STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

Life Day 21238: Microtel Malingering

September 4, 2005 on 10:24 am | In On The Road |

Yesterday, the 3rd, I hung out at the Microtel watching The Food Channel and playing on the computer. I took some snapshots of the room.

The room was quite spacious.

The room was “stuffy” when I first checked in, so the MMM naturally migrated to the coolest place until the A/C kicked in (above left). After the room cooled, they each ’staked out’ their own territory. Unfortunately for Wolfie, the ‘territory’ that he selected happened to conflict with the ‘territory’ “Daddy” chose for setting up the computer so he migrated to the window seat.
Sunday, the 4th, was a total waste. I checked out of the Microtel at 1145 and drove back to our Terminal to pick-up my load. The load weighed 44,500 lbs, heavy, but managable if the load is properly situated in the trailer. My fuel situation was critical because my tanks were only 3/16 full, so I need to be able to take on some fuel. Since the load was so heavy, I weighed it at the Terminal before I fueled. The scale there indicated that I was over-weight on my drive axle, so I went to the Flying J for a certified weight ticket. The first weight showed that I was 11,300 lbs on my steer axle, 34,460 lbs on my drive axle and 32,900 lbs on my tandem axle. Illegal. There was no adjustment I could make on the tandem axle to help alleviate the over-weight situation on the drive axle because it was already slid forward to the stops. I made an adjustment to the 5th wheel position to move weight forward to the steer axle, and weighed again. This time I showed 11,780 lbs on the steer axle, 34,100 lbs on the drives and about 32, 840 lbs on my tandem axle. Still illegal. No further adjustment was possible because moving more weight forward to the steer axle would alleviate the overweight situation on the drive axle, but would cause an over-weight situation on the steer axle and still be illegal (weight is moved in approximately 500 lb increments when adjusting the weight using the 5th wheel). I took the load back to the Terminal and informed them that I couldn’t get the load legal. They took it back, and offered me another load going to Salt Lake City, UT, but it wouldn’t arrive at the Terminal for about 2 hours. I accepted it and took the MMM for an un-tethered excursion around the perimiter of the Terminal. Right on time, the load arrived at the Terminal. I hooked to the load and did my L-Call. This load, according to the paperwork, weighed 28,080 lbs. However, when I moved the load out of the parking spot, I realized something was amiss. It seemed heavier than the stated 28,080 lbs. I ran it across the Terminal scale and, sure enough, it was overweight on the drive axle and the tandem axle. Bear in mind that my fuel situation is still the same as before. Back to the Flying J for a certified weight once again. It was worse than I thought. The weights were 11,780 on the steer axle, 34,200 on the drive axle and 34, 740 lbs on the tandem axle. It was also over-gross (80,720 lbs). No need to even try to make adjustments this time. Back to the Terminal again to T-Call this load. The man in Dispatch thought I was kidding when I told him that I couldn’t get a load that weighed 28,080 lbs legal. He thought that they had given me the wrong scale ticket or some such thing. When he realized that I wasn’t just some “rookie” and knew of what I spoke, he T-Called the load. He sent a message to the CSR with an explanation of the circumstances. My theory is that there is a 2nd bill of lading floating around somewhere that became separated from these bills, and that both weights combined would be the acutal weight of the load. No matter because it is over-gross, so it will need to be sent back for re-load or re-loaded here. This load came out of Mexico via the Laredo, TX Terminal so anything is possible. They aren’t the “sharpest knives in the drawer” down there. That’s where “the load from Hell” originated. Anyway, at this point it is 1900, and I’ve had it. I re-set my PTA for tomorrow and came back to the Flying J. I’m out $22.50 in scale fees and still don’t have a load!! Nothing logged, nothing gained today.