Miles and Trials

OK, I have time to catch up here.

Last Wednesday, after waiting to get unloaded in Newnan GA, I went to Eastpoint to get my next load. It wasn't ready. In fact, it wasn't ready until 1000 on Thursday, the time that it was supposed to be delivered in Ridgeway VA. When I got to Ridgeway it was well past the time that the customer would take it so I took it to the Millis yard in Eden and dropped it for the city driver to take on Friday morning.

All of that caused me to pick up my Green Bay load late. By the time I had it and was ready to go it was night and the weather was getting bad. I didn't have the hours left to get very far and didn't want to get half way across the Smokies and have to look for a place to park, so since I wouldn't get there on Friday anyway I decided to sleep a while in Eden.

I got started around 0400 on Friday and got as far as Indiana, just north on Louisville on I65 and after a 10 hour break I finished the trip to the customer on Saturday.

After dropping in Green Bay it wasn't 5 minutes and I had my next load. What a stinker. It was Saturday, early evening, and I only had a few hours left to drive. This load picked up in Neenah WI, 42 miles, and delivered at two stops, the first being in Williston New Hampshire, 1220 miles, at 1000 on Monday morning. I got the load and headed down 41 and stopped in Richfield WI to fuel and sleep.

I got started on Sunday at 0400 and decided to go as long as I could legally, 11 hours. That got me across I90 as far as the first travel plaza past Buffalo. Monday I got started at 0200 and made it to Williston NH around 1100. They were quick to unload me so I got to the second stop in Hanover NH in time to get unloaded there. They stop receiving at 1400. Luckily, there was a truck stop near there so I shut down there for the night.

This morning I sent the 'ready' message and around 0900 got a broker load that will get me out of New England. I picks up in Jay Main, where I am now, and delivers in Woodstock IL. It's 188 empty paid miles and 1205 loaded paid miles and delivers on 10/1 at 1600. That seems like a decent amount of time but it's 1730 now and they say it may take 4 hour or more to finish loading.

This is why drivers hate New England. They love their stuff here, which is brought in on trucks like mine, but they don't want to let you park anywhere. Just bring the stuff and get the heck out of here. So here I am again, getting loaded late, got 50 miles of 2 lane going through little old towns, with roads made for horse and buggy, and then a fat chance of finding a place to park when my hours are up.

I can't complain about the miles. It will be over 4000 in 8 days, when I get to Woodstock IL. It looks like this:

View Larger Map

I'm on I90 just east of Buffalo NY headed to Vermont tomorrow morning. I haven't had time to do a proper posting because I'm running hard. I will try to do a proper post tomorrow and explain.

Things have changed. They need to take the Eau Clair load off of me to get another driver home so my orders have changed. When I'm mt I go to Eastpoint GA and get a load going to Ridgeway VA and then from there get a load from Eden NC to Green Bay WI.

That's fine. Lots of miles either way and I'm glad to help a driver get home.

Here I Go Again

Well, time at home is just too short, it seems. No, it really is too short. It sure makes the time spent with my family more valuable to me.

I left my tractor in Cartersville for a 'B' service and to have a few things fixed. I was happy to see that they gave me new rubber all the way around! That's ten tires. When I got my stuff loaded I sent the ready message and right away go two loads. First I have to finish a local delivery that another driver dropped in Cartersville. That's 77 paid miles. Oddly, this delivery is just 3 or 4 miles from my house. When I get mt I have a load to pick up in Dalton GA delivering in Eau Clair WI on Friday. I have to stop back by the yard on the way to get this one though. The shipper won't accept this particular type of trailer so I have to drop it and find a different wagon.

The first snag this time out; This load won't be taken until 1800 and the bill says something about 'driver assisted' unload. We will see about that. A place that has 100 dock doors should be able to off load a trailer without my help. But, if not, I will see if Millis will pay me to do it. I could use the exercise.

This is something that I just don't get about this business. A lot of warehouses don't want employees so they have these 'contractors' on site that are called 'lumpers'. What I don't get is how the people that want a transfer company to bring them freight have the gall to expect the driver to either unload their freight or to pay their lumpers to do it. I have seen lumpers paid $120 to pull 7 skids off of a trailer, which took all of 5 minutes. I know what your thinking and it makes even less since. Trucking companies will gladly pay those lumpers $120 but or will only pay their driver $50 or so do it.

Round, Round

Get around,
I get around.

The last time I deployed myself was about three weeks ago. I stayed out longer than usual. I maxed out the the number of stops that Google Maps allows so it is missing the The first two destinations. I left on August 26 and returned on September 18. First I went from East Point GA to Williamsburg VA then Chesapeak VA to Loveland OH. After that, all of the places on the map.


