Monday, February 21, 2022

 I'm enjoying a nice, large, cup of hot chocolate while I'm typing this.  It's really good too!! Left at about 2 AM this morning.  Drove the rest of the way to Marianna, Florida, and delivered the boom lift.  When loading and unloading those things you have to hold on tight.  When it goes up on or down off the trailer it wants to flip you like a pancake on a spatula.  My next load was up in Atlanta.  Drove back up there and loaded a Komatsu 210 Excavator that is going up to Shakopee, Minnesota. 

Of course, it was raining.  I was covered in grease and mud as well as being soaked to the skin when I was finished.  Left there and went straight to the Petro in Atlanta, got fuel, then scaled.  Wouldn't you know it... I was too heavy on my trailer axles.  Had to unsecured it and back the machine up a couple feet.  Then re-secure it all again.  Just what I love to do in the cold rain!!  I'm sure I have it right now.  Parking places are at a premium here so I wasn't about to pull out of the two I had. I need two spaced side-by-side because of the machine width.  Finished the day after driving 560 miles with only 9 minutes available on my electronic babysitter.  I'll re-scale in the morning just to make sure.  Long hot shower, dinner, then bed!!!

Sunday, February 20, 2022

 My reset was finished at 8 PM Saturday evening.  I left the "home office" at 8:15 PM.  Stopped and got the truck washed before I left town.  Really nice night driving.  No traffic issues at all.  The way I like it!!  Stopped for my 10 hours, after driving 630 miles, at the TA truck stop in Commerce, Georgia.

Saturday, February 19, 2022

 This morning I loaded a JLG 660SJ Boom Lift that is going to Marianna, Florida.  

Glad I did it this morning.  It got very windy and cold this afternoon.  As soon as my reset is finished, I'll hit the road south.

Friday, February 18, 2022

 Left very early this morning, in the rain, and arrived at delivery in South Plainfield, NJ just after they opened.  Delivered the wheel loader.  Next load is waiting for me at the "home office" in Carlisle, PA.  I drove back there.  I was out of hours for the week when I go there so I'll do a reset while I'm here.  Tomorrow I'll load my next machine.  When I got to Carlisle, I used the company pick-up truck and went to Walmart and spent too much money (as usual) restocking the truck.  Then went and did 3 loads of laundry.  Now it's time for some much-needed rest.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

 Left at 12:30 this morning.  Another nice day on the road.  Nothing exciting.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Greencastle, Pennsylvania after driving another 685 miles.  And I beat the rain!!  Didn't start raining until after I got here.

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

 Left at about 2:30 this morning.  Only a few traffic back-ups today.  Other than that, after driving 690 miles I stopped at the Flying J truck stop in Fairview, Tennessee.  That is about a half-hour west of Nashville.  I'll get started again around midnight.  But for now, the phone is off and I'm going to sleep.  Good night.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

 I drove the 245 miles over to San Antonio and got there as they opened this morning.  I took my trailer apart and got everything out in preparation for my machine.  The machine I was loading, a Caterpillar D6 Dozer, was not ready yet.  It had an air conditioning problem that was supposed to be fixed yesterday. They hadn't even started on it yet.  So I waited.  Helped another driver load a water tanker on his truck while I waited.  Also saw them take my machine into the shop.  

Yesterday I forgot to tell you that I passed one of those self driving trucks.  It had a human sitