Near the end of 2011, the year of Dang Nab Its!

Good afternoon from Anthony, Texas.  We have moved 38 miles since yesterday (moved to a better location to sit!) and as you all guessed it, no load.  I did ask dispatch what the possibility of getting a load on New Year's Day and she stated I was 2nd on the list which could mean yes, no or just maybe!  I doubt I could stay up that late anyway unless with friends or loved ones.

I haven't been able to reach my son in a few days (they are probably busy moving) so if you read this James and Pix, I have been thinking about you!

As 2011 comes to an end this evening, may you all carry over all your joys and blessings into 2012 while leaving behind the tears, frustrations, and life's kicks to the backside in order to start renewed.  We lived another year and have all of 2012 to talk about it!

See you all next year!

Reia

Waiting on a new day and a new year!

What I do when broke down.......walk, spend money and ouch!

Good morning fellow virtual truckers!  We are still in El Paso but we have good news, the part is in and the truck will be ready at 2 PM.  The bad news, what are the odds of getting a good long run and load on a holiday weekend?   We will find out this afternoon for sure!

But we did enjoy our time here.  Gonja and I walked a total of 6 hours in the past two days, did a little shopping and you remember that eyebrow piecing I got back in Laredo that I had to remove, well, it is now in my ear lobe and dang nab it..... it HURT!  You know folks, it is so much safer for me to be behind the wheel instead of looking for things to do!  My sister, Lorene, just stated that same fact!  ;)

And, we did walk the north side of I-10.........it is MUCH nicer and safer!

Time to pack up and wait for the shuttle.....wonder where we will end up on New Years Eve!

Now this was a nice backyard

The fences were nicer and higher on the north side of I-10

Oil leak - blame the company mechanic!

Good morning from the same place as yesterday!  Yuppers, we get to spend another lovely day in El Paso due to mechanical error and the delay from Breakdown approving Freightliner to proceed on some additional work.  They could not duplicate the overheating (like they could...they would need to be pulling 44,000 pounds), the side cap for the antifreeze was was not tight, causing the loss of fluids (never saw any antifreeze leaks during my pre-trip inspections and it could have caused the overheating), and the oil leak......caused by the missing washer at the oil drain plug!  Great work guys, as I got my one and only oil change at the company shop!

Now we wait for approval for the missing washer (which has to be ordered in) so the other work (cabinet latch and shifted springs) can be completed by the body shop.

Now if only I had  my passport.......I would have loved to cross the border for REAL Mexican meal  :)

We did go for a nice walk............


View Larger Map

We walked to Hacienda Park this morning after finding it on my cell phone "Google locator".  I think the south side of I-10 is a little rougher than the east side (closer to the border?) as the houses were a little more run down, had bars on windows and doors; old stone wall fences (not much building wood down south) and it appeared that EVERYONE had a dog for protection from this cute pup.....to this doggy zoo!

You have to love those those eyes!

We came across this back yard:

And you never would have guessed this from the front of the house with its two brand new Escalades!

After lunch, we will head north into the shops and nicer homes....I think!

Wow........I get a day off with break down pay!

Yuppers, we are at the Day's Inn in El Paso for the night.  This would be such a perfect place for a 34 hr restart as I am surrounded by shops, clubs, theaters, Walmart, and Texas Roadhouse (we know where I will be for the early bird special even though I have an extremely full cooler plugged into the wall).  I look forward to taking a hot bath and enjoying this little down time with pleasure after what dispatch did yesterday.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that tomorrow by noon, we will be back on the road ;)

See you all at the Texas Roadhouse at 5 sharp!

And........the eyebrow piercing is gone.  Got dang nab tired of fighting infections.......but my little subdural is staying!  That should make a few family members tickled pick!

Good morning from El Paso, TX!

Good morning from El Paso, TX!  And I might be saying that again tomorrow morning as the truck is in the shop at Freightliner for antifreeze/oil leak (dang truck overheated yesterday on a small mountain and only 60 degrees outside), shifted springs (again), front end alignment (those back roads in Canada are rough), broken cabinet latch (can only open with a credit card), and poor fuel mileage.  I turned down a load this morning so I can get this work done with and over with.

