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

Was sent to New Jersey where I just hooked up to a preloaded trailer that I'm taking to Edmonton. Won't be able to deliver until next Thursday morning because the load will have to be steamed when I get up there. My 70hr workweek clock will run out by the time I get to Fargo, ND on Sunday. I'll be spending a couple days there to restart my clocks. If all goes well I'll be home for Superbowl Sunday.
 
There is a motto used by New Jersey business that goes, "What New Jersey makes, the world takes." Apparently there is a lot of truth to that as transporting material from South Jersey to Edmonton, Albert, sure does ring that bell.

Safe journey, dpk. Hope you get home in time for the Super Bowl. :)
 
Cool sight this morning just east of Minneapolis. Balloons launched for sunrise. 26 degrees. Didn't know they flew them in those temperatures.

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Greg said:
Will you make it home in time for SB?
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No, not gonna make it in time. Best I could do is probably 11pm Sunday. I'll stop somewhere near Toledo, Ohio to watch it. That is, if there are no further delays. My scheduled delivery is now Friday at noon, mountain time. Supposedly they don't have room for the product I'm hauling, gear oil. If they don't make room, I'll be sitting here till Monday. In the meantime, I get paid hourly, 14 hours a day until they finish offloading this product. While that will add up, I'd rather be home, by my wife's side, beer in hand, and the Superbowl on the big screen.
 
I don't know how you do it. Takes a special determined person to do your job and I am amazed by it. Not just the miles you drive but the conditions in which you do it.

Then, there's the long hours of nothing but waiting. And it's not like you're going to take some nice walks in a park or sit by a river, etc. Just know you're posted journey's are entertaining.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
No, not gonna make it in time. Best I could do is probably 11pm Sunday. I'll stop somewhere near Toledo, Ohio to watch it. That is, if there are no further delays. My scheduled delivery is now Friday at noon, mountain time. Supposedly they don't have room for the product I'm hauling, gear oil. If they don't make room, I'll be sitting here till Monday. In the meantime, I get paid hourly, 14 hours a day until they finish offloading this product. While that will add up, I'd rather be home, by my wife's side, beer in hand, and the Superbowl on the big screen.
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Tony_K said:
I don't know how you do it. Takes a special determined person to do your job and I am amazed by it. Not just the miles you drive but the conditions in which you do it.

Then, there's the long hours of nothing but waiting. And it's not like you're going to take some nice walks in a park or sit by a river, etc. Just know you're posted journey's are entertaining.
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I'm binge watching the Sopranos to pass my time. Occasional walks around the parking lot as well. It does suck to sit but getting paid to do so eases the pain ;)
 
The pics can't really do the size of these rigs justice but much of what is hauled to western Canada is hauled in double, full sized trailers. These are a couple pics of tankers but the same could have been taken of any trailer type imagined. They look like trains going down the road. While I can't imagine pulling double like pictured, drivers I've talked to say they are far more stable than a single unit. Sounds like BS to me.

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Can't imagine what it must be like to drive with a double trailer, especially one hauling liquid that sloshes around. And add in on an icy or snow covered road. No matter what they say about stability, seems braking would be a bigger issue.
Do drivers get double pay for pulling double trailers? Inquiring minds want to know. :rolleyes:
 
Whizzer said:
Can't imagine what it must be like to drive with a double trailer, especially one hauling liquid that sloshes around. And add in on an icy or snow covered road. No matter what they say about stability, seems braking would be a bigger issue.
Do drivers get double pay for pulling double trailers? Inquiring minds want to know. :rolleyes:
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Loaded trailers are more stable. Even those hauling liquid products. I would have never guessed that before I started driving but it's true. I don't know about the stopping distance though.

When it starts getting bad, I reduce my speed or pull over to take a break. I greatly increase my following distance to hopefully avoid any emergency braking. I feel pretty confident with a loaded trailer on snow covered roads.

Ice is something different. The other day I maximized my day driving to get closer to this location because weather was going to be a factor. Yesterday I had a 7am appointment for steaming. I was parked about 2 1/2hrs east of here in Lloydminster, AB, on the border of Saskatchewan and Alberta. It was 23 degrees when I started driving at 4am. About 30 minutes into my drive, I stayed hitting a light drizzle. I don't know how that's possible at that temperature but it's quite common up here. Fortunately the roads are mostly commuter free, relativity straight and there's little elevation change. I set my rev limiter to prevent me from exceeding 50mph. That way I don't have to worry about feathering the pedal. I just hold my foot on the floor and concentrate on the road ahead. Had to pull off the road a couple times to chip the ice off the headlights because of reduced visibility. I lost about 15 minutes over that leg but arrived safely.

I don't know about payments by companies for hauling doubles but they definitely pay more on toll roads as most determine payment by the number of axels. There are places where triples are hauled as well.

Doubles and triples require a separate endorsement on a CDL license. I have the endorsements to haul them but it's never gonna happen.
 
It'll be interesting to see how this delivery goes today. If they have made enough room, this could end up being my address untill Monday.

In the meantime, I picked up my steamed trailer yesterday in the afternoon. Did my pretrip and headed back to park at the Flying J. As I pulled out and headed down the road, my check engine light came on. Started noticing a vibration under acceleration. Thought I had a tire going down. I pulled over and checked everything out and couldn't find a problem. Called breakdown to have them remotely read the check engine code. I was told that cylinder #2 was misfiring. Chances are, it's going to be a fuel injector issue. A bunch of these Peterbilts built during the COVID-19 era are experiencing the same issues near the 200,000 mark. I'll probably be good empty to get out of Canada but time will tell.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
It'll be interesting to see how this delivery goes today. If they have made enough room, this could end up being my address untill Monday.

