STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

Life Day 22511: Lollygaging in Laredo

I am lollygaging here in Laredo for a purpose. I’m doing a 34-hour re-start. This outing has been pretty good so far. Whenever I have to do a re-start because I ran out of hours, it’s been a good week.
Now, I will chronicle my recent activities leading up to this momentous occasion.

Tuesday, the 24th: I left the Gearjammer at 0830 and drove the 5 odd miles to the shipper. They were ready for me when I arrived and I was loaded expeditiously. By 0945 I was back on the road. I drove to La Grande,  OR where I walked the MMM and had a late breakfast. At 1445 I left La Grande and drove to Twin Falls, ID. I took a quick break for the MMM, then finished my day by driving to Snowville, UT.

Wednesday, the 25th: I left Snowville and drove to our terminal in Salt Lake City, UT. I fueled, then had a 90-day D.O.T. Inspection done on my truck. It is basically a glorified Pre-trip inspection, but it is required by the D.O.T. every quarter. I went next to the Sapp Brother’s truck stop for breakfast, then departed SLC about 1215. I drove to one of my favorite Rest Areas on US-191 at mm-110, about 15 miles south of Moab, UT. I gave the MMM a nice walk then we had a quick snack. At 1715, I drove to Jamestown, NM where I ran out of hours (14-hour rule).

Thursday, the 26th: I left Jamestown at 0930 and drove to our terminal in Albuquerque for fuel and a quick MMM break. At 1145, I drove to El Paso, TX. I took another quick break for the MMM. At 1700, I drove to Sanderson, TX where I ran out of hours for the day (11-hour rule).

Friday, the 27th: I left Sanderson at 0800 and drove to Del Rio, TX. I took a break for lunch here at Luby’s Cafeteria, one of my favorites. At 1100, I drove to our terminal in Laredo. With any load going into Mexico, as this one was, we have to have a trailer inspection done before we drive to whatever forwarding company to which we are scheduled to deliver. After the inspection, which went quickly as there was no line, I drove the 8 miles to the Consignee and dropped my trailer. I then went to a nearby HEB supermarket for a few consumables. After that, it was back to the terminal. I decided to do a 34-hour re-start. By the time I was finished at the Consignee, I only had 1½ hours remaining for the day, and only picked up another 5 hours at midnight. Not worth the effort trying for another load under these circumstances. I arrived back at the terminal at about 1700 which means that technically I can be available at 0300 on Sunday morning. I set my PTA for a more rational 0700 on Sunday. Hopefully, they will be able to find a load for me.

Saturday, the 28th: Today was geek day. I spent the vast majority of it on the computer. I took a break at about 1500 for a shower and a trip to town for dinner. I opted for the local Luby’s again. I take every opportunity to eat at Luby’s, because the ones that have truck access (even bobtail) are extremely limited. I even passed up a Golden Corral to get there. After dinner, I returned to the terminal, where I began geeking again.

Sunday, March 1st: I have been remiss in not mentioning the weather. That is because there has been none (inclement, that is). Since leaving Yakima I have encountered nothing but above average temperatures for the season. As a matter of fact, when I arrived here in Laredo on Friday afternoon, the temperature was in the high 90’s (almost too hot). Friday night about midnight, there were some strong winds that rocked the truck most of the night. It was still a bit more than breezy when I woke up Saturday morning, and it had cooled down considerably, although not to a level that made it uncomfortable. It was in the low 70’s most of the day, and the winds became a gentle breeze. Nice. Today is looking like a repeat of yesterday. To paraphrase an old idiom: It’s a tough life, but someone has to to live it.
As of noon, I still do not have a PrePlan. I’m not really surprised since this is Sunday, and all of the brokers here in Laredo work pretty much Monday through Friday. Still, I was hoping that they would find me something so that I could get rolling today. With freight as bad as it is in general, Swift has pretty much stopped the “trailer relocation” type of loads where they send you from a ‘light freight’ area to one where freight is more plentiful. There are no regions where freight is plentiful. So, I guess that I will be geeking again for most of the day. This terminal is really, really, really boring.
SUNDAY ADDENDUM: I did finally receive a PrePlan going to Houston, TX about 1500. It wasn’t much, but at least I’ll roll a little bit today. I found my trailer in the yard, then left the terminal about 1600. I drove to a Rest Area a little south of San Antonio and took a short break. I then drove to Katy, TX where I stopped for the night. Katy is about 35 miles west of Houston, and is the closest “safe haven” for trucks. I didn’t want to chance driving to the Consignee only to find that there was no parking for trucks nearby.

