Hello from the Gary, IN OC.  I’m here taking a 10 hour DOT break and waiting for my next load.  Hope you all are having a great holiday season.  I was able to get home for my son’s graduation and a couple extra days as well, so mine turned out as good as I could have hoped it would.

Wednesday, 12/27:

• Left Grantsville ~midnight
• Made delivery in Sauk Village, IL
• No new assignment, so went to the Gary, IN OC for DOT break
• 608 Miles

It was a little surprising when I pulled the curtains back this morning and there was ice and snow all over the windows.  The first few hours of driving was over some fairly steep grades with rain, snow, and sleet falling heavily.  With the weight of my load, plus the fact that it was dark and the roads were questionable, I ended up literally creeping up hills most of the morning.  Once I got to Ohio the bad weather and steepness of the grades both calmed down and I was able to make better time.

The load wasn’t due until tomorrow, but it was a drop and I had time to make the delivery so I decided to do so and get on with another load.  Of course there was no load available right after I delivered, and I only had an hour or two left for the day, so I was told to head to the Gary, IN OC (usually referred to as the ‘Chicago’ location) to ‘relax until tomorrow morning’.  I’ve had about all the relaxing I can stand lately; hopefully after the holidays business will pick up.

Tuesday, 12/26:

• Delivered load in Everett, PA
• Next assignment: took empty to McCoole, MD
• Dropped empty, picked up load bound for Sauk Village, IL
• Stopped at an independent truck stop in Grantsville, MD around noon for the ‘night’
• Got some sleep, got back on the road ~midnight
• 402 Miles

I stopped for a bite to eat and cup of coffee ~2am, then drove in to Everett for a live unload.  The folks there were friendly and had me empty in just a few minutes, so I decided to use the remaining couple of hours on my clock to pick up my next load ~60 miles away in McCoole, MD.

Getting to the shipper in McCoole wasn’t that much fun with mostly small local roads, a few small towns to pass through, and a tight turn to get into their lot.  I had to head back out the same way, which would have been a little better since I now knew there were no little surprises along the route.  The only problem was that I was pulling the heaviest load I’ve had to date (78,500# gross) so ended up crawling up the small hills along the way (with a growing line of supportive fans backing up behind me).

I made it to a little ‘Mom & Pop’ truck stop on I-68 near Grantsville, MD just as I ran out of hours around noon.  After a quick meal (yuck) at the restaurant I caught up on paperwork and then settled in for a little sleep.  When I woke up it was windy and a little snow was falling.  After a quick cup of coffee I was on the road again ~midnight.
 

Monday, 12/25:

• Picked up relay load at the Charlotte, OC
• Drove to Troutman, NC and parked at a Wilco-Hess truck stop
• Terrie picked me up, joined her and the family at her sister’s for Christmas dinner
• Back to the truck and got some sleep
• Got on the road ~10pm
• 130 Miles

Since I had an 8am live unload appointment in Everett, PA tomorrow, I had to get a little creative with my time in order to enjoy Christmas dinner with the family.  I went to the OC mid-morning to pick up the relayed load and found the center to be a mess.  Apparently Schneider did a good job of getting drivers home for Christmas, ’cause there were dropped trailers EVERYWHERE.  I found the one I was to pick up wedged in behind another, and had to shuffle the other one around before I could get to mine.

After a few extra minutes I got all hooked up and on the road.  Troutman is only ~30 miles up I-77 so it didn’t take long to get there.  Terrie was waiting there for me and after I got parked we were off to visit with family.  After dinner Chris took me back to the truck stop and I got a few hours sleep before heading out around 10.  The drive was mostly uneventful, although I did have to work to stay awake and alert.

Hi everyone…I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the holiday season. 

On a side note, I’ve been terribly slack about answering comments and questions, and I apologize.  I’ve spent some time today going back and posting responses to most comments, and I’ll try to make that part of the routine as well.  Please know that I appreciate the time and effort you spend to send me comments, and I will respond to each in time.

By the way, I don’t know if there’s a direct link to my email on the front page.  In case there isn’t, it’s bill@wjordan.net.

