Where in the heck is Sunbury, OH? Why....where I am at the moment!

OMG!  I thought today would never end!  I picked up the repaired trailer at 5:30 this morning and had 10.5 hours to drive to deliver it.......I only can drive 11 in a day.  I got a 30 minute breakfast break, spent my lunch hour stuck in backup traffic in Chicago, I got a 20 minute jog in to stretch and wake up our muscles and my head; dropped the load just 15 minutes before my clock stopped, and stopped for the night 15 minutes over my 11/14.....I am covered!  Too late to eat dinner so a few chips and cheese will have to do.

We hit some back country today and it was a shame I could not see it as it was deep in farm land.  I want my 12 hours of sun back!  I am getting really comfortable with those small two lane roads......just got to work on the snow/ice covered freeway!

My eyes feel like sand bags and I look forward to that hot shower in the morning. 

And by the way......today broke the record in readers!  Welcome and shoot me a comment or two, it is more interaction than I can get with my dog!

See you all in the morning!

Stuck for the night in Bellevue, Wisconsin

It certainly was not a money making day!  We left at 5 AM to drop that load of bad boat motors with plenty of time to spare.....until planning noticed and stole an hour from me.  Anyway, we still arrived earlier than the new drop time (nanner planning), backed into my dock, and took a needed nap.  An hour later, they still hadn't got to me!  I went inside and talked to the forklift driver.  He didn't even realize I was there!  He opened that dock door and realized it was a return.....and called his boss.  I was told 30 minutes later that this load needed to be moved 2 miles away to the logistic center as the load was refused.  Twenty minutes later, approval was given to move to the new location to only sit for nearly two hours.  Augh!!!

By the time I was empty, they had another load waiting for me 70 miles way and I had only 2.5 hours on my clock.  I arrived on time, dropped the empty trailer and hooked up the loaded trailer but this trailer.......did not move!  This was my first!  I released the trailer brake, got out of the truck and heard the air just pouring out of the back of the trailer.  Well folks, that is when I unhooked and headed to my current location to notify dispatch and repair.  Looks like I will sit here until the trailer is repaired......in the morning of course.

No showers here so we will not be looking our best in the morning but hey, we are truckers with baby wipes!  See you all in the morning ;)

Now I see my son in my grandson  :) 

Now this was an udder moment!

Good evening from Altoona, Iowa!

We are parked for the night at the Bosselman Travel Center off I-80.  I closed down at 6 PM as the days are shorter and parking is getting harder to find.  We dropped that load from Bozeman at 7 AM this morning and picked up a load of boat motors that we are taking to cheese country.  Yuppers, north to Wisconsin.....I am so excited........AUGH!

At least this load is a tad bit heavier at 16,000 pounds.  Of course, odds are, we will find ice, not snow at this time of year and I got 100 miles of experience on that!  Mike stressed with me that I am getting the experience needed to head north again if required and each winter encounter will make my confidence stronger and to know when I need to stop.  Gotta love friends who are there for you, no matter the miles away we are from each other.

I did get a nasty message today from dispatch stating that I was at 41 percent on my idle time and needed to cut down to 20 percent.  Dang nab it!  I was cut back on speed because I was at 60 percent for one week.  That should cover the 10 hours of idle time that I was told I was allowed.  I will cut back to 7 hours a night which will bring me to 30 percent but no more!  They can kiss my lovely backside as I need a good night sleep to drive safely.  Gads, only 3 more months of this greedy company and my year will be DONE!

Everyone enjoy your evening, we leave at 5 AM for a 2 PM drop!

Stopped for the night at MM 152 on 1-90 in SD!

I didn't like this morning, not at all!  Once I hit Crow Territory just before leaving Montana, the roads became nasty with ice and flying snow.  I am finding out that the reservations are a little slow in taking care of the freeways that go through their land.  I came across a FedEx tractor with two trailers off the road, a flipped over pickup truck and yet, here I am going 40 miles an hour while all these idiots are passing me!  I was at my wits end when I got an urgent message on the computer and pulled over at the first truck stop.

