Saturday, February 10, 2024

 Nothing interesting today.  I left at sunrise and drove 546 miles to the Daily terminal in Jacksonville for the weekend.

Friday, February 9, 2024

 I left early this morning timing it so that I arrived at Volvo in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania at 6 AM EST when they opened. I was first in and first out.  Loaded a Volvo L120H Wheel Loader that is going to Orlando, Florida. 

I got out of there in great time!!!  Had no problems with traffic.  Even went through Washington DC with no problems.  Amazing!!!!  Drove down to the Petro truck stop in Kenly, North Carolina for the night.

Thursday, February 8, 2024

 I left at about 5:15 AM EST and drove the mountain roads to McClure, VA.  

It was fine until I got to 63.  That was a 2 lane mountain road that had a lot of twists and turns as well as ups and downs.  Several over 10% grades.  I got to the coal mine at about 7 AM.  They tell me that they had some type of problem in there and they are having to put coal in piles where they normally wouldn't.  That made things in there very tight.  The first place I went to (where security told me to go) was not the right place.  I got up in there and it took about 30 minutes of wiggling to get turned around and back out again.  I ended up waiting for about 2 hours in another place looking at a coal pile with a Caterpillar D10 Dozer working on the pile.  Yes, that little yellow machine is a D10 dozer.  There is a Caterpillar 777 Mining Dump Truck under the hopper to the left.  Kinda gives you an idea of how big everything is in there.

Eventually, somebody showed up and said that where we were unloading everything was not there and to follow him.  I did.  We went back out of the mine and, basically, drove around it to a back entrance.  We went in and made a right turn on a gravel road that took us to where they wanted to unload.  When we stopped I told him that it wouldn't work.  The other trucks would not be able to make that right turn.  He said "OK" and that there was another place down the road we could go.  The video starts there.  

I had to go back out and make a right turn where we came in.  I knew I couldn't make that turn but tried it anyway just to prove that I couldn't.  Well when I made the turn, the trailer bottomed out and I was stuck.  I walked to the back of the trailer and hyperinflated the airbags.  Then tried to back out.  You can hear the truck struggling to break free.  It did.  I backed down to get in position to make a left turn instead.  I did and drove around the corner.  I stopped to let the air back out of the airbags and to let a small dump truck get by. Then I continued all the way back out to the main road, turned around, and came back in again.  Drove to the other place where a truck was waiting for me.  I unloaded there.  But there is no way the other trucks would be able to get in there.  I got out of there and drove to the Petro truck stop in Raphine, Virginia for the night and a much-needed shower!!

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

 I left at about 11:45 PM CST last night.  Had a pretty good day on the road until I got to Knoxville, Tennessee.  I got there smack dab in the heart of rush hour.  There was quite a bit of stop-and-go and bumper-to-bumper traffic there.  A little while later I had a brittle air line snap.  While I was waiting for road service to come I found that I had a flat trailer tire too.  Never heard it or felt it blow.  Road service arrived and fixed the air line.  I then drove to the Petro truck stop in Glade Spring, Virginia, and got the tire replaced.

I stayed there for the night.  I will deliver tomorrow at a coal mine.

Here is the fun route through the mountains to get there from here.

Just to give you an idea of what is going to the coal mine, this is a Caterpillar D10 Dozer.  It is huge! The red arrow points to the piece I have.  The rest is coming in several other trucks.

Hope that helps.

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

 When my 10 hours were up I left.  That was at about 2:30 AM CST.  Had no problems with traffic in Houston, TX, Lake Charles, LA, or Baton Rouge, LA.  Amazing!! Good day.  Drove 664 miles to the Love's truck stop in Sandersville, Mississippi for my next 10 hours off.

Monday, February 5, 2024

Went a few miles down the road to Longview, TX, and delivered the dozer first t thing this morning. My next load was way down in San Antonio, TX.  Headed that way.  When going through Waco, TX I was about 3 miles from where the Branch Davidian Compound was.  That is the place where President Bill Clinton's Attorney General, Janet Reno murdered hundreds of people when the FBI and ATF attacked the place and it eventually burned to the ground with all the men, women, and children inside.  For more info about the massacre, CLICK HERE.  Had some bumper-to-bumper and slow-and-go traffic in Austin and San Antonio.  Finally made it to load.  There is a used Caterpillar D10 Dozer being shipped to McClure, Virginia.  It takes several trucks to move the entire machine.  The machine was loaded up already on a 12-axle setup and he left shortly after I got there.  Initially, there was a bit of confusion as to what I was taking, but after a few phone calls, we got it figured out.  So the guy went to find my stuff.  After a while, he came back with one piece and went to look for the others.  He returned with nothing else. The other pieces were taken off the dozer by the mechanics (as they were supposed to) but they were put inside the cab of the dozer.  SO, most of my load left already.  We put the one and only piece on my trailer, I secured it, and left. 

One of the easiest loads I have ever had.  I went to the TA truck stop in San Antonio for my 10 hours.