Life Day 22506: Yammering from Yakima

I am currently sitting at the Gearjammer truck stop in Yakima, WA. Up until this morning, this outing had been the exact opposite of the one prior. I had been moving constantly since leaving Las Vegas on Friday evening.
I will now chronicle the events which got me to this point.

Sunday, Feb 15th: I spent the day, still in Salt Lake City, lounging and geeking. I ate in my truck, so I didn’t even leave those environs save for exercising the MMM a few times. The weather was overcast and it was cold enough to snow, but it never did.

Monday, the 16th: I delivered my load, and that was about it. I spent another boring day at the Sapp Brother’s truck stop after my 1030 delivery. The weather warmed up slightly, and the clouds were gone.

Tuesday, the 17th: About mid-day, I received a PrePlan which was a ‘live load’ at 1600. It picked up a few miles away in SLC, and was scheduled to deliver in Rialto, CA. I requested to have it T-called at our terminal in North Las Vegas, NV so I could take a couple of days at home. The request was granted. I drove over to the shipper a couple of hours early to see if I could get a head start, but to no avail. I was loaded at 1600. It went quickly, and I was on the road at 1700. I drove to the MMM’s favorite Rest Area on I-15 in Utah at mm-88. I exercised them, then we had sandwiches for a snack. I continued the trek to NLV.

Wednesday, the 18th: I arrived at the Drop Yard at about 0030 and dropped the load. I then drove to the WWW and began my home time. After a few hours sleep, I connected with Don and Lou, who were hovering at the Sunset Station Casino. I have never visited there, so I drove my truck over and met up with them. We went to the breakfast buffet, and ate too much, at least I did. It was excellent, as most Station Buffets usually are. After breakfast, we walked across the street to the Galleria Mall to explore. We then went our separate ways, arranging to meet later for dinner. I wanted to purge a lot of the junk I have accumulated inside my truck, so I drove to my storage shed. I spent the entire afternoon sorting and cleaning as I purged the clutter from my truck. I quit at about 1600, still with a couple of inside compartments remaining to purge (I tend to be a pack-rat). I arrived back at the Sunset a little after 1700. We had dinner at the nearby Sweet Tomatoes restaurant. It really hit the spot; lighter fare after the enormous breakfast. After dinner, I drove back to the WWW and started in on those remaining two compartments. About 2300, I put everything back together enough to go to sleep in my truck.

Thursday, the 19th: I met Don & Lou at the RV for a Nationally famous (or infamous) Don McMuffin. After this sumptuous delicacy, we drove over to Ethel M’s Chocolate Factory and toured there for a while. I left a little before noon so I could get the MMM to their grooming appointment at 1230. I then finished de-cluttering the truck. I went much easier without the ever curious MMM underfoot. They were finished about 1600. I went to pick them, then drove over to the Sunset and connected with Don and Lou for dinner. We went to the Guadalajara Bar and Grille inside the Sunset Casino for dinner. It was excellent. I’ll be returning there whenever I’m in the mood for Mexican. After dinner, we visited in the RV for a while and arranged to meet for breakfast at the WWW in the morning.