View Larger Map

In the six months since returning to Millis Transfer I have driven about 55,000 miles.

It is great to be home for sure but it's also great to have a job these days.

Back in Georgia

I'm back in Georgia for the first time since I left home three weeks ago. Wednesday I got a load picking up in Waco TX and delivering in Albany GA. I got a trailer from the spotting crew at Miller and went south to Waco. I had to wait for a 1600 appointment so I went to the nearby Pilot truck stop and fueled and got a shower. After loading I took off and got to a Flying J on I20 in Shreveport LA where I spent the night. I finished up the trip today and dropped the load in our Albany yard.

It was not a bad trip except for the wiper blade that fell apart last night, some where in Texas. Aside from getting a little wet and dirty it was no big deal.

It looks like I will see home some time tomorrow.

A Tech Day

After dropping in Ft Worth I went on a search for an mt. There were none at the customer so I found a place to park and waited for a load. After 1600 I decided to give up waiting because my dispatcher had gone home for the day. Tuesday morning I realized that there were a lot of other Millis drivers around so I made a plan.

The laptop I've been using is several years old and after several rebuilds it was starting to fail. I did some research online and decided on the price and features I wanted, then I bob tailed to a BestBuy and got a shiny new Toshiba Satellite A505-S6960.

The new tech project kept me busy all day, moving my virus software, establishing connectivity, doing tons of Microsoft updates, getting the TV card working, loading iTunes and syncing and on and on. This kept me so busy I didn't even complain about sitting a whole day with no mt and all these other drivers still here to.

I hope I will move today but if not, I have toys.

Testing the Limits

I hooked up to the load in Richfield and broke the seal to secure the load. It was a mix of product and the heaviest and most likely stuff to shift was in the rear end. I used three straps to make sure it would stay in place. I scaled it at the truck stop across the street. It was nearly the max I could pull and would have been over weight if I had topped off the tanks. It was also so heavy in the rear, I had the tandems as far to the rear as I could legally put them. Of course that made it harder to make turns.

I left Richfield and drove as far as Russell IL. That's not far but it moved me far enough so that I could make Big Cabin OK, 673 miles on Sunday. This morning I finished up the run to Ft Worth in the rain. I dropped it a little while ago and as I am typing this I got the message that there is nothing out tonight so I will go find an mt and go find a place to stay the night.

I got late notice to go to Baldwinsville NY, 208 mile dead head, and pick up a load of golden nectar that had to be in Brecksville OH, 343 miles, at 0900 the next morning. That makes about four days that I have had to drive all night and I don't like that.

After making it to Brecksville and getting unloaded I get another broker load. This one picks up just 17 miles away in Cleveland OH and delivers 390 miles away in Plano IL. I'm beat but I go pick it up and drive across I90 until I get to the Ohio Turnpike and shut down at the first travel plaza I come to. I sleep until I can't sleep any more and get up late, take a shower and am ready to go.

It may sound crazy but it was then that I realized it was Saturday and all I ad was this short run and no pre plan for the rest of the week end. I mosey over to Plano and drop the load and then find an mt. I send the 'ready for dispatch' message expecting to be told that I was on some list which means that there iss no freight in the area.

Instead, I immediately get a load assignment. Good miles too. It is a deadhead run to Richfield WI, 147 miles, and runs me loaded all the way to Ft Worth TX, 1052 miles. It delivers 9/14 at any time. Sweet.

Let's Go, Already

Like I said, it was an easy couple of days running over to Richfield WI on the holiday weekend. I guess it disrupts the flow of freight or something. I hoped that I would get a load out of that terminal on Monday before all of the drivers that live in that area, that went home for the holiday, come back out. It turns out that there were already about 20 drivers sitting there and more came in after me.

It was mid day Tuesday when they decided to give me a broker load to get me out of there. We don't usually take broker loads and when we do it is in situations like this. I don't like them much either and you will see why.

The load was to pick up 44,000 lbs (over 20 tons) of salt, on 18 pallets, In Kenosha WI going to Montgomery NY. First I had to find an empty trailer. Since I was so far down on the list there were no empty (mt) ones there. After coming up with several plans to drive somewhere to find one I was told that a driver in tractor #xxxx was sitting under one and to get that one. Well, he wasn't happy because he knew he would probably be in the same situation I was in when his number came up. Oh well.

It is one of our oldest wagons. I get hooked to it and discover a light that doesn't work. I also see that he didn't sweep it so I sweep it and pull around to the shop to get the light fixed. The next thing I know I'm in the shop bay and after fixing the light they find all kinds of other things to do to it. That's fine though because I want it to be safe and surly don't want any tickets.

