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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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.. the trip continues from HERE 2024 05 31 IA-CA 2 to RV's to Davis CA (delivered) ... spending the night at Livermore CA ALL BUSES ARE ON HOLD ... but we don't find that out until later in the day. Other times at this hotel we have ordered our breakfast by phone and gotten it to go. We now can not get our coupons until after the restaurant opens at 6 AM. So at six, we were at the front desk and at the restaurant a few minutes later. We used to get four slices of bacon and two eggs, plus toast. Now it is two slices of bacon , hashbrowns, two eggs and toast. Four slices was really too much, but it was so good we either ate it all or took it with us. The cup of juice is also a fraction of what it used to be. Today because of our 'made to order' breakfast, we allowed an hour for breakfast instead of our usual half hour. 8 AM we do our inspections and are ready to roll. 1st stop of the day is at the Flying J in Fernley for a rest break. Because we do not usually eat until after we drop, BB buys a snack. When we got there, I noticed a young couple walking our direction from the truck wash ... there is nothing else down that street past the truckstop. Not even a road. Anyway ... the couple walked past the truck stop and then up the freeway ramp. Just the two of them, dressed like they were going shopping. They were also walking quite fast, not a pace they could keep up for miles. We had not noticed any vehicles along the road and even if there were, why would they have come from the truck wash? Our fuel range had started yesterday with <> 200 miles past the NV/CA border. This AM it was below that, maybe because the temps were in the 40's? But after an hour we were back at the same range. And we for only need 140 miles past the border so we are good. It's nice to have the extra fuel going up the mountain, but once you get to the top you regret that you are going to be leaving all that extra fuel. Today there were people at the ag inspection station, there had not been all winter. But they just waved us past. There is still snow on the mountain tops but I couldn't see any at the Donner's Pass rest area as we drove passed. 2nd stop is at the Gold Run rest area. Then BB remembers that something is slamming in the rear of the RV so so goes back and looks. The RV will not snap back into place, we both try and finally just used some tape to keep it from swinging the last 80 miles. More traffic than usual, so getting from the right lane to the left lane took a while. But other than jockeying for position, it was an easy trip in. Until we got to road construction in West Sacramento. That delayed us about 15 minutes. I had called from Gold Run to the drop to let them know we would be an hour early for our 2 PM appointment. Now we won't quite make it. 3rd stop if for fuel at a Valro. $20 paid by the carrier. While we are there, I tear off the tape we had put on to hold the door seal in place. Opps, some of the paint/decal came off with it. We should have taken a picture when the seal was flopping in the wind but we did not. 4th stop is a couple of blocks down the street at the drop. Before I am done with my paperwork, the two inspectors are at my door asking for it. We unload our RV's and stack our luggage against another RV. Then BB walks down the street to the rental car place while I watch the luggage. By the time BB is back and she is parking the car, the inspectors are waving for us to come get our paperwork. And by the time we are in our car and getting our release numbers from the carrier, the inspectors are leaving work for the day. I'm guessing they were glad we got there early. It's Friday. As soon as we are done with the paperwork for the last trip, I call the bus dispatcher. That is when we find out there are NO buses today. :( ... that changes what this trip pays. Here is where would should have stopped and gone over our backup plan. Instead we just went with the one we had made a few days ago. We headed south to Livermore and looked for a In-n-Out Burger. In-n-Out was our next stop. With temps hitting 99 degrees we did not want to walk the food trucks to see what looked good. And the food trucks were another hour away. Coming down I-5 traffic is always a challenge. Lots of traffic, truck speed limit is 55 mph, cars are 70 mph and some are going well over that. At one point I see a pickup a couple ahead of me hit the shoulder. I slow and then hit the shoulder also. Not because I couldn't stop fast enough, but it didn't look like the semi behind me could stop. They did, a few feet from where my bumper would have been. After that the semi got back in the slow lane and I didn't see it again. Lots of food trucks at their little lot in Lathrup. Best price for our hotels was our one in Livermore. It is usually a pretty good price on the weekends. It's still May and most of the grass on the hills is already brown. Final stop is the Quality Inn in Livermore. Only a couple of cars here yet. We had eaten late but finally decide we should eat again. We agree on a Cheesestake place. But when we get there, we see a new Sourdough & Co next door. Soup. We were going to split one Cheesestake, instead we each get a cup of soup AND each get a sandwich. Just the soup was enough. The sandwich went in the fridge. Flies. We got flies. We see them, we don't hear them and they don't bother us at night. I tried using the towel to hit them but only got one that way. At some point we realized that back at the drop, we should have looked at getting a car to home from Sacramento. That would have saved us 4-5 hours drive plus maybe something on the rental. At this point we are just sticking with plan B. Plans could have changed, but the bus dispatcher never did call. He has before when we were on our way out of town. Load board US -102 IA -0- MN - 4 WI - 5 2024 06 01 CO-NE 1 tractor to Kimball NE (Monday) ... spending the night at Eko NV Too often we wait for something better and end up with nothing. Other that a couple of trips going up and down the west coast, this was the only trip between here and home. But it's a tractor so I didn't call on it yesterday. We talked more and finally a couple of hours into the day I called. Pays great because it is a mini / short trip. I didn't take it right away but did call back within the hour and took it. Now we have some income on the way home. Without a bus heading back we were only going to be making about 1/3 of what we would with a bus. And it works out. We'll drive all day today and Sunday and be close to the shipper. Trip is about 150 miles and will likely at about 200 miles to our trip. We have the car for a week and no other