Left Mt, Vernon, IL just before sun up this morning.  Drove to the world famous Iowa 80 Truck Stop in Wolcott, Iowa for the rest of the weekend.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Left Mocksville, NC at sun up this morning.  Another nice day on the road.  On I-24 in Kentucky almost to Illinois saw an almost crash.  Have it on video (below). In the video it is extremely difficult to see what is happening out in front of me because it is so far away.  Way out in front is a white Chevy Suburban pulling a long yellow box type trailer.  For some unknown reason it starts to fish tail.  It gets much worse and violently swings back and forth across the road.  It is absolutely amazing that the thing didn't flip over.  Somehow the driver gets control and pulls to the right side of the road and stops, probably to pry the seat from his or her butt!!  As I change lanes to go around you can see the black skid marks left on the road from the trailer swinging back and forth.  You will definitely have to expand the video to full screen to see anything, even at that it will be difficult to see.  Might have to view it a few times to see it.

Aside from that, nothing else exciting today.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Got on the road at sun up and drove down to Kinston, NC and delivered the tractor.  On the way I saw a car crash right in front of me.  This woman, going in the opposite direction from me, went off the side of the road, over corrected and shot back across her two lanes and  into the median. Dirt flying everywhere as she slid sideways into a street sign where she came to a stop.  As I went past I saw the look on her face.  Priceless!!  Her eyes were as big as dinner plates.   Anyway, my next load was back in Kernersville so off I went.  Arrived at Kernersville, NC and loaded another John Deere 250GL Excavator that is going to Davenport, Iowa. 

 Didn't get too far today.  Stopped at a truck stop in Mocksville, NC for the night.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Got on the road just before sun up.  Another good day on the road.  Nothing exciting at all.  Nice relaxing drive.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Mebane, North Carolina.  Will deliver tomorrow morning sometime.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Much better day today than yesterday!!  Even though I was 19th in line to get loaded this morning I was loaded and on the road by 9:30 local time.  Loaded a John Deere 8335 Tractor and tires.  It is going to Kinston, North Carolina.

Around Cedar Rapids, IA it started to snow. Cedar Rapids, IA has a large Quaker Oates factory there.  Every time I go through there it smells like oatmeal.  Smells really good!   By the time I got to I-80 it was really coming down hard.  Between Iowa City and Davenport it was heavy snow.  But then it stopped. 

 

The rest of the day was nice.  Drove non-stop, 647 miles, from Waterloo down to Oak Grove, Kentucky.  Stopped at the Pilot truck stop for the night.

Monday, March 11, 2013

After a very nice relaxing weekend, the week started off like crap!!  Went over and picked up my trailer first thing this morning and drove over to the place where I was to unload.  I arrived at 8 am local time and was taken to a staging area.  And there I sat.  Eventually there were nine trucks there with me.  We all sat there and watched about a dozen other trucks come in and get unloaded and leave.  No one even had the common decency  to us to explain what they were doing, or anything.  Just left us there to rot all day.  No food, no restroom, nothing.  We were all pretty pissed off!!  GE (General Electric) really SUCKS!!!!  It will be a long time before I do another one of these.  At 4:45 pm local time we were all brought back to where we were to unload.  Sat there until 5:35 when I finally got unloaded. Took only 5 minutes to get unloaded!!!!!

 

Next load is tomorrow morning in Waterloo, Iowa.   I went over to Iowa 80 truck stop for food and fuel and then on to Waterloo.  Stopped for the night at the staging area at the John Deere plant in Waterloo.  I am number 19 in line for loading tomorrow morning.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Went in to Davenport, IA and tried to deliver.  They were so backed up that they couldn't take me until Monday.  So I drove over to the Daily Express terminal in Bettendorf, Iowa and dropped the trailer.  Then I went over to Best Buy and bought a new lap top computer.  My old one was on its last legs.  After that went to a hotel for the rest of the weekend.  Spent the rest of the day transferring files and programs from the old to the new.  The hardest part is trying to figure out Windows 8. It is a lot different than Windows 7.  I have all the important stuff in the new one now so I'll be spending the next two days figuring the rest of this thing out.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Got on the road at sun up from Franklin, TN and drove non stop up to the Pilot truck stop in Woodhull, Illinois.  I am making way too good time!  Had to stop here for the night because my Iowa permit does not start until tomorrow.  I'm not scheduled to deliver until Monday anyway.  Going to try to deliver tomorrow.  Not sure if I can.  I called ahead and he said they were backed up because of the snow.  They were trying to get everything plowed but its a mess there.  Trucks getting stuck and stuff like that.  All I can do is try.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Surprise, surprise!!  I was loaded this morning and on the road by 11 am local time!!  Another wind energy hub going to Davenport, Iowa.

