Life Day 21203: Lodi Leisure
July 31, 2005 on 1:14 am | In On The Road | No CommentsOn the 30th, I left Rice Hill at 0845. I drove to Canyonville, OR (home of Seven Feathers Casino). I took a 1/2 hour break here because they have a little ‘grassy’ area on which to walk the MMM. I drove from there to our Terminal in Willows, CA. Just before Corning, CA a fitting for the air-line under my drivers seat came apart. Although noisy, and upsetting to the MMM, there was no rapid air loss, so I decided to continue the 6 or so miles to Corning. Luckily, I had the parts available to make the repairs myself, and did so, then continued to Willows after a 20 minute delay. I filled up with fuel here because, even though I might possibly be a little overweight, there are no more State Inspection Facilities (Weigh Stations) between here and my destination in Tracy. I drove from here to Lodi, CA where I stopped for the night. I worked 9.75 hours, of which, 9.25 were utilized driving 457 miles.
Today, the 31st, is a day of leisure (hence the clever title of this post). My delivery time is not until tomorrow at 0900, so I won’t leave here until tomorrow AM about 0800. It’s only about 30 miles to Tracy and although there is our Terminal in Lathrop, and a couple of Truckstops which are closer, I’ll stay right here. The Terminal has no facilities other than bathrooms and nowhere to walk the MMM without trekking a couple of hundred yards across concrete. The Truckstops are in Stockton, and are rife with riffraff and all other forms of sub-human miscreants. Here at the Flying J, I have serendipitously secured a primo WiFi parking spot away from the traffic, yet with an unobstructed signal. I’ll spend most of today copying CD’s to my hard-drive, with a couple of meals and MMM excursions interspersed at appropriate intervals for variety and/or to alleviate the monotony.
Life Day 21201: Coburg Cogency
July 29, 2005 on 6:29 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsOn the 26th, I awoke with a Pre-Plan on my QualCom. It picked up at the Consignee in Green River and delivered in Bellevue, WA with one extra delivery in Auburn, WA (0 miles empty and 954 miles loaded). After accepting it, I left Ft. Bridger and drove the 45 miles to Green River, WY. After delivering (dropping) the load from Ogden and picking up (hooking) the Bellevue, WA load, walking the MMM, eating breakfast, and doing the quotidian paperwork, I departed Green River at 1030 and drove to Little America, WY to weigh the load. The weight was O.K. During their walk, the Ground Hogs “harangued” Walter and Wolfie as they were ‘taking care of business’. The Deer, however, were not affected by their presence.
I then drove to Evanston, WY. After a break here for fuel, I left at noon and drove to Twin Falls, ID (via I-80W to I-84W to I-15N to I-84W). The alternate route that some drivers use (I-80W to US-30W to I-15N to I-86W to I-84W) is actually 5 miles farther and takes much more time due to lower speed limits and driving through the small towns on US-30. It is an easier run, however, if there is snow in I-80 between Little America and Evanston because the “hills” are less steep, but that wasn’t pertinant to this trip. After a 1/2 hour break for the MMM, I drove to Caldwell, ID where I stopped for the night. I worked 9 hours, 8.25 of which were utilized driving 506 miles.
I left Caldwell at 0730 on the 27th and drove to La Grande, OR. I had a quick lunch of Steak Fingers & Fries and some really nice Wisconsin Cheese Soup, walked the MMM, then drove to Umatilla, OR. After a 15-minute break, I then drove to Auburn, WA. Along the way, I stopped at a View Area about 10 miles north of Yakima, WA and took these photographs of Yakima Valley.
I drove 473 miles in 9 hours and worked 9.25 hours.