Friday, 12/22:

• Picked up an empty trailer at the OC
• Drove to Mooresville for a live load
• Dropped the load at the Charlotte OC for relay
• 44 Miles

The three days off to attend Chris’ graduation from NC State were terriffic.  We’re so proud of him, and visiting with him, his brother, and their spouses (or spouse to be) was a special Christmas treat.  It was particularly tough to go back out this time.

My next load was waiting for me on the Qualcomm; take an empty trailer from the OC to Mooresville, NC (~25 miles away) and sit for a live load.  The load was headed for Portland, OR. Unfortunately I was directed to drop it for relay back at the Charlotte, OC.

I sat for a couple of hours waiting for my next load to come in, and when it didn’t I walked inside to see my STL.  Turns out I had been assigned, but the communication lines were congested and it was still waiting to be delivered.  It came through a little while later; pick up a relay at the OC and deliver it to Everett, PA.  The good part; it isn’t scheduled for delivery until Tuesday, 12/26, so I have another few days at home.  The bad part; it’s a live unload with an 8am appointment.  For some reason they sent the following load as well, and it calls for me to take the empty from Everett to McCoole, MD and swap it for a load headed to Sauk Village, IL.

The reason the second load is of note is because of the HOS rules.  Normally I would have the option of spending Christmas day with the family, then leaving that evening and driving through the night to make the 8am appointment in PA.  But if I did that I’d be out of hours soon after the live unload and would have to stop for a 10 hour break, which would mean I wouldn’t make my next load in time.  Oh well, I’m happy to have the couple of extra days off anyway, and I’ll figure out something so I can have Christmas dinner with the family.

That’s about it for now; I’ll post again after the holidays.  I hope each of you have a happy and joyous holiday season.

Monday, 12/18:

• Hung out at the OC
• Cleaned the truck
• Drove to Matthews for delivery
• Drove back to the OC
• 35 Miles

I called the Load Advance Team this morning but they weren’t able to get my 5pm delivery appointment moved, so I pretty much piddled around the OC all day.  The truck got a good cleaning and I finished a few little ‘customization’ projects.  At ~2pm I had sat as long as I could stand so I headed to Matthews; a whopping 15 miles away.

Once there they wouldn’t work me in early, so I sat some more until my appointment time, then sat for a live unload.  After 3 hours they finally finished and I headed back to the OC to start my TAH.

Saturday, 12/16:

• Drove to the Charlotte OC
• 356 Miles

Today was sunny, clear, and cool; perfect driving weather.  The load I have is going to Jacksonville, FL and I have time to make that delivery before I’m scheduled to be home Monday evening for TAH.  However my STL says since I have that TAH scheduled they’re trying to keep me close and not risk getting me stuck in FL with no load to bring me home in time.  I suppost that makes sense.

As I drove along my next assignment came in; pick up a relay load at the Charlotte OC and deliver it in Charlotte… at 5pm on Monday.  That makes two weekends in a row they’ve assigned me a short load with a one day wait in the middle.  I don’t really mind this time because the layover is in Charlotte and I’ll just go home.

My STL didn’t want to talk about last weekend’s delayed load; he just read from his memorized list of politically correct excuses (he’s quite good at that).  I’m sure if I ask him on Monday he’ll do the same, with emphasis on the “accomodating your TAH schedule” phrase.  Don’t get me wrong; my STL is a very personable and friendly young man.  It’s just that he comes off like a company stooge when you try to pin him down to specific answers to specific questions.  When it comes down to the real nuts & bolts of how I should handle some things or why specific things happen I feel pretty much on my own.  This isn’t a big deal, and I don’t really blame my STL, but I’d rather he tell me that he doesn’t know or can’t say instead of repeating generic prose.