Friday, the 20th: Now, we get to the nitty gritty of this post. Don and Lou arrived about 0830 from the Sunset. We had breakfast, then they used my room for a shower before I checked out. We went our separate ways after that. I received a PrePlan shortly thereafter. It picked up in Henderson, NV and delivered in Fontana, CA. It was supposed to pick up at 1700, but I arrived 1½ hours early, and was immediately assigned a door. I was loaded and en route by 1845. I drove to Baker, CA where I had dinner at Arby’s. I then finished my trip to Fontana, parking for the night at the customer.

Saturday, the 21st: I was unloaded as soon as they arrived, and after being unloaded, I settled in to wait for my next load. Amazingly (for a weekend day in LA), I didn’t have to wait long. I received a PrePlan which picked up in Mira Loma, CA and delivered in Hermiston, OR. I picked up the load, and drove to our terminal in Mira Loma for fuel. I was on the road by noon. I stopped in Hesparia, CA at the pilot truck stop for a Wendy’s lunch. I then drove to Independence, CA. I took a short break here, then drove to Lovelock, NV where the 14 hour rule stopped me for the night.

Sunday, the 22nd: I was on the road by 0930, the earliest I could legally move. I drove to Winnemucca, NV. Here, I visited the local “Wally World” to replenish my stock of consumables. About noon, I drove to Ontario, OR where I stopped for fuel and lunch. I then drove to Stanfield, OR where I stopped for the night. I am about 5 miles from the consignee, but I still need a drop number before I can deliver.

Monday, the 23rd: Today was a frustrating day. Earlier today,  I was in Stanfield, OR waiting for the CSR to send me a drop number so I could do the drop/hook delivery on the load from Mira Loma. I received a really nice PrePlan which picked up in Kennewick, WA and delivered right back in Mira Loma, CA, but due to the laissz faire attitude of the CSR, they pulled the plan from me as time elapsed and I still didn’t have the required drop number. About 2 hours after making the delivery, I did receive another PrePlan which picks up here in Yakima, WA and delivers in Laredo, TX. However, it doesn’t pick up until 0900 tomorrow morning. I drove here to the Gearjammer and fueled, then found a nice parking place. It is raining and the temperature is hovering around 38º. There is an Outback Steakhouse about 50 yards from the truck stop, so  the MMM and I will dine well tonight.

Ethel M’s Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden

Ethel M’s Chocolate Factory is located about 2 miles west from the Sunset Station Casino, just off Sunset Blvd. The “M” in the name stands for Mars (as in M&M’s), the Ethel is Mr. Mars’ mother’s name.  It is an interesting place. They are “way too proud” of their chocolate, meaning, of course, that it is too expensive. Don, Lou, and I took the self-guided tour, then we learned more about the process by “joining up” with a couple of the guided tours.

The pictures above show some of the equipment used in the manufacturing process.

The pictures above center and right are chocolate sculptures. Above left is a picture of some of their specialty boxes.
After about 45 minutes “touring the factory, we walked through their cactus garden.

Above left is a Century Plant about to Bloom, center is a Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom, right is Teddy Bear Cactus.

Above left is a Sumac Tree, center is a Trans Pecos Yucca, right are Golden Barrel Cactus.

Above left is a Texas Prickly Pear Cactus, center is Purple Pancake Cactus, right is a Red Barrel Cactus.

Above left  is a Baja Cholla, center is an “Old Man of the Andes” cactus, right is Autumn Sage.
I enjoyed the cactus garden much more than the actual factory, but then I’ve always found desert flora and fauna interesting. It was worth the couple of hours we spent there, especially since it was FREE. Free, that is, except for the over-priced candy bars I purchased for everyone.

Life Day 22497: Sojourn in Salt Lake City

Not a lot has happened since my last post. There has been a lot of waiting around for loads, as freight is still pathetic everywhere. Other than that, very little of consequence has happened.
Now, I’ll tell you how I got here.

