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March 7, 2009 - The live dash cam will be returning, but not in the previous capacity. More information to follow.
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March 7 , 2009 - Blogger will be shutting down their ability to update our site using their blog software and sending it via their FTP tools. This basically means we can use blogger but we have to use their hosting... which defeats the purpose of having our own domain.. So, over the next few weeks I will be working on migrating the site back to Greymatter, which will be used as our primary blogging software again. I have considered wordpress but after looking at the files I don't have time to learn PHP, so this is the easiest. Blogger will continue to be used until May 1, 2010, when blogger intends to shut down FTP access. Further info to follow.


Tuesday, March 31, 2009
subject: Joplin, MO

So, our wish kinda came true. We delivered our load in Phoenix, AZ about a half hour early. Mary's pimp. She came to bed and I slept another 3 or 4 hours before waking up and taking us over to the Pilot a few miles away to shower. I grabbed my gear and showered up before I woke up princess about 1000am. She was going to take a shower but there were instead 4 others in line. No thanks, no time for that. So we packed up and went to Wal-mart, the shopping choice of truckers everywhere, to get some more staples.

We rolled out of there and headed back to the Pilot so Mary could shower, then we got a plan. Pick up in Benson, AZ on a relay going to Springfield, MO and delivered on Monday at 300pm. Nice slow run this time and it worked out well because we requested to head back to Joplin, MO so we could take the test to get an endorsement on our license, which supposedly would open up a world of loads for us. Not too shabby... maybe we'll hit that legacy 6000 miles a week average. Thus far we've only come across 5200 miles as our top out.


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So anyways, afterward, we headed over to the Con-way lot to pick up an empty and then headed off towards Benson along the I-10 route south. we got there 10 minutes early to find our relay was ready for us. We hooked up and went to potty, then decided there was no rush since we most likely couldn't deliver it early anyways. So, we hung out at the fuel station we relayed at until about 500am and I picked up driving. I would report about the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico but there ain't crap out there. Sunrises are beautiful. Report complete. I do have to say that neither of us have been to the White Sands area of New Mexico and that stuff looks exactally like snow! I have a picture here somewhere...

We changed out drivers in Roswell, NM and Mary drove us to Amarillo, TX where we fueled, ate dinner, and shut down for a few hours to sleep. Mary picked back up at 100am and drove us into Clinton, OK where she woke me up and I drove us into Joplin, MO for the inspection bay. Got an all clear from them and finished the delivery in Springfield, MO. It was a rather uneventful run this time.. but with all the drama before it was really welcome to be honest. We got our deadhead dispatch to Joplin, MO where we anticipate taking our exams this morning. Wish us luck!

posted by Daryl at 08:13
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Friday, March 27, 2009
subject: Phoenix, AZ via Dallas, TX

Yet another cluster... but some good learning experiences.


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So we got our load out of Atlanta, GA shortly after arriving, as I previously stated bound for Dallas, TX. We got about 400 miles, or Pearl, MS before we realized there was a problem with our load. Mary called dispatch and after a short while we handed it off to another team to take to Dallas for us. We disconnected from our loaded trailer and connected to their empty. I was sending our messages in and Mary was preparing lunch when we heard a knock on our drivers door. I got out and met the gentleman, who was also another Con-way driver.

Apparently he received a message we had not yet. He said he was bound for Shreveport, LA when his load was changed bound for Dallas, TX due to the amount of freight going there anyways. I guess he was supposed to get the other teams empty and we were to take his load. So, we took his word for it. About a half hour later we received the message we were to meet with truck #xxxxx and take his trailer to Dallas. Check.

So anyways, we leave out of there about an hour later and get a preplan going to Kettleman, CA. Beauty... 1450 miles... or so we thought. Mary kicked us on into Dallas, TX and bummed around until about 0200am when she woke me up for my shift.

She told me and I saw on the qualcomm the following.. and this was about how our night went over a 4 hour period...

MESSAGE 1
*LOAD CANCELLED - CONTAINS HAZMAT*

MESSAGE 2
*PLANNED LOAD SUMMARY - BLYTHE, CA*

MESSAGE 3
*LOAD CANCELLED - CONTAINS HAZMAT*

MESSAGE 4
*PLANNED LOAD SUMMARY - PHOENIX, AZ*

MESSAGE 5
*LOAD CANCELLED*

MESSAGE 6
*PLANNED LOAD SUMMARY - BLYTHE, CA*

WHAT THE HELL...

ok.. so we go in and we get handed a packet with hazmat documented ALL OVER IT. red stickers EVERYWHERE. Mary, puzzled, asked the guy if this was a hazmat and she was told "No." She then pointed to the stickers asking "and these are for decoration?" trying to be funny. He stated, quote "it don't have placards... so your good." hmmm... ok.

So we go to hook up to the trailer and not only did we see placards on the trailer but we were told by the yard dog we had the wrong trailer. Damn it. so we go BACK to the office to figure it out...

So we were requested to call our dispatch. Done. The answer? "well, their going to have to take the hazmat off of the trailer." uh-huh... so i had her tell him. Apparently we were going to get another load shortly.

So, we head back to the truck.. and low and behold...

MESSAGE 7
*PLANNED LOAD SUMMARY - PHOENIX, AZ*

Good god. The guy at the termianl tried to give it to us 3 times but our dispatch didn't think that was kosher. Ok, so anyways I went back into the office and get the load. NO HAZMAT.. verified (We're not certified for it yet... but close). YAY! 1.5 hours AFTER the pick up time we're off... but not before finding the mudflap had been ripped off before we even got there. I got us to the god foresaken middle of nowhere in Texas after getting the mudflap fixed before Mary took over 8.5 hours later. As of right now no pre-plan so we're hoping to take a day down to do some laundry, eat a hot meal, get some meds refilled and maybe hang out with my brother again.. but, as you can see, things can change at the drop of a hat.

posted by Daryl at 15:37
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
subject: Atlanta, GA

God I miss having regular days off. Mary recovered from her surgery alright and we booked a hotel room in Denver, CO so we could be closer to the Dr. come monday morning for our usual checks. Since it has been about 3 or 4 months since we have seen the kids we snatched them up for the day and took them swimming. Ally, my daughter, was chatty, bossy, and a know it all.. hmm.. mary would say that about sounds like someone she knows, although I can't think of who.

We went on the board Tuesday morning, a day early. Since we have started to become accustomed to this lifestyle just sitting around makes us stir crazy anymore. So, after checking the phone system about once an hour we finally got a load 3 hours later. Magically it was after the time our fleet manager got in... i think she waved her wand and got us something pretty quickly.


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Anyways, it was going from the Henderson, CO freight terminal to the Atlanta, GA freight terminal. Not too shabby. BUT, it was leaving at 1000pm.. drat. However, there is a bright side to this.

Since we have had trouble with the schedule thing this late departure really helped us get onto the schedule. So, I took like 3 sleeping pills and stammered around for a few hours before heading to the truck and taking my nights sleep. Mary came over after a while, drove us to Henderson, swapped our empty for a loaded, made me think the truck was in the middle of a level 5.0 on the Richter scale earthquake while connecting, and we were off. (she swears the tandem pins were stuck)

We didn't get far on Mary's driving though. Since we change at 200am she only got us to the Colorado border before I took over and drove through the paradise Kansas is. I think we made it 100 miles outside of St. Louis, MO before she woke up and took over. We rolled into Atlanta about 2 minutes early (about 0330am) to a pre-plan heading to Dallas, TX. Departure time? 0500am. BEAUTY! I love it when a plan comes together.

posted by Daryl at 03:02
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
subject: New pictures

I have posted new pictures but they are still a mess and not organized like I would like them to be. Hopefully in the next few days on our days off I can get those finished and upload another set of 20.

posted by Daryl at 12:28
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subject: Denver, CO via El Paso, TX

Well, the only words I have to describe the last 3 days are 'Cluster Fuck'. I normally am much more professional with my speech but come on.. it seemed like we couldn't get thrown a bone no matter how hard we tried!