Of course, dispatch pissed me off yesterday, so hence the need to get the repairs done now.

WHINE BOTTLE ALERT!

We left Yuma yesterday morning at 6 AM with that pre assigned load I told you about.  In route, I got a message asking if I could deliver on time …………. it was due at 4 AM.  Once loaded, I informed dispatch that I could not safely deliver this load as it would take 8 hours of constant driving, and backing into the dock to wait the unload at 4 AM.  Guess what my virtual truckers (I bet most of you already know what they expected of me), they wanted me to park after only working 4 hours and take a 10 hour break, hit the road at 8 PM and drive straight to the client for 8 hours (again with no break).

They gave me the run around about how they never ask me to do this and this load was critical and how they told me to plan for it (at 6 this morning).  I knew that Lori wasn’t working as she knew I wouldn’t put up with it.  I just stated that I could not stay awake for 24 hours plus, and either I park after 8 hours of driving or park after 2 hours after taking a 10 hour break, their choice.  They even had the nerve to bring up that I just ended my home time!  My last words…..you want me to drive impaired????

The load was swapped at 3:30 this morning and here I sit at Denny’s (the shop’s Wi-Fi isn’t working).

I have 15 minutes to finish my movie, update my blog, head back to the truck to take Gonja for a nice walk and check the status of the repairs.  I will check in with you later!

Time to end the holiday season..........

We are in the truck at 6 AM with a load to take to Texas.................time to return to work, dang nab it!

Bring coffee.....we will need it after this wonderful break!

Christmas in Yuma.............

The Big 51 Birthday.............

Pictures!

The big................... 51!

Mom got into the birthday spirit!

Love those matching smiles......sis and Mom

OMG........I have her nose!

Now that is a MALE STRIPPER! How did he get in that position?!?

Wish you were here Lorene!  We love you lil sis...and James.......and Pix........and my grandson!

Home for the holidays!

Good morning my virtual truckers from Yuma, Arizona!  I made it to my Mother's yesterday after sitting in the terminal yard in Phoenix for 6 hours (the company has done this to me before in Seattle).  We will be here until the 27th of December.

On that note:

Happy Holidays
and
Merry Christmas!

James, Pixie, Irbie, Matt, Syn, Jack, Jack Sr., Malissa, Rhonda, Lorene,  Michael, Valary, Matthew, Marie, Marcus, Lisa, Jim, Brian, everyone at Checkride Driving School and to my virtual crew of truck drivers!

Is anyone out there?

Gads, I spend all day talking to myself........should I type to myself as well?  I think I will take the holidays off.....unless I hear or read otherwise.

My cell phone has been quiet too as well as messages, etc.  I thought, the last few times I called a few, they were too busy to talk so I wonder if they were really busy or just tired of hearing my same whine story.  So....I decided to wait until they wanted to talk. 

You see folks, this life is nothing but solitude.  You drive all day and sleep all night, to just start over again and again and again.......until you get home time.  So, you get damn lonely and unintentionally call those that you care about way more than you ever would if you had a LIFE and being a trucker, you really don't have much to say......just wish for someone to listen anyway as you are lonely. 

I use to be the life of the party.....this is hard, especially as I have missed so many holidays, birthdays, time with family and friends. 

I miss being missed...........

I miss being hugged........

I miss hearing laughter other than my own.......

I miss who I use to be.......

I miss those in my life.......

And.........

To continue, the whine bottle is capped!

No Whine Thursday!

Did you enjoy your "no whine Thursday"?  I could have had a full day to fill my "whine" bottle yesterday but decided to give you and myself, the day off!  I had better things to do..............such as:

Sit in West Memphis, Arkansas, at the Pilot since 10 AM yesterday!  Yehaw!  We got a few nice walks in, ate a couple of good meals and enjoyed some of my favorite shows on my flat screen TV.  One of the nice things about bob tailing, you can usually park right next to the truck stop which sometimes; gives you better WiFi.  At this truck stop, it was excellent!  I am all caught up with CSI, Survivor, and House.  Now I am getting caught up on Rescue Me as Netflix finally added this show to their instant.

We were up at 4 AM, showered and logged in at 5:30 to start my clock and my day.  No load has been assigned........gads, it has been 20 hours and they couldn't find me a load.  This company is falling fast...

I am going to finish my coffee, eat breakfast, watch a little TV and head to Walmart if I am still sitting in an hour.  Check in with you later!

34 Restart........didn't restart!

Good evening from the Pilot in Birmingham, Alabama.  That lovely 34 hours of down time was taken away this morning at 7 AM.

I slept well and never did hear a knock on the door or a message on the truck computer.  But......I thought I better contact dispatch to make sure this load was OK to be a day late and guess what, it wasn't as it was a live unload.  I told the dispatch I WAS on a 34, sent in the messages stating this load would be late and not a single peep from anyone.  Well, it was better to dog paddle than to sink and I took the load to the drop.

I arrived 30 minutes late which was not an issue.........that fun part was sitting for 5 hours waiting to get unloaded.  I cleaned the truck and myself up (it has been awhile since I felt like wearing makeup), flirted a little and laughed alot while killing time.  The client stated he wished he had more truckers like me.....smiling  :)

Now we have a load to drop in Memphis, AR, tomorrow morning as they SLOWLY head me west to Yuma.  I am upset that I didn't get to spend some time with a dear friend of mine but who knows, he might be in Georgia the next time I am here.

Rocking the boat.......will I sink or swim or stay dry??

Good evening from Atlanta, GA!  I could not drop my load tonight as I had only 1.75 hours on my clock and I was 2 hours away.  Soooooooo.............

I called my dispatcher.  She wanted to swap me out with another load that is due tomorrow at 8 AM, 53 miles from me, with only 5.5 hours that I will be able to drive.....and I am like......NOT!

I am taking my 34 as I will only get 5.5 miles tomorrow and only 6.5 the day after.  The logical choice, stay parked and gain all my hours back the day she wanted me to drive 6.5!   Then we got into this hissy fit about me not being in Yuma two days ago (a planning issue while she was on vacation), etc., and she decided that if I take a 34, it would be my fault if I was not on time for home time in Yuma on the 21st.  And I am like.........NOT!  It would be PLANNING fault!  I am only 3 days away from Yuma and I am sure they can screw up a few days before I get there!

So.......here I sit, with a load that is due in the morning and I am not moving.............will I sink......swim (I can only dog  paddle) or deliver a load that was already late when I got it............hmmmmmmm

As for me..........catching up with a dear friend tomorrow........and smiling thinking about it!

Killing time in Russellville, AR!

We had a lovely two hour breakfast in OK, and now just ending a 3 hour lunch in Russellville.  Next stop, Walmart in Conway, 56 hours east for a couple of hours (Gonja's food container finally got a leak and we have mold that should not be introduced into his diet) and that will leave us with one hour before my clock is up today.  We should find ourselves at the Pilot in Little Rock, AR.  Now.........that is trip planning!

The load has until midnight tomorrow so I will not be late delivering.  Not a money making day but that is ok, we lost only 3.5 hours of drive time in order to see the sights.  We will be running the full 11 hours tomorrow.

Time to load up!

Good morning from Checotah, OK!

I know, it has been a few days but my mind has been elsewhere (with my Mother) and trying to get to Yuma which never happened (thank you dear company for caring).  But I spoke with my Mother two days ago and she is doing much better and doesn’t want to risk the company taking away our  holiday time so I accepted a load in Albuquerque to Georgia, 1400 mile run.

We only have 7 hours on our clock today so we get the great fun of stretching those 7 hours into 14!  They just tried to tell me again that I can deliver the load by 11 AM tomorrow which means they expect me to end my 7 hours early, sleep from 3 to 11 PM and drive all night.....not.  OMG people!  They have been working with me for 10 months now, they SHOULD know better!

Let me tell you about Saturday morning!  We hit the road at 5 AM, driving through the isolated lands of Colorado on the old US 350, a lonely long stretch of a two lane road with spotted dried up little towns scattered over the landscape.  This was the morning of the eclipse.  When I first spotted the moon, it was so bright that you could see across the heavily frosted barren land for miles.  As I was driving due south, I had the morning sun rising to the left of me and the beginning of the eclipse to the right.  As the sun started to peak over the horizon, the thick frost took on the light red of the beginning sunrise to the left while the frost shone bright white to the right under the disappearing moon.

The moon itself began to slowly fade into the sky as if the sky was engulfing its morning meal.  Once that red sun reached above the horizon, the temperature hit zero degrees and the sky took its last bite….and the moon was no more.  It was amazing!

I could never take pictures of what I witnessed……it was just something you would have to be lucky to witness!

Off to search the web for a bit and walk Gonja……..later!

There is a house in all that frost!

We played here........there was no breeze so the reflection of the sun off the frost and snow made it a perfect stop for breakfast.

Now that is a heavy load!

Merry Christmas!

1-80 between Ohio and Nebraska......and the vehicles who didn't make it!

The amazing part..........the little amount of snow that created this havoc or was it the drivers?  Hmmmmm

Good morning from Omaha, NE, a city covered in snow and off road vehicles!

Good morning from Omaha, NE, a city covered in snow and off road vehicles (like in the OMG, it is snowing and I can’t slow down before that curve) type of vehicles.  I counted two semis and a dozen cars that I could see, off the road, some on their sides, due to going too fast for the weather conditions.  Another great reason I don’t drive nights!

It was a long day to only end it finding out that my step father has passed away.  I contacted dispatch and asked for a load to Yuma so I could be with my mother.  I was quite surprised that this load that they wanted me to drop in Omaha got changed and I am taking it all the way to New Mexico.   If they get me a load from there, I can be in Yuma on the 11^th. 

Charlie was a good man and was only with my mom for roughly three years (I am notoriously known for being terrible with dates).  It wasn’t until after they were married that they found out that he had a lung disease that kills within 10 years, and sadly, he had lived through five of them.  His time with his new family was too short.  Safe journeys Charlie and thank you for the time we did share.

Time to check the fluids and get back on the road while the getting is good.

Hello again from Mauston, WI..........

And what a long day it was, a whopping 230 miles!  Dang nab it!  I was able to drop that load this morning before its appointment, saving us 3 hours to only get a load of pallets from the same location to deliver 357 miles north......tomorrow at 8 AM!  This is suppose to be the season to be jolly and full of retail deliveries!  What is wrong with this company?????  I think WE all know the answer to that one!

So, I made a day of it!  We stocked up at Walmart, I got my hair trimmed (and Mom, NO to cutting it off.....yet) and we stopped early enough for a nice walk, wash a small load of laundry and now, time to finish my movie.  I am double layered in clothes as it is 24 degrees here and I am watching my IDLE time.  I feel great so it shouldn't be an issue tonight..ya right, it won't be down to 20 percent......

My fingers are crossed for Marie as she has an interview tomorrow with a trucking company that is working the oil fields in North Dakota.  I told her if she could do the job, I would apply as well.  It pays over $20 per hour for up to 70 hours per week with overtime.  It just sounds sooooooo freaking cold and miserable, I would have to work for my paycheck and break many nails!

Do let me know your thoughts on the letter as I might have to use it soon.......you all have been riding with me for quite some time and I am sure, have your own personal thoughts.

See you in the morning!

First draft of the IDLE letter!

Reia

Duvall, WA 98019

December 6, 2011

Safety

My Company

Omaha, NE

RE:  Over Idle, Safety, and Equal Rights

Dear Safety,

During one of the hottest days in Kansas City, I was parked for 24 hours in a truck stop while waiting for a load.  During this time, the temperature reached over 118 degrees between the sun and all the idling trucks.  I idled during this time to keep myself and my black lab in a comfortable and safe environment.  Due to waiting in such extreme weather conditions, I over idled by 65 percent for the week. 

I was notified by my fleet manager per her supervisor’s instruction, that due to excessive idle, that my truck would be governed down to 62 miles per hour.  She stated that I must shut down the truck and go inside the truck stop.   I stated the extreme heat was not safe for me or my black lab and pets are not allowed in truck stops.  I had no place to safely keep my lab and locking him in the truck while inside the truck stop would kill him.  This is my office and my home; I am fully self contained with a computer, cooler, television and clothing.  I don’t need to go into the truck stop except to use the restroom.  Please imagine going to your home to find your living quarters turned into an oven.  You contact your landlord for repairs to only be told to go to Wal-Mart where it is cooler!

She went on to state that I could idle during my 10 rest break but I must bring my idle down to 20 percent.  If the math is done correctly, a driver can be expected to idle up to 41 perfect in poor weather conditions, which is ten hours.  If you are only allowed 20 percent, that is five hours and expect a night of very little rest; not a safe situation for a driver that is expected to drive up to eleven hours.

I was not able to shut my truck down that evening as it was again, not safe for me.  As a lone female, leaving my windows down in order to receive some type of a breeze would put my safety at risk.  Again, imagine going home, placing your bed in your living room, your windows and front door are open in order to get some relief from the heat and tell me; would you sleep soundly?

While waiting for the truck to get governed to 62 miles per hour in the Denver terminal, my pet and I sat under an empty trailer as it was the only shade on a very hot day.  Parked next to us, was a company truck with an APU that was running.  The team drivers were sitting in comfort, feet on the dash, enjoying the cool temperatures inside the cab while reading books!  Shouldn’t I have the same rights as a fellow driver?

As fall approached, I was able to get my idle down as the temperatures cooled enough for a good night’s rest.  But with all things, it would not last as winter was knocking on my door.  I spent a week in Montana and Wyoming with morning temperatures at 19 to 24 degrees.  I was again notified by my fleet manager that my idle was at 41 percent (perfect for only ten hours per day) and that I had to bring it down to 20 percent.  I bought a small fan/heater in order to comply but the truck battery would only allow it run for 2 hours.  I tried falling asleep and waking up in the middle of the night to turn on the truck which took a precious hour of sound sleep from me.  After a week of little sleep and becoming ill, I gave up!

I decided that if the weather conditions require me to idle, I will do so for eight hours, the time that I am sleeping.  So imagine my dismay, while sitting in the cold waiting for bed time, a fellow company driver pulled up next to me, shuts off his truck, turned on his APU, rolled down the passenger window for his pet and watched a movie in full comfort while wearing only a T-SHIRT!

Being a 48 state driver, I am in constant changing weather environments.  When temperatures are under 40 degrees or over 80 degrees, I will idle in order to insure a good night’s rest so I can safely deliver my load and remain healthy to prevent down time.  As for the three drivers I discussed previously which are insured daily and nightly comfort, I can only expect the same will be offered to me as we are all equal, we are all company drivers.

Please don’t hesitate and call me to discuss this further or for any questions you might have.

Sincerely,

Reia

Now my virtual drivers, any input?

Good evening from La Salle, IL

I am not pleased to announce that the motel gave me $10 off my credit card.  Personally, I would have been happy with $30 which would have brought my bill down the $40 that was posted outside.  I will never stay there again but the odds of me doing another 34 hour break at that same location, 1 in 5000 at least!

We drove nearly 580 miles today from our morning drop of the pallets in Illinois, to Missouri, and back to Illinois.  I was lucky on the pickup of the live load as the appointment was for 3 PM and I squeaked in at 1 PM and was on the road by 2:15.  I am hoping I am just as lucky tomorrow.  We are only 9 miles from our drop but the appointment isn't until 10 AM.  The shift starts at 6 AM and I am hoping if I am there and waiting, that they will let me squeak in as well.

My parking job at the truck stop leaves little to be desired but it is intentional.  I took two parking spaces as the back of the trailer is in the lane next to me.  I pulled in directly behind another truck on the outside lane.  Remember the last time I did that?  I was blocked in by another driver who was a total JERK and wouldn't move so I could get out.  I was assisted by another driver in getting the one driver to move and they nearly started swinging fists!  With this angle, if someone does try that again, I will be able to get out.  Of course, this might piss off a driver if they wanted to park in the lane next to me but oh well!  I have seen many truck stops packed to beyond full........if that driver can make a spot, it will be taken!

