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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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190305 - NC-NE Write up later Lot's of people in the breakfast area, all working folks, none looked like travelers. Plenty of food. I had parked at the end of a row of car spots, looks like someone in a truck had driven across the curb to get to an open spot next to some other trucks. Without going across the curb there was no way in or out so no one had parked there. Rolling at six AM central time. First stop is for fuel at Waynesville, at the Pilot, two hours down the road. Sometime before noon I got a few calls from dispatch but I couldn't take them because I was driving. Finally got connected with dispatch, I finally just pulled off at the next exit when they kept calling. My drop location has been changed, more on that later. By then I had also gotten a call from a bus dispatcher out of AL so I called him back. I live in MN so he thought I would like to run a bus from IN to ND. I said I'd think about it and would call him back, but for him not to hold it for me. So now we have lots to talk about. The drop is closer, so less paid miles, but there are no cars in that park of NE so we need to pickup a car in Kansas City and it could be tight to get it dropped in less than one day. Plan had to been to drop the truck in Omaha Thursday AM and have it dropped before dark on Thursday. But plans have changed (and will again.) About the Bismarck ND trip. I want to start moving those buses so at first it sounds like a good idea. But over the course of the day reason replaces emotion and we decide not to take the run. He did offer to pay for transportation and 'make it worth my time.' But that was just one of many reasons we didn't take. Yes, one was money. If we move two RV's during the same time we would have spent moving the bus, we will make over $1,000 more than moving the bus. (And he CAN't pay over twice as much just to get me to do it) But there is also the weather, a storm is heading to ND. And there is the paid vs unpaid miles. Other than the original trip, the unpaid should be less than half of the paid or it's not good math. This one would be about 125% instead of 50%. Also just one of us working instead of two ... the list goes on and all of them saying it's not a good trip. In one of the states today they have 'inspection area's' instead of scales. Most were closed but one wasn't. And yes, it was an inspection area, a dozen trucks all in various stages of being inspected. Hoods open, people under trucks, paperwork. No one was ahead of me when I got there so I just guessed and took the bypass lane because no one flagged me over and that worked, I left. Did notice one truck ahead of me did not enter and there was a cop sitting there, but must not have been watching. There were no bypass options. We stopped somewhere to eat, that is the problem with doing these write-ups a day or two later. I don't know where or what. When we got west of Nashville we saw where the mud slide has closed the freeway a few days ago. Big project, not sure how long it will take to get that cleaned up. We also saw a lot of smaller slides, a little mud and a couple of trees, but nothing like the big one. I think it was somewhere around Knoxville we saw a wide load, a pre-formed pool on a fifth wheel behind a pickup. The thing was almost dragging on the ground on the one side. And it took up about a 3rd of the next lane, and the guy didn't have any extra mirror's or a pilot car. Later we saw a load that had three pilot cars. I guess right away why and I was right. He was over weight and at some of the bridges he had to straddle the center of the bridges. So he needed the usual one car ahead of him, plus two behind to block both lanes when they got to a bridge. After they passed us, we stayed far enough behind to NOT be on the bridge at the same time he was. At our afternoon stop I called the drop. I hadn't earlier because we had dropped at the Omaha location before and the office is open usual business hours. Now we needed to see when we could drop at the knew location. Not sure at what point I lost the conversation but the crew leaves town on Thursday at 4 PM, so now we have to get there in the PM instead of waiting until first thing in the AM. We did all sorts of scenarios over the next hour until BB finally asked "Which day do they leave at 4 PM?" Opps, we will be delivering before 4 PM WEDNESDAY. I had to stop and call the guy back and tell that I've 'been on the road too long and got confused." Oh, when I talked to him the first time he knew exactly where I was. At the Welcome center in KY. They have all their trucks tracked. No because we have to pick up a car in Kansas City, we want to get this thing dropped yet Wednesday ... and it is also an hour shorter trip. So we decide to push it to Marion IL. In Marion we first fuel at the Pilot and then back track to the prior exit to the Quality Inn. Food is across the street at the Cracker Barrel. Got something different since we had just eaten at one last night. BB had thought we were going to go to the 20's Hideout next door but then looked at the