As soon as my 10 hours were up I got back on the road heading north. Drove to the International dealer in Jacksonville to get the 5th wheel cylinder replaced. I arrived right at 7:30 when they opened. About an hour and a half and I was out of there. All fixed.
Then drove to the Daily yard in Jacksonville. Going to move a few trailers over to the Port of Jacksonville tomorrow. More on that tomorrow. Otherwise, I'm home for the holidays and a bunch of doctor's appointments.
Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning. Did pretty good time-wise until I got to south Florida. Had several bumper to bumper traffic episodes down there. My permit route had me do a "U" turn in the middle of heavy (and it was heavy too) Miami traffic. What the heck were they thinking!!!!!!?????? I just had to barge my way through because nobody was going to let me do a "U" turn.
Was worried that the fog this morning would delay my start for a few hours. Fortunately, the fog had lifted just enough so that I could go at sunrise as planned. Drove 515 miles down to the TA truck stop on the south side of Jacksonville, Florida for the night.
Got unloaded first thing this morning then headed for Kernersville, NC. Saw quite a few Ohio and West Virginia road department trucks were staged and ready for the snow that was coming.
The weather didn't start until I got south of I-70. Started off as snow. Didn't stick to the roads. After a while, it changed to snow/rain mix. Then some sleet. And for the rest of the day until I got to North Carolina, rain. I passed three big truck wrecks today on the way south. The roads never did cover over or get slick. Because of that, I was able to make it all the way to Kernersville just in time to be the last machine that they loaded today. BOY did I get lucky!!!! Loaded a John Deere 250GLC Excavator that is going to Miami, Florida.
After securing it to the trailer I pulled out front and parked for the night. I'll be able to get a good start in the morning. Hopefully, with luck, I'll be able to deliver this on Friday.
This morning went over to the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Maryland. Loaded a blade for a Caterpillar D8 Dozer, the swing arms, and a parts box. All going to a landfill in Dover, Ohio.
I tried to make it a legal load (not needing permits) and thought I had it. But it didn't work. When I started to move the blade shifted. Had to go back and have the forklift re-position it. Now it was a permit load. Oh well, I tried. Left there and drove straight through to Dover, Ohio landfill, 408 miles. There was plenty of room for me to park overnight. There is a snow/ice storm on the way. I pushed it hard to get there. Didn't want to be stuck at a truck stop an hour or less away. At least when I'm empty I can still drive in the snow or ice. Can't with a permit load. So I will get empty first thing in the morning. My next load is in Kernersville, North Carolina. That puts me driving right through the heart of the snow/ice storm through the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and North Carolina in the morning. Tomorrow will be an interesting day.
Didn't get my next load until noon. It is up at the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Maryland. I left and drove to the TA truck stop in Baltimore. Rained all the way. Had some bumper to bumper traffic in several places in the Washington DC area. Didn't get up there in time to be able to load today, plus I didn't get the paperwork needed until 4 this afternoon. So, I'll go over first thing in the morning and load.
The Country Pride Restaurant at this TA truck stop is closed. So stupid!!!! I wasn't about to sit there all weekend and eat Popey's Chicken and Pizza Hut. This morning I fueled up and left. Stopped at Wal-Mart and restocked a few things, Then drove up to the Flying J truck stop in Ruther Glen, VA. It was only 22 miles up the Interstate. They have a fully functioning Denny's restaurant and a Cinnabon. I'll stay here until they figure out where to send me next.
As soon as my 10 hours were up I left this morning. Drove to Mechanicsville, Virginia, and delivered the excavator. Fortunately no traffic issues today!! I do not have another load yet so I went to the TA truck stop in Ashland, VA to wait. After two unanswered emails to my dispatcher, I still have nothing. I guess I'll be here for the weekend.
Today was not a very good day at all. I got up early and went across the parking lot to the truck wash and finally got this thing clean. In the process, I noticed that someone had stolen the beacon lights off the back of my trailer last night. Glad I keep a spare. Went a few miles down the road and loaded a Caterpillar 316 Excavator that is going to Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Left there in really good time, much earlier than I thought I would. Did pretty good until I got to Georgia on I-59. Just before exit 11, a semi-truck flipped over on it's side blocking the entire Interstate. It had just happened. I was about 1/4 mile from it. Could see it from where I sat.
