I need a hat, a chain for my wallet & a can of snuff.

dpkimmel2001 said:
I don’t know but I’ll keep my out for him. One of my favorite shows of all time.
Click to expand...
Don't forget the local "Los Pollos Hermanos" chicken fast food restaurant chain if you get hungry. They probably can fix it with some stay awake ingredients.

Probably best to stay away from any cleaning services in the area they are probably overkill.
 
I know truck drivers provide one of the nation's most critical and valuable services, that can not be overstated. It is truly unappreciated.

While I respect the size of rigs and take care around them to avoid passing one on the right side etc... But I still trust the truck drivers the most. I have never experienced a rude truck driver, and at the moment I can't recall one cutting me off or making an unpredictable move. I think they are the best drivers on the road and there would be many more tragic events if they weren't the best

The one thing I do wonder about is how the truck drivers stay awake day after day. For a long distance drive in my car or truck I keep some music playing or an audio book going to keep my mind active. I also avoid using cruise control to keep myself mentally engaged and I think I do a good job of keeping my speed consistent or flat without it, that little mental excercise helps me not to get drowsy.

I am just not sure how the long haul truck drivers do it day after day, after so many miles. Much respect.
 
Greg said:
Don't forget the local "Los Pollos Hermanos" chicken fast food restaurant chain if you get hungry. They probably can fix it with some stay awake ingredients.

Probably best to stay away from any cleaning services in the area they are probably overkill.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I’m staying away from Gus. Chicken does sound good but I’m going to go with a Reuben sandwich today.
 
Greg said:
I know truck drivers provide one of the nation's most critical and valuable services, that can not be overstated. It is truly unappreciated.

While I respect the size of rigs and take care around them to avoid passing one on the right side etc... But I still trust the truck drivers the most. I have never experienced a rude truck driver, and at the moment I can't recall one cutting me off or making an unpredictable move. I think they are the best drivers on the road and there would be many more tragic events if they weren't the best

The one thing I do wonder about is how the truck drivers stay awake day after day. For a long distance drive in my car or truck I keep some music playing or an audio book going to keep my mind active. I also avoid using cruise control to keep myself mentally engaged and I think I do a good job of keeping my speed consistent or flat without it, that little mental excercise helps me not to get drowsy.

I am just not sure how the long haul truck drivers do it day after day, after so many miles. Much respect.
Click to expand...
Ah, there are definitely rude truckers out there. That’s for sure.

The clock rules that we all have to follow make sure that we’re stopped for ten consecutive hours before being allowed to drive again. Me, I take care of getting in my shower/dinner and a minimum of eight hours of sleep.

I pass the time listening to sports talk radio, music and podcasts.
 
That is an awesome place. There is one on the 25 heading towards Denver also. It is a lot smaller though.
 
Made it to Kingman, AZ this morning. Slightly short of where I intended but I ran into some sketchy roads just east of Albuquerque early in the am. Decided to do a reset here. I’ll leave about 11pm tomorrow for Mondays delivery with a fresh clock to turn around and head to Chicago.

Time here will be spent taking in the NFL matchups that start in just a few minutes.
 
Been sitting here since 3am local time. Still not offloaded. This is a brand new product. Apparently the lab results sent from the originating source are not an exact match to the sample taken here. They could possibly reject the load. May have to haul it back to the East coast. Developing…..
 
Had to get a waiver from Exxonmobil to offload but the offload process has begun. Sat here so long today that I completed a 10 hour break. It will allow me a full days driving when I leave here but I’m too tired to deal with traffic. I’ll probably pull out of here and park along the street to get some sleep before leaving under the cover of darkness. Not ideal. Basically the south side of LA. If you don’t hear from me let’s just say it’s been real.
 
Morning in Arizona

8D6E8552-A0BA-4E9F-A52E-662A8FD1547B.jpeg
 
That is some flat land. I'll bet the wind blows like crazy through that area. Surprised to not see snow fence but maybe they don't get enough snow to worry about drifting. Really enjoy the pictures you send of the highways and scenes of natural formations. It makes it like the icing on a cake when you describe your adventures as you travel.
 
