Augh!!!

3/14/11

Good evening from a very chilly and windy Van Buren, Ohio!  We are currently sitting in the Pilot Truck Stop waiting on planning to find us an empty trailer as we can’t pick up our next load in Muscatine, Iowa without a replacement.  And today, has been nothing but hours of waiting on fleet coordinators!  You can’t make money if you are just sitting!  I could just get out and run, but dang nab it, without my silks, I wouldn’t make it a mile.

Jeff has had a very frustrating day and is getting very tired.  We might move from this location or just stay the night which means no internet so you poor virtual truckers are stuck with me.  For your information, that top bunk is small and hard and crowded with my gear, you are all on your own! 

What little driving we did do today is pretty boring.  Everything looks dead……all brown and muddy.  I miss the green lush land around Seattle and Duvall, where everything is alive all year around.  Where we have literally have two seasons (rain and snow) with occasional sun breaks, these eastern states seem to follow all the seasons…….and I can’t wait until spring to see it!

Ok, per our coordinator, we drove 53 miles to pick up an empty trailer at Whirlpool in Clyde, Ohio and guess what gang?  No empty trailer on their lot!  We lost five hours of driving time waiting on information that was useless.  We ran out of time, the load will be delayed and we will be spending the night behind McDonalds.

I would rather be here though….heard about that one nuke plant leaking overseas!

Back in Indianapolis.........

Good evening fellow virtual truckers!  It was a very different day with a very different trainer and then the terrible tragedy of what happened in Japan early this morning.  Mother Nature is seriously working on population control since Katrina and really needs to take a VERY LONG REST!  I do hope the causalities are light (we all know it won’t be) and the rebuilding to be quick (it could happen, it wasn’t in the US)!

My new trainer, Jeff, has been driving longer than I have been alive.  He takes his time, rests when he needs too and is in bed by 10.  He will not run like we are a team but will let me do his driving.  No truck or trailer is as important as his life.  He is outspoken and doesn’t care what others think if he feels the need to speak his mind.  If you don’t want to hear it, you can just walk away or stand up to him to if you feel you are right.  And he will flip you crap……..and I flipped it right back.  First impression…..little nervous because of his age but he has a lot to teach as long as his ticker holds out!

We are hauling a very heavy and secure load.  We were about 50 miles outside of Indianapolis when we were called back as the shipment arrival date changed from tonight to Monday.  We needed a secure lot for the trailer and the closest one was back at the terminal.  The load would not have arrived on time tonight and I am not sure if we are back on the road tomorrow or Sunday.

I am off to McDonalds to update the blog and watch episode of CSI.  Then back the truck as we are parked at the Flying J.  I am now in the top sleeper and it is not an easy climb.  My kudos to Marie for making it looks so easy!

Good night all!

I got another trainer!

Good morning everyong!  I had a great night's sleep on a real bed that does not move and a good work out at the gym.  And, I have a new trainer by the name of Jeff on his way to pick me up at the terminal in two hours.  He was tickled to hear that I am from Seattle as he has a son that lives up there and he would love to see him so I might be making a trip west.......fingers crossed!

He sounded pleasant, doesn't smoke and stated that he was is no hurry, no load or truck is worth his life so we just might get along just fine. 

I need to hit the road as my posts are quite boring!  I need to see things and meet others and share their stories!  Now tell me, where did I take this picture? It is the biggest cross I have ever seen!

Ouch!

Marie, my first trainer getting down and dirty!

This security guard and a fellow coworker were awesome!  They work at the Nestle Chocolate factory we delivered to and assisted us with moving our trailer tires plus giving us THREE day old candy bars! Tasted amazing!

Chat as soon as I can!

Stuck in Indianapolis!

Heck, did I spell that correctly?  I can't even say the name of this city!

Current update.......Marie left me!  She received a call from trucking company that does local runs near her home in California, pays much better and she is home nights (?) and weekends to take care of her husband and animals.  We received this call yesterday afternoon and had to coordinate a couple of loads that would end up at this terminal so she could fly out this morning.  She will be truely missed as a trainer and a new friend......waves to Marie and Kevin!

I did get a call on route to the hotel that they had a female trainer and she would be picking me up at 7 PM tonight. Like gads, I was hoping for at least two days of down time before hitting the road.  The new trainer called me and stated that she is on a designated route and home on weekends. So.....while taking that well needed shower, I thought, she is picking me up tonight and returning me home tomorrow for the weekend, and it just clicked.....I need more hours!

I called my SDM and she cancelled the order, seeking a 48 state non-smoking driver so I might be here for the weekend. I will be compensated for my time but I really need to hit the road so cross your fingers that I get another Maria :)  The sooner on the road doing long haul, the closer I get to my truck!

My mom has been having problems posting posts but I think that is because she did not sign on to her profile.  You do not need to create a blog to post and please, POST!  Trucking is such a one sided conversation, add something to it!

Chicago, the dirty version of Seattle!

3/8/11

Good morning from just west of Greenville, IL, taking a back road to I-70.  We got turned around due to construction and ended up heading north instead of east.  It is a nice country road that had recently been flooded.

We drove through some beat up country today in MO and IL.  You see flooded rivers and farmland and remaining hints of a few tornadoes such as building siding in fields and in trees.  Buildings missing parts of their ceilings and down trees.  I would have loved to have been in the middle of it as I have never seen a tornado except on television.  I know, I would change my tune if I did see one……maybe!

