Friday, November 12, 2021

 I left Earle, Arkansas last night at 9 PM and drove the rest of the way to Amarillo, Texas, and delivered the wheel loader.  Then I went to Thermo King in Amarillo to get my APU fixed.  I checked in there and waited.  After a couple hours, he brought it in to work on.  He fixed it and I left.  Next stop, Wal Mart to refill a prescription. After that, I went over to my favorite place to eat, The Big Texan, to park for the night and to get dinner.  They have their Christmas decorations up already.  Here is a panoramic photo of the place.

A few more inside.

Two people went for the challenge tonight!!! In case you don't know about the challenge, it is if you can eat a 72-ounce steak, baked potato, dinner salad, 3 shrimp, and a dinner roll in one hour the meal is free.  If you fail, it costs $72.  Here are the two meals (minus the shrimp and dinner rolls - they weren't ready yet).

Here is what I ordered.  The first course...

When that was done...

It was cooked to perfection and tasted great!!!!!  When that was finished I checked to see how the guys were doing with the challenge...

I don't think they will make it.  Only had 23 minutes left and a lot of food to still devour.  I waddled back to my truck.  Over 700 miles, unloading, getting the truck fixed, plus a few errands. Long day with no sleep.  Exhaustion is setting in big time!!  Time to make up for that!!  Good night.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

 Left at 1 AM this morning.  Once again, the Interstate was shut down from an overturned semi-truck that blocked all the lanes.  I was able to get around it by diverting down to Athens, GA.  Lost about a half-hour but saved several hours by going around the mess.  I was almost in Alabama when the road started to open.  The rest of the drive was uneventful.  Drove through a weather front in Mississippi.  Was finished before noon today after driving 649 miles. Stopped at the TA truck stop in Earle, Arkansas.   I'll be able to start real early tonight so I'm going to bed now and the phone is off!  Oh, I almost forgot...my APU crapped out AGAIN!  I'll worry about that later.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

 Left early this morning to go in and deliver.  Got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic from a wreck.  Took 20 minutes to go one mile.  After I got through that mess, I went to my first stop.  Had to get the radiator shrink-wrapped.

 

Then I went about 5 miles down the road and delivered the radiator.  My next load was in Newberry, South Carolina.  Drove up there and loaded a Komatsu WA320 Wheel Loader that is going to Amarillo, Texas.

Left there, but didn't go very far.  Stopped for the night at the Love's truck stop just down the road from where I loaded.  Will get started at about 1 AM. 

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

 Left at midnight.  No problems until Atlanta.  Got to Atlanta right at rush hour.   Big wreck on the south bound beltway, all lanes blocked.  Traffic was backed up for a long way on the beltway, both directions and on I-75 trying to get to the beltway.  I ended up staying on I-75 going through the middle of Atlanta.  Made better time doing that. Still had more bumper to bumper in downtown Atlanta, but nothing like what was happening on the beltway. Drove 657 miles today and stopped at Grady's Truckstop in Metter, Georgia for the night.  Ran out of hours.  Good thing I didn't have to go any farther.  About 5 miles ahead a log truck rolled over scattering all the logs all over the Interstaste.  All lanes blocked.  Glad I'm staying here until tomorrow morning.  That mess should be all cleared up by then.

Haven't put one of these up here in a while.  Something like this happens just about every day, but this is a good one!!  

Notice my speed and he hits the breaks right in front of me.

Monday, November 8, 2021

 Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning and drove into Indianapolis and delivered the excavator.  Next load was up in Lafayette, Indiana.  Drove up there and loaded a Caterpillar Radiator and two parts boxes that are going to Garden City, Georgia.  

Left there and drove to the TA truck stop in Seymour, Indiana.  As soon as my 10 hours are up, I'm back on the road.  Going to sleep now.  Good night.

Saturday, November 6, 2021

 Only about a half-day today.  Drove to the Petro truck stop in New Paris, Ohio.  Will be here until Monday morning.  Now it is time for some football!!!

 

Sure hope they do better than last week!!!

Friday, November 5, 2021

 As soon as my 10 hours were up I left.  That was at 2 AM.  Drove into the Port of Baltimore and delivered the tractor.  Then went to a different part of the Port and loaded a Caterpillar 320 Excavator that is going to Indianapolis, Indiana.  

Left there and drove out to the Love's truck stop in Cumberland, Maryland.  Had a flat tire on the truck.  Two and a half hours later I had two new tires on the truck.  Stayed there for the night.

Thursday, November 4, 2021

 Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning.  Seemed like it took forever to get out of Ohio, but I finally did.  Met my pilot escort car at the West Virginia line and continued on.  Here is my WV route.

