Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Delivered the excavator first thing this morning.  My next load is a few miles from there.  Headed that way.  Got a phone call saying that the load won't be ready until at least noon.  So I went back to the TA to wait.  Shortly before noon I was told that the load, upon further inspection, was needing more time and would not be ready until next week sometime.  So, I took a different load.  It loads tomorrow in Lebanon, PA.  I left and headed that way.  Just after I turned off I-79 in Meadville, PA I saw this fence around the Road Department.  Look close at the very long mural.  It is made entirely of road signs.  I zoomed in on a few segments so you could see it better.  It is an amazing sight to see.  The thing is huge!!

Isn't that cool??

I went back to the Daily yard in Carlisle so I could eat Italian food again and so I could plug in the truck instead of running the generator.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Very early this morning I was at the Port to load.  As soon as I pulled around back to load it started raining.  Never fails!!  Loaded a Caterpillar 320EL Excavator that is going up to  Erie, Pennsylvania.  

Of course, by the time I finished loading and securing it I was soaked.  Hit the road. It rained all day. On the way I drove through the cold front that brought all the rain. Behind the front the rain changed to snow.  Was in flurries for quite a while.  But for the last two hours of driving today was in a lot of snow.  Didn't accumulate on the roads, but it looks like a couple inches has fallen so far.

  It is still snowing. Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Harborcreek, PA.  Basically, that is Erie, PA.  The Caterpillar dealer that I am delivering the excavator to is right behind the truck stop.  I'll deliver in the morning.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Sat through the LCV class today. While I was there the shop took my trailer in and replaced the trailer tracker that was on there with a new one that is solar powered.  

When class was over I got out of there and drove down to the TA truck stop in Baltimore, MD.  Load over at the Port in the morning.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

The truck was finished this morning.  The breaks all work great!!  Went back over to the "home office" in Carlisle to park for the rest of the weekend.  I can plug in there so I don't have to run the generator.  There is a good pizza place across the street so I'm sure you know what I'll be eating this weekend!!  Taking a LCV (Large Combination Vehicle) class here Monday, then outa here for my next load.

Friday, April 11, 2014

I was at Kenworth in Carlisle at 6 am this morning (they open at 7) to get my brakes looked at, they didn't feel right.  They were so backed up that I sat there all day waiting.  At about 3 pm they let me use one of their loaner cars.  

I went to the Petro truck stop down the road and did three loads of laundry, took a shower, and then went to Wal-Mart.   Sometime after 4 pm they took my truck in.  When I got back they gave me the "good" news.  All of my rear brakes needed to be replaced along with the hubs.  They were bad too.  I went to dinner.  Had a great meal.  Stuffed to the gills!!  When I got back they had more "good" news.  Had a wheel seal  going bad too.   Kenworth is open until midnight.  They could have had the brakes done by then but the wheel seal changed that.  So, I got a room at the Super 8 motel down the road.  Definitely not a four star place!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

This morning loaded another John Deere 245 Excavator going back up to South Plainfield, NJ.

Took it up there and delivered it.  Then drove over to the home office in Carlisle, PA.  Will be here for a few days.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

My Maryland permit finally came in.  Left and drove up to South Plainfield, NJ and delivered the excavator.  Turned around and went back to Baltimore, MD.  I'm loading another machine and taking it back up to South Plainfield tomorrow.  Stopped for the night at the wonderful TA truck stop in Baltimore for the night.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Got another load this morning.  Here in Baltimore I loaded a John Deere 245 excavator that is going up to Plainfield, NJ.  

Couldn't go anywhere because Maryland is very slow with permits.  Delaware and New Jersey came in but not Maryland.  Went back to the Baltimore TA truck stop to wait for my Maryland permit.  Hope it comes in early tomorrow morning so I can go.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Drove the rest of the way in to the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, MD and delivered the compactor.  Don't have another load yet so I went to the TA truck stop in Baltimore to wait.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Drove 88 miles to Hagerstown, MD to the Pilot truck stop.  Will be here until Monday morning.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Left Whitestown, IN just before sunrise.  Nice easy relaxing day.  Nothing special.  Stopped for the night at a truck stop in Grantsville, Maryland.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Left Gary, IN just before sunrise in the pouring rain and drove in to Naperville, Illinois and delivered the excavator.  Yes, it was still pouring rain and I got soaked.  Left there and drove over to Aroura, IL and loaded a Caterpillar 816F2 Compactor.  It is going to the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, MD.  Fortunately, by the time I finished securing it the rain stopped. Go figure!!

Left there and drove to the TA truck stop in Whitestown, Indiana for the night.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Last night on my way into the truck stop I noticed that my brakes weren't working as well as they should and I used a LOT of air when applying the breaks.  I had a pretty good idea what the problem was.  I parked for the night and went to bed.  This morning I got up and investigated the problem.  It was just as I thought.  The air hose that was just replaced was still rubbing the drive shaft.  They had replaced the hose but didn't fix the problem.  The hose was worn through.  I taped up the leak as best as I could and zip tied the hose away from the drive shaft.  There was a TA truck stop 20 miles up the road so I went up there and got it repaired again.  This time the correct way.  It was covered under warranty so all it cost me was time.  After they finished I drove up to the Petro truck stop in Gary, Indiana for the night.  I'll deliver and reload in the morning.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Left Kernersville at sunrise this morning.  Very nice day on the road.  Nothing exciting at all.  Stopped for the night at the Love's Truck Stop in Memphis, Indiana.  

