Left Vero Beach at about 2:30 this morning and drove straight up to Garden City, Georgia and delivered the twin backhoes. From there I drove up to Grovetown, Georgia and loaded a John Deere 8370 Tractor that is going up to Washington, Ohio.
It is a bit wide.
My Georgia permit doesn't start until tomorrow so I stayed put for the night. 488 miles today too. The phone is off and I'm going to sleep. Good night.
Went to Fort Myers first thing this morning and delivered the JLG Lift. Then drove over to Miami. Had some bumper-to-bumper traffic getting there. Loaded two used John Deere 310 Backhoes that are going to Garden City, Georgia. When I was about halfway done chaining them down the heavens opened up. LOTS of heavy rain and a bit of thunder and lightning, for good measure. That lasted about 45 minutes until it had slowed down enough to get back at it again.
By the time I was finished I was soaked through to the bone! When I left there almost every major road in the Miami area was a total mess with traffic. I was, however, able to find a way out of there with minimal bumper-to-bumper traffic. Drove to the TA truck stop in Vero Beach. I won't even begin to tell you what a total disaster my dinner was in the restaurant here. I'll be out of here as soon as my ten hours are up.
Left very early this morning and drove to the Love's truck stop in Ft. Myers, FL. I'll be here until Monday morning.
Took the truck over to Thermo King first thing and dropped it off. While they worked on it I did errands. They were able to find the refrigerant leak and fix my A/C on the APU. I got it back right at their quitting time of 5 PM. I took the truck back to the Daily yard in Jacksonville. There was a JLG man lift on another trailer that was brought in earlier in the week. I unloaded it from that trailer and put it on my trailer. It is going down to Fort Myers, Florida.
It has been about 4 years since I have driven one of those so I had to give myself a refresher course on it. Got it all secured to the trailer. I'll leave early in the morning.
Finally some good news!! I got my truck back this morning. After getting my truck, and hooking up to my trailer, I drove to Savannah, Georgia, and delivered the generator. Then I drove to the Daily yard in Jacksonville, Florida. Tomorrow I will be at Thermo King to get the A/C fixed AGAIN.
This morning checked out of the hotel and went back to the truck at the Petro truck stop. Took it to the International Dealer in Knoxville. They hooked up the computer to it to get the codes describing the reason the "Check Engine" light was on. They said that a sensor was overheating and that they got a rarely seen code. They needed to get the truck inside to dig deeper into the problem. At that point, I knew I would need another hotel room. I got one fairly close by that had shuttle service. The shuttle turned out to be a local taxi that the hotel paid for. That driver was the worst I have ever seen. He drove like a maniac and scared the crap out of me. To make matters worse, the seat belt didn't work. I was so glad to make it to the hotel alive. Anyway, I'll be here for God only knows how long this time.
It did it again. Now my APU air conditioning stopped working. Yes, that's right, the same one that just got fixed!! I'm in another hotel until Tuesday morning.
I left at 2 AM this morning. Nice peaceful drive until I was about an hour north of Knoxville, Tennessee. Once again the "Check Engine" light came on.
Instead of continuing on, I went to the Petro truck stop in Knoxville, Tennessee. I'll wait here until the folks at the "home office" in Carlisle, PA decide what they want to do. I know what I'd like to do with it, but I don't think they will let me have the dynamite to do it.
Late this morning I got my next load. I was recovering a load from another driver that broke down and his truck had to be towed. His truck was towed to the same place my truck was just repaired at in Indianapolis. I went there and dropped off my trailer there. I also got the paperwork for the load out of his truck. Then I drove, bobtail, to the TA truck stop in Whitestown, Indiana and attached to his trailer that was loaded with a Caterpillar 3516 Engine and two parts crates. They are going to Savannah, Georgia.
Left there and drove to the Love's truck stop in Richmond, Kentucky. I'll be here until my 10 hours are up.
I left Florida last night at 8 PM and drove straight through to Indianapolis. When I got there I got all my stuff out of the rental car and loaded up the truck. Then took the car back and dropped it off. Uber brought me back to my truck. Then I went over to Thermo King in Indianapolis to get my APU fixed. Once that was done I left there and drove another hour over to the Petro truck stop in Brazil, Indiana, where I left my trailer, and got it. Parked there for the night. Another 1,000+ mile driving day. I'm tired. Good night.