Low and behold, the company wanted me to swap loads.....with another driver who could not go into Canada.  And we are not talking at the border but 600 miles north of the border!  I called my dispatcher and stated I could NOT take the load.  She stated that we run in all weather conditions.  I stated that I past a flipped pickup and a tractor/trailer off the road, I was driving on ice and it was snowing.......and no chains!  I then started crying (gads) and told her I was too scared and unprepared to take a load north.  Shit!  I have only been driving since March, I am hauling a extremely light load and have never put on chains.  Talk about taking me from the frying pan directly to the fire!

While trying to calm down, a fellow driver stopped to ask me if I knew anything about the storm as he was heading north.  He saw my tears and asked if I was ok.  I stated what I told you all and never putting on chains that I don't have.  He stood there and smiled.......and asked "Wanna learn?"

He reminded me of what I learned in school which seems years ago and I chained one tired.  He then asked if I was feeling better.  I was and thank the dear boy (he was around Jame's age).  When I got back to the truck, that load to Canada was cancelled and I could proceed with my load.  When I returned to the freeway, the plows had been through and I stayed ahead of the storm......expecting clear roads in the morning.  YEEHAW!

I am off to bed shortly as we will lose an hour tomorrow........and dang nab it, they better keep me south as this stress is not worth 26 cents a mile!

Stopped for the night in WINDY Big Timber, Montana

It was a long day and I am glad to end it before I was blown away between Livingston and Big Timber.  My company was on task this morning in getting me this load to only cancel it 1 hour later in Thompson Falls.  I sat there for 40 minutes waiting for a new load that happened to be going to Butte and taking a load NORTH to Canada!  GADS! 

I was cruising along and just as I hit Paradise, this load was cancelled!  Dang nab it, I had enough and told dispatch I was taking lunch!  20 minutes later, I was back in the truck and given the same load that was assigned to me first thing this morning.  Only issue, this was a live load......at 8 AM today!  Dang nab it!!  I called the client and told them I would be there between 4 and 5 and they waited on me.  Not only that, I got one of their products (they make the bands for sunglasses that hang around your neck).  Well, they make some of them as some of these products are made overseas.

Now I am just going to relax and enjoy the memories of spending time with my loved ones and playing "redneck" scrabble.  You got to try it!  We were laughing so hard trying to come up with redneck words that are spelled the way they sound.  It was awesome and my true "redneck" son showed his true "redneck" and came up with the best words.  I think we just created a new family tradition  ;)

Have a great night and see you all in the morning!

We got a load!

Warming up the truck now as I watch the snow fall on the mountain.......we are going to Bozeman and heading east to Ottawa, Kansas.  I will be calling everyone soon!

Let's get these wheels moving!

I get another day with my family!

That's right, no load and they told me to sit until I have one.  It is currently 3:40 PM and at 5 PM, I will send my last computor message to dispatch.......ready for load at 7 AM, tomorrow!

Most of the snow settled down to 1.5 inches but it is to start up again tonight.  We will see what tomorrow brings....time to hold my grandson  :)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.......NOT!

Good morning my virtual truckers!  Crawl back under the comforting warmth of your blankets as we have been blessed with snow and won't be moving for a few more hours. As of this moment, we have not been assigned a load and after my conversation last night with the chain bank; I notified dispatch this morning that we would be hooking up at 10 AM and heading south to Spokane (closest place to get chains if needed).  I am hoping that we will continue south and chains will not be needed.

I enjoyed my home time with my son, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law and grandson.  Now I get to look forward to Christmas with Mom and Charlie.  I like having a different home base every 3 to 4 weeks that the company is paying for (fuel). They paid for 60 gallons of fuel (round trip) for this home visit and yet, they complain about over idling of 8 gallons of fuel in order to keep me cool or warm.  I should keep all my home bases as far out in the sticks as possible as I will be guaranteed no shags, possible longer home time and the joy of spending company money in order to do so.  Now if I could have the choice of keeping the money and staying in Seattle............we could talk!  ;)

See you after the morning thaw!