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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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230130 IA-NC 2 RV's to Greer NC (Tuesday) ... spending the night at home At about 9:30, dispatch put two RV's to Greer and we grabbed them before anyone else did. We also grabbed them before we had a rental car which we do not normally do. But then we got a car so we are OK. This dispatch had also put a few WI trips on the load board plus the Duluth MN one that is still there. IF it wasn't 15 below in Duluth, it would be something to do. But we are also hoping to spend some time with family today ... maybe. Earlier there were also four trucks in CA heading to the east coast, they lasted a few minutes before they were grabbed. Local dispatch called in the AM and I didn't even ask what it was, by then we already had our trips. Later in the day, a different dispatcher emailed that they had a truck heading to Fargo ... sorry. That would have been a good trip because the other carrier has had a truck in Fargo for a week that comes back down to Owatonna. Nice round trip. Load board US - 134 IA - 10 NC - 3 230131 IA-NC 2 RV's to Greer NC ... spending the night at Galesburg IL No breakfast at this place :) but we still didn't get going until 7:30. We might have been more motivated but the temps when we got up were about 17 below zero. It looked like it would start warming in IA closer to 10 AM. Traveling through the cities, the temp did get up to one below zero before starting to drop again. Surprise, no one skiing yet this AM. I couldn't find any info on this location that we drive past, but another location had been quoted in the past as saying "We will close when wind chill temperatures reach -40F or the air temperature reaches -30F as measured at the ski area." (And that seemed to be because not enough people show up to ski to make it profitable to be open) 1st stop is in Albert Lea for fuel and food. Top off the tank for the cold weather and a bacon croissant for breakfast. 2nd stop is the shipper in Forest City. Temp is about -0- and not too bad if you are standing in the sun and out of the wind. We might have been in, down with our inspection and rolling if ... my windshield washers would have worked. First I couldn't check the fluid's because I couldn't open the hood. BB helped me with that, it was just a two person job. Then the drivers side of the washer was not working. BB tried to help me with that too but no luck. I was heading into the office when our yard person drove past. They are not 'yard help' per se, but they do hear a lot about what goes on so I asked. They stopped past and looked at it and after a couple of times it worked. They didn't do anything but buy it a little more time to warm up. Otherwise I would have had to wait for the shippers yard guy until after his lunch and by then it would have worked ... also. Quick chat in the cold with our yard person. Shipper should have a computer update available Wednesday / tomorrow and once the units are updated the shipper should start dumping them in our lot. Over flow lot is not even plowed yet so they can only dump about a 100 right now. There were a couple of other drivers in the lot but too cold to stand and talk. Just talking to the yard person while they helped, my face was starting to hurt so I got in our car and moved it before standing outside again. On days like this, we leave our car running so we can hop in it if we need to, it takes a long time for the RV's to warm up. :) My Minnie Winnie was parked next to anther Minnie Winnie, mine was bout six feet shorter. Not sure if that will help on the fuel mileage or if every trip is unique for that RV. BB has less fuel than I so she leads. For some reason her range is not working but the fuel gauge is. But the gauge drops and she pulls off the freeway at Clear Lake. 3rd stop is the Clear Lake at the Pilot. Fuel would have been cheaper at Floyd down the road but too cold to walk if we don't make it that far. Late breakfast so BB is not hungry yet. 4th stop is the Casey's in Center Point for the rest room. BB is still not hungry. We are not driving over 8 hours today so we do not need a half hour break so we keep going. IA is in no hurry to pull their cars out of the ditch. There were three near road construction that were there three weeks ago when we headed to NC and last week when we headed to OH. I was surprised to see a line at the truck wash, looked like it might have been out onto the street ... at near -0-. 