Anyway, I’m going to enjoy an unexpected couple of nights at home with some time to catch up on little projects in the truck as well.  No worries…

Friday, 12/15:

• Drove to Wooster, OH, made delivery
• Next assignment: Bobtailed to Hudson, OH to pick up an empty trailer
• Drove to Mogadore, OH to drop empty & pick up load to be dropped for relay in Charlotte
• Stopped at Duke Travel Plaza in Newcomerstown, OH for the night
• 498 Miles

Today had it’s share of annoyances.  The Frito Lay facility I was to deliver to had confusing signs at their truck entrance that let me (and at least one other driver) to believe it wasn’t really the right entrance.  Once I parked elsewhere and walked over to find someone to ask, I found out that I needed to be at their ‘other entrance’ a few blocks away, on the other side of the facility.  That gate had no signs indicating where incoming drivers should go, where the shipping office was, and not even a way to let anyone know you’re there.  I accidently pulled close enough to the gate for the automatic opener to slide it open (why have a gate if it opens as soon as you pull up to it?).  Once inside I started to park and go looking for the office when a yard dog drove up.  He took care of my delivery paperwork and showed me where to drop the loaded trailer.  I did so and left.

Next I had to maneuver around the Interstate system in Canton and Akron.  I’ve decided that Ohio is not a ‘truck friendly’ state; they’re particularly fond of restricting trucks from being in the left lane of Interstates only to have an exit (sometimes to continue on the same Interstate) to the left.  Another favorite of theirs is adding lanes on one side of the road and ending them on the other side for no apparent reason, and without suficient warning.  I continually found myself fighting to move over 3 or 4 lanes at the last minute in order to go the direction I needed.  Oh, and by the way, the truck speed limit in the entire state is 10mph lower than the car speed limit.  Not that I’m in a hurry; Schneider trucks are governed at 63mph anyway.  But it does make for a dangerous situation when slower moving trucks are trying to find their way through confusing areas.  Thanks Ohio…

Howdy from Newcomerstown, OH (no kidding).  Hope you’re all well and ready for the holidays.

Monday, 12/11:

• Made delivery in Newport News, VA
• Next assignment: Picked up empty trailer in Newport News
• Dropped it to Doswell, VA, picked up a loaded one headed for Lancaster, PA
• Delivered load in Lancaster
• Next assignment: Picked up empty rail trailer in Lancaster
• Drove to the Carlisle, PA OC to spend the night
• 392 miles

Tuesday, 12/12:

• Drove to York, PA to drop empty rail trailer & pick up load
• Had to take the rail trailer to rail yard in Harrisburg, PA
• Bobtailed to Camp Hill, PA to pick up an empty trailer
• Back to York to drop the empty and pick up a loaded one headed for Dublin, GA
• Drove as far as Kenley, NC, spent the night at a Pilot
• 493 miles

Since I was at an OC last night I took time for a nice long shower this morning.  I also tried to upload a blog update but the server wouldn’t cooperate, and I had to get  on the road.

The pickup location wouldn’t accept the rail trailer for an empty, so I ended up delivering it to the rail yard in Harrisburg, PA (an experience in itself).  Then went over to Camp Hill, PA to search for a trailer that I finally found in a gravel lot about a block away from the address I was given.  There was nobody around to check in with, but I figured it’s our trailer so I took it.  Then I returned to the pickup location, swapped the empty for my loaded one, and finally got on the road a little after 1pm.
 

Wednesday, 12/13:

• Left the truck stop in Henley, NC
• Drove to the delivery in Dublin, Ga.
• Sat in line for a live unload
• Next assignment: Took empty trailer to Kathleen, Ga.
• Dropped empty; load not ready
• Found a Pilot @ 30 miles away to spend the night
• 495 miles

Today was Evelyn’s funeral and I had that, and the fact that I wasn’t there, on my mind most of the day.  Knowing how I felt my family called a couple of times to keep me up to date on the events of the day.

My load was bales of recycled paper going to a newsprint plant, and when I arrived there were at least dozen other trucks in line to check in with the one and only gate guard.  Fortunately most of them were carrying loose paper so I didn’t have to wait behind all of them for a dock.  Once I got an empty door it only took ~20 minutes to unload me.

I then headed a few miles down the road to Kathleen, Ga. to pick up my next load.  My time was looking good and my plan was to make the Atlanta OC before running out of hours for the day.  Unfortunately my next load had ‘fallen through the cracks’ and wouldn’t be ready until ~1am; so much for the plan.  I ended up driving to I-75 to find a truck stop for the night.
 