Then the wrecker uprighted it.
Sat there for 2 hours and 25 minutes until they were able to clear enough road to let us get by. Fortunately, there was no fuel spill so there was no other clean-up needed. Fortunately, I can drive at night in Tennessee. Made it to Chatanooga and had a lot more bumper to bumper traffic. Finally got through there and continued up to the Petro truck stop in Knoxville for the night. Sure hope tomorrow is better!!
Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning. Drove the rest of the way to Baton, Rouge, Louisiana and delivered the excavator. My next load is up in Flowood, Mississippi. I drove to the Petro truck stop in Jackson, MS for the night. Load a few miles from here.
Had a late start this morning. Had to wait for another permit to come in. Finally got on the road. Had no traffic issues going through Atlanta. Surprise surprise!!! Stopped for the night at a crappy Petro truck stop in Shorter, Alabama.
First thing this morning loaded a John Deere 200 Excavator that is going to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I have all my permits except for North Carolina.
I left there and went to a truck stop to scale and wait for my permit. Had a good breakfast there too. Wasted an entire day waiting for my permit that Carlisle didn't even order until 1:47 this afternoon!!! Incredibly frustrating!!
At 2:30 my North Carolina permit came in. I went to a truck stop that I thought would be on my route based on where I was to enter South Carolina. Turns out, I was wrong. N.C. routed me a different way into S.C which meant I need a new S.C permit. It also meant I was way off route. I backtracked to get back on route. Then stopped for the night, and to wait for my other permits to come in, at the TA truck stop in Mocksville, N.C. Food isn't near as good here!! Thought I would deliver tomorrow, well that ain't gonna happen now.
This morning I moved about 35 miles over to the John Deere plant in Kernersville, NC. I load here in the morning.
I left really early this morning. Drove straight through to Charlotte, North Carolina, and delivered the dozer. Surprised myself. Didn't think I'd make it today. My next load is Monday in Kernersville, NC. I drove up to the TA truck stop in Winsett, NC for the weekend. Another 630 miles today.
Looks like I made the right decision to go to the Morton yard. I got my next load and it was right across the street. Loaded a Caterpillar D6 Dozer that is going to Charlotte, North Carolina.
I was so fast that I had to wait about an hour for my permit to arrive. Once it got there I left. Didn't get very far. Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Seymour, Indiana.
Left real early this morning and drove to the Caterpillar dealer in Eau Claire, WI. I got there a little early, but that was not a bad thing. I had plenty of time to get all my stuff off the machine so that when they opened All I had to do was back it off. It worked out well!! In the process found that a mud flap on the trailer had broken. I guess it was too cold for it because it was very brittle.
I tied it up with a Bungie cord until I could get it replaced.
Left at about 2 am this morning. Had to time my arrival at the Illinois State line to get there at a half-hour before sunrise. I was a bit early so I stopped for a bit to wait. Once it was ok to continue on, I did. Drove straight through Illinois to the Pilot truck stop in Beloit, Wisconsin for the night. 666 miles today. Hope that is not a bad sign! Got here with only 15 minutes left on my clock for the day. Will get another very early start tomorrow and deliver as soon as they open in Eau Claire. The phone is off again, good night.
Went over to Pooler this morning and loaded a Caterpillar 950GC Wheel Loader that is going up to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I lost my sunglasses in the process. Have no idea where they went.
Left there right at 9 am. Had no traffic issues through Atlanta to speak of. In the very north of Georgia, it started to snow then bumper to bumper traffic to Chattanooga. It finally cleared up but the snow kept coming. Up top of Monteagle, it was starting to stick on the grass. The plow/salt trucks were getting ready. I was going to stop there for the night but thought it would probably be a better idea to get to the other side of the mountain. Who knows what the roads will be like up there later on. I stopped at a small truck stop in Manchester, Tennessee. As soon as my 10 hours is up I'll be outa here. It is still snowing here, but not as hard. Going to sleep real soon. The phone is off. Good night.
