Life Day 21164: Las Vegas Lollygagging

June 22, 2005 on 8:53 pm | In On The Road | No Comments

On the 21st, I arrived at the Consignee at 0115. This was 15 minutes ahead of the 30 minute window, but they let me enter the facility early. I checked in with the Recieving Office at 0200. It took an hour to unload, then I drove to our Terminal in Fontana and went to bed at about 0400. I slept until 0900, then went to see Human Resourses to get the paperwork for my D.O.T. Physical started. They sent me to Concerta Medical Center to actually have the Physical done. I arrived there about 1000. The actual Physical is a cursory examination of your over-all condition (height, weight, eye test, hearing test, blood-pressure check and a urinalysis for Diabetes). I’m happy to report that I have been deemed by Certified Medical Personnel to, once again, be a superb physical speciman (OK, OK at least alive). I finished at the Medical Center about 1300, then went to lunch. After lunch, I went back to the Terminal, turned in the paperwork, and got my copies. In the meantime, the Planner sent me a Pre-Plan that picked up in Ontario, Ca and delivered in Ogden, UT (22 miles empty and 681 miles loaded). I accepted it, then called my DM and made arrangements to T-Call the load in Henderson. The load picked up anytime after 1600, so I decided to take a nap. I woke up at 1800 and went to pick up the load. They had set up the T-Call at a Customer in Henderson rather than our Drop Yard. I left Ontario at 1900 and drove directly to Henderson, dropped the load, then drove to the Wild, Wild West and went to bed. I worked 8 hours and drove 309 miles in 6.25 hours.
Today, the 22nd, the BCC woke me up at about 0730. After their morning constitutional, I went in for breakfast. After breakfast, I drove over to the TA truckstop to go on-line. About 1400, my DM called me and said that they couldn’t find the trailer that I dropped last night. To make a long story short, I had to ‘pull up stakes’ and go back over to the Customer to look for the trailer. I got there about 1530. Sure enough, the trailer wasn’t there. I drove around behind the building where I dropped it, and, eureka, there it was. Evidently, someone wasn’t happy with where I parked it last night and moved it. I checked to verify that the seal on the door was still intact and that the paperwork was still in the Registration box. I was in the process of calling my DM to let her know that the prodigal trailer had been located when the driver showed up. This guy wasn’t the ‘brightest bulb on the Christmas tree’. He started to prattle on in heavily accented English about “lookeeng ewerywhere and not find tlairer”. I just scowled and left. I’ll hit my DM up for an hour of “local pay” to cover my time before I leave on Friday. On the way back to the TA, I stopped by the local Fry’s Electronics and bought Microsoft Streets and Trips and Adobe Photo Shop. Photos on the BLOG again. I also went on-line and ordered each of the BCC a new leash. The DELUXE model, all webbing instead of a combination of webbing and cord. They will hopefully last longer. I’m going through about 2 each per year now.