It is good to be back in the truck......kinda!  The view of the open road is much better than the view from that motel room ;)

See you all in the morning!

Good afternoon from a well rested professional commercial driver :)

I had an awesome night's sleep in the second room (first room had a bad TV) which provided a king size bed and very soft pillow (much better then the two twins in the first room).  I slept........10 hours!  I needed the break obviously.

When it was time to take that long awaited bath..........the drain plug was broken!  I told you last night, this place isn't much and full of false advertising.  I saw a billboard that stated $36 a night and semi parking, so I stopped of course.  While waiting in line, I overheard that the rooms where $69 but $59 for truck drivers and the big sign outside the motel, stated $40 a night!  This place is only worth $36 a night.  I went straight to the office to discuss the drain and they offered me a third room (the only one left) and I turned it down, it was worse than the one I am currently in!  They are suppose to be making it right by me so we will see what they will offer to make me want to return.  The motel............Motel 6!

I just finished watching a new series called "Hell on Wheels".  It reminded me of "Deadwood" but without all the nudity and vulgar language (which of course, make it awesome, as that is how it was back then).  I enjoyed the four in a row shows and hope that I will be able to follow it as my driving allows.  Check it out!  You can never go wrong with westerns as far as I am concerned!

As for the past week, it has been a hit and miss of decent days and days of which, no one should get out of bed for.  I had one day of just searching for a dang trailer and was sent to 4 locations before it was found (much to the relief of the client as his share of this load to the consignee was past due).  The only problem with this client...his load was too big for his share (trailer had a partial load from another shipper) of the trailer!  They had to manually load the trailer with boxes of memory foam pads like a giant puzzle, trying to use as much space as possible.  They were able to get 5/8s of their original load in but due to the delay, my clock was up and I had to spend the night there......on a brand new memory foam topper!  Even though Planning messed up this load and had it running a week late,  the client appreciated the fact that I would stay until their load was ready to go. 

It looks like rain is in the forecast when we head out tomorrow but it will be getting colder as we head west.  As long as I keep running my day hours, we should be ok as the roads will likely stay clear.  I don't understand those night drivers that drive at the worst possible time as the temps get colder once that sun goes down which of course, brings on ice and snow.......and with less vehicles on the road, it can stick!  Not only that, the plow trucks are well known to be out in force just before morning and evening rush hour traffic (if equipped to do so).  I have better odds of reaching my drops (and driving safely) moving during daylight hours.

Off to make lunch and maybe work on that draft I have been writing about all week!

Pictures of the trucks that were either caught off guard or plain crazy that were tipped over in Utah two days ago.  Glad I wasn't one of them!

Hands out the cyber jar for your pocket change.....

Now I feel like a bell ringer at Walmart!  :)

OK, I am behind for a few days and plan on getting you all caught up for the past few days tomorrow.  As for now, I am staying in a motel that cost me a day's wages for two days and since I don't get paid much, there is nothing to brag about this room except there is room to move (Gonja hasn't realized that yet and is at my feet) and a BATHROOM, a room I sooooo use to taking that for granted! 

We are taking a 34 hour restart in Lebanon, IN and there is a storm coming in tonight (what is left of what hit CA, UT and anywhere in between).  Not only did the sound of spending tight quarters with Gonja due to rain sound...... sooooo ....... wet dog hair stinky but to hear more dang nab it crap from possible over idle when I am not driving, so worth using the credit card tonight.  It has been three weeks, we need a break from the truck.

And.......I got my NAILS done!  I almost feel.....fem!  Wait, need to shave these trees first, we will discuss the lack of (shave the legs room) in showers at truck stops at a future time ;)

Off to make dinner and walk the dog........

And everyone, say HI to my sister, Rhonda, who finally joined the blog.......after what, nine months??

Later!

We went to the Kraft factory......hair nets required!

I  am going to guess the name......Dicks Lounge in the Woods. Your ideas?

What is left of that lounge!