Over the weekend I swapped back to my trailer, did laundry, and restocked the truck with various supplies. This morning I drove up to the TA truck stop in Richmond Hill, Georgia. I load tomorrow morning in Pooler.
Left a half-hour before sunrise and drove down to Ft. Lauderdale. Delivered at a job site where they are building a new power plant. I was lucky today. Had help getting the tarps off and folded up. It was very MUCH appreciated. Got that thing off and I headed north. Drove to the Daily yard in Jacksonville. Off for the holiday. Next load is Monday morning in Savannah, Georgia. I get my trailer back too.
Left at sunrise this morning. Had a pretty good day on the road. Some rain in places. Heavy traffic everywhere today. Drove 613 miles to the South Bound Rest Area on I-95 in Scottsmore, Florida for the night. Deliver tomorrow.
Left at sunrise this morning. Couldn't waste any time today. I have to get through Virginia today because permit loads can't operate on Sunday in Virginia. Just another stupid unnecessary regulation. Anyway, I did good. Made it to the Flying J truck stop in Mt. Airy, North Carolina for the night. When I got here I had to replace a burned-out headlight, add coolant to the engine, and replace a bunch of Bungie cords that had flung off the tarp during the day. Then went in to eat at the restaurant and had my usual lousy service and half of my meal was cold. Par for the course!!
Went over to the place I was loading this morning. It was in a residential area of Erie. Very difficult to get into with a big truck. Fortunately, the weather cooperated, except for the wind. This is what I was transporting plus two other skids of stuff. It weighs 27,000 pounds.
Here is how they got it out of the building.
Then the crane on one side and the forklift on the other side put it on my trailer. It was too heavy for the crane alone. Also had to watch out for the power lines.
After the other two skids were loaded the fun began. All three had to be tarped - in the wind.
By the time I finished, I was exhausted. Then I had to make my way back out of there to I-79. That was fun being 12 feet wide!!!! It took a while but I made it with no damage to anything. Then I drove to the Pilot truck stop in Portersville, PA for the night.
This morning I made the 380 mile trip up to Erie, Pennsylvania. Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Harborcreek, PA. I load in the morning about 10 miles from here.
Left VERY early this morning in the snow. Had lake effect snow for quite a while this morning. Only accumulated in a few places. Salt trucks were doing a great job. Drove down to Mechanicsburg, PA. The weather was fine there. Got there before they opened. Fortunately, the gate was open and I went in and unloaded the wheel loader before they got there. After they got there and I got my paperwork signed off, I went over to the "home office" in Carlisle. Last night I got an email that said my truck was due for routine maintenance. Sent an email to the maintenance guy and he said to go to the shop in Carlisle. So that's what I did. They were way too busy to work on my truck so they made an appointment for 1 pm at a local shop. I went and did three loads of laundry then went to the shop. Got there at noon. They took my truck in at 1 pm. I didn't get out of there until 4 pm. Since I had been up since midnight, I was pretty tired. Went back to the Daily yard in Carlisle for the night.
Left as soon as my 10 hours were up. It was snowing pretty good. After a while, it stopped. There was no accumulation, just a dusting. Had more snow starting before Acron, Ohio and it was still snowing when I stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Hubbard, Ohio. The snow was building up a little on the grass, but not on the roads yet. As soon as my 10 hours are up, I'll be back on the road. I'll deliver tomorrow.
Had a dusting of snow yesterday morning. Last night we got about a quarter of an inch of snow. Went over to the Case plant and loaded a Case 621G Wheel Loader that is going to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
As soon as my 10 hours was up, I left. Almost hit a deer in South Dakota. Drove up to the Petro truck stop in Fargo, North Dakota. I stopped along the way at Wal Mart. I was down to my last 8 cans of Mt. Dew. Thats not good!!!! But I'm all stocked up now. Crisis averted!!! I'll be here until Monday morning.
Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning. Drove to the Caterpillar dealer in Rapid City, South Dakota and delivered the wheel loader. My next load is in Fargo, North Dakota Monday morning. I started off that way. Stopped for the night at the Pilot truck stop in Murdo, South Dakota. As soon as my 10 hours is up, I'll be back on the road to Fargo, don't ya know!!