Life Day 21162: MISSOURI MISHMASH

June 20, 2005 on 11:47 pm | In On The Road | No Comments

From this point on, all time references will be written in the Military Time format in the Mountain Time Zone. To convert to the “Civilian Time” format use the following criteria: AM times directly convert to Military Time (ie: 1:00AM would be 0100 or 11:45AM would be 1145). Times between NOON and 1:00PM also directly convert, except that they are PM instead of AM (ie: 12:05PM would be 1205 and 12:45PM would be 1245). To convert times after 1:00PM to Military Time, add 12 to the base number (ie: 1:05PM would be 1305 and 11:45PM would be 2345). Times between 12:00AM and 1:00AM in Military time are designated with a 00 (ie: 12:05 AM would be 0005 and 12:45AM would be 0045).
On the 17th, I left Ozark at 1000 and arrived in Tahlequah, OK at Noon. After the drop/hook delivery, the Planner offered me a load that picked up in Joplin, MO and delivered in Colton, CA (104 miles empty and 1501 miles loaded). Unfortunately, it was scheduled for pickup at 1130. When I picked up the Tahlequah load, I set my PTA for today at 1230, and I arrived right on schedule. I called my DM and asked what the actual paramaters for the Joplin load were and what other options were available. She said that it was a ‘live load’ and that they stopped loading at 1330. The options were to turn down the load and try for something else, or wait until tomorrow AM and pickup the load then. This would mean changing the delivery appointment. There were no other loads available going West, or with as many miles for the weekend. I opted to accept this load, and did so. The Planner ‘dropped the ball’ on this load. They are supposed to check my PTA before they Plan me to ensure that I can make the pickup on time. but since this was the best load they had, I’m not too concerned about it. I left Tahlequah at about 1300 and arrived in Joplin at 1500. I settled in at the Flying J for the night. I worked 4.5 hours, and drove 250 miles in 4 hours.
On the Saturday,18th, I arrived at the Shipper at 0600. They were unconcerned about the load not being picked up yesterday, so evidently they were told about the situation. After being loaded, I left Joplin at 0900 and drove to Oklahoma City for fuel. The TA truckstop had a better fuel price than our Terminal, so I fueled there. I left OKC at 1330 and drove to Amarillo, TX. Along the way, I stopped at a Rest Area just west of Shamrock, TX. In my humble opinion, it should be used as a model for Rest Areas nationwide. It is well maintained and presents an esthetic look at regional history.

Texas Rest Area I-40 MM 157…………………….The Truck Parking entrance

Inside the door………………………………………..Even the BBQ grills reflect Texas
After dinner and BCC walk in Amarillo, I drove to the New Mexico Welcome Center and Rest Area just past the Texas/New Mexico border where I stopped for the night. I worked 10.25 hours today, and drove 532 miles in 8.75 hours. This means that I logged 1.5 hours as “on duty, not driving” (in this case, it was .25 hours for my mandatory daily Safety Inspection and 1.25 hours being loaded at the Shipper). As a general rule, I’m NOT paid for these hours. There are exceptions of course. One is “detention time”. Detention time occurs when a Shipper or Consignee “detains” a driver longer than 2 hours (ie: takes longer than 2 hours to load/unload). To qualify, the driver has to be on-time, and do the “arrived at location” within 15 minutes of his arrival. This, in my case, pays at a rate of $35.00 per hour (in 15 minute increments) for every hour over 2 hours. This is paid for a maximum of 8 hours. After that, the driver is SCREWED. This rarely happens, and if it does, the driver is usually compensated by his DM in other ways (ie: hourly work or extra pay). This rate, in my case, would be paid at a rate of $18.00 per hour and rounded up to the closest half hour. Another way to be compensated for “on duty, not driving” time is to do “local” work within the city limits of a city. Rather than log each individual stop, the driver would log “local driving and deliveries” in the “on duty, not driving” and log the total time expended doing the “local work”. This, in my case, would pay mileage + $18.00 per hour.
On the 19th, I left the New Mexico Welcome Center at 0730. I drove to Albuquerque. I took a fairly long break here to walk the BCC and eat lunch. I left at Noon and drove to Flagstaff, AZ. I took a half hour break here and then drove to Kingman where I stopped for the night. I worked 10.75 hours and drove 650 miles in 10.5 hours.
Today, the 20th, I had a decision to make.This load delivers at 0200 tomorrow morning. My choice is to drive to our Terminal in Fontana, CA and hold up there until it’s time to make the delivery, or hang out here in Kingman until about 1900 then drive to the Customer to deliver. To throw another ‘monkey wrench’ into the mix, I have to get my D.O.T. Physical done tomorrow. It expires on the 24th, and this may be my only chance to get it done. I opted to stay in Kingman. I left Kingman at 1800 and drove to Barstow. I still was about an hour and a half ahead of schedule, so I took an hour and a half break there. The Consignee was very specific about not arriving more than 1/2 hour before your appointment time due to a lack of available parking. I left Barstow at 2345. I worked 4.5 hours and drove 216 miles in 4.25 hours.