Today I checked out of the hotel and got a rental car. I left Indianapolis, Indiana at 1:30 PM and drove home. Stopped only 3 times to get fuel and a bit of food-to-go on the 1,030-mile trip. I got home at 5:30 Friday morning. Will be here until Thursday.
Nothing new. Still in a hotel. Parts to repair the truck are on national backorder. They have no idea when they will get here.
This morning Daily made the arrangements for the truck to be towed to an International Service Center. I checked out of the hotel while he hooked the truck up to the wrecker. Towed me to the Service Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Of course, they didn't have the parts in stock, so I'm at another hotel.
Well, here we go again! The truck broke!!
Monday morning it will have to be towed someplace to get fixed. I'm back in a hotel again.
With a fresh set of hours, I left this morning and went to the Petro truck stop in Brazil, Indiana. I'll be here until Monday morning.
When I got up this morning I saw, much to my surprise, that I had only 58 minutes of time left on my 70-hour clock. That meant I was stuck here for the weekend. What a pain in the butt!!! So I'll deliver Monday instead of today.
Left Baltimore at about 2:45 AM EDT. Very uneventful day except when going around Columbus, Ohio a truck going the other way on I-270 struck a large powerline. Somehow a boom on the truck went up and the driver didn't know it. the line fell across the entire Interstate (both sides). On the other side, traffic was stopped completely. Our side was still flowing. We just drove over the downed line without any problems. It had just happened before I got there. Other than that, it was a pleasant drive to the Love's truck stop in Knightstown, Indiana. 590 miles today.
Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning and drove to Frederick, Maryland and delivered the tractor. The next load was at the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Maryland. Went there and loaded a Caterpillar 320 Excavator that is going to Terra Haute, Indiana.
Got a late start this morning. Had some construction bumper-to-bumper traffic east of Indianapolis. Aside from that, a very uneventful day. Drove 483 miles to the TA truck stop in London, Ohio for the night.
Left early this morning and arrived in Savage, Minnesota before they opened. Someone was there and took possession of the dozer that I delivered. The next load was down in Waterloo, Iowa. I drove down there and loaded a John Deere 8R 340 Tractor that is going to Frederick, Maryland.
Left Morton, IL at about 6 AM CDT. I still didn't have an Iowa permit. I was a dastardly villain and went anyway.
I made it through without any cops bothering me. Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Albert Lea, Minnesota. One of my favorite places to stop.
Left Cartersville, GA a half-hour after sunrise this morning. Did real well until I got to Kentucky. About 50 miles from Paducah there was a serious car crash on my side of the Interstate. Traffic was at a standstill. I was about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the crash, but I couldn't see it. Two medical helicopters landed on the Interstate while we waited.
Checked out of the hotel at 4:30 AM and went to Daily to get my truck. When I got there the APU was running but the A/C was not. The control head was showing a fault light. At least it kept the truck batteries charged and the inverter running so that my fridge was cold.
Left there at about 5:30 AM and headed to Pooler, Georgia for my load. Got there at about 7:30 and loaded a Komatsu D39PX Dozer that is going up to Savage, Minnesota.
Left there at about 9:30 AM. Did pretty good until I got about 35 miles south of Atlanta. About 10 to 15 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic. Once I made it through that mess, I drove into another mess in Atlanta.
After I made it through the Atlanta mess, I looked at Chattanooga. It was a mess too.
I really wanted to get into Tennessee today, but after looking at that I decided to stop at the TA in Cartersville, Georgia for the night.
My computer died AGAIN this morning. Unbelievable!!!!! Went over to International at about 9:30 AM and lo and behold the truck was finished!!!! I took it to the Daily yard and hooked it up to my trailer. Turned on the APU with the A/C and inverter to cool off the truck and to get the refrigerator cold again. Got a ride back to International to get my pickup truck. Then went to Best Buy and bought another computer. Don't have time to get the other one fixed, I'll do that later. Then back to the hotel. Worked on getting the computer usable for the rest of the day and night.
