STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

Life Day 21749: Dawdling in Denver (part deux)

To finish up with Wednesday, Jan 24th, I picked up the load in Brighton about 1600. Before I left Denver, I recieved and accepted a return PrePlan. It was a load of pallets and return product from the store to which i’m delivering going back to the Distribution Center in Brighton. Cool, at least I know now what i’ll be doing most of the weekend. I drove to Rock Springs, WY where I stopped for the night.

Thursday:
I left Rock Springs at 1000. I drove to Idaho Falls, ID via US-191N to US-26W. It was a nice, leisurely, scenic drive. I walked the MMM and had lunch/dinner. I then drove to Hamilton, MT. The road became icy going over Lost Trail Pass on US-93 on the ID/MT border. I made it over the summit “barefoot” (without chains). I parked at the Consignee for the night.

Friday:
A little before my appointment of 0900, the unload/reload began. I took the opportunity to walk the MMM and get breakfast at Perkins Restaurant. They are usually pretty good, but I had a bad experience this time. I ordered hot tea and Eggs Benedict. When she brought the tea service, she brought a cup of hot water, an extra teapot of hot water, honey and lemon, and 1 (one) tea bag. I asked her how I was expected to use my only tea bag to make tea in both the cup and the teapot. She said that people usually made tea in the cup then added hot water from the teapot. When I asked her if she made 1 cup of coffee in the morning, then when it ran low, just added more hot water to it, she just walked away. Being relatively intelligent, I made tea in the teapot. I flagged down a busboy and dumped the hot water from the cup into his cart. This way, I at least got a cup and a half of tea, and a dirty look from the busboy. The Eggs Benedict and Poppy Seed Muffin were good. It was just the lack of tea and the attitude of the waitress that soured the experience. Needless to say, her attitude was reflected in her gratuity (or more accurately, lack thereof). When I returned to the truck, they were just finishing the loading. One more romp for the MMM, and off we went. I stopped in Lolo, MT for fuel, then drove to Livingston, MT where I stopped for the night. I only had 7.5 hours available today.

Saturday:
I left Livingston at 0800. I drove to Billings, MT and took a short break. Next, I drove to Casper, WY where I had lunch/dinner about 1500. At 1600, I drove to Longmont, CO where I stopped for the night.

Sunday, Jan 28th:
I left Longmont at 0830 and drove the remaining 25 miles to the consignee. I did the drop delivery, then drove the 25 odd miles to our terminal in Denver for fuel. According to my fuel guage (the “low fuel” light was illuninated), I was “sucking fumes”, but when I fueled, I only took 170 gallons out of a possible 240. Some day, I may figure out exactly how much fuel I have remaining when the “low fuel” illuminates, but for now, i’ll just use it as an omen to look for a place to fuel.
1500: no load yet.

Life Day 21745: Dawdling in Denver

Before I bring you up to date on my latest galavantings, i’d like to announce that I am “jumping on the band wagon”. I don’t want to be the only person in America not to announce my intention to run for the Democratic nomination for President. I am setting up an Exploratory Committee to conduct a Feasability Study to determine if I should establish an Exploratory Committee to conduct a Feasability Study to determine if I should establish an Exploratory Committee to determine my chances of winning the nomination. I guess it would help if I actually were a Democrat, but then none of those who have announced so far are actually Democrats either.
Anyway, on with the show.

Thursday, Jan 18th:
I finally got a decent load!!! About 1400, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Long Beach, CA and delivered in Topeka, KS, the first load over 1000 miles i’ve had in over a month. I picked up the load and was on the way by 1645. I drove to Barstow, CA and took a short break. It took quite a while to get there because of the traffic, but I got there. About 1945, I left and drove to Kingman, AZ where I stopped for the night.

Friday:
I left Kingman a little before noon. I drove to Winslow, AZ and took a break. I stopped at the new Wally World and stocked up my fridge. At 1600, I drove to Milan, NM. I stopped here for fuel. The “low fuel” light was flashing, and, being a new truck, I didn’t know if I had enough fuel to make it to our terminal in Albuquerque. As I was fueling, it started to snow. At 1930, I drove to Tucumcari, NM where I stopped for the night.

Saturday:
Today was a “snow day”. I left at 1000 and drove to Guymon, OK. The roads were horrible through Texas and Oklahoma. They evidently are unaware of the “newfangled” products available to clear their roads (snow plows and salt). I left Guymon about 1430 and drove to Newton, KS where I decided i’d had enough for the day.

Sunday:
Before I left Newton at 1000 and drove to the consignee in Topeka, I took these pics of the MMM on their morning “rounds”.

