Life Day 21563: Another “Sin City” Scorcher
July 26, 2006 on 2:00 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsOn Friday, the 21st, I accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Salt Lake City and delivered in Aurora, CO. I drove to the Customer (the same one to which I delivered yesterday). This particular load was loaded on a refridgerated trailer (reefer).
Swift has a few of these, although their “bread and butter” is still 53 ft. van trailers. After picking up the load, I left Salt Lake at 1330. I drove to Rock springs, WY. I had to stop here to check the temperature in the trailer. It was supposed to be set for 18 degrees, and it was. Along the way, I stopped briefly at a View Area overlooking Echo Reservoir and took these pictures.
The Reservoir has been “down” for the last few years due to the general drought in the West, but it looks like it is recovering nicely now. I left Rock springs at 1715 and drove to Laramie, WY. I took a short break here to walk the MMM. At 2045, I drove to the Consignee in Aurora (Denver), CO. I arrived at 2300, walked the MMM and went to bed.
On the 22nd, I was awakened at 0345 by the Reciever who informed me that they would take me early because the 0400 appointment had cancelled. My appointment was scheduled for 0800. Nice to be unloaded early, but not nice to have my “beauty sleep” interrupted. Lord knows I need all that I can get. After being unloaded, I settled in to wait for a PrePlan. I was famished, so I looked around for a place to eat. The only place around was a Denny’s. Against my better judgement, I had breakfast there. One thing about Denny’s is that no matter where you are, the food will be the same as any other Denny’s. They didn’t disappoint me in this respect at least. I ordered the Meat Lovers Slam, which was 2 eggs (over medium), bacon, sausage, hash browns, and 3 pancakes. I recieved 2 eggs (over hard), pretty good bacon, cold sausage, hash browns, and 3 pancakes. I’m a pretty good cook, and know a lot about food preparation, but it’s a mystery to me how Denny’s can consistantly serve hash browns that are golden brown on the outside and still cold in the middle. I sent the sausage and the hash browns back, and began devouring the rest. They got the sausage and hash browns right on the second try. I managed to eat it all, except for one pancake, which the MMM (whose tastes are far less discriminating than mine) thoroughly enjoyed. The citizens of Colorado are the latest to fall victim to Neo-Facist Nannyism. As of July 1, 2006 smoking is prohibited in restaurants, so this compounded the already unpleasant visit to Denny’s. When I got back to my truck, I had a PrePlan on the QualCom which I accepted. It picked up at our terminal in Denver and delivered ASAP in Flagstaff, AZ. I drove to the terminal, fueled, then walked the MMM. I had to wait about 2 hours for the load to arrive ( it was another “shuttle” load). At 1300, I left Denver and drove to Pinon, CO. I had a pretty good Reuben Sandwich and fries for lunch/dinner. It was served on a nice, mild, marbled rye bread rather than the traditional rye bread. At 1545, I drove to San Felipe Pueblo, NM. It’s an Indian Casino about 25 miles north of Albuquerque on I-25. I took a quick MMM break here, then drove to Milan, NM where I stopped for the night.
I left Milan at 1030 on the 23rd and drove directly to the Consignee in Flagstaff. I did the drop/hook delivery, then drove to the Little America truckstop to wait for a PrePlan
There are 4 “Little America” travel stops in the US: This one, one in downtown Salt Lake City, UT, one in Cheyenne, WY and, one out in the boondocks of Wyoming on I-80 between Fort Bridger and Green River. This one is by far the most aesthetic. Being Sunday, it was a long, disappointing wait. About 1800, I finally recieved and accepted a PrePlan from Bellemont, AZ to Salt Lake City, UT. It didn’t pick up until the next morning, so I settled in. On Monday, the 24th, I left Flagstaff at 0830 and drove the 13 miles to Bellemont arriving at the scheduled time of 0900. I did the drop hook, then left at 1000. I drove to Jacob Lake, AZ, a “lodge type” Inn, gas station and “C” store not too far from the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. I walked the MMM and had lunch. At 1400, I drove to Parowan, UT where I fueled and took another short break. At 1800, I drove to our terminal in Salt Lake City, UT where I stopped for the night.
