Busy busy. On the road again!

We ended up getting a load out of Los Indios TX delivering in Michigan. We were a little worried about driving even further south into Texas since we had no confidence in the repair work that was done to the truck. We did some Googling and found that there is an International shop in Pharr TX so we figured in worst case scenario we could go there if the truck gave us problems again. Fortunately the trip went smoothly and we had a nice drive to Michigan. It felt so good to get out of that ridiculous heat. In Michigan we could sleep with the windows open. No need for AC.

After we delivered we got another load right away picking up in Howell Michigan delivering in North Charleston South Carolina. We delivered and got a load picking up about a mile away delivering in Vance Alabama. On the way there we got another load picking up in Toone TN delivering in Bensenville Il. After that we took the day off to get some rest. We were pretty wore out. We did laundry and took showers. Caught up the paperwork. We watched Lebron and the Miami Heat finally win the championship.
Woke up this morning and right away got a load picking up in Goshen In delivering in Aurora Nebraska on Monday. Pays very nicely and we can take our time on it. Now we just need two more good loads to finish out next week and then time off for the holiday!

When life gives you lemons...grrrrr!!

Yeah, yeah, make lemonade. Right. Easier said than done sometimes. We took the load to Laredo and got there on Sunday night. We didn't deliver until 11 AM on Monday, so we parked at the TA, had a good meal and a good nights sleep. We got up the next morning and I drove the mile to the consignee. This place, like most all places on the Mexican border has extremely tight docks. The first dock they told us to back into was too narrow to even get into. I ended up having to move over two slots to get one wide enough to squeeze in. And a tight squeeze it was! While I was working on backing in, the truck at one point acted like it was going to die. It was just a quick thing that was over as fast as it started. After we made the delivery and were driving to the Speedco to get the oil change, I mentioned it to John. We didn't really think too much about it because the truck had been and still seemed to be running perfectly fine.

We got over to the Speedco, got the oil changed, thought about getting a truck wash, but with the way the wind was blowing the sand around, we decided against it. We headed back to the truckstop, this time the Flying J hoping to get a better internet signal (didn't happen). We had put ourselves available on a 34 hour restart coming back into service the next day at 4 PM. We were getting low on hours and figured that Laredo would be a good spot to do a restart in. We had a good meal and got back to the truck. Dispatch called and wanted us to do a load that was picking up that night at midnight in Eagle Pass, about 130 miles to the north of Laredo. We told them we were doing a restart, but they really needed us to do the load because it was hazmat. We were number 7 on the board, so apparently none of the six trucks ahead of us had their hazmat endorsements. It was just a load of air bag modules, but they are classified as hazmat. After going back and forth with dispatch, we agreed to take the load which delivered in Smyrna, Tennessee. My thinking was that it would be nice to get out of Laredo where the heat was about 102 degrees and the wind was blowing the sand around which is nasty. We would do our restart in Tn. They set everything up and around 8 PM John headed out to Eagle Pass.

To get to Eagle Pass, you have to take highways. It was a nasty drive because it started storming and the wind was really blowing the dirt around. It rained, but not enough to help. It just made things worse. We got to the shipper an hour early. John pulled the truck up in front of the docks and set the brakes. He ran inside to see if they were ready for us or if they wanted us to park out of the way somewhere. Right before he came back to the truck, the truck died. I got such a bad feeling and immediately thought about the incident that morning at the consignee when the truck almost died. John came to the truck and said, good news, they're ready for us. I said, bad news, the truck died! We tried to restart it, but it wouldn't do anything. Didn't crank or anything. The check electric system light came on the dash. Our first thought was that if we sat there a little bit and let it cool off, maybe it would start. Nope, not happening. John pulled the battery cover off and looked at the connections and the new fuse harness that we just had put on two weeks ago. No sign of any problems.

I went into the sleeper to turn on the apu to get some ac running and that's when I noticed that the apu wasn't getting any power. We decided we better call our carrier and let them know that we probably weren't going to be able to take the load. They started calling around trying to find road service to come out and look at the truck and had no luck. There was not one single place that would answer their phone. There were no name brand shops within 120 miles. Nothing. This was such a bad feeling. Finally, one of the guys who worked at the shipper came over to check on us and we told him what was going on. He knew a couple of people who did road service. We called them and none of them were willing to work with an electrical problem. We realized that we weren't going to get any help until in the morning. The shipper then informed us that they were closing and that we would have to leave and go to a motel. The worker that checked on us said he would drive us to a motel. By now, it was about 3 AM. We packed a bag  and he drove us to a La Quinta Inn, which was the only place in town that would accept pets. We have a small Maltese dog that rides with us. I was exhausted, hot and frustrated!

