Saturday, July 21, 2012

An easy day.  Left Oakwood, Illinois a half hour before sunrise.  Met my escort car at the Indiana line.  On the Interstate highways he is behind me but on 2 lane roads he is in front.  On the east side of Indianapolis I-70 is being re-made.  The state routes over sized loads around it.

Aside from that little detour, smooth sailing all the way to the Ohio line.  Don't need an escort car in Ohio so he dropped off.  Ohio is a pain in the butt with over sized loads.  More STUPID regulations!!!  If it is not specifically stated on the permit, you can't get off the route. Not even to stop for food, fuel, repairs, nothing.  They will allow you to drop the trailer at a rest area or weigh station, but that's all.  I can't go into West Virginia without an escort car so I dropped the trailer at the weigh station (glad it was closed) just west of Cambridge, OH.   

Went to an Econo Lodge hotel in Cambridge for the rest of the weekend.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Got on the road as soon as I could this morning and drove in to Decatur, IL.  On the way, passed The Corn College.  Well that peeked my curiosity!!  When I got to Decatur I asked about the Corn College.  They said it was quite a place.  The Deen is John Deere and the professors are called Colonels.  The students all sit in rows where the seeds of knowledge are planted during lectures.  They get quite an ear full.  I wonder if they are canned lectures or if they get a fresh one every year?  They combine classroom and field experience.  Their Homecoming Queen was Sweet Sue and their school mascot is a husky.  Unfortunately their football team is not very good.  They always get creamed.

Went to the Caterpillar plant in Decatur to pick up my load.  As we (there were 5 trucks in the group I was in) were being led back to the area where we were to be loaded, passed a test track that they use to test out the new equipment.  It was really cool to see a huge scraper flying around the banked track.  Something you don't see everyday!!

We then pulled up to where we were loading.  They loaded three trucks ahead of me.  Then it was my turn.  They went down the rows of chassis and found mine. 

Then they brought it to my truck.

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That is 70,133 pounds of dump truck chassis flying through the air!

And then on my truck. Ready to go!

Got on the road but didn't get very far.  In Indiana I have to have an escort car.  He won't be here until tomorrow morning so I stopped for the night at a truck stop in Oakwood, Illinois.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

My pole car driver overslept this morning so we were 45 minutes late getting started.   When we got on the road we drove pretty much straight through.  Stopped for lunch in Illinois and then on up to Elkader, Iowa and delivered the Combine.  They jacked up the machine and put the tires back on.

Then unloaded it.  Next load is in Decatur, Illinois so I headed that way.  Ran out of hours so I had to stop for the night in Woodhull, Illinois at the Pilot truck stop. Drove 666 miles today.  So appropriate for that load!!!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Finally a good day!!!  My pole car was ready and waiting at 9 am when the Baltimore curfew was over. 

My permits all arrived and we were off!!  Drove straight through, only stopping for a few minutes when we had to.  Went through a few thunder storms in Ohio.  Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Spiceland, Indiana.  Hopefully I'll deliver this thing tomorrow afternoon.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Went back over to the port in Dudalk this morning and was there and hooked back up to my trailer by 8 am.  After talking to a bunch of people and several phone calls, the final answer came down, no they would not take out any of the blocks under the front end.  Then a bunch more phone calls.  Finally got approved to re-order the permits and approved for a pole car.  None of that was built in the initial rate for this load so all those decisions had to come from on high.  Meanwhile I sat.  At 12:45 pm got the word that all that stuff was approved so I left the port and went back to the TA truck stop to wait for the permits and the pole car to arrive.  Pole car will be here in the morning.  Hope my Maryland permit gets here before 9 am when curfew is over.  Enough sittin', time to get movin'!!!

Monday, July 16, 2012

What a horrible day!!  Over the objections of my better judgment I accepted a load that I didn't want to take.  When will I learn that my "better judgment" is a lot smarter than I am! 

Went in to the port at Dundalk, MD arriving at about 12:30 this afternoon.  After the port staff came back from lunch at 1:00 pm, loaded a John Deere Combine.  That thing is difficult to load, but I got it up there.

Things went down hill from there.  It was 98 degrees, no shade, and no breeze.  The thing is too tall.  I am permitted for 13'11" and as it sat I was 14'8".  Fiddle farted around and finally decided to take the front wheels off.

That didn't help much, brought it down to 14'3".  Even let air out of the tires.  I tied it all down and was just about to pull out and head for the TA truck stop when I got a call and said to drop the trailer there for the night and someone was going to come over and assist in getting it lower tomorrow. 

By now it is after 5 pm and I'm physically exhausted from the heat.  Everyone else had gone home and I was the only one there.  I found a spot and dropped the trailer for the night.  Then drove over the the TA truck stop and took a very long cold shower.  I could barely eat dinner, I was so tired and drained.  Hope tomorrow is better.