After sitting at a truck stop in northern Appleton, WI for about 20 minutes I got a message on the qualcomm with my next load info. I was to head over to western Appleton, WI, by 700pm to pick up a loaded trailer and take it to Carolton, TX, just north of Dallas by Thursday morning at 1100am. Since I put in for home on Monday I figured this load was to start getting me in the right direction. I suspect that since I'll be ready for a load by mid afternoon on Thursday I might be in the running for a Con-way load that runs from Dallas to Phoenix, but we'll see.
After looking at my logs and programming the locations into my 2 gps units I settled in for a 10 hour break before heading over to the consignor. However, being that circumstances never go the way I intend them, I got a message about an hour later to head over to the consignor as they needed my trailer for the load. So much for a drop and hook at 700pm. I oblidged and headed over. It didn't take me but 15 minutes to get there, back into my dock, get loaded, and head out. In all I think i was finished in about 45 minutes and on the road by 1100am.
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Being that I was at about half on the fuel gauge I decided to make it as far as Brooklyn, IA where I would stop for the night at the Pilot there, about 240 miles away. That allowed me on Tuesday morning to take a shower and refuel before heading out. My 14 hour clock ran out at 600pm and I was figuring I would be there by 430pm so I was well within my time limits. True to my math I made it there by 430pm, settled in with my laptop and some primetime tv, and had a killer Lean Cuisine for dinner before hitting the hay.
I woke up around 645am on Tuesday morning, well before my intended goal of 800am. Figuring others in the truck stop probably already beat me to the shower line I opted to make breakfast, catch up on my email and blogs, and was rather surprised I managed to catch a rather decent chick flick... Over Her Dead Body. I finally jumped in the shower somewhere around 800 or 830am. Not sure which. After fueling I was finally on the road around 1000am.
The drive was rather uneventful but Kansas City was interesting considering I rolled through there during rush hour. Since I didn't have to run many miles Tuesday I squeezed out some 340 miles and finally stopped at a podunk truck stop in Iola, KS. This town sounded familiar as I saw it on all the signs and as I got closer noticed the Gates Rubber Company show up on my GPS. A quick thought back and remembered.... we've been here before. Anyways, I was really in the mood for a frothy adult beverage but considering the location of the truck stop in relation to the rest of the town's amenities (well over a mile away) I chose to do the usual movies on tv and some refried bean and cheese quesadillas for dinner.
Thursday started around 800am or so when I woke up yet another morning without an alarm. I love it. I sent in my hours by 900MST and was off. The drive was uneventful other than stupid drivers passing on double solid lines and almost creating 2 separate wrecks with oncoming traffic. Idiots. I finally got to Atoka, OK to refuel when I got a "you were late on sending in your hours" slap on the hand message on the qualcomm. For those that are unaware we are supposed to send in our hours every morning by 900am so the planners know what they are working with... which seems counterintuitive anyways because they rarely ever preplan me on anything until I get to my destination anyways. I digress.... I always understood from my trainer that everything works off your home terminal. And considering I work off of El Paso, TX time (MST) and i sent the message at 857am MST I figured I was in the clear... apparently not. I sent a clarification message asking and supposedly its on Joplin, MO time... CST. Grand... so can I sleep in or just send the hours in before I go to bed. I posed the question on a fellow drivers blog and am awaiting his answer. I too would love the opportunity to sleep in once in a while... waking up at 730am every morning will suck. Anyways, I refueld and was off and made it another 120 miles before shutting down in Anna, TX at the Loves for the night. 356 miles for the day isn't too bad I guess... and it left me 39 miles to go to the consignee.
My intent for Wednesday night was to try and sleep with the truck off to save my mpg. It worked surprisingly well, but i'm sure turning everything that drains power off except my fan and refrigerator. However, it only lasted until around 600am when the fan shut off, waking me up. I restarted the truck to start the recharge process and attempted to go back to bed but that point was futile. I ended up getting up instead and hung out until around 900am when I drove over to the consignee.
I ended up following my GPS over since all of the roads were truck routes. Along the northwest freeway I found it was a tollway, something I hadn't planned on so I opted to follow it via the service drive. While it was a better decision since I don't keep cash on me I ended up hitting every red light along the way. Then I started south towards the consignee. I saw a freeway with no indications of it being a tollway.. at least until I hit the toll shed. Seriously?!? When the hell did Dallas all become a tollway? Whatever. I rolled in and informed the lady I had no idea I was on a tollway. She set me up so I could pay for it through the mail within 15 days. Not my preferred choice but at least I didn't get a ticket or anything. I opted to jump off, follow on the service drive, hit every red light, have a close call with a low hanging tree branch and the top of my trailer, and stupid drivers that don't know how to merge (thats a rant for another time). I finally arrived at the consignee right at my appointment time, 1100am.
I had to check in with security first, which yeilded me a hair net, beard net for my goatee, safety glasses, and an orange safety vest (which all combined looked rediculous on me... i looked like the lunch lady from hell).. then was directed to head over to the main office to check in. I followed instructions where I found they all found me on the receiving paperwork they had but didn't know where to put me despite the plethra of open doors. I was told it was a live unload from the company but these people didnt know if they wanted me to drop the trailer or live unload me. After I told them there were none of our trailers in their yard they chose to unload me live and gave me door 0 to get in. Okie. I walked outside and the yard hostler told me there was a trailer in door 0 and told me to park next to a nearby Crete trailer. Was a good spot because the yard was kinda small and the trailers parked extremly close together on the docks. I hate backing into a dock as it is so this was a fair compromise. I got the trailer in there but had to reset twice when I found the dock bumpers were in line with the yellow line. Normally you have to park between the yellow lines. Whatever. 1.5 hours later I was unloaded and headed down to the Lancaster, TX terminal to await my next load.