At the Maryland state line he dropped off and I continued on to a truck stop in Grantsville, Maryland.  I'll get started as soon as my 10 hours are up.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

 Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning.  I got to Indiana about 15 minutes ahead of my escort car.  Once he got there we left.  It was mostly back roads today.  Here is my permit route in the Chicagoland area.

And here is my Indiana permit route.

The autumn foliage was really nice today.  Stopped at a Mom & Pop truck stop in Mendon, Ohio for the night.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

 When the mechanics came in at 8, I pulled my trailer into the bay.  After looking under the trailer they said that I was going to have to unload the trailer because they had to lift the trailer to work on it.  There was more wrong with it than just a simple fix.  I pulled back outside and unloaded the trailer.  I really love driving that machine!!  They drive so darned nice!!!  Anyway, I took the trailer back in and dropped it there.  In the meantime, the office staff had to reschedule my escort cars.  Here is part of the problem that had to be rewired.

It is amazing that any of my lights worked.  They replaced that harness then got to work on the initial problem, the ABS (Antilock Braking System).  They took off one of the wheels, checked the system, and replaced a sensor.  Once all that was done, I picked up my trailer and went outside, and reloaded the tractor on the trailer.  Then I parked for the night.  Will leave here in the morning.

Monday, November 1, 2021

 Left early again and drove into Topeka, Kansas, and delivered the wheel loader. My next load was way up in Waterloo, Iowa.  I drove there.  John Deere employees are still on strike so our loading procedure was changed a bit. Instead of waiting in a large staging area, we had to line up on the road.  This is what it looked like when I got there.

They did a very good job at keeping things moving.  Only took a little over an hour to get in to load. Once there, loaded a John Deere 8370 Tractor that is going to the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Maryland.

It is 12 feet, 6 inches wide.  That means I will have a few escort cars in certain states.  The first one is in Indiana.  Also means the permit route is really all over the place, not a straight shot to Baltimore.  I left there and drove to the Daily terminal in Bettendorf, Iowa for the night.  Tomorrow morning the mechanic here has to look at my trailer.  The ABS light is stuck on.  

Sunday, October 31, 2021

 

Saturday, October 30, 2021

 I left at midnight today.  Great day on the road!!  Drove 672 miles to the Petro truck stop in Oak Grove, Missouri.  Will be here until Monday early morning.  But now it's time for some football.  The Gators are going to get totally creamed by Georgia today.  

Friday, October 29, 2021

 Left NJ very early this morning and drove to Shippensburg, PA. Arrived at the Volvo plant perfectly after they opened.  Loaded a Volvo L90H Wheel Loader that is going to Topeka, Kansas.

Left there before 8:30 AM !!!!  Drove out to the TA truck stop in Hebron, Ohio.  They have a Bob Evans Restaurant here.  Thought I was going to get a good meal.  Boy was I wrong!!  I ordered a steak dinner.  The steak was smothered in onions and mushrooms.  That was ok.   I couldn't even see the steak.  I pushed all that off to the side and this is what I saw (I cut the meat to see how it was cooked)

The steak wasn't even a quarter-inch thick.  It had the chewability of shoe leather. It was horrible!!!  I complained to the manager and told him that they should be embarrassed to serve something like that.  He didn't charge me for the meal and I left.  What a disappointment.  I'm going to bed very early so I can start driving again a little after midnight.  

Thursday, October 28, 2021

 Left real early this morning and drove to New Castle, PA and loaded a big hunk of aluminum.  Actually, it is a 40,000-pound block of aluminum.  It was going to Newark, New Jersey then eventually a big boat headed for Germany.

Left there in great time.  Drove to Newark, New Jersey, and delivered it.  Great view of the autumn colors in the mountains of northern Pennsylvania all day today.  My next load is back in Shippensburg, PA.  I started off that way.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Bloomsbury, New Jersey.  I had 0 minutes left on my clock when I stopped.  629 miles today too.

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

 Left this morning a little later than normal.  Had to time it so that I didn't get to Allentown before 9 AM.  My timing was perfect.  Arrived at the job site and the crane was there and all set up - for a nice change.  Unloaded pretty quickly.  Next load was back in Shippensburg, PA.  I drove over there, checked in, and got everything ready to load.  The guy came back over to me and said that the machines were not ready today and wouldn't be ready until Friday.  I packed everything back up again, pulled out front, and waited for Carlisle to tell me where to go next. About an hour later I got my next load.  It is over 3 1/2 hours away in New Castle, PA.  Won't be loading that today.  Drove to the TA truck stop in Breezewood, PA for the night. 