There was no appointment yet scheduled for this load. The 24th of July is a Mormon holiday which is observed in Utah. It commemorates the day that Brigham Young stood on the Point Of The Mountain and said: “This is the place”.
On the 25th, I traded this load for a “local delivery”, then another PrePlan to Henderson, NV. It picked up at a customer about a mile from the terminal and delivered to a customer in Salt Lake. The load was ready when I arrived. I drove to the consignee, who was waiting for me when I arrived. I positioned the trailer, and 1/2 hour later, I was on the way to pick up the Henderson load. This was a drop/hook customer, so 15 minutes later, I drove back to the terminal to weigh the load and fuel. I had to make a minor adjustment to the tandem axle weight. About 1430, I left Salt Lake and drove to the MMM’s favorite Rest Area on I-15 at mm-88. After their jaunt, I drove to the Flying J truckstop in North Las Vegas where I stopped for the night. This load delivers tomorrow (the 26th) at 1800, so I have some time to kill. After the delivery, i’ll take ‘hometime’ until Friday AM. No surprise, it is forecast to be over 100 degrees for my entire stay.
Life Day 21558: Sedentary in Salt Lake City
July 20, 2006 on 10:37 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsI finally got out of Phoenix on Sunday, the 16th. I recieved the PrePlan yesterday, but the shuttle driver bringing the load from Jacksonville, FL didn’t arrive until this AM. I waited until after noon to pick up the load. By this time, I had accumulated enough hours ‘off duty’ to re-start my 70 hour clock. I drove directly to the Flying J in Vegas and stopped for the night. It was about a mile from the Consignee.
On the 18th, I accepted a load which picked up in Henderson and delivered in Vista, CA (10 miles east of Oceanside). Yesterday, I delivered the load from Phoenix, then took the rest of the day off. After that last outing, I can’t afford anymore time at home. I left Las Vegas at 1300 and drove to the Shipper. I did the drop/hook, then drove directly to the Consignee in Vista. Along the way, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in National City, CA and delivered ASAP in Salt Lake City, UT. It’s nice to know in advance where i’m going next for a change. I checked out the dock area, then went to bed.
At 0700 on the 19th, I spotted my trailer in the dock. It involved a ‘blind side’ backing maneuver, but it wasn’t bad because I was the only one there. I had only 5 pallets, so by the time I finished my daily toilette, they were finished with the unload. I left at 0730 and drove to National City. I stopped for breakfast at a View Area overlooking Solana Beach. I took these pictures while walking the MMM.
It was a bit overcast, but still, it was a nice break. I arrived at the Shipper at 1000. It took them about 45 minutes to load the trailer, after a 2 hour wait. I left at 1315 and drove to Hesparia, CA. I had lunch, and walked the MMM. From there, I drove to Jean, NV. After a short break, I drove to Mesquite, NV. I stopped at the Casa Blanca Casino. It is by far the most aesthetic Casino in Mesquite, epecially at night.
The inside of the Casino is pretty much standard fare. Being Wednesday night, there wasn’t much of a crowd.
Before I left on the 20th, I had breakfast in the Purple Fez Bistro. I had a nice view of the pool area from my table.
I drove to the MMM’s favorite Rest Area at exit 88 on I-15 north in Utah. They enjoyed a nice untethered romp in the pet area. At noon, I left and drove to the Consignee in Salt Lake City. I did the drop delivery, then drove to our Terminal. I had to have the right windshield of my truck replaced. A rock chip, for some unknown reason, decided to start “spider-webbing” after about 6 months. The shop has an Outside Contractor who does their windshield work, so I didn’t have to wait to get into the shop. He arrived about 1/2 hour after he was called, It took another hour to do the work. I also replaced the switch for the power mirrors while I was waiting. It was a 10 minute job. The right mirror stopped working a few weeks ago. I was reminded about it again yesterday AM when I was doing the ‘blind side’ back. After the work was finished and waiting a hour for the sealant to cure, I drove to the Sapp Bros. truckstop about 3 miles from the Terminal. They have free WiFi there. Good reception too!! Too bad it’s in a NeoFacist Nanny State which has banned smoking virtually everywhere.
Life Day 21553: Phriday Phrustration in Phoenix
July 15, 2006 on 7:51 pm | In On The Road | No CommentsThis last outing, which began on the 3rd, started out on a bad note, and didn’t get much better. The Independance Day Holiday was only part of the problem. On that fateful Monday, I accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Compton, CA and delivered in Tampa, FL. Sounds good so far, right. I deadheaded the 250 odd miles from Las Vegas to Compton. Before I left town, I took the time to renew my Drivers License, so I got a late start. I arrived about 2000. I checked in with Security. He told me where to drop my empty trailer, which was a drop yard 2 blocks away. When I returned to get my loaded trailer, there was a problem with the pick-up number I was given. The guard could not release the load without the correct number, so the bottom line is that I didn’t get the load. I did get permission to re-hook to my empty trailer. I spent the night in their drop yard.
Finally, about noon on the 4th, I recieved another load. This one picked up in Oxnard, CA and delivered in Tracy, CA. I drove to our nearby Terminal in Wilmington for fuel. I then drove to Oxnard, arriving about 1400. This was a drop/hook customer, so I was back on the road by 1430. I drove to Coalinga, where I stopped at Harris Ranch. Naturally, I had one of their award winning Chicken Fried Steaks. I then drove to Tracy and spent the night on the street in front of the Consignee.
I spent the entire day of the 5th in Tracy. At 1100, my scheduled appointment time, I was given a door. It took 3 hours to unload. While I was being unloaded, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up at another Customer in Tracy, and delivered in Sumner (Tacoma), WA. I then drove to the Shipper for the Sumner load, arriving at 1400. This was 3 hours early for my 1700 appointment. I checked in and was told I wouldn’t be loaded early, so I settled in to wait. At 2000, I was finally given a door assignment. It took another 3 1/2 hours to load. At midnight, I, at long last, left the Shipper and drove to our Terminal in for fuel and to weigh the load. The weight was good, so I just went to bed. Another wasted day.
I finally managed to put in a full day (560 mi) on the 6th. I drove to Halsey, OR with stops in Stockton and Corning, CA and Medford, OR. Just a nice leisurely drive through some beautiful country.
I left Halsey at 0900 on the 7th and drove to the Consignee in Sumner. Along the way, I stopped at Rest Area on I-5 in Washington at mm 90. I took these pictures of a couple of interesting trees, and a poor lonely dandelion.
I arrived at about 1330. This was a drop delivery, so I dropped my trailer and drove the 3 blocks to our Terminal. I decided to get a PM Service done on my truck. I was told that it would be tomorrow morning before I could get into the shop, so I decided to get a motel room. I went to the King Oscar Motel ( the one that Swift uses). When will I learn. Since i’m a smoker, with pets, I was put on the 4th floor. I had to use the stairs every time I walked the MMM because Wolfie is terrified of elevators. Good exercise for Daddy. I used some of my spare time to do a couple of loads of laundry. Other than that, I watched the Food Network. No wireless connection, so I couldn’t ‘geek’ on the computer.
My truck was finished about noon on the 8th, and I settled in to wait for a load. While waiting, I noticed this view of Mt. Ranier from the back part of the Terminal. The other picture is the front of the terminal.
The MMM made good use of what little shade there was. That’s my truck in Bay 8.