The 28th was a frustrating day. I arrived at the 1st Consignee at 0500 and checked in with Security. I was given a number and told to park and wait until they called me to a door. At 0730, it was finally my turn. I went to my assigned door only to find another truck there. I went to see the Recieving Clerk to find out what the problem was and /or get another door. He told me that the driver was finished and should not be there. I knocked on the drivers door, waking him up. He said that they were still unloading him as far as he knew. I went back inside to the Clerk. He said that he had been finished for over an hour and sent one of his ‘flunkies’ out to tell him to leave. The ‘flunkie’ went to his truck, talked to him for a minute, went back inside, then came back out a minute later with the drivers signed bills in hand. Recieving had forgot to give him his paperwork when he was done!! After the driver left, I backed into the door. They finished their part of the load (the whole trailer except for 1 pallet) at 0900, and I drove to Bellevue for my final drop. I was immediately given a door and backed in. By the time I had chocked my trailer and checked in with the Recieving Clerk, I was empty. I picked up my paperwork, then found a secluded spot to walk the MMM and wait for a Plan. I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, then waited some more. At 1415, Security discovered my ‘hiding place’ and asked me to leave. With no Truckstops anywhere near, my only option was to drive 30 miles south to our Terminal in Sumner, WA to wait there. I arrived at 1500 and put on 125 gallons of fuel. At about 1700, I finally recieved a Pre-Plan that picks up in Kent, WA tomorrow at 0830 and delivers in Tracy, CA on Monday (19 miles empty and 809 miles loaded). Now I remember why I stopped taking loads to the Northwest besides the nasty weather in the winter. The Freight Out Of Here Sucks!! I drove 55 miles in 1 hour and worked a total of 2.25 hours.
Today, Friday the 29th, I left the Terminal in Sumner at 0800 and drove the 12 miles to Kent. I was immediately given a door, and was loaded in less than 20 minutes. After doing my paperwork and walking the MMM, I left at 1015 and drove to Coburg, OR. I took a long break here to ‘play’ on the computer. I then drove to Rice Hill, OR where I stopped for the night. I drove 318 miles in 6 hours and logged a total of 6.5 hours for the day.
Life Day 21197: Ogden Obeisance
July 25, 2005 on 5:00 am | In On The Road | No CommentsOn the 15th, I left Las Vegas at 1600. I drove to Hesparia where I stopped for a half hour for a snack and a MMM walk. This was the last place to stop until I get to Oxnard. I arrived at the 1st Consignee in Oxnard at 2300. After the partial unload, I left for Goleta at 2330. I arrived at 0030 and went to bed. I worked 7.25 hours and drove 332 miles in 6.75 hours.
On the 16th, I arose at 0800 and checked in with the recieving clerk. I was given a door immediately, and after the partial unload here, I drove to the final Consignee in Santa Maria. I arrived ahead of schedule for my 1000 appointment, and was unloaded immediately. I won’t go into the Log Book matriculations I employed to ‘get everything legal’. I’ll just say that after sufficient rest, I contacted the Planner for this region and was offered a load that picks up tomorrow in Bakersfield, CA (where I mis-spent my youth) and delivers in Vancouver, WA (130 miles empty and 860 miles loaded). Santa Maria is not a ‘hot bed’ of industrial activity at any time, and it is especially bad on weekends. I chose this load for a number of reasons. The first was the paid mileage (there weren’t many loads available at all, and this was one of the ‘longer’ ones I was offered). The second reason was the destination (I haven’t been in the Northwest for quite some time). The third reason was the climate (the MMM and I are weary of the heat). The final reason was that my sibling and his wife are currently in Bakersfield holding an “open house” on their rental home there (formerly my parents’ house, but not the one in which I grew up). I called them and arranged to meet them. Along the way (about 10 miles east of Santa Maria on CA-166) I stopped and took these phothgraphs. This little Lake is not identified on the map or by any signs, but I think it is part of Twitchell Reservoir.
I arrived in Bakersfield at about 1900. We went to The Roadhouse for dinner. I had the Pork Shops, Brocolli, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Potato Cheese Soup. All was delicious. After dinner, we visited for a while, then I went to bed. I worked 5 hours and drove 199 miles in 4 hours.
On the 17th, I met my family at 0800 for Breakfast at Milt’s Coffee Shop. I parked my truck in their lot last night. It is also about 1/2 mile from the house my brother is selling. After breakfast, my brother and I went to Radio Shack to purchase the necessary parafernalia to repair my XM Radio and to install an extra DC power outlet for my truck. In a rare moment of ‘premature afterthought’ we purchased 2 power outlets, one to replace the one obliterated by the MMM due to it’s proximity to their ‘path to freedom’ when they exit the truck, and the second one to be located in an ‘out of the way’ location. We finished at about 1600. I bade them farewell and drove to the Shipper which is “technically” in Bakersfield, but is, in actuality, closer to Buttonwillow. I arrived at 1700. After the drop/hook, I drove the 4 miles to Buttonwillow where I bought 50 gallons of fuel and walked the MMM. At 1800, I left thriving Buttonwillow and drove to our Terminal in Lathrop, CA where I filled up my fuel tanks, and walked the MMM yet again. I departed there at 2230 and drove to Lodi, CA where I stopped for the night. I drove 228 miles in 4.75 hours and worked at total of 5.5 hours.