JUNE 16, 2005 (Life Day 21158)

June 17, 2005 on 12:30 am | In On The Road | No Comments

The 4th was a day to pay bills, run errands, and work at organizing my storage unit. The weather was conducive to these sorts of tasks. It was warm, but not unbearably hot like it can be this time of year in Vegas. Perhaps 85 degrees. For dinner, I was once again thwarted in my quest (almost obsessive by now) to find a DECENT Chinese Restaurant here in Vegas. I REFUSE to lower my standards. I tried a place called Ping Pang Pong, located in the Gold Coast Casino. It was HORRIBLE. Despite being in a Casino, it didn’t really quite meet my ‘cleanliness’ standards (strike 1). There were no “famile-style” dinners or “combo” plates on the menu (strike 2). I ordered Shrimp and Pork Fried Rice and Wonton Soup. The rice was under-cooked and tasted “a bit off”. I can’t describe exactly what was wrong with it; it just tasted and smelled funny. The soup was no better. It consisted of ‘weak’ beef broth, some chinese cabbage, and the Wontons. The Wontons were ostensibly “home-made”, but the result was 4 glutenous, slimy, globules (strikes 3 & 4). YUK!!! I took a couple of the Wontons with me for the BCC, but they wouldn’t eat them either. Who says dogs are dumb. They also didn’t have Fried Shrimp on the menu (strike 5). I sat at the counter (my usual practice when dining alone). Unfortunately, it over-looked the kitchen. TRUST ME, you don’t want to see your Chinese Food being prepared (at least not HERE). I should have gone across the street to the RIO. Oh well, NEVER SAY DIE. I’ll try again.
On the 5th, I did ALL of my laundry and worked some more in my storage unit. In a moment of serendipity, I found a box containing about 45 CD’s (mostly Classical and Christmas music) that I had given up as lost. For dinner, I just went to KFC. The Colonel did a fine job with his chicken, as usual.
On the 6th, the Planner gave me a load from Las Vegas, NV to Aneheim, CA (12 miles empty and 267 miles loaded). With the short mileage and the delivery time of 11:00 AM on the 7th, I didn’t leave until 6:00 PM. I drove to Aneheim stopping only once at a rest area for a BCC walk, and arrived at 11:30 PM. The Consignee allowed me to sleep on the property. I drove 253 miles in 5 hours.
I awoke on the 7th at about 6:30 AM to the sound of confused voices. A number of Swift drivers with appointments prior to mine were trying to decide what to do. There was no one there to unload the trailers. My appointment being at 11:00, I wasn’t too concerned at this point, but since I was awake, I took the BCC for their morning constitutional. I won’t bore you with all of the different and assinine suggestions being made by those waiting, but at 8:00 AM, I was OUT of Cigarettes, and went “in search of” a C-Store to buy a pack. The first place I tried was a restaurant about a block and a half away named Tiffy’s. Serendipitously, they also had a limited selection of Cigarettes. They didn’t have my Winstons, but they did have Marloboro, so I bought a pack. I, unlike Camel smokers, won’t “walk a mile” for Winstons, nor, unlike Terryton smokers, would I “rather fight than switch”. In a good mood because of my ‘find’, I decided to order breakfast to go. I ordered a ham & cheese omlette w/ hashbrowns and corn bread. It was excellent. After I finished my breakfast, I found that the coufusion was subsiding. Evidently, this was a drop/hook Customer. Unfortunately, there were no empty trailers onto which to hook. In my second moment of serendipity of the day, The Planner gave me a load that was Pre-loaded at a customer across the street from our Terminal in Wilmington, CA and delivered in Warren, OH (28 miles empty and 2394 miles loaded). No empty trailer needed. Naturally, I accepted it and set off for our Terminal in Wilmington for fuel. My load wasn’t ready until 3:00 PM, so after doing the paperwork, I left at 3:30 PM. I drove to the CA/NV border at Primm (Whiskey Pete’s). I took a break for a BCC walk. It’s open desert, so they got to ‘explore’ off-leash. I left Primm at 9:00 PM and drove to Mesquite, NV where I stopped for the night. Having just left Vegas yesterday evening, I didn’t even blink when I drove through. I drove 379 miles in 7.25 hours.
Today, the 8th, I got a late start because I did a few errands, cheif among them being to close out my mail-box here. I left at noon and drove top Parowan, UT for fuel and lunch. From Parowan, I drove to Fruita, CO. Another break here, then off to Edwards, CO where I spent the night. I drove 548 miles in 9 hours.
