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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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Trip 67 - New Sterling - Garbage
Truck ... to Phoenix, AZ Trip 67b - Used Peterbuilt - Garbage Truck ... to Boise, ID 12/19/04 - Short night, got in at 10:30 pm, back at the office by 8:30 am. Thought we'd be getting a shuttle ride to IA to pickup our trucks ... we did get a ride, but this guy is heading to CO. For once I didn't offer to drive ... last time I took all four hours against my time so the other guys could keep rolling, this time I'm the one that needs all the hours I can get. Once I get to Phoenix I get to hop in another truck and head to Boise and still be home by Christmas. The ride to customer was uneventful, one of the guys had just done the Phoenix run last week ... I've done it before back on Trip 54 - Sept 7 - 9, also done the same route two other times for another customer. Bad news ... the STOP ENGINE light is on on my truck, it's Sunday and no one can work on it until Monday. It does take me a couple of hours before I find out who will fix it, by then I am froze and my cell battery is dead ... end up having to use another drivers on a couple of the calls. Nice trucks, but not cig lights / means no battery chargers. Weather was +3 this am without the wind, fingers get numb in seconds ... As I'm standing here freezing, the driver I ran with last week (yesterday) calls to give me an update on airfares ... not cheep ... may be cheaper to drive to SLC, Denver or even Las Vegas and then catch a plane ... could drive all the way home but at 1,500 miles it's if'y on making it in 24 hours. After talking to an 800 number, two local dealers and dispatch, I end up parking my truck at the Freightliner dealer in Waterloo ... they didn't have a problem with me driving the truck with the light on (maybe should have gotten that in writing?) and they could work on it first thing Monday. So the driver I was supposed to run with was off, no splitting motels this run The Frieghtliner dealer isn't really in Waterloo ... about 10 miles outside ... all that is at this exit is Freightliner, McD's, a gas station, two truck stops, a Ramada and lots of corn fields ... Ramada was 'only' $45 so I stayed there, didn't figure I'd save much by cab'ing it 10 miles both ways ... This might be the life for some people but not for me ... I was in the motel by around 3-4 and my truck wouldn't be ready until 9 Monday ... boring. Would have been a great time to have packed a swimsuit. Instead I walked to the RoadRanger for lunch/supper and had ... (don't remember, it's been a week). But I did get some pie to go ... thought if I got too hungry I'd end up over at the Flying J later for supper and then at McD's for breakfast. Luckly all business' were within a 1/4 mile of each other. 40 cable channels and nothing to watch ... finally settled on "Smokey and the Bandit" found it more interesting having just spent my last trip down in the area where the movie is set ... TX/LA/AL ... didn't see any familiar sights, but did recognize the road numbers they said they were on ... 1) it was probably not shot on location, 2) scenery may have changed since 1977. Well today didn't pay too well, no forward miles / no pay ... $50 - motel $10 - gas (24 miles, 5 mpg, $2 gal) $3 - fax in breakdown report 12/20/04 - Shop said to call and check the status of the truck at 9 AM ... shop opens at 7, I'm there at 8 ... trucks not ready so I settle in to the drivers lounge, don't see the truck outside at 9, by 9:15 I'm down checking on the truck ... now it is ready. All it was was a loose connection on dash light ... oh well, better safe than sorry. Only one day lost, should ... still be able to make Boise by Thursday PM. Even though I am way behind, I decide to stick with 55 ... seems it's the only way any of these runs pay anymore. We do get a 5 cent premium on these because they are right hand drives ... in the past we have either stopped just short of KC at Kearny, MO or gotten as far as Emporia, KS but that's leaving from the office. More costs because of the breakdown ... I'm hitting KC at rush hour, should have been through here on Sunday ... By starting in Waterloo I have a three hour jump that should get me to Pratt ... but at Pratt I'm still under 600 miles for the day so I push on to Mead ... if I couldn't find a motel there I was planning on going to Liberal ... a couple dozen motels there. But right across from the closest thing to a truck stop in Mead is a Budget Host ... $26. By now it is after 9 PM and the only place to buy food is the 'truck stop' ... but even their restaurant is closed so it's time to nuke a cold sandwich. They do have one section of restaurant food and I pick a breakfast crescent, and an ice cream sandwich ... and some 'smoothie' juice. Gourmet food ... Only problem with this place is the fly's ... but they do provide a fly swatter and tonight it's cold enough they aren't very active ... 12/21/04 - Ooooooh ... something did not agree with me. Was up a few times during the night and finally forced myself out of bed an hour after I should have been on the road, and I was still dragging. Good news is I have been able to fuel at truck stops and save a few cents ... did have to put in five gallons at Walmart the day I picked up the truck ... which wasn't enough to get the low fuel light to go off ... but after that it was two Flying J's and now I should be able to make it to the Lov's in Hooker, OK (where, so far, the fuel is less ... until they pass an 8 cent a gallon tax increase). Well, at Hooker I still wasn't on 'E' so I kept going ... two weeks ago fuel was the same price in Guymon ... earlier this year fuel was higher in Guymon ... today ... 3 cents lower. The other driver I was going to run with is about six hours ahead of me, he's running even slower than I am ... he's got a plane ticked for Wednesday and just found out that it'll cost him $50+ to change it to Tuesday, so he's not. Winslow, AZ is my goal ... "standing on a corner in Wislow, AZ ... got such a fine sight to see ..." Driver last week said the cheep motels were in Holbrook but I didn't see any cheep signs so I kept going ... Flagstaff would have been a push. Yesterday came to 630 miles, today was 640 ... only leave about 300 for tomorrow ... with this truck. Plus 300 on the other truck will leave 600 for Thursday ... sounds good. Winslow does have a motel 6, under $40 ... and truck parking, and right next door to a truck stop. But, being after 9 PM again ... my only choices for food are fast food or a 24-cafe across the interstate. It's a good night for a walk and I do try to avoid fast food when I can ... CLOSED ... but some one is cleaning up so I ask them ... "Oh, we are just going to be doing some work, we'll be open again in a few days ..." 'A few days? I'm only here tonight' "What do you want?" 'Was hoping for a burger or something.' So he lets me in and yells back at the cook ... Looked like they had just closed ... did cook me up a tasty patty melt ... which I took to go, didn't want to impose any more than I had. Sure do run into both ends of people in life. Those like here who go out of there way ... and those that see you coming and rush to lock the door. Didn't want to carry a cup of liquid so I got a bottle of juice from the truck stop area, the two people at the first counter sent me to the truckers counter ... too busy? naw ... changing cash drawers, maybe. Apologized to the gal at the truck counter for a non fuel purchase ... "Not a problem, you're the first customer I've had in 3 hours ..." I doubt that, but it was slow ... could be why this place is no longer a Pilot, it's now called a 'Super American.' But if the cafe opens again, I'd stop again ... good food, good service, what else do you want ... even the fry's were fresh and crisp. 12/22/04 - Another slow morning, usually its 5 hours and I'm itching to go but not this trip. I had told dispatch a couple of days ago I'd be doing my drop today in Phoenix by 10, looks like I should still be fairly close ... always try to shave some time off the numbers I give dispatch, but not gaining any ground this trip ... just as well, can't afford to fly out of Boise on Thursday anyhow and Fridays prices are still dropping. Here's always the catch on this run ... how much fuel do I need to get from Flagstaff to Phoenix? Gives me something to debate with myself this AM ... I've been getting just over 5 mph ... its 120 miles ... I still have almost a 1/4 tank, only need to leave them with 1/8. I finally settle on 13 gallons ... Little America, Flagstaff ... always crowded, always have to bring in your ID or credit card before fueling ... unlike most place, this one has plenty of help and there is seldom a line. As soon as I hit I-17 I saw my error ... its not 120 miles to Phoenix, its 140, at 5 mpg a difference of 4 gallons ... did end up leaving the truck with the low fuel light on, with just over 1/8 of a tank. Did remember to check when I was at Little America as to which exit I was to get off at so no problems finding the drop. I paid just under $500 on fuel this trip, the guy I was running with/behind came in a few dollars more ... the two guys last week spent $570 each and another guy I talked to showed me he spent $790 ... same trucks, same run, same pay ... only the take home is different. Page 2 - The next leg .... |