Thursday, 12/14:

• Drove back to Kathleen & hooked up to load headed for Wooster, OH
• Drove to Wytheville, VA, overnighted at a TA
• 498 miles

The load was ready this morning, and I was hooked up early and on my way.  Thick fog covered the area the first couple of hours, but otherwise it was a good day of driving.

The TA in Wytheville was a zoo.  Trucks were lined up out in the street waiting to get in because of delays at the fuel islands.  Normally when you finish fueling you pull your truck forward far enough for the next in line to begin, then you go inside to quickly take care of whatever you need to at the fuel desk.  A few rude drivers did pull up, but went in and took their sweet time to do whatever they were there to do without regard to the fact that they had one lane blocked.

Fortunately there was a bypass lane and I was able to go around the fuel islands and head straight for the parking lot, which was just another part of the zoo.  The spaces were quite narrow and poorly laid out, so there were a number of trucks taking longer than usual to maneuver their rigs into a spot.  I was able to find a place near the back and backed in without much problem (having a good day, I guess).

Afterward I sat and watched the show as I caught up on paperwork.  When I was BRAND new out here (not a 2 month “veteran” like I am now 8^) I naturally assumed that every other driver was a seasoned pro and could handle their rig accordingly.  It is a bit surprising though how many drivers cannot back their rigs.  I saw driver after driver attempt (some with help from spotters) and fail to park in spaces no smaller than the one I was in.  Similar results have been witnessed at other locations as well, but here it was exagerated by the huge crowd and particularly challenging parking area.  Don’t misunderstand; I’m not saying that I’ve achieved a superior level of competence.  Like I said above I must have been having a good day.

Hey gang. I’m sitting at a papermill in Dublin, Ga waiting on a live unload, so thought I’d shoot you a couple days worth of updates.

Friday. 12/08:

• Bobtailed to Cleveland, NC to pick up an empty trailer
• Delivered it to a company in Charlotte that had bought it
• Picked up another empty at the Charlotte, OC
• Drove to Salem, NC for a live load bound for Wurtsboro, NY
• Overnighted at a TA in Lexington,  VA

It was a busy couple of  ‘days off’.  Took care of doctor and dental appointments and caught up on  a few chores around the house, including a little dirty laundry.

On a sad note; a very wonderful lady I know was recently diagnosed with cancer and given a very short time to be with us.  “Grandma Evelyn” has been a most positive influence on me and my family each and every day of the 35+ years I’ve known her.  And I cannot remember a single time that she’s shown anything but love and respect for me.  I was fortunate enough to be able to visit with her yesterday, and as much as I hate the thought I fear it was to say goodbye.

As I drove down Graham St. in Charlotte this morning I got a call from my daughter.  Grandma Evelyn wanted her to call to tell me thanks for the visit, and to express how much she loved me, Terrie, and our sons.  She remains a gracious and loving person to the end.
 

Saturday, 12/09:

• Made delivery in Wurtsboro
• Next assignment: Bobtailed to South Kearny, NJ to pick up a relay load
• Overnighted at a TA in Elkton, MD

Today wasn’t fun.  Coming through Port Jervic, NY in Orange County (yeah, that one) I ran into not one but two overpasses marked 12′8″.  I got lucky on the first one; there was a residential street that looped right back to the main drag and I could turn around.  After going back to the Interstate and taking the next exit to avoid the bridge, I immediately ran into another one.  This time there was no place to turn, but the road was wide enough to pull to the curb and not block traffic.

Schneider’s policy prohibits backing and U-turns on public roadways, so I was stuck there and had to call 911 (again, per policy).  After explaining my delima to the dispatcher she got the local sheriff’s office on the line, where the Sergeant said if I couldn’t clear the bridge I was due a ticket for being overheight.  We discussed this briefly and I discovered that this particular county intentionally marks their overpass clearances 1′ short in order to “keep folks like you from tearing through town at 60 mph”, as the Sergeant put it.  Great idea, Sarge…

I had no problem clearing the overpass, and made the delivery.  Then I was assigned a load covering a whopping 357 miles with a delivery appointment for Monday.  I contacted support shift to try to explain to them that I’d have to sit a day waiting on delivery, but they didn’t seem to mind at all.  So I made the pickup at a New Jersey drop yard and drove as far as Elkton, MD to spend the night.