In the meantime, I picked up my steamed trailer yesterday in the afternoon. Did my pretrip and headed back to park at the Flying J. As I pulled out and headed down the road, my check engine light came on. Started noticing a vibration under acceleration. Thought I had a tire going down. I pulled over and checked everything out and couldn't find a problem. Called breakdown to have them remotely read the check engine code. I was told that cylinder #2 was misfiring. Chances are, it's going to be a fuel injector issue. A bunch of these Peterbilts built during the COVID-19 era are experiencing the same issues near the 200,000 mark. I'll probably be good empty to get out of Canada but time will tell.
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It is like playing with a stacked deck you're trying to get home for the Super Bowl. Those things are always more fun to watch with your BFFF or buddies where the constant teasing and banter lighten and brighten the day. Somehow spending time sitting in a truck stop parking lot watching the SB in the sleeper cab while parked in a truck stop won't be the same. It doesn't create an image of the same enjoyment although it does get the job done. :idunno:
 
Whizzer said:
It is like playing with a stacked deck you're trying to get home for the Super Bowl. Those things are always more fun to watch with your BFFF or buddies where the constant teasing and banter lighten and brighten the day. Somehow spending time sitting in a truck stop parking lot watching the SB in the sleeper cab while parked in a truck stop won't be the same. It doesn't create an image of the same enjoyment although it does get the job done. :idunno:
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As long as I get to watch it, I'm good. Wanted to be home with my wife to watch it but that can't work out.

I decided to extend this stint an additional two weeks. I'm going to be routed out to eastern PA to swap trucks while mine gets repaired.
 
Looks like the route to eastern PA is further into the calendar than I thought. My next dispatch after Chicago is right back up here to Edmonton.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Cool sight this morning just east of Minneapolis. Balloons launched for sunrise. 26 degrees. Didn't know they flew them in those temperatures.
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Hot air rises. In cold winter air, it takes less fuel than in warm summer air. It also takes less time to get enough hot air in the bag.
 
Made it back to Chicago yesterday. Picked up a preloaded trailer bound for Edmonton. Made it to Alexandria, MN before my truck decided to go into a derate mode, reduced power. Probably fuel injector issue causing the misfire. Anyhow, I limped back to a Peterbilt dealer for repairs. I don't think they can even look at it until Thursday. This will be my new address for a while. Waiting on hotel and Uber info now. Packed up and ready to roll.

Ohh, I forgot to mention..... I got a flat tire on the trailer just as I was pulling in here.

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dpkimmel2001 said:
Truck fixed. Tire fixed. Made to Edmonton yesterday mid day only to have my delivery postponed to next Tuesday. 5 days of sitting north of the border. Good thing I subscribe to about every streaming services available. Hope to get out to get some walking in if the sidewalks are snow free.
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Well at least you'll be safe. 😉
 
Delivered a trailer to Pittsburgh PA this morning. Now, I'm bobtailing to Horizon City TX to pick up an empty dry bulk trailer that will come back up to eastern PA. A lot of empty miles but it pays the same.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Delivered a trailer to Pittsburgh PA this morning. Now, I'm bobtailing to Horizon City TX to pick up an empty dry bulk trailer that will come back up to eastern PA. A lot of empty miles but it pays the same.
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Is traction okay in good weather when bobtailing?
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Delivered a trailer to Pittsburgh PA this morning. Now, I'm bobtailing to Horizon City TX to pick up an empty dry bulk trailer that will come back up to eastern PA. A lot of empty miles but it pays the same.
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Do you have the same DOT hour limits when bobtailing?
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Delivered a trailer to Pittsburgh PA this morning. Now, I'm bobtailing to Horizon City TX to pick up an empty dry bulk trailer that will come back up to eastern PA. A lot of empty miles but it pays the same.
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I suppose the newer tractors ride much different than the older ones when bobtailing. I just think of the days of yore when I bobtailed from Connecticut to New Jersey. Not a long distance by comparison but rough ride would never adequately describe the ride. Bobtailing was more like riding a horse and not getting into th e rhythm.
 
Greg said:
Do you have the same DOT hour limits when bobtailing?
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Yes. I'm still under the same rules. I'm stopped now for my 10 hour break just east of Indianapolis. I hope to be just shy of Oklahoma City after my 11 hours of driving tomorrow.
 
Whizzer said:
I suppose the newer tractors ride much different than the older ones when bobtailing. I just think of the days of yore when I bobtailed from Connecticut to New Jersey. Not a long distance by comparison but rough ride would never adequately describe the ride. Bobtailing was more like riding a horse and not getting into th e rhythm.
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Yeah, it's rough riding. The air ride seat and suspension works great for me but I'm occasionally picking up other items that have fallen throughout the day. A loaded trailer rides best.
 
Hit the Blue Beacon Truck Wash this morning ahead of picking up this shinny new trailer. Didn't want the trailer to show up my ride.

The trailer that I'm picking up is for our Dry Bulk Division. I guess they're retiring some of the older units. Those drivers mainly driver day cabs, so they can't make the trip out here to grab their new trailer inventory. I'll be taking the trailer back to our main shop so they can inspect it and add the lettering.

Parked at a Walmart this morning to grab a few things before going to pick up the trailer. The manufacturers lot is only a mile from my location.

Pics of the clean truck and the satellite view of the trailer lot full of new trailers.....

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