After looking at my logs and programming the locations into my 2 gps units I settled in for a 10 hour break before heading over to the consignor. However, being that circumstances never go the way I intend them, I got a message about an hour later to head over to the consignor as they needed my trailer for the load. So much for a drop and hook at 700pm. I oblidged and headed over. It didn't take me but 15 minutes to get there, back into my dock, get loaded, and head out. In all I think i was finished in about 45 minutes and on the road by 1100am.
View Larger Map
Being that I was at about half on the fuel gauge I decided to make it as far as Brooklyn, IA where I would stop for the night at the Pilot there, about 240 miles away. That allowed me on Tuesday morning to take a shower and refuel before heading out. My 14 hour clock ran out at 600pm and I was figuring I would be there by 430pm so I was well within my time limits. True to my math I made it there by 430pm, settled in with my laptop and some primetime tv, and had a killer Lean Cuisine for dinner before hitting the hay.
I woke up around 645am on Tuesday morning, well before my intended goal of 800am. Figuring others in the truck stop probably already beat me to the shower line I opted to make breakfast, catch up on my email and blogs, and was rather surprised I managed to catch a rather decent chick flick... Over Her Dead Body. I finally jumped in the shower somewhere around 800 or 830am. Not sure which. After fueling I was finally on the road around 1000am.
The drive was rather uneventful but Kansas City was interesting considering I rolled through there during rush hour. Since I didn't have to run many miles Tuesday I squeezed out some 340 miles and finally stopped at a podunk truck stop in Iola, KS. This town sounded familiar as I saw it on all the signs and as I got closer noticed the Gates Rubber Company show up on my GPS. A quick thought back and remembered.... we've been here before. Anyways, I was really in the mood for a frothy adult beverage but considering the location of the truck stop in relation to the rest of the town's amenities (well over a mile away) I chose to do the usual movies on tv and some refried bean and cheese quesadillas for dinner.
Thursday started around 800am or so when I woke up yet another morning without an alarm. I love it. I sent in my hours by 900MST and was off. The drive was uneventful other than stupid drivers passing on double solid lines and almost creating 2 separate wrecks with oncoming traffic. Idiots. I finally got to Atoka, OK to refuel when I got a "you were late on sending in your hours" slap on the hand message on the qualcomm. For those that are unaware we are supposed to send in our hours every morning by 900am so the planners know what they are working with... which seems counterintuitive anyways because they rarely ever preplan me on anything until I get to my destination anyways. I digress.... I always understood from my trainer that everything works off your home terminal. And considering I work off of El Paso, TX time (MST) and i sent the message at 857am MST I figured I was in the clear... apparently not. I sent a clarification message asking and supposedly its on Joplin, MO time... CST. Grand... so can I sleep in or just send the hours in before I go to bed. I posed the question on a fellow drivers blog and am awaiting his answer. I too would love the opportunity to sleep in once in a while... waking up at 730am every morning will suck. Anyways, I refueld and was off and made it another 120 miles before shutting down in Anna, TX at the Loves for the night. 356 miles for the day isn't too bad I guess... and it left me 39 miles to go to the consignee.
My intent for Wednesday night was to try and sleep with the truck off to save my mpg. It worked surprisingly well, but i'm sure turning everything that drains power off except my fan and refrigerator. However, it only lasted until around 600am when the fan shut off, waking me up. I restarted the truck to start the recharge process and attempted to go back to bed but that point was futile. I ended up getting up instead and hung out until around 900am when I drove over to the consignee.
I ended up following my GPS over since all of the roads were truck routes. Along the northwest freeway I found it was a tollway, something I hadn't planned on so I opted to follow it via the service drive. While it was a better decision since I don't keep cash on me I ended up hitting every red light along the way. Then I started south towards the consignee. I saw a freeway with no indications of it being a tollway.. at least until I hit the toll shed. Seriously?!? When the hell did Dallas all become a tollway? Whatever. I rolled in and informed the lady I had no idea I was on a tollway. She set me up so I could pay for it through the mail within 15 days. Not my preferred choice but at least I didn't get a ticket or anything. I opted to jump off, follow on the service drive, hit every red light, have a close call with a low hanging tree branch and the top of my trailer, and stupid drivers that don't know how to merge (thats a rant for another time). I finally arrived at the consignee right at my appointment time, 1100am.
I had to check in with security first, which yeilded me a hair net, beard net for my goatee, safety glasses, and an orange safety vest (which all combined looked rediculous on me... i looked like the lunch lady from hell).. then was directed to head over to the main office to check in. I followed instructions where I found they all found me on the receiving paperwork they had but didn't know where to put me despite the plethra of open doors. I was told it was a live unload from the company but these people didnt know if they wanted me to drop the trailer or live unload me. After I told them there were none of our trailers in their yard they chose to unload me live and gave me door 0 to get in. Okie. I walked outside and the yard hostler told me there was a trailer in door 0 and told me to park next to a nearby Crete trailer. Was a good spot because the yard was kinda small and the trailers parked extremly close together on the docks. I hate backing into a dock as it is so this was a fair compromise. I got the trailer in there but had to reset twice when I found the dock bumpers were in line with the yellow line. Normally you have to park between the yellow lines. Whatever. 1.5 hours later I was unloaded and headed down to the Lancaster, TX terminal to await my next load.