Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Traveling Giraffe
We were traveling south of San Antonio when we were passed by this cute little giraffe. An unusual sight!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Del Rio to Laredo
Delivered our load in Del Rio, Tx. What should have been a very routine delivery turned into a complete nightmare! I was a little worried about the drive from El Paso to Del Rio, having never made that drive before. I could see looking at it on the map that the route was going to follow the US-Mexican Border. The drive would be done during the night hours and on US highways. The route was pretty desolate. I think I only passed through a couple of little towns during the last 200 miles. You could hardly even call them towns. There was very little other traffic and I just hoped and prayed that the truck didn't break down and leave us stranded in that remote location along the border. I hear too many stories about crime in those areas. We were literally close enough to the border to look out the passenger window and see the fence that separates the two countries. The other thing that worried me was all the deer that I was seeing along the side of the road. I usually never see deer in Texas and it's one of the reasons I like driving there. After having hit a deer in Upstate New York once, I now have a phobia of repeating that incident.
Fortunately, I made it safe and sound and three hours ahead of schedule. I parked the truck at a Stripes truckstop about a mile and a half from our delivery point and took a two hour nap. I woke up at 7 AM EST and headed to the delivery. I pulled out of the truck stop, turned left, went through a stop light, about a half mile down the road it curved to the right. As I rounded the curve, there right in front of me was the entrance into Mexico!! I panicked and saw a driveway to my right and I whipped the truck into the driveway. John came flying up into the cab wanting to know what was going on. I told him that I almost just drove us into Mexico. He had to guide me while I backed back out into the highway and headed back to the truckstop to see what was going on with my gps. She should know better than to try and cross the border. I studied google maps for a few minutes and saw an alternate route so off I went. It seemed like it was going to be okay. Up until the point that I came to a railroad crossing. We recently had an apu added to our truck and for some reason the installer positioned it so that it has very low clearance to the ground. We should have made him move it up while we were there, but for some reason we didn't and we have been dealing with it since. I could see by the way the railroad crossing was designed that it was going to be a tight fit for us to cross. Not only that, but once we crossed we needed to make a left turn onto a highway and there wasn't room for our truck to clear the tracks without being out in the highway. Normally in that situation, we would not cross the tracks until we could see the highway was clear, then cross and continue to make the turn without stopping. However, in our current situation, we had to cross the tracks slowly so John could watch from outside to make sure our apu cleared and didn't get hung up on the tracks. The apu cleared, I stopped the truck,John jumped back in and in that amount of time, a couple of cars came along which made me have to sit there before I could turn. Completely illegal to have part of the truck stopped across the tracks and I was not happy, but what else could I do? The cars went past and I tried to pull forward to make my turn. The truck wouldn't go forward!! Oh my God, now what? I put it in neutral, back into first and tried again. Nothing. It dawned on me that our dolly legs may be stuck on the tracks. We drive a straight truck with a single rear axle, so we have dolly legs that have to be lowered when we are getting loaded and unloaded. They also have a very low clearance to the ground and have caused us problems before. That's another story! I screamed at John that I thought our legs were stuck on the tracks. He jumps back out, runs to the back and sure enough, one of them was caught. I backed up, he spun it around and tilted it so that it was at a different angle and I was able to pull forward. I crossed the highway and stopped and he ran back over and jumped back in. At this point, I was ready to cry and to throw up. If a cop had come along at that time, I could have lost my license for stopping on the track, not to mention what a disaster it would have been if a train had decided to come along! Thinking that the worst was surely behind us, I moved forward and wouldn't you know, I had to go about a tenth of a mile and make a left turn....back across the stinking rr tracks! John jumped out, watched me cross and fortunately this time all truck parts cleared the tracks.
Made it to the consignee all in one piece and of course there's nobody there. I tried calling the number dispatch gave us and got a recording saying that the girl was on vacation till October. This is May. Who takes vacation from May to October? I send a message over the qc to dispatch and ask for another number to call, telling them what the voice mail message said. I get a message back saying that that message is from last year, that the girl never updated her message and she would indeed be there, but that she doesn't come in until 9. Obviously they knew this all along so my question is, why do they schedule appts for us at times when they know nobody is going to be there to load/unload us? Things like this are what have me considering changing carriers. It happens way too much and is completely unnecessary.
