Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Had a fantastic Christmas with family and friends. 

While I have been off had some work done to the truck.  New rear brake pads and a new brake drum. Also had RGN ramps put on.  RGN ramps are for the rollers on a RGN (removable goose neck) trailer to attach the trailer to the truck by rolling up the ramps to the fifth wheel. Still don't have a load yet but don't want one until January.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Easy day!!  Went into Blount Island and delivered this morning and then back to the yard.  A whopping 18 mile round trip!!  Now I'm off until next year.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

I looked at my Florida permit again and saw that Florida allows driving on Saturday AND Sunday until noon.  I was happy and got on the road.  Drove to our yard in Jacksonville and parked.  I'm home now!!  I'll go deliver at the port at Blount Island tomorrow morning.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Left Manchester, TN as soon as the sun came up.   Made it all the way through Atlanta with no bumper to bumper traffic!  Got as far as Lake Park, GA on I-75 (exit 2).  Can't drive in Florida past noon on Saturday so I had to stop. I'll be at the TA truck stop until Monday morning sun up.

Friday, December 16,2011

Left Bloomington, Illinois as soon as the sun came up,  Very uneventful day on the road.  Was not able to get through Chattanooga, TN before curfew so I had to stop early tonight at a truck stop in Manchester, TN. Had a great diner at Charlie's Steak House two doors down from the truck stop.  I'm stuffed!!  Finally a good meal out here!!!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

This morning drove into West Allis, WI and delivered the counterweight.  Then drove over to Mequon, WI and picked up my next load.  It is a rock crusher screen and two boxes of parts.  It is going to the port in Jacksonville, FL.  From there it is being shipped to Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Once that was loaded and tied down I got on the road.  Didn't get too far before I ran out of daylight.  Stopped at the TA truck stop in Bloomington, Illinois.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Left Bloomsburg, PA early this morning.  Once I got to Ohio it started to rain.  It rained the rest of the day and is still raining. Very uneventful day on the wet roads.  Hit some bumper to bumper traffic in Chicago (what else is new??!!??).  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Racine, Wisconsin.  Deliver not too far from here in the morning.  Here are the photos of my load:

Hard to believe that white thing weighs 20,000 pounds!!  It is a counterweight for a machine like this:

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Went into the Port of Newark (NJ) to deliver this morning.  Because I had to wait until sunrise I got stuck in a lot of bumper to bumper traffic on the way in.  Finally made it. Then I waited!!  Didn't get unloaded until about 1:30. Fortunately my next load was only a few blocks away.  Went over there and got loaded with a box of crane parts and a 20,000 pound counterweight.  Photos will be tomorrow.  This load is going to West Allis, Wisconsin.  That is just north of Milwaukee.  By the time I got out of the port I hit afternoon rush hour traffic and got stuck in more bumper to bumper traffic.  Needless to say, I didn't get very far today.  Stopped at the TA truck stop in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania for the night.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Got on the road at sun up this morning and drove through Pennsylvania to the TA truck stop in Columbia, New Jersey, that's I-80, exit 4.  Stopped there for the rest of the day because I would not be able to get into the Port of Newark, unload and re-load before they closed for the day.  I would also run out of hours.  So I'll go in tomorrow morning and, as Larry The Cable Guy says, Git 'R Done!!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Nothing special today.  Got on the road as soon as the sun came up. Drove to the Petro truck stop in Girard, Ohio.  That is just west of the Pennsylvania state line on I-80. Got there at 12:30.  My Pennsylvania permit does not allow me to drive on Saturday after 12 noon (another STUPID Government regulation!!) or on Sunday.  I'll be here until the sun comes up Monday morning.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Went into Granite City first thing this morning.  Loaded a laser cutting machine.  It is one of those machines that cuts metal with a laser.  It is being shipped to Brazil. 

Fortunately there was another Daily truck there loading other parts for this machine going to the same place.  We worked together tarping this monstrosity!  The photos don't show all the sharp edges and things that would rip up a tarp.  Also the top was all open, except for those two orange bars. That gave very little support to the tarps.  It took a while but finally got it done.

After finishing my truck we worked on his.  Fortunately I got the easier one!!  His was really a mess!! Neither one of us could have tarped our loads alone.  What a mess!!  We finally finished and got on the road.  Didn't get very far before running out of daylight.  Stopped for the night at a rest area on I-70 in Indiana east of Indianapolis. 