The snow had stopped and the roads were clear. While I was en route, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Joplin, MO and delivered in Los Lunas, NM. I did the drop/hook delivery, then started out to our terminal in Edwardsville, KS for fuel. Somewhere along the way, one of the air lines on the trailer split (perhaps due to the cold) and I lost the trailer brakes. Not really a problem as long as I didn’t have to make an emergency stop. After I was finished fueling, I reported to the shop to get the trailer repaired. I was pleased to get in promptly. My total time in E’ville was about 2 hours. I left at 1830 and drove to the shipper in Joplin. I was a little late because of the delay, but I was loaded promptly. I then drove to the nearby Pilot truckstop and went to bed.

Monday:
I left Joplin at 0830 and drove to our terminal in Oklahoma City, OK. Again, I needed some repairs on the trailer. On my PreTrip inspection, I noticed that a couple of lights were not working. Turns out that it was a bad ground. Aluminum to Aluminum is a good ground, until it becomes corroded. Anyway, I left OKC at 1300 and drove to Amarillo, TX. I had dinner here, then drove to a Rest Area on I-40 (mm-252) in New Mexico where I ran out of hours. This is the first full (11 hour) driving day i’ve had in a long time.

Tuesday:
I left the Rest Area at 0715 and drove to our terminal in Albuquerque for fuel. Again, the “low fuel” light was illuminated, but I decided to “test” it this time. I was actually farther away (over 90 miles) than the last time when I “chickened out”. I made it. After fueling and walking the MMM, I left Albuquerque at 0930 and drove to the consignee in Los Lunas. I did the drop/hook delivery. It took a while to find a Swift empty trailer that wasn’t full or partially full of pallets. I then drove to the nearby Wally World. I again stocked up my fridge and settled in to wait for a load. About 1300, I was told to “deadhead” to our terninal in Denver. I left at 1330 and drove directly there. I stopped briefly at a Rest Area in southern Colorado to give the MMM a break. I arrived at about 2100.

Today, Wednesday, Jan 24th:
I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picks up later today in Brighton, CO and delivers in Hamilton, MT. I’m just dawdling until my pick up time.

Life Day 21738: Whiling Away The Hours In Wilmington

These doldrums caused by the lack of freight are making it easy to keep you informed of my whereabouts. In that vane, here’s the diary of my latest ventures.

Monday, Jan 15th, 2007:
I finally recieved and accepted a PrePlan around 1000 which picked up in Salt Lake City, UT and delivered in Las Vegas, NV, a whopping 412 mile run. I fueled, then drove to the shipper. I picked up the load and was underway by about 1230. The load was originally scheduled to deliver at 2230 tonight, but that appointment was moved up to 2130 while I was en route. No problem. there was plenty of time to do that without rushing. I stopped at the MMM’s favorite Rest Area on I-15 south at mm-88 in Utah. It was C O L D (7 degrees). Their little “feetsies” froze and it wasn’t too long before they were ready to leave. That’s good because so was daddy. We stopped once more on I-15 at exit 75 in Nevada at the Moapa Indian truckstop to buy some relatively cheap smokes. I can buy them much cheaper in Missouri, and a couple of other States that aren’t trying to “tax them out of existance”, but for this area, they’re cheap. I then drove to the consignee. I arrived 45 minutes early, and had to wait to be unloaded. Normally these loads are drop/hook, but since I was the only truck expected in tonight, they did a ‘live’ unload. They finished around 2300, and I drove to the WWW and went to bed.

Tuesday:
I decided not to take any time off here this time and made myself available this AM at 0800. About 1000, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Beryl, UT and delivered in Long Beach, CA. Another load under 500 miles, but this one has a 200 mile deadhead, so it’s actually a little under 700 miles. I left about 1100. I took the “scenic shortcut” to get to Beryl (UT-18N instead of I-15N to UT-56W). It saves about 30 miles, but takes just as long if not longer to drive because it is a 2 lane road through a National Forest. It was a nice drive. I arrived a little before 1400. This was a load of hay. What was different about it was that it was packaged for overseas shipment in small (18 inch x 18 inch x 24 inch bales) “shrinkwrapped” together into “pallet sized” stacks. I’ve never seen hay shipped this way before. Anyway, since hay is shipped by weight, I drove onto the scale and got my “light weight”. After that, I spotted the trailer into the dock. It only took about 1/2 hour to be loaded. I then went onto the scale again for my “loaded/tare weight”. I checked my axle weights as I drove onto the scale and discovered that I was a little overweight on my tandem (trailer) axle. While they were doing the paperwork, I adjusted my axles and re-weighed. This time I was legal. I left about 1530. This time I drove via UT-56 to Cedar City, then I-15 south. While I was driving through the Virgin River Canyon, a pick-up driver signaled me that I had a flat tire on my trailer. I stopped in Mesquite, NV and had it repaired. I lost about 1 1/2 hours. I then drove to the WWW for dinner. I had the Prime Rib. It’s not too bad for $9.99 plus tax. After dinner and a good MMM walk, I drove to Hesparia, Ca where I stopped for the night.