Checked out of the hotel this morning after talking to International. They said that my truck would be ready today. Then I went to International and sat there all day. They didn't start on my truck until 2:50 PM. They finished at about 5:30 PM. While he was backing out of the shop bay, the DEF tank sensor went out and quit working. They would not be able to work on it until tomorrow morning AND they didn't even know if they had the part. Back to the hotel, I went. Unbelievable!!!!!!
I'm still sitting in a hotel waiting for my truck to be finished at International. Although I'm in a different, and much better, hotel. Hopefully, it will be done tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath.
As usual, when I checked into the hotel yesterday my card key didn't work and I had to go back and get another one. My room wasn't the best room in the place either. It had a bit of an odor but the A/C worked good. When I got up this morning I found that there was about 2 inches of sewage that had backed up out of the bathtub drain. I packed up my stuff, went to the front desk, and got a new room. This one was much better. Stuff like this almost always happens to me when I get a hotel room. It is so rare that check-in goes smooth and the room fine. Unbelievable!!!
Went over to International first thing this morning. They diagnosed the problem quickly. Has a couple issues. The bad part is that they are backed up and won't start working on it until Friday, and then it will be there over the weekend. I had them call the folks in Carlisle to let them make the decision on what to do. They said to keep the truck until it is finished. Once again, I'm in a hotel.
Was at the John Deere dealer first thing this morning in Plant City. Got there before they opened. The gate was open so I went in and unloaded the mini-excavator and waited for them to open. Once they got there and I got my paperwork signed, I left and drove over to Pompano Beach. Shortly after I got started that way the "check engine" light went off. Arrived at the Dealer in Pompano and unloaded the wheel loader. Left there and headed north. After several communications with the shop, they decided to send the truck to an International service center and get it fixed even though the light was off now. So I continued on up to Jacksonville and will go to International in Jax first thing in the morning.
As soon as my 10 hours were up I left. That was at 10:45 PM CDT. Did good until Atlanta. There was a roll-over crash that had 3 of the 4 lanes blocked. Finally made it past that. Just south of Macon my "check engine" light came on. Have no idea why, everything was fine. Continued on down to the Flying J truck stop in Dade City, Florida for the rest of today and tonight. I got here before noon. Drove 680 miles today, 580 yesterday. I'm a little tired so I'm going to bed. Good night.
As soon as my 10 hours were up I left, which was at 2 AM CDT. Had rain most of the day. LOTS of traffic back-ups in Nashville, Tennessee. I was able to find a way around all of them so they didn't affect me much. WHEW!!! Stopped for my required 10 hours off at the TA truck stop just south of Nashville in Antioch, TN.
Here are the photos I tried to show you yesterday. They were finally was able to upload.
Timed it so that I would arrive in Kokomo to deliver first thing this morning. They were expecting me at 7 AM. I was early. Got unloaded very quickly and was on my way to Davenport, Iowa for my next load. Arrived at about 12:30 CDT. Loaded a John Deere 26G Mini Excavator that is going to Plant City, Florida. Also loaded a John Deere 524 Wheel Loader with its bucket and forks. That is going to Pompano Beach, Florida.
For some reason, Blogger won't upload photos right now. I'll try again after I wake up.
I left there and went to the Iowa 80 truck stop for my 10 hours. I'm really tired and going to sleep very soon. Good night.
Was up at 1 AM and on the road again at 2 AM. Got stuck in wreck traffic on I-79 just south of I-70 in Washington, Pennsylvania. Fortunately, it was on the other side. Our stoppage was from the lookie-loos.
Once I got past that mess there were no other problems, except for the rain in western Ohio. Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Spiceland, Indiana with only 6 minutes left on my clock today.
Was up at 1 AM and on the road at 2. Drove to the Port of Baltimore. Got there at 9:25 this morning. I didn't get unloaded until 1 PM. Then I was reloaded with a crate containing a CNC Machine that is going to Kokomo, Indiana. It is a bit top-heavy.
Left there but didn't go very far, I was almost out of hours for today. Went to the TA truck stop in Baltimore for the night.
Went over to Caterpillar first thing this morning. Was first in and first out. Loaded two struts and a cab for a Caterpillar 789 Dump Truck. They are going to the Port of Baltimore.
Left there and drove to the TA truck stop in Hebron, Ohio. I'll be back at it in 10 hours.
Took my time getting started this morning. Washed the truck before I left. That means it will rain soon. Drove to St. Louis. Had every intention of parking in their parking lot until Monday morning when they opened. When I got there one of the employees was there doing some work. He accepted delivery!!!! Much to my surprise. So I unloaded the wheel loader and headed over to Decatur, Illinois. Stopped at the Love's truck stop over there for the rest of the weekend. I load Monday.
Left Carlisle, PA at 2:45 am. Drove 683 miles to the TA truck stop in Effingham, Illinois, stopping only once for fuel.
Went up to Kreamer, PA this morning. It was only about 45 minutes away. It was in a doozy of a place to get into. Once there it was a tight fit getting in and out. Anyway, got unloaded and then went down to Carlisle to the Keen yard for my next load. Of course, the paperwork was screwed up. Took 2 hours of sitting there waiting for the office staff to get things straightened out. Finally got loaded with a Hyundai 655 Wheel Loader that is going down to Maryland Heights, Missouri. That is a suburb of St. Louis.
Left there and went to the Daily yard in Carlisle for the night.
Left Knoxville timing it so that I arrived at the Tennessee / Virginia line right at sunrise. Continued on up into Pennsylvania. Stopped at a small truck stop in Duncannon, PA for the night. I can sleep in tomorrow. Crane to unload won't be ready until about 10:30. In reality, it will probably be after lunch before I get unloaded. We shall see. Hope I'm wrong. I'm only about 45 minutes away.
Went down to St. Augustine first thing this morning and delivered the thing. Was out of there before 7:30. My next load is tomorrow morning in Coolidge, Georgia. I drove to a small truck stop in Thomasville, GA for the night.
This morning I decided to go to St. Simons Island, Georgia, and see how the progress of removing the Golden Ray was going. For those unfamiliar with the Golden Ray, it is a cargo ship that fell over in 2019 in the River heading to the Port of Brunswick, Georgia. They are cutting it up and hauling it off in pieces. For more information click here, and here.
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| Internet Photo |
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| Internet Photo |
Thought you might like to see that.
I was up at 11 pm last night. Wet back over to the fuel pumps and filled the fuel tanks up the rest of the way. When my 10 hours were up at 12:30 AM, I left and drove to the Daily yard in Jacksonville, Florida. Will deliver first thing Monday morning.
Left real early this morning and drove t McConnellsburg, PA to the JLG plant. Was the first one there. Loaded a Caterpillar forklift that is going to St. Augustine, Florida.
A little before noon today I went to Harrisburg and picked up my truck. Most of it was done. They put a bumper on it from another truck so that I could get out of here. When the rest of the parts come in I'll go back for them to install. Finally got out of that hotel room!!!!!! While loading up the truck at the hotel found the left front tire was low on air. Also found a flat tire on the right rear. Just great!!!!!! I went back to the Daily yard and they told me to go over to Bosselmans at the Flying J truck stop to get them fixed. After that was fixed, at about 8:30 pm, I went back to the Daily yard, hooked up to my trailer, and settled in for the night. I load tomorrow morning in McConnellsburg, PA.
At around noon today, the shop called and said that International had all the parts to fix my truck and to bring the truck up there. On my way to Harrisburg, I stopped at the hotel and checked in. After dropping the truck off at International, one of the guys from the shop picked me up and brought me back to the hotel. Looks like I'll be here through the weekend. Goodie!!!
Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning. Drove straight to the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Maryland, and delivered the tractor. Then drove up to the home office in Carlisle, PA. They want to look at the truck. While there I was able to get my new computer. Now comes the fun part of getting everything back into it.
Left about a half-hour before sunrise this morning. Had an uneventful day on the road today. Drove to the Flying J truck stop in Millersport, Ohio for the night.
