Life Day 21377: Back in Las Vegas
January 21, 2006 on 4:10 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsI’m way behind on the daily journal, so here goes:
On Thursday, the 12th, I recieved a Preplan which picked up at our Terminal in Jonestown, PA and delivered in Richwood, KY (25 miles empty and 507 miles loaded). After accepting it, I left Harrisburg at 0545. I arrived at the Terminal, picked up the load, walked the MMM and departed at 0700. I drove back to the TA in Harrisburg to weigh the load because it weighed over 44,000 lbs. The axle-weights were OK, and I left Harrisburg (again) at 0800. I drove to Seville, OH where I took a break for a quick lunch and MMM walk. I left at 1430 and drove to Richwood, KY. I arrived at the Consignee at 1845 and was unloaded immediately. After the unload, I drove the 1 1/2 miles to a TA truckstop where I spent the night. I worked 11.5 hours, using 10.75 of those to drive 587 miles.
On Friday the 13th, (do, do), I recieved 2 Preplans. The first had 2 pick-ups, one in Hebron, KY and the second in Cincinnati, OH. It delivered in Jersey City, NJ (13 miles empty and 645 miles loaded). The second Preplan picked up in Paterson, NJ and delivered in Rio Rico (Nogales), AZ (16 miles empty and 2384 miles loaded). I accepted both of them. The problem, I discovered later, was that the second Plan did not pick-up until Monday the 16th. I should have read them more closely. It really didn’t matter because I was not about to turn down the Nogales load for something so trivial as waiting an extra day to pick it up. They probably had few loads coming out of this area on Saturday anyway and I wasn’t going to “cut off my nose to spite my face” by getting “pissy” about the delay. I left Richwood at 0800 and drove the 15 minutes to Hebron KY. It took about 1/2 hour to be loaded and I then drove to Cincinnati for the 2nd pick-up. I arrived at 1000 and was loaded by 1100. I then drove to our Terminal in Columbus, OH for fuel and a break. I left at 1415 and drove to the Midway Service Plaza on the PA Turnpike. I took a 15-minute break here then drove to Carlisle, PA where I stopped for the night. I worked 10.25 hours expending 9 of them driving 485 miles.
On the 14th, I left Carlisle at 0700 and drove to Jersey City. I did the drop/hook delivery. This is where I discovered the fact that the Paterson - Nogales load didn’t pick up until Monday. Like I said earlier, I should have paid more attention to the pick-up time, but I was so happy about the destination that I over-looked it. Anyway, since I was so close I decided to drive to the Shipper to check out the location. I’m glad I did. Had I not done so, I would have had problems finding the place, and in much worse traffic conditions than Saturday afternoon. I arrived at the address, but could find no ‘truck’ entrance. I turned on the next ’side’ street, parked and walked (in a heavy downpour) around the block. I finally roused the Security guard and found out where I needed to go. The ‘truck’ entrance was on the next parallel street behind the building through an un-marked gate into a dirt field. Armed with this handy information I left Paterson at 1330 and drove to the nearest “safe haven” which was the TA truckstop in Columbia, NJ; 60 miles away near the PA/NJ border on I-80. There are NO ’safe’ places to park a truck anywhere near the Patterson/Jersey City area. It is nothing but a crime-ridden cesspool. I call it New York City south. It would be an ideal place to conduct the next above ground test of a Neutron Bomb. I arrived in Columbia at 1445 and settled in for the duration. It was 55 degrees and raining when I left Paterson, but by the time I reached Columbia, it was 25 degrees with 40 mph winds and sleeting. NASTY!! I walked the MMM upon arrival, then set up my computer. I had WiFi for about 20 minutes before the wind knocked out power to the truckstop. The WiFi was down for the weekend. This place must be jinxed because the same thing happend the last time I was here about 6 months ago.
On Monday, the 16th, I left Columbia at 0930. I have once again accumulted enough consecutive hours off to re-start my 70-hour clock. Yesterday was boring without WiFi, but I survived. At least the weather has improved slightly. Now it’s just cold. The rain and snow are gone. I arrived at the shipper at 1045 and began loading at 1115. The loading dock was recessed into the building and the entry doors were extremely narrow. With my trailer doors open, I had about 1 1/2 inches of clearance on each side. Plenty of room!!