Had a great day on the road.  Because I got out of there so much faster than I thought I would, I was able to get all the way up to the TA truck stop in Franklin, TN.  That is just south of Nashville.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Drove in to the BNSF Rail yard in Birmingham, Alabama this morning and delivered the excavator.  After that went to Thermo King in Birmingham and had some minor A/C work done to my APU.  That didn't take too long.  Next load is tomorrow in Pensacola  FL.  Another wind energy hub.  Drove down there and stopped for the night in the truck staging area for GE in Pensacola.  Hopefully it won't take all day tomorrow.  Yah, right!!  I'm already 5th in line for tomorrow.  I'll be lucky to get out of here before 3 tomorrow afternoon!

Monday, March 4, 2013

This morning bright and early I loaded a John Deere 250GL Excavator at the plant in Kernersville, NC.  It is going to the BNSF rail yard in Birmingham  Alabama.  

Got on the road and made it all the way around Atlanta with NO bumper to bumper traffic!!  Amazing!!  Drove down to a truck stop in Lincoln, Alabama.  That is just east of the Talladega Super Speedway.

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.   

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Left the truck stop in Jane Lew this morning.  Drove down to Charleston WV and got a hotel room at the Microtel Inn for the rest of the weekend.  Not a bad place!   Need to do laundry.  Spent the rest of the day doing a LOT of laundry and watching the Nationwide Race at Daytona on TV.  

Friday, February 22, 2013

Went in to the Port of Baltimore this morning to load and found out that the machine was already picked up. I went over to Daily's Baltimore terminal and found that not only had it been picked up from the Port but it had been delivered already.  Fortunately there were about five of those same machines going to the same place.  The other driver somehow got the wrong machine.  So I went back to the Port and loaded the machine he was supposed to take.  Finally loaded a Caterpillar 324 Excavator.  It is going to Nitro, West Virginia.  

After the  2 1/2 hour delay, I was finally on the road.  Ran into some light snow that didn't last long.  It turned to rain and it pretty much stayed that way for about an hour or so.  The temperature was in the low 30s and upper 20s.  The road crews were out in force salting the road and did a great job keeping it from icing over.   My truck, on the other hand, had a bunch of ice in it.  Drove out of it and made it all the way through Maryland and down to a truck stop in Jane Lew, West Virginia for the night.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Was at the shop first thing this morning for my inspection.  It went pretty good.  Had a few minor things to correct.  Went to a repair shop and had them all taken care of.  While there had routine maintenance done on the truck too.  When that was done went back to the Daily shop and finished paperwork there and picked up a few more chains and binders too.  A very productive day.  My next load in at the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Maryland.  Drove down to the TA truck stop in Baltimore for the night.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Left Mebane, NC this morning at sun up and drove up to Glen Jean, WV.  They are building a HUGE Boy Scout Camp there.  It is a massive project.  Delivered the excavator.  After that drove up to Carlisle, PA to the "home office".  My truck is due for it's annual DOT inspection that has to be done at the Carlisle shop.  So I'll have that done first thing tomorrow.  Damn!!!  it's cold up here!!!!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Nice long weekend.  Could not deliver yesterday because of the holiday so I slept in.  Today drove in to Fort Pickett Military Base in Virginia.  Delivered the dozer and headed off for my next load in Raleigh, NC.
Loaded a Caterpillar 316 Wheel Excavator.  Of course it didn't start to rain until they brought the machine over to load.  Yup, I was soaked to the skin!!  This thing is going to a job site at a boy scout place in West Virginia.

Got on the road but didn't get very far.  Stopped for the night and a good, long, hot shower at the Petro in Mebane, NC.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Had a very light dusting of snow last night.  Nothing stuck to the roads.  Left Hurricane, WV just after sun up this morning.  Drove into some heavy snow on the West Virginia Turnpike.  Fortunately it didn't stick to the roads.  About 2 inches fell.  Took some photos of it for you.

`The road crews were out doing a good job sanding / salting the roads.

After a while drove out of it.  New fallen snow on the trees is always pretty.

Stopped for the rest of the weekend at the TA truck stop just north of Richmond, Virginia.  It had started snowing again when I arrived.  Still not sticking to the roads.  It is a very wet snow, basically melts on contact.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Got on the road at sun up this morning.  Didn't get as far as I wanted to today.  Another driver that had the same dozer I have and who is going to the same place had stopped in Hurricane, West Virginia at the TA truck stop.  He had to move his machine back on the trailer to get the weight right for Virginia.  He didn't know how to drive the machine and asked if I would stop there and move the machine for him.  Which I did.  