With all that drama behind us, I drove back to the truckstop, parked it, and collapsed into bed. The mental stress had drained me. All the negativity of the prior week just seemed to keep building and building and I felt like I was gonna snap. Shortly afterwards, dispatch calls with a load offer, a really good one picking up right in Del Rio and going 1640 miles to Detroit. I said yes, we would take it, then he informs me that he didn't have it booked yet, just needed to know if we would be interested first. He promised to call me back within 10 minutes one way or the other. 20 minutes later he calls back to inform me that he did not get the load. Sorry. This trend has been going on all week and I really don't understand it. We've been with this carrier for over 2 years and this has never happened. I've also noticed that all the dispatchers who are calling are new to me. Very odd. About an hour or so later we got a load offer over the qc. This time the load was picking up in the same location that we had just delivered to and was delivering next day to Garland, Tx. It was only 400 miles. I refused it because that would have put us on the Dallas load board and that board is the kiss of death. We have gotten stuck so many times on that board that there was no way I was doing it at this time. In different circumstances I would take that load, but not with only 800 miles for the week.
It got quiet after that so I used the time to call the International dealership in Orlando and ask what the status was for the refund I was requesting on the defective ac repair they had done back in September. The service manager agreed to reimburse us for the new tube which was a little over $300. He is putting a check into the mail for us. Finally, something good happened!
A little bit later, dispatch called again with another potential load offer. This one was picking up that night in Laredo and going 1604 miles to Ohio. The down side is that it was 12 pieces and over 9000 lbs. A heavy load for us. He tried to discount the rate by 10 cents a mile and I told him no. I wanted our full rate. He went and talked to his supervisor and said could we split the difference and take a five cent a mile cut? I again said no. I want my full rate. Its a heavy load and our fuel mileage is going to suck. Away he goes, comes back and says fine, I'll send it over at your full rate. John was mad at me for taking it because he didn't think it would fit the truck. I told him the dispatcher said the pieces were stackable so they should fit but he wasn't convinced. We got to the shipper at 11 PM and it turned out to be one of the easiest pickups we've had. And as a bonus, it ended up being only 2 pieces and 1600 lbs. The rest of the freight never made it across the border from Mexico. I cleared it with dispatch that we were okay to roll with only the 2 pieces. They got on the phone with the customer and we got clearance to go. Woohoo! Finally, at long last, on our way out of Texas!
By the way, as soon as we get through northern Indiana, we will be going back to the place that installed our apu and having them raise it up higher because we are done stressing over this thing. Now we also need to see if we can find a way to get more clearance on those dolly legs!
Fortunately, I made it safe and sound and three hours ahead of schedule. I parked the truck at a Stripes truckstop about a mile and a half from our delivery point and took a two hour nap. I woke up at 7 AM EST and headed to the delivery. I pulled out of the truck stop, turned left, went through a stop light, about a half mile down the road it curved to the right. As I rounded the curve, there right in front of me was the entrance into Mexico!! I panicked and saw a driveway to my right and I whipped the truck into the driveway. John came flying up into the cab wanting to know what was going on. I told him that I almost just drove us into Mexico. He had to guide me while I backed back out into the highway and headed back to the truckstop to see what was going on with my gps. She should know better than to try and cross the border. I studied google maps for a few minutes and saw an alternate route so off I went. It seemed like it was going to be okay. Up until the point that I came to a railroad crossing. We recently had an apu added to our truck and for some reason the installer positioned it so that it has very low clearance to the ground. We should have made him move it up while we were there, but for some reason we didn't and we have been dealing with it since. I could see by the way the railroad crossing was designed that it was going to be a tight fit for us to cross. Not only that, but once we crossed we needed to make a left turn onto a highway and there wasn't room for our truck to clear the tracks without being out in the highway. Normally in that situation, we would not cross the tracks until we could see the highway was clear, then cross and continue to make the turn without stopping. However, in our current situation, we had to cross the tracks slowly so John could watch from outside to make sure our apu cleared and didn't get hung up on the tracks. The apu cleared, I stopped the truck,John jumped back in and in that amount of time, a couple of cars came along which made me have