He dropped us at the motel, we checked in and in my opinion got overcharged for a room. $119 for the night and we were only going to be there for a few hours! What are you going to do? We got in the room, turned on the ac, and nothing happened. I called the front desk and told them the ac wasn't working. She had us come back to the desk, and switched us to a different room. She apologized for the inconvenience, but we told her that was just the way our day was going. We got into the new room and thankfully, the ac worked! John fell asleep right away, but of course, I laid there awake until about 7 AM when I got up, took a shower, then gave the dog a bath. John got up, took a shower, and I called a taxi to take us back to the truck. We got to the truck and I thought maybe we would get lucky and the truck would start. Again, nope. I started going through the list of truck repair places and had no luck. I finally called the International dealer in San Antonio and they said it would be sometime next week before they could even look at it. Seriously?! He told me the only other International dealer would be in Laredo. Great! Back where we started. I called them and they said they could probably look at it the next day and they gave me the name of a towing company that would tow us there. I knew the tow bill was going to be outrageous. They charge you for the miles to you and the miles that you actually get towed. It ended up being $1055.

On the bright side, our tow truck driver was a really nice guy named Jesse. He was great at his job, and his ac worked in his tow truck. What more can you ask for? Maybe one thing, 2 seats for passengers? Unfortunately, his truck didn't have a sleeper and only one passenger seat. He had a 5 gallon bucket between the seats so I got two pillows out of the truck and sat on one and put one behind my back. 130 miles on a bucket. Actually it wasn't as bad of a ride as I had feared. But it's not one I want to do again. Jesse was a great tour guide on the drive back to Laredo. He pointed out the new oil wells that are being drilled. These natural gas deposits were recently found and are a booming business in this area. The pipeline workers are from other areas and are living in RV parks that are springing up in the area to accomodate the workers because there aren't any other places for them to live. Also on the drive, we drove through swarms of butterflys. Jesse said every year at this time they come out of the fields. Not sure how long that will last, but they were incredible. Makes a terrible mess to the windshield and front of the truck though. Jesse also pointed out George Strait's (country singer) ranch. We drove right past it, and if someone didn't point it out to you, you would never even notice it. It sits back pretty far off the road and you can mostly just see the roof from the road. Jesse is retiring on Friday. We congratulated him and wished him well. He got us and our truck safe and sound to the International shop in Laredo.

Once at the shop, we checked in, and were told that they would likely get to our truck the next day. We called a taxi and were taken to the Motel 6 North. We have a pool here. There is a Golden Corral next door. We walked about a mile yesterday down to the Walmart and got a few things. We spent about an hour at the pool and did our laundry. We are getting caught up on sleep and unfortunately, International did not look at our truck yesterday and when I called today, I was told that it would probably be around 2 today before they got to it. I still haven't heard from them, and won't be surprised if I don't hear anything until tomorrow. Our carrier has a nice load that they would like for us to that picks up on Friday afternoon, but of course we can't accept it not knowing how long our truck is going to be out of commission.
I had such high hopes for this year, but it isn't going at all like I had hoped. Thank goodness we only have two more truck payments and then the truck is paid for and is ours. We have most of the work done on it that we wanted to get done. We have one more big job to do, which is having the frame sanded and painted with undercoating. If we can just survive these bad times we've been going through lately, we'll be in good shape.

Oh yeah, one other silver lining to this mess. Our truck is broke down during the annual safety blitz. There is a 72 hour period each year that commercial trucks and buses are inspected by dot and other officials at a much higher rate than normal. During our ride in the tow truck, we witnessed several inspection sites in full swing. They were pulling in every single truck. Of course that was on a highway, so they could get every truck. On the interstates, it's hit and miss. I've heard some crazy stories about how many trucks are being put out of service for violations. The craziest story I read about is that in New Jersey, they are actually diverting trucks into a football stadium for inspection and there was up to a 6 hour delay for drivers. This seems to me like it should be illegal for our government to do such a thing, but what do I know? I'm just a lowly truck driver...

Traveling Giraffe

We were traveling south of San Antonio when we were passed by this cute little giraffe. An unusual sight!

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!

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!

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.

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?

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.

Wild hogs and no AC

This poor piggy didn't stand a chance!

