Saturday, March 2,2013

Got up real early this morning - about 4 am - and drove in to the TA truck stop in Whitsett, NC.  On the way stopped at Wal-Mart and re-stocked the truck.  Like to go to Wally World real early in the morning so I can get the truck in and out of the parking lot without any problems.  As usual, I sent way too much money in there.  But at least I have plenty of Mt. Dew again.

Friday, March, 1, 2013

Got on the road just after sun up today.  Was in snow most of the day.  Started around Cumberland, MD and got a lot worse along I-68.

As usual, the plows were our trying to keep up.

South of Morgantown it lightened up.  For the rest of the day had snow flurries, heavy at times, but no accumulation.  Delivered the excavator in Nitro, WV at about noon.  After that drove down to spend the night at a truck stop in Mount Airy, NC.  Next load is Monday in Kernersville, NC.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Got on the road at sun up this morning and drove in to the Port of Newark and delivered the drill.  That thing is really wierd to drive and quite a challenge.  You can't see much when driving it and it constantly wants to slide off the trailer.  Once you drive it one time you will never forget it!!  It is quite an experience.  This is my second time with it so at least I knew what to expect.  The other driver watched how I did it so he knew how to do it.  It is definitely not easy!!!!!  And all the controls were written in French.

After that was done I drove down to the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Maryland for my next load.  Loaded a Caterpillar 329 EL Excavator that is going to Nitro, West Virginia.  This one is a bit bigger than the last one I brought down there.  Now these are FUN to drive!!  

Got on the road again and drove out to Hagerstown, Maryland to the Pilot truck stop for the night.  

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

When I woke up this morning I had a nice surprise.  It snowed and was still snowing hard.  Heavy, wet snow.

Plow dude had a little bit more to plow this morning.

At 10 am I drove over to where I was to load the machine.  There was another Daily truck there already.  He is loading another machine exactly like mine and going to the same place too.  At about noon they brought the machines out and loaded them on our trailers.  They are Reich 450 drilling machines that are going to the Port of Newark, NJ.  From there they are going on a boat to Mambasa.

Then we got on the road.  I followed the other truck.  He looks exactly the same as mine.  Here is some video of us going from the plant out to I-80.  Notice where we are in relation to the signs, telephone poles, and buildings along the side of the road.  Toward the end we make a sharp right curve.  Look where the green house is on the right and the white house with the guard rail on the left.  Then look where we are in the road.  Click in the small square in the bottom right of the video to enlarge the video.

Once we got up on I-80 I passed the other truck.

Drove to the TA truck stop in Columbia, New Jersey for the night.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Got on the road at sun up and drove to Somerset, PA and delivered the dozer.  For a change, I beat the rain!!  Next load is tomorrow up in Philipsburg, PA.  Doesn't load until about 11 am.  Drove to the Sapp Brothers truck Stop in Clearfield, PA for the rest of the day and night.  At 4 pm the rain change to sleet.  This photo shows the build up of sleet on my wipers.

Came back from dinner and they were plowing the slush in the parking lot.

The weather is supposed to get worse so I may not be going very far tomorrow.  We shall see.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Went in to Nirto, WV this morning and delivered the excavator.  Next load was up on Moundsville, WV.  That is just south of Wheeling.  Drove up there.  Was picking up a dozer from a job site.  This place was at least 5 miles up a paved road that was only a lane and a half wide and went up and down and around a mountain and there were no guard rails.  Wanted to have video for you but had a malfunction with the camera and for some reason it didn't record any of it.  It was an interesting ride!!  Got up there and loaded a Caterpillar D5 dozer.  It is going to Somerville, PA.

After it was loaded and secured it was time to go back down.  That was a blast!!   After I got out of there I drove to the TA truck stop in Wheeling, WV. There was  a restaurant across the street so I decided to go over there for a good meal.  This was a place where they seat you.  The girl seating people took the couple that came in well after me and seated them right away.  When she came back to me she said that it would be about 5 minutes before she would have a table ready.  Now the restaurant was not all that busy and there were a lot of empty tables.  She finally took me to a table.  The server came over and took my order and that was the last I saw him.  30 minutes later I still had no food so I got up and left.  Once again it proves what I have said all along, single people generally get lousy service in restaurants.  I went to the restaurant in the TA and ate a full meal in less time than it took me to get a table across the street.