At least there was enough room to back straight in rather than try to ‘angle back’ into that narrow opening. I was loaded and left Paterson at noon. I drove to Lamar, PA. I fueled and took a quick MMM break here. I then drove to Austintown, OH. I had dinner here, then left at 2015. I drove to Berkshire, OH where I stopped for the night. I worked 11.75 hours using 10.5 to drive 589 miles.
I left Berkshire at 0930 on the 17th and drove to our Terminal in Columbus, OH for fuel and a MMM break. I left at 1100. Just outside Indianapolis, the rain turned to snow. I stopped in Brazil, IN for an early dinner. I left at 1615 and drove to East St. Louis, IL. I stopped for 15-minutes here because of the speed limit change and to walk the MMM. The snow is gone. I can see stars. I left at 2000 and drove to Lebanon, MO where I stopped for the night. I worked 11.5 hours driving 598 miles in 11 hours. From here on, the speed limit is 65 mph+. Yea!! Now I can make some time.
At 0900 on the 18th, I left Lebanon and drove to Joplin, MO. I stopped here for lunch. I left at 1215 and drove to Oklahoma City, OK. I need to fuel, and as is often the case, it is cheaper at the Flying J than at our Terminal. After fueling and a break, I left the Flying J at 1700. I drove to Amarillo, TX where I stopped for the night. I had 1.5 hours remaining that I could have used, but there is nothing west of Amarillo worth stopping at before my 1.5 hours would be gone. I worked 10 hours using 9.5 to drive 581 miles. Here you can see the difference between a 55 mph speed limit and a 65 mph speed limit. Yesterday I used 11 hours to drive 598 miles and that included the 156 miles in Indiana which has a 65 mph speed limit for trucks. Today I drove 581 miles in 9.5 hours.
On Thursday, the 19th, I left Amarillo at 0845. I drove to Albuquerque, NM. I had lunch here and walked the MMM. I left at 1445 and drove to Lordsburg, NM. I took a 1/2 hour break here then drove to Willcox, AZ where I stopped for the night. Today I worked 11 hours and used 10.75 of them driving 651 miles.
On the 20th, I left Willcox at 1030. I wasn’t being lazy leaving so late. I still don’t have a Preplan, and freight usually doesn’t start coming out of Mexico until after 1400. If I start too early, I may be screwing my self later because of the 14-hour driving window. There was road construction at the exit of the truckstop, so naturally, the Arizona D.O.T. chose here to set up a random truck check. What a bunch of Chicken S–t A–holes. How F—ing stupid are they. Within 2 seconds of their setting up, the entire truckstop knew they were there. Anyway, between the traffic and the D.O.T check, it took almost 1/2 an hour before I was rolling at speed down the freeway. I arrived in Nogales at 1245. As I was dropping the loaded trailer, I recieved a Preplan which picked up at our ‘drop yard’ in Tucson and delivers in Las Vegas, NV on Monday the 23rd (64 miles empty and 425 miles loaded). I naturally accepted it and left Nogales at 1330 and drove to Tucson. I hooked to the trailer, did the quotidian paperwork and departed at 1530. I drove to our Terminal in Phoenix. I walked the MMM, had dinner and left at 1800. I drove to Kingman, AZ. I took a 1/2 hour break, then drove to Las Vegas. I arrived at 1130. I worked 11 hours, using 10.25 to drive 633 miles. HOME AT LAST, HOME AT LAST. I was out for 19 days this time. That’s too long!!
Life Day 21367: More Harrisburg Hibernation
January 11, 2006 on 12:13 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsWhat a difference a day makes. Yesterday was a bright, sunny day. Today is YUK!! The temperature is about the same, but the lack of sunshine makes it ’seem’ colder. A perfect day to stay inside and ‘geek’ (my intentions anyway). I took the photograph below at about 1400 local time.
I was fortunate to find a parking spot fairly close to the entrance yesterday (blue truck) when I arrived. It’s proving to be even more fortuitous given todays weather. Another bad thing is walking the MMM. The closest place is about 200′ away. I’m trying to walk them between downpours.
Life day 21366: Hibernating in Harrisburg
January 10, 2006 on 3:55 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsContinuing the daily journal: On the 7th, I left the Flying J around noonish and drove to the Shipper. It was about a 15-minute drive. I did the drop/hook pickup and left Albuquerque at 1330. I drove to Amarillo, TX. I had dinner and walked the MMM here, then left at 1700. I drove to Oklahoma City, OK where I stopped for the night. I worked a total of 9 hours, driving 534 miles in 8.5 hours.