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We left Blythe, CA and deadheaded about 4 or 5 hours over to the Con-way Freight yard in Santa Fe Springs, CA to pick up a load at 400am. Not a problem. We got there around 4pm or so and checked in at dispatch, then we sat in the yard waiting to pick the load up.

During this time Mary called our Fleet Manager (FM) and explained that we didnt highlight for home earlier since they already sent us a load before we got close to our last drop terminal, then explained that she made a tentative appointment next Thursday, 9 days away, and described the pain she has been feeling for several weeks. The FM decided it was best to hold out on putting in for home time until Friday since we were already on the west side of the country. Okie. Then we learned you can put in for home time before accepting the load if your on the load board. I can honestly say I learned something new that day. We commenced hanging out in the CWF yard watching some movies and catching up on some much needed sleep.

Come 100am we get a message on big brother telling us our load was unassigned due to a cancellation. What the... how do they cancel on us when we're sitting in the lot? Whatever. So we go back to sleep after having to manually board. Since we were on the board we figured it would be a good time to put in for hometime since there could be an 8 day wait so we put in for 4 days home time.

20 minutes later we received info on another load... we were to deadhead to Fontana, CA to pick up a load going to Denver, CO. Wait a minute.. what happened to the 8 day thing? Now were down to half a day? Well, Mary called and explained the situation about her appointment and they took us off the load and instead had us grab another trailer and sit yet ANOTHER 12 to 15 hours before picking up in Carson, CA the following day to head to El Paso, TX. Fine.

About 3 hours after accepting the El Paso, TX load, Mary noticed her tooth and gum were taking a turn for the worst and decided she did not want to risk blood poisoning. I don't blame her. The plan was to try and get the Fontana load back and attempt to get in ASAP to the surgeon. She called the Dr. and found out they could squeeze her in for Thursday on an "emergency" type of thing. 2 days away.. shouldn't be TOO hard. So, we call the FM yet again and.. low and behold it's taken… but the FM would see what she could do to get us out as soon as possible from El Paso... fair enough. So, we sent a message on the qualcomm of the date and time the emergency appointment was just so it was documented... Thursday morning at 800am.

Well... we get to El Paso on Wednesday and find were #3 on the board and #43 overall. Not bad. So we went to breakfast and hung out until we received a load going from El Paso, TX to Denver, CO, followed by Englewood, CO. Not bad... a direct load. However, it delivered on Friday at 700am followed by 900am. That's a bit problematic since 1) her surgery was on Thursday morning and I'm the only one available to take her to it since she is going under anesthesia and 2) we had other Dr. Appointments on Friday assuming we were going to be on home time then. Unfortunately we didn't realize the time discrepancies until our FM was gone for the day.

Well, we talked to safety and they suggested talking to operations to get a relay for the load who would ultimately deliver it for us. So, we call the night dispatcher.. who was wonderful by the way for a change.. and she went to talk to the load planner. 10 minutes later we find out there is nobody in the area to take it and to "talk to the FM in the morning" who comes in at 800am. Not gonna happen since the surgery is at 800am. Another suggestion was to drop the load at the Freight Henderson Terminal, do the appointment thing, then remain with the truck until delivery. Well, as it turns out Henderson would not "accept responsibility" for the load. God damn it. I thought we were all on the same team here? How about delivering early? Nope. Not allowed. DAMN IT! Then we find out that supposedly in the notes for the load planners that Mary's appointment was on Friday at 1000am. Really!?! I never heard her mention Friday once. We double checked the qualcomm for typos and found we sent "THURSDAY AT 800AM." Sonofa...

Ultimately we managed to get Mary to her emergency appointment and will still be able to deliver the load on time since we arrived in the Denver area well over 24 hours early. Thank god! The past few weeks seem to have been the worst for us and anything we TRY and do has been shot down by bad luck, karma, or some other unseen, unearthly force. Just for once I'd love to see something go our way... but I suspect I would pass out from holding my breath too long. We just hope our FM don't think we are problem children as these medical issues can't ever be predicted.