What an eventful drive! John started his drive from Oklahoma City. He was only driving 260 miles for the night. The route took him from I44 to US 277 thru Texas. With 50 miles left to go I was sound asleep in the back when I was awoken by him carrying on about something in the road. I came up front to see what was going on and he was pulled over on the shoulder looking in his mirror behind us. I said whats wrong? He said he hit something in the road, he didnt know what it was, maybe a bear. I dont know if they have bears in Texas or not and I never felt or heard anything so I told him he was crazy, he didnt hit anything. He insisted he did. This was at 2:30 in the morning, pitch black outside, not a town around for 30 miles, no houses, nothing. Just us. He starts backing the truck up and goes probably a tenth of a mile and stops. There! See it!

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.

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!

Happy 30th Anniversary to Us!!

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.

Trying to stay South

After spending a cold weekend in dreary Michigan we got a load picking up on Monday in Hamtramack, Mi. This one took us to our favorite state, Tallahassee, Florida! More sunshine and palm trees. We were hoping to get to stay a day or so, but freight is busy right now and we immediately got a load picking up in Byron, Ga.

From Georgia, we headed to Marion, Il. Cold, dreary and gray skies. Winter is so depressing in the north. Thankfully we didn't wait there long. We picked up in Clarksville, Tn and headed back to the warm south. All the way to Laredo, Texas. Laredo is a fascinating place. I wouldn't want to live there, but going there for our job is not bad.

After delivery in Laredo we picked up the next day in the same area and headed back up to Vance, Alabama. This load delivers on Saturday so more than likely we will sit until Monday now. At least the weather isn't too bad here.

Oldest City in the United States

After a short but wonderful visit home, we picked up a load in St. Augustine, Florida. It is a beautiful city that is billed as the oldest city in the United States. Someday I want to take a short vacation there and do some sight seeing. They advertise a ghost tour that I would love to check out. I used to work with a girl who went on it and she swears you see ghosts. We'll see!

That load took us away from our beloved Florida to Natural Bridge Station, Virginia. Not a city name you hear every day. Apparently it refers to some rock formations that form a natural bridge.

From there we picked up in Richmond, Ky and headed to El Paso, Texas. I love staying south this time of year. Anytime we can stay out of the cold we are happy campers!

We delivered in El Paso and picked up in El Paso. That load took us to Sterling Heights, Michigan. Didn't get to stay warm for very long. Maybe the cold weather will put me more in the holiday spirit.

Venturing West

We finally made it out west! It only took 8 months but we did it. Boy, is it ever easier driving out here. You can put your cruise on and do just that. Cruise. Listen to the music and relax. It's a nice change.








We took a whopping 5 lb. box from the Kennedy Space Center and drove it 2200 miles to Chandler, Arizona. We got to see sand, cactus and a lot of wide open spaces. It was hot, hot, hot out there. Thank goodness we didn't sit very long because our apu was not keeping us cool in the truck and it would have gotten ugly in there.



We got a load picking up in Nogales, Az. Being still new to this job, we are always surprised when we go somewhere and it's nothing like we think it will be. I didn't realize we were going to a border town for our pickup. It was kind of a scary place. Maybe it's safe there, but it didn't feel like it to me.

80mph? Wow!

While doing our pickup, John had a run in with another driver who is with our same carrier. He was mad because he thought it was taking too long for us to get loaded and he wanted in our dock to get his load. John talked to him and got him calmed down, but that poor guy was really stressed out and I think he needs to go home and take a break!

Our Nogales load took us back to Laredo for a Friday delivery and we got a Saturday pickup in Laredo that will take us back to Canada. Boo!

Northeast but finally Laredo

Yet another weekend off. I could get used to this! We had a pickup in Dahlgren, Va on Monday with a same day delivery in Dover, De. Next up was a pickup in Edison,Nj taking us to Laredo, Tx. Finally! Out of the northeast.

We had a nice drive down to Laredo. Traffic is so much better away from the congestion in the northeast. You really notice it when you get away from there.

We delivered on Wednesday in  Laredo and had a pickup next day nearby. This time we had to go back up to the dreaded Canada. Kitchner, Ontario. At least the weather is nice.

Twic Card

Dad and John in a game of Cornhole

Wow, two weeks off with no worries. We never had that in our former jobs. Another benefit to be had from expediting. We camped in a state park with several members of the family.

 Other family who live nearby were able to come and visit so it was a nice family reunion. We played a lot of cornhole.


 Ate a lot, went for a swim in the river and played many many games of cards. We were all sad when the time came to leave. Hopefully we can do it again next year.

Mom and Dad 

When we left there, we drove up to Hammond, Indiana to apply for our Twic Cards. Our carrier has agreed to reimburse us for the cost so we figured why not? It wasn't too bad of a procedure and it's done. It'll take a few weeks to get the cards and then we'll see if anyone really wants to see them or not.