I left OKC at 1130 on the 8th and drove to Joplin, MO. I took I-44 (the Oklahoma Turnpike) which cost me $28.50 out of pocket. From Joplin, I continued on I-44 to St. Louis where I connected with I-70. I took I-70 east to East St. Louis, IL. I took a short break here to walk the MMM, then drove across Illinois via I-70 to Marshall, IL. I stopped here for the night. There is no ‘official’ truckstop here, but there is a McDonalds with truck parking. I worked 11.25 hours utilizing 11 hours to drive 638 miles. Ahhhh, it’s good to actually put in a full day (my 1st one since leaving Las Vegas after New Years).
I left Marshall at 0945 on the 9th, the earliest time I could legally drive, after ingesting a Fruit and Walnut salad from Mickey D’s for breakfast. I drove to our terminal in Columbus, OH for fuel and a break for the MMM. I left there at 1515 and drove to the Somerset Service Plaza on the PA Turnpike where I stopped for the night. I only had 10.5 hours available today, and I used 10 hours of that today. I drove 499 miles in 9.5 hours. What a difference a 55 mph speed limit makes in the total miles for the day. I had a 55 MPH speed limit all the way through Ohio, the 11 mile strip of West Virginia, and I-70 in Pennsylvania all the way to the Turnpike.
Today, the 10th, I am currently “hangin’ out” at the TA truckstop in Harrisburg, PA. I’m taking tomorrow off as well so that I can re-start my 70-hour clock. My Logbook is a mess, and this is the best solution. I left the Somerset Service Plaza at 0700 and drove to the Consignee in Palmyra. I did the drop/hook delivery and then drove here to the TA. I arrived at 1100. I worked 3.5 hours using 3 hours to drive 165 miles. I also had $33.00 out of pocket expense for Tolls on the PA Turnpike. I’ll be able to legally resume work with a fresh 70 hours at 2100 tomorrow night, but I just decided to extend that until 0600 on Thursday. I don’t want to start my workday in the middle of the night.
Life Day 21363: Poderously Plodding Towards Palmyra, PA
January 7, 2006 on 9:27 am | In On The Road | No CommentsYEA!!! At log last, a decent load. The Planner just offered, and I accepted, a load which picks up in Abuquerque, NM and delivers in Palmyra, PA (0 miles empty and 1820 miles loaded). I was beginnng to wonder if I was ever going to get out of this rut.
Just to bring the journal up to date, on the 5th, I drove from the Flying J to the Shipper at 0930. I was ‘live’ loaded and departed at 1115. Todays route took me over some unfamiliar territory. UT-9 east to UT-59 east to AZ-359 east to US-89A south to US-89 south to I-40. I don’t travel these roads very often, as a matter of fact, only a couple of times before. The scenery is typical high-desert, with some forrested areas on US-89A. It’s a pleasant drive. I arrived in Flagstaff, AZ at 1600. After a long break, I drove to Jamestown, NM. Jamestown is about 20 miles east of Gallup. It used to be Navajo owned and operated, but about 3 years ago, it was bought out by the Pilot chain of truckstops. Natually, things went downhill from there. It is still a fairly good place to stop, mainly because they converted the restaurant to Grandma Max’s (part of the old Bosselman’s chain before Pilot bought into them). Bosselman’s did out sell to Pilot, but contracted with them to furnish their fuel and to re-model their existing locations. As a general rule, Pilot offers only ‘fast food’ fare and when they buy out an existing truckstop (or small chain of truckstops) they immediatey tear out any existing restaurants, no matter how popular or how good, and re-model to accomodate a ‘fast food’ franchise (or 2). I was glad to see that in this instance they deviated from their norm. Maybe, they are finlly “getting a clue”. I digress. After trying unsuccessfully to get a WiFi connection I left there, and drove the 26 miles to Prewitt. There is absolutely nothing at Prewitt except for a Power Plant and the Paper Mill where I was to deliver. I stopped at the junction of CR-19 and the frontage road. I called the Customer and asked if I could deliver early. They said that they were pretty much holding to the scheduled appointment times, so I settled in there for the wait. My scheduled appointment time is not until 1145 AM tomorrow.