So, since I've been asked by some of my friends.. do I find the job rewarding? 85% of the time I can honestly say I do and we both absolutly love it.. I love having a moving picture window in my office. But, its moments such as these that make up the other 15%.. but from what I hear (and Mary's most hated phrase)... "That's Trucking! Get used to it!"

posted by Daryl at 09:18
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
subject: Blythe, CA

This load was a good one. It wasn't fast, which was good because it allowed us to get some things done along the way.


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We rolled out of West Memphis, AR at about 900am or so and headed over to Memphis, TN on a 10 mile dispatch. 35 miles later we arrived just at the pick-up time. We did a quick pre-trip inspection and off we went.

We drove pretty much straight through to drove through to Albuquerque, NM with nothing exciting happening. We stopped there at the Flying J on the west side of town and took the time to shower. As we were walking in we spotted a little CB shop as part of a tire and oil change, CB shop, Truck Wash, and Chinese Massage joint. Interesting to say the least. Anyways, [begin nerd jargon] we have had problems with our CB and high SWR... and a bit of a squeal when transmitting [/end nerd jargon]. We hooked up with who possibly had to be the nicest young guy I have met to date. He explained everything that was wrong with it, how it worked, and how to fix it. In short we needed a new antenna that stuck well above the cab of the truck and had to mvoe the antenna to the other side. Not too bad. Then he suggested "aligning" the radio to reach further and basically as one guy put it "take the speed limiter off the go-kart." I was sold.

So, about 2 hours later we were rolling towards California. With so much time we took the opportunity to stop in Phoenix, AZ to see my brother for the day, shower, and get some laundry done. After, we stayed in the truck in Phoenix to get a few hours of shut eye since I had not slept all day and we rolled out at about 300am.

We arrived at Blythe, CA at around 500am local time for a drop and hook. I love those.... grabbed a new trailer and headed off for our pre-plan in Santa Fe Springs, CA.

Not too bad of a week at all.

posted by Daryl at 02:12
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Thursday, March 12, 2009
subject: West Memphis, AR

Well, we finally arrived in West Memphis, AR... and about an hour early too. We had plenty of time on this load so we were able to work on our MPG... thank god. The one thing neither of us like about the Volvo is she does not like to pull grades with a load... and I think our overall MPG has gone down. I would know exactally since i'm obsessive compulsive but our spreadsheet was lost when our data card went to crap. so unfortunately I have to guess at this point in time.


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Anyways, Mary started driving and our route took us south through Baltimore, MD where I went camera happy and took a picture of anything stationary. I've never been there before so I wanted to share as much as I could. We then went around Washington D.C. Mary had never been there before so I tried to change our route to go through downtown but unfortunately any of the interchanges were in Baltimore and we were about 20 miles past then when I tried to change it. I went to bed shortly after since I was falling asleep leaning against our makeshift dining table.

I must be getting used to sleeping on a moving truck because Mary woke me up at about 1230am at a Wal-mart where she stopped to get some shopping done. Shock me I thought it was only 2 or 3 hours since I went to bed. BUT... this schedule change is much better (2a-2p) as I feel more rested and can last longer throughout the day.

I took over just after 200am and took us the rest of the way through Virginia and all of Tennessee. I don't think I hit many busy cities during the start of my shift but Mary woke up around 800am and went camera happy around Nashville. Not sure how they turned out, however, since we were basically in an ice storm most from Knoxville to West Memphis. Nothing that froze to the ground but enough to cause me to slow down... I can't drive on ice in a car so I sure in HELL don't want to do it in a 70 foot truck!

On our way here we got a pre-plan taking us from Memphis, TN to California tomorrow morning. That will allow us to finish out our week at around 4600 to 4800 miles.. not sure which. Should make for a good paycheck next week!

All of the pictures we have taken thus far SHOULD be up on the site tonight. Since we are maintaining our schedules for simplicities sake tonight I should be able to get them all uploaded and resized. I'll post when they are ready!

posted by Daryl at 13:52
1 Comments | leave a comment



subject: Havre de Grace, MD

We got a load on Sunday while in Laredo, TX headed to Flanders, NJ. 1966 miles and it had to be there on Wednesday.. not too bad at all. We have been trying different schedules but unfortunately we were unable to make anything work successfully so.. after much hesitation we decided to go to 12 hour shifts (you were right Tony and Jana.. thats the only schedule you can really run successfully). After finding out we had well over 48 hours to get it there we opted to leave out at 5am Monday morning and would start our 12 hour shifts. Well, unfortunately after being up all night I found at 5am I am rather grumpy so we opted to switch to 2a to 2p 12 hour shifts... its working out better.