to sit there before I could turn. Completely illegal to have part of the truck stopped across the tracks and I was not happy, but what else could I do? The cars went past and I tried to pull forward to make my turn. The truck wouldn't go forward!! Oh my God, now what? I put it in neutral, back into first and tried again. Nothing. It dawned on me that our dolly legs may be stuck on the tracks. We drive a straight truck with a single rear axle, so we have dolly legs that have to be lowered when we are getting loaded and unloaded. They also have a very low clearance to the ground and have caused us problems before. That's another story! I screamed at John that I thought our legs were stuck on the tracks. He jumps back out, runs to the back and sure enough, one of them was caught. I backed up, he spun it around and tilted it so that it was at a different angle and I was able to pull forward. I crossed the highway and stopped and he ran back over and jumped back in. At this point, I was ready to cry and to throw up. If a cop had come along at that time, I could have lost my license for stopping on the track, not to mention what a disaster it would have been if a train had decided to come along! Thinking that the worst was surely behind us, I moved forward and wouldn't you know, I had to go about a tenth of a mile and make a left turn....back across the stinking rr tracks! John jumped out, watched me cross and fortunately this time all truck parts cleared the tracks.
Made it to the consignee all in one piece and of course there's nobody there. I tried calling the number dispatch gave us and got a recording saying that the girl was on vacation till October. This is May. Who takes vacation from May to October? I send a message over the qc to dispatch and ask for another number to call, telling them what the voice mail message said. I get a message back saying that that message is from last year, that the girl never updated her message and she would indeed be there, but that she doesn't come in until 9. Obviously they knew this all along so my question is, why do they schedule appts for us at times when they know nobody is going to be there to load/unload us? Things like this are what have me considering changing carriers. It happens way too much and is completely unnecessary.
With all that drama behind us, I drove back to the truckstop, parked it, and collapsed into bed. The mental stress had drained me. All the negativity of the prior week just seemed to keep building and building and I felt like I was gonna snap. Shortly afterwards, dispatch calls with a load offer, a really good one picking up right in Del Rio and going 1640 miles to Detroit. I said yes, we would take it, then he informs me that he didn't have it booked yet, just needed to know if we would be interested first. He promised to call me back within 10 minutes one way or the other. 20 minutes later he calls back to inform me that he did not get the load. Sorry. This trend has been going on all week and I really don't understand it. We've been with this carrier for over 2 years and this has never happened. I've also noticed that all the dispatchers who are calling are new to me. Very odd. About an hour or so later we got a load offer over the qc. This time the load was picking up in the same location that we had just delivered to and was delivering next day to Garland, Tx. It was only 400 miles. I refused it because that would have put us on the Dallas load board and that board is the kiss of death. We have gotten stuck so many times on that board that there was no way I was doing it at this time. In different circumstances I would take that load, but not with only 800 miles for the week.
It got quiet after that so I used the time to call the International dealership in Orlando and ask what the status was for the refund I was requesting on the defective ac repair they had done back in September. The service manager agreed to reimburse us for the new tube which was a little over $300. He is putting a check into the mail for us. Finally, something good happened!
A little bit later, dispatch called again with another potential load offer. This one was picking up that night in Laredo and going 1604 miles to Ohio. The down side is that it was 12 pieces and over 9000 lbs. A heavy load for us. He tried to discount the rate by 10 cents a mile and I told him no. I wanted our full rate. He went and talked to his supervisor and said could we split the difference and take a five cent a mile cut? I again said no. I want my full rate. Its a heavy load and our fuel mileage is going to suck. Away he goes, comes back and says fine, I'll send it over at your full rate. John was mad at me for taking it because he didn't think it would fit the truck. I told him the dispatcher said the pieces were stackable so they should fit but he wasn't convinced. We got to the shipper at 11 PM and it turned out to be one of the easiest pickups we've had. And as a bonus, it ended up being only 2 pieces and 1600 lbs. The rest of the freight never made it across the border from Mexico. I cleared it with dispatch that we were okay to roll with only the 2 pieces. They got on the phone with the customer and we got clearance to go. Woohoo! Finally, at long last, on our way out of Texas!
