong miles add's up as in lost income for the driver.

And they call this "unskilled labor!"

Sat... Oct 31... Happy Halloween "Trick or Treat" Truck Driving Style

2009-10-31T22:06:00.000-04:00

Boy this morning at 5:30 a.m. we thought we had a sweet treat for Halloween... a 2185 mile run from Laredo, TX to Massachusettes!!

Turned out, it was only to be a trick... oh well... after everyone did the math, you can't make a 76 hour trip (with breaks and all that junk) in 72 hours. So, we are relaying the load in West Memphis, AR.

Our GPS says that since we started rolling this morning... the truck has been moving for 10 hours and 37 minutes of our allowed 11 hours driving time.

In a perfect world, we could have made the entire trip but we all live in the trucking world where you have to expect the unexpected and adjust accordingly.

So, have a safe Halloween... watch out for pranksters... (oh, I'm sounding like a safety recording...., sorry)

People are drawn to this business because of the lure of the open road, no boss over your shoulder, bla, de, dah... when in fact... we have to obey the Federal Motor Carrier laws, we have GPS's that track our every move, we have to document our every stop, and our trucks are only allowed to run so fast.... ironic isn't it?

Fri... Oct 30.... Unloading P'nuts

2009-10-31T21:49:00.002-04:00

First of all before I show you how our 46k pounds of p'nuts was unloaded, I must rant a little.

We are in the right lane of the interstate and there is a police car in the left lane (the fast lane, right?)... we are gaining on him and gaining... now remember, the posted speed limit is 70 mph and we are governed at 65 mph... we should not be gaining on him.

As we PASS him, the reason he's driving in the fast lane so slow is because he's TEXTING!!!! Imagine that!!! The trucking industry is being bombarded with bad press related to using onboard communications... we are in a state that BANS texting and here we have an officer (in the passing lane driving 50 mph) and TEXTING! I thought my head would blow off when I saw this.

Ok, back to the nuts of this story.
We arrived in Pleasanton, TX to unload our nuts at 7:00 a.m. They make you pull onto this lift and disconnect from the trailer. They start tilting the lift slowly and the p'nuts go into a holding bin in the ground.

Eventually our trailer looked like this as they neared having the whole trailer empty. The process took about 45 minutes to empty the trailer.

As we sat here we had a preplan on the Qualcomm that we were picking up a load (at this same place) and taking it to Laredo, TX.

So with realtive speed we were hooked up to a full trailer and on our way to Laredo!

We arrived in Laredo and went ahead and delivered our load of peanuts to the broker. This load will make it's way onto Mexico and who knows... we maybe carrying a load of peanut butter soon that comes back across the border...

Wed/Thurs...Oct 28/29.... 3 AM is too early for me!

2009-10-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

I would be lying if I said my day started early... Trapper's started at 3 a.m. so we could make our first delivery at 7:00 a.m. in Wichita Falls, TX. I think my day started when we backed into the dock!

We had another delivery, Lowe's stores, at 1:00 p.m. in San Angelo, TX. This is where I day stopped. Luckily, there was a Wal-Mart close by.

We sat at Wal-Mart and sat at Wal-Mart some more.... not much to say, huh... until at last the Qualcomm beeped at 5:30 p.m. and let us know we were picking up at 8:00 a.m. in Seminole, TX. Finally! I have something to do now! I get to do a little trip planning.

Since our 14 hours were completely up for the day, we will be leaving at 3:00 a.m. yet again.

Thursday:
The alarm went off just about the time I was calling it a day. I am such a night owl. We would be a perfect team... that's another story....

We arrived at our pick up about an hour early... we are going to be hauling peanuts! 46k pounds of LOOSE p'nuts!!!! We backed up to this conveyor belt to get loaded. Very interesting!

We left San Angelo, TX this morning at 3 and it was 72 degrees, a little north in Seminole, TX it was 42 degrees with a little sleet mixed in.

At least we're not in WY or CO.... we have friends stuck in WY in FEET of snow with the interstates closed. I'm thankful!

I just wonder how they are going to get these p'nuts out?????

Mon/Tues... Oct 26/27.... Oklahoma City... What a Great Surprise!

2009-10-31T21:13:00.002-04:00

Leaving Joplin and rolling towards Oklahoma.... We called a friend of ours, Jim, who lives in Oklahoma City and told him we'd be in town for our reset. Trapper and Jim haven't seen each other in about a year and a half, so we thought dinner would be nice.

Jim was glad to hear that we would be in town and was happy to come meet us at the truck stop. When Jim arrived at the truck stop, he was driving a rental car.... yes, he had rented us a car to use that night and the next day while were in OKC! How nice was that?

And wait... it gets better... he also made us reservations at the Hampton Inn for the night! We could not believe it, what a wonderful surprise. Jim also drives a truck and said, "I know how it is to have to stay stuck in the truck... here's a car and room reservations... have fun while you are here." WOW!

After dinner, we found the hotel and I tried scoured the internet for things to do in OKC.

We decided to visit the National Cowboy Museum in OKC. This place is awesome. If you are ever in OKC you should stop and tour the museum. The cost is $10 per adult, but it's well worth it.

We saw the history of west from the days of the Indians up through some of the early settlements. There is a section of the museum called Prosperity Junction which is a small town built inside the museum depicting what the old west was like.

A few pictures from Prosperity Junction:

Trapper at the bank.

The Mercantile... fully stocked I might add....

Trapper in the saloon....

A stagecoach... boy... this wouldn't have been for me....

And me.... in Jail.... fits me, huh?

After our tour of the museum we wondered down to the downtown area of Oklahoma City called Bricktown.

Bricktown is an area on the canal where the revitalization people decided to actually tear up the street and dig all the way down to the bottom of the buildings and fill the canal up with water. This created a two story "street mall" full of stores and restaurants. Very interesting place and very pretty.

Our mini vacation came to an end around 4 p.m. as we had to make it back to the Petro to get back to real life... real trucking life.... laundry for me and sleep for Trapper. The wee hours of the morning will come early.

Jim... if you read this.... Thank you so much! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Sat. Oct 24... I wish I had.....

2009-10-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

A really big coat or a good heater right now!

We were dispatched yesterday to pick up a load in St. Paul, MN. I had checked the weather the day before and the high was suppose to be 41 degrees so I figured ok no worries about weather.

Well... the weatherman must have been a little wrong! Oct 23 and My first snow of the season! I had to text my kids!

Atleast we are headed south to Texas! We're trying to squeeze in a reset, keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully we can reset in Oklahoma City, OK and finish our trip to TX on Wednesday morning.

Thurs...Oct 22... Where we are and where we've been!

2009-10-23T00:40:00.002-04:00

We are currently sitting in St. Cloud, MN, 71 miles away from our delivery place in the morning at 7:00 am. All good plans of mice and men.... usually fail, right? We had our trip planned so we would be in Alexandria, MN in the morning at our delivery place, but yesterday we were in Joplin, MO so we had to stop at the terminal for fuel and a trailer check. This was at 2:30 pm. Our trailer had to have something on the landing gear replaced which entailed ordering a part which all the waiting successfully burned up the few hours we had remaining (on our 14). Love logs!!! LOL

So, we spent the night in Joplin, MO and watched and felt the cold weather blow in. It was 108 last week in CA and tonight in MN it is 37. We are back to dressing in layers!

We'll deliver in the morning at 7:00 am and still have enough hours to send in that hopefully we'll get a decent load somewhere for the weekend. Being only 100+ a few miles from Fargo, ND... I wonder if further north is in our future? We'll see.

Last weeks trip coming out of CA to TX was so interesting I have to share this with everyone. We stopped in Willcox, AZ. If you are a western cowboy back in the day type person you would love this little town. Very trucker friendly and only about 2 miles from the interstate and large truck stop.

(for larger pics just click on the picture)

We made our way to the historic section of town and parked the truck at the train depot. How uncommon is that? No low lines or tight roads. No wonder truckers like the west.

Anyway, this town is home to the Rex Allen Museum which cost $4 per person or $3 per couple to go through. It is an awesome museum for the Rex Allen fan. It houses tons of information on Rex Allen, Jr. as well.

Our next stop was in the middle of town they have errected a statue of Rex Allen and buried his horse KoKo in the middle of town, in front of the statue. KoKo traveled almost 1/2 million miles with Rex Allen, during his career. Not to mention the numerous pictures the two appeared in. Fitting they buried the horse under the statute.

The town also boast the place where Warren Earp was killed in a shootout. Warren was the lesser known brother of Wyatt Earp. The building is a brightly colored pink building that is a candle shop. In the early 1900's it was a saloon. The place where he was shot is marked on the floor.

Warren's burial place is also in this town. Trapper being a mountain man and me being curious, we decided to venture through town to find the pioneer cemetary. Little did I know! More on this later.

As the day progressed we decided to eat at Big-Tex BBQ. It is in the middle of town in an old train car. Wonderful food!

Check out the size of this BBQ pit!

We inquired with our waitress about the Pioneer Cemetery and she said we needed to walk about 3 blocks and we'd see a sign for it. Ok, we thought, we're going cemetery hunting.

We followed the waitresses directions and walked 3 blocks out of town. And finally the cemetery sign appeared.

As we looked at the sign... we looked at each other with that "no way am I walking down there." But we convinced each other (or maybe I did more of the convincing) to go ahead since we had come this far. We had no idea how far down this deserted desert road we had to walk.

Finally the cemetery appeared. I was almost afraid to walk in. I wanted to see but didn't want to see all at the same.

As we ventured into this ancient cemetery I couldn't believe my eyes. There were newly made wood RIP markers on some of the graves that dated back to 1880! Some of the graves were just exactly like you see in the movies...they dug a hole... and piled rocks on top... and they were done. The entire landscape of this graveyard was dotted with mounds of dirt with rocks placed on top. Eeeeeerie....

We found Warren Earps gravesite. Obviously this is a modern headstone being this is an attraction for Wilcoxx, but to be standing on ground where these infamous cowboy outlaws once roamed is a thought to ponder.

Now we had to walk all the way back to the truck. On the way back Trapper spots this ant hill. Look at the size! He messed with the ants a little and when they came out they looked like fire ants on steriods. This is the largest ant hill I've ever seen.

As we walked back to town we were talking about all the history in this small town. There is also the oldest original trading post that is still standing in the middle of town. It's called Willcox Commercial and history has it that Geranimo traded here.

The town was full of fun things to see and it was a nice break from being in the truck all week. We had walked where the outlaws walked, stood where they were killed, and paid regards to their remains. We had survived our desert walk that seemed like 10 miles to me, but according to the map we only walked approximately 3 miles. What a joke I am when it comes to walking and judging distance.

The next day we were traveling through New Mexico and our path crossed with Jazzy Jordan! She's the 16 year old that is running across the country to bring awareness to uninsured Americans. It was so neat to actually see her (I posted a link to her website last week) so we tooted the air horn in support and breezed on by... run Jazzy run.... http://www.runwithjazzy.com/

This is such a large country with so much history. If you ever have the opportunity to travel it, do so!

Mon...Oct 19.... Here we go again!

2009-10-19T22:49:00.001-04:00

I'm tardy with my updates... I know...

We arrived at the terminal in Lancaster, TX on Sunday around 3:00 pm. We have been at the terminal all day, reseting hours. Love being at the terminals... showers anytime!

We pick up tonight, Monday night, in Irving, TX (west of Dallas) and deliver this load 253 miles away in Houston, TX at 4:00 AM on Tuesday. We then have to scoot onto LaPorte, TX and pick up at 10:00 tomorrow morning and that loads will take us to Alexandria, MN to be delivered on Friday morning at 7:00 am.

I've already checked the weather and no snow... that works for me...I got my "snow measured in feet" last year!

Oh well... no sleeping tonight! Gotta keep the driver awake!

I've got some really neat things to post about our trip from CA to TX, but it will have to be another day. Truck is moving....

Tues-Thurs...Oct 13-15... Cross Country Finished

2009-10-15T22:27:00.001-04:00

Boy what a trip this was... Tuesday night we decided to go ahead and get our reset in. We stopped in a small town named Kingman, AZ. We were here from Tuesday night until 3:00 am on Thursday morning.

This is the only place, other than parts of El Paso, TX that our internet service was almost "not working" and our phones were not in service. It was taking the internet about 5 minutes to load a page so I said the heck with this. Our refrigerator finally stopped working for good. Luckily, we had eaten just about all the perishables, so we're only out a fridge. The beating and banging these appliances take on the road, it's a wonder they last at all.

We left Kingman, AZ at 3:00 am and finished our trip to Irwinedale, CA to deliver our Volkswagon wheels. Our delivery was 8:00 am (pacific time). We arrived around 6:30 am, they unloaded us relatively quick and we were off to Baldwin Park, CA to pick up at 4:30 pm. We arrived in Baldwin Park 5 hours early and thank goodness they said they would load us early. Our 14 hours were going to run out at 5:00 pm so we would have run out of hours sitting at the dock. Joy! Joy!

We are en route to Lancaster, TX to drop this load at the terminal there. For tonight, we are in Thousand Palms, CA at a Flying J. There are little to no truck stops in the Los Angeles proper so it worked out well that we were able to load and get out of town!