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Anyways, I digress. We left out at 5am with Mary driving and we headed north through San Antonio, Houston, along the gulf coast through Mississippi and finally Louisiana before heading north. I picked up driving just west of Baton Rouge, LA and took us along the coast of Lake Ponchatrain outside of New Orleans... the lake that was pummeled by Hurricaine Katrina and... wow... I didn't realize it was so large! It was so big that from the south side you could not see the north side. Then as we came up the east side of it you could not see the west coast of it. I wanted to get pictures but unfortunately it was just after sun down so anything I took would not have come out anyways.

We headed up I-59 through Louisiana and Alabama before catching I-24 through Chatanooga, TN and up onto Virginia and Pennsylvania before hitting NJ. I swear to god between Laredo, TX and northern AL we hit every bug in the southeast... our windshield took FOREVER to clean off in AL where we stopped for a quick bite at a Petro.

Anyways... we got there about a half hour or so early of our drop time.. not bad for not catching a 12'6 bridge... something we couldn't squeeze through. Thank god for a local because he stopped to help when he realized our truck was a ways down the road in a small dirt lot. He was very nice though and gave us a pain in the butt alternate route to go through. It went through a small little town similar to what you would read in a book as Mary noted. Rather quaint.

After our drop we received plans to head south into Havre de Grace, MD for our next pickup. That one was a pretty decent ride south except for the jam packed New Jersey Turnpike and the "No Trucks on bridge @ U.S. 40 from 6am - 10pm". Great.. that one wasn't listed on the map. And speaking of which... my comment about Oklahoma and Texas roads sucking? no... New Jersey roads are the worst. THEY must either 1) not pay taxes or 2) have maintained the same roads in the same original condition since New Jersey became a state! Anyways, we took a bit to figure a way around, then got to our pickup, which is headed to Laredo, TX. However, it is part of a relay so we are only taking it as far as West Memphis, AR. Hmmm... a team not taking it to Laredo? Interesting.. although i'm not too terribly hurt.. i'm not fond of that area myself. We're searching for a load to Canada ourselves so hopefully we'll get something going to Taylor, MI then into Ontario.. but we're not holding our breath.

posted by Daryl at 00:36
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Sunday, March 8, 2009
subject: Laredo, TX

So we finally got into Laredo, TX this afternoon around 230pm or so. Dispatch had one other team waiting so we took the opportunity to hit up Target and get some other basic supplies we need to last the week... hopefully, then headed to Johnny Carinos for a bite. I recommend the Lobster Ravioli... its rather killer!

Anyways, after we got out of Target we immediately got a dispatch heading to New Jersey.. 1966 miles.. not too shabby to start the week. We are lucky on this run as we anticipate getting there late Tuesday night and the receiver does not open until 800am on Wednesday on a first come, first serve basis so were taking the opportunity to start our new and improved schedule tonight. For those that do not know, we have had some issues trying to run 24/7 as is basically expected from the company and tried 2 or 3 other modified schedules we devised but to no avail. So, as I speak Mary is tucked into bed and i'm attempting to stay up until 0500am when we pull out.

I do have to say, thank god to daylight savings time as Mary drives better when the sun rises but this morning it just kicked our butts. We woke up at 530am and figured we would have plenty of time to shower. So, we meander out of bed, head into the terminal, took care of some basic health needs, and came back out to the truck to find out by the cell phone velcroed to the dashboard it was not 615am like we anticipated but 715am. Crap, 1 hour behind. Mary yelled at me and told me I set the clock wrong. A quick check of the clock followed by a snap of the wrist told me I set it correct. Then, blind sided by reality she realized it was probably daylight savings time. Well, due to this we had to settle for McDonalds coffee and a quick bite instead of the Cracker Barrel like we anticipated. Guess thats what we get for not reading the newspaper... or watching the news... or really keeping in touch with reality period! But, arriving 2.5 hours earlier than the anticipated time the Lancaster dispatcher changed it to made us feel good.