Couldn't leave when I wanted to this morning. Had to time it so that I didn't get to Wichita, Kansas before 9 am. I think I did pretty good. I entered Wichita at 9:03 am. Other than that, nothing interesting today. Drove to a small truck stop in Ansley, Nebraska for the night.
Stopped on the scale this morning shortly after I got started. Couldn't find one yesterday. My weights were wrong so I had to move the machine. Then scaled again. Still off. Moved the machine again. This time it was fine. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. No traffic issues in Fort Worth or Oklahoma City! Stopped for the night at a truck stop in Billings, Oklahoma.
Late this morning I got my next load. I drove down to the Port of Galveston and loaded a Caterpillar 966M Wheel Loader that is going to Rapid City, South Dakota.
While I was there I helped another driver. He had not loaded a Motor Grader before. They can be very intimidating. The one he had was a very large one. I loaded it for him. He was very grateful.
Once I finished securing my machine, I left. Drove to a small truck stop in Normangee, Texas for the night.
Left a little before sunrise this morning and drove the rest of the way to Corpus Cristi. About 6 miles from delivery, while still on I-37, a trailer tire blew. I pulled over to the side of the Interstate and determined that I could continue on without causing any further damage. I drove slowly to the oil refinery where I was delivering. While waiting for them to get set up in there, I had the tire guy come out to change both tires on the trailer. He arrived and pulled the first tire off. It was the outside tire. It was the one that did not blow. It just had some really bad wear and needed replacing.
Nothing exciting today. Drove down to a truck stop in Refugio, Texas until tomorrow morning.
Left this morning a half-hour before sunrise in a thunderstorm. Fortunately, it didn't last too long. After a while it cleared up and ended up being a beautiful day. Another good day on the road. All along I-10 in Mississippi and I-12 in Louisianna there is still a lot of damage visible from the hurricanes this year. But it was worst in the Lake Charles area. Lots of severe damage to the area. "Blue roofs" are everywhere. Trees snapped in half, debris all over the place, lots of structural damage to homes and businesses. It wasn't as bad as the damage from Hurricane Andrew in the Miami area, but this was still bad. I stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Baytown, Texas. Tomorrow will be a short day.
Left the Jacksonville yard at 3 am and drove to Thomasville, Georgia. Gott here a bit early and had to wait for them to open. Once they opened they loaded a Cleaver-Brooks boiler that is going to Corpus Christi, Texas.
Had to wait about a half-hour for my permits to come in. Then I left. Drove to the Flying J truck stop in Gulf Port, Mississippi. This area is still cleaning up after the hurricane. There are a lot of signs along I-10 that are still blown over. There was a section of I-10 that was closed to one lane while they were clearing a lot of downed trees. This truck stop is getting its roof replaced. All the eves around the building are gone too. Very tired again tonight. Going to sleep now. See ya!!!!
FYI... My Blog readers from the past 7 days.
Left a half-hour after sunrise this morning. Had several areas of bumper to bumper traffic in the Atlanta area. Had to wait for about a half-hour for my Florida pilot escort car before entering Florida. I made good use of the time and got fuel. When he arrived we continued on to the Port of Jacksonville. I delivered the chassis. My trailer had some serious repair issues that needed attention so I went to the Daily yard. I ended up swapping out of my trailer to another one. Have a load tomorrow in Thomasville, Georgia. Will leave real early in the morning. I'm exhausted!!!!! Good night.
Left real early this morning and drove to Decatur. Was first in line except my dispatcher didn't send me the right paperwork. Had to wait till he came to work for him to send it to me. So instead of being first, I was 7th. About five and a half hours later they loaded a Caterpillar 789D Dump Truck Chassis on my trailer. It is going to the port in Jacksonville, Florida. It will eventually end up in Mumbai, India.
Nothing all day. Then late this afternoon I got my next load. Loads tomorrow in Decatur, Illinois. I'll go over there in the morning.
Went to sleep real early last night. Woke up at midnight. Was on the road at 3 am. Drove to Newberry, South Carolina and loaded a Komatsu WA380 Wheel Loader that is going to Saint Louis, Missouri.