The temperature today, here in Thousand Palms, was 108! I hear it's raining back home and cold. Just in case the company ask us why we were idling.

Here we are in Arizona earlier this week.

Mon...Oct 11... 900 miles to go!

2009-10-12T23:08:00.001-04:00

onight we are in Santa Rosa, NM. We spent last night at the terminal in Joplin, MO, after a 600+ mile day... the shower availability was nice.

My day started 100 miles down the interstate. Again, I saw no real reason to get up very early. Our schedule typically includes Trapper getting up really early to start driving... I stumble to the front about 2 hours later, usually 100 miles... then at night he crashes in the back a couple of hours before me. It gives us a little "alone" time. Our space, I guess.

Today I was able to see the entire state of Oklahoma, the panhandle of TX and I will finish seeing New Mexico tomorrow. We decided to stop and eat at the BIG TEXAN. If you are even on I-40W you have got to take the time to eat here. Exit 74! It will be well worth the time and money. I've added a link to the side, but I'll add one here as well. bigtexan.com

After our dinner break we traveled about 150 more miles and called it a night.

Trapper realized today that we may be able to get a reset in on our hours before we cross into CA. We maybe stopping Flagstaff, AZ tomorrow night and spend the day there on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to that! I've only been to Flagstaff once before but I remember I really liked it. Plus being able to get out of the truck a little will be nice too.

We absolutely don't want to get to CA with just a few hours on our 70 hours. CA and all their emmision laws and no idle laws! Who wants to stay there, in a truck! One day, truck companies will finally realize that CA doesn't want us there and we won't be there. That's when CA will realize that America Moves By Truck!

Our route since we left Carlisle, PA on Thursday, Newark, NJ on Friday, and headed to CA by Saturday...You can click the little minus sign on the map to make it smaller. I don't know what I did wrong.

View Larger Map

Oct 10... Sat... Recalculating!

2009-10-11T01:03:00.001-04:00

My morning started early... 5:00 a.m. to be exact and I was awaken by this familiar woman's voice that kept repeating... "Recalculating, recalculating!" I knew what had happened.

We spent the night at a service center in NJ last night on the NJ Turnpike. We were, according to the GPS, only 2.5 miles away from our pick-up, but that route was going through this small town, etc. Being we were on the turnpike there are only so many exits and we would have had to go about 15 miles out of route to stay on "big" roads. I thought we had decided we would take the longer route because of the bigger roads. I went to sleep and was resting comfortably when I kept hearing the GPS this morning. I knew that Trapper had decided to take the shortest route. Yee ha.... we were sightseeing again!

As I made my way to the front passenger seat, he showed me where we were on the map and told me what he'd done. (I already knew that part, right?) I'm trying to match streets with the map and keep coming up with nothing. Then we cross over the turnpike and realize we had gone the wrong way. It's one thing to be lost in a car but it's a whole different thing being lost in a truck with a 53' trailer to get turned around in the middle of NJ, in the dark, with it drizzling rain. I don't do mornings well either.

I was awake now! I located us via the GPS and found us on the map. Several of the roads were weight limited so it was like a mini obstacle course, needless to say. We did make our appointment time with 10 minutes to spare!

I'm going to have to give him his own advice when I'm travelling alone.... stay on the big roads! I will give him credit though... he can make a u-turn in this truck that I would have trouble making in a car!

The rest of our 600 mile day went fine. We stopped in OH for the night... 2100 more miles to go!

The Truck Parking Problem & One Driver's Solution

2009-10-10T00:03:00.001-04:00

We all face it. Every single day of our lives out here on the road, you plan your trip around where you can park. In states such as Virginia, who have closed 1/2 of their rest areas, you could easily run out of hours on your 11 or 14 trying to find somewhere to stop. At one point there are 122 miles between rest areas in Virginia.

But, there is hope for us all. His name is LeRoy and he is determined to give us all some pertinent information we need. We met LeRoy tonight in NJ at a service center. We run for the same company and he walked over to the truck and introduced himself.

Long story short, he is compiling the ultimate parking guide. He has places in this book that we all have only dreamed of. He's got places in FL... on the beach and close by. He has deals with certain truck stops for discounts on coffee or showers. He has free wi-fi spots listed and the list goes on.

The guide is not yet published but check out his website at http://www.parkmyrig.com/ and you can sign a list of people to be notified once he gets it complete.

The book will retail for $29.80 but if you'd like to contribute to his masterpiece with information on rest areas or truck stops on your routes, he will provide you with a discount on the book. (If you email him, through his website, include as much information regarding the stop as you can... exit number, rest area open/closed/truck parking, and number of spaces (if available).

Check it out! I saw an example of what he's compiling and it would greatly help us all out! Thanks everyone!

Fri... Oct 9... If you Wish really hard....

2009-10-09T23:52:00.000-04:00

Friday morning started with us being beeped at 6:00 a.m. with a load assignment to pick up 36 miles away and deliver in Newark, NJ at 6:30 pm. Can you say traffic?

We made our pick up and were making our way to Newark when we were beeped again. The trucking gods must be on our side... our preplan is from Castlebury, NJ to Los Angeles, CA! Oh yeah.... this is what trucking is all about.

My excitement for today was getting to see NYC from the other side of the bay, but I don't care, I got to see it and now I can mark that off my bucket list. My bucket list is getting smaller and smaller!

For tonight we're sitting 2 miles from our pick up at 6:00 am and I'm ready to get this cross country trip underway.

It's been a tough week... who said being a professional passenger was easy?

Thurs...Oct 8.... Our Patience is Wearing Thin

2009-10-08T22:38:00.000-04:00

Ok, that's right.... both of us are only holding up for the other one at this point.

We left our hotel this morning, our parts are in at the Kenworth dealership, yippee... well not so quick.

We loaded up all our belongings (including the stuff out of the fridge) and headed back over to the Kenworth place. We arrived at 1:00 pm today.

My day has been spent playing on the computer and talking to other drivers. We have struck conversations regarding everything from hunting to truck driving. I've also been researching going back to school... online of course. My daughter would love that! My brain needs activity, we'll see how it all pans out.

The Kenworth place has been telling us all day that we'd be out of here today sometime. For the first 6 hours we set here, no one was working on the truck. This is ridiculous.

About 9:00 pm I decided to walk out into the shop and get up in my truck/home. I scavaged some plates, bread, and rice. The meat for dinner is already in the refrigerator. (I have over taken thier break room refrigerator trying to keep food frozen.) Dinner will be prepared tonight in the break room of Kenworth. Hope they don't mind.

For now, it's 10:40 pm and they close at midnight. Our truck is still in parts. Let's hope these guys get it in gear. We've driven 776 miles this week. You do the math! Send money please... Carlisle, PA!

Tues/Wed... Oct 6,7... Stuck in Carlisle, Pa.... Where?

2009-10-08T00:57:00.000-04:00

We delivered our load safely on Tuesday afternoon and received our preplan to go to New Cumberland, PA. I happened to look at the qualcomm and realized we weren't suppose to be there until Wed afternoon. We ran this same load last week and it picked up on Tuesday. What the heck!

So here we were a whole day early. We tried to get off the load but our dispatcher was less than cooperative and we decided to leave it as is. After all, we were headed to Jacksonville, FL!

In the meantime Trapper notices we have a rear seal leaking on the back right drive. (That's the last wheel on the right side of the cab.) There was a Kenworth place 2 miles from the truck stop so off to Kenworth we go to get this quick fix.... um.... fixed.

As fate and the "bingo" system Kenworth has, our quick fix has turned into 2 days in a motel in Carlisle, Pa. The bingo system is a bonus system Kenworth has that pays the technicians for finding problems with the truck that the driver did not notice. In our case it was a recall item. Lucky us.

Our refrigerator was full of frozen food that I prepared before leaving home Sunday. It makes my life easier out here so I fix a ton of stuff to take with us. We had to find a hotel, call and get it approved from the company, have Kenworth call the company to get them to verify where we were, get off our load, get the stuff out of the truck, hope the hotel had a fridge in the room, and wait on the shuttle. Boy what a day Tuesday was.

Wednesday rolled around and only one part showed up. We are waiting on yet, another part. Thank goodness for wireless internet and delivery pizza and chinese food! I am running out of Diet Mt. Dew. The closest store is a mile away and it's cold here, so walking is out of the question. I will suffer through it and survive... Trapper may not survive my withdrawals though!

Hopefully, the other part will arrive tomorrow and we can move our gypsy selves back to our truck! It's funny when you have everything in that truck and then have to suddenly abandon it, just how out of place you become!

PS - Can someone tell me where the spell check went. I can't find it on here.

Mon... Oct 5... In Case of Emergency

2009-10-05T22:42:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we were sitting at Petro and an ambulance comes through the parking lot. A few minutes later, the ambulance workers were loading a fellow driver into the back of the ambulance.

As I type this post, we are sitting on I-81 in Virginia. You can see from the picture, we are sitting completely still as other drivers are outside their vehicles. The CB is reporting a car on fire.

As the traffic started moving, we soon realized it was a big truck that caught fire.

This is when I started thinking we needed an "in case of emergency" plan.

We never heard how this accident occurred but the we did hear that the driver was ok. The cab was totally burned. The last picture shows a picture of what was left of the cab.

Being that I have no idea how to operate this truck, what would I do if something happened to Trapper while we are out here? What if he couldn't drive, collapsed during driving, or if any thing happened to him? Would my instincts take over and my adrenaline get us stopped or off the road safely?

There are days that I couldn't tell you, on a moments notice, what state I am in, much less the mile marker, interstate number, or exit number.

If I were able to get us stopped and 911 called... what do I do next? Of course, I would go with Trapper, but then I'd have to deal with the truck.

Who would I call about the truck? And depending on the circumstances, would I really care about the truck? Trapper says I would have to deal with it, regardless.

This would mean another truck coming and getting the load and then I would have to take all our stuff out of our truck, get a rental car, get a hotel, and eventually get us home as best I could. We could be hundreds of miles from home.

These are things you don't want to think about, but these two incidents have made me stop and think about the what if. Especially since I am only a passenger with no license or know how in operating this vehicle.

Regardless of who you are or what you do for a living... but especially truck drivers.... you should have a back up plan for emergencies.

Fri... Oct 2... Can You Say Dropped Ball?

2009-10-02T12:45:00.001-04:00

What's a driver to do? We arrived at our destination this morning. Our directions were quite simple... no name on building, long gray building across from Maryland's chicken.... ok so you're in a strange town, small town at that, looking for a long gray nameless building... in the dark!

We arrived at 7:30 am and our delivery time was 8:00 am. We back up to the dock and Trapper gets out and rings the bell at the door. No answer. No problem, we're early right?

8:15 am rolls around and after Trapper does a quick inspection of the property, there is absolutely no one here. We decide it's just a warehouse and decided to call the number on the bill of lading. That information has to correct, right?

No answer at the first number, so I googled the name of the place and found a couple of more phone numbers. We call those, no answer.... we finally called our dispatcher who in turn called the Laredo terminal (where this load originated).

The Laredo terminal calls us and explains they can't get anyone on the phone either... for us to sit tight. Ok... we're sitting....

Two hours later, two and a half hours since this started... our qualcomm goes off and we are headed to the Atlanta, GA drop yard. Turns out the place we are trying to deliver is.... (wait for it)..... CLOSED on Fridays! LOL

As I type we are sitting in Atlanta waiting on our next load.

Thurs... Oct 1... 566 miles!

2009-10-02T00:33:00.000-04:00

It's 12:30 a.m. Georgia time and we're sitting in Carnesville, GA. Today was actually pretty good for me... doesn't seem like it was a 566 mile day, but then again 177 of them were left behind me, while I slept! Makes the day go faster!

We deliver at 8:00 a.m. in Toccoa, GA and then onto Marion, NC for an afternoon delivery.

I've been playing around with various things on blogger tonight... the blog may be in line for another face lift. One day I will get it like I want it!

Until tomorrow!

Double Take!

2009-09-30T21:21:00.004-04:00

This is on the back of a flat bed! Look closely... it's a Tonka dump truck!!!

Sun-Wed Sept 27-30.... Stuck in Reverse

2009-09-30T20:50:00.009-04:00

I admit it... I love Texas... I've mentioned this before in several posts, but it has been awhile.

You don't have to wonder what state you are in... as soon as you cross the Texas border and you see the mile marker (873) you know you are in TX... not to mention the old saying that everything is bigger in Texas. They are proud!

I belive this sense of American Pride is the reason that Fox News gets the representatives from Texas when they want a real "kick butt" response or commentary on a particular subject.

Check out this star at the welcome center. Do you doubt what state this is?

Sunday we made our delivery in Sealy, TX at the Wal-Mart Dist Center. We left the distribution center without a trailer which always causes problems. The qualcomm doesn't except your empty call without a trailer number and they don't put you on the board. You are a little in limbo.

Monday morning rolled around and we still did not have a load assignment, so Trapper made the decision that it was time to get a motel room and reset our hours. We were, obviously 24 hours into a 34 hour reset, so why not.

It was a wonderful break from the truck. Being off the road for so long, for both of us, getting back into the routine has been a little challenging. For me, all I want to do is sleep. We're managing nicely though.