By the way, as soon as we get through northern Indiana, we will be going back to the place that installed our apu and having them raise it up higher because we are done stressing over this thing. Now we also need to see if we can find a way to get more clearance on those dolly legs!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Moving Again. Just not out of Texas
Finally got a call this morning from dispatch wanting to know if we would be interested in a load picking up in El Paso going 413 miles to Del Rio Texas. Not the greatest load, but not the worst either. Picks up this afternoon, delivers at 8 AM in the morning. We said we would take it and this time they finally won the bid on the load so we are now at the shipper waiting for the freight. One thing about picking up loads in Texas border towns, you almost always have to wait on the freight. At least we do with the carrier we are with. We were told to be here at 3 PM and it's now 5 PM. The shipper said the driver called in and said he was on the bridge trying to get through customs. They were in the process of xraying his truck. Shipper says probably 30 minutes to another hour before he gets here. I told him we were in no hurry because we have plenty of extra time on this load, but the shipper said he has plans to go to the movies and got called in today on his day off just for this load, so he is actually in a hurry. That's a switch!
The reason I say this isn't the best load is because it delivers in Del Rio. I am unfamiliar with that area and have no idea what kind of freight comes out of there or if we will end up having to empty move somewhere else. I do know that we will be on the Laredo board after delivery. We will be about 185 miles north of Laredo. In the end, it just came down to us being bored sitting for so long in El Paso and needing a change of scenery. It feels good to be back on a load again. Hopefully it will work out for us and something else will come along pretty quickly tomorrow.
We've been making plans for the week of July 4th. We're going to take the week off and spend it at my parents house in Indiana. Hopefully we will get to visit with a lot of our family and friends. We've found over the last couple of years that in our line of work, it's pretty much useless to try and work through certain holidays. July 4th is one of them. So many car manufacturers have plant shut downs that week that everything comes to a crawl. Besides that, in our former regular jobs, we never got to be off together to celebrate holidays, so we have some lost time to make up. I'm hoping that our sons will be able to join us there. More quality time. One of the perks of this job is the ability to visit family when we want. It's nice to be able to drive to visit them and get paid to do it. Living in Florida when the rest of our families live in Indiana makes it hard to visit, but this job helps with that.
It was hard leaving the boys today. We've been with them now for almost a week. Felt like we were camping out together, just in a truckstop instead of a campground. This job is definitely more than a job, it's a lifestyle. Most people wouldn't like it, but fortunately, it works for us!
The reason I say this isn't the best load is because it delivers in Del Rio. I am unfamiliar with that area and have no idea what kind of freight comes out of there or if we will end up having to empty move somewhere else. I do know that we will be on the Laredo board after delivery. We will be about 185 miles north of Laredo. In the end, it just came down to us being bored sitting for so long in El Paso and needing a change of scenery. It feels good to be back on a load again. Hopefully it will work out for us and something else will come along pretty quickly tomorrow.
We've been making plans for the week of July 4th. We're going to take the week off and spend it at my parents house in Indiana. Hopefully we will get to visit with a lot of our family and friends. We've found over the last couple of years that in our line of work, it's pretty much useless to try and work through certain holidays. July 4th is one of them. So many car manufacturers have plant shut downs that week that everything comes to a crawl. Besides that, in our former regular jobs, we never got to be off together to celebrate holidays, so we have some lost time to make up. I'm hoping that our sons will be able to join us there. More quality time. One of the perks of this job is the ability to visit family when we want. It's nice to be able to drive to visit them and get paid to do it. Living in Florida when the rest of our families live in Indiana makes it hard to visit, but this job helps with that.
It was hard leaving the boys today. We've been with them now for almost a week. Felt like we were camping out together, just in a truckstop instead of a campground. This job is definitely more than a job, it's a lifestyle. Most people wouldn't like it, but fortunately, it works for us!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
El Paso Stew
I like Texas. I usually look forward to coming here. It's truck friendly. Big roads, plenty of parking. But today makes a full week of being in El Paso. Four days that we have actually been on the board and available for a load. I am ready to go. I have my paperwork all caught up. We have visited with the boys. All truck repairs are done. It's time to make some money. I got a phone call this morning at 2:30 AM. A dispatcher calling wanting to know if we would help with a recovery load. Another driver broke down in Amarillo on his way to El Paso. Would we help? Sure. I gave him a flat rate that we would do the load for. It included all miles there and back and another $100 for the hand transfer we would have to do. He said there was no one in the office who could approve that offer so he would have to wait until 9AM to call a supervisor at home and see if they would allow it. No need to wake them up. Hmmm. Guess it's okay to wake us up, but god forbid we should wake up a dispatch supervisor. Needless to say, they never called back, so here we sit. They are really just pushing me into making a decision on switching carriers. Once the idea gets in your head, every negative interaction you have with your company just seems that much more intolerable. Our company that we are with is known to be one of the hardest to deal with. They hire drivers who have no experience, which is why we started with them. They gave us our chance and we appreciate that. But I think we are at the point that we have outgrown them. We do not want or need to have our hand held. The dispatch games have grown old and we have progressed to the point that we can manage our time well enough that we can certainly do more loads than they seem to be able to give us. If I am going to be sitting for a week, it better be my choice. Not because they have young inexperienced people trying to do a grown up job and not a clue what they are doing.
So, here I sit in El Paso, stewing. Too much time on my hands. Dreaming of our next load. Looking ahead to the future and what it might bring us.
One positive thing that I should note. I did not have to go to Best Buy and exchange my tablet. Luckily my techie son is stuck here in El Paso with us and he was able to get it rebooted for me. It lost all my user data, but that's okay since I was smart enough to upload my important information to dropbox. Dropbox is a free online storage for your data. I was able to recover everything I needed. Just took a little while to reload all my apps and download all the data, but all is well now.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Quality Time With The Boys
We seem to be stuck here in El Paso. The nightmare just will not end. The only bright spot is that our two sons who drive for the same carrier are now stuck here with us. We have been getting in some quality time. Its not all our carriers fault that we are still here. They had loads for us but we couldnt take them due to truck repairs. Now that we are ready to go, its a holiday weekend and no freight.
We were offered a couple of loads but nothing worth taking. Lately I have been considering switching carriers. Our current one just doesnt seem to be keeping us running with good loads. They have tons of crap loads but we arent working for free or for cheap. We have two more truck payments and once those are paid we are going to determine if we are staying or moving on. Its a pain to switch but if we are going to do it, I think that will be the best time.
As soon as John wakes up I need to head over to Best Buy and exchange my Asus Transformer Prime tablet. Got it out today to do paperwork and its locked up on the bootup screen. Thank goodness I bought extended warranty. At this point Im not suprised it quit working. Everything else is so why not?
We were offered a couple of loads but nothing worth taking. Lately I have been considering switching carriers. Our current one just doesnt seem to be keeping us running with good loads. They have tons of crap loads but we arent working for free or for cheap. We have two more truck payments and once those are paid we are going to determine if we are staying or moving on. Its a pain to switch but if we are going to do it, I think that will be the best time.
As soon as John wakes up I need to head over to Best Buy and exchange my Asus Transformer Prime tablet. Got it out today to do paperwork and its locked up on the bootup screen. Thank goodness I bought extended warranty. At this point Im not suprised it quit working. Everything else is so why not?
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Day 3 of AC Repair
Left the shop last night and made it about 5 miles and the ac quit. Took it back and raised cane with them. We just spent $1100 on what? Two more hours and we are told its fixed now. We leave and get 2 miles down the road and it stops again. I call the shop and they say come back in the morning. We got here first thing this morning and still waiting.
Patience is not one of my virtues!
Update: They said it was fixed and they went out on a roadtest. Brought it back and said no, still not fixed....Couple hours later the service manager brought an estimate sheet in for another $1100. Said we needed a new ac compressor. Wanted our permission to move forward. I look at the estimate and it says ac compressor and drier. Excuse me, didnt I just pay for a new drier yesterday? I told him his price was too high. He went away and came back with a price of $800. The first estimate included the drier which we had already paid for. I said fine, do it. About 3 hours later it was done. So far it is still working. I have doubts as to how long it will continue.
Patience is not one of my virtues!
Update: They said it was fixed and they went out on a roadtest. Brought it back and said no, still not fixed....Couple hours later the service manager brought an estimate sheet in for another $1100. Said we needed a new ac compressor. Wanted our permission to move forward. I look at the estimate and it says ac compressor and drier. Excuse me, didnt I just pay for a new drier yesterday? I told him his price was too high. He went away and came back with a price of $800. The first estimate included the drier which we had already paid for. I said fine, do it. About 3 hours later it was done. So far it is still working. I have doubts as to how long it will continue.
Trip from Hell!!!
To recap, first we had the bumper ordeal in Joplin. Then the wild hog incident. Then the ac quit working. Next I get a bladder infection. The apu acted up. We were told the ac was fixed, drove two miles and it quit. On our third day of trying to get it fixed now. The gps we just bought malfunctioned and had to be exchanged.
Hopefully all the bad stuff is over for awhile. Seriously, three days for an ac?
Hopefully all the bad stuff is over for awhile. Seriously, three days for an ac?
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Needing a Dr on the Road
Ive been having pain for a couple of days but was hoping if I drank a lot of liquids it would go away. It did not and last night the pain kept me up all night. This morning was unbearable so we headed over to a walk in clinic here in El Paso and I got two prescriptions for a bladder infection. Ive had this before and it has always been the most painful experience Ive ever had. Including childbirth. Thankfully the medicine works quickly so I wont have to suffer anymore.
Now we have to head back over to Border International to get the ac repair completed that they started yesterday. They had an outside shop make a hose for the truck and turns out they made it wrong. Hopefully they will get it done today so we can get back to work.
Now we have to head back over to Border International to get the ac repair completed that they started yesterday. They had an outside shop make a hose for the truck and turns out they made it wrong. Hopefully they will get it done today so we can get back to work.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Wild hogs and no AC
 |
| This poor piggy didn't stand a chance! |
I looked in his mirror and sure enough, there was something laying there. He backed up again till we were right next to it and we were both staring down at it trying to figure out what it was. It really did look like a bear. Finally we noticed the long snout and decided it was a wild boar. We have them in Florida also.
We sat there a bit trying to decide what to do next. We were looking around the area and realized how isolated it was there. It was a very creepy feeling and I was imagining all kinds of craziness. He got the flashlight and said he was going to have to check the truck and make sure it was okay to drive. I kept a close watch out the windows and mirrors in case someone or something tried to sneak up on him. After checking the truck out he put on gloves and grabbed a leg of the hog and drug it off the road so no one else would hit it.
He got back in and said the only damage he could see in the dark was the bumper was bashed in. We both looked at each other and cracked up laughing. Wow, how lucky were we? Thank goodness we didnt get the bumper in Joplin it would have been a complete waste of money! He took off driving and it was 50 miles before we found a lighted truck parking area.
After checking the truck in the lights we only found the dent in the bumper. The oilpan has a small dent in it but shouldnt be a problem. There are pig guts and gore all under the truck. Really nasty. Going to need a major truck wash. We are going to sleep a few hours and head out in the daylight.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Bummer...no Bumper
We made it to Joplin today and visited the Chrome Shop Mafia for the first time. They had our bumper waiting on us, we paid for it and they loaded it into our truck. Their shop is closed on the weekends so we were going across the street to the Petro to have it installed.
We had to wait 3 hours to get called into a service bay and I told John that before they removed the old one, hold the new one up in front of it and make sure all the bolt holes lined up. Just as I feared, it wasnt a match. We had to rebox it, and get it back across the street before they closed. Luckily we got there five minutes before closing time and got our money refunded. We were so bummed out. This bumper thing has become like a treasure hunt. We keep following all the clues and thinking we got it, but it always turns out that we dont.
After we left there, I drove 200 miles to Oklahoma City, stopped and fueled up. Grabbed a mini pizza and a boston creme donut at the Loves and then John took over driving. He's planning to drive about 230 miles tonight and stop somewhere in Texas. We will finish our drive to El Paso tomorrow. Delivery isn't until Monday morning. I love these weekend loads where we make good money but have plenty of time to get the load there.
A couple of new things we have discovered recently. Podcasts and audio books. John has been making use of the Podcasts. We both downloaded a Podcast App onto our android phones. I found Motor Trend Podcast for John and loaded up his player. We plug the phone into the truck stereo so the sound comes through the truck speakers. He can listen to that car talk for hours!
I download library books to my smartphone. I've only done the regular books until this week. I finally got an audiobook downloaded and play it while I'm driving. I didn't think I would be able to focus on it, but suprisingly I can. It's a little strange having someone read you a story, but after awhile, you get used to it. It helps to pass the time while driving. I can only listen for a couple of hours, then I have to switch to Sirius Radio. I have a few channels that I listen to pretty regularly. Road Dawg Trucking, 70,s Highway Country, Tiffany Granath on Playboy and Howard Stern. Oh yeah and HLN news. Sometimes I don't listen to anything, just enjoy the peace and quiet!
We had to wait 3 hours to get called into a service bay and I told John that before they removed the old one, hold the new one up in front of it and make sure all the bolt holes lined up. Just as I feared, it wasnt a match. We had to rebox it, and get it back across the street before they closed. Luckily we got there five minutes before closing time and got our money refunded. We were so bummed out. This bumper thing has become like a treasure hunt. We keep following all the clues and thinking we got it, but it always turns out that we dont.
After we left there, I drove 200 miles to Oklahoma City, stopped and fueled up. Grabbed a mini pizza and a boston creme donut at the Loves and then John took over driving. He's planning to drive about 230 miles tonight and stop somewhere in Texas. We will finish our drive to El Paso tomorrow. Delivery isn't until Monday morning. I love these weekend loads where we make good money but have plenty of time to get the load there.
A couple of new things we have discovered recently. Podcasts and audio books. John has been making use of the Podcasts. We both downloaded a Podcast App onto our android phones. I found Motor Trend Podcast for John and loaded up his player. We plug the phone into the truck stereo so the sound comes through the truck speakers. He can listen to that car talk for hours!
I download library books to my smartphone. I've only done the regular books until this week. I finally got an audiobook downloaded and play it while I'm driving. I didn't think I would be able to focus on it, but suprisingly I can. It's a little strange having someone read you a story, but after awhile, you get used to it. It helps to pass the time while driving. I can only listen for a couple of hours, then I have to switch to Sirius Radio. I have a few channels that I listen to pretty regularly. Road Dawg Trucking, 70,s Highway Country, Tiffany Granath on Playboy and Howard Stern. Oh yeah and HLN news. Sometimes I don't listen to anything, just enjoy the peace and quiet!
Friday, May 18, 2012
To El Paso with a side trip to Joplin
Hope this load goes well. Its pretty heavy for our truck. 10200 pounds. But the miles are good 1756 loaded. Just a little nervous due to yesterdays truck problems. I hate breaking down. It is soooo stressful.
If all goes well we plan to stop off in Joplin at the Chrome Mafia shop and see if we can get a new chrome bumper.
Our load doesnt deliver till Monday so we have plenty of time. Keeping fingers crossed!
If all goes well we plan to stop off in Joplin at the Chrome Mafia shop and see if we can get a new chrome bumper.
Our load doesnt deliver till Monday so we have plenty of time. Keeping fingers crossed!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Off to Alabama..or not
Luckily it turned out okay and I headed out to Alabama. Truck was running great I had the cruise on and was doing about 60 mph. 165 miles into the trip the cruise kicked off, the truck slowed down and finally died, engine light came on. I managed to get onto the shoulder and tried restarting. No luck. Called our carrier. They were going to send a tow truck to take us to the International shop 25 miles away.