I finally get rolling and get to the customer only 30 minutes late. I guess I could have been a lot later because the shipper tells me that the load has been pushed back 10 days because they don't have some of the product that was ordered. I let the broker know and get the response that every driver loves; "Just hang tight and I'll get back with you in a few minutes." Two hours later some kind of deal was cut and I had a different load number but going to the same place. After loading I look at the bill of lading (bol) and it says that it is two drops going to Menards stores in Indiana. I don't sign and tell them the bol is wrong so they scurry around and produce new papers. They say the load is right just the bol is wrong. So now I'm ready to roll but now its rush hour in Chicago so I did roll but at times in was hard to tell for sure. My truck will roll along at idle about 2 mph in 2nd gear and Chicago in rush hour is anything from 0 to 35 mph for about 40 miles. I shift about 500 times over the next 2 hours.

I got to the customer this morning at 0500 for a 0630 appointment. By 0730 I was empty. As you might expect the load wasn't exactly what they wanted but fortunately they took it anyway. They didn't seem surprised. The shipper made a mess in the wagon when they loaded it so I had to go get it washed out.

I have been sitting in this TA truck stop since around 0845 and still no load.

I would have normally gone home by now but I have put off requesting ht because I have some business coming up and I'm not sure exactly what day it will be on. If I get stuck sitting much longer I guess I will go ahead and go home anyway.

As an old man I used to know always said; "some time it be's that way.."

Easy Day

I arrived early in Saratog Springs. I passed one Millis driver on his way out and saw two others in the customers lot with their curtains pulled. When I got to the check-in location they told me that they would pull an empty out of door 6 and I could drop in that door and take that empty. I love it. About an hour after finishing that work I received a load that picked up 172 miles away in Auburn NY and delivers in the Millis terminal yard in Ricfield WI about 800 miles from there.

I only had 1 hour left when I picked up this load but I was able to park in our Weedsport terminal and wait for today which provided some fresh hours for the log book. I showered and watched Georgia blow their season in their first game, losing to an out of conference team. Well, that's one less thing.

I took it easy today, waking up late and poking along until I got to the first Plaza in Indiana on the I80/90 turnpike where I am now. I spent some time re-routing my extension cord that is pluged in to my inverter. It is now tucked away where in isn't under foot. I have the microwave plugged into it and also a power strip so I can keep my lap top, battery charger (for small batteries) and whatever else plugged in. Instead of having to unplug these things I can just turn off the power strip.

I am going to take time to list all of the gagets I have to amuse myself with sometime but not now. Now, I am going to continue to enjoy an easy day by watching a movie.

Playing Catch-up Again

Wow, thanks to Jim from 'LeasePurchaseJournal' that I follow and link to, I suddenly have readers. Thanks all for the kind comments. I started this as a way to communicate with friends and family and as a personal exercise. It turns out that friends and family don't have any interest in life on the road and what this is all about. They just want to know I'm safe and when I will be home. Some folks, though, are interested and thanks to Jim I now have more reason to continue.

It is hard to play catch up so I will just name where I have been since my last post.

When I got empty in Randolph MA I was assigned a load picking up scrap cans in Lakeville MA delivering in Oswego NY. This is a messy load that requires weighing at a CAT scale in Syracuse NY then after unloading scaling again and then getting the wagon washed out.

After that I got a load picking up in Auburn NY to be dropped in Richfield WI. Then I got a load that was the third drop of a three drop load that someone picked up in Mountain Top PA. They must live near Richfield and this load was their ticket home. The part I had was a short run from Richfield to Shawano WI. I didn't mind because I drop in Cartersville after driving all of the good miles when I go home. The customer in Shawano required me to pay a lumper to unload the freight. I hate it when that happens, $106 to pull 7 pallets off the trailer.

Immediately after getting empty I got another good load. Picking up in Green Bay WI it goes 1,030 miles to Saratoga Springs NY. After loading I saw that I would be getting into Chicago traffic so I stopped in Kenosha to get a steak and tater at the Texas Road House and grab some groceries at Woodmans.

Right now I am in a travel plaza on I90, the NY Throughway, just shy of Albany NY. I will easily make the last 30 miles or so to my appointment at 0700 in the morning.

It has been great running back and forth across the northern border of the middle and eastern part of the country. The nights are very cool and that is great for sleeping and helps out on earning the fuel or idle bonus. Also, since fall is in the air, the wildlife is on the move. I will try to get some pictures.

Thanks again to all who take time to read this.



I can see myself reflected in this guys trailer.