After that it was back to work. It was Crane, Indiana to Ft. Hood, Texas. Austin, Tx to Round Rock, Tx. Brownwood, Tx to Midwest City, Ok.

Nothing exciting, but good money and a weekend off. Love it!

Jessie's Graduation

We are on such a good roll! I am still loving the fact that we got to visit Graceland last week! And now this week has turned out to be special as well.

After deliving the load in Evansville, In we next picked up in Murfreesboro, Tn. That load took us to San Antonio, Texas which was followed by a pickup in Laredo, Tx which had a delivery in Memphis, Tn. Then came the really good part. Our next pickup was in Southhaven, Ms when a delivery in Sidney, Ohio.

However, the Southhaven load picked up on Friday and didn't deliver until Monday and with just a few miles added on, took us right by my parents house in Indiana. It just so happened that my niece was having a graduation party this weekend and this load gave us the opportunity to attend the party.

Topping all that greatness off, our son, Johnny who is driving solo for Conway right now, happened to be in the same area as we were on our way up from Mississippi and we met up at a truckstop in Tennessee and spent the night there while he took his required 10 hour DOT break. He was on a load that was delivering to the same town that my parents live in and his load didn't deliver until Monday either. What are the odds of that? We convoyed up to Mom's house and parked the trucks and had a fantastic weekend visiting a lot of relatives that we wouldn't normally have gotten to see, but because of the graduation party, they were there.

I have to say it again, I LOVE the opportunities that this job is giving us!

Visit to Graceland

After a couple of really busy weeks we have found that in our line of work, weeks with a holiday usually mean that things are going to slowdown if not actually stop. This is okay with us because it gives us an opportunity to do one of the things that attracted us to this job in the first place. Sightsee.

Last week we ended the week in Massachusetts. We got a nice long 4 day weekend and eventually got a load picking up in East Granby, Ct. That load took us to St. Peters Mo and while on our way there we received our next load which was picking up in Washington, Mo with a delivery in Laredo, Tx.

Gates to Graceland

I was happy for a couple of reasons. One was that it was keeping us out of Canada and the Northeast and another is that I like driving in Texas. Little did we know that it was going to lead to something even better to be excited about.

We received a load offer picking up in Laredo right away. It was picking up on Thursday and due to the Memorial Day holiday it wasn't delivering until Tuesday in Evansville, In. We were paid layover pay for the additional days that we would be stuck with the load. We were happy with the deal and after looking at the map to see what our route would be and trying to decide what to do with our extra time, we realized that we would be going thru Memphis.

Elvis' Pink Cadillac

John at Graceland

John and his Mom have always been Elvis fanatics and neither one of us had ever been to visit Graceland. We did some research and found out that they offered truck parking so we made a plan to stop in and take the tour. I wasn't expecting much. I figured it was just a house, what would be so great? But, I have to say, there is something really special about that place and the way they have preserved his memory. You get caught up in the atmosphere and you can easily imagine what it must have been like in his glory days. It was one of the best tourist experiences we have had and well worth the money.

We took a ton of pictures, took our time walking through the  house, the outbuildings, the planes were awesome, we ate at the restaurant and toured all of the cars. It is just really nice what they have done there.

One of Elvis' two planes

I am so happy we have a job that allows us this kind of opportunity!

1st Trip to Texas

Delivery to Gladstone, Va complete. Next up was a pick up in Greensboro, North Carolina with a delivery to Seguin, Texas. Yay for us, we are finally making it to Texas!

This load delivered to a CVS store. An actual store, not a warehouse or distribution center. We didn't think too much about it. We were loaded with store fixtures and shelving and most of it was just placed in the truck, not on pallets or anything. The store we were going to was being remodeled and this was the new stuff they needed to complete the job.

Upon arriving at the CVS we discovered that they have no dock. They are just a store. Their trucks who bring them their daily deliveries are equipped with a ramp and equipment to unload freight and bring it into the store. We didnt have such equipment. To make matters worse, the person who was responsible for taking charge of the freight we brought was a young girl. She couldn't offer any suggestions on how to easily unload us.

John got into the back of the truck and started handing pieces down to me and the girl and we began a very slow process of unloading piece by piece. What a treat in the Texas heat! We are drivers, not dock workers. We should have been told ahead of time if we were going to be responsible for unloading the truck. Oh well, we were there and we wanted the stuff off the truck, so we got it off.

After the delivery was completed, we headed to the nearest truck stop for much needed showers!