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Left Hebron, Ohio (just east of Columbus) early this morning and drove into Riverdale, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and delivered the crane stuff.  My next load is on Friday morning down in Granite City, Illinois.  That is on the Illinois side of St. Louis.  I drove down to the TA truck stop in Troy, Illinois to wait until Friday. The load is only a few miles from here. The next load is an oversize load and requires a crane to load.  The crane is scheduled for Friday morning.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Went into the Port of Baltimore to pick up my next load.  It takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r in there!!  Union workers go at their own pace, S-L-O-W !!!!  Its amazing that anything gets moved in or out of there.  Anyway, I finally got loaded.  Two counter weights that are 20,000 pounds each and a small box of crane parts that are going to Riverdale, Illinois.

This is thre crane that they go on:

Fortunately the rain held off, for the most part, while I got loaded.  But it rained for the rest of the day.  Not heavy rain, just rain.  I could tell when I crossed the cold front. The temperature went from 54 degrees to 42 in just a short time.  Now its down in the 30s.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Hebron, Ohio. 

Monday, December 5, 2011

Had my front axle aligned this morning and then put a new tire on the left front.  Drives much better now. My next load picks up tomorrow at the port in Baltimore, MD. After I finished getting the truck fixed I drove down to the TA truck stop in Baltimore for the night.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Left the service plaza on the Ohio Turnpike this morning fairly early.  Shortly after getting started it started to rain. After a while it changed over to snow. By the time I got to the east side of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and western New York it was snowing hard. That heavy wet snow. Slight accumulation in the grass and on the road only on the bridges.  As I continued east it changed back to rain and then stopped. The rest of the trip was clear. Drove in to Covington, PA and delivered the wheel loader. Then drove to Halifax, PA and delivered the skid steer. After that drove to the Petro truck stop in Carlisle, PA for the rest of the weekend.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Drove the rest of the way into Dubuque, IA and picked up a John Deere skid steer.  Then drove down to Davinport, IA and picked up the last part of this load, a John Deere 544 Wheel Loader. Both are going to Pennsylvania. One to Covington and the other to Halifax.

Drove to a service plaza on the Ohio Turnpike east of Toledo, Ohio for the night.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Left the truck stop this morning and drove into De Witt, IA to deliver the generator.  The crane was late and then when he got there he drove past us three times before he figured it out. Us flagging him down helped too.  To get the generator off my truck and placed where it was going to live the crane had to go into the parking lot and lift the generator off my truck and then up and over the trees. 

After that drove across the state to Vermillion, South Dakota and dropped off the feeder.  Then turned around and went back to Elk Run Heights, Iowa to the Flying J truck stop for the night.  Next load is in the morning in Dubuque, Iowa.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Started off again in the rain and a short period of sleet.  It stopped after a few hours.  Then it got clear, a lot colder, and very windy.  Blew me all over the place.  Drove to the world famous Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott, Iowa for the night.  Deliver the generator about half an hour from here in  the morning.  Crane is scheduled for 8 am local time. Then off to South Dakota to drop off the feeder.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Went into Woodruff, SC this morning and picked up the first load.  Easy one.  It's a feeder going to South Dakota.

Then drove a short hop over to Mauldin, SC for the second one.  This is a Caterpillar C-15 Generator.  It is going to Iowa.

Got on the road and drove in the rain all day.  Glad I loaded both loads inside!!  Rained real hard in some places.  Drove (again) up the prettiest Interstate highway east of the Mississippi River.  I-40 between Asheville, NC and where I-81 meets I-40 in Tennessee.  Its a little bit up and down but is is VERY twisty and turny.  Drive through a gorge. Takes a while to get through the approximately 75 miles of it.  Very nice scenery, even in the rain. Stopped for the night at the Pilot in Georgetown, Kentucky.  That's just north of Lexington.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Had an absolutely fantastic week off.  Really enjoyed being home.  It went by so fast. Now I'm back out on the road.  Drove up to Enoree, South Carolina to a small truck stop for the night. I pick up two loads tomorrow morning.  First one is just a few miles from here in Woodruff, SC.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Got on the road early this morning.  Drove home.  Will be off for the Thanksgiving week.  Be back at it again Monday the 28th.  Nice to be home!!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Still raining when I woke up.  Got on the road early this morning and drove in the rain all morning.  Sometimes it was pretty heavy.  Finally drove out of it.  Went to the Charleston Air Force Base and delivered the fork lift.  After that went to spend the night at the TA truck stop in Savannah, Georgia. Soon the weather I drove out of today will catch up with me.  Good sleeping !!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