About 2100, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Auburn, WA and delivered in Pueblo, CO. I drove to the Shipper, did the drop/hook pick-up and left Auburn about 2300. I drove to Ellensburg, WA where I collapsed from exhaustion. I arrived at 0115.
I left Ellensburg at noon on the 9th, after a delicious leisurely breakfast at the Buzz Inn Steak House, next to the Flying J. I took these pictures before I left.
I drove to Stanfield, OR where I stopped for fuel and lunch. Along the way, I stopped at the Selah (peonounced seelah) Cliffs Rest Area on I-82 overlooking the Yakima Valley. I took these pictures from there.
On the left is another view of Mt. Ranier, on the right is Mt. Adams.
I left Stanfield at 1500 and drove to Ontario, OR. I did a short break here because of the difference in speed limits between Oregon and Idaho. I then drove to Eden, ID where I called it a day. I need to get back onto a reasonable shift.
I left Eden, ID at 0900 this morning, the 10th. I had the first good day of driving (650+ miles) since leaving Las Vegas on the 3rd. I drove to Evanston, WY. This route took me past the Devil’s Slide View Area, so I took a few more pictures.
Lost Creek flows along the base of Devil’s Slide. An interesting looking weed was growing along the banks.
I liked the color is the mountain across the freeway.
I left Evanston at 1300 and drove to Rawlins, WY. I fueled here to take advantage of their lower fuel prices, then drove to a small truckstop in Erie, CO. It was so small that it closed at midnight and re-opened at 0600. I had to stop here because I had depleted my 14-hours for the day.
On the 11th, I left beautiful Erie at 0900 and drove to the Consignee in Pueblo. I sailed right through Denver because the AM “rush hour” had already discipated. I arrived at noon and did the drop delivery. I then drove to Walmart to do some shopping. Among the things I had to purchase was a new XM Radio reciever. I purchased an Delphi Roady XT. I paid about $75.00 for it. Truckstops sell it “on sale” for about $80.00. My old one, an XM SkyFi, “gave up the ghost” yesterday going through Wyoming. It gave me good service for about 7 years. May it Rest in Peace. Among the features I like on the new Roady XT is it’s built in FM modulator. No more “hard wiring” to an FM transmitter, or use of a “cassette adapter”. I used some “ethnocentric engineering” to mount the magnetic antenna on my left mirror bracket.
All of the “stuff” that I used to mount it, I already had “pack-ratted” away in my truck, so I didn’t have to purchase anything new. There is nothing magnetic on the cab of these newer model Freightliner trucks. Anyway, I digress. About 1700 I accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Aurora (Denver), CO and delivered in Prewitt, NM. I drove the 120 miles to Aurora, did the drop/hook pick-up, and was back on the road at 1930. I drove to Trinidad, CO, where I stopped for the night because of that pesky 14-hour rule.
I delayed my start on the 12th until 1100. I still had no PrePlan for a load after I made my delivery in Prewitt at 1700, so I wanted to increase my prospects by still having as many hours available on my 14 as possible. I drove to Albuquerque where I fueled and took a quick MMM break. They can go untethered at our Terminal. I then drove the remaining 100 or so miles to Prewitt. I arrived at 1645. When I checked in with Security, I was informed that my appointment wasn’t until tomorrow at 1700, and that I could not deliver early. GREAT!! I informed my DM of the SNAFU. The final result was that I had to wait until tomorrow to make the delivery. The closest place to T-Call the load was Albuquerque, and no one wanted to make that decision. I was then told by Security that I had to leave the property. I back to the junction at CR-19 and settled in to wait.