I did have a chance to drive around New York City at night; what a spectacular view.  I thought I’d seen the lights of a populated area before but this was truly amazing.  It was hard to keep from being distracted as I dodged Saturday night traffic around the city.
 

Sunday, 12/10:

• Drove to Providence Forge, VA
• Overnighted at a rest stop on I-64

I got the phone call just before noon; Grandma Evelyn passed away this morning at about 10:30.  She went peacefully in her hospital bed with one sister and granddaughter by her side.  She was at peace with her fate, and thank God she was spared the long ordeal that many cancer victims suffer.  I will be forever grateful that I had the chance for a last visit with her.

This morning I had to drive the I-95 corrider from Maryland to Virginia (again).  At least I thought the traffic around DC would be light since it was Sunday.  Before I got started good I screwed up.  The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel is clearly marked as restricting HazMat, overheight, and over width vehicles.  I assumed that referred to permitted loads, and I wasn’t hauling HazMat, so on I went.  Just before the tunnel entrance was an overhead illuminated sign that flashed a message that I was overheight, so I pulled into the inspection area.  The officers came out and I soon discovered that the over width restriction referred to 102″ trailers, like the one I was pulling.

They did a level 2 inspection on my rig and log and everything was in order.  I was lucky in that they decided to just write me a warning instead of a $500 ticket, and then guided me off the Interstate and onto another where I was legal.

Oh, and remember the “light traffic” I was expecting around DC?  The Redskins were playing at home today, so another hour long creep around the Beltway was in order.

Hello everyone, hope you’re all doing well.  Before I get to the daily grind I’d like to answer a few questions that Mike asked in his recent comment.

I’ve been out on my own since Nov. 6; 21 days on the road and  5 at home.  So far I’m averaging  ~360 miles per day, but hoping that picks up a bit as I get more familiar with the system.  You’re load assignments are supposedly timed to come in just before you deliver the one you’re on , and most of mine have. But that’s all based on the info you send in daily on your MAC 18, which includes things like ETD (estimated time of delivery), ETA (estimated time of availability), hours available to drive, and so on.  The more accurate your are on those the better your loads keep you rolling without delays.

I also think my loads have been a bit short, averaging only around 350 to 450 miles each.  What that means is you end up having to make a delivery and/or pickup each day. Loads with more miles allow you a day or two of nothing but driving between stops.  If they are, I hope it’s because they give those to the new guys until they get the hang of things.

The paychecks have been OK; I’ve only needed the weekly guaranteed rate once, and that was my first week.  Unfortunately they don’t have the time in school to explain your pay statement, so plan on a phone session with your STL when you get your first one.

The learning curve is smoothing out a bit, mostly due to the increased confidence that comes with daily repetition.  I do still feel very much like a new guy  at times however.

And finally, yes your attitude will make a HUGE difference in  how it goes for you. You have to take one day at a time and stay positive!
 

Saturday, 12/02:

• Left the Seville OC ~ 6am
• Made delivery in Findlay, OH
• Next assignment: Take an empty trailer from Findley to Clyde, OH
• Picked up a loaded trailer in Clyde destined for Columbia, MD
• Drove back to the Seville OC for fuel
• Almost out of hours for the day, so decided to spend another night in Seville

Findlay must have gotten a LOT of rain yesterday because there were quite a few roads closed due to high water.  And of course  most of them  seemed to be on my route through town to the delivery point. The temps were in the high 20’s, so wherever the  water wasn’t deep and flowing it was frozen. Driving the rig through tiny, icy streets was interesting to say the least. Thank goodness I had the GPS and map program to help guide me along, and friendly folks in town who had the good sense to clear the way when necessary.
 