This morning went to Brimfield, IL and picked up a Caterpillar 928 ATFL fork lift.  It is going to Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Got on the road.  Nice drive until Cincinnati.  Rain and bumper to bumper traffic.  Got there at rush hour.  Continued raining the rest of the way tonight.  Stopped at the Love's truck stop in Richmond, Kentucky.  Have a headache. Ate, took a long hot shower and lots of Motrin.  Now time for bed.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Delivered the dozer first thing this morning just down the road in Springfield, IL.  My next load picks up tomorrow in Morton, IL.  Drove up there to a small truck stop for the rest of the day and night.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Left Pittsboro, IN this morning and had a nice leisurely drive to Springfield, Illinois to spend the rest of the weekend at the Pilot truck stop.  The weather is georgous!   Deliver first thing Monday morning.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Left Hagerstown, MD as soon as the sun came up.  In the mountains along I-68 in western Maryland had my first taste of snow this winter.  Started off as flurries but got heavier.  Only about 1/4 inch, but none to speak of on the roads.   Briefly the road had a dusting on it, but no big deal.

I drove out of it in West Virginia.  Later on it cleared up nicely and ended up being a beautiful day.  Drove to Pittsboro, Indiana (just west of Indianapolis) to the Love's truck stop for the night.  Tomorrow will be a short day.  I should get to see some football.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Went into the Port of Baltimore this morning.  I had to unload it myself then take it to a parking area.  After that my next load was from the same place, just a different area.  This was a new Caterpillar D6N Dozer and blade going to Springfield, Illinois. I had to load the dozer myself.  It took me a little bit to figure that one out.  Brought it over from it's parking stall, up the ramp, and onto the trailer. Chained it down and waited for the blade.  Of course by now it was lunch time.  Had to wait an hour for them to finish lunch.  Union shop.  That says all you need to know!!  They finally brought the blade and put it up on the trailer.  I tied it down and was finally on the road.

Went straight back to the TA truck stop, fueled, and scaled.  Everything was fine.  Drove to the Pilot truck stop in Hagerstown, Maryland for the night because I ran out of daylight.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Left the Pilot in Greenfield, IN early this morning in the rain.  It rained hard most of the morning.  Other than that, a nice day on the road.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Baltimore, MD.  Deliver this in the morning at the port.  It is going on a big boat to South America.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The crane arrived early this morning.  That was a good thing.  Since I was the first to arrive, I was the first to unload.  Drove around the new Federal Court House to deliver.  Here are some photos of the delivery.

As you are looking at these photos, think about this.... I had to back in off the road from the blind side.  The blind side is the passenger side.  When the trailer starts to turn you can't see the back of the trailer anymore.  Can't see anything at all.  Had to back up a slight muddy incline in the rain.  On the passenger's side of the trailer was the hole that the "box" was going to be set in.  On the driver's side of the trailer there was a small drop off.  AND the load was wider than the trailer so I couldn't see anything behind me except a black box.  Now that you have that in your mind, let me add one more thing.....the back of the trailer had to go in between the outriggers of the crane.  OK, who is ready to give that a try??

When I finished there I drove over to Dubuque, IA for my next load.  Picked up a John Deere bull dozer.  It is going to the port in Dundalk, Maryland - that's next to Baltimore.

Once that was tied down I got on the road and drove to Greenfield, Indiana, just east of Indianapolis to the Pilot truck stop for the night.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Left this morning in the rain.  Rained for a few hours then I drove out of it.  Stopped along the way and had my front shocks replaced.  Then drove in to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to a staging area. Getting unloaded tomorrow morning when the crane gets here.  There are several more trucks arriving with two more vaults and other trucks with the lids for them.  Hopefully it wont take too long tomorrow morning.  I'll spend the night here.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Left Raphine, Virginia as soon as the sun came up.  Nice pleasant day on the road.  Drove up to Crawfordsville, Indiana (that's north west of Indianapolis) for the rest of the weekend.  Will start again Monday morning when the sun comes up.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Drove in to Chesapeake, VA this morning and delivered the generators before the sun came up.  After that drove over to Harrisonburg, VA for my next load.  Picked up a 38,000 pound concrete vault.  It is going to a new courthouse being built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

After securing it to the trailer, I got on the road.  Didn't get very far.  There is a curfew in Charleston, West Virginia from 4 to 6 pm and no overnight parking on the WV Turnpike so I stopped at the Petro truck stop in Raphine, Virginia for the night,

Thursday, Movember 3, 2011

Today went a whole lot smoother than yesterday.  Left real early to beat the Atlanta rush hour traffic.  It worked!!  Got to Griffin, GA early and got loaded pretty quick.  Picked up 4 large generators.  They are going to Chesepeake, VA.