Monday, March 31, 2014

Hit the road this morning and drove in to Columbia, South Carolina and delivered the wheel loader.  Here is the easy way to unload.  (Not me driving)

Next load was up in Kernersville, North Carolina.  Drove up there and loaded a John Deere 250GL Excavator that is going to Naperville, Illinois.

My North Carolina permit does not start until tomorrow morning so I parked at John Deere for the night.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Left Corbin, KY this morning at about sunrise.  Easy day today.  This is why the are called The Smokey Mountains.

Had to stop for the rest of the weekend because my North Carolina permit is not good until Monday.  So, I stopped at the TA Truck Stop in Corbin, North Carolina.

Forgot to tell you about this.  Friday, at the truck show, went to the (by invitation only) luncheon put on by TA/Petro Truck Stops.  Food was pretty good too.

Here is the Daily booth at the show. Took that photo before the show opened.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Had a very good time at the truck show but my back just couldn't take anymore.   I left and went back and got my trailer.  Then drove down to the Pilot Truck Stop in Corbin, Kentucky for the rest of the night.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Left this morning just before sunrise and drove drown to Louisville, Kentucky.  On the way dropped my trailer at a parking lot just north of Louisville.  Then parked at the truck parking lot at the convention center in Louisville.  Will be here for the Mid America Truck Show.  I'll leave here Saturday.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

First thing this morning I was at the TA shop to get the truck fixed.  Had regular routine maintenance done and had the "S" cam brackets and air hose replaced.  They didn't finish until almost 2 pm. But at least they finished!!  

Here is a time lapse of the sunrise this morning.

Cold front came through this morning.  COLD and WINDY here!!  Stayed at the TA for the night.

Monday, March 24, 2014

This morning drove up to Aurora, IL and loaded a Caterpillar 950K Wheel Loader that is going to Columbia, SC.  My gross weight is only 92,000 with this one. 

Hit the road and after a little while stopped and got the truck washed.  Continued over to the TA Truck Stop in Whitestown, Indiana where I dropped the trailer and went to a repair shop in Zionesville, IN for routine maintenance on my generator.  While the mechanic was working on it he spotted some problems with my brakes.  Upon further inspection found that both front "S" cam brackets were broken and that an air hose had been rubbing on the drive shaft and was almost rubbed through.  Neither one of those are good.

They didn't have the parts so when they finished the generator I went back to the TA Truck Stop where my trailer was.  I checked in at the shop.  Had them order the parts so that tomorrow morning they can fix everything as well as routine maintenance on the truck too.  Parked for the night with my trailer.  Will be in the shop for repairs at 8 am tomorrow morning.  Supposed to snow (not much, only an inch or less) in the morning so I probably won't be able to move anyway.  

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Weekend TV really sucks without football !!!!!!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Just before sunrise this morning I left the Daily yard in Bettendorf and drove toward Goodfield, IL.  On a whim I called them just to see if, by chance, they were open today.  Much to my surprise someone answered the phone.  Yes they were open!!  I went there and delivered the excavator!!  My next load is Monday up in Aurora, IL, a suburb of Chicago.  I drove to the TA truck stop in Morris, IL for the rest of the weekend.  Supposed to get a little snow Monday.  We shall see.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Left South Dakota just before sunrise this morning.  Drove to the Daily yard in Bettendorf, Iowa because I had several trailer lights out.  They fixed the lights.  Was a bit more complicated than I could do on the road.  The back needed to be partly re-wired.  It was a bit of a mess.  It is all done now.  Tomorrow I'll go the rest of the way so I can deliver first thing Monday morning.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Left Hardin, Montana just before sunrise this morning.  Pushed it hard all day.  Weather was perfect and traffic was light.  Stopped for the night at a small truck stop in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Left Spokane just before sunrise this morning.  Very nice uneventful day going up and down all day through the mountains.  I guess they were making room for more snow up on Lookout Pass. 

Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Hardin, Montana.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

By this morning the wind had died down a lot.  I left around sunrise and headed toward Seattle.  For those of you that like mountain photos I took a lot for you.  (remember, you can click on the photo to enlarge it)

Here is sunrise.

I wonder why the avalanche shelter is only over the west bound side?  Guess they don't care about those going east.

Ski slope.

Snoqualmie Pass. Elevation 3000 feet.   Notice how deep the snow is on the side of the road.

Delivered the excavator in Kent, WA.  Then reloaded another John Deere 245G Excavator at a different place 6 miles down the road.  It is going to Goodfield, Illinois.

Left there and headed back east on I-90 again.  The weather had deteriorated a lot since I went over Snoqualmie Pass earlier.  Rain on the way up and on the way down.  Snowing at the top.

After I got past the mountains it cleared up nicely.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Spokane, WA.