Sunday, 12/03:

• Left Seville a little after 6
• Made my delivery in Columbia mid-afternoon
• Next assignment: Picked up an empty trailer at the docks in Portsmouth, VA
• Overnighted in Jessup, MD

The docks in Portsmouth looked a little spooky; kind of like in one of those ‘end of the world’ movies where all the ’stuff’ was there, but the people were gone.  I guess it was because it was a Sunday, but the place still looked like it hadn’t been used in a while.  The guard at the gate had a hard time comprehending that I was just there to pick up an empty trailer.  Once he grasped that concept, he panicked because he didn’t have any idea where it was.  I finally talked him into just letting me in the gate so I could look for it myself, and after a nice little ride around the empty docks and warehouses I found it sitting with about a dozen others.

The Travel America truck stop in Jessup was the closest place to spend the night, and I was about out of time (again) and needed to stop.  It’s a nice place, only it’s the first one I’ve been to that charges you to park.  It is fenced in and has a gate attendant, so I guess it’s worth the price ($12). If you spent $20 at the TA store they would waive the parking charge.

They also have IdleAire there.  That’s a service that provides heat/AC, Internet, Cable TV, 110 v. power, and several other things for an hourly fee.  All of this is provided through large yellow hoses that hang from a overhead superstructure.  You park the truck with the hose hanging next to the passenger window, fit your adapter in the window, and attach the end of the hose.

A door that reminds me of a submarine hatch is attached to the end of the hose.  Open the door and on the inside is a touch display and connections for phone, Internet, TV, etc. The open end of the hose is the fresh air supply and return.
 

Monday, 12/04:

• Dropped the empty, picked up a relay load in Winchester, VA
• Delivered load to Richmond, VA
• Next assignment: Pulled the empty trailer to Portsmouth, VA for a new load

I had to start at ~2 am today in order to pick up the load in Winchester and then get to Richmond in time for the 8am delivery appointment.  Finding the pickup point was no problem, however the drop lot was a tiny, muddy spot.  Right after I arrived two police cars came rushing in; either me or the wind had set off an alarm so they were checking things out.  I couldn’t help remembering a recent incident in Charlotte where an officer shot and killed a communications worker; neither could see or hear the other clearly and the miscommunication proved fatal for the worker.  Now it was ~4am and dark, and I wanted to make certain the same thing didn’t happen to me.  After I carefully made myself (and my hands) visible I spoke with the officers and all was well.

I managed to back the empty into the only available spot (in the dark) and coupled the loaded trailer.  It took a little wiggling but I got the rig out of the lot and back on the road.  And shortly I learned a valuable lesson the way I normally have to learn them; by screwing up.

We’re taught to check EVERY road our trip plan has us travel to insure it’s legal for truck traffic.  I started out doing so religiously, but had become slack lately.  This morning as I headed for Hwy. 17 just north of I-66 (my planned route) I saw the big yellow sign: “NO TRUCKS – US 17 FROM US 50 TO I-66″.  Crap!

So I had no choice but to follow US50 East and watch the GPS display until I could find another route on the fly.  Thank goodness for the GPS; it had me headed back in the right direction with a minimum delay.  I was still a little late on the delivery, but did send in a MAC29 to cover myself with Customer Service.
 

Tuesday, 12/05:

• Droped the load at the Charlotte, OC for relay
• Started TAH

 I got to the OC a little before noon, so I took a couple of hours to clean up the truck.   Once that was done I headed to the house for a couple of days off.

Hey Folks.  It’s still busy out here but I’ve carved out a few hours for myself this afternoon to try to catch up on several things, including this blog.  I’m going to try keeping a running ‘diary’ in MS Word on the laptop from now on. Maybe that will make it easier to just copy & paste it to the blog when I have time (and an Internet connection).

It seems like my day to day life is becoming a bit repetitious, so to keep the blog from becoming the same to you readers I’m going to change the format a bit. At the beginning of each entry I’ll list the load info for the day; pickup/delivery locations, where I overnighted, etc.  Then if anything interesting (and worth writing about) happened I’ll add that afterward.  That way my family and friends can keep up with where I am at a glance, and hopefully any extra prose I add will be more entertaining.  Let me know if you like it (or not).