On the 9th, I left Edwards at 10:00 AM and drove to our Terminal in Denver for fuel. I left Denver at 1:00 PM and drove to Wakeeney, KS. A short BCC break here then off to Salina, KS. About 10 miles out of Wakeeney, I got into some intense thunder storms. You could literally feel the drop in the barometric pressure as you passed through the storm. I was, of course, intently watching for ‘funnel clouds’. It lasted about 20 miles. In Salina, I tried to get on-line to check my e-mail. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my %#@* Computer to start-up. I have no idea what is wrong. It just keeps cycling to an error message that states that Windows failed to start then gives me some options to re-try in “safe mode” or normally. After an hour, I gave up. From Salina, I drove to Topeka, KS where I stopped for the night. I was surprised to discover upon arriving in Topeka that the Truckstop was not only closed, but halfway to becoming yet another ’strip-mall’. Fortunately there was a Wal-Mart just down the street. I drove 619 miles in 10 hours.
Friday, the 10th, I began my driving day from Topeka under unsettled skys at 9:30 AM. I drove to Higginsville, MO. I had breakfast/lunch there and walked the BCC. At 12:30, I departed Higginsville and drove to East St. Louis, IL. I stopped here for logging purposes because of the speed limit difference between Missouri and Illinois. I’m entering the Neo-Socialist Nanny State portion of America. They have slower speed limits for trucks. I’m convinced the main purpose for this is NOT Safety but rather Revenue Generation. Between Higginsville and East St. Louis, I had another bout with thunder storms. Almost, but not quite, as severe as yesterday. From East St. Louis, I drove to Brazil, IN. Again, I stopped here for logging purposes. At 8:oo PM, I left Brazil and drove to Richmond, IN. I stopped here for the night. I drove 594 miles in 10.5 hours.
The 11th, I left Richmond at 9:30 AM and drove to our Terminal in Columbus, OH for fuel and a BCC break. From there, I drove to Warren, OH. This Customer is a drop/hook location, so I was in and out within a half hour. The Planner gave me a load which picked up in Dunkirk, NY and delivered in Greer, SC (131 miles empty and 684 miles loaded). I left Warren and arrived in Dunkirk at 7:30 PM. This too was a drop/hook Customer, but my load wasn’t quite ready. I had to wait for about an hour. I finally left Dunkirk at 9:00 PM and drove to a rest area in West Virginia on I-79 SB at MM 81. I spent the night here. I drove 542 miles in 10 hours.
On the 12th, I began my day at 10:30 AM. I drove to Mount Nebo, WV. I took a short break here, then drove to Greer, SC where I stopped for the night. I drove 537 miles in 9 hours.
On the 13th, my day began at 6:00 AM. I only have 5.5 hours total for today, and 8 hours for tomorrow, so I’m limited in what I can do today and tomorow. After my delivery, (it was a ‘live’ unload), the Planner gave me a load which was basiclly a “local” run. It picked up in Greenwood, SC and was going to Otay Mesa (San Diego), CA, but I was told to T-Call it at our Terminal in Greer. (63 miles empty and 63 miles loaded). It was designated for our I-10/20 fleet. These are Team drivers that just drive cross-country on I-10 and/or I-20. I did the run for them, and after discussing my situation with my DM, decided to take the next day and a half off in order to be able to re-start my 70-hour clock. I got a PM Service done on my truck, then went to a Micro-Tel Inn for the next 2 nights. Maybe I can get ONE of my Computers working. For dinner, I went to Carrabas. Excellent. I had Veal Parmisan with Fetticine Alfredo. I drove 126 miles in 2.5 hours.
On the 14th, I tried in vane to get on-line with my Sony VAIO Desktop, but I couldn’t get my Wireless Adapter to work, so I just kicked back and watched the Food Channel all day. For dinner I went to a restaurant called Prime Sirloin. It’s a Steakhouse/Buffet similar to Western Sizzlin’ or the Ponderosa Chains. It wasn’t bad, considering what it is.
On the 15th, rested and refreshed, I made myself available at 6:00 AM local time (4:00 AM my time). The Planner gave me a load which picked up in Stoneville, NC and delivered in Tahlequah, OK (188 miles empty and 995 miles loaded). I wasn’t scheduled to pick-up until after 12:30 PM. I should have gone back to bed for a nap, but I didn’t. Instead, I decided to run the System Restore recovery discs for my Laptop. I lost most of what I had on the hard-drive, but my pictures are backed up, and I can re-install my games. I lost my music although, I can install it ALL later. I don’t listen to it much anyway. About 8:00 AM (my time), with the computer operating again, I checked out of the Motel and began the Game of trailer, trailer, where the &%#* is the empty trailer. In the interest of brevity, I merely say that I expended about 4 hours and 130 miles (fortunately mostly in the general direction of the Shipper) at 4 different locations before I FINALLY found an empty trailer and was enroute. I arrived at the Shipper at 5:00 PM, did the drop/hook, and was back on the road at 5:30 PM. I drove to Candler, NC. After dinner and a BCC walk, I drove to Knoxville, TN. I stopped here for the night. I drove 516 miles in 9.25 hours.
On the 16th, I left Knoxville at noon and drove to Memphis, TN. I took a 1.5 hour break here, then drove to Ozark, AR where I stopped for the night. I drove 603 miles in 9.75 hours.

JUNE 3, 2005 (Life Day 21145)

June 3, 2005 on 9:27 am | In On The Road | No Comments

On May 30th, I left Davenport at 8:45 AM and drove to Des Moines, IA. I took a 45 minute break here, and drove to Lincoln, NE. It was raining, but I took time to buy a “Happy Meal” for the BCC’s birthdays (ref: BCC Birthday Bash on this BLOG). I then drove to Big Springs, NE. I stopped here for the night because the Bosselman’s Truckstop here offer FREE WiFi access. I drove 610 miles in 10 hours.
On May 31st, I left Big Springs NE about Noon. I drove to Laramie, WY. Here, I took a 45 minute break for a BCC walk and fuel. I drove from Laramie to Little America, WY. Another 45 minute break for a BCC walk and a snack. I left here at 8:30 PM and drove to Tooele, UT. I arrived at 11:15 PM. I stopped here for the night. I didn’t quite have enough hours remaining to drive all the way to Wendover, NV. There is a Port of Entry (actually exit) for Utah about 3 miles from Wendover and since I would be “illegal” when I went through it, I decided to stay in Tooele. There are a couple of ’smaller’ truckstops a little closer to Wendover, but they don’t offer WiFi access. I drove 597 miles in 9.5 hours.
On June 1st, I left Tooele at 10:15 AM and drove to Wendover. I stopped here for a shower. There is a really nice ‘Truckers Lounge’ here (co-sponsored by the 3 major Casinos in Wendover). Among the ammenities they offer is FREE showers to all CDL licensed drivers. FREE fits nicely into my budget. The showers are large, clean, and well maintained. After a prolonged break here, I drove to Winnemucca, NV. A short break here for BCC purposes, then off to Reno and my final destination. I arrived at the Consignee at 10:00 PM. This is a drop/hook facility, so I was done quickly. I was out of hours (I only had a total of 8.5 available for today), so I went to bed. I drove 481 miles in 7.75 hours.
On the 2nd, I awoke at 7:00 AM with a Pre-Plan on my QualCom. It picked up this AM in Patrick (6 miles east of Sparks on I-80) and delivered in Vernon (LA), CA at 10:00 PM. This was a Hi-Value load, so the pick-up and delivery times were CRITICAL. I turned it down because I didn’t have the hours available to LEGALLY make the run. I only have a total of 9 hours available today. The Planners soon found a load which I could do. It picked-up in Reno at 10:00 AM and deliverd ASAP in Shafter, CA (0 miles empty and 392 miles loaded). As a BONUS, I’d be able to meet my brother who is in Bakersfield working on his Rental Home. With only 9 hours available today, I won’t be able to do anything until tomorrow after making the delivery anyway. I accepted it and drove to the Shipper. I arrived about an hour early, but was immediately given a dock door. It took about an hour to load, so by the time I was supposed to be arriving, I was loaded and ready to go. I departed Reno at 10:15 AM and drove to Lathrop, CA for fuel and a BCC walk. I left there at 2:45 PM and drove to the Consignee in Shafter. This is a drop/hook facility, so all went quickly and well. After doing the drop & hook, I called my