Saturday, May 6, 2017

Left a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Another very nice day on the road.  Very uneventful.  Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Mandeville, Arkansas, seven miles from Texarkana.  Will be here until Monday morning.

Friday, May 5, 2017

Left the Daily yard in Milwaukee at about 3 am and drove down to the Daily yard in Morton, Illinois.  With a tremendous amount of help from the guy that works at the yard, we loaded a Caterpillar D9T Dozer that is going to Freeport, Texas. This machine weighs 81,440 pounds (36,941 kg). It is a lot more hard work to load this type of trailer and I knew that when I agreed to it.  It is great experience.  I sure did learn a lot today.  

One of the many things I learned today was that I needed two track pins.  I had never heard of these before.  Here is what they are for:  When the dozer comes up off the ground the tracks hang down a bit.  The track pins tighten up the tracks thereby pulling the tracks up. This allows a couple more inches of ground clearance.  In the first photo below you can see the tracks without the pin, and the second photo has the pin in place.  Can you see it?

Without the track pin

With the track pin in place

OK, here it is...

It took all day to load this thing. Once I get the hang of it, it won't take that long.  Also had to go get the track pins.  Finally got out of there this afternoon.  Drove to the Love's truck stop in Hamel, Illinois for the night.  I'm exhausted, and my back hurts.  

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Left a half hour before sunrise this morning and drove up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and delivered the excavator.  From there I went over to the Daily yard in Milwaukee and swapped into a brand new, never been used, beam trailer.  This will be my trailer now.

My next load is tomorrow down at the Daily yard in Morton, Illinois.  I'll leave here REAL early tomorrow morning.  I don't have enough hours left today to go anywhere and I'm exhausted!!

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Hit the road a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Another great day on the road. Drove up to the Pilot truck stop in Marion Illinois.  As usual, the Pilot parking lot was full so I parked across the street in a motel parking lot. They charged $10, but it was worth it.  I was out of hours, had no choice.  With luck, I might be able to deliver tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Left San Antonio early this morning and drove in to Victoria, TX and loaded a Caterpillar 336F Excavator that is going up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  

 Got on the road in good time after loading.  Very uneventful day on the road.  Stopped for the night at a convenience store with a few truck parking places in Linden, Texas

Monday, May 1, 2017

It took a while but I finally got my Texas permit and got on the road.  Drove down to San Antonio, Texas and delivered the dozer.  My next load is in Victoria, TX and loads in the morning.  I stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in San Antonio, TX.  Will get an early start in the morning when the traffic is lighter.

Sunday, April 30, 2017

I am at the Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma.  Last night I went to the buffet for dinner.  It was excellent!!  Had a salad, peel-n-eat shrimp, crab legs, prime rib, two helpings of vanilla ice cream with an awesome caramel topping, cantelope, and watermelon. 

Stopped raining, but it is VERY windy here today.  Going back to the buffet again tonight.