Thursday, the 12th: I awoke about 0530. After I walked the MMM, I kicked back in the truck until the receiver arrived, about 10 minutes late. He started promptly once he arrived. There were 130 pieces to be unloaded by hand, so it took about 1½  hours to finish. I left about 0830 and drove back to the terminal. Before I drove to the customer last night, I noticed that one of my trailer lights was not working, but the shop was already closed. After the repair, I drove to my next customer on Vance AFB, OK. This stop was a bit out of the ordinary. I arrived right in the middle of some sort of Exercise. Security at the Commercial Vehicle Gate had to thoroughly inspect my truck for weapons and/or contraband. This took about 15 minutes. I took the opportunity to walk the MMM. When they were finished, I asked for directions to the Chapel, my ultimate destination. Unfortunately, they directed me directly into a construction zone which blocked my access to the Chapel. I was about 150 feet away, but couldn’t get there. Fortunately, I was directly across from the Security Police building. I went in and asked for assistance. I had turned from the main road on the base onto this street, so I needed help backing back across the street. I also asked them for a different route to the Chapel. A nice SSgt came to my aid. He stopped traffic while I backed out, then led me on a rather circuitous route to the back of the Chapel. I had to do a 150 degree angle “blind-side” backing maneuver to get there, but I finally made it. The delivery took about 5 minutes. All this rigmarole for seven office chairs hardly seemed worth the effort. The entire process took about 1½ hours. When I was finally done, I drove to Wakeeney, KS. I ate lunch at a Mickey D’s, then walked the MMM. I then finished my day by driving to Arriba, CO where I ran out of hours.

Friday, the 13th: I awoke about 0500 to a slight dusting of snow on the ground. The storm had apparently passed because there were stars shining brightly when I walked the MMM. However, it was enough to mess up the roads for a while. Since I was born on the 13th, I am not a  triskaidekaphobe, so  I didn’t let it bother me too much. I drove directly to the final consignee in Aurora. It took about 45 minutes for them to ‘do their thing’. When they finished, I drove to the TA truck stop in Denver. I had breakfast, then settled in to wait for my next load. About noon, I received a PrePlan going from Windsor, CO to Salt Lake City, UT. Par for the course, it didn’t pick up right away. It picked up on the 14th at 0200. I drove over to the Swift terminal to wait there. I went to bed about 1500, but slept fitfully because I wasn’t really tired.

Saturday, the 14th: Today was a grueling day. I didn’t get any love from Cupid this Valentine’s Day. I got up around midnight, fueled my truck, then drove to Windsor, CO and picked up the load. About half way there, the weather turned to crap. It started snowing pretty hard. I arrived about 15 minutes late as a result. It made no difference, as I was the only truck there. After I was loaded, I drove to Cheyenne, WY. There, I encountered fog along with the snow. I decided to continue on because the roads were clear. I remained in the snow/fog until I got to Laramie. There, the fog lifted. I continued on to Rawlins where I finally stopped for breakfast. The omnipresent wind that one usually encounters between Laramie and Rawlins wasn’t present today. It must have taken Valentine’s Day off. After breakfast, I continued on to Salt Lake City, arriving about 1345. The roads improved drastically after sunrise, perhaps because I could actually see them. I ran into a few more snowy patches, but for the most part, both lanes of the freeway were open all the way from Rawlins to SLC.
After I arrived at the terminal, I dropped my trailer. I then drove around Salt Lake. I was trying to decide what I wanted to eat, but also I was looking for a Polarizing Filter for my Nikon D-40. After I found the filter, I decided to have dinner at the Chinese Gourmet Buffet. I’m usually not a big fan of Chinese buffets, but this one is an exception. They have about 150 items on 7 different tables from which to choose: 2 dinner tables, 2 salad tables, 1 soup table, 1 desert table, and finally a Mongolian Bar B Q table. It was excellent, and I ate way too much. After dinner, I drove over to the Sapp Brothers truck stop where I’ll hang out until my load delivers Monday morning. Soon, I’ll go to bed since I’ve been awake since midnight. Tomorrow, I’ll be bored out of my mind, but it looks like the weather will be good.