I tried starting it again and this time it started and we made it to the shop. Repair only took half an hour but we had to give our load up since we werent sure how long it would take. Turned out to be an ecm idb fuse harness shorting out. New one and $200 we were good to go but now our sleep schedule is messed up so we are not accepting any loads till in the morning. Time for some gooood sleep!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Happy 30th Anniversary to Us!!
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| From our wedding May 14, 1982 |
Yesterday was our 30th Anniversary. Surprisingly John forgot. I don't think he's ever forgotten before, and this was kind of a milestone anniversary, but oh well, I don't really make a big deal out of birthdays, anniversarys and all that stuff. If you love someone, dont wait for a holiday to tell them. Show them with your actions year round.
Greeting cards dont really mean anything to me. Just words someone put on paper and people get guilted into spending money for. I'm much happier with being taken out for a good meal, skip the card. I remember way back, John had a dozen roses sent to me at the office I worked at. I was so mad at him for spending that much money on flowers that were only going to last a couple of days. I told him to please never do that again. Guess I'm not a typical girl, which is probably why I love the job we do now. Typical girls aren't crazy about becoming truck drivers :)
We just got back on the road today after being at home for a week. It was unplanned time off but our last load took us within 150 miles of home so we decided since we were that close to go ahead and get some more work done to the truck. There is an International shop in Ocala, Fl that we really like. We've been wanting to replace our front bumper with a nice new shiny one. The shop there supplies the fire department with bumpers that also fit our truck and if the bumpers come in with any blemishes no matter how small, the fire department rejects them and orders new ones. So then the shop has to turn them in to insurance or warranty or however they d o it and about 3 months later the bumpers are released to be sold or sent to scrap. We found one there that is a perfect fit for our truck and only has the smallest of a scratch that most people would never see and they will sell it to us for half the cost of a brand new one. So, $400 instead of almost $900.
We thought we were going to get lucky and get it put on while we were at home, but it didn't work out. The bumper hasn't been released by the warranty company yet, so maybe next time we go home . We also had an air hose installed inside the cab of the truck so now I can blow the sleeper and the cab out and get it clean like never before. We have a MaltiPoo (Maltese Poodle) that travels with us and he doesn't shed, but loses hair like a human and between me and him, there tends to be quite a few loose hairs that are pretty easy to deal with now that I have the air hose.
We also had an airline installed on the air tank outside of the truck so that John can hook a hose to it and air up our tires if they are low. The other thing we had done was to have a metal transfer plate made to carry with us. It's just a flat heavy duty plate that can be used anytime we have to do a swap with another truck. We drive a straight truck, so if you back two trucks up to each other there is always a little gap between them. You can't get a pallet jack across the gap, the wheels would fall down in the gap and get stuck. So that is what we will use the plate for. All about making our lives easier.
We just recently did a swap with another truck. They had picked up the load, which was only one pallet, about a thousand pounds. They made it about 25 miles down the road and discovered the bearing was going out to their drive shaft so they stopped off at a truck stop and let our carrier know that they werent going to be able to finish the load. The carrier called us since we were only 25 miles away and offered the load to us.
It was a good load about 750 loaded miles, only problem was, we didn't have the transfer plate. Carrier says no problem, head on over and we'll figure it out. So we get there and back the two trucks together. The other truck had a piece of heavy plywood that he laid down to drive the pallet jack over. It looked like it might work, but it didn't. As soon as the wheels of the jack got over the area where the gap was, they crashed through and everything came to a screeching halt. The jack was stuck. The freight shifted forward and spilled all into the floor of our truck. You should have seen the look on everyone's faces.
About two hours later, the load was on our truck after being restacked piece by piece by John and the other driver. I couldn't help because it was pieces of steel and each piece weighed about 55 pounds That incident is what made us decide we were getting a plate made asap. It's kind of funny now but John was certainly not laughing at the time. It was in Texas and it was so hot and muggy. His shirt was wringing wet with sweat by the time he got done. Now all we have to do is wait for another truck to break down and we can try out our new plate...just kidding, I really don't wish that on anybody. Breaking down sucks!! We've got two loads booked right now. We will deliver the one we're on now in the morning and then take another to Ohio.
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