tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31546003361857727342010-03-08T14:21:46.357-07:00the trials and tribulations of a husband and wife trucking team.Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-19040143640351846942010-03-08T14:21:00.000-07:002010-03-08T14:21:46.364-07:00

After a hearty breakfast of spinach and mushroom omelette at the Sacramento 49'er, we headed over to be loaded for our trip to Laredo. I went into the shipping office at the shipper to get assigned a door and Daryl docked us. They had us loaded in less than an hour and I was able to pick up the paperwork while Daryl pulled and closed up our trailer. Come to find out we were carrying just over

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206956505843758066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-84275760462278719502010-03-05T09:37:00.000-07:002010-03-05T09:37:19.202-07:00

Trip Miles: 2730 Given time: 58 hours Made it in: 57 hours 15 minutes After emptying the trailer out the trailer of hand sanitizer and handi-wipes in Orangeburg, NY our orders were to be in Lancaster, PA by 1100pm EST to pick up some "As Seen on TV" stuff from QVC. The roads going out were not all that much better than going in so Mary was up rather quickly after having left. Not wanting to hit

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-85382436669659486512010-03-02T12:12:00.000-07:002010-03-02T12:12:13.977-07:00

Well, fortunately Daryl was wrong about the 34 hour restart. I called our audix system (lovingly known as option 5) to check the freight totals around the country for us and amazingly Joplin was short 20 trucks on Friday. Basically they had tons of freight and no drivers, hence the dead head. We arrived and Daryl dropped me off at the door armed with our ruck-sack of laundry and detergent to

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206956505843758066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-62561488154943496922010-02-27T15:33:00.000-07:002010-02-27T15:33:49.762-07:00

I woke up in the Santa Fe Springs, CA yard somewhere around 0430am to pick up our load. Shock me shock me they actually had it ready! And, thank god no hazmat on board this run. After grabbing the trailer, doing a quick pretrip, and checking the weather I took us out. When I started there were no weather warnings but a winter storm watch hovered over the Colorado mountains. Mary talked to her

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-32632179657293372122010-02-25T14:54:00.001-07:002010-02-25T14:54:32.874-07:00

After arriving in Joplin I took the paperwork into the local dispatch guy as we're supposed to do. I requested to keep the load since we couldn't leave until Monday afternoon anyways and it delivered on Tuesday. I explained this but he had other plans.... he wanted us to take a load Monday morning on our Tractor Supply account to Farmington, AR for a live unload at 700am, then deadhead back to

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-55585297372574273912010-02-21T11:25:00.000-07:002010-02-21T11:25:09.608-07:00

It's amazing how quickly one can get tired of hearing, "I told you so." Turns out my threshold sits at about 3 days. I honestly never dreamed of coming back to the job. After a year out on the road, countless screwed up dispatches, rediculous circusmtances, and being treated like a moron, I was ready to re-join the real world. Turns out, the real world actually sucks just as much. So now that I'm

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206956505843758066noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-39076567339386523562010-02-17T11:33:00.001-07:002010-02-17T11:39:17.366-07:00

I can't say after being home the last few days I remember much of what happened having been sleep deprived on the Santa Fe Springs, CA run to Phoenix, AZ run so this post is a bit vague. This was my load going home and it was a leisurly run down I-10 at midnight to 0600am.... View Larger Map Upon my arrival I dropped the trailer and immediately went over to the Freightliner to get the engine

Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206956505843758066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-6097234556900475912010-02-12T12:58:00.000-07:002010-02-15T11:01:45.566-07:00

I managed to catch some of the final American Chopper show on TLC tonigght and I can only wonder what the hell happened to the show! I stopped watching sometime after they finished the Gilette bike when tensions were not so bad but to see Mike and Paul Jr were kicked out of the shop was surprising to say the least. Then, to see the final show played on Thursday was even more of a shock. But, I

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-43668463979513466312010-02-10T16:46:00.001-07:002010-02-10T16:52:37.267-07:00

I woke up this morning and stumbled into the dispatch office right at the top of the hour. The going trend is that if I go in there early they tell me the load won't be ready until the top of the hour, so I thought i'd beat that trend up today. Well, today he tells me it's not ready and should be 20 minutes. Friggin' seriously? Can't this terminal get something right ONCE? Well, he tells me he

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-27604009521222425182010-02-09T17:10:00.000-07:002010-02-09T17:10:31.803-07:00

This post is a bit late so bare with me. I had a wonderful night at the Cluckers, or Wingers, or whatever the local joint I went to was on Sunday night. I got there just as half time ended and had the best cheeseburger and fries i've ever had. I ordered a local brew as well, which rivaled Sam Adams and kicked its ass by far. Not too shabby for less than $20.00. I rolled out after the game to

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-64960732128579782732010-02-07T15:21:00.000-07:002010-02-07T15:21:26.726-07:00

After sending the message in Grandview, MO that I was unloaded I sent a free text message telling them that there was nothing nearby and I was heading to the KCMO yard to wait on a load. Being #3 on the board I didn't expect it would take long, and I most likely would have received a load on my way up there.. .which was only 21 miles away. They didn't disappoint. I received a load immediately

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-56527994575083500892010-02-05T12:55:00.002-07:002010-02-07T15:26:00.776-07:00

I ended up sitting in Laredo, TX until somewhere around 700pm or so when I was summoned to the dispatch office for my load. I was given 3 choices... Waco for a Thursday morning delivery (300 some miles), somewhere in Mississippi for a Friday morning delivery (700 some miles), or Grandview, MO for a Friday morning delivery (992 miles). I ended up taking the Missouri load with a delivery time of