Life Day 22494: OK in OKC

I am currently sitting at a customer in Oklahoma City. I became bored sitting at the terminal where I had been since early morning. When I am finished here in the morning, I go to Vance AFB, OK for another delivery, then on to Aurora, CO for the final delivery for this load on Friday morning.
Now I will chronicle how I arrived here from Wisconsin.

Sunday, the 8th:  I left Bonduel at 0830 and drove to the Shipper in Green Bay, about 40 miles away. I did the drop/hook pick-up, then drove to Menasha, WI and fueled at our terminal. After a short break here, I drove to the Consignee in Cedar Rapids, IA. I settled in for the night. It was considerably warmer, in the 40’s. My appointment was for 0230, but the receiver came out and woke me up at 1130 and said he could take me now if I wanted. I backed in and was promptly unloaded. I then went to bed, again, about 0200.

Monday: I slept until about 0700. It never dropped below 40 degrees that I’m aware of, so I didn’t have to idle my truck. It did rain quite hard during the night, but for me, that just makes for better sleeping. There’s something about the sound of rain that enables me to sleep the sleep of the dead. I waited most of the day for a PrePlan. About 1500, I received and accepted a load that picked up in Muscatine, IA and has deliveries in Oklahoma City, OK, Vance AFB, OK, and Aurora,CO. I still had enough hours remaining on my 14-hours to drive the 70 miles to Muscatine. I couldn’t pick up the load, but at least I would be there first thing to get the load. I did so, and spent the night at a Farm and Fleet store about a mile from the shipper.

Tuesday: At 0800, I arrived at the shipper. I did the drop/hook pick-up, then drove to Altoona (Des Moines), IA. I walked the MMM, then had a hearty breakfast. I left at 1030 and drove to our terminal in Edwardsville, KS. There, I fueled, walked the MMM, then had apples and cheese for a snack. The weather was beautiful; in the low 70’s. At 1600, I left and drove to Perry, OK (arriving about 2100), where my 14-hours ended. I encountered some heavy rain around Wichita. I tuned in to the NOAA weather channel on my CB Radio and discovered that there were Tornados in the Oklahoma City vicinity, but they had subsided by the time I arrived in Perry. The forcast though was for heavy winds (50 to 60 mph) beginning around midnight and continuing until mid morning. It was already pretty breezy by the time I arrived, and the temperature had dropped into the mid 40’s. I walked the MMM, then went to bed.

Wednesday: I woke up at 0700. It was still pretty windy, and still in the 40’s. It seemed much colder than it was when I walked the MMM. By 0830, the winds had subsided enough for me to drive on to Oklahoma City, about an hour away. I fueled immediately upon arrival. The driver who was behind me told me that my brake lights were not working. I drove to the Kenworth dealership to have them repaired. I knew what the problem was because I have had this happen before. The nut which secures the wire for the brake lights to the Brake Pressure Switch is made of plastic and is loosened by the everyday vibrations of the truck. It works loose, breaking contact and causing an “over amp” which blows the brake light fuse. I don’t know why Kenworth doesn’t do a “recall” on these switches and replace them with one more durable. Actually, I do. Why would they go to the expense of a “recall” when they can charge you $125.00 in labor to tighten the nut and replace the fuse every six months or so. Anyway, I was in and out of the shop, and on my way, in less than 2 hours; record time for a Dealership. I then went to the nearby Golden Corral for lunch/dinner. It was delicious, as usual. After that, I drove back to the terminal. I took a much needed, refreshing shower, walked the MMM again, then sat around in the truck until boredom set in. About 1700, I drove over here to the customer to wait. I’m still bored, but at least I won’t have to endure any traffic driving here in the morning.