Wal-Mart finally had an empty trailer for us and Tuesday morning we were back in business. We were dispatched to Houston, TX to pick-up a load from the "waste management" place. I was dreading this load.... you never know what you're going to be dragging across this country.

This 43,000 lbs of paper (aka trash) is going to Laredo, TX and then onto Mexico for processing. This company will eventually make huge rolls of paper and other paper products out of this recycled paper.

We arrived at the Laredo terminal around 8:00 pm on Tuesday night. At midnight the qualcomm went off to alert us that we were taking a load to Toccoa, GA and we had to be there by Friday at 8:00 am. At 1:00 am we were finding our trailer, setting the map and the gps.

It's Wednesday night now... we are stopped at Hammond, LA.... we were just here a few days ago. I feel like I'm stuck in reverse! Tomorrow will take us through the rest of LA, AL, and onto GA. Another load delivered safely and on time!

Thurs-Fri 9/24/25.... Messed Up!

2009-09-25T13:30:00.008-04:00

Boy, am I messed up!

Thursday we started at 0600 hrs with 7 individual stops to make. Total mileage was only about 50 miles so the per stop pay came in very handy! Our day ended around 1430 hours (2:30 pm). As I sent in the empty call, which is always a nice feeling, I was ready to relax, cook dinner, and get some rest.

Our qualcomm had other plans though! We were beeped within 30 minutes with the info that we were picking up beer 30 miles away at 0400 hours (4 am on Friday morning) and delivering it 140 miles away at 0800 hours (8:00 am Friday morning).

Schedules that drivers keep can be ridiculous, but it is part of the job. We decided on a quick sandwich for dinner and Trapper went immediately to sleep. For me, I called my son and my mother, walked into the truck stop, came back to the truck and then decided to crash. It was 1830 hrs (6:30 pm). I just knew I would not be able to go to sleep but when I woke up at 0100 hrs, I realized I had no trouble at all.

As I dozed back off I figured it would be no problem... it was a straight shot up I-95N and the gps could navigate this trip. But, I noticed, as we approached Jacksonville, that Trapper kept looking at the map on the computer. This is never a good sign. I decided I should get up and help. Of course there was a detour. Here it is 3:30 am and I'm trying to figure out a detour! I don't do mornings good and I hate detours!

We made it and were loaded with 46,000 lbs of draft beer. We left the brewery in Jacksonville, FL and headed to the distributor in GA. Two hours later, we were unloaded and headed to Cosco, 17 miles away, to pick up a load.

As we sit here, waiting to be told where to dock... I'm watching the yard dog try to wake a Crete driver to tell him which dock. I guess the driver is sound asleep! The yard dog has spent probably 15 minutes knocking on the driver door.

After we are loaded we will have until Monday morning to get this load 1000 miles to Sealy, TX. Hopefully no detours and hopefully I'll be able get my days and nights straightened out!

Mon-Wed..9/21-23 Deja Vu!

2009-09-23T21:34:00.004-04:00

I learned today that my position "in this truck/workplace/home" has a formal name... right seat cover! I am an official seat cover. Whew! I knew I had to be something.

We left SC (our home base) on Monday and went straight to PA. We have now left PA and are now sitting in GA with Jacksonville, FL on the list for first thing in the morning. It was just about this same time last year when I started riding with Trapper and we left SC straight to PA and then straight to FL! Deja Vu!!!

Funny how trucking lanes are. I never understood the term until I jumped into this industry as an observer.

We have been in the rain since last Tuesday but luckily nothing like Atlanta has had. We had a ton of rain in the upstate of SC. It rained the entire time we were getting the truck ready for departure and it's rained since we left. However; southern GA is dry right now but you could ring the water out of the air!

Our load coming out of PA was interesting... we had to be "security checked" so I am proud to announce we are both "outstanding warrant" free and our names are not on the "bad" list. It's strange to me though... when you cross the borders you feel like an outsider coming back in the country (especially from Mexico) and when you are waiting on your security clearance... your brain is thinking, "Crap... I hope there is nothing wrong." Although you KNOW there IS NOTHING wrong!

This is it for now. Our load delivers at 0630 eastern time and we try to run on central time... so it's time to call it a day! I don't do mornings well. LOL

We're BAAAAACK!

2009-09-14T23:38:00.002-04:00

I guess most everyone thinks we have fallen off the face of the earth... well... no.... we are doing fine! So what the heck has happened since April???? Funny you should ask!

We decided to take some home time in early April which turned into me staying home and Trapper going back out. Trapper, in turn, ended up taking a leave of absence due to his Mom's health (who, by the way, is now recouperating well). He was with her for some time while I was at home trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do...

I decided to work on my old hobbies such as flea marketing and buying and selling junque! So, that was ok, but I'm glad I wasn't using that to make the car payment.

After Trapper's Mom could sustain, we made a quick trip to Atlanta, GA to pick up our new "home". House hunting... gotta love it! We wanted the 3 story Cascadia but ended up with the same 2 story just like we moved out of in April. Another KenWorth T600 (i think) or maybe it's a T660??? Who knows. It's a big red truck just like the last one, but with a fancier steering wheel and a little more leg room in the back! Extra leg room is great when you're tall!

So today Trapper's been back on the road for 6 weeks and he'll be coming home tomorrow. I can't wait. All my to do list is now done! A lot has happened in the 6 weeks he's been gone.... I've redecorated the whole entire house, my son turned 21, my daughter went back to college, his son came and stayed a few days and then went back to college, I learned how to fix the lawn mower and the list goes on. Independence is a good thing but I'm ready to hit the road.

For Trapper he's last 6 weeks has been from east coast to west coast to northeast, to TX, to west coast to TX again, to Indiana, to TX yet again, and now headed to SC!!! I can never get him on the phone if he's in Texas... what's up with that? Does anyone else have problems with their cell phone in TX.... LOL...

Looks like next week sometime I will be blogging about our whereabouts and the crazy things that happen when you are livingotr!

Thank you for the emails and phone calls regarding our whereabouts and safety! We are fine and getting ready to get back to it!

Fri-Tues, Mar 26-31... Sun to Snow!

2009-03-31T15:42:00.008-04:00

All good things must come to an end, or so they say... in this case, the warm weather, breeze and palm trees are now a memory!

We are hauling corn seed that was originally shipped from Chile to Illinois... (I hope it's corn seed!)

Friday - Um... we drove all day... out of Florida headed north to GA... NOTE to folks begging at rest area's... any rest area north of Florida, you will be out of luck... it cost $50+ bucks running the toll roads... (for a big truck) so there is NO CASH on BOARD!

And if you are begging for gas money at a rest area??? it would help if you were carrying a gas can.

However, if you are hungry, yes... we will gladly give you food.

Paducah, KY... we were through here during their horrific snow storm... the clean up has begun... miles and miles of piles and piles of tree limbs.

Random Picture... The Metropolis Water Tower.... I keep looking for Superman....

Saturday - Stopped at a rest area, I happened to notice the truck next to us.....

This is what I saw first... hmmmm... everyone says you can tell a woman's age by her hands.... hmmmm....

She was sitting in the truck looking over her log books.

As we drove off, I glanced over to look at the driver (and to be nosey) and she had to have been in her late 70's! This was amazing to me! First of all to be in good enough health to pass the DOT physical and second of all to be able to understand the log! (I leave that alone!) Not to mention the physical ability to live out here, back that trailer up, drive the truck, etc.

And the best part..... LOOK at what she is driving! I wouldn't want to mess with her! I could have only been more impressed if she had been driving a FLATBED!

I waved, in amazement, as we passed her. She smiled and waved back.

Our leisurely drive through the IL countryside headed to our delivery place. Where's the truck stop?

We arrived at our consignee's place and parked it there for the night. We were in Pontiac, IL. I knew I'd be confused Sun morning... I just knew there will be snow on the ground.

And there was... the weather here changes quickly!

Sunday - Our unloading people showed up and we were gone... to the local Wal-Mart. A quick nap, shopping trip and then big brother sends us to Gibson City, IL to pick up our next load on Monday morning which delivers in Minneapolis, MN on Tuesday morning. We decided to go ahead and make the trip to Gibson City so we'd be there bright and early Monday morning.

Monday - We were loaded and rolling again... Every state has it's interesting facts: Louisiana, the land of bridges; Texas, everything is BIG; Wisconsin... well... Fake animal statues placed strategically all over the place! These big mice, I still like them and will still take pictures.

Going around St Paul, MN

We found out today that our dispatcher took a promotion and now we'll be in the hands of a brand new person. We're, in other words, orphaned for the time being.

Our directions were horrible to the place we were delivering. The street we were suppose to make a right hand turn had a large "No trucks over 3 tons". We did manage to find an alternate route... eventually! We chose to stay at the consignor's place. We're in Minneapolis, MN... closest truck stop was 35 miles away!

Tuesday - We were unloaded and waiting... being orphaned is no fun... we don't have anyone to call and see where we are going (or even make an educated guess), so we sat in the parking lot... waiting... and now watching the snow!

Then finally! A destination! We're going to St. Cloud, MN. Oh man... the good, bad, and ugly of trucking. As I sat here, of course I checked out the weather and it looks like the further northwest we go, the worse it will get.... started out like this in Minneapolis this morning...

And within 40 miles.... we have no hammer lane!

A quick stop at Pilot, just before our exit... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

At least burgers are still selling.... A "Help Wanted" sign.... not totally uncommon across the country, but getting a little more scarce.

Whew... we made it to our pick up destination. We're at Electrolux in St Cloud, MN... when we first arrived, 6 hours ago, it was snowing hard and trucks were slipping all over the place. One guy was having a hard time getting the tractor turned around (bobtail) so he just cut a do-nut right in the parking lot! There's not a lot of room for error here... we're kind of in here like sardines and the ice is making it worse.

This was to be a drop and hook, but we're backed in the dock being loaded, as I type. We have to be in Dallas, TX by Thursday. Did it snow in Dallas today?

Our Florida Office for Today

2009-03-26T18:04:00.002-04:00

Our office today has been located in Miami, FL! It's about 80 degrees, light breeze, a little overcast... who could ask for more?

Here we are backed in to the dock. A little hard to see us between the palm trees!

It's a little noisy, we're sitting right beside the run way at Miami-Dade airport. I kept waiting for the airport security to come running over and confiscate my camera... me and this camera! Luckily, they didn't. That's so embarrassing when that happens. (Remember Mexico?)

It's 6:30 pm, our appt is at 7:00 pm... maybe we'll be loaded soon and on our way. I guess I should find a place to stop for the night... ok, I have to go to work now....

Wed/Thur, Mar 25-26.... Truck Stop Living

2009-03-26T14:55:00.003-04:00

Wed: Met our relay close to Orlando, FL at 7:00 a.m. and then sat for "big brother" to tell us where we were going next.

Finally, the beeps came and were preplanned to meet our next relay (at the same spot we were in) Thur morning at 8:00 a.m. and deliver in Medley, FL at 2:00 tomorrow.

So... we sat at the Pilot all day. Which neither of us were complaining... it gets us off the night shift. Once we recovered from being up all night, which both of us felt like we'd been run over by this truck we ride in... we ventured to the truck stop for showers. I have to say, Pilot is the worst of all "travel plaza's". They are busy because they have major contracts on diesel, but normally always understaffed. 5 showers, 3 people waiting, 4 dirty showers, and no one to clean them. I almost volunteered. Love's, TA, and Flying J are much trucker friendlier... but Pilot has the best coffee.... so what's a trucker to do?

Our night ended with us taking the lawn chairs out and sitting in front of the truck for an hour or so. If you've ever been at a truck stop... you know what we were doing... watching the truck parade and parking contest!

Thur: Our inbound truck arrived and we had the trailers switched pretty quickly and we were off to Miami. Listening to the weather, I'm glad we're not in Fargo. The drive to Miami is nice, turnpike the whole way... that's right... $52 in tolls! At least it's a company expense.

Caution: When driving in Miami or following directions... you better have your St., Ave., or Pl., in order and you need to be sure if you are going N or NW, etc. This town used the same numbers all over the place. I had the GPS set for 82nd St., NW... it was suppose to be 82nd Pl., NW... I caught the mistake but we would have ended up on the other side of town! Yikes!

We're hauling a load for FedEx... bet you thought only FedEx did that, didn't you? Arriving in Miami, we're still sitting at the FedEx place... there are NO truck stops in this area. We'll be here as long as we can and our preplan is for us to go 5 miles and pick up our load going to Pontiac, IL.

Back to the cold...

Tues, Mar 24.... Working The Night Shift

2009-03-24T22:20:00.004-04:00

I couldn't help but take this picture yesterday in Nashville, TN... guess if you're going to be "White Trash" be big White Trash!

Stuck on nights, yes we are.

We made our relay this morning in Atlanta and as of 10:30 p.m. we are still in Atlanta. Our next load, another relay, is suppose to be here at midnight tonight and we have to have it in Orlando, FL tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. The trials of trucking!

We're at the drop yard that I refer to as the "Prison Drop Yard". The Metro State Prison is just around the corner from us. Now, for those of you not in this industry, there is a world of difference in a TERMINAL and a DROP YARD...

Terminal - company building, showers, tv room, break room, etc., etc.

