STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

Life Day 21274: Columbus Day Commentary

October 10, 2005 on 6:57 pm | In On The Road |

To finish off the 8th, I left Vegas at 1500 and drove directly to Phoenix with a couple of short breaks. Along the way, I recieved a Pre-Plan which picks up in Flagstaff, AZ and delivers in Ontario, CA (1336 miles empty and 428 miles loaded). I accepted it. It drops in Ontario as soon as I get there.
On the 9th, I delivered my load at 0900, then drove to our Terminal to fuel, eat & walk the MMM. At 1100, I drove to Flagstaff and picked up the Ontario load. The Dispatch indicated that the load was heavy (45,700 lbs). I was pleased to discover that it actually weighed only 35,500 lbs. I was rushed by the Shipper because they were expecting the fumigators at 1400 and everyone had to be off the premesis (it was already 1330). They had an insect infestation . This was a Purina pet food plant, so I wonder if the Pesticides they were using were harmful. I guess not because they still had a lot of product in the building. Good thing I don’t use Purina products. After loading, I left Flagstaff and drove to Kingman for dinner. I stopped at the Petro truckstop. I had (against my better judgement) the Dinner Buffet. It was Steak and Seafood night. What a MISTAKE. The only Seafood was pre-processed Breaded Shrimp. The Steak was at best Rare. The driver sitting next to me got a piece of steak that was entirely un-cooked on one side. They did have some good Fried Chicken and some Ham, so it wasn’t a total loss. It’s really my fault. From past experience, I know better that to order Steak (except hamburger steak) in a truckstop. Steak on a buffet merely compounds the problem. After dinner, I drove to Barstow and stopped for the night. I drove 511 miles.
Today, the 10th, I left Barstow after a leisurely morning at about noon. I drove directly to the Consignee in Ontario. This is a drop/hook Customer so all went quickly and smoothly. I then went to our Terminal in Fontana. This is a Holiday, so freight is SLOW. About 1600, the Planner offered me a load that picks up in Chino, CA and delivers in Dallas, TX (22 miles empty and 1328 miles loaded). I accepted it. It doesn’t pick up until tomorrow AM, so I have some time to kill for the rest of the day. I turned down a load earlier to Meridian, ID because it was heavy (about 45,000 lbs), 1/2 of the driving would have been on mountainous 2 lane roads, and because, well, it’s Meridian, Idaho. I’m currently ‘vegging’ and ‘geeking’ at the TA truckstop in Ontario. I only drove 70 miles today, but what the heck, most everyone else didn’t work at all.