On the 18th, I departed lovely Lodi at 1015 and drove to Redding, CA. At 1500, I left redding and drove to Medford, OR. Along the way, I stopped briefly at a Rest Area adjacent to the Airport on the north side of Weed, CA to take the following photographs of Mt Shasta at Sunset.
The picture on the right is not of Mt. Shasta, but the mountains to the west.
After taking the pictures, I continued in to Medford. After a brief stop, I continued on to Coburg, OR where I stopped for the night. I drove 491 miles in 9.75 hours and worked a total of 10 hours for the day.
On the 19th, I awoke at 0730. After a pleasant MMM jaunt, I showered and had breakfast. I left at 1100 and drove to Vancouver, WA. After the drop/hook delivery, the Planner promptly offered me a load which picked up in Auburn, WA and delivered ASAP in Woodland, CA (149 miles empty and 719 miles loaded). I heartily accepted and departed for Auburn at 1400. I arrived at 1630, did the drop/hook and was back on the road at 1730. My intention was to stop at the Flying J in Federal Way, WA to walk the MMM. Alas, progress has once again reared its’ ugly head. The truckstop is soon to be yet another Mall. I drove to Napavine (exit 72 on I-5S) and took my break there. Not coincidently, there is a real nice steakhouse there called the Rib Eye. I had dinner and then drove to Coburg, Or where I, again, stopped for the night. Deja Vu. I drove 512 miles in 9.5 hours and worked a total of 10.25 hours.
I left Coburg at 1045 on the 20th and drove to Weed, CA. This time I stopped at a fairly new truckstop there aptly named Travlers’ Stop. It’s on the south side of town. I took these pictures of omni-present Mt. Shasta (after walking the MMM naturally).
I left Weed at 1545 and drove to Woodland, where I did the drop/hook delivery and called it a day. I drove 457 miles in 9.25 hours and worked a total of 9.75 hours.
This morning, the 21st, the MMM roused me at 0600. The Planner for the area sent me a QualCom message asking me to call him. When I did, he offered me a load which picked up in Martell, CA and delivered in Yuma, AZ (66 miles empty and 646 miles loaded) tomorrow AM at 0900. He said that “technically” this should be a ‘team’ load due to the pick-up/delivery time vs the mileage, but he didn’t have one available and asked if I could make the run. I accepted the load then asked the all important question “Where the Hades is Martell, CA”? It’s not in my Rand McNalley. It turns out that it is about 50 miles northeast of Stockton on CA-88. I arrived there at 0915. This was a ‘live’ load, but all went smoothly and I was back on the road by 1000. From there I took CA-99 to Bakersfield. I stopped briefly at the Flying J because time was of the essense. I then had to decide whether to follow the Swift routing and take I-5S through LA to I-405 to I-15 into San Diego them I-8E to Yuma, or take the logical path, CA-58E to CA-14S to CA-138E to I-15S to I-10E to CA-86W to I-8E, thus by-passing all the ubiquitous LA traffic. I naturally opted for the later. I left Bakersfield at 1515 and drove to Palm Springs, CA where I stopped for the night. I drove 539 miles in 10.75 hours and worked 11.5 hours for the day.
On the 22nd, I got an early start. I left Palm Springs at 0530 and drove to Yuma. I arrived right on time at 0900. This was supposed to be a drop/hook Customer, but there were no empty trailers available. The Planner had already offered me a load which picked up in Calexico, CA and delivered in Van Nuys, CA (57 miles empty and 242 miles loaded) later today. Without too much delay, I was told to ‘bob-tail’ to Calexico. I arrived at 1130, picked up the load and departed at 1245. I drove directly to Van Nuys and did the drop/hook delivery at 1745. At This point, I was completely out of hours for the day. Fortunately, this was one of our bigger Customers and they allowed me to spend the night on their property. I had to walk about 1/2 a mile (one way) to get something to eat. After sunset, the temperature did not drop as rapidly as I had hoped, so I was drenched in perspiration by the time I returned to the truck. After my Subway Tuna Sandwich and Chips, I settled in for the night. I worked 10.75 hours and drove 478 miles in 9.75 hours.