Drop Yard - some are simply a fenced in gravel area with nothing else. Drop yards are used for companies to store their trailers, make relays, and give drivers somewhere to park when they need to. Atlanta doesn't have an abundance of truck stops, so various companies use this drop yard. There are none of the facilities like being at a terminal.

We left Nashville, TN at 4:00 a.m. this morning. Trapper was driving and I was sleeping... until the banging started... the tandems were completely frozen on the trailer... try sleeping through that! I didn't know what was going on! I did manage to make it to the front seat somewhere just inside GA and accompanied him to the drop yard.

We got our qualcomm dispatch (to leave at midnight tonight) and realized at 2:00 p.m. it was time to go back to sleep, back up at 5:00 p.m. eat dinner, back to sleep around 8:00 p.m. I rebelled and decided to stay up for the duration. As soon as our other driver gets here, we'll be hooked up and rolling to Florida!

Mon, Mar 22... Nashville to Atlanta!

2009-03-23T22:26:00.005-04:00

Today started slow and easy. We were at the Pilot in Lebanon, TN and couldn't deliver until 1300 hours today.

Coffee was first on the agenda this morning. Our inverter is about worn out so making coffee has been put on hold for now. I'm trying to "save" the inverter for dinner time only... the last inverter went on the blink a few months ago and I thought we had a cab fire. So... I don't want to relive that!

With our delivery being made we called our fleet manager to see which direction we should head in... a few minutes later the qualcomm told us... we were preplanned to pick up in Nashville at the Conway yard. Our load is suppose to be ready at 3:30 a.m. and we have to be in Atlanta, GA at the drop yard at 9:30 a.m. It's only 250 miles but we loose an hour because of the time changing.

This reminds me of a funny story a driver told us a few weeks ago.... The driver was complaining about being held up at a shipper's for an entire weekend. He had arrived early and everyone was gone, so he had to wait until they opened again for business... he was telling us that he was going to charge the company with "kidnapping"... his reason... they detained him for monetary reasons! He went on to say, "While I was driving a taxi cab in Atlanta, I had a lot of attorney's as passengers. I know the kidnapping charges will stick!" Sweet... a taxi cab law degree!

Ok... "Detention" or "Kidnapping".... you decide!

Trapper's trying to sleep but knowing he has to get up is 2:00 a.m. is hampering his ability to make it to never never land. He just put Pirates of the Caribbean in the DVD... that should do it!

Sun, Mar 22... Outside Nashville

2009-03-22T13:37:00.003-04:00

It's about 1:45 p.m. in my home time zone... here in Lebanon, TN, well it's an hour earlier.

We have finished our trip from PA and we deliver in the morning in Nashville. With there being no truck stops close to our delivery... we are going to hang out here.

Time for a little house cleaning, quick trip to Wal-Mart, laundry, and showers!

After a 3400 mile 9 days... we're both ready for a little break!

Fri, Mar 20.... Less Stress Today!

2009-03-20T16:56:00.004-04:00

So far today has been much less stressful... easy for me to say, it wasn't me that had to get up this morning at 3 a.m. just to make sure we made it to our delivery in Topton, PA on time....

Trapper made sure we made it and I helped a little for the last 100 miles. As soon as we made our drop... we were sent a preplan to pick up at the very same plant.

That worked out well for us! The preplan is from Topton, OH to Nashville, TN. We have to be in Nashville on Monday. We are now shut down close to Mt Jackson, VA, for the night.

We will most likely finish our trip tomorrow, Saturday, so we can sqeeze that mandatory 34 hour reset in!

View Larger Map

Thurs, Mar 19 .... A Bit Stressful...

2009-03-19T22:57:00.004-04:00

Today is Thursday, March 19. I have to remind myself at times...

Trapper's mother had major back surgery today. This is one thing with being in the trucking industry, you miss things because nothing is guaranteed and you can't always be where you need to be... and especially when you need to be. Trapper's sister is with her and other family members and by all reports... she is doing as well as expected. (Please remember them all in your prayers.)

We spent the night last night at the famous IOWA80 truck stop! I can mark that off my "bucket list". The truck stop is billed as being the largest in the world with 800 parking places. That's a lot of asphalt!

For the drivers, it has the basics... showers, tv room, game room and then it has a chiropractor, barber, movie theatre, shoe shiner, a gift shop a, a truck museum and the list goes on. If it is made for a truck... this truck stop has it.

Yesterday, leaving Corydon, IA... well... we're winding our way around a 13'3" bridge on this "truck route" and low and behold... we see the LOCHNESS MONSTER! I, of course, yell "Stop!" I have got to take a picture of this!!!

I know everyone thinks the Lochness Monster is the imagination running wild, but it's not... it's alive and well in Corydon, IA!

That's all the excitement from yesterday.

Today we have driven absolutely as many miles as our 11 hours will let us. We are both exhausted. And normally the truck idling doesn't bother me at all, but tonight I'm glad it is quiet.

Tomorrow will end our run to PA... we have a little of the trip to finish in the morning and we'll be on the board! Waiting on the load.

Tues/Wed, March 17-18... St Patrick's Day & Beyond!

2009-03-17T21:51:00.007-04:00

Today started early as we delivered to Western State Envelope in Butler, WI. The last time we were here.... this is what it looked like....

And here we are today, just two months later....

I was surprised, as we rolled through Wisconsin, the number of people in shorts and short sleeves and a few that were laying out in the sun!

I had on jeans and my sweatshirt. My southern blood is still with me and although the temperature was in the 60's... the sweatshirt was still on!

As we were being unloaded, the qualcomm beeps and tells us we are suppose to pick up in Aurora, IL on 3/18 at 5:00 am. Aurora, IL is about 100 or so miles from where we are. We are picking up at a Con-Way yard, so we can drop the trailer and bobtail around the town, if we wish.

The preplan says we have to deliver this in Clyde, OH around noon on 3/18 as well.

So being in no real hurry... we headed on south to Aurora, IL. I wasn't real thrilled due to having a bad experience in North Aurora, IL with a 12' 4" bridge once before. The older the town... the shorter the bridges!

We arrived in Aurora and dropped the trailer. It's not normal for us to be able to get around, without the extra 53' behind us, so we decided to explore the town a little. We were only 3 miles from downtown and they have a river boat casino. Naturally, I wanted to walk in there. I've been to several on land, but never one of these that are "riverboats".

This is Hollywood Casino in Aurora, IL... the riverboat didn't get in the picture, but the funny thing is... the river boat part isn't even a real river boat! No one told me this. Once you walked in the front door... you didn't know if you were on the land part or the part that is built out into the water.

-$20 later... I walked out.... back to the safety of my big red mobile home.

The bag pipe players were showing up at the local Irish Pub for St. Patrick's Day celebration!

This is the original Aurora Fire Department. I love the look of this building!

This is just a building that are renovating... we were taken back by the ladder on the building.

After a couple of hours walking around, we decided to head back to the yard so Trapper could get some sleep... 4:00 am was going to come early.

Needless to say his "night" was cut short when the phone rang at 9:30 pm... I knew that wasn't good when I saw area code 417... uh oh... Joplin was calling.

We had been unassigned from our 5:00 am load and reassigned a load to pick up at 4:00 am in La Salle, IL. I was playing on the computer and heard Trapper say, "Yea, ok, that's fine... we're here at the yard, that'll work. Send me the info on the qualcomm."

As he was still trying to wake up... I look at the qualcomm and had to break the news to him that we were in Aurora, IL and this load was to pick up in La Salle, IL.... 100 miles away! I hate it when I have to do that!

So... we were off.... the plan changed, the mindset changed... that fast!

I'll only add the abbreviated version from here....

Arrived in LaSalle, IL with 3 hours to sleep... slept 2.5 hours.

Dropped trailer and picked up loaded trailer.

Met our relay in Altoona, IL

Dispatched to Corydon, IA to pick up load and deliver in Topton, PA on Friday around noon.

Whew! No play time now. The log book looks like a polygraph with all the up's and down's on it.

This is how you end up running nights... our legal breaks are ending up being during the day, so we're running at night but hopefully once we get to PA... we'll make it back to the day shift!

Although I don't drive, I just ride... this stretch of interstate completely threw me off. We're both tired and when I looked up I see... to my left traffic we are meeting and the lanes we are in... then to my right I see more traffic we are meeting and beyond those lanes are more lanes going in the same direction we are!

This could mess a person up quick!

We're stopping tonight at the IOWA80 truck stop. I can't wait to see this place!

Sun-Mon, Mar 15/16... Off to Wisconsin...

2009-03-17T00:33:00.004-04:00

We sat in Wilkes-Barre, PA with the other 8 trucks all day Saturday... "here comes another one" became quite redundant as the parade of CFI trucks kept happening!

Sunday morning, our dear Qualcomm... aka... big brother, beeped at yes... 4:30 am. You see, we were bob-tailing because there were no empties at our drop n hook yesterday. Bob-tailing is good if you have errands to run but puts you in a bind when trying to get a load.

We were dispatched a hundred miles to pick up an empty trailer at UPS and then another 100 miles to our load in Spring Grove, PA. I recognized the name of the place and remembered the route. This town was completely built around this plant.... such a quaint town.

This is the truck route.

And this is the plant... the truck route, main road, goes right through it...

With our load in tow... we are headed to Butler, WI. Again, we've delivered at this place once before as well. It makes following those pesky directions easier.

Here's a picture I wanted to share with everyone, kind of off the subject... This was taken at our "home" truck stop the day we left. The car carrier was nose-in the parking space and was backing out... the other truck was backing in a spot and the two got to know each other really well.

The van plowed in to the car carrier. Once they separated the trucks, the silver truck on the bottom rack was totally crushed on the right rear side. I think this was a preventable...

So tonight we're sitting in Butler, WI. Our truck temperature says it's 74 degrees outside.... yeah right... it's gone on the blink... it feels like 24 outside.

Tomorrow, at some point, we'll be headed somewhere else, USA... stay tuned....

(A note to Elaine! .... Elaine, if you read this, please call Trapper... I lost your number!)

* MY TRASHY RANT **

2009-03-16T23:55:00.005-04:00

I read an article last week eluding to the fact the general public has the opinion that "truckers" are nasty, dirty, and generally uneducated individuals. I was appalled.

My first instinct was to shoot a quick email to the editor standing up for and defending the REAL road warriors of the country, The Truckers!

I wanted to stand firm on my position that the individuals in the cabs of all these trucks are people who forfeit being at home, with all the conveniences at their fingertips, so they can be the "supply" part of the "supply and demand" chain this country survives on.

I wanted to explain that although truck stops are not in abundance, in certain parts of the country, there are available showers along every main route and no we are not "dirty!"

I wanted to blast the author of the article with the facts stated in all my former corporate america jargon I could muster.

Basically, I wanted to rant and rave with a little diplomacy!

And then it dawned on me, as I started to reflect on my own experiences living over the road for the past six months....

I realized I had taken "their" point of view to heart and was personally offended.

For me, I am a neat freak... self confessed... neat FREAK. I like order, I like organization, I like cleanliness, I like things to be in place.

Most of us drive into a truck stop, park, and either don't leave the truck or we walk only in front of the truck toward the truck stop. I would dare say we just don't take the time to really notice our surroundings.

I decided, while we were in Fletcher, NC, to walk to the back of the trailer and scope out the scenery... we were parked in the back row...

Here I am walking toward the rear... notice anything... "nasty"

As I looked to the left... notice anything "trashy"...

And as I looked to my right... the mother load!

There was evidence of swept out trailers, bunk covers, bunk mattress, and more trash and pee bottles than I could count. This is disgusting. The people that owned this trash... I wonder what the inside of their truck looks like? I wonder if their backyard looks like this? Would they mind if I swept out our trailer in their driveway? How about leaving a few hundred pee bottles by the mailbox?

And we wonder why Wal-Mart is a little LESS trucker friendly now???

My point with this post is this.....

If the general public regards "truckers" as dirty, trashy, nasty, uneducated... OK... if this is all they see, if this is what "truckers" leave behind.... then I too would use dirty, trashy, nasty, and feel that education wasn't on the list of priorities.

We all complain, at one point or another, about the lack of parking. Parking is a huge concern in the trucking industry but answer this...

Business101... would you open a nice truck stop just to have the patrons trash it? And, by the way, the actual building and parking lot of this particular truck stop were outstanding.... very nice, clean, and orderly. And the parking lot part had enough room to actually move the truck around in.

We've been at 3-4 truck stops since I took this picture and two of them were just like this. I found it disgusting but I'm less appalled at the article now... I can see why "truckers" are generalized if this is what the public sees.

Pass the word, for all of us.... PUT TRASH IN IT'S PLACE... Please! If not for the environment... at least for our reputations!

Thank you for listening... or reading rather...

Sat, Mar 14... Eight is Enough

2009-03-14T14:13:00.005-04:00

Immediately after I finished my last post... we were dispatched to pick up a load in Arden, NC (about 5 miles from where we were) at 9:00 pm and run it to Knoxville, TN... to be there at 11:00 pm.

Well, as fate would have it, we went over to the shipper's around 6:00 pm and this load was not going to be ready until Tuesday! WHAT???? Someone got their wires crossed! A quick call to dispatch and we were being sent home... which was only 30 miles south of where we were!