On a side note, i will be making some changes to the layout of the site so if there are any broken links I greatly apologize and it will be repaired soon. I will also be integrating all of the previous posts from the old software into Blogger but the consequence of that is I will lose all of the comments posted since the beginning. I found there is no point in holding 2 separate types of software here because they both take up space so Greymatter will be the one eventually leaving the server.

posted by Daryl at 22:30
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subject: Laredo, TX

Did you know in enough quantities together on several pallets you could get 42,000 pounds of chewing gum in a 53 foot trailer? We didnt either!

Anyways, this run took us from Joplin, MO, to Bedford Park, IL after our days off, then on a deadhead from Bedford Park, IL to Rockford, IL where we picked up our load and are currently working it to Laredo, TX. From there it will be picked up from a Mexican driver and taken somewhere near Mexico City. Gum is apparently a hot commodity in Mexico. We spent the night at the Lancaster terminal after the dispatcher changed the drop time since we were close to running out of hours and Mary was just exhausted. But, well be able to get it there today and start the new schedule were planning that our mentors suggested to us. And, as of right now, we do not have a pre-plan waiting and anticipate a day down in Laredo, but well see I guess.


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We discovered on this run that Oklahomans and Texans must not pay state tax because the roads FRIGGIN SUCK! We took this Podunk U.S. highway from I-44 south into the Dallas area and I swear to god this road was 10% concrete and 90% patch work where there wasnt washboard like bumps in the concrete. Mental note… take interstates for now on if it leaves you at less than 8% of out of route. Again, my darling wife was correct.

Score:

Mary: 22
Daryl: 3

I personally think the first 2 were flukes and the third I proved my point some 5 weeks later… so I dont think that counts.

Anyways, on this run we compiled a list of things we have learned thus far in our 4 weeks together that we found amusing after the fact...

1. A Volvo Truck does not have a Jake Brake, thus making a mountain descent a near death experience every time.

2. It does not matter how much distance there is between your front bumper and the rear of the next car (well use a half mile as an example) a 4-wheeler will still cut you off with 5 inches to spare from striking you.

3. You cannot gather enough strength to pull a 5th wheel pin if there is pressure on the jaws.

4. In any truck stop in America, if all the spaces are taken to park truck drivers will get creative and park anywhere that will accommodate 72 feet of truck.

5. Tagging onto #4, when making your own parking space it does not matter how much room you leave yourself to get out when you are ready to roll, 7 other trucks will ensure to block you in EVERY SINGLE TIME.

6. A trash can that is not secured is an accident waiting to happen.

7. A microwave and foreman grill running at the same time will shut a 1500 watt inverter down.

8. Making coffee on a moving truck blows.

9. No matter how much you try and secure the crap you put above your head, 30% of it is bound to fall out.. and of that 30%, 20% of it is going to hit you while you are driving.

10. When entering on the acceleration ramp, 4 wheelers will wait until they are near the trailer belly light and have no more lane to accelerate and cut you off.

11. Male truck drivers being passed by a female driver will always make it a point to be ahead of the female driver.

12. A pillow on a steering wheel makes a great place for a 15 minute nap at 0430 in the morning.

13. When reaching across the drivers seat while standing on the step, when you slip because its raining and fall across the steering wheel the sudden blast of airhorn will scare the crap out of you every single time and cause your wife to become near concussed from hitting her head on the door of the open side box.

14. It does not matter how short of a run you have to get into the rest area (parking 12 feet from the door for example) at 0200 in the morning in North Dakota with an average temperature of 1, you will still freeze your ass off.

15. Sharing a mattress a tad smaller than a twin is like trying to shove two people into a single person sleeping bag.

16. Cursing and swearing will not cause a bungee to stretch any longer than its intended length.

17. The closet in a Volvo truck also doubles as a great appliance storage location. The engineer/designer of this truck needs to be shot.

18. A plastic spoon will work as well as a metal spoon when trying to make it stick to your nose while waiting near 3 hours to be unloaded.

