Friday, October 4, 2013

Went to the other side of Houston this morning and loaded a huge gas turbine that is going up to Alva, Oklahoma.  

Underneath all that plastic and tarps the thing looks like a big jet engine.  It is a bit heavy.

Left there and on the way out of Houston found a Shipley Do-Nuts!!  Bought a dozen!!  The glazed were still warm.  Oh so good!!

Pretty good day on the road.  Even made it through Dallas with only a few traffic slow downs.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Denton, TX.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Left Hammond, LA this morning at sunrise.  I-10 and I-12 traffic was miserable, as usual.  A lot of bumper to bumper traffic in Baton Rouge.  Made it to La Porte, Texas and delivered the excavator just after 1 pm local time.  Next load is tomorrow morning in Houston.  Went to the TA truck stop in Baytown, TX for the night.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Got on the road after sunrise this morning. Took forever to get around Atlanta.  LOTS of bumper to bumper traffic.  Otherwise a nice day on the road.  Drove to the Petro truck stop in Hammond, Louisiana for the night.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The truck stop I stayed at last night was about two blocks from where I was delivering.  Delivered the fork lift first thing this morning.  Next load was up in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Drove up there and loaded a John Deere 210 Excavator that is going to La Porte, Texas.

Left there and drove to the Petro truck stop in Carnesville, GA for the night.  It is nice to have bigger stuff on the back again.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Went a few miles down the road this morning and delivered the tanks.  My next load was only 7 miles from there.  Loaded a Caterpillar TL642 Fork Lift that is going to Columbia, South Carolina.

Drove down to the Flying J truck stop in Columbia, SC for the night.  Deliver a few miles from here in the morning.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Left Mebane, NC before sunrise and drove up to Ashland, VA to the TA truck stop.  Did a load of laundry and had lunch.  Settling in for a weekend of football.  Deliver a few miles from here Monday morning.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (popularly known as "The Swamp") is the football stadium for the University of Florida and the home field of the university's Florida Gators football team. It is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The stadium was originally built in 1930, and has been regularly expanded, renovated and improved since then. Although it is the eleventh largest college football stadium as measured by its official seating capacity of 88,548, attendance for the Gators' home football games regularly exceeds 90,000 people.

Final

#20 Florida

(3-1, 2-0 SEC)

Kentucky

(1-3, 0-1 SEC)

@

		1	2	3	4		T
FLA		7	14	0	3		24
UK		7	0	0	0		7

Friday, September 27, 2013

Loaded a couple genset fuel tanks this morning in Griffin, GA that are going up to Ashland, Virginia.  

Decided not to try tackling Richmond traffic on a Friday afternoon so I stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Mebane, North Carolina.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Finally got a load.  Unfortunately it is way up in Griffin, Georgia.  Drove up to the TA truck stop in Jackson, GA for the night.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Nothing today.  Still in Jacksonville.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Left Vero Beach at sun rise this morning.  Traffic was horrible getting to Miami.  It rained most of the way and there were wrecks all over the place. Lots of bumper to bumper all the way.  Took an hour and a half longer than it should have.  Finally got there and delivered the wheel loader.  All the cruise ship docks were empty.  Didn't have another load so I drove back to the Daily yard in Jacksonville.  

Monday, September 23, 2013

Went over to Cummins this morning and had my generator serviced.  When that was finished I went back and got my trailer.  After lunch I drove down to the TA truck stop in Vero Beach for the night.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The mechanic here at the Daily yard fixed a couple things on the truck and a few things on trailer. SafeLite Auto Glass mobile unit came and fixed the rock chip in my windshield.  After all that was finished it was football time!!!!!!

Final

Tennessee

(2-2, 0-1 SEC)

#19 Florida

(2-1, 1-0 SEC)

@

		1	2	3	4		T
TENN		7	0	3	7		17
FLA		3	14	7	7		31

Friday, September 20, 2013

This morning went in to Clayton, NC and loaded a Caterpillar 938K wheel Loader.  Of course it was raining.  It is going to the Port of Miami.  From there it is going on a boat to Geneva, Switzerland.

Left there and drove out of the rain just north of the South Carolina border.  From then on it was clear.  Stopped at the TA truck stop in Manning, SC for fuel, food, and a shower.  Then drove home to the Daily yard in Jacksonville.  Will be home for the weekend.  Going to get a few things fixed on the truck while I'm here.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Went over to Williamsburg and delivered the generator.  Took forever to get unloaded.  Finally did.  Next load is down in Clayton, NC.  Drove down to the Petro truck stop at Kenly 95 in Kenly, North Carolina.  Load not too far from here tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Today was a lot better than yesterday!!  Hit the road (excuse the pun) after sunrise and drove nonstop to Tallysville, Virginia.  Initially stopped at a Pilot truck stop but the parking in there was so bad that I left and went a few miles down I-64 to a rest area.  Lot more room there.  I really don't like Pilot truck stops.  Most of them are small and difficult to move around in or park in.  I try to avoid them as much as possible.  Down here there are very few places to park so you take what you can get.  Deliver tomorrow morning about a half hour from here.  Have a 10:30 am crane appointment so I can sleep in.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The day started off great but went down hill in a hurry.  Went over to Griffin, GA and loaded a Caterpillar Generator that is going up to Williamsburg, VA.  

After loading went back to Jackson to scale.  That's when things went bad.  To make a long story short, I got stuck.  Bottomed out and had to have a wrecker pull me out. I knew it would happen some day.  Well, it finally did. Just glad it wasn't on a rail road track.  Stupid me!!!  As you can see from all the marks on the road, I am not the first to do that.

After that mess was finally over I went and scaled.  My weight was not right for South Carolina. Fine for all the other states, but not South Carolina.  Dumped all the water from my tank and slid the fifth wheel around a bit.  Finally got it right.  With half the day gone already I got started for Virginia.  Of course all the weigh stations were open.  Georgia, no problem.   Then South Carolina.  Pulled up on the scale and sat, and sat, and sat.  The longer I sat there the more I started to sweat.  Then the sign lit up green "Exit To I-85".  WHEW!!!!  Dodged that bullet!!  Off I went.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Spartanburg, SC.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Left the TA in Jackson, GA a half hour after sunrise, drove down to Albany, GA and delivered the tractor.  After that drove up to Macon, GA and got my DOT Physical done.  Good for another two years! Then went back to the TA truck stop in Jackson for the night.  Load tomorrow morning not too far from here in Griffin, GA.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Left Kuttawa, KY just before sunrise.  Nice uneventful day.  Even made it around Atlanta with no problems. Stopped early today at the TA truck stop on the south side of Atlanta in Jackson, GA.  Deliver Monday about 2 hours from here.

Forgot to tell you, yesterday I passed another Google Street View Car.

Internet photo.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Was one of the first in to load this morning.  Loaded a John Deere 8285 tractor.

Got out in great time.  The weather was perfect today!!  Clear and dry and in the 60's when I loaded this morning.  I stopped at Iowa 80 got the truck washed and fueled.  It really needed washing!!!  Also picked up a couple things.  After that drove down to Kuttawa, Kentucky for the night.  Went across the street and ate at a steak house.  The prime rib was delicious!!!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

A very long day!  Got started just before sun rise this morning.  Drove up to a rest area just south of where we were delivering.  Swapped trailers.  I have my trailer back now.  Went in to a power plant in Salix, Iowa and delivered.  It only took 15 minutes to get in and out of there.  That was great!!  Wish they were all like that.  Next load is in Waterloo, IA.  Drove over there to the John Deere plant. Will spend the night in their parking lot and load first thing in the morning.  I'm number 8 in line so I should get out pretty early.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Well today got off to a slow start.  The other truck was an hour late catching up with me.  He finally got there and we swapped trailers.  Off we went.  Had no problems at all going around Dallas.  Met my escort car at the Texas / Oklahoma line and we continued on.  The other truck's escort car was not there yet so he had to wait.  Drove through Oklahoma with no problems.  The escort car dropped off at the Oklahoma / Kansas line and I continued on.  Stopped for the night at a small truck stop in Parsons, Kansas. The other truck caught up with me about 45 minutes later.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

This morning went in to the Port of Houston and loaded a "reheater element" that was part of a shipment from China where they were made.  There are 88 of these things going up to Salix, Iowa.  It is 12'2"wide and supposed to be legal weight - 80,000 pounds or less gross weight.

There was another Daily driver that was to load one of theses things too but he didn't have a TWIC card ( Click here for info on TWIC ).  Renewed it, just hadn't gotten it back yet.  So he couldn't go in to the Port to load.  I was asked if I would swap trailers and go in and load his load for him them go back out and swap back to my trailer.  I did.  Took all morning to do this.  Finally got on the road.  Stopped at a truck stop and scaled.  Much to my surprise I was fine on all my axles but my gross was 1,800 over.  After a bunch of phone calls, worked it out that I would swap back to the other driver's trailer - it is a 2 axle step deck which is a much lighter trailer than mine - and continue on up to Iowa that way.  After unloading we will swap back again.

I didn't make the Dallas curfew so I had to stop for the night at a small truck stop in Palmer, Texas.  I am about 150 miles ahead of the other truck.  He will catch back up with me so we can swap in the morning.  I can't go anywhere until after 9 am local time anyway because of the Dallas curfew.  Meanwhile my Oklahoma escort car is patiently waiting for me at the Texas / Oklahoma line.  Told him to enjoy sleeping late tomorrow.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Went a few miles down the road and delivered the Gradall. After that drove down to Camping World in New Brunfels, TX and replaced my roof top air conditioner.  Now it works great!! 

My next load is tomorrow morning in Houston, TX so I drove to the Daily yard in Houston for the night.

Saturday, September 8, 2013

Well, my luck with AC systems continues.  Yesterday my room AC made a lot of noise.  Got a different room.  At about 10:30 last night the AC in my new room shut off.  After a few minutes it started back up again but only for a few seconds.  This time it shut off and smelled like it was burning.  The smoke detector then started beeping.  Fortunately there was no fire.  I left it off the rest of the night.  This morning I got another room.  Three rooms in two days!!  I can't wait to get my truck fixed!!!!!!!

The NFL season gets going in full swing today!!!!!!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

While looking my permit checking the route that Texas had set for me, realized real fast that they had sent me WAY off in the wrong direction.  They had me ending up north of Dallas half way to Oklahoma.  Where I'm really going is about half way between Waco and  Austin. Since it was Saturday and no way to fix the permit I just went anyway and took a route mostly off the interstate highway hoping that I didn't get caught by the cops.

Left Texarkana just before sunrise.  Had no problems at all.  Stopped for the rest of the weekend at a Super 8 hotel in Temple, TX.  Deliver a couple miles from here Monday morning.

This is going to be a long season!!  Gators were pathetic!!!

Final

#12 Florida

(1-1, 0-0 SEC)

Miami (FL)

(2-0, 0-0 ACC)

@

		1	2	3	4		T
FLA		6	0	3	7		16
MIA		14	0	0	7		21

Friday, September 6, 2013

Left Pendelton, KY just before sunrise.  Great day driving but other problems clouded the day.  Got stuck for a slight delay  in bumper to bumper traffic because of a double fatality crash.  A car crossed the median and slammed into a semi truck head on.  There was very little of the car left.  My roof A/C unit compressor seized up last night so I have no A/C when I'm parked.  That's not a good thing where I'm going.  A rock got kicked up and broke my windshield.  

Then my new light bar quit rotating.  Made an appointment to get the A/C fixed Monday afternoon after I deliver.  Stopped for the night, after driving 694 miles, at a Super 8 hotel in Texarkana, Texas.  The first room I was given was all the way at the opposite end of the hotel from where I parked.  The A/C in the room didn't work very well so I had to go back and get a different room.  Then I fixed my light bar, took a shower, ordered a pizza, and got in bed.  Just heard the local weather.  It was 101 today.  

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Got on the road just before sunrise.  Went in to Columbus and delivered the machine.   After that drove up to New Philadelphia, Ohio and loaded a Gradall XL4300 that is going down to Belton, Texas.

Left there and drove down to the Pilot truck stop in Pendelton, Kentucky for the night.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Guess what day it is??!!??  

I love that commercial!!

Got on the road this morning and drove up to a rest area in Ohio on I-71 at mile marker 67.  I'm about an hour from delivery.  

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Well it is time to go back to work.  Drove up to Brunswick, GA and loaded a Wirtgen WR240I Recycler.  This thing was made in Germany.  It, basically, is a huge 65,000 pound rototiller.  What made it interesting to load was that it is all computerized and everything was written in German.  It steers with a steering wheel and moves forward and backward with a joystick and a trigger - no foot peddles.  The cab can slide left and right.  It is going to Columbus, Ohio.

Left there and drove up to Cartersville, Georgia for the night.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Go Gators!!!

Final

Toledo

(0-1, 0-0 MAC)

#10 Florida

(1-0, 0-0 SEC)

@

		1	2	3	4		T
TOL		0	3	3	0		6
FLA		7	10	7	0		24

Thursday, August 29, 2013

That happy little squirrel is on his way........

Friday, August 23, 2013

Drove in to St. Matthews, SC this morning and delivered the tractor.  After that drove home.  Will be here for a week.  Nice to be home!!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Got started just before sun up this morning. It feels good to be actually covering ground instead of shuttle runs!!  Started off in Illinois.  Drove through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and finally stopped for the night at a truck stop in Inman, South Carolina.  682 miles today.  Not too shabby!!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Went over to Davenport first thing this morning and delivered the steel roller.  Then turned around and went back and picked up another one.

After delivering that one in Davenport I drove up to Waterloo and loaded a John Deere 8285 Tractor that is going to St. Matthews, South Carolina.

Remember back in May I posted a photo of the lock and dam underwater?  If not, here it is to refresh your memory.

Went by it again today.  It is back above of the water again.  This is the Illinois River on I-474 in Peoria, Illinois.

Drove to a truck stop in LeRoy, Illinois for the night.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

This afternoon went over to the Alcoa Aluminum plant here in Bettendorf.  They are doing a $300,000,000 demolition and expansion of a section of the plant in order to make aluminum bumpers for the Ford F-150 pick up truck.  Loaded a 60,000 pound steel roller that is going to a recycling place in Davenport, IA. 

Then went back to the Daily yard in Bettendorf for the night.  Have an 8 am crane appointment tomorrow morning in Davenport to unload.  After  that I'll go back and get another one.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Spent all of yesterday and all of today having my permanent light bar installed.  I ordered it months ago and it has been waiting for me to get back to the Daily Bettendorf terminal.  It was installed by one of the mechanic there.  He also installs lights on cop cars and fire trucks on his days off.  He did a marvelous job!!  Better than my highest expectations.  It is exactly what I wanted and it looks fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!  

The Bettendorf terminal is another dust bowl so you can't tell that the truck was even washed!!  Oh well.

After it was finally finished I went out to the Iowa 80 truck stop.  Don't have another load yet so this is a very good place to wait for one.