Arriving home is always a challenge, especially this time. My daughter was home for Spring Break, which meant it was time to do her taxes and mine so I could complete that infamous FAFSA form! If you have kids in college or preparing to go to college.... you can sympathize with me! Two days of "our" taxes... I finally finished them!

My son came down to visit and his taxes were completed as well. Then there was the trip to my "new" doctor is SC and yard work!!

It's funny how life goes on and grass keeps growing although you're on the road! I wish the yard had an "off" button... wouldn't that be nice! We did get an enourmous amount of things done in a very short amount of time. You always have to count 1 day out to get the truck back in order, get repacked, and cram all the groceries on board.

Plus, has anyone else ever noticed, you spend a lot of money when you go home and it takes a couple of weeks to get the checks coming back in properly??? It's a catch 22.... your miles for the week you highlight to go home will be down, you don't get paid while you're at home, and the week you return the miles are always down... so you have to stay out at least a month just to recoup from going home! And people wonder why we stay out 7-8 weeks at a time!

With our quick trip home finished, we are back out and at it. We were sent to Gaffney, SC to pick up a load and we delivered here in Wilkes-Barre, PA bright and early this morning.

I think we're number 4 on the board, but as I take a quick scan of the parking lot... at the Pilot... there are 8 CFI trucks here! We're having a little CFI party!

Looks like the weekend will be here... I knew I should have wished a little harder for Miami!

Mon-Thurs, Mar 2-5.... We're Here....

2009-03-05T13:31:00.005-05:00

We're here... ok... so now what?

We were dispatched out of the Laredo terminal Sunday afternoon. The plan was to run up I-35 and actually get loaded live! I called my 20 year old son, as we sat at the dock, and upon his inquiry as to where we were and what we were doing... I proudly and innocently answered, "Oh Trapper and I are sitting here at the dock getting loaded." Due to his response, he must have imagined the two of us sitting by the lake, on the dock, "getting loaded."

I sat him straight and we both got a good laugh out of it. (Crazy child of mine.)

We were dispatched to Atlanta, GA with our tonic water and our delivery was set for Wednesday at 1600 hours. Not a bad run at all.

Arriving in Atlanta, early, we were empty and dispatched immediately to Cartersville, GA for a "beer run". The problem with hauling beer is that the dispatches are fast. It goes from brewery, to long haul truck, to distribution within a matter of non stop hours.

The load didn't pick up until 1:00 am on Thursday morning and delivered a couple hundred miles away in Fletcher, NC at 6:00 am. Driving at night isn't our favorite thing to do, so dinner and naps were much needed.

We arrived at the brewery early and this was a drop and hook. We dropped quickly and found our new loaded trailer. As we were scaling on the way out of the brewery... we were 460 lbs over our allowed 80,000 gross weight. Just great... back to the dock to have them unload a little and go weigh the truck again. Our second weight wasn't a lot better, but at least the load was legal weight.

Our trip to Fletcher, NC was, again for the third time in two weeks, taking us right by our house again. This time within 4 miles! We've been out for 8 weeks and we're both ready to take a couple of days off, so of course, the idea of highlighting for home came up. At times, there are just things you need to return home to take care of.

The drive to Fletcher was a familiar run, straight up I-85 to I-26 toward Asheville, NC. Both of us, being from the general area, we anticipating how our 47,000 pounds of liquid courage was going to affect our steep climb up Saluda Mountain when we crossed over the NC state line on I-26. We had our momentum going good and within about 15 seconds we dropped from a steady 65 mph to an outstanding crawl of 19 mph! Turn the hazard lights on, grab the coffee, sit back and relax... it took us a few minutes to reach the top...

The plant in Fletcher was easy enough to find and we were unloaded quickly. If every company operated like the breweries... this job would be so much easier. There are very seldom any problems and they move trucks through like clock work.

Anyway, as soon as the "arrived at customer" qualcomm message was sent, the next one was to highlight for home. Hoping they would go ahead and dead head us there today.... we are 35 miles away, right...

We still had time on our 11 (driving hours) but for some reason we are still sitting in Fletcher, NC taking our mandatory 10 hour break. It's funny, for us anyway, once we decide to take a break and go home... we are READY to get there. However, the company has 5 days to accommodate us.

The likelihood of doing another "night" run is looking better and better as the day drags on...

Sun, Mar 1.... Home Sweet... Texas

2009-03-01T23:11:00.010-05:00

We decided today, upon arriving in Laredo, TX, maybe we should find a small house here... we'd be home more! But, coming to TX is good... it's typically the warmest place and we know our way around. And after this 1600 mile run... anything that looks familiar seems like home. We dodged the tornadoes in AL and looks like we've dodged the snow! (for now)

As we sit here, number 19 on the board, I thought I'd share some fun things that I have taken pictures of these past 6 months living on the road.... you never know what you might see....

New Hire?

This is what happens when everyone is governed 2-3 mph apart...

Two grown men... and the two year old is doing all the work!

The driver didn't realize he could not drive straight through here. He'd been driving for two weeks and now was completely stuck... nose in...

At 11,000 feet... the air gets sucked out of everything!

Except for the Pringles... I thought the seal was going to pop!

A little weird... speed limit 9.85

A little extreme...

And finally... due to me always hitting my head when I stand up in the cab... my new safety equipment.

Every day is something different....

Tues-Wed, Feb 17-25.... Way Behind!

2009-02-23T16:36:00.014-05:00

Seems like I left off when we were in TX... ok... so Trapper reminded me it's been a week since I updated the blog... then a friend of mine (Misty) sends me a friendly email reminder... so here is our week in review... this is trucking!

Tues (2/17) You would have found us sitting in San Antonio, TX waiting and then waiting! The worst part of trucking is the waiting you do at times. We were dispatched to LaPorte, TX to pick up at Dow Chemical.

The second worst thing in trucking are the directions you're given at times. Our street address was 9705 and we figured since it was Dow Chemical it wouldn't be hard to find... the directions said Hwy 225 to Millercut Rd exit... that's all the directions said... ok so Hwy 225 was easy enough to find and Millercut Rd exit was clearly marked.... but after 3 trips up and down the access road we can not find 9705 or anything that says Dow! I talked Trapper into stopping at the truck stop on the corner and I told him I'd run in and get directions. He laughed at me and in his manly "I am man... no directions needed" voice he says, "You probably won't get any information."

I walked in and asked a fella that looked to be a local resident but it was a fellow driver who spoke up and told me precisely what I needed to know. I thanked him and found my way back to the truck.

Trapper was on the phone with our dispatcher, who was also looking for correct directions, and Trapper asked me if I found anything out....

In my "I am woman... hear me roar" voice, I repeated exactly what the other driver had told me! The building we were looking for was marked Exel and it was way behind 9705... through the gate, etc.

Morale of the story.... Never underestimate the power of a lost woman at a truck stop!

We were loaded and on our way to Warrenton, GA...

Wed (2/18) We drove all day! We stopped, for the night, in Newnan, GA. Two memorable things happened here... one... there were tornado watches out (which ultimately ended up yes... there were tornado's in the area that night) and I was weather.com(ing) a lot! Especially when it started hailing!

Then, the most touching thing happened. A man knocked on the cab door, explained he didn't mean us any harm and didn't want any money... he simply asked for food. Neither of us hesitated to fullfil his request.

Thurs (2/19) We delivered our load in Warrenton, GA to a place that only had one car in the front. We originally thought we were at the wrong place. I was thinking maybe the place had closed up shop during our trip there. Turns out it was their warehouse. They make plastic film for bags, etc. and we had hauled 42k pounds of these tiny platic pellets to them!

After sending the empty call via the qualcomm... we sat and waited. Our preplan came across the qualcomm and we were to pick up (relay) a load at the drop yard in Atlanta, GA on Friday morning. Finally, we had a place to go!

Never know what you might see on the Interstate.... Red Bull anyone?

Fri (2/20) The drop yard in Atlanta had been changed since Trapper was there last. I had to wonder, when I saw the State Penitentiary close by, if they moved from the original lot for security purposes??? I'm not sure if I would have stayed here had I been alone in this truck.

Our relay was made at 9:30 a.m. this morning and we have to be in Richmond, VA tonight at 10:00 p.m. This is one of those runs that every driver must hate. We passed within 15 miles of our house and were within 30 miles of my son, who lives in Charlotte, NC. Absolutely no time to stop at either place. It's depressing to say the least. But, you have to remember this is your job and with every job comes disappointments.

Here is a picture of the peach water tower in Gaffney, SC (I-85). This has been a peach since I can remember and so far... by far... the most interesting water tower in the USA!

I-85 doesn't pass close enough to downtown Charlotte, NC to get a good picture, but the city has a gorgeous downtown area.

Sat (2/21) We were loaded early this morning in West Point, VA at a paper mill called Smurfit. No one at the plant looked real excited about working on Saturday. After driving all day, looking for a truck stop was my top priority. We stopped in a place called Nitro, WV and the only thing on our minds were showers and a movie.

Sun (2/22) I woke up early, freezing cold, and a little lost. (Imagine that) We had the curtain up in the truck, which was diffusing the daylight... or so I thought. It had been really nice and warm yesterday and now Nitro was supplying snow! I knew I should have checked the weather!

Today took us right through the town that Trapper's son lives in, so we made a stop to see him and his new car!

After our little visit, we finished our run to Indianapolis. Stopping at a TA truck stop for the night. You never know how long you're going to be sitting.... maybe an hour, maybe a day... I thought it would be best to finish dinner, shower, do laundry.

It was a balancing act that went something like this.... get the laundry out, get the shower stuff out... go to truck stop... go to shower... shower... go to laundry... start washing clothes... take stuff back to truck... back to truck stop... throw clothes in dryer... 67 minutes drying time... back to truck... finish dinner... clean up dishes... pack up dishes to wash... back to truck stop.... clothes are still wet... add change to machine... wash dishes... check clothes... take clean dishes to truck... back to truck stop... clothes are still wet... wait around... Trapper shows up because he was worried about me and it's taken forever... clothes are finally dry... fold them... back to truck... put everything away in truck.... day is done! Whew....

Mon (2/23) Our delivery was made at 8:30 a.m. but we sat until our appointment time at 10:00 a.m. We returned to the truck stop, from last night, and at 2:00 p.m. today we have been dispatched to pick up tonight at 9:00 pm in Plainfield, IN. Trapper has been resting off and on today (I'm sure we'll be driving all night) and I've taken time to finish my son's taxes, work on the blog, and work on our budget. Sitting and waiting is the hardest part of this job.

We picked up our load, on schedule, and headed towards PA. I stayed up with Trapper until the sleep fairy struck me in the head and I had to crash for the night.... I left Trapper in good hands though... a diet pepsi and a bag of white sugar coated donuts.... comfort food!

Tues (2/24) We stopped last night somewhere close to Columbus, OH. I made my way to the front of the truck and it looked like someone had had a white powder sugar fight! There was sugar all over the front. By the looks of the donut bag... the donut's lost the fight!

We finished our trip to Greencastle, PA and dropped our trailer at the terminal. With our empty trailer we found a local truck stop and parked it for the night.

Wed (2/25) Of course we woke early and we were ready to hit the road... problem is... we haven't been dispatched.

Finally at 9:00 am the beeps start and we are off to Hagerstown, MD to pick up a load and deliver it today at Sam's in Newport News, VA. A couple of weeks ago we were running the land of the outlaws and today I feel like we're running the land of the first settlers.... Williamsburg, Jamestown, Newport News.....

I will hand it to VA.... they have a handle on their poop problem. I snapped this at a rest area.... I have not seen this anywhere else in the US and for some reason it just struck me as being funny.

Our load was delivered safely to Sam's Club and while I ran across the parking lot to Wal-Mart, for a few items, we were dispatched to pick up a load tomorrow morning in Colonial Heights, VA and take that load all the way to Laredo, TX. And just for the curious.... that's approximately 1660 miles....

And just to think... this time last year, Trapper and I had our first real date. We boarded the cruise ship Sovereign in Port Canaveral Florida and headed to the Bahamas for the week... I'm glad he asked me and I'm really glad I said yes!

Tues-Mon, Feb 10-16.... Trucking Glory!

2009-02-10T22:50:00.008-05:00

It's been a few days, I know... what a week we've had... trucking at it's best!

Our week:
Tuesday, (2/10) We left LaPlace, LA with our sugar. (The security at the sugar refinery was due to it being considered a "port"... I suppose it falls under Homeland Security... good thing I didn't decide to snap pictures!) This was delivered in Memphis, TN at Kroger late Tuesday night.

We were immediately dispatched to the terminal in West Memphis, AR. Our Tuesday night was spent "rocking and rolling" in West Memphis, AR as the storms that produced tornadoes in OK rolled through the area. I was ready to strap myself in the bunk when it was time to try to go to sleep!

Wednesday (2/11), we were 9 on the board. We were 3 on the board, then we were 4 and then we were 3 again... we were finally dispatched to Bylahia, MS (which is only 39 miles away) and we were to take this load to Joplin, MO so it could be relayed and be delivered in CA by someone else. We were carrying 20,000 lbs of little electrical parts. That's alot of little parts!

We arrived in Joplin, MO late on Wednesday night. When you get to Joplin you have to go through the trailer inspection and drop your trailer. All that being done, Trapper takes the paperwork inside and I decided it was time for me to retire... just as I was turning the bed covers down... (that's right...) BEEP... BEEP... and a series of beeps! Ok, so much for going to bed.