19. There is actually handicapped truck parking but no handicap access ramp.

20. A volvos top speed in mountain grades drops from 65mph in 8th gear to 12 mph in 3rd gear if the gods are in a good mood that day.

21. There is absolutely nothing in Idaho.

22. Adult Entertainment is apparently a hot commodity in the middle of nowhere.

23. An Adult Video Store and a fireworks shop in the same complex makes it look like a Las Vegas Casino is in the vicinity due to all of the lights and neon used.

24. Speaking of fireworks, who needs an M-80 and bottle rockets at 0200am?

25. A truck driver who laughs at you while flying by in an ice storm will most likely be jack knifed 2 miles down the road.

This isnt an all inclusive list but it covers what we laugh about most of the time when we see it, it happens, or when the truck just under performs. I realize it may not be funny to most but to us we were rolling as we compiled this list.

More once we leave Laredo, TX.

posted by Daryl at 06:26
1 Comments | leave a comment


Friday, March 6, 2009
subject: miles update

Mary was rather vague in the last post that showed up here pertaining to where we've been so this one will catch it all up. I’d like to say we have gone and done a ton but unfortunately we have been feeling like we have been run ragged only because we’re not used to the type of schedule you have to run in this business and the abuse the body takes from some of these roads. But, after having talked to some people were working on getting on a regular schedule with a FEW hours down every night to sleep without the truck running. That will definitely be a change from what we’ve been doing!

Anyways, I managed to get 3 days of home time in the Denver, CO area after running approximately 2200 miles solo. Mary finished with her trainer and, anxious to get away from the training circuit, we opted to fly her to Denver so she could get on the truck. during that time we managed to finish getting out of our house and loosely throw everything we needed into the truck with just enough time to go. Since then, we have been pretty non-stop except for the past few days where we took some down time to finish getting company required endorsements on our licenses. We also got a chance to meet some web friends of ours that are also Con-way drivers who offered several tips that help in the truck. Some we just cannot do due to space limitations but we have implemented others. Needless to say we have taken them in as our mentors out here! Thanks Tony and Jana!!

On a side note, if you are a Con-way driver reading this… the Holiday Inn hotel over on Rangeline Road in Joplin has an awesome rate of $29.99 per night if you have your own transportation. The rooms are extremely nice, clean, and room service rocks. You just have to show your company ID to get the rate at check in. Thanks, yet again, Tony and Jana for that hot tip!

Here is the recap of what we've done for February.... (no map is included in this one as it would take forever to load with this many points)


For the 3 week total in February as a team we managed to squeeze out 12,513 dispatched miles and actually ran 12,567 miles. Not too shabby if you ask me.

In March thus far we have gone from the company terminal in West Memphis, AR to Joplin, MO where we spent the past few days off on business. We left out last night on a mission to Illinois and, as of right now, are on a plan to go to south Texas… but that has changed 3 times so far so who knows what the actual plan is!

More to come once we get to our next destination.

posted by Daryl at 17:51
1 Comments | leave a comment


Wednesday, March 4, 2009
subject: new software

we apologize for the delay in any postings but unfortunately according to mary i have been irresponsible.. yet again.. and lost the internet card somewhere between Great Falls, Montana and Fargo, North Dakota about a week ago... so updates have been few and far between and we apologize. in addition to that we have had some issues with my blogging software i had installed previously which made updating impossible with the list of errors i couldn't figure out. so, with that said i have started migrating everything over with a new internet card in hand and it should be up and running without hiccups soon.

the archives page is going to be a work in progress as i have to learn an entirely new coding base. the archives will be delayed a bit until i can figure out how blogger stores the archives and i can migrate our previous posts into this. until then the only archives available will be until recently... so read all you can because after 7 posts they will disappear until i get the integration thing down.

we will be posting our adventures soon enough with everything that has gone on. i have managed to keep track of every mile every week and we found we are running approximately 15,000 miles or so thus far in 3 weeks. we have been everywhere from california to pennsyvlania and washington state to miami florida with a ton of lessons in hand. stay tuned as the next post will be coming in the next day or so.

posted by Daryl at 19:00
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