I didn't have my Virginia permit yet.  They permitted mine differently than his.  My load was permitted as a "super load" because of the weight.  They take longer to get back so I waited at the TA for it to come in.  In order to get to Virginia we have to go down the West Virginia Turnpike.  Over sized loads are not allowed to stop for the night at the service plazas on the Turnpike so once you start on it you have to get off it before sun down.  By the time my Virginia permit arrived there was not enough time to get down the Turnpike before sun down so I stayed the night at the TA truck stop in Hurricane, West Virginia.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Drove the rest of the way in to Morton, Illinois and loaded a Caterpillar D7 Dozer.  It is going down to Fort Pickett, Virginia.  Gross weight is just under 107,000 pounds.

Dumb question - Why is the machine painted so it will blend in to the desert scenery so that it won't be easily seen by the "enemy" but then they put two red reflectors on the back of it to make it more visible? 

Had to stop a little early today.  Stopped for the night in Memphis, Indiana at the Love's truck stop.  Didn't make the Louisville, Kentucky curfew.  Can sleep in tomorrow, can't go into Kentucky until 9 am.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Drove in to Memphis, TN this morning and delivered the wheel loader.  Didn't have another load yet so I went back to the truck stop in West Memphis, Arkansas.  Was parked and back in bed before 8 am local time.

At 2 pm local time I finally got another load.  It is tomorrow morning in Morton, Illinois.  Got on the road and drove to the Pilot truck stop in Lincoln, Illinois for the night.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Drove the rest of the way in to Kansas City, Kansas to a small recycling place.  The company was bought out by a larger company and the new owners were closing the Kansas City place and relocating the equipment.  Loaded a John Deere 444 wheel loader.  It is going to Memphis, Tennessee.

Got on the road and drove down to the Petro truck stop in West Memphis, Arkansas.  Will deliver in the morning.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Just as I figured, we (there were four of us with hubs) were the last to be unloaded this morning.  They unloaded 12 other trucks first.  Finally got unloaded.  Next load is tomorrow morning in Kansas City, Kansas.  Drove to the service plaza on the Kansas Turnpike (I-70) for the night.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

After dinner this evening I went back and hooked back to my trailer.  The wind died down enough to take the tarps off.  I hate those things!!  There are a lot of trucks here.  It may be a while before I get empty tomorrow.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Didn't sleep very well last night.  Then I woke up at 3 am wide awake.  Hate it when that happens!!  Left Denton, TX just before sun up and drove up to Garden City, Kansas.  Dropped my trailer at the place where they are unloading Monday and went over to the truck stop for the rest of the weekend.  It is very windy here.  This truck is really rocking!!  Going to bed early tonight!!  I'm very tired.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Left Hattiesburg, MS at sun up this morning.  Really nice day on the road until I got to Dallas.  I hit Dallas right at rush hour.  Bumper to bumper from south west of Dallas all the way up to Denton which is north of Dallas.  I really earned my money this evening!!  A large portion of that was under construction and the lanes were narrowed.  There were many, many times were there was less than an inch clearance between me and the traffic on either side.  Countless more times where I was cut off from the left and right.  If any of you were with me, you would have had a heart attack.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Denton, Texas.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Drove the rest of the way to the GE plant in Pensacola, FL.  Arrived at 11:15 am local time.  I was shocked when they called me to go in at 1 pm local time.  Loaded a wind energy hub that is going to Garden City, Kansas.

Then had to tarp the damn thing.

After all that I drove up to a small truck stop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for the night.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Left Mariana, Fl  just before sun up this morning.  Had to wait in Pensacola for an hour and fifteen minutes for my Alabama permit.  Got back on the road and drove to Westlake, LA.  That is on the west side of Lake Charles, hence the name.  Started raining when I got to Louisiana and was pouring (of course) while unloading in Westlake.  Next load is tomorrow back in Pensacola.  Started back that way.  Ran out of hours so I stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Lafayette, LA.  Its still raining!!

Tuesday,February 5, 2013

Drove to the Port of Palm Beach in West Palm Beach, FL this morning and loaded a Mammoet trailer.  It is going to Westlake, LA.  This is a lot heavier than it looks, I'm at 103,000 pounds.

Got on the road and drove all the way up to Mariana, FL to the TA Truck Stop for the night.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Left Florence, SC just before sun up and drove to the Port of Jacksonville.  Arrived at noon - lunch time!  So I had to wait until they came back from lunch.  At 1 pm I went in to unload.  Got the machine off and parked.  Then drove to the Daily yard in Jacksonville and did some errands.  Next load is tomorrow morning at the Port of West Palm Beach.  Drove down to the Rest Area on I-95 at mile marker 106 for the night.

Had a triple today.  Thought you would like to see this one. It's a doozie!!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

There is a Blue Beacon Truck Wash here so I went over and had the truck and trailer washed this morning. It really needed it after driving in all that snow.  The entire truck and trailer were just covered in road salt and crap!!. Remember the tractor?  Here is a refresher photo.