brother and we made arrangements to meet. I drove to the parking lot of a Mervyns near my Uncle’s house and he picked me up. We then went to my uncle’s house for a visit. We all went to the Rice Bowl (my 2nd favorite Chinese restaurant) for dinner. It was good, as usual. We then went back to my uncle’s house and had a nice visit. We sat out on the Patio because it was a pleasant evening. At 11:00 PM (California Time), my brother drove me back to my truck, and I drove to the Flying J and went to bed. It is always nice to get a “break” from the “routine”, especially when it involves a visit with family. I drove 389 miles in 7.75 hours.
Today, the 3rd, I awoke at about 6:30 AM. (The doggies don’t care what time I get to bed. When the sun comes up, it’s time to wake up). After taking the BCC on their morning “rounds”, I went into the Truckstop to do my morning “toilette” only to discover that they had NO WATER!! I had a choice between Burger King and Jack-In-The-Box in which to ’spruce up’ and grab a bite to eat. I chose to go to Burger King because it has an almost “edible” breakfast sandwich (the Enormous Omlet Sandwich) and French Toast Sticks. (I’m ashamed to admit that I possess enough knowledge of “Fast-Food” breakfast fare to actually make an ‘informed’ choice). When I got back to my truck, there was a Pre-Plan on my QualCom. It picks up in Fresno, Ca and delivers in Denver, CO (95 miles empty and 1139 miles loaded). Since it is en-route, and I’m due some “home-time”, I made arrangements to T-Call the load at our ‘drop yard’ in Henderson, NV. I left Bakersfield (actually Shafter, or even Wasco, by my calculations) at 12:30 PM and drove the 90 miles to Fresno. The address was on North street and the directions said to turn onto East street to enter the Facility via the ‘truck gate’. I thought that I had been abducted by aliens and put into some sort of Parallel Universe because North street is on the SOUTH side of Fresno and East street is on the WEST side of CA-99 (do-do, do-do). Come to think of it, the Security Officer at the gate bore a strong resembalance to Art Bell!!
At any rate, this is a drop/hook Customer so I was in and out quickly. I called my brother and arranged to meet him for dinner once again. Just a quick stop this time as I want to get to Henderson, drop this load and begin my time off. I arrived in Bakersfield at about 6:00 PM. We met at Milt’s Coffee Shop, a local favorite with parking for my truck, and near to my brothers rental property. I had Bar-B-Q beef with “cowboy” potatoes (fried potatoes with onions and bell pepper) and some delicious Ranch-style beans. I had Apricot Cobbler with whipped cream for desert (yum, yum). After dinner we took the BCC to the rental house and let them play in the back yard for a while. I left at about 8:00 PM and drove to Barstow. I took a short break there and then drove the rest of the way to Henderson. I dropped my load and drove to Las Vegas. They had no empty trailers available, so I’ll have to deal with that on Monday.

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