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NEW TRASH TRUCK TO TX
No NM trucks
this week so this was my option. Week was limited by grandchild duty last
Thursday and Friday. Then a parent duty on Monday and and a grandchild event on
Friday. So a local trip on Tuesday and this trip on Wednesday and Thursday.
Wednesday - 5/4/11
6 AM … but that becomes 6:30 as 'some
of us' forgot cell phones and others of us took a wrong turn, not a good start
to a trip.
Four of us going to pickup at the same location today.
Three of us going to Dallas and the other going to PHX. (But it's not me ? ) I
crawled in the back of the van hoping to catch a few winks but someone else
slid in beside me and said they had planned on the same things. I suppose we
could have taken turns, it's a four hour trip, but we didn't.
We stop
for a break mid-trip and I purchase my DEF then just in case …
I
didn't sleep, spent most of the trip talking to a newer driver. He's been with
the company about a month so he had a lot of questions. The newer guy I met
yesterday sat in the front and didn't talk much today. The newer guy had
mentioned yesterday that he wants to run together, split a room, etc.
The driver that's been here a month is an interesting person and has had a few
interesting trips. Ran out of fuel twice on one trip, will be interesting to
hear how that plays out on his paycheck.
One truck is ready and
sitting out, that's the one going to PHX. Then someone comes out from the
company and asks who has the other PHX. I start to tell him that we only have
one going to PHX and he quickly tells me that it's a PHX truck going to the
show in Dallas, turns out it's mine. Then a 2nd Dallas truck is pulled up but
the 3rd one will be 'a few minutes,' they are still putting a decal on it.
So I get mine inspected and we wait. When it does come I help him do
his inspection and we find one wiper is not working. Then we find out it came
in that way and the shop never came out to fix it. I offer that the driver can
get it fixed in-route and that is what they go with. Turns out that 'in-route'
turns out to be out of route. 50 miles in the wrong direction. At this point I
tell the other driver that he's going to be on his own and tell dispatch that
'they need to watch his hours.' :) (no, I'm not in dispatch anymore)
I
also have to question dispatch about the fuel, it doesn't say to leave full or
leave between 1/8 and ¼. I've heard that trucks going to shows need to
be drained before being left in the show. I ask dispatch if they know and they
don't, I can ask but I would have to find my contact again. Before I have time
to find my contact, dispatch is back on the phone … "Leave it on fumes."
So we part our ways. I was planning on fueling at the truckstop 20
miles down the road but am not sure I have enough fuel to make it that far so I
head to the nearest station. An easy access diesel pump and someone pulls in
ahead of me. Between all the delays I have lost over an hour by the time I pull
out of town.
IA?
MO?
Nothing much new. Same truck and
route as the last two weeks. Before I get out of IA I see the 1st driver coming
down the ramp at a casino exit. Didn't know he spent his time on that, but it
does explain how I was able to gain an hour on him. Before we got to our trucks
I asked him about his prior trip and the person he had following him. Sounds
like it was interesting …
And I come up 60 miles short on fuel.
Have to stop in Bethany instead of the Pilot in Kearney. No perk points. I do
see that this store is now the Jefferson bus stop, it used to be the McDonalds
across the parking lot. Miss the bigger truck stop across the street. They
started building a bigger station and then closed the whole thing down. Been
that way for years.
Somewhere north of Kansas City I get a call from
the new guy who wanted to run with me, he's only 90 miles behind me ??? We'll
find out later how that happened.
Leaving late means hitting KC even
later but doesn't seem to make to big of a difference delay is still minimal.
Scale is closed, I think MO was too but don't remember so it wasn't an issue.
I start doing the math and realize that the new guy is not going to
make it to Emporia so I pull off at Ottawa and call him … he should have
enough time to make it here so I'll call him back when I find a motel.
I could have been to or past Wichita tonight, hope being 'Mr Nice Guy' doesn't
come back to haunt me.
The Econo Lodge has billboards for $39 so I
stop their first, stop but never make it in. I look to see if they have a
coupon for less and see that Travelodge has a coupon for $5 less than the Econo
Lodge so I head over there. Once inside the lobby I remember being here before,
not sure when …
Room checks good so I walk across the street to
the Stocade Buffet, which is one of the reasons I didn't mind stopping here.
I've seen the signs and it sounds good, and when I walk in I think I've been
here before also.
>>>>>>>> TRIP ADVISOR -
Sirloin Stockade, Ottawa KS
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
3 of 5 stars Date
of review: May 7, 2011 - New
I start with the Mexican Casserole, looks
like Mexican Lasagna to me. The top layer of cheese is really good, but I'd
better not take just the cheese … a 'rolled Taco thing' was one of the few
things that I didn't finish, it was so-so.
Next round was ribs, and
riblets, deep fried chicken, potato salad. They also had steaks and other
things that they kept on the grill. Those you had to ask for and I didn't.
They didn't have any 'iceberg lettuce,' either at the salad bar or by the taco
fixings. So I had to have the green lettuce (it was good), the only fixings I
took were cheese, fresh bacon bits and croutons. (I could have topped a baked
potato.) Also took some coleslaw.
I seldom eat much for deserts at buffets
and this was no exception, tasted a couple but the food tastes better than the
deserts. So for my last round I go back for what was best … and what isn't
going to fill me. More salad and more potato salad.
Didn't try their chili
and didn't find any soups.
One food note, I seemed to be the only person
in the place the staff didn't know. So you could look at that the food must be
good for people to come back that often.
(when looking up this location
online to write this review, I see that it is owned by the same company that
owns 'Montana Mikes.' The food wasn't as good as I've had at Montana Mikes ...
but this is a buffet.)
* Reviewer ratings for this restaurant:
o
3 of 5 stars Value
o 3 of 5 stars Service
* Date of visit: May
2011 * Member since: November 28, 2010
* Would you recommend this
restaurant to a friend? Yes
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> TRIP ADVISOR - Travelodge, Ottawa KS
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
3 of 5 stars Date
of review: May 7, 2011 - New
Not really any truck parking, we have to
back the length of the building (Not a problem with a rear view cam in the
truck.)
Room is basic, two beds, for a rare trip I am sharing a room.
Coupon price is $52 after taxes for two beds. Room is clean, water is hot, AC
is on. Sign says breakfast but I'm gone before it is served. WiFi works.
I
travel based on price and the basics. I'll be back.
* Reviewer ratings
for this hotel:
o 3 of 5 stars Value
o 3 of 5 stars Rooms
o 3 of 5
stars Location
o 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
o 3 of 5 stars Service
o
3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
* Date of stay: May 2011
* Visit was
for: Business
* Traveled with: Colleagues
* Member since: November 28,
2010
* Recommended by this reviewer? Yes
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The new guy pulls in and shuts his truck off right at his 14 hours.
I've been harping on the log issue so glad I didn't steer him wrong. He has a
few trip questions, like why he traveled over 700 miles today. He reads me his
other numbers and I tell him the numbers sound right … he looks confused
… "for KM" I tell him. : Sure enough, we go back out and check his truck
and change it to 'miles.' Then back in to do the math. He still wants to run
together but I do the math and I don't want to cut it that close by waiting for
him so I'm going to have to get up by 4:30 … (instead of 6a in Wichita).
So I should have been in bed by 8:30, I wasn't. I finally get in bed and we
keep talking, he turns out the light, we keep talking …
Beds are
comfy so I get a fairly good nights sleep, up the usual once but must have been
back out quickly because I was dead to the world when the alarm went off.
Thurssday - 5/5/11
4:30 AM Blahh
… but I
did save $10 on a motel and had a great meal instead of a Subway to go.
No issues at pre-trip and I'm rolling, not much traffic at this time
of the AM. I get into the Flying J in Emporia within the hour and it's mostly
empty. I don't bother to move my truck after fueling. Not much choice but take
the toll road today so I have to get out at both ends to deal with tickets. By
now it's getting light.
Not much new in OK either, the guy at the
first scale gives me a wave and keep rolling across the scale. The guy at the
3rd scale confuses me, says something over the loudspeaker that I don't
understand. I look confused and don't move from the scale so he repeats
"34,180# … you are good to go." Never had anyone tell me my weight before.
Later one of the other drivers tells me that their instructions say they are to
weight the trucks before delivery (My doesn't)
Only need one more fuel
stop today, I 'should' be able to make it from OKC to DFW on one tank. 230
miles and I've only been getting 200+ per tank. I was going to fuel on the
south end of town at the Love's but wasn't sure I'd make it that far so I fuel
at the Flying J on the north end of town. When I pull in to fuel the first
island I see that looks empty is closed and the 2nd one I see has a truck in it
… the 1st driver. He tells me he's going to go in and pay, eat and use the
bathroom before he pulls ahead … :
The truck at the next island
pulls out so I back up and pull in that island. Doesn't leave us much time to
talk, we'll share a ride or … walk to the train or …
I'm
done and ready to roll and he's still doing paperwork so I head out. I hadn't
planned on passing him but … don't plan on waiting for him either. By the
time the light changes he's behind me again but once we pull on the freeway I
lose him and won't see him again until the drop.
Somewhere less than
two hours out from my drop I get a voicemail from dispatch with a phone number
and contact. (Didn't know I needed one) I'm worried about getting tied up on
Dallas traffic so I don't want to stop and call, so I call my voice mail four
times to get the phone number so I can keep one hand on the wheel … I'm
not good at long numbers. My contact answers, I tell him where I am and where
the other drivers are, he doesn't seem interested in anyone but me and a semi
driver that I know nothing about. .
My contact confirms my drop
location that I had seen on Mapquest 360 last night.
Traffic isn't too
bad for Dallas, coming in at 2 PM, I stay in the right lane, I don't want any
accidents after making it this far. Glad the trip to PHX doesn't have any
cities like Dallas that we have to go through. The maps dispatch gave us had
all the info we need, again confirmed on Mapquest. But not sure which driveway
to take, it turns out that it's all the same big parking lot.
I pull
in and stop, open my door and take my last drink of juice … just as my
contact pulls up. Opps, we are not supposed to be eating or drinking in the
trucks. I was still in the truck, but with the door open, if I had spilled
anything would have dripped outside … the contact never said any thing
about it.
We shake hands, then they tell me to park it next to another
truck … at which point I ask who they work for … they are truck reps.
That explains why they are not interested in the other two drivers, those guys
aren't driving the same brand of truck.
The guys offer me a ride and
the other guys … ??? OK, not going to turn that down (yet).
We
talk, they do an inspection, I call the 1st driver a couple of times to see
where he is … and call the 3rd driver to say we have a free ride and he'll
be on his own. They are not going to wait an extra hour for someone they have
no connection to. They leave for something and say they'll be back shortly.
The 1st driver gets there but doesn't know what to do, there is no one
to sign for his truck, he hasn't scaled it, etc. Dispatch doesn't know either
… I keep telling him our ride is waiting but he (and I) know he can't just
leave the truck without an OK from dispatch. Finally the 1st driver tells me to
go ahead without him. I plan on it but first ask my ride where they are staying
… about a ½ a mile from this lot.
I hated to do it but I
took my stuff back out of their van and said thanks but no thanks. I wasn't
going to have them drive 40 miles out of their way in rush hour traffic leaving
two of my co-drivers behind. A few minutes later the 1st driver gets his
instructions to leave it as is. As I'm getting ready to call the 3rd driver I
see that he has already parked next to us, didn't see him come in.
Now, how to get out. Another driver has pulled in and parked next to us so I
ask how he is getting out of here … motel shuttle. He's staying in town
for the show. He works for the company that made the truck, says he thinks he's
seen me before. Could have, been to his location a few times.
His
shuttle driver offers to give us a ride to the train station, it's right across
the street from the station, the other driver says he doesn't mind. BUT AGAIN
we are waiting for another driver. The 3rd driver has to confirm about his
leaving his truck and I don't want a 'free ride' to have to wait. As we talk
the shuttle driver realizes we are going to the airport … don't want to
take the train, it's two bus switches after we get off the train and takes a
long time. He offers to call a taxi instead. I look at the 1st driver and we
decide to go for it … $50 split three ways isn't bad.
The taxi
was close and follows the motel shuttle back into the lot. Taxi? No markings,
no meter ??? Someone is making an easy $50.
We get to the airport and
ask for a receipt, he comes up with one and asks if we can make copies …
so he was for real. Still not sure if the rest of the story was. Computer says
that an 'airport shuttle' runs every 15 minutes for FREE between the train
station and airport. So we may have been taken for a ride …
We
part ways and I don't see the other drivers again, one is heading for Las Vegas
and the other is on the same plane as me (I do see him again, but not close
enough to talk to him again.) I have time to eat, so I eat at a BBQ place. Good
food but might go for Fuddruckers next time. Bennigan's looked good too, two
kinds of soup that I wanted but the soup was $6 and that was what I wanted to
spend on a whole meal.
Had plenty of time to eat, and enough time to
find out that WiFi is not free and enough time to get the last emergency row
seat. Not sure why I didn't ask when I got my ticket, with this airline I had
to talk to an agent at check in.
Direct flight, no issues. We do leave
20 minutes early because we will need to go around a storm. Then we get in 20
minutes early so not sure we went around the storm. Didn't gain me anything, my
ride was there on time. |
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