On the 23rd, I was up at 0700. The Planner offered me a load to New Jersey which I had to turn down because I didn’t have enough hours to make the run. I only have 7.25 hours available today, 5 hours tomorrow and 5.5 hours the day after that. Finally, they offered me a load which picked up in Fullerton, CA and delivered in Farr West (Ogden), UT (43 miles empty and 713 miles loaded) which I accepted. I arrived in Fullerton at 1215, did the drop/hook, and drove to our Terminal in Fontana for fuel. I left Fontana at 1430 and drove to Las Vegas where I stopped for the night. I worked 6.75 hours and drove 306 miles in 6 hours.
With only 5.5 hours available to work today, the 24th, I left Las Vegas at 0800. I drove to one of the MMM’s favorite Rest Areas in Utah on I-15 at exit 89. It has a fenced in area where they can play off-leash. We spent a ‘productive’ 1/2 hour there, then drove to Nephi, UT where I ran out of hours and thus stopped for the day. I arrived at 1400. With very little else to do in Nephi, I went to bed at about 1530. This way, I can leave at midnight when I can once again ‘legally’ drive and finish this run. I drove 327 miles in 5.25 hours and worked 5.5 hours.
At the stroke of midnight on the 25th, I departed Nephi and drove to Farr West. I arrived at 0215 and did the drop/hook delivery. Yesterday while I was en-route, the Planner had offered me a load which picked up in Ogden, UT and delivered in Green River, WY (7 miles empty and 157 miles loaded). This is about the best that I can expect in my current ‘hours’ situation (I only have 5.5 hours available again today). Having some time to kill before my 0800 pick-up, I went to the Flying J in Ogden and took a nap (I didn’t get a whole lot of “quality” sleep going to bed so early yesterday). I arrived at the Shipper at 0800. This was a ‘live’ load. I was finished loading (including time spent driving to the Pilot Truckstop to weigh my load) at 1030 and drove to Ft. Bridger WY. Along the way, I stopped at Devil’s Slide on I-84 between Ogden, UT and I-80 and took the following photographs.
The River in the foreground is, as near as I can determine, Lost River.
I’ll finish this load tomorrow because I’m about 15 minutes shy of being able to deliver this load “legally” today. I drove 239 miles in 4 hours and worked at total of 5 hours.
Life Day 21187: Off to Oxnard
July 15, 2005 on 12:51 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsThis AM, the 15th, the MMM woke me at about 0700. Shortly after their morning ‘exploration’, I was contacted via QualCom by one of my former DM’s who now heads up the COSTCO Dedicated Account. He said that he needed my help with a 3-stop load (Oxnard, Goleta, and Santa Maria)( 0 miles empty and 430 miles loaded). Evidently the driver on this load, one of his drivers, has stopped communicating for some reason. He asked if I could cover the load which is located right here at the TA Truckstop. It was supposed to start delivering in Oxnard at 0800 this AM (the load has already been re-scheduled once because this driver had a flat tire and waited to inform his DM or On-Road until it was too late to make the original scheduled delivery). I of course said that I would help him out. The load was re-scheduled (again). The 1st stop now delivers tonight at midnight (2300 PDT). The 2nd stop delivers tomorrow at 0800 and the final stop at 1000. {I hope that this driver buys a Sunday paper because I think he’ll be seeking gainful employment elsewhere. A “little birdie” told me that a Team has already been dispatched from Salt Lake City to pick-up his truck and trailer, the empty that I dropped to pick-up this load}. The only way to make my Log Book “appear” legal and still make the deliveries on time is to wait until about 1630 to leave here and drive to the 1st stop and make that delivery. I will be legal to that point. After that, I’ll have to be “creative“, but I will make the deliveries on time. I’ll be in a ’slow’ freight area when the load is complete, and I’m not entirely sure what time I’ll be available after the Log Book matriculations, but I’ll be sure to show 10-hours off before I make myself available so that whenever I’m ready, I’ll be starting out legal.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
July 15, 2005 on 12:55 am | In Miscellany | No CommentsGLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THIS BLOG
5th Wheel: The coupler on the tractor that attaches to the trailer.
10-4: Message recieved and understoond.
10-7: Temporarily “out of service” (ie: lunch).
10-20: Current location.
10-21: Accident ahead.
10-22: Emergency activity ahead.
AK: Alaska.
AL: Alabama.
AR: Arkansas.
AZ: Arizona.
BCC: Beloved Canine Companions (the doggies).
Bear: Any State Patrolman.
Big Apple: New York City.
Big D: Dallas, TX.
Big Easy: New Orleans, LA.
Body: The exterior of the tractor.