On the 6th, I drove to the Consignee at 1130, only to find a line with about 10 trucks ahead of me. So much for “scheduled appointent times”. To make a long story short, I did not get out of there until after 1700. Oh well, at least I made a few $$$$ in ‘detention time’ pay. Still with no PrePlan, I conferred with my DM and we decided that the best option for me was to drive to Albquerque. I did so, arriving at 1845. I immdiately fueled, then dropped my 14′ high empty trailer and picked up an empty 13′ 6″ high trailer. I finally realized that part the reason for my lack of ‘decent’ loads was that I have had a 14′ albatross connected to my 5th wheel since I picked up that load in Madera, CA. There are only about 15 states in which 14′ trailers are legal. Anyway, after doing that, I drove to the Flying J and settled in for the night.
Life Day 21361: Salaam from St. George
January 4, 2006 on 7:11 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsThe availability of freight is still woefully lacking. ‘Management’ has even sent a QualCom message to that effect, saying that it is due to our customer’s “inventory”. I don’t know what it is, but I hope it soon picks up. Anyway, I did nothing else “Blogworthy” on New Years Day.
On the 2nd, I left Las Vegas around noonish and drove to our ‘drop yard’ in Henderson to retrieve my trailer. They say it’s in Henderson; it has a Henderson Zip Code, but it is actually on US-95, 4 miles south of the US-93/US-95 split just past the Railroad Pass Casino towards Searchlight. It’s actually closer to Boulder City than Henderson. It cannot even pin-point it using Microsoft Streets & Trips. It is 26 miles from the Wild Wild West Casino, and 29 miles from the Flying J in North Las Vegas. I digress. After hooking to the trailer, bringing my Log Book to ‘current’ status, sorting through my Permit Book to purge all of that old, usless, outdated 2005 stuff, and letting the MMM have a good untethered romp among the indigenous flora and fauna, I left “Henderson” at 1330. I drove to the TA truckstop in Kingman, AZ. Being the ‘official’ New Years Day, the Port of Entry was closed. Damn, and after all that ‘work’ in my Permit Book. I had breakfast, or lunch, or dinner here (call it what you will). I tried to go ‘onlne’ to check my e-mail, but couldn’t get a connection. I left at 1700 and drove directly to the first Consignee in Tempe, AZ, arriving at 2030. I just ‘camped’ here for the night. I worked 5.75 hours using 5.5 to drive 333 miles.
On the 3rd, I awoke at 0600, walked the MMM, then waited for the recieving personnel to show up. A little before 0700, they arrived and I spotted my trailer in the dock. I was finished here by 0800 and then drove to the 2nd Consignee in Phoenix. This stop consisted of only 10 rolls of ‘bubble-wrap’ and I was done in less than 15 minutes. I arrived at the final Consignee in Phoenix at 0900, was immediately assigned a dock door and was unloaded 30 minutes later. I then drove the 4 miles to our terminal in Phoenix for fuel and to wait for a load. I waited, and waited, and waited. About 1400, the Planner offered me a load which picked up in Chandler, AZ and delivered in Fillmore, UT (24 miles empty and 536 miles loaded). For lack on anything else, I accepted it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t scheduled for pick-up until tomorrow AM. Since it was still relatively early (1400) and I had some driving hours still available to me, I called the Customer to see if I could pick-up the load today. They said that I could, so at 1430, I set off for Chandler. Traffic was surprisingly light so I made the 25 mile drive in about 30 minutes. I did the drop/hook and departed at 1600. I drove to Kingman, again through surprisingly light traffic in the Phoenix Metroplex. I arrived at 1930, took a 15 minute MMM break, and drove to Searchlight, NV where I ran out of available hours (the 14 hour Rule). I worked 7.75 hours, expending 6 of those driving 332 miles.
I left ‘thriving’ Searchlight at 0715 on the 4th, the earliest time I ‘legally’ could. I drove directly to the Consignee in Fillmore, arriving at 1245. I was assigned a ‘door’ at 1300 and was finished unloading by 1345. I beat my ETA of 1330 by 45 minutes by not stopping to dilly-dally enroute. After being unloaded, I did dilly-dally for a while, waiting for a Pre-Plan. I accepted one that picks up tomorrow in St. George, UT and delivers in Prewitt, NM (160 miles empty and 434 miles loaded). That is a dead-head percentage of over 36%, but it was all that was available. Normally, you want a dead-head percentage under 10%, but these are trying times. I drove to St. George arriving at 1745. I fueled immediately upon arrival, then settled in for the wait. I worked 9.25 hours utilizing 8 hours to drive 490 miles.
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