5th stop is at the Speedway in Davenport. Flying J would have been cheaper with our discount but it may have taken an extra 15 minutes. Their fuel pumps are slow. It is cold and I have a 55 gallon tank. We had hoped to make it to Morton, we did last time, but we must have gotten going earlier or were willing to run later. From Davenport we make reservations in Galesburg. 6th and final stop is the Baymont in Galesburg. And the Taco Bell nearby for food. We have stayed at the Best Western but BB didn't like it for some reason, we don't remember. And the Holiday Inn next door was twice as much as the Baymont. We have stayed here before and it was OK and seems to be again tonight. BB had thought we would 'walk' to food tonight. Taco Bell and HyVee are both 1/3 of a mile. It is less than 10 degrees so we did end up using an RV to go pick up food. Load board US - 159 IA - 5 NC - 2 It doesn't look like they put any new trips on the load board for IA today and the one NC I wanted is now gone but I do not like to plan too far ahead. Tomorrow we will try to make 500+ miles and that will still leave 300+ for Thursday/delivery day. Delivery day ... depending on the weather. Rain / ice is forecast between here and the drop so we may sit it out. Right now it looks like the forecast is only for ice a couple hours where we plan on staying. 230201 IA-NC 2 RV's to Greer NC ... spending the night at London KY This Baymont does not have hot food for breakfast, not sure if any of them do. My breakfast was two hard boiled eggs and one so so yogurt. So so as it was diet and half banana, neither my favorite. No issues, ready to roll a little after 7 AM. Before we left the hotel, I had seen two Kona Ice trucks in the next hotel lot and took a picture of them, thinking they were in transport. Not sure if they were, but those trucks did pass us twice in the AM. At one of the first exits we pass, when I get to the entrance ramp I hear 'BEEEEEP.' I look over and someone is right beside me. I didn't see them coming down the ramp, so I guess they came down after I looked ... at 80 mph ... and then expected me to get our of their way instead of merging behind or in front of me. I was surprised so I merged left without thinking. They continued to lay on the horn for as long as I could hear them ... with one hand out the window giving me the one finger salute. If they had let off the gas for a second, they could have gotten behind me and around in less time than it took for me to move over. Looked like someone was already having a good day ... 1st stop was an hour down the road in Morton at the rest area. This way we were on our same stops as last time and BB could just copy from one page to the next. 2nd stop was in Covington at the Indiana welcome center. BB should have had enough fuel to get past Indy but this AM her range was dropping. But she hopes it will go back up when we slow around Indy. If not, she will pull off and fuel. I ask if she wants to lead so we do not get separated. She doesn't. But she does get nervous. She tells me later that she had lost her fuel range and then all of the bars on the fuel gauge. She thought she'd run out on the freeway, and then she missed the light at the exit so she thought she'd be stuck there ... when the light did change, the car ahead of her didn't move and she thought she'd be waiting for another light. NOT the way she likes to drive or usually does drive. 3rd stop was in Shelbyville at the Pilot for fuel. Pumps were full so I finally pulled in along side of someone filling there two gallon jug. My pump was not available yet so I looked at my phone, etc and then got out of my RV. The guy was still filling and said I did not want this pump and when I turned around the person from the car ahead of me said I didn't want their pump. So when BB found a pump I asked her how low she was on fuel ... she thought she was going to run out at the last traffic light. So she started putting in fuel, I did not. Instead I went in and asked about the fuel pumps. Others had complained but I wanted an answer so they said they would re-start the pumps. They did, and shut everyone off without receipts. We were afraid that would happen so we took a picture before restarting our pump. Still just as slow. I had walked the fuel pumps and seen a couple of people that got 5-10 gallons in a few minutes so BB moved to one of those pumps. It must have been a fluke as it was just as slow for us. The person on the other side of the second pump said that they had only gotten 10 gallons in 10 minutes and were leaving ... I said they were lucky, the other pumps weren't that fast. We finally left after 30 minutes, BB knew she now had 2 gallons and could make it to the next truck stop. 2 gallons after 30 minutes. And I needed about 30 gallons. (8 hours?) 