My oh My am I way behind or what?
Belinda is spending a month or two with her momma. I sure hope she is enjoying her visit because I miss her out here on the road with me. I'm currently sitting in Jackson, MS waiting to get my truck fixed. I may be here for a few days, but I'm really hoping to get it in the shop and back on the road tomorrow Monday, June 30.
Hmmm where all have we been? This trip started out back on June 4th with Belinda and I together and headed with a short run over to Columbus, KS to pick up some roofing supplies and take them to Tuscaloosa, AL. That went without a hitch and we were dispatch for Prichard, AL(Mobile) for a load headed for Laredo, TX. And just as fast as we could get there... I got there early by over 12 hours and was able to drop that load without delivering it to the brokers. Lot's of freight in Laredo... Grabbed a load headed for Loudon, TN. Now we made a decision. With just a few miles out of route I could take Belinda to her Mama's. She was wanting to spend the Month of July with Mama anyway, but this was just June 7. Most of you know we lost my mother a little over a year and half ago now when I started this adventure and I really wanted Belinda to spend good quality time with her mom while they both are in good health. Even though Belinda is much younger then her mom (naturally... hehehhee) you never know if our own health may fail. "May God not let that happen I pray" Anyway, I sort of talked her into going early and spending almost two months with Mama. Sort of good deal for next month... Our Baby girl Holly is getting married on July 20 and Belinda will be able to drive Mama up to Indy for the wedding and I'll get to rondavoux with her then.
OK so where does that leave me?.... I drop Belinda off June 8 and head on for TN. Make that delivery and run down to Wildwood, GA to rescue a load headed for Chambersburg PA and complete a drop and hook. Then I'm off for Allentown, PA for some hot freight that is needed in Plymouth, NC. Complete that run without a hitch and then find out there are thirsty folks down in Wilmington, NC but the closest Budweiser plant is in Williamsburg, VA!!! So I take a leisurely drive on some back roads along the NC/VA coast and work my way up to Chesapeake and have a good nights sleep. Then roll on into Williamsburg get some 40,000 + pounds of beer and fix them thirsty folks in Wilmington up.
Then wouldn't you know it... The good folks in Florence, SC hear about the beer and they want some too!!! So I have to leave Wilmington NC... drive back up to Williamsburg VA for another load of beer and then drive it all the way down to Florence SC to keep them southerners happy.
After that, the OPs back in Joplin think I haven't been in the big cities enough and they send me over to Atlanta GA for an over night red eye back into Spartanburg SC. So I push a bit and run some more hot freight. Now Walmart over in Grove City OH runs out of Golf balls and needs more advertising stuff for their end caps. Where do I find this stuff at???? Well seems like they have this stuff over in Charlotte!! Now I have to make a two stop pick up... One at big warehouse in Charlotte and the golf balls are at someones "garage" out in the outskirts of Charlotte with a gravel driveway! The first stop is not too bad as far as getting in and out of big cities. But finding that gravel driveway turned out to be a challenge for a big ole over the road tractor and 53 feet of wide turning storage box dragging along behind me. I MISSED the driveway!!! took me 10 more miles to find a place to turn around. Ok ok, so it wasn't really a garage, but almost. It was medium sized metal building with a hard blind side back to get the golf balls. But it was a gravel driveway... LOL
So I leave Charlotte headed up I-77, one of my most favorite places to drive and just as I start up one of the BIG hills in West Virgina... about a 15 minute climb to the top... my little Isabelle jumped off the back bunk and hung one toenail in my hand crocheted bed cover(Thanks my Love) with her little front paws barely able to scratch at the floor below. I listened to that baby "scream" for about 20 minutes until I could top the mountain and find a place to park so I could rescue her. It was a Long 15 to 20 minutes up that mountain.
The rest of the trip went great with beautiful scenery.
Oak Grove OH is a suburb of Columbus and they have another overnight redeye of hot freight that needs delivered in Newark NJ. For those of you that don't know... I consider Newark part of NEW YORK CITY!!!!! and those of you that have kept up for the past year and half or so know how I love NYC. Anyway that run also went off without a hitch and I spent the night underneath the I-95 interstate so that I could run into Union NJ the next morning and grab a load headed for Elwood KS.