Most of the 59th Anniversary of the day _____ (insert your preferred Omnipotent Being here) chose to bring me forth unto the world, I spent waiting to be unloaded in Prewitt. About 0900, I became “fed up” with the B___ S___ and drove 20 miles to the Petro truckstop in Milan, NM to shower and eat. I drove back to Prewitt about noon. I called my DM and informed her that Swift would pay me for the extra miles driven to take care of those minimum hygenic chores. I had already earned the maximum 8 hours of “detention pay” ($240.00). At the appointed time of 1700 (not a second earilier), I was allowed to enter the facility to unload. At some point during the day, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up at this facility and delivered in Southgate, CA. After unloading, I had to drive back to the Security gate. I got my empty (light) weight, and was told by Security to exit the facility, turn around in the lot, and drive back to the Shipping area. The entire unloading/loading process took a little over 3 hours. I was finally on the road at 2030. Just before I left, I recieved a PrePlanned T-Call for this load at our Terminal in Phoenix, AZ (it didn’t deliver in Southgate until Monday mid-day). I drove to Winslow, AZ, grabbed a quick bite to eat, then drove to Cordes Junction, AZ, an hour north of Phoenix on I-17, where I called it a day. I arrived at 0145.
I left Cordes Junction at noon on the 14th and drove to the Phoenix terminal. As I was preparing to make the transition from I-17 to I-10, some BONEHEAD crossed 2 lanes of traffic in front of me, then hit his brakes. This put me into an emergency braking situation. I missed him, but when I released my brakes, I ‘felt’ the load shift. I continued onto the terminal and turned in the paperwork (T-Called) the load. I then went through the fuel islands for fuel. Upon doing my ‘walk around’ inspection, I discovered that when the load shifted, it damaged both of the trailer doors.
It was a load of rolled newsprint loaded horizontally (what is called a bilge load) and braced in with 2×4 bracing. MORE FUN!! I had to report it to Safety, and do an accident report complete with pictures. I probably won’t be charged with a “preventable accident”, but it still ruined my day. Before the load can be delivered (by someone else) it will have to be cross-loaded to another trailer. I hope they get someone who knows what they are doing. There were only 7 rolls of paper which weighed a total of 44,000 lbs. That means they will have to load 3 rolls in the front of the trailer, leave a space, then load the other 4 rolls toward the rear of the trailer. Unless you know what you’re doing, the placement of the last 4 rolls is trial & error until you get the load “legal”. It’s just a WAG. As it turned out, it also ended my day. There was no freight to Las Vegas, which was also part of the reason for the T-Call in Phoenix. My RDO is at -1. Before hooking to an empty trailer, and retiring to the Flying J for the remainder of the day, I ordered a new truck. My contract on this one expires in early November and they need about 90 days notice. I ordered a Kenworth T-2000 with a Cummins ISX engine. It’s plush. I’m through with Freightliner and Detroit. Nothing but problems with this one.
WIRELESS WOES
July 15, 2006 on 3:27 pm | In Miscellany | No CommentsYou may have noticed a lack of postings of late. This is due to the omnipresent “technical difficulties”. My Sprit Wireless Card decided to stop functioning. I spent almost 2 hours on the phone a week or so ago with a “techie”. We tried everything including uninstalling and reinstalling the software, but to no avail. My computer will not recognize that the card is installed. Currently, i’m back to using the ancient WiFi connection at Flying J. I’ll give the “techie” another try next week.
DON’T YOU JUST LOVE THE WONDERS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY!!!!
GEEEZUS FREAKS
July 2, 2006 on 3:11 pm | In Humor | No CommentsMy travels sometimes take me over US-491 between Montecello, UT and Gallup, NM. Until 4 years ago, this highway was known as US-666 (the Devil’s Highway). A small group of petty, malcontent Jesus Freaks petitioned the Federal government to have it redesignated due to the Satanic references associated with the numbers 666. This to me was just assinine. This shows how narrow-minded some, repeat, some Christians can be. What? Having this scenic byway designated as US-666 somehow caused people to become Satinists? I think not!! I do agree that there is a general ”moral decay” in this country, but it was not caused by this highway’s numerical designation. These people need to grow up and get a life. What will be their next target, I-69?????
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