Trapper returns to the truck and I had all the notes made and maps set. We found our empty trailer and at 1:00 am we left Joplin headed towards Napoleon, OH.

Thursday (2/12), we drove all day. Well, Trapper drove... I rode. This was probably the longest day of our lives. Time was clicking off as slow as the odometer. I'd check the gps and it would say 250 miles left on the trip and it seemed like six hours later it would say 225 miles left. We did make it to our Campbell Soup delivery.

Friday 2/13) We were unloaded relatively quick at Campbell Soup and our preplan was to pick up at Silgan Can Company. Luckily, this was at the same location just a different dock. Our pick up wasn't until 3:00 pm so we sat, at the dock, until it was almost 3:00. Eventually, the truck stopped rocking (from being loaded) but the light never turned green. You know... the light that tells you it's ok to pull away from the dock. Anyway, this gentleman walks up to the door... I open the door... and he says, "What are you waiting for?" For the light to turn green, I replied. He says, "You have to pull up first." My thought... what's the purpose of the light then??? The light is the "ok" to pull away, but you need to pull up first????

Nevertheless... we were then on our way to Del Monte in Crystal City, TX. It's late Friday afternoon and it delivers in TX on Monday morning 8:00 am. Absolutely no play time on this trip.

Saturday and Sunday (2/14 & 2/15)... Saturday started on a really good note. A surprise Valentine card from Trapper and my kids called to say "thanks mom" for the little Valentine notes I mailed them. They both were tickled because they were mailed from Missouri!

Saturday we drove our total complete legal hours. Sunday we drove our total complete legal hours. We arrived in Crystal City, TX which is really no more than a dot in the desert in southwestern Texas.

Monday (2/16)... We delivered our can templates at 8:00 am and went back to the truck stop that was a 1/2 mile away. Trapper was having a little trouble with someone at headquarters trying to decide who's dispatch territory we were actually in. Turns out we're under Joplin's jurisdiction.

I decided it would be wise to run across the street and do the laundry. One thing about living out here, if you have a minute to do anything... you better do it!

Just as I was finishing up, in walks Trapper announcing we are on the way to San Antonio to drop the trailer we have and bobtail three miles to pick up an empty trailer from a different location. A little strange....

We are now sitting in San Antonio, TX getting our much needed 34 hour mandatory reset. The last couple of weeks have been non-stop and the break is needed.

Our map for the past few days... trucking at it's best!

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Mon, Feb 9..... A Hooker, Katrina, and Sugar!

2009-02-09T21:56:00.016-05:00

We were beeped late Saturday night with our new destination... Shreveport, LA.... to be delivered on Monday morning at 9:00 am. Not a bad drive, only 565 miles. The trailer was at the terminal yard in Laredo, so we pulled around and hooked to it and decided not to leave until Sunday morning.

Sunday we drove all day and arrived in Shreveport, LA around 6:00 pm. It didn't take either of us long to do the dinner thing and settle in with the movie "The Contract".

Monday morning Trapper was up and about early while I was enjoying my much needed slumber... which was rudely interrupted by some strange crisp female voice inquiring if Trapper needed any "interior detailing" done! I laughed (silently) and turned over.... way too early for all that biz-ness....

We delivered our load of 4-wheelers... bright shiny red ones.... to the Honda place in Shreveport. Our directions indicated that the building would be on our right, a big white building with no name on it... as fate would have it... it was on the right side of the road... a big tan building with a brown overhang and the bright red letters of HONDA on it. I love directions!

Trying to second guess our next dispatch was interesting... I said we'd pick up in Louisiana and go to Florida. I'm getting spoiled with the warm weather. But, within an hour of delivering, we were being deadheaded to New Orleans, LA to pick up a load of sugar. We deadheaded 350 miles to the load and we will deliver it 400 miles away in Memphis, TN on Tuesday night.

If you've never been lucky enough to visit the state of Louisiana... you should, especially if you have a fascination with bridges. I haven't researched it, but Louisiana must have the most miles of bridges in the country. There are at least two serious of bridges that span 22-25 miles in length and one extremely long bridge that spans across 3 rivers. This picture is going around/through/over Lake Ponchatrain, on the west side.

Louisiana also has the most interesting town names and they are the only state that refers to their counties as parishes. City/town names such as... Maringouin, Plaquemine, and my favorite Atchafalaya.

As we arrived in New Orleans we started through the parishes that Hurricane Katrina effected three years ago. We all know it wasn't so much the hurricane, but the levees that didn't hold, which resulted in massive flooding. I was in amazement when I looked around and there is still, to this day, so much evidence of the disaster. This ongoing evidence would either make you very humble or be a constant reminder of such a horrible event...

This is an entire apartment complex that is now sitting, in ruins, completely deserted. Parts of this city look like a war zone.

Another completely empty, deserted apartment complex.

And yet more ever evident destruction from 3 1/2 years ago... 3 1/2 years! I remember seeing this on television, reading the reports, but it sticks with you when you see it in person.

We arrived in St. Bernard's Parish, the parish that was effected the most, and there are half sunken boats sticking out of the water, mounds of lumber, and bits and pieces of buildings still in a trash pile in various places around town.

We are picking up sugar at Domino's Refinery aka Fort Knox? I couldn't believe the security measures they have in place. The guard asked for Trapper's ID and then made me produce mine. One guard actually got in the cab to make sure no one else was on board. If there had been a pet in the truck... we would have had to check the pet in also!

Once we cleared security... we wiggled and waggled our way to the very back of the plant where we met 8 other trucks waiting in line and 6 trucks backed into the docks. I decided it was time to finish and serve dinner.... we were going to be here awhile....

During our 4 1/2 hour wait and loading time... I did some research on the Domino Sugar company. The company was started in New York in the late 1800's... this particular building looks like it was built in the late 1800's but I couldn't find any history of the building. The company has survived many trials and buy-outs and this refinery employs 320 people... 286 of which lost everything in Katrina.

It is the largest employer in the area and in the aftermath of Katrina... the company moved 200 families into FEMA trailers that were parked on the property of the refinery. There were a total of 722 people living and working in the very same location.

We were loaded and leaving the bayou country... headed to Memphis, TN...

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Sat, Feb 7... 7 Days! 8 States!

2009-02-07T23:35:00.004-05:00

Today is Saturday... whew!... day off....

We're number 32 on the board and the parade of trailers from Mexico is pretty heavy today. This simply means that showers, laundry, and clean the truck out is our top priority.... we could get beeped at any moment!

This week I feel like I've seen more, done more, and laughed more than I have in years. The trade off is you miss family and friends. There has to be a balance that you must find for yourself.

My daughter called a couple of days ago and she was sick... I wanted to fly to where she attends college... my son called and was discussing a little trial he was having.... I wanted to fly to where he was... every mile I've travelled in the past seven days... there's not been one that I didn't wish my children could see what I have seen.

Everyone looks for balance between work and home. When your home moves from city to city and state to state... well, it makes it a little more difficult, but doable. I have the support of my children and they have mine... which enriches my life. If anyone reading this blog is "thinking" about driving otr... be sure you have the support of your family.

Since last Sunday we've crossed 8 states and been in and out of 3 time zones at least 2 times... we were just beeped by the qualcomm which says we are picking up a trailer, here at the terminal on Sunday, and we must have it in Shreveport, LA bright and early Monday morning.

I'm going to join Trapper now in the middle of his "West Wing" marathon...

(This past week in review)

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Fri, Feb 6.... Rollin' to Laredo, TX

2009-02-07T19:05:00.009-05:00

I have officially added New Mexico to my list of states visited! I think I have five states left....

We're headed to Laredo, TX with a load of appliances that are destined for Mexico. We will get to Laredo late tonight... go through the trailer check at the terminal, get the truck washed, fuel up, and get on the board.

I spent the trip from Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, TX reading about the King Ranch located in Kingsville, TX. This ranch is the largest in the US and they were the fore runners in a number of things that still exist in the ranching world today. I dare you to read about it... http://www.king-ranch.com/ (you won't be disappointed). And just a note... For me, this blog is fun... my travels are fun... my life with Trapper is fun (and so much more) so it would be a crying shame to find myself, in such a great moment in life, and not learn a little history along the way.

Back to the story... We've all heard the reports of the "great border wall" the government is dead set on completing on the Texas border... right? According to the news, there is a total of 1200 miles of Texas border with Mexico. There are 880 miles across Texas on I-10, just for reference. The area of El Paso, TX and it's sister city in Mexico, Ciudad Juarez, is the hot spot that the news highlights.

I have heard the reports and I've seen pictures, but until you see it in person, you can't understand. The two cities are literally split by a dry river bed (the Rio Grande) with a fence running through it.

It is hard to distinguish where one city stops and the other starts. These pictures were taken in El Paso, the river bed is noticeable at the bottom of the picture and Mexico is on the hill. What a project a border wall will be...

Our entire day was spent in Texas. Here we are in Texas.... admiring the desert.

And more desert beauty.

Nothing in Texas is small. This oil refinery is huge!

The empty space in Texas is huge too! Hundreds of miles... millions of fence post... The trip down I-10 and Hwy 83 through western Texas is the epitome of wide open spaces. It's beautiful by it's own right!

And when you're just about to give up on scenery or towns.... you cross the Pacos River! The river runs into the Rio Grande.

Our day ended with us arriving at the terminal in Laredo. Upon arriving, you must go through a trailer inspections and as luck would have it... our trailer needed a rubber seal around the door. We got that fixed, got the truck washed, and fueled.

We are both exhausted and we are calling it a night!

Thur, Feb 5... New Mexico

2009-02-06T00:34:00.005-05:00

Last night we stopped just across the Arizona border (coming south out of California). I feel funny walking around without my vest, jacket and snow boots.

I wished to see snow measured in feet and I wished us to California... in one week... both wishes have come true.

This picture is for my daughter... (this is Phoenix!)

Today has been really interesting... we stopped at a rest area in Arizona and there were vendors set up like what you would see at a flea market, Arizona is full of RV and camp sites, and I've seen warning signs for poisonous animals... I'm going to put a post together one day of "funny things from the road"... there is always something to see...

Has anyone heard of pink rattlesnakes? Maybe I dreamed it? Trapper laughed when I asked him... he said I should ask one of the people at the rest area... I decided to keep my mouth shut...

Not only do they let you know not to smoke at the rest area, Arizona is also pushing for a "smoke free" state.

One of my favorite sites in Arizona are the large cactus!

And we're calling it a night in Las Cruces, NM.

Tomorrow we'll follow the Rio Grande along NM and Texas...

Wed, Feb 4.... GoodBye LA

2009-02-05T23:58:00.007-05:00

We delivered this morning at 6:00 am in Ontario, CA and drove the 10 miles to Fontana, CA to pick up our consumer solutions... aka small appliances!

Our appointment was at noon and we arrived early... 8:30 am.... they wouldn't budge on the pick up time so we sat in the parking lot.

Trapper decided it was time for lunch, so he's in the back getting everything out of the fridge... I'm in the front working on my blog!

The phone rings and the qualcomm goes off.

Trapper comes up front to get the phone and we are being sent about 6 miles down the street to Target Distribution center to move a trailer for them. Evidently it was to be a live load but the fellow driver left the trailer and now Target needs it moved.

We set the map and the gps and started toward the street... as we were leaving the parking lot we hit a huge bump and the next sound was a crashing sickening sound! The fridge fell AGAIN! We just looked at each other.... I'm sure we were both silently asking ourselves, "Was I the last one in the fridge?"

A few months back I was the faulty one... we were in LA and I forgot to put the bungee cord around it... this time however.... I was no where close to the fridge! Trapper didn't yell at me the first time so I sat quietly this time. I was having flashbacks...

We make it to Target and everyone was confused on what we were suppose to be doing. We find the trailer and it's loaded... that's not good... so we check again and they want it put in the dock... we do... and then the shipping dept says someone has to pick it up in 6 hours. We were actually under load, so we leave to go back to our original pick up place and call headquarters.

Finally, around 2:00 pm we are loaded and ready to roll. The fridge was back together, hooked down and we were headed out of California.

Coming through Palm Springs and Desert Springs you can't help but notice the diverse landscape... palm trees to snow covered mountains.

My fascination with these windmills is still alive and well. There were literally hundreds scattered through this desert area.

And on a closing note for tonight... sunsets in California are remarkable! I've had the opportunity to see the sunrise on the east coast and set on the west coast....

Tues, Feb 3... VEGAS!

2009-02-04T16:36:00.006-05:00

What else can I say... we have time to stop in VEGAS! We left Parowan, UT early this morning. The local time... I don't have a clue... I run on eastern time, Trapper stays on central time because headquarters is in Joplin, MO and our log stays on central, I think we are in mountain time, and I know we're headed to pacific time. And everyone wonders why I stay confused.

Today will take us through UT, AZ, NV, and finally to our final destination in CA. We only clip AZ and NV... this is why I refer to cities as "nowhere"... who knows where we are? I'm such a tourist... it's a good thing that this entire run from Salina, KS to Ontario, CA only entailed 2 turns... once we got on I-70 we merged onto I-15... this made my job very easy and allowed me time to take pictures... 252 in two days!