It was a nice long run that got me off the east coast. I delivered Elwood, Jumped the river over into St Joe and grabbed a preloaded trailer off our drop lot there to take some lumber that another driver had dragged out of Oregon to the hard working Dutchmen in Carrol IA. Seems they have a Pella window plant there and needed some more framing to put glass into. Then The main Pella plant over in Pella IA had some windows that contractors needed for new construction and wanted me to deliver for them. They had a trailer loaded that had four deliveries put on it and I had to take it to Springfield MO... Two stops over in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and the final delivery down in San Antonio. That last day took me from San Antonio back up to Austin for another HOT freight run down to Laredo TX. Any of you other drivers that have run the Austin HiPriorty freight will know what I'm talking about.
That Austin freight is so secure I had to show My drivers license to four different people, sign papers that I would not stop in route and make the 300 mile run without even a pee break! I've had to make this particular run a few times now and it's not so bad when you are prepared for it. :)
So this now brings me almost up to date... I run into Laredo and pass the Con-Way trailer inspection and they say... "This is HOT freight", take it right over to the brokers...
So I run it over to the brokers make a fast drop to get rid of the stuff and bebop right back over to our yard as I already have a load assigned to me headed for Charlotte NC!!! :)
So now here I sit 600 miles away from Charlotte with an empty trailer waiting on the Kenworth shop to open up in the morning. Seems I have lost my turbo and this ole truck just does not want to climb hills or even pass a granny in a wheel chair without having some turbo Boost to help push that $4.80 a gallon diesel fuel into the thirsty engine to develop the horse power needed to pull freight. So last night I contacted the people in operations and set up a relay with another truck to rescue my load and get it delivered on time Monday morning.
OH!!! and I did get to spend last night with my darling wife at her mothers house before getting up this morning to come meet my relay in Jackson MS
Whewwwwwwwww, dang sure will be glad to get Belinda back on this truck to keep up "My" blog hehehehe. This is almost like work trying to catch up and I'd rather just sit here in my office with a view and watch it change as the miles go by.
Till next time...
Living the Dream
Belinda is spending a month or two with her momma. I sure hope she is enjoying her visit because I miss her out here on the road with me. I'm currently sitting in Jackson, MS waiting to get my truck fixed. I may be here for a few days, but I'm really hoping to get it in the shop and back on the road tomorrow Monday, June 30.
Hmmm where all have we been? This trip started out back on June 4th with Belinda and I together and headed with a short run over to Columbus, KS to pick up some roofing supplies and take them to Tuscaloosa, AL. That went without a hitch and we were dispatch for Prichard, AL(Mobile) for a load headed for Laredo, TX. And just as fast as we could get there... I got there early by over 12 hours and was able to drop that load without delivering it to the brokers. Lot's of freight in Laredo... Grabbed a load headed for Loudon, TN. Now we made a decision. With just a few miles out of route I could take Belinda to her Mama's. She was wanting to spend the Month of July with Mama anyway, but this was just June 7. Most of you know we lost my mother a little over a year and half ago now when I started this adventure and I really wanted Belinda to spend good quality time with her mom while they both are in good health. Even though Belinda is much younger then her mom (naturally... hehehhee) you never know if our own health may fail. "May God not let that happen I pray" Anyway, I sort of talked her into going early and spending almost two months with Mama. Sort of good deal for next month... Our Baby girl Holly is getting married on July 20 and Belinda will be able to drive Mama up to Indy for the wedding and I'll get to rondavoux with her then.
OK so where does that leave me?.... I drop Belinda off June 8 and head on for TN. Make that delivery and run down to Wildwood, GA to rescue a load headed for Chambersburg PA and complete a drop and hook. Then I'm off for Allentown, PA for some hot freight that is needed in Plymouth, NC. Complete that run without a hitch and then find out there are thirsty folks down in Wilmington, NC but the closest Budweiser plant is in Williamsburg, VA!!! So I take a leisurely drive on some back roads along the NC/VA coast and work my way up to Chesapeake and have a good nights sleep. Then roll on into Williamsburg get some 40,000 + pounds of beer and fix them thirsty folks in Wilmington up.