Saturday, 11/25:

• Picked up an empty trailer at the Charlotte OC .
• Drove to Cowpens, SC to exchange it for a load of corrugated paper.
• Hauled the load to the Atlanta OC to drop for relay.
• Next assignment: Picked up a High Value load on a container trailer in Ellenwood, Ga (near
  Atlanta) destined for Manteno, Il.
• Went back to the Atlanta OC to spend the night.

I had a nice two days at home w/ Terrie for Thanksgiving, but now it was time to get back to it.  The first load was pretty routine; just a short drive down I-85 to Atlanta.  There wasn’t much more to the second one either. Once I got the trailer and was ready to roll it was about time to quit for the day, so I decided to just stay at the Atlanta OC for the evening and get an early start tomorrow.

Sunday, 11/26:

• Left Atlanta  ~7am
• Drove as far as the Indianapolis OC to spend the night
• Mileage: 552

These are the kind of days I’m beginning to like; driving all day with no pickups or deliveries.  There was one interesting event on the way:

On I-65 N, just before I got to Indianapolis, I came up on a rider on a Harley Davidson trike.  Not one of those nice high-dollar jobs, but a cheap conversion type that still has the original back wheel with what looks like two large training wheels tacked on.

Anyway the guy was going ~10 mph below the speed limit, so I eased over to the left and passed.  A few seconds later he hit the gas and zoomed around me to pull in front again.  After a mile or so he slowed suddenly and started jerking the handlebars back and forth, swerving from the lane to his left to the shoulder and back again.  Traffic was fairly heavy and I couldn’t go around him, so I had to hit the brakes pretty hard to keep from running all over him.  His swerving was so violent that cars in the other lanes were afraid to pass him and he ended up holding up all three lanes of traffic.

After a few seconds of these antics, he straightened up and accelerated back up to the speed limit.  After a mile or so he repeated the whole show.  I assume he was running out of gas and was swerving the bike to try to shake a few more drops into the pickup in the tank, because after each time he would accelerate again briefly.  Either that or he wanted to commit suicide and kept chickening out, ‘cause he almost got run over several times.

He finally pulled off at an exit with a gas station.

Monday, 11/27:

• Left the Indy. OC ~6:45am
• Made my delivery at the Sears DC in Manteno, IL
• Next assignment: Bobtail to the K-Mart DC in Manteno to pick up an empty trailer
• Dropped the empty in Kankakee, Il and picked up a loaded one headed for
  Statesville, NC
• My route took me back by the Indy. OC, so I stopped there again for the night
• Mileage: 356

 

Tuesday, 11/28:

• Left the Indy. OC ~8am
• Drove all day, stopped for the night at a Flying J truck stop on I-77 in
  Wytheville, Va.
• Mileage: 430

Another day of nothing but driving.

Wednesday, 11/29:

• Made my delivery at the Lowe’s DC in Statesville
• Next assignment: Pick up an empty trailer from the Lowe’s DC, take it to Lexington
• Exchange it for a loaded one bound for Emerson, NJ
• Stopped at a Pilot truck stop on I-85 in Whitsett, NC to weigh the rig
• Drove as far as Colonial Heights, Va before stopping for the night at another Pilot truck stop
• Mileage: 366

 I had been hoping that since I was so close to home my next load would bring me through Charlotte, where I could go to the house for a night.  But as you can see I was sent in the other direction.  Maybe next time…

  

Thursday, 11/30:

• Made my delivery in Edison, NJ
• Next assignment: Pick up an empty trailer in Edison and take it to Keasley, NJ
• Exchange the empty for a loaded one bound for Findlay, OH.
• Drove as far as Columbia, NJ before stopping at a Travel America truck stop in I-80
• Mileage: 418

Apparently this wasn’t my day to meet friendly people.  I don’t know why, but everyone I came in contact with today was a…. well…. let’s just say they were less than cordial.