We had a fun time late last night at a pick up site.  I got to practice backing, much to the surprise of a trucker as he watched my trailer get a little too close for comfort.  I just laughed and told the poor man I was checking to see if he was awake!  He was not too amused ;)  Once I got the trailer docked, Marie, the guard lady and I did the “I get it” dance!  It is a little thing that I started when backing up successfully, then Marie joined me…..and last night we had a small chorus line when the guard lady joined us!  I am sure the other truckers were shaking their heads in disbelief!  But guess what, we were loaded and out of there before they were.  I think the guard lady liked us!

Enjoy your coffee and we will chat soon fellow truckers!

Good evening from a shipper in south Indianapolis.  We have been sitting here for an hour waiting on dispatch to figure out what we are going to do with this load of water that is suppose to go to Chicago.  Our trip to New York was given to someone else and they wanted us to do a smaller trip with Marie out of hours, and me, too tired to finish the trip and a tad too short on hours left on my clock.  I have had only one decent break and that was breakfast.  They are trying to coordinate with another driver to pick up this load as it is time sensitive.  So….now we sit and wait!  Again, the trucking industry is not logical!

Body is stiff as running has yet to be an option.  But I have been keeping the calories down and haven’t gained.  Your butt begins to feel like one with the seat and that is what causes those butts to move to the stomach and I won’t allow that to happen!  I had chicken noodle soup here in the truck while waiting on dispatch and now I am sleepy.  Catch you all later!

We ended up getting locked in!  Dispatch never contacted us back so we both took naps and woke up with the staff gone and the gates locked.  Marie ended up finding someone to let us out and we ended up spending the night with the load of water that was time sensitive.  Hah! 

After this drop, we are off to Rockford IL.  Hopefully I will be able to get this uploaded today before it becomes a book!

3/9/11

Good morning from west side of Chicago!  I woke to Marie driving like a woman heading to a 50% off shopping spree at the mall!  It is raining and we are hauling 45,000 pounds of bottled water.   Mix the weight with the wet roads, Marie can drive to her heart’s content!

Let’s talk about Marie!  She has been driving for Werner for eleven months.  Before BW, she ran a B&B for 12 years.  She had a cute homestead with 22 horses, and rented out barn stalls for those that visited and brought horses….every type of horse from family pets to the Budweiser clydales.  Her husband, Kevin, found work in California so they sold the B&B and moved to 20 acres in Porterville.  Just two years with the new company, Kevin had a serious stroke in 1999 and their whole world quickly changed.  He was no longer able to work and faces serious therapy with an unknown life span due to brain damage. 

When Kevin’s Cobra insurance ran out, Marie had to find employment quickly that offered insurance just as quickly and hello BW!  When Marie is asked about BW, she just smiles and states they have great insurance!

Pre-trip Inspection!

I would have never dreamed that we could fit 49 boats in a 53 ft trailer! 

Neoshao, MO to Amsterdam,NY

3/6/11

Good morning from just west of Wichita, Kansas. It was a long day and eleven hours of driving yesterday.  When you calculate the miles and what I am getting paid as a trainee….BWis making a killing off of me!  I won’t go into details but I think I made more working in the potato fields of Idaho back in the mid 70’s.  Of course, you didn’t have to train a spud picker!

Our load is due in Kansas City by 6:30 PM.  Currently, it looks like we might get three hours to possibly run, shower and wash a load of laundry before delivery.  I am down to the last of…….the unmentionables and I DO need a SHOWER.  Now I know why some truckers look and smell as they do.  I am sorry boys but the gas station bathroom soap would certainly give you another day….it has covered my….natural womanly scent, for now ;)

Will try and update as soon as l can……my drive time will be starting shortly!

3/7/11

Good morning from just outside Cherryvale, Kansas, on our way to Springfield, MO, to pick up a load of items Mass Pro Outfitter.  It is a valuable load and we are not allowed to stop until we reach the drop off location, which is only 200 miles.  I would love to get my hands or at least my eyes on what is in this trailer but it will be securely locked up!

I had another long day of driving yesterday and we reached stage one of my training!  Maria can drive more and has only to observe 15 hours of my driving over the next 11 days.  She had been observing me for 5 hours a day for the past three days.  She will be reaching her 70 hour week at 1 PM today and will be off the clock for the following 34 hours….NOT!  With BW, your daily hours fluctuate and when you are not driving, you are on line 1, whether for a restroom break or sitting at a loading dock.  Let me show you our Log:

1 Off Duty, 2 Sleeper, 3 Driving, and 4 On Duty

 So Maria will never reach her 60 hours of on duty/driving in order to reach those 34 hours off the clock as I was doing most of the driving.  At midnight, she will be driving a new 11-hour shift.  This is why she finds it hard find time to get out and run.

We are hoping to find a place for a light breakfast and coffee before we hit our pickup.  Looks like we are here!

Let me tell you a little about Cherry Valley, KS.  Did you know that Vivian Vance was born here?  Also, 10 miles away in Indendance, they filmed “Little House on the Prairie.”  Now google “bloody benders”……there were monsters in this town that put it on the map besides the railroad!

The boys shared the history of Cherryvale.

It is now 8 PM and we are waiting to get loaded in Neosho, MO.  We are then heading to Amsterdam, NY.  Crosses your fingers that the weather changes before we get there!

Now Vivian could have rode her bike on this old brick road......or it could of led to the "bloody benders!"

Check in soon!