Wednesday:
I left Hesparia about 1000 and drove the 85 odd miles to the consignee. I arrived a little before noon and drove directly onto the scale for my “heavy weight”. I then spotted my trailer into the dock. It took about 1 1/2 hours to unload for some reason. While I was being unloaded, I took the MMM for a walk. During this walk, I discovered that the only way to get out was to back all the way out the same way I entered. NICE!! After I was unloaded, I swept my trailer, left the dock, and backed all the way down the narrow driveway, avoiding the obstacles, onto the scale again. After getting the “light weight” I figured out to get out without backing all the way onto the street. The only problem was that the “roach coach” had just arrived and was blocking the exit. I had to wait another 15 minutes before I could leave. I drove to our terminal in Wilmington, CA to wait for my next load. I found a hose and washed out my trailer to remove the rest of the hay that the broom couldn’t remove.

Life Day 21734: Tracy Tedium

Unfortunately, there is still not much on which to update you. Freight is still abysmal.

Wednesday, January 10th, 2007:
Sometime in the ‘wee hours’ last night, I recieved a PrePlan which picked up in Tolleson, AZ and delivered in Tracy, CA. After taking care of “business”, (walking the MMM, and my AM toilette), I accepted the Plan. It wasn’t scheduled for pick up until 2100, so I settled in at the Flying J for the wait. I migrated there from the terminal last night because I ran out of ’smokes’. Cigarettes are now over $5.00 per pack in AZ due to a recent tobacco tax increase. YUK!! I took a nap for about 3 hours in mid afternoon due to the late hour of the appointment. About 1900, I went to the shipper and picked up the load. It was a drop/hook. I then drove to Quartzsite, AZ. I took a short break here, then drove to Fontana, CA where I stopped for the night (early AM).

Thursday:
I left Fontana at 1230, the earliest I could after the late arrival. I drove to Lost Hills, CA where I took a break for lunch and to walk the MMM. About 1700, I drove to the customer in Tracy. I verified my 0700 appointment, then went to bed. 

Friday:
I awoke at 0600 and walked the MMM. It was cold (33 degrees). I checked in with recieving at 0645 and was assigned a dock. This was a ‘live’ unload. Just as the sun was rising in the east, I was empty. I settled in to wait for my next load. I couldn’t get a good internet connection because the signal was blocked by the building, so I just dinked with my music files. At 2030, still without a PrePlan, I decided to re-locate to our terminal in Lathrop, about 10 miles away. The terminal was packed because it is Friday, but I managed to find a “sort of” parking spot out of the way of most of the traffic. I settled in here for the night.

ADDENDUM:  

Saturday:
I awoke this AM still without a PrePlan. It was still cold for this area. About noon, I recieved and accepted a PrePlan which picked up in Lovelock, NV and delivered in Quincy, IL, but not until tomorrow morning. At least i’ll get a few miles today driving to Lovelock. It was scheduled to T-Call at our terminal in Salt Lake City. About 1300, after fueling and walking the MMM one more time, I drove to Sparks, NV. I found the Black Bear Diner there. It is directly across the street from Sierra Sid’s Casino and TA truckstop (they don’t have a website). Sierra Sid’s does have an extensive gun collection, including Elvis Presley’s gun collection purchased from his father after his (Elvis’) death. Anyway, after dinner, I drove the 90 odd miles to Lovelock and went to bed in the parking lot of Sturgeon’s Casino.

Sunday:
I arose at 0600 and drove to the shipper on the eastern outskirts of Lovelock. I did the drop/hook pick up, walked the MMM, and left a little after 0800. I drove directly to our terminal in Salt Lake City. I stopped briefly at a Rest Area so the MMM could make some “yellow snow”. After arriving in SLC, I t-called the load, then drove the Flying J to wait for another load.

Life Day 21730: Phloundering in Phoenix

Not much to catch up on this time.

Tuesday, Jan 9th:
Yesterday, I left Palm Springs at 1100. I drove directly to the consignee in Phoenix. I did the drop/hook delivery, then drove to our terminal. Since then, nothing. Freight is abysmal. Phoenix was 200 loads short yesterday, and just as many today. The Planners can’t even deadhead drivers to where there is freight because there is no freight anywhere. LA was, and still is, just as bad. Albuquerque and El paso are in equally dire straights. This is the worst “after Holiday” lag i’ve ever seen. I did use some of my idle time productively today. I renewed my Contract with Swift for another year. It is supposed to be done by the 1st of January. I signed the lease on my new truck on Dec. 19th last year and forgot to update it before the 1st of the year. Seems to me that since it was so close, they should have had me sign for both years  at the original signing, but that’s just me. They gave me my 2006 and 2007 Permits when I picked up my Permit Book. Oh well, it’s done now and that’s all that counts, I also tracked down my E Z Pass. It was right here in Phoenix, so I picked it up and installed it in my truck. One good thing is that I will have 34 consecutive hours off by tomorrow AM, so i’ll have a fresh 70 hours when they finally do find me a load.