4th stop was the Loves in St Peter. Fuel was more here but the pumps worked. BB filled, I put in fuel until I had a range of 460 miles. We have 500 miles to go but I gained about 100 mile range on the last tankful. Lunch was McDonalds at Loves. While we were there, there was the shell of a street vendor truck like the ones that passed us this AM. Never saw the driver, he came and left while we were busy. 5th stop was the Pilot in Georgetown. This will be BB's final fuel. We made it from here last time, we should again this time. While I am waiting for BB I see that there is now a truck in VA heading back to MN. After talking to BB, I call the dispatcher but they do not pick up and never called me back. No extra miles today because of our half hour delay. BB makes our reservation from here. Trees are all nice and shiny in the setting sun. Must have already had some recent rain. The rain has been removed from the forecast here for tomorrow, good thing for us. 6th and final stop is the Comfort Inn in London. We were going to order from the Mexican place next door, but the desk clerk recommended the one across the highway. Then BB tried to order from the one next door and decided she wanted food ... now. So we walked down the street to Fazoli's. As we are waiting for our food I decided I also wanted a cookie. So I went back to the cashier to order one and they handed it to me and said it was on the house ... my first thought was, they could see I had cash in my hand, and they didn't know how to make change. We have about 280 miles to go tomorrow and it looks like I will be about 60 miles short. Fuel gauge has stayed consistant. I was hoping to gain range but nothing on the first 100 miles. Load board US - 188 IA - 31/30 NC - 1 We've talked about the trips heading back home. The one going to MN is not from the manufacture, it is somewhere else. If it is too used, we will not take it. We have had a lot of issues with used tree trucks and we'd be traveling over the weekend. If it is new ... we still have not decided. IA has started putting trips out, including more to NC/SC. And by the time we get back the weather is supposed to be nicer. If we do a truck back, we wouldn't be ready to leave IA until Tuesday. If we head straight back we could leave IA on Sunday. 230202 IA-NC 2 RV's to Greer NC (delivered) ... spending the night at Pioneer TN Better breakfast than yesterday, sort of. Some of the over easy egg patties and some of the sausage patties were kind of dried out. Noticed it before I took the sausage, didn't notice it until I bit into the eggs. We were ready to pull out at 7:30 local, 6:30 home time. It had snowed just a dusting overnight. No ice on the roads that we noticed. 1st stop is for fuel just east of Knoxville at a Pilot. I do the math based on my current range and my current mpg. I should have needed six gallons, I put in eight. When we pull out I have eight more miles range than I need. BB looked at the load board and there was one right from Greer heading to Kansas City. I call dispatch but they are off today so I will have to call the main office which usually are not very helpful. So I don't call and by the next time we look at the load board the trip is gone. We would have gotten to KC over the weekend and had to wait for Monday to deliver. So pretty much the same as the VA to MN trip which we opted not to do. 2nd stop is the rest area near Harmon Dam. In the first 100 miles I have gained 14 miles range. Another 100 miles to go, I should be good. Last night we had been tired when we were planning our stops. BB thought we were going to stop three times this AM which would mean stopping every 60 miles after fueling. We had talked about other places to stop because today we weren't going to be stopping every <> 100 miles. Shortly after we left the rest area, as we were going through road construction I noticed a few cones down. Right after that there were two pre-fab houses that pulled back on the road in front of me :) The next construction zone we got to ... the first driver didn't hit a single cone. The second driver took down every single cone. Finally the last two they flipped so they landed back in my lane so I had to go around them in the closed lane. A highway helper had been at the rest area and he followed us out of the rest area so he was following us as the cones were being knocked down. Finally when BB and I went around the cones, the highway helper stopped traffic and set those two cones back up. When he was done, he passed us and followed the houses, there weren't anymore cones for them to knock down but he followed them with his lights flashing until we were past the last of the road construction. After that, we did have to cross a weigh scale. It is one that has a sign that says 'empties, motor homes, wind loads left lane.' The guy ahead of me was empty with a flat bed and he was in the loaded lane until someone walked out of the scale house. I couldn't see if that person motioned for him to get over or if they just realized it and the person went back in the scale house. Same scale house. Has a four foot high hand made sign that says 'GREEN MEANS GO!' The third stop was IF we were going to need more fuel before the drop. BB had a range of 30 miles more than I so she was good. I lost range at the slower speeds through the mountains so I was watching it close. But by the time we got near the third stop I wasn't loosing range anymore so I kept going. I ended up at the final fuel stop with one more mile range than I had at the rest area. Better than BB yesterday. 3rd stop was for final fuel in Greer at the Spinx. There BB parks her RV and gets in mine. From there we drive the mile plus to the airport where I drop her off. This airport clearance is about 20 feet so I'm good even with a taller RV. From there I head to the drop. 4th stop is the drop. It is the last few minutes of their lunch and my phone call goes to voicemail with no option to leave a message. A few minutes later, the inspector drivers up and says he will be back shortly. By the time he gets back, BB is there waiting. Usually BB drops the rental car back at the gas station but today it is raining and cold. I've already been freezing the last two nights so didn't want to push it and get sick. Normally, once BB is also at the drop, I leave her with the two RV's and walk back. Today I asked if we could leave my RV before it was signed for so we could get the 2nd one. He was OK with that, today. But I make sure to ask every time. He finishes mine shortly after we get back and BB's about a half hour later. BB doesn't like the Burger King next door so this time we go a few miles down the road where there is more food. 5th stop is in Duncan at the Chic-fil-A. I got chicken pieces, they are not too bad to eat in the car as long as I have the sauce open. Nothing good on the load board so we are heading home. 6th stop was the Welcome center in Hartford TN THEN ... there is a truck back in NC heading to Louisiana. IF it had been there when we left the RV drop, we may have looked at it closer. Now it was a two hour back track so four hours lost to go back for it. And it is just one truck that would not get us any closer to home and has the lower end pay. And we'd be stuck waiting to deliver it until Monday. We talked about it a couple of minutes and decided no. 7th and final stop is the Comfort Inn in Pioneer. We walk next door to get food from the TA off the shelf. I got a rib sandwich like we had last time. BB wasn't hungry and got a couple of snacks. The heat is working in our room and it wasn't (too) cold when we got here but everything in the room is cold, the floor, counters, table. Bed ... I'll be wearing my long johns to bed tonight. Load board US - 167 IA - 13 MN - 2 We plan on making as many miles as we can tomorrow and hope they put more RV's on the load board. 230203 IA-NC 2 RV's to Greer NC (delivered) 2 RV's to Grand Junction CO (Saturday) ... spending the night at Cedar Rapids IA Last night ... We had talked about staying in Pioneer, but realized we would be better off time wise if we drove another half hour/hour. So BB is looking at the hotel reviews. I made sure we started that early because I know what happens. If we haven't stayed there before, she will read all the reviews and not want to stay there. Sure enough, about a mile from the Pioneer exit she decides we are staying HERE. Because we've stayed here before. Over all the hotel was good. When we walk in the first time the first thing we do is check the heater, or AC depending on the weather. Heater was blowing hot air so we went and got food. Two hours later the floor, the counters, the sheets, everything was still cold when we went to bed Today ... The room finally warmed up during the night. BB was kicking her covers off by the morning. BB ... morning ... BB needs to have her 'white noise' going at night. That is, until it malfunctions in the middle of the night. This time something went dead and started beeping in the night. She was awake, I was awake. Luckily it was only a half hour before the alarm. BB got up, I tried to sleep. Because we were up/awake early, we could have gotten going earlier than we did. I had thought we were getting