Whizzer said:
That is some flat land. I'll bet the wind blows like crazy through that area. Surprised to not see snow fence but maybe they don't get enough snow to worry about drifting. Really enjoy the pictures you send of the highways and scenes of natural formations. It makes it like the icing on a cake when you describe your adventures as you travel.
Click to expand...
I don’t think I’ve ever noticed snow fence in this southern route. It does stand out crossing I80 through Wyoming though. They get a lot of snow up there. The most snow that I see running across I40 is around Flagstaff. While it wasn’t on the road there were feet of snow everywhere else. I went through that area at the right time and avoided it.

Those pictures from my phone will never do nature justice.

Currently I’m in East St. Louis. Stopped quick to grab a shower and breakfast before heading to Chicago. I’m about 4 1/2 hrs out. Going to run to Walmart and restock while I’m there. Where they’re sending me next, I don’t know.
 
Cirrus clouds above. Rain or snow will arrive in the next 24 hours. Amarillo Tx. area can sneak up on you in the winter on 40 also. They get a lot of ice, snow and slush because of their elevation at 3700 ft.
 
Do you come through Springfield MO any DP? I live in Strafford MO just right outside of it on I-44, there are a couple truck stops here that are always packed. There are a ton of trucking companies in this area.
 
*WEAVER* said:
Do you come through Springfield MO any DP? I live in Strafford MO just right outside of it on I-44, there are a couple truck stops here that are always packed. There are a ton of trucking companies in this area.
Click to expand...
I went through Springfield yesterday. It seems that these truck stops are packed everywhere. Especially East of the Mississippi.
 
A little over a five hour delay in total. Tough to complain too much though. Had I been a little ahead of schedule I could have been in the wrong place at the right time. All’s good. I’m parked for the night. The next couple days will be longer than I’d like but that’s okay.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
A little over a five hour delay in total. Tough to complain too much though. Had I been a little ahead of schedule I could have been in the wrong place at the right time. All’s good. I’m parked for the night. The next couple days will be longer than I’d like but that’s okay.
Click to expand...
It was snowing hard when we left the hotel in Indiana on Sunday morning, but we got ahead of it and didn't see any more snow until Flagstaff on Monday evening. We got through there just in time before 6 inches dropped that night. But we were already at our hotel in Kingman AZ.
 
Nitro Dude said:
It was snowing hard when we left the hotel in Indiana on Sunday morning, but we got ahead of it and didn't see any more snow until Flagstaff on Monday evening. We got through there just in time before 6 inches dropped that night. But we were already at our hotel in Kingman AZ.
Click to expand...

I went through Flagstaff Tuesday night. By then the roads were clear but East of there got sketchy for a while. I was running empty so that just made it worse.

Last Saturday into Sunday I did my reset in Kingman, AZ at the Flying J. That’s a busy location. I left from there early Monday to make my delivery in Vernon, CA.

I’m currently in Black River Falls, WI on my way to Edmonton. The current temperature here is 4 degrees. Gonna be getting a lot colder on my route today. Here’s some of the current temps as I continue my day…..

C8BE6FC6-D54C-4FEB-B7DD-0876238157CE.png
 
It looks so flat and barren in the photos. The wind must really whip things around but with the saw a snow machine can really get to top speed. Can't imagine living where there are no hills or mountains. Those seem to offer a sense of security to me. As for the above snapshot of the weather report and temperatures, no comment!! ;)
 
So, what is it that they say about the ‘Best Laid Plans’?

best laid plans (singular best laid plan) (idiomatic) A proverbial expression used to signify the futility of making detailed plans when the ability to fully or even partially execute them is uncertain.

Apparently all of the paperwork isn’t complete for me to cross the border. When loads are taken across the border fees are paid to the country you enter based on the value of the load. There’s a lot of paperwork involved and everything had to be in order. I’m not responsible for any of this exchange in paperwork and the like. That falls primarily on the shipper and carrier. The place I loaded and other people in my company. In this case, the shipper didn’t provide the invoice for the load. That has to go to a broker that then completes the necessary steps for me to cross the border.