Then wouldn't you know it... The good folks in Florence, SC hear about the beer and they want some too!!! So I have to leave Wilmington NC... drive back up to Williamsburg VA for another load of beer and then drive it all the way down to Florence SC to keep them southerners happy.
After that, the OPs back in Joplin think I haven't been in the big cities enough and they send me over to Atlanta GA for an over night red eye back into Spartanburg SC. So I push a bit and run some more hot freight. Now Walmart over in Grove City OH runs out of Golf balls and needs more advertising stuff for their end caps. Where do I find this stuff at???? Well seems like they have this stuff over in Charlotte!! Now I have to make a two stop pick up... One at big warehouse in Charlotte and the golf balls are at someones "garage" out in the outskirts of Charlotte with a gravel driveway! The first stop is not too bad as far as getting in and out of big cities. But finding that gravel driveway turned out to be a challenge for a big ole over the road tractor and 53 feet of wide turning storage box dragging along behind me. I MISSED the driveway!!! took me 10 more miles to find a place to turn around. Ok ok, so it wasn't really a garage, but almost. It was medium sized metal building with a hard blind side back to get the golf balls. But it was a gravel driveway... LOL
So I leave Charlotte headed up I-77, one of my most favorite places to drive and just as I start up one of the BIG hills in West Virgina... about a 15 minute climb to the top... my little Isabelle jumped off the back bunk and hung one toenail in my hand crocheted bed cover(Thanks my Love) with her little front paws barely able to scratch at the floor below. I listened to that baby "scream" for about 20 minutes until I could top the mountain and find a place to park so I could rescue her. It was a Long 15 to 20 minutes up that mountain.
The rest of the trip went great with beautiful scenery.
Oak Grove OH is a suburb of Columbus and they have another overnight redeye of hot freight that needs delivered in Newark NJ. For those of you that don't know... I consider Newark part of NEW YORK CITY!!!!! and those of you that have kept up for the past year and half or so know how I love NYC. Anyway that run also went off without a hitch and I spent the night underneath the I-95 interstate so that I could run into Union NJ the next morning and grab a load headed for Elwood KS.
It was a nice long run that got me off the east coast. I delivered Elwood, Jumped the river over into St Joe and grabbed a preloaded trailer off our drop lot there to take some lumber that another driver had dragged out of Oregon to the hard working Dutchmen in Carrol IA. Seems they have a Pella window plant there and needed some more framing to put glass into. Then The main Pella plant over in Pella IA had some windows that contractors needed for new construction and wanted me to deliver for them. They had a trailer loaded that had four deliveries put on it and I had to take it to Springfield MO... Two stops over in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and the final delivery down in San Antonio. That last day took me from San Antonio back up to Austin for another HOT freight run down to Laredo TX. Any of you other drivers that have run the Austin HiPriorty freight will know what I'm talking about.
That Austin freight is so secure I had to show My drivers license to four different people, sign papers that I would not stop in route and make the 300 mile run without even a pee break! I've had to make this particular run a few times now and it's not so bad when you are prepared for it. :)
So this now brings me almost up to date... I run into Laredo and pass the Con-Way trailer inspection and they say... "This is HOT freight", take it right over to the brokers...
So I run it over to the brokers make a fast drop to get rid of the stuff and bebop right back over to our yard as I already have a load assigned to me headed for Charlotte NC!!! :)
So now here I sit 600 miles away from Charlotte with an empty trailer waiting on the Kenworth shop to open up in the morning. Seems I have lost my turbo and this ole truck just does not want to climb hills or even pass a granny in a wheel chair without having some turbo Boost to help push that $4.80 a gallon diesel fuel into the thirsty engine to develop the horse power needed to pull freight. So last night I contacted the people in operations and set up a relay with another truck to rescue my load and get it delivered on time Monday morning.
OH!!! and I did get to spend last night with my darling wife at her mothers house before getting up this morning to come meet my relay in Jackson MS
Whewwwwwwwww, dang sure will be glad to get Belinda back on this truck to keep up "My" blog hehehehe. This is almost like work trying to catch up and I'd rather just sit here in my office with a view and watch it change as the miles go by.
Till next time...
Living the Dream
posted by RickLynn | 2:17 PM
|
0 comments
