Howdy.  Been busy and without Internet access for a bit.  Currently I’m stopped at the East St. Louis OC on my way to Cordova, IL.  Hope you’re all doing well… 

• Date(s): 4/22 to 4/23
• From/To: Winchester, IN to Toronto, ON, CA
• Mileage: 479
• Cargo:  Empty glass bottles

Another border crossing, but this one went a good bit smoother than my first.  I guess I wasn’t as freaked about the whole ordeal and just followed the instruction booklet to prepare the paperwork.  There was a little problem getting the correct phone and fax numbers for the broker, and I could have timed the crossing and paperwork processing a little better (there are specific time intervals that have to be observed), but all in all not too bad.

Originally I was to deliver this load to Laval near Montreal, Quebec.  It was a good load at roughly 850 miles, but the delivery appointment required me to sit for a full day.  I called Load Advance and when the customer refused to move the appointment back a day they agreed that I should drop for relay at the Toronto OC and pick up another load.  I hated to give up the mileage, but not as much as sitting for a day.

• Date(s): 4/23 to 4/24
• From/To: Lansing, MI to De Pere, WI
• Mileage: 656
• Cargo:  Bales of recycled paper

It turned out that dropping the last load for relay was a good move; I ended up swapping the 850 mi. load for a total of 1,135 miles in the same time period (this load + partial mileage for the last).  I also got to cross back into the U.S. with an empty trailer, which required no broker or paperwork.

The 8am live load appointment in Lansing went well although I had to work a bit to get the axle weights legal (that’s some heavy stuff).  The delivery window was for the same day, meaning I had no time to waste.  This was definitely a good load, and since De Pere is just outside Green Bay, I finally had a chance to visit Schneider’s home OC.

• Date(s): 4/25 to 4/27
• From/To: De Pere, WI to Beech Island, SC
• Mileage: 990
• Cargo:  Consumer Goods

And the miles just keep on coming!  This was a live load in De Pere (actually just down the road from the OC) and a drop at Kimberly Clark in Beech Island. The trailer was loaded quickly and I was on my way without delay.  It rained most of the trip, but otherwise it was a nice drive back south.

• Date(s): 4/27 to 4/28
• From/To: Beech Island, SC to Winter Haven, FL
• Mileage: 426
• Cargo:  Toilet Paper

It don’t get much better than this; drop one load and pick up another preloaded trailer at the same spot.  I was a little concerned because Winter Haven is next door to Kissimmee and the “Mouse House”, but the timing was in my favor and I drove in on a Saturday morning before traffic had a chance to build.

• Date(s): 4/28 to 4/30
• From/To: Kissimmee, FL to Leesville, LA
• Mileage: 887
• Cargo:  Lowe’s store merchandise

How’s that saying go again… oh yeah, “Careful what you wish for”.  I’ve been wanting more miles and lately I’ve been getting them.  I picked up the loaded trailer and took off for Leesville with no time to spare.  I was running a little low on hours due to the 70 Hour rule and had to trip plan carefully to make sure I didn’t run out before I got to the destination.  The fact that this was a 4am Monday live unload appointment didn’t help much either.  The load message also came with a warning that the customer was displeased with their service and stated that on time delivery was crucial.

Since I was travelling on the weekend traffic was mostly light and there were no unusual delays, so I arrived at the delivery on Sunday evening.  I had already called ahead to insure that I could park on premises overnight, so in this case on time delivery was guaranteed.

Around 4:30 (CDT) the next morning they opened the gate and checked me in.  This was my first delivery to a retail store, and I found their back lot a little challenging to maneuver the rig through.  But I managed to back in to their dock without much delay and they started unloading immediately.