prices. Double the Cracker Barrel. Only other choice is the Huddle House and not BB's favorite. Huddle House is new, desk clerk thought maybe five years, I'm guessing maybe two. 190306 - NC-NE Another long day trying to stay ahead of the weather. We didn't have to be up extra early but BB is still waking up at four something and then I get up a little later. Breakfast wasn't supposed to be until 6 AM but we were down there before that and everything was out. All the juices said 'refill needed,' so I asked the person before trying them. Machine wasn't working correctly. Tried to print a new Bill of Lading with the correct address, but no way to access the jump drive. So I just made a 2nd copy of both BL's I had, now knowing we'd be delivering to a motel I wanted to be prepared. Heading out to the truck in the AM the ambulance was just leaving but four squads were still there. Not sure what had happened in the couple of minutes between us eating breakfast and walking out the door. Not a time efficient day. Fuel stops and final fuel not in the correct locations. First stop was in New Baden and I fueled there so I wouldn't be running on E by the next fuel stop. My mileage seems to have dropped from 8 to 7 when I sped up from 50-55 to 60. By now it was after 8 AM local so I called the bus guy from yesterday back to tell him I was a no go. No problem, he already had it covered. We talked a few minutes, he want's me to be calling him when I'm either in AL or IN. Then I see I have a missed call, my drop. He wants me to take another driver to Omaha so his crew doesn't have to. We agree ... he makes some comment about wishing all drivers were as organized as we are. Next was just a quick stop in Wright City at a truck stop. We had planned on stopping at a rest area, but some maps didn't show it open. It is ... sort of. It is now just 'truck parking,' with an outhouse sized bathroom with no sink. So I'm guessing the seats were a little cold this AM. Lunch and final fuel were in Boonville at a Pilot at a Wendy's. When we pulled in, I noticed the guy in the 2nd isle had not pulled up even tho the truck ahead of him was gone. So I got in the next lane. Then the guy in the 2nd lane did pull ahead and through so I took the open pump. There was someone already behind the guy in the 1st lane. After I fueled and we ate, the guy who had been waiting for lane 1 was still at the pump, 45 minutes later. This was one of the few times that BB had gone in and ordered while I'm fueling to speed things up. Interesting today. No one was at the counter when BB got there but a line formed behind and for the next 20 minutes there was a line and then quite again. After food we are on our way to the airport. We follow the computer directions but that takes us into a tunnel for buses only and NO height posted ... and nothing in my truck says how tall I am. The sign is AFTER you turn on to the road, nothing before. So I had to pull into a little parking area and BB walked from there. A few pull ups and back ups and I was turned around. An hour before the drop I call again. We will be there within minutes of 4 PM just like we had said yesterday. More luck than skill on some of these things. There is a curb so we can't turn left into the motel so we have to go up and make a U-turn in someones driveway. As I'm backing in next to the other truck, the guy who will sign pulls in. I still have paper work to do so It takes a couple of minutes. BB caught up to me about 15 minutes before I got to the drop and followed the rest of the way. She talked to our rider while I cleaned out the truck and got the paper work signed. When we were ready to leave, we followed the trucks out of the drive they were going to use them yet tonight. Nice guy, he already had a bus ticket from Omaha to Des Moines so we didn't offer him a ride any further than Omaha. Our first plan had been to spend the night in Omaha. After we dropped him and grabbed to go from Culvers we decided to get to Des Moines to stay ahead of the storm. (Sorry sir, plans change.) So we didn't get to the motel until after 8 PM late for us. Long day driving. Nothing good on the board so we won't call in in the AM. If this same board is there Friday morning we will be calling in. What there isn't on the board is CA orders. There had been two to El Cajon for a couple of days but someone grabbed one today. Lots of orders to FL but cars are not cheap and there is a biker rally going on this week end. We will be playing it by ear tomorrow. Board is back down to 80 even though they should still have 300+ in the snow banks. We don't plan on being in town over the weekend. The guy we gave the ride to has been doing this about five years. Lives in ATL and moves mostly NC trucks up and then IA runs back down but has moved most kinds of trucks at times. Sounds like he was going to sign up for a class but when he got there it was full and the sign up person asked if he was there for the 'CDL (driving) class.' He paused and said 'sure.' And that is how he got his start. He doesn't tow and doesn't use rental cars. Either the bus or the plane AND he won't stay in cheap hotels either :) Hopefully we are north of the ice and snow, we will know in the AM. |