going before daylight anyways so I wasn't in a rush. But it was daylight and I should have pushed it. We were gone from the hotel by 7:30 so we were a few minutes early. Breakfast was the same as yesterday. Two egg patties and one sausage patty, all fresh today. We are only on the road a few minutes and we have seen two semi's in the ditch and a dozen other police cars. Reminds me. TN had signs on I-40 that the police will be setting the pace for traffic on Saturday (Be prepared for slow downs) BB and I had been talking this AM about trips. Weather looks good, only a dusting of snow forecast for CO so we opt for taking those trips instead of taking a chance on the loading out the loadboard later. 1st stop was the Buc-Ee's in Richfield. Maybe a dozen cars at the 100 or so pumps. BB was actually able to find our car when she came out of the building. When I am done fueling, it is 8 AM home time so I call dispatch. And get put on hold, that is never a good sign, they can be giving away 'our' trips. But not today. We get them. Two to Grand Junction. I tell them we will pick up Sunday, but likely it will be Saturday. Today we decide to take the shortest route and pay the toll as the company is not paying this one so we don't care if it takes three weeks to get. Less than an hour from the office opening and we are paid. I still have not been paid for the RV I had to drop at the shop. We don't get paid until final delivery. BB had seen mine on the load board yesterday so it should have been delivered today. I will call on Monday. 2nd stop was the Loves in Memphis ... Indiana. Shelf food. Because it was going to be quick. They didn't have what BB wanted and they didn't have what I wanted. I had looked at the hot food first, then the roller food, then the cold food. I was going to get a cold chicken salad sandwich if nothing else looked better. They were out. So I went back to get roller food ... in the time I looked the first time to the time I went back, they had thrown the old roller food and the new wasn't ready yet. :( I ended up with one greasy hot dog, no bun. And it wasn't quick because they didn't have what we came for. 3rd stop was the Pilot in Crawfordsville for fuel. Not cheap, but cheaper. Buck-Ee's had been under $3. I called dispatch back because we may need chains. No, we are under the 10,000# limit that requires chains. 4th stop is the rest area in Congerville 5th stop is for fuel in Davenport at the Speedway, from here we should be able to make it home. Small tank, but good mileage. When we got the car it said 30 mpg for a long time. Until BB re-set it. Since then we have been getting over 60 mpg when we are running 55-60, but only about 38 when we are running 70 mph. We are still trying to get back in 24 hours so we are running the speed limit. Our original plan was to stay in Iowa City ... but by dark, the hotel prices were up in the $200+ range. So we decided to stay in Cedar Rapids and had our food picked out. Then BB did the math again and if we make it to Waterloo tonight, we wouldn't have to leave so early. But hotel prices in Waterloo are twice what they are in Cedar Rapids ... so Cedar Rapids it is. We thought we were going to order food online. BB started the order and then when she went to submit, it said you have to have an account. We do not need 100 accounts all over the country but she went ahead and created an account. Once she was done, it cleared all the info including the order. That was the end of that. But their food is good so we ended up there and waited for our food. Good Food. 6th stop is Pepper Jax for food to go. 7th and final stop is a mile away at the Comfort Inn. Dispatch did put a few trips out today, 10 or so? Including two to SC. So if we had been quick, we could have gotten something IF we hadn't waited for something better. By the end of the day those 10 plus the 13 from yesterday were all gone. Also there had been four trips out of Grand Junction going various places today but we don't like committing before we are even in our next truck so we watched them disappear. Load board US - 123 IA - 0 MN - 10 CO - 3 Saturday - should be warmer. We'll leave the hotel before daylight to get our car and be to the airport by noon. That should get us back to IA and gone from the shipper by 3 PM. That will allow us to get to Des Moines by dark. From there it is less than 1,000 miles to Grand Junction. Plan is to get to Grand Junction Monday night and deliver on Tuesday. We do have a car headed home if there is no work. If there is work we will go ... almost anywhere. .. the trip continues from HERE
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