Bridge: The distance between the Kingpin and the rear axles of the trailer.
Bridge Law: Laws which some States have to regulate the “bridge” distance (turning radius) of a vehicle).
Bug Check: Agricultural Inspection Station.
CA: California.
Cab: The interior of the tractor.
Cable Chains: Cable traction devises.
Chains: Traction devices.
Chassis: The framework to which the 5th wheel is mounted.
Chicken Coop: A State Weigh Station or Port of Entry
Circle City: Indianapolis, IN.
Comedian: The median between opposing lanes of traffic on a highway.
Consignee: The customer who takes delivery if the load (receiver).
Corn Binder: Any truck manufactured by International Harvester.
County Mounty: A county Sherrif.
CSR: Customer Service Representative.
Customer: A generic term for a shipper or receiver.
DC: District of Columbia (Washington, DC).
DE: Deleware.
Dispatch: Generic term for office personnel.
DM: Driver Manager (my boss).
Drives: The drive axles of the tractor.
Drop/Hook: Dropping a trailer (loaded or empty) and picking up another trailer (loaded or empty) at the same location.
Drop Yard: A facility leased by Swift from another entity used to park Swift equipment.
Duals: The Drive axles of a tractor.
ETA: Estimated time of arrival.
Falling Star: Any truck manufactured by Western Star.
FCFS: First come, First served.
‘Firm’ Appointment: An appointment at a customer that has been scheduled for a specific time, and must be met.
FL: Florida.
Freight Shaker: Any truck manufactured by Freightliner.
GA: Georgia.
Gator: A tire carcass in the road.
Gay Bay: San Francisco, CA (and environs).
Glad Hand: The coupler(s) which connect the tractor airlines to the trailer.
Glad Hand Lock: A security device which connects to the glad hand of the trailer to prevent theft.
Good Buddy: A male homosexual.
HI: Hawaii.
IA: Iowa.
ID: Idaho.
IL: Illinois.
IN: Indiana.
K-Whopper: Any truck manufactured by Kenworth.
KS: Kansas.
KC: Kansas City, Kansas or Missouri).
Kingpin: The pin under the front of the trailer which locks into the 5th wheel of the tractor.
Kingpin Lock: A security device which clamps around the kingpin to prevent theft.
LA: Louisiana (or Los Angeles) depending upon the context in which it is used.
Little Havana: Miami, FL.
Local Yokel: A Local Law Enforcement Officer.
Lot Lizard: A female prostitute who frequents truck stops and rest areas.
MA: Massachusetts.
MD: Maryland.
ME: Maine.
MI: Michigan.
Mile Hi: Denver, CO.
MMM: Million Mile Mutts (the doggies).
MO: Missouri.
MS: Mississippi.
MT: Montana.
NC: North Carolina.
ND: North Dakota.
NE: Nebraska.
NH: New Hampshire.
NJ: New Jersey.
NM: New Mexico.
NV: Nevada.
NY: New York.
OH: Ohio.
OK: Oklahoma.
OR: Oregon.
PA: Pennsylvania.
Pete: Any truck manufactured by Peterbilt.
Planner: Plans loads on drivers in a particular area or region.
PrePlan: The offering of a load sent to me via QualCom. At this point, being an Owner/Operator, I have the option of accepting it or turning it down.
PTA: Projected time available (for next load).
QualCom: The Satellite Communications System installed in my truck to facilitate communication with and from Swift.
RDO: Remaining days out. Every time I leave home, my RDO is set at 14. By the time it reaches zero, i’m supposed to be home, or nearly there.
RI: Rhode Island.
SC: South Carolina.
SD: South Dakota.
Shipper: The customer shipping the load.
Shaky: Los Angeles, CA.
Sin City: Las Vegas, NV.
Sliders: The rails under the trailer to which the tandem axles are attached.
Smokey: A State Patrolman.
Splitter: The air operated device which allows shifting between high and low range in the transmission.
Steers: The steering axle of the truck.
Stiker Patch: Phoenix, AZ.
Tandems: The axles of the trailer.
Terminal: An office and parking facility which is owned by Swift.
TN: Tennessee.
Tractor/Truck: Used interchangeably. The power unit.
TX: Texas.
UT: Utah.
VA: Virginia.
VT: Vermont.
WA: Washington.
WI: Wisconsin.
WV: West Virginia.
WY: Wyoming.
If you couldn’t find what you were looking for here, look it up in your Funk and Waggonal.
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