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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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2024 06 11 MN-MN 1 RV to Duluth MN (delivered) 1 trash truck to Kansas City KS (Wednesday) ... spending the night at home Up with the alarm (means a better nights sleep?) We are out of the house and rolling by 7:30, looking last night (and again tonight) it was going to take us less than a half hour. But this is the AM rush hour so it was about double that. 1st stop was the shipper / shop in Minneapolis. Pretty quiet this AM and it took a few minutes for someone to show up at the desk. Did my brief walk around before moving the RV. Saw a few units lined up that had been or would be repaired. Some had the factory stickers still on them. The one that caught my eye was the Yelloh truck. First one I remember seeing. Yelloh is the former Schwan's. I moved dozens, if not a 100 of their trucks the first couple of years doing driveaway. To do the rest of my inspection I pulled up to where BB had parked so she could also look it over. We had one issue ... and then it was gone. When we turn on the blinker, there is another white light next to it that is supposed to come on. The right one was on all the time. Until we started looking closer at it. Then it finally worked correctly. Because this RV was a 'breakdown' unit, I am supposed to leave it with the same amount of fuel as I find it. 162 miles and it is showing 10 mpg. I have enough fuel to get to where gas is cheap ... 2nd stop is the Loves in Forest Lake. Gas is $2.89 after discount. I take a guess that I will get 15 mpg instead of the 10+ on the first 25 miles. I did get the mpg up to 14.6 before it started dropping again. One scale was open, I had checked, this unit was 11,000# so I needed to cross it. Actual weight was under 10,000#. I was not flagged in. I did stop on the exit ramp for my exit so I could look at a map. Second round-a-bout was all I needed to remember. I also looked at my odometer. The gauge was very close to where I wanted to leave it. 3rd stop was the Kwik trip to put in one gallon of fuel. I had gone 15 miles so that would be close enough. Could have had free fuel. I don't remember what was displaying on the pump but it was something that made me re-hang up the hoses. Then the pump asked if I wanted a receipt ... 4th stop was one block away via a back street. When I walk in, they say that someone (by name) will be helping me shortly. Then a few minutes later the person who said that comes out to do my inspection. No issues. 5th stop is two miles down the street at Grandma's. Chicken tetrazzini and a bowl of wild rice soup. They talked me into a 'large' size because it was todays special and cheaper than the small. Why not, some of it was going home with me anyways. What I ended up taking home will be two meals. We did not have desert. Still no work so we head in the direction of home. A few miles down the road I stop on the ramp and call the local dispatcher. Voice mail. So they call me back. At first they think there might be a trip in Duluth but it was either already covered or not ready. Either way not available for me. After finding out there are no other trucks, I settle for a trash truck. Going to Kansas City. An hour later there are three RV's heading to MT. That would have been better money, but other times when we wait for something better we are hitting re-fresh for two weeks. We took what was a sure thing. And leaving after I drop the trash truck would get us out there on Saturday. If the RV's would have still be there tomorrow AM I would have called to see if that was an option. But by 5 PM close there was only one left. 6th stop was in Forest Lake for an oil change. We need one before we head out and put another 1,000 miles on it. No waiting. Next stop, still in Forest Lake was the Loves for fuel again. Might as well fill up again before we leave town. 7th stop ... first was Target to get a new BP machine. Ours had quit over the weekend and we hadn't been out yet. Both of us have been keeping track daily for a few years. Changed our whole routine not doing it in the AM. ... then we stopped and picked up tomorrows paperwork. I'm the only one going to Dodge Center tomorrow. Two drivers heading to Lake Crystal for dump trucks and two drivers heading to MA with buses. Final stop ... home. We had spent quite a bit of time with our wipers on today. But not really enough at home to cover the bottom of the rain gauge. Load board US - 86 IA - 2/1 MN -0- WI - 3 |