Got on the road and drove up to Emporia, VA to the Pilot truck stop for the night.  Deliver in the morning.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Got off to a good start this morning until we went through a construction area.  The right lane was closed for repaving.  As we went through the construction area the truck in front of me was oversize too.  He took out all the road cones.  One of them landed right in the road directly in front of my truck.  I couldn't stop in time and there was nowhere to go but right over the cone.  As it went under the truck it pulled off a small coolant line.  Didn't know it until the "Low Coolant" light came on and the temperature shot up.  We pulled over to the side of the road, quickly found the problem, and fixed it before all the coolant was all gone.  He had some extra coolant and water which we added to my truck.  That was just barely enough to get me to a truck stop where I added 2 gallons of coolant and a lot of water.  That worked.  From there on it was a nice drive down to Smyrna, TN to the Nissan plant.  Delivered the "things".  After that went over to Peterbilt and had my coolant drained (since it was mostly water) and refilled with coolant.  Also had them replace a fuel line check valve that has been bad for months.

My next load is down in Griffin, GA so I drove down to Atlanta to spend the night at the Petro truck stop.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Drove in to Columbus this morning and picked up my next load.  I have no idea what they are or what they are used for.  All I know is that they are going to a Nissan auto plant in Smyrna, TN. 

There was another Daily driver there picking up some much bigger "boxes" going to the same place.  You can see the front of his truck behind my truck in the top photo.  We both left together and are driving together down to Tennessee.  We didn't get very far today because it took all morning to load.  Stopped at the Petro truck stop in Glendale, Kentucky for the night.

Monday, October 31, 22011

Fortunately I didn't have to wait too long this morning for West Virginia to send me my permit.  I was on the road by 8:30.  Drove down to Belle, West Virginia and delivered the big bucket.  After that went back to Nitro, West Virginia and delivered the little excavator.  Think about this one!!  He drove it off my trailer without using ramps!!  He did good!! 

My next load picks up in Columbus, Ohio tomorrow morning.  I went up that way and stopped for the night at a small Pilot truck stop in Circleville, Ohio.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Nothing exciting today.  Nice pleasant drive.  Drove to Catlettsburg, Kentucky for the rest of the weekend.  West Virginia was very slow in getting my permit and I still don't have one.  I am just a mile or two from West Virginia at a Flying J truck stop.  Have to wait here Monday until WV decides to send the permit.  Hopefully it will be first thing Monday morning.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Drove into Wamego, Kansas this morning and picked up the rest of my load.  It is a bucket for a Caterpillar 993 Wheel Loader.  The bucket alone weighs 33,500 pounds.  The machine it attaches to weighs over 200,000 pounds!! Now my load is complete.  They are going to West Virginia.

Got on the road and drove to the Pilot truck stop (very small one) in Okawville, Illinois.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Drove into Irving, Texas this morning and delivered the engines.  After that my next load, actually my next two loads, are up in Kansas.  Drove up to Park City, Kansas and picked up the first half of the load.  It is a very small excavator.

The second half is up in Wamego, Kansas.  I started off that way.  Here is a little Kansas Autumn color.

Stopped for the night on a side street behind a Pizza Hut in Herington, Kansas.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Went into Griffin, GA this morning and picked up my next load. Four Caterpillar Marine Engines going to Irving, Texas.

Drove to Greenwood, Louisiana to the TA truck stop for the night. Will deliver these in the morning.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Beautiful day outside!!  Went over to Thermo King in Savannah and had some work done on my APU.  Had the AC ductwork re-routed.  Much better now!! Got info on my next three loads.  Next one loads tomorrow morning in Griffin, GA. 

Monday, October 24, 2011

Went into Fort Stewart this morning and delivered the skid steers.  After that drove to the TA truck stop in Savannah, GA to do a reset.  Will be here until Wednesday.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Very uneventful day.  Left Jasper, AL early this morning.  Got past Talladega Speedway before the race traffic.  The place was already full of RVs.  No bumper to bumper traffic in Atlanta either.  That's always a good thing.   Drove to a small truck stop in Pulaski, GA for the night.  Deliver in the morning.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Left Oklahoma City this morning and drove all the way to Jasper, Alabama. Very uneventful day but a pleasant drive, except Memphis, TN.  That is always unpleasant.  The roads there are not good.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Finally made it to Topeka, KS and delivered the excavator.  I backed it off the trailer and parked it.  I love playing with big "toys"!!  After that drove down to Wichita, KS for my next load.  Picked up 2 skid steers and 2 boxes of stuff for them.  They are going to Fort Smith, GA. 

Got back on the road and drove to the Petro truck stop in Oklahoma City, OK for the night.