Tuesday, October, 26, 2021

 Left Kenly, NC at sunrise this morning.  Had a good day on the road.  Had a few areas of bumper-to-bumper traffic in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area.  Otherwise just heavy traffic in the Washington DC, Baltimore and Harrisburg areas.  Heavy crosswind with a top-heavy load is fun!! Stopped for the night at the TA east of Harrisburg, PA.  Will deliver in the morning sometime.  Can't enter Allentown until after the morning curfew is over at 9.  Here is how my truck looks when I'm parked.

Close up.

Monday, October 25, 2021

 Went into downtown Jacksonville first thing this morning and loaded a Caterpillar Generator that is going to Easton, Pennsylvania.  

It is 14 feet high and top-heavy!!  Left there and drove to the Petro truck stop in Kenly, North Carolina for the night.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

 As soon as my 10 hours were up I left.  That was about 1 AM.  Had no traffic problems in Louisville, Nashville, or Chattanooga.  Some minor delays in Atlanta.  Stopped for the night at a Mom & Pop truck stop in Metter, Georgia.  Drove 666.6 miles today.  Will deliver tomorrow morning.

Monday, October 18, 2021

 Left a half-hour before sunrise.  Drove to Indianapolis and delivered the excavator.  Next load was in Lafayette, Indiana.  Drove there and loaded two Caterpillar engines and six parts boxes that are going to Savannah, Georgia.

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

Sunday, October 17, 2021

 Left Hagerstown, Maryland early this morning.  Drove to a rest area on I-70 just east of Indianapolis, Indiana for the night.  Will deliver in the morning.

Saturday, October 16, 2021

 The offense was horrible.  The defense was even worse!!

Friday, October 15, 2021

 Left at 1 AM and drove to the Caterpillar dealer in Mechanicsburg, Virginia. Got there real early but was still able to unload.  Then drove up to the Port of Baltimore.  Lots of Washington DC rush hour traffic!!  When I got to Baltimore I loaded a Caterpillar 320 Excavator that is going to Indianapolis, Indiana.

Left there and drove to the Pilot truck stop in Hagerstown, Maryland. I'll do a reset here tomorrow then continue on Sunday.

Tomorrow...

Thursday, October 14, 2021

 Left North Little Rock, Arkansas as soon as my 10 hours were up.  Drove to Kenworth in Nashville, TN.  Dropped off my trailer there and picked up a trailer that had a Caterpillar Backhoe on it that is going to Mechanicsville, Virginia.  The driver that had this load broke down, so I'm finishing it.

Left there and drove to the Petro in Glade Spring, Virginia for the night.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

 Left at 3 AM CDT and drove the rest of the way to Lonoke, AR to the Remmington ammunition plant.  I was the first of our trucks to get there.  The crane was there and set up but they didn't bring enough counterweight for this lift.  They had to go back and get more.  So I had to wait.  This was my view while waiting.  When they were ready, I had to back in to where you see the crane.

I got backed in there but it was very tight with a stretched trailer.  Had to do a LOT of wiggling and most of it blind because of the width of the tank.  Earned my money on that one!!  They lifted the thing off and I pulled out.  Then shrunk the trailer back to normal.  From there I went to the Petro in North Little Rock for the night.  Next load is in Nashville, TN tomorrow.  I'll be leaving early again.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

 Left Jacksonville at 3 AM this morning and drove up to Manchester, Tennessee.  Had to stretch the trailer for the load to fit.  

Then loaded a large tank that is going to Lonoke, Arkansas.  There are two more going.  They are already on their way.

I was almost out of hours for the day so I stayed there for the night.  I'll leave tomorrow.

Monday, October 11, 2021

 Left at 3:30 this morning and drove down to Orlando and delivered the Telehandler.  Was out of there by 7 AM.  Drove back to the Daily yard in Jacksonville.  Got my next load late this afternoon.  It is up in Manchester, Tennessee.  Have to swap out trailers for this one.  I'll leave here around 3 AM to head up there.

Sunday, October 10, 2021

 Early this morning I drove to the Daily terminal in Jacksonville, Florida.  Then went back to sleep.  Here is what I am hauling.

I'll leave here real early tomorrow morning to go to Orlando to deliver.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

 Last night I left Carlisle, PA at 11:45 PM. Finally able to get moving!!!  Great night and day on the road.  Drove 684 miles to the Pilot truck stop in Hardeeville, South Carolina.

Friday, October 8, 2021

 It finally happened!!!!!!   I got my truck back this afternoon.  The inside looked like a bomb went off in there.  Spent a long time putting it back together enough to live in again.  My next load was already on my trailer for me so I'll be leaving for Orlando, Florida whenever I wake up.  Good night.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

 Now they are saying Friday!!!

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

 

Monday, October 4, 2021

 Now they are saying my truck won't be ready until Wednesday morning.