These states are beautiful! Our plan is to stop in Vegas for a couple of hours. We really don't want to get to CA any earlier than necessary... CA doesn't like trucks! No idle laws and the 55 mph for trucks (speed limit for cars is 70)... well... we'd rather spend our extra time in Vegas.

Arriving in Vegas... was smoggy... the last time I was here with was my family about 9 years ago. It was really clear that day... today... smog. There is no where else on earth like Vegas! Minus the sex and gambling... for me, the casino architecture is worth taking a second look and the history of the town is worth reading!

After touring some of the local sites... The Luxor, MGM Grand, New York New York... and having lunch at the Excalibur... we were back on the road to Ontario, CA in which we arrived at 8:00 pm pacific time!

Ontario is in the suburbs of Los Angeles... driving into the city I noticed the police helicopter in the sky with the large beam light pointing to the ground... on the freeway I was having flashbacks of OJ in the white Bronco... and I am going to sleep with the sounds of sirens in the background. I guess if you live (d) here you'd get used to it.

We've been preplanned to pick up our next load tomorrow in Fontana, CA at noon and we have to be in Laredo, TX by Saturday... more warm weather!

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Sun/Mon... Feb 1-2... Wild Wild West!

2009-02-04T15:33:00.007-05:00

When you wake up in Vail, CO... there's a little voice in your head that says... it's going to be a good day!

We arrived at this little "rest area" just east of Vail last night. It's funny, when we are in such a gorgeous place... we both stand outside the truck just taking it all in.

Our elevation is roughly 8,000 feet (down from 11,013)... the air is very crisp! Last night, standing outside, my only thoughts were how close the stars look.

Today will take us through Vail, Aspen, Glenwood Pass, No Name, Co, Grand Junction and then on into Utah. We're both intrigued by the west... not just for it's history... but that the history hasn't been that disturbed.

In Utah, along I-70, there are tributes to the Outlaws of the wild west that hid out in the canyons... espcaping the law...

Our day will end in Parowan, UT right off of I-15.

The pictures in the video will hopefully show you what I mean. This is where work and vacation merge!

Sat, Jan 31... Midnight Run!

2009-02-01T16:53:00.010-05:00

Our relay load was delivered in Tulsa, OK last night, successfully. We found a nearby truck stop and called it a night.

Big Brother Beeping woke the house up at 7:30 am! We are being dead headed to Salina, KS to pick up a load that delivers on Wednesday morning in Ontario, CA. I had to look at the zip code to be convinced it was California and not Canada. I can't believe we're dispatched to CA!! This means I can add 4-5 more states to my list. This leaves me just a few before I reach the goal of travelling through all 48! I've never had a desire to see Alaska (no offense to anyone) but I would put Hawaii on the short list! (I'm more warm weather and Trapper's already been to Alaska.)

It's Saturday morning and we don't pick up in Salina, KS until 12:30 am Sunday morning. We're killing time at the truck stop and we'll have a pretty easy run for today. I'm checking the weather, just in case! I've visited Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada a few years ago, but I'm so looking forward to "driving" through these states on this trip.

Rest areas, travelling across America, intrigue me as well as the different turnpikes we have been on. On the turnpikes you don't have "rest areas" or "welcome centers"... you have Oasis in IL, Plazas in NJ, and Concessions in OK... rest areas, in most cases, represent the history of the state... TX has the grandest rest areas, but then again, everything is bigger in TX. OK has depictions of tee pees... and KS has a map of the cattle drive paths that the cowboys used in the early 1900's when the area was being settled.

Stopping at a "truck parking only" spot in KS, Trapper notices a small hole in the trailer. Some places are very strict on the condition of the trailer they are putting their goods in... so the mountain man got out his man tools to fix the problem.... that's right... a hammer and duct tape! If that doesn't fix it... nothing will!

Exit 4.... Last FREE Exit! A few signs earlier said FREE Restrooms... I still haven't figured that one out!

Kansas.... extremely windy today! And we're empty!!

Our day coming to an end, for now. We're parked in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas. We're roughly 5 miles from where we are picking up tonight at midnight.

My blog keeps my sanity and let's Trapper read what I really think about being a professional passenger. But, he is also an avid Arrowhead hunter and we thought we'd get out and search for some rocks... I only came up with one that looked like a heart. No arrowheads... we're not in a good place.

The rest of our evening was spent at Wal-Mart and mapping out the rest of our trip. We'll have enough hours to drive a little of our midnight run tonight, but we really want to make the majority of this trip in the daylight.

I can not wait to get to Colorado!! We'll also be going through Utah, a little of Arizona, Nevada, and then to California.

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Fri, Jan 30... Life at the Terminal

2009-02-01T00:03:00.014-05:00

A day in the life of waiting at the terminal....

Let's see... morning came early, it's warmer here, and the to do list is short! I rolled out of the truck early this morning. I even beat mountain man out this morning! That's a rarity.

Since we have 4-5 hours before our relay arrives... I decided I better take advantage of the moment and wash clothes, take a shower, and give Trapper some alone time.

Life is pretty boring at some terminals. Everyone tries to be extremely politically correct and if that doesn't work the surveillance cameras do the trick!

There are 3 good things though... 1) you don't have to stay at the terminal, 2) showers are abundant, 3) the laundry machines are cheap!

I'm glad to report our NO SMOKING policy is still intact. We have sworn off smoking in the truck. We live in the truck and we work in the truck... you can do the math!

But seriously, it's the best thing we ever decided to do. I am so proud of Mr. 2-3 pack a day former smoker... Trapper is proudly down to much less than a pack a day! (And so am I) And we're both still alive! This is a good thing.

Today is going to be a long hard run. We're leaving West Memphis, TN and deliver in Tulsa, OK tonight at 8:00 pm. It's a hot load so there will be no play time!

Today, while listening to Fox News, they mentioned a 27 year old guy that is challenging himself to find 50 jobs in 50 states in 50 weeks. He is highlighting the main industry of the state and finding employment in that industry. His goal is to eventually write a book about his experience. If you have time, you should check this out. The website is livingthemap.com or you can look under my favorite blogs for the link.

Here is my map for tonight's trip... I wonder where Saturday will take us? Somewhere hopefully... the weather this weeks was a killer on miles run. Maybe I should google local attractions in Tulsa... incase we spend the weekend there!

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Thurs, Jan 29... 233 Mile Dead Head!

2009-01-31T23:50:00.004-05:00

Today found me waking up and wondering where I was. Our delivery was 7:00 am and needless to say, we were there early. Guess I slept through the short drive to the delivery place. (Imagine that.)

Awake and bushy tailed now... the qualcomm has already beeped and looks like we're being dead headed to West Memphis, AR from Nashville, TN. The power report indicates they are 15 trucks short at West Memphis. Hopefully, this means when we arrive we'll be dispatched somewhere warm!!

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Ok... the power report lied... we're in West Memphis, TN and there are plenty of trucks. Our preplan is to relay with a driver, here at the terminal, tomorrow at noon. The good thing is that we deliver in Tulsa, OK on Friday night.

There are three good things about being at the terminal... one, you don't have to stay here; two, showers are abundant; and three, laundry is cheap!

Wed, Jan 28... Mother Nature!

2009-01-31T22:26:00.018-05:00

Mother Nature is a force to be reckoned with... Our day started a few miles west of St. Louis, MO and ended close to Nashville, TN.

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Our route today started on I-64, I-57, and I-24. We came through St. Louis, MO, south to Paducah, KY, and east to Nashville, TN. Watching all the weather reports and checking all online sources... we knew it would be slow going for today.

As we were coming through Missouri the sight was snow... and lots of it!

I-57 was treacherous and not only that but you have to deal with people driving cars! I'll admit, I was most likely was one of these exact drivers until I took position in the passenger seat!

I've seen more trucks and cars off the road in one day than I've seen the entire time I've been in this truck. The further southeast we traveled the icier everything was.

There were trucks stuck in snow and ice on the ramps into rest areas, trucks in the median, cars here and there, drivers out trying to shovel their trucks free.... Another driver was reporting his wrecker bill of $1055.00 to get pulled out of a ditch. You didn't read that wrong... yes, one thousand fifty five dollars!

I-57 looked more like an ice skating rink... and it was stop and go traffic all day....

The CB was a constant chatter of traffic stopping, wreckers in the road pulling trucks out, trucks stuck everywhere, and one report of a big truck running a tanker completely off the road. Fellow truckers were quick to post an a CB APB for the hit and run truck!

Here we are in Metropolis, IL (Superman's home). There must have been 1" of ice on the lines and anything that wasn't moving. The newspapers at this rest area were still Monday's... today is Wednesday.

You know it's going to be bad when Jim Cantore, from the Weather Channel, is reporting LIVE from the town you are headed to!

Here we are arriving in Paducah, KY. The CB radio, being our lifeline today, was full of reports and questions from drivers needing fuel, needing road conditions, and questioning if anyone got the phone number off the wrecker going the other direction!

The bright spot to this day was when the day was over... (I'm kidding)... it was a sail boat that someone is redoing... we made a decision that this will be our next ride...

Our day ended at TA close to our delivery place at 7:00 am tomorrow. The night was spent cooking dinner and watching "West Wing". Thank goodness for boxed sets! TV with NO commercials!!!

Tues, Jan 27.... Half Day at Headquarters

2009-01-29T00:24:00.004-05:00

It's Tuesday, it's cold, and it's still sleeting, freezing rain, and a little snowy in Joplin, MO.

Trapper braved the cold by himself this morning. I was perfectly happy in the truck. We're still at CFI/ConWay headquarters in Joplin, MO so he decided to get our permit book updated and hang out in the driver's building for a while.

My "alone" time consisted of house duties and drinking coffee.

Finally ready to brave the cold myself, I caught up with him in the driver's lounge. One television is on the Weather Channel and of course that's where I was. I'm glad we left Arkansas when we did and I'm very thankful we are no where close to Paducah, KY!

Everyone in the lounge had "tales of the road" to tell. Interstates being closed, trucks off the road, and near misses! One driver comes in and announces to everyone that a truck was leaving the yard, turned onto the street, and the trailer slid half way off the 5th wheel. Not good... and right in front of headquarters!

Again, I'm glad we are where we are. So, after finding Trapper we headed to the cafeteria for breakfast and then I received the tour of the complex. I've only been to this building one other time and this time I was able to see the infamous "war room".

The war room looks like the room from which they monitor the space shuttle. There are super large wide screens on the walls with weather maps, truck information, and safety reminders. We were also able to call our fleet manager and introduce ourselves. This is quite an impressive operation!

We returned to the truck and were greeted with a beep from the qualcomm.... it read... "come to local dispatch."

Trapper went to check out the dispatch and came back with the news that we're being dead headed to Kansas City, MO to sit and wait on a load. They are anticipating needing trucks in that area tomorrow due to the pressure the ice storm has put on the schedules.

As I was checking the Missouri DOT website all I saw was blue and pink on the interstates. Green means that particular stretch of roadway is clear. I'm not really looking forward to this 160 miles. I'll have the death grip on the arm rest again!

Off to Kansas City!

We arrived at the drop yard around 4:30 pm and as we were trying to decide what we were going to do... go to a truck stop, rest area, drop the trailer, keep the trailer... and about that time big brother (the qualcomm) beeps us.

I quickly check and see that we're being sent to LaVergne, TN. I looked on the map... that's right... straight through St. Louis, MO.... straight through Paducah, KY... to Nashville....

Knowing we didn't have the hours to complete this trip as planned, Trapper called dispatch and they moved the arrival time back for us and allowed time for road conditions.

I just thought I was nervous before...

We only drove about 100 miles and decided to shut down. Luckily we "made" a spot at a rest area and called it a night. The road conditions were getting worse, it was dark, and not worth risking it.

After all, we're carrying kidney beans not a heart transplant.

Mon, Jan 26.... A Day of Trials & Laughs

2009-01-27T00:16:00.007-05:00

As much as we hated leaving our sacred parking space at Pilot this morning... we had to arrive at our delivery at 8:00 am. We slowly left our spot and it was quickly filled!

I gave up the "sleep" ghost as soon as we were docked. The trailer started rocking pretty soon thereafter. Our unload went quickly and we sent the necessary unloaded call on the qualcomm and we were number 12.

Oh well... we decided to drive back to Pilot and check out the parking, but to (not) so much of a surprise... all spots were full. Our truck needed a minor repair so we drove on down to the Kenworth shop, got the necessary go ahead from headquarters, and checked in at Kenworth.

The Waffle House, directly across the street, was sending high frequency vibes to Trapper (he loves their grits) and all of a sudden we were in Waffle House.

Our waitress was right on cue and we had breakfast ordered and coffee in front of us within a couple of minutes... it doesn't get much better than this... and then... she reappeared with bad news.... "Hi Sweetie, she says to Trapper, The grits are like soup and the cook won't sell them if she wouldn't eat them. Can I get you something else?"

Trapper had his heart set on those darn grits, but he's a gentleman and suggested she bring hash browns instead. We also had to ask for hot coffee vs. the luke warm in front of us. She graciously accommodated and we enjoyed our breakfast.