work so it's all extra money. ... later We had hotel breakfast before we left this AM. When we checked out, I asked the desk clerk if their sister also worked there. Yes, they did. Yah, we have stayed here a few times. Last night the lot was empty but mostly full by this AM. We checked out about 8:30 as our car was reserved for 9 AM. They must have just handed BB the keys because she was right back out of the office. Quite here this AM so we switched our luggage here. Across the street she filled up the car we are returning. Between the parking lot and the street sat a man in his lawn chair. No grass in that area so I'm guessing he has been doing that for months. No sign, no cart. When we get near the rental drop there is a truck rental place. BB's GPS is telling her to turn so she turns in. Then it reroutes so she knows she is at the wrong place. She finally called me, turns out the correct place was with a collision shop and their street sign was mostly covered by the bushes. Before we leave town we have to drive past the buses to see what there is. Very little in the 'done' area. Very little in the yard. My guess is whatever has the buses on hold is early in the build so that production has <> stopped. We did see a few for Johnsonburg PA, we've been there once. And there was one for Disney World. In another storage area there was one for Milwaukee. ... and we are off. When we went past Lathrup, I had time to count 26 food trucks and I'm guessing there was close to 10 more but by then I was past. 1st stop after getting the rental was a gas station in Galt. We had stopped at one when I needed truck fuel and BB was OK with that one so that was where we were headed, but the first one we saw looked OK too so that is where we stopped. Union 76. Coming up one of the passes I see two squads with lights on coming up fast. I am in the passing lane so I kick it down a little ... so does the person I am trying to pass. I finally had it way over the speed limit before they backed off and let me pass. I was out of the way soon enough but the car behind me must not have seen them, by then there was plenty of gap for them to get out of the way. Our 2nd stop was the rest area at Donner's Pass. They have a new fence so that you can not get anywhere except into the building. Picnic tables are still there but you can't get to them. So we sat and ate in the car and looked at the remaining snow. We noticed heading both west and east that there was almost no steam coming from the Nightingale Hot Springs. These springs are next to a business of some sort and not in a visitor or recreation area but are usually visible from the highway. Can't find anything about them on line but did find that there are a lot of hot springs in NV. 3rd stop was an area called Trinity. At the corner of I-80 and US-95. Permanent outhouses, no running water. 4th stop was in Winnemuccia at Loves for fuel and then Port O Subs for food. We could have gotten food at Loves but we do that often enough so we made a second stop. This sandwich was good. As we were leaving town there was an older couple with a can of gas trying to flag someone down. Just ahead of us was a bus and they actually got out into the street trying to get the bus to stop. They finally realized the bus was not going to stop and got out of the way. It was a work bus. By then we were passed them. Near immigrants pass we did see a few Mormon crickets both when we headed west and again today but not as many as last year. Looking it up, it says they are expected in mass 'this summer' and summer is not really here yet. 5th and final stop was the Quality Inn in Elko. We got here about 6 PM so a 10 hour day. We usually stay at the Comfort but it was over $100, as was the Holiday Express we sometimes stay at, and the Best Western. The next closest cheap hotel was another hour plus down the road. Load board US - 96 IA -0- MN - 3 WI - 4 2024 06 02 CO-NE 1 tractor to Kimball NE (Monday) ... spending the night at Loveland CO We made it to Loveland ... 696 miles. Breakfast before we left, eggs and sausage. As we are walking out the door I see the business area. I needed to print my paperwork. Now it will have to be tonight. Three hotels I could have done it at and I wait to the last one. We were just this way and nothing seems to have changed since then. We did see a few transporters. RV's, mixers, school buses, etc. 1st stop was at a rest area in UT. Grantsville. About 50 miles from the border, trying to do 150 miles between our two hour stops. Just before our stop we saw a plane leave it's smoke marking. Usually they do this high in the sky, but this one looked like he was just coming off the ground. We also saw something that looked like people out in the salt flats away from everything else. But they were far enough away that we don't know for sure they were people, but something that was not usually there. 2nd stop was at the Flying J in Evanston. Years ago they took out the sit down restaurant with the buffet. Now they have taken out the Subway. Instead, after we fueled we went into town and went through the drive-thru at Wendy's. I ordered a single and got a double. Couldn't eat it all. No receipt but I likely paid for it all. 3rd stop is a rest area with a mailing address of Rock Springs but it is <> 50 miles from there. The GPS location calls it Table Rock. 4th stop is the Petro for a break before we get off the freeway. A driver towing a travel trailer was coming into the building as we were leaving so I asked where he was going. UT. But the conversation quickly switched to driveaway and how 'You can't make any money doing driveaway.' Hmmm. I've also talked to other drivers who do both and they say you can't make any money doing tow away. He did most of the talking, hard to get a word in edgewise or get away. Off the interstate to Loveland. Some two lane, some four lane, some passing lanes. BB found a Jason's Deli to stop at so that was a little out of route. She had wanted their salad bar but by the time we got there she had a salad type she wanted. We ended up eating there. I had a sandwich, chicken salad with no soup. Still plenty of food. 6th and final stop is in Loveland at the Quality Inn. They do have a business center to print paperwork but the 1st computer would not turn on and one of the printers was not connected to anything. When the 2nd computer wouldn't print I looked at the que. There was a waiting list going back to September. At that point I went to the front desk. They first gave me a wrong email address and then had to call the manager to get a password for the correct email address. But I got it. One copy. I had said what they handed me was all I needed before I looked at it. I would have liked two copies but I should be OK. ... the trip continues HERE |