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-43557794013523243542010-02-03T12:30:00.000-07:002010-02-03T12:30:00.062-07:00

I ended up sitting in Oklahoma City all freakin' weekend. So much for keeping me in mind, huh? Anyways, I woke up early on Monday morning and headed back over to the Con-way yard to check on empties. I ended up finding one in the door that was verified empty. After grabbing it I went back to the Petro to await a load, which I suspected would take a matter of an hour or so. I finally got about 40

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-82068421793834843662010-01-30T19:28:00.001-07:002010-01-30T19:31:25.649-07:00

I ended up not being able to sleep through the 10 hours off so I had a feeling it was going to be a long night. I figured I would use the split sleeper option to get me through the night so I wouldn't have to drive the entire time. That proved to be a good option IMHO. I picked up my load right on time... 900pm.. did my pretrip, and hung out until 1015pm when I was able to leave. I only sat so I

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-87789478906096282962010-01-29T17:13:00.001-07:002010-01-29T17:18:29.915-07:00

After dropping my load I ended up sitting for 3 hours watching tv and surfing the net waiting for a load... but nothing came. Not only that but my board status never moved up. So, I made my way to bed around 400am. I finally woke up around 800am to find I was sent a load moments before. I was to take a load from TSC and relay it at our yard in Kansas City, MO. Now, normally this wouldn't be an

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-87532791052927984312010-01-29T02:21:00.003-07:002010-01-29T17:19:19.690-07:00

This posting is a bit late... and I apologize. I had a few stops thrown in there, including home, before this most recent. View Larger Map After sitting in the Costco DC lot last Thursday for about 1.5 hours I was finally released. Being that I was about 1/4 full on fuel I decided to head up to the T/A in Ontario, CA to refuel. There I got my marching orders... I was heading down to the

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-76830435420040548912010-01-21T12:04:00.000-07:002010-01-21T12:04:20.192-07:00

Time off goes by just way too fast. We didn't actually accomplish anything on these 3 days off really. We cleaned up the house a bit, enjoyed a feast and watched the Arizona Cardinals lose badly to the Saints, watched my beloved Detroit Red Wings lose in a shootout with the Chicago Blackhawks game, and caught up on sleep. Mary started school this week so that took her away for a few hours on

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-6846298292997491912010-01-16T10:10:00.000-07:002010-01-17T08:11:35.088-07:00

I really think our dispatching system needs an overhaul. It appears that the load planners really do not look at what is inbound to locations within a period of time and try to find them loads. It seems they wouldrather us sit there, wasting valuable hours and spending valuable company money, while we wait for them to get to us. Right now the process appears as though they wait for the arrived

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-19159214618496404552010-01-14T14:00:00.000-07:002010-01-15T10:57:56.748-07:00

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

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-46184314497790087442010-01-11T17:30:00.000-07:002010-01-11T17:30:18.205-07:00

I got a bout of nostalgia this run. On Saturday I had a little 4-Runner pass me, and through the back window I could see a little arm pumping aggressively wanting me to honk my airhorn. This thrust me back to my youth, from age 5 to maybe 10 or 11. I remember being taught by someone, not really sure who, that if you pump your arm up and down a non-distracted truck driver might honk his horn at

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-85706124670274737892010-01-08T13:16:00.000-07:002010-01-08T13:16:22.450-07:00

I woke up Wednesday to a load waiting.... sorta. I was supposed to deadhead 472 miles to the Flying J truck stop on I-70 in Aurora, CO, and was expected to be there by 900pm. Gravy. After getting ready I pulled out. The drive was uneventful for the most part. I did get load info about 2.5 hours into the trip. I was supposed to head up to Ft. Collins for a load headed to Salt Lake City, UT. I know

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-8881442035603303002010-01-05T20:10:00.000-07:002010-01-05T20:10:22.139-07:00

Perusing the internet like I normally do I found across this... a list from Lake Superior State University in northern Michigan which lists several words that should be banned due to overuse. I originally heard about this list on CNN and searched for it this weekend and found it interesting. Several of the words, including mostly words spoken by President Obama, are on that list. Peruse the list

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-4732102155162908512010-01-03T05:34:00.001-07:002010-01-03T05:38:53.549-07:00

After making my relay in Dunnigan, CA, I headed down to the Sacramento, CA yard to wait for my load. After perusing the yard I decided I couldn't make it into any of the spots open which to park my empty trailer. The Sacramento yard is really wierd in it's setup. Most have the terminal in the center and park the empties around the perimeter fence. However, this one has a special "corral," as you

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-25541687014117532942009-12-30T13:05:00.000-07:002009-12-30T13:45:49.592-07:00

After leaving from the last consignee I took the time to head back to the T/A I stayed at on Monday night and grabbed a shower before heading over to the yard to sit the day out. Nothing really happened otherwise and I think I finally got to bed around 800pm. Much later than I wanted but I slept soundly until my alarm went off at midnight. View Larger Map After grabbing the trailer I headed

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3154600336185772734.post-84883936189900299912009-12-28T19:03:00.002-07:002009-12-30T13:58:39.407-07:00

After some thought I decided to go back to the format I was using before with maps and per trip stories. Should be much easier now that i'm driving solo to accomplish. As a team member it was always from the bloggers view and hard to follow, as I found when I read some of them. Anyways... I returned to work this morning, reluctantly. With family in town I didn't have much of chance to get

Darylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06523800828637571771noreply@blogger.com0