The first was the ‘nice young man’ in the shipping office at the warehouse in Edison.  As is common practice, I had been sent a specific empty trailer number to pick up there. Schneider owns a LOT of trailers and tries hard to keep tabs on where each one is.  Therefore it’s important that we drivers follow through on those instructions, or else go through the process of getting the assignment changed.

The warehouse personnel had parked all the empty trailers in a line nose to tail so close to each other you couldn’t open the doors on any but the last in line. Obviously the only one that I could couple to was the first in line, which wasn’t the one I was supposed to take. When I asked the ‘nice young man’ if they could get it out for me he threw a tantrum and started ranting about them being all the same and told me to just take one and leave him alone.

OK…fine with me.  I don’t argue with our customers, I let our Customer Service folks do that.  So I called my STL with the story, but rather than deal with the ‘nice young man’ he decided to just change my assignment so I could take the trailer I could get to.

Next was the ‘nice gate guard’ at the warehouse in Keasley.  Frankly, I think he is the father of the ‘nice young man’ at the last place, except he wasn’t as charming.  First he was quite put out because I didn’t already know where to drop the empty trailer.  Then I had the NERVE to ask where the shipping office was.  By the way, unlike most warehouses there’s not a single sign on their property pointing out where these things are located.

OK…fine.  I got to the office and was told the paperwork wouldn’t be ready for another half hour, so I went back to my truck and spent that time catching up on my trip plan for the load.  When I went back a half hour later the paperwork was ready, so I headed out to get the trailer.

Their lot was pretty crowded, and try as I might I couldn’t find my trailer number.  Not wanting to see that ‘nice gate guard’ again so soon, I parked the truck and started searching on foot.  And there it was, right in front of me, behind three other trailers that had it blocked in.  Fortunately a ‘yard dog’ (guys on small tractors that jockey trailers around the lot) came by about the time I found the trailer.  Unfortunately he was also prone to tantrums and threw a big one when I asked about freeing my loaded trailer.

OK…fine.  Back to the ‘nice gate guard’, who immediately informed me that if I wanted a trailer moved I’d have to find a ‘yard dog’ to do it.  See the circle we’re turning here?

I didn’t want to do this twice in one day, but it was time for another call to our support folks who by now were the night shift people in Green Bay.  I was told that they’d call our Customer Service dept., who in turn would call the shipper to see what they could do to get me on my way.  If I’d wait just a few minutes they’d send me a reply via the Qualcomm.

About a half hour later I spotted a guy with a clipboard walking down the dock checking trailers.  I watched him for a few minutes and he didn’t SEEM to already be angry about anything, so I gave him a shot.  To my surprise he was fairly civil, and said he’d see what he could do for me.  In about 5 minutes the original ‘yard dog’ came sliding up and yelled out his window for me to show him which trailer I needed.  I did so, and stayed far out of the way while he moved the three blocking trailers; a feat that took him another whopping 5 minutes.

I sent a ‘never mind’ message to support with the good news, and finally got away from that place a little after 6.  The timing was perfect for me to join the daily rush hour traffic, and did so for an hour and a half before getting to the closest truck stop.  Oh, and about the time I was pulling into my parking spot the Qualcomm beeped with a message from support; they wanted to know if I still needed them to call the shipper.

 

Friday, 12/01:

• Left the TA in Columbia, NJ ~7:45
• Drove to the Seville, OH OC and stopped for the evening
• Mileage: 387

I could have gotten an earlier start today and drove further, and probably should have.  But after several days of leaving early and not getting to a stopping place until after dark I was ready for a little break.  Considering the aggravating day I had yesterday I decided to take my time leaving this morning and just drive as far as the Seville OC.  Besides, the delivery time on the load is any time before noon tomorrow.

There’s a large wave of cold, wet, windy weather working it’s way across the country and I got a little taste of it today.  This morning it was cloudy with temps in the mid 60’s when I left Columbia.  The weather deteriorated to pounding rain as I headed west across PA and into OH, and by day’s end the rain was gone but the wind was gusting in the 50s.  Oh, and the temps had dropped to the upper 30s.  Looks like tomorrow may be quite interesting.