Our waitress appears again and as she lays the ticket on the table she explains that due to the mix up on the grits she discounted our ticket 10%. She goes on and on about the discount and how sorry she was for the mishap. For me, I'm thinking this is cool, every discount counts!

She walks on to another table and Trapper is looking at the bill and starts laughing. He slides the ticket to me and asks, "What's 10% of $13.94?"

I looked at him and replied, "Roughly, $1.40." At which point I have the ticket in my hand and it shows..... $13.89 total, 10% discount .14, total bill $13.75. We both just laughed. I guess it was the thought that counted.

The Kenworth place finished with our truck and due to the inclement weather expected for this region today and tonight, Trapper calls Headquarters and they dead headed to Joplin, MO. We were number 2 on the board at this point, but being sent to Joplin was fine with us for this trip. The weather was calling for freezing rain, sleet, snow mix... schools were dismissing early... we were ready to leave Springdale, AR.

We headed north on 71 and the further we drove, the worse things were getting. It was 28 degrees, light sleet/rain, the roads didn't look bad, but the windshield was freezing up, icicle on the mirrors, etc.

We arrived in Joplin and checked our truck into the garage (for a windshield wiper relay) and we decided to walk to the drivers part of the terminal. This ice storm came out of nowhere. By the time we arrived in Joplin the surfaces were ice! Walking was more like ice skating and that point was made clear as I fell and busted my butt! Luckily I went down slow and easy, so I wasn't hurt... a little shook up, but not hurt. I just don't bounce well!

Little did I know our trip back to the truck would prove more challenging! The wind had started blowing, it was sleeting bad, freezing rain, and you could not get any traction at all on your feet. At one point, my feet were moving, but I wasn't going anywhere. There's a slight slant on the grade of the parking lot, the wind was blowing, and I was slipping backwards. The only way out of this mess was to start moving as if I were cross country skiing (without the skis)... It was actually hilarious watching us... or at least me...

Here's the parking lot when we arrived in Joplin.

And 30 minutes later...tracks are gone...

A huge icicle, which actually slid off the mirror arm and then froze solid.

The qualcomm message finally came.... to all trucks at Joplin, we are experiencing a severe ice storm, you will not be going anywhere... to trucks in OK, AR, MO, or KY... if you are experiencing icing, stop safely and shut down.

I doubt anyone argued the point. Here we are in Joplin with all our siblings...

And the best picture of all... you know it's cold and nasty when the tires have icicles on them!

Our day ended on a good note. We're safe, sound, and warm and although we had a couple of trying times today... the laughs outweighed it!

Sun, Jan 25 .... Life At the Truck Stop

2009-01-26T00:00:00.006-05:00

The word truck stop still seems to have such a bad connotation, doesn't it? Maybe this is the reason the words travel centers, travel plazas, or oasis have come to be... but I can think of several worse places to be...

This morning we headed back to the Pilot to try and secure a parking place. Showers and laundry were on the honey-do-list today. Trucks were parked everywhere... two and three deep in a couple of places. Just at the edge of this picture, to the right, is where the row of trucks started. We are packed in here like sardines....

Parked in the fuel island pull off area... we saw movement and Trapper put us in position quickly! We were not moving this truck today! There must have been 100 trucks pull through here today with nowhere to park.

Deciding it was time to do laundry... I packed it up and said good-bye... I knew I'd be gone for awhile. For all the folks that have never dared walk to the laundry room in a truck stop... here's a picture for you! It's not bad actually... a folding table would be really nice though...

And here is a picture of the hallway that has the showers.... Just like being at home. Four showers at this Pilot.

With laundry being finished, we goofed off all day. We cleaned the truck out... from being in subzero weather last week... we vacuumed, washed the floors, dusted, and I washed some dishes. We talked to Bill (our neighbor to the left that drives for Celadon) and the neighbor to the right who didn't say his name.

Trapper couldn't sit still so he was in and out of the cab all day, playing around on the computer, and letting me take candid pictures of him....

This van caught my eye early this morning. It's the one with the canoe on top of it. The van sat in that same spot all day. At 4:30 pm I noticed a man, with a gas can, putting gas in it. I had to stop and think about this for a minute... he was a at Pilot gas station but was putting gas in the van from a gas can...

Then I realized... it must have taken him all day to get enough people to give him little amounts of gas (as they were filling their tanks) or money, so he could afford the gas.... resourceful? desperate? or lazy?

As soon as he poured the 2-3 gallons (it was a small container) of gas in the tank... they were gone...

You learn to adapt to your surroundings out here. I've seen several camp sites where people live permanently, major truck stop areas have major tent cities in the grassy/woody cover leaf areas of the interstate exits, and hitchhikers are abundant.

Typically, most people are nice and considerate. Everyone has "their" story to tell but they all have the same undertone/questions... where are you coming from, where are you going, what state are you from, and how many miles are you running.

I've said before... it's not just a job... it's a lifestyle. There is a whole different world that operates out of the confines of what most folks consider "normal".

Sat, Jan 24... Leaving Choctaw Nation

2009-01-25T23:15:00.003-05:00

Leaving Durant this morning, we were both glad the wind had stopped blowing so bad.

We are carrying only 5200 lbs of returned small appliances from Wal-Mart to Ozark Technologies in Springdale, AR and the wind was playing havoc with the truck last night. The truck stop started filling up quickly as the wind got stronger!

The Choctaw Nation is in total control here... there is an old casino behind us, the new one is beside us, and the store at the truck stop has a full blown casino room.

Traveling through Oklahoma is interesting. You find yourself on flat land, no trees or anything and then all of a sudden you're in the Ozark's. Parts of which are absolutely beautiful.

Look... Obama's car... it seemingly drives on water...

We're talking and driving along and we notice this huge plume of smoke ahead of us... grass fire? some kind of natural disaster getting ready to happen? tornado (no... it's not storming), so for miles we keep looking at this and trying to guess what it is...

Turned out all this smoke was coming from this.... smoke stacks.... in the middle of nowhere...

Made for good conversation for a few miles....

A quick stop at Wal-Mart proved we can handle being on a budget (remember $100 a week for groceries) and we spent $92.29!! Oklahoma, to my surprise, has a 9.147 % sales tax!! I almost fell over!

Our day was suppose to end at the Pilot on Hwy 412, off of I-540 in AR; however, it's the only truck stop for miles around and it was PACKED!!

We choose to drive on down the street a mile and stay in the customer's parking lot (the place we'll be delivering Monday morning.) We'll be in Springdale until at least Monday.

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Fri, Jan 23.... The Day Starts with a Beep!

2009-01-25T22:28:00.006-05:00

First thing... beep beep... Big Brother (the Qualcomm) was singing our song at 7:30 am!

Being that I get a great deal of pleasure seeing where we are being sent next... Trapper just says, "Ok, where to?" Being excited that we got a load so quickly... I glanced at the final city and it saw AR... for a split second I thought we were headed to Arizona... just to realize we were headed to Springdale, Arkansas.

It's a good run... we need a reset and the hours/miles will work perfectly for the week. It's a scenic run through the Ozarks and you travel through the Choctaw Nation... hmmm... did I budget for casino's?? (I don't think so...) Maybe I should do a budget restructure.

This load doesn't deliver until Monday... 435 miles in 3 days... it will be a relaxing trip.

A few more random pictures coming through Texas on I-35E North...

I've tried several times to get a picture of this building and today I finally did it. It's MONOLITHIC Dome Institute located in Italy, TX. OK? Creative nonetheless. A caterpillar with boots on it's feet. But seriously, after reading their website... these structures are billed as being tornado proof, hurricane proof, etc., etc. Again... creative design....

For my former co-workers... especially Misty... here's a picture of the AIG building in Dallas, TX... I know you have the address and phone number. Want me to stop in and get them on the ball for you? Make your numbers look a little better this month? LOL

OK... this is just NOT right... a Texas Heath billboard with a Condoms to Go store right under it? What is this? Did this store run out of money or space... please tell me they sell restaurants little packs of ketchup and mustard and there was a typo on the sign?...

Much to my surprise... and a little help from Google... yes, this is exactly as the name implies.

Moving on... an awesome picture of downtown Dallas, TX... if I do say so myself.

Our day ended in Choctaw Nation... we stopped in Durant, OK for the night. I've got to check the budget... the truck stop is within walking distance of the casino!

Thurs, Jan 22... No Appt Necessary!

2009-01-25T21:54:00.004-05:00

I couldn't hang with my driver last night, I crashed about an hour before we stopped last night. Mornings like this start with me peering out the window to see my surroundings and try to figure out where we are!

With all the CFI trucks around, I realized we were at the terminal in West Memphis. Trapper hurried off to shower but I passed... choosing to stay in the truck, straighten up, read the news and drink coffee.

Moving out quickly... we are back on track to be in Waco, TX tonight. We deliver Friday morning at 7:00 am. It's going to be one of those "push all the hours" to the max and limited stopping days.

Our only planned stop was at the terminal in Lancaster, TX. We took ony long enough for me to shower and to get fuel. This was good with me... gave me a chance to put the snow boots away, slide on a pair of capri's and be a perfectly happy camper... out of all my winter get up!

I noticed on the bill of lading that appointments were not necessary at the Budweiser plant. This worked out perfectly for us... we hurried today, no delays, and minimal stopping... arrived at the Budweiser plant, unloaded, and made it to a truck stop with just a few "legal" minutes left.

This worked perfectly for us. We will be on the board first thing in the morning!

Being exhausted tonight... sleep was the main focus! (Here's the google map for this trip.)

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LivingOTR.com

As I sat here tonight....

It's been awhile!

Funny Things

Feb 23... Tues.... Politics and Comments

Fri... Feb 5... Glenn Beck Explains it Better!

Thurs... Feb 4.... Poor (Pure) Michigan

Mon... Feb 2.... Just Put Her Out!

Fri... Jan 29.... Into the Storm!

Fri... Jan 22.... Back to Texas

Wed... Jan 20... Coffee-Mate Crush

Mon... Jan 18, 2010.... My 200th Post

Sun...Jan 17.... Back in PA

Map.... Jan 10 - 17

Thurs-Fri... Jan 14-15.... How Do Solo Drivers Do It?

Wed... Jan 13... Where's the Snow????

Sat - Tues... Jan 9-12... Playing Catch-Up

Fri... Jan 8... West Memphis, AR

Did You Feel That?

Wed... Jan 6 .... Trailer Theory

Fri... Jan 1... A New Year!

Tues... Dec 22.... We Should all Stop and Think About This...

Thurs... Dec 16... Just a Few More Days!

Sun... Dec 13... Weathering the Storm

.... The Tiniest Apt in NYC... ???

Maybe LivingOTR.com is moving up??????

Tues... Dec 8.... Dirty Laundry...

Tues... Dec 1... We are Orphaned (Again)

Sun... Nov 29... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy "Almost" Thanksgiving

Sun... Nov 22... What Time Is It???

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Tues... Nov 17... G.O.A.L.

Mon... Nov 16... Do You See a Regional Pattern?

Sights from the States

I'm Coming Out!

Trucker Boredom!

Sun. Nov 15... Ok... Home again!

Interesting Video... Truck Vs. Bridge

Sat... Nov 7... We are headed to Greenville!

Fri... Nov 6... The Night The Lights Went Out in Memphis!

Thurs... Nov 5... Making Our Way Through Texas

Wed... Nov 3... Ok... Back to West Memphis

Wed... Nov 4... Back South

Mon/Tues...Nov 1/2.... You're Kiddin', right?

Sat... Oct 31... Happy Halloween "Trick or Treat" Truck Driving Style

Fri... Oct 30.... Unloading P'nuts

Wed/Thurs...Oct 28/29.... 3 AM is too early for me!

Mon/Tues... Oct 26/27.... Oklahoma City... What a Great Surprise!

Sat. Oct 24... I wish I had.....

Thurs...Oct 22... Where we are and where we've been!

Mon...Oct 19.... Here we go again!

Tues-Thurs...Oct 13-15... Cross Country Finished

Mon...Oct 11... 900 miles to go!

Oct 10... Sat... Recalculating!

The Truck Parking Problem & One Driver's Solution

Fri... Oct 9... If you Wish really hard....

Thurs...Oct 8.... Our Patience is Wearing Thin

Tues/Wed... Oct 6,7... Stuck in Carlisle, Pa.... Where?

Mon... Oct 5... In Case of Emergency

Fri... Oct 2... Can You Say Dropped Ball?

Thurs... Oct 1... 566 miles!

Double Take!

Sun-Wed Sept 27-30.... Stuck in Reverse

Thurs-Fri 9/24/25.... Messed Up!

Mon-Wed..9/21-23 Deja Vu!

We're BAAAAACK!

Fri-Tues, Mar 26-31... Sun to Snow!

Our Florida Office for Today

Wed/Thur, Mar 25-26.... Truck Stop Living

Tues, Mar 24.... Working The Night Shift

Mon, Mar 22... Nashville to Atlanta!

Sun, Mar 22... Outside Nashville

Fri, Mar 20.... Less Stress Today!

Thurs, Mar 19 .... A Bit Stressful...

Tues/Wed, March 17-18... St Patrick's Day & Beyond!

Sun-Mon, Mar 15/16... Off to Wisconsin...

*** MY TRASHY RANT ****

Sat, Mar 14... Eight is Enough

* MY TRASHY RANT **