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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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211022 MN Nowhere BB has had a sore ankle for a week or so and decided that she wants to spend another day off her feet (sort of) So no work today. There was still a trip from IA to Bemidji and then this AM the auction people added even more, 2 trucks to IN and three down to Shakopee. Also 7 trucks out of Shakopee, that is the first day we have seen that. One was less than 200 miles, that would have been a nice short one day trip. Others were going to MT and TX. Also some were going to IA and then trips out of the IA location. Lots of work. But we are off now until Wednesday. Load board US - 231 IA - 39/35 MN - 9 WI - 19 211026 MN Off day. We had planned on having Monday and Tuesday off for appointments. BB passed her DOT today so we are good for almost a year, until my next test. Tomorrow is a family day and then another thing MAY come up for Thursday ... not sure what will happen on Friday. There is still lots of work on the auction lists. I emailed the dispatcher to see if we can run those over the weekends, I haven't heard back yet. 9 trips either completely in MN or delivering to MN from ND/SD. Mid afternoon I get a call from the local dispatcher wanting to know if I can go to CGO. (I am listed as NA for them through the end of Nov) No, the commitment would be beyond my six hour rule. Tuesday at the earliest but we are wanting to go long. My thought today is to do local until there are two RV's heading to CA or Reno. I haven't been watching the long trips so I don't know when the last time there were two heading that direction. We might be waiting a while. Monday Load board US - 198 IA - 34/30 MN - 7 WI - 13 Tuesday Load board US - 238 IA - 45/41 MN - 4 WI - 18 211027 MN The auction trips went from 9 yesterday down to 3 today, but the 3 left are the ones we have done before so most likely our pick again. But, family stuff is trumping work again so we will have Thursday off also. I did check and we can run the auction trips over the weekend and we might. There is one trip to CA tonight, I haven't watched the load board during the day for weeks (months?) so I don't know if they often have the longer runs on and off the board quickly. Load board US - 251 IA - 69/59 MN - 3 WI - 14 211028 MN-MN 1 pickup to Shakopee MN ... spending the night at Brainerd MN Both BB and I found out later in the evening that we would have other plans for today, so it wasn't until we were both done that we called in for a trip. So it was closer to 2 PM when I called in. The auction list was not up to date so I just asked for one that I hoped would still be there. Then within the hour the new updates came in ... I could have asked for the Duluth/Superior one or the Bemidji one. An hour and a half later I still have not heard back so I call again. Dispatch has not heard back. So we decide to chance it and head in that direction. It was over six hours later that I heard back that I got the trip, we were almost to Brainerd. Trips are good. Trips are close. But you can not wait until the last minute and expect to roll. So it was almost 7 PM when we heard that we got the Backus to Shakopee trip. Before that, at about 6 PM we stopped at Kwik Trip for fuel and then next door at Culvers for a sandwich and a treat. BB wasn't hungry so we split the sandwich. I hadn't eaten lunch but I did also get a malt so I was OK. Loss a little weight Monday fasting, now trying to keep some of it off. BP has been down with the weight loss. Not sure if that is direct cause and effect or because of other things (NOT) going on. Tomorrow AM we have less than an hour to the shipper. So we should be at the shipper and ready to leave by 9 AM. Which should put us at the drop by 1 PM. Some time in there we need to decide if we are going to work into Saturday. If we are, we could be back to either Backus or Superior by 5 PM, picked up and heading back to the drop. Either trip we would stay pretty close to the shipper as that is where the hotels are. After that, it is another two hours and dark by the time we get to the next major town with major hotels. With picking up the night before, we should be able to drop around noon on Saturday. We have family plans on Sunday and an appointment Monday AM. Load board US - 250 IA - 61/58 MN - 7 WI - 12 As of tonight, if there are CA or NV trips on Saturday AM we will call in to leave Monday. If not, we will do local / MN runs Monday after my appointment and keep doing them until a CA or NV trip shows up. If it doesn't? So far there has been enough work in the five state area to keep us busy. We put a few more miles on our car, but the money is good. 211029 MN-MN 1 pickup to Shakopee MN (delivered) ... spending the night at home For breakfast, all of the cooler items had to be requested from the help. All other items were set out one high and individually packaged. The help told me I had a choice of blueberry or strawberry, then I watched her pull them out and I said 'Cherry.' "... no, that is ..." It was cherry, and the brand I like. She walked over with one of each and I thought I was supposed to pick but the way she handed them to me I got both of them. So one will be for tonight. We got another late start today. 8:30 instead of 7:30. That was late enough that I called the shipper before we left. It went to voice mail and voice mail was full. That seems to mean the person no longer works there. That's OK, I know the routine. 1st stop - Backus - less than an hour from the hotel and we are at the shipper. Getting empty. The 1st thing I do is turn on the key to check the fuel level. Nothing. So I check the dip sticks and then try to start it. Nothing. No click, no beeper saying the key is in and the door is open. Before I can call dispatch someone with a pickup pulling their four wheeler comes past. They say they will be right back and head down the road. It is most of a half hour before they are back and then he goes in the office. But he does come over with a charger pack. Nothing. He doesn't believe it. He has never had the pack fail before. This pickup has two batteries so he puts the pack on the other battery. Nothing. The lights do come on but the pickup does not turn over. Then he calls someone else and they come with jumper cables. So now we have the jumper cables on one battery and the power pack on the other battery. Nothing. Then he tries to get a better connection with the power pack and I notice then when he disconnects the power pack, the lights on the truck go off. After 15 minutes of double jumping the actual pickup batteries are still completely dead. But there is one other truck ... that I had planned on picking up tomorrow. They give up and I start making phone calls. After I get the OK, I start to put my plate on and decide to look under the tarp by opening the tailgate. There are two fuel cans and something that looks like corrosion leaking. I pull over to the office to let them deal with it. It actually goes quickly today, in a few minutes I have the OK to take the other pickup that is sitting there and a few more minutes they have emailed me the paperwork. AND I have gotten the OK to scratch and write in anything that is different if needed instead of finding a printer. But this location still has an office open so I am able to email the documents so they can be printed. Kind of. I don't know what happened but the guy wrote the complete email address on the white board and I copied it down. But when I sent it, there was a divide symbol in the middle of the name. That would take at least three extra key strokes to put it ... ??? Finally, we are ready to roll. And now I know that the second truck will not be ready tomorrow to pickup. While I was in the office I saw a list of things to be reported daily. The two I remember were wildlife and protesters. Yes, protesters. I guess they have been having them all the way across the state. I never did see how much fuel was in the other pickup. This one has less than one quarter tank. 2nd stop was the Kwik Trip in St Cloud for fuel and a sandwich. By the time I get there I have been flat on 'E' for the last 20 miles. But BB is right behind me :) As long as I am stopped I grab a sandwich. This is not a new truck so I eat in it. Oh, I added four gallons, that should get me to the drop without the low fuel light on. 3rd stop is the drop. Everything goes well. I see another truck that likely had been on the load board in the auction yard. The other short runs are gone so we head to eat. I ate, but BB hadn't because I had said earlier that I could wait (and then didn't) Honey Baked Ham or Smash Burger. Today it is Honey Baked. Load board US - 278 IA - 65/58 MN - 7 WI - 16 BB is hurting enough that we are not going anywhere until she sees a Dr next week. Urgent care or wait to see her usual Dr. Either way we are not leaving town yet. There are four trucks in IN coming back to MN and lots of ways to get there. Also there are two RV's to CA that would work, we have done this mix match before and it works fine. And there are rental cars, we have checked. But ... Dr first.  |
