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:

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