When all of this paperwork is processed, my company sends me a single sheet of paper with a barcode that contains all of this detailed info. They aren’t supposed to send me this sheet until I’m cleared to cross. Well, someone did send me this sheet. I didn’t know there was a problem until I got to the border. They won’t let me into Canada. I have to wait until business hours tomorrow to get cleared to cross. So, here I sit. Stuck until tomorrow. At least I'm getting paid.
 
Whizzer said:
It looks so flat and barren in the photos. The wind must really whip things around but with the saw a snow machine can really get to top speed. Can't imagine living where there are no hills or mountains. Those seem to offer a sense of security to me. As for the above snapshot of the weather report and temperatures, no comment!! ;)
Click to expand...
Much of this country is pretty dang flat. It also could be that the interstate system is taking the path of least resistance. It's a slow, unnoticeable increase in elevation driving west across this country. Without a GPS or sooner other device telling you, you wouldn't even realize just how high your traveling. Another way that tells you the change in elevation are plastic bottles. I buy those gallon size thicker water bottles with the built in recessed handle grip. If you open one of those bottles at a higher elevation asked them closer the lid, at the lower elevation they will look like someone squeezed three bottle and put the lid on it. Or expand if you do three exact opposite.

Yes, I prefer the drastic changes in elevation. I think anywhere there are mountains and valleys to look at are the best locations our country has to offer.
 
That sucks! But you did answer my immediate thought of how that works for your pay when you are waiting to have someone else error get squared away. None of which is your fault.:idunno:
 
Whizzer said:
That sucks! But you did answer my immediate thought of how that works for your pay when you are waiting to have someone else error get squared away. None of which is your fault.:idunno:
Click to expand...
Yeah, it sucks as the weather was favorable today for travel. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

When I sit like this, I'll get paid for my available 14hr day. It gets a little confusing but basically I have 14 hours a day available for working and 10 for rest. Last night I was about 30 minutes south of the border where I took my 10 hour break. I got up this morning and started my new 14 hour clock. I drove a half hour to the border so I have 13 1/2 hours left on today's available work clock. I'll get paid hourly untill the conclusion of those 13 1/2 hours. Then, I'm off for the next 10 hours. If I'm still sitting here then, the process will repeat until I start driving again. Paid for 14 and off for 10.

There are a bunch of rules and other clocks but the rule above is what applies to the situation I'm currently in.

Currently, it's -10 here at the Portal, ND crossing. My truck at idle is only at about 110 degrees. The heat that comes out of the vents is warm enough but not hot by any means. Occasionally I bump the idle speed to increase engine temps. I'll do that tonight.

The product that I'm delivering is temperature sensitive. It has to deliver between 60-100 degrees. It loaded at 93 degrees and it's now at 90 degrees. These tanks are insulated well so I should be good there. If for some reason it falls near or below temp, I'd have to have the load steamed. That often happens with loads that are preloaded. This load I loaded myself so it started in this direction as soon as the tanker was filled.

I'm currently in a loaner truck. It's a 2020 Peterbilt almost exactly the same as my 2022. Mine is in the shop with a laundry list of repairs. I don't have all of my stuff transferred into this truck. Only the essentials.

Yesterday, I had to have the fuel filters replaced in this unit. Fuel flow was getting restricted. The temperature as well as the general filter conditions were a factor. Caused a three hour delay and a bill of about $800 for the company. Plus the pay for my downtime.

The colder temperature also requires me to run fuel additive that keeps the diesel fuel from gelling. That stuff goes about $20/bottle and had to be emptied into the fuel tanks at each fuel stop. Which is every day. I'm currently at 1965 gallons for the month. I'll be over 2000 gallons easily this month.

I've got a good enough cell signal that I can stream video here. Looks like it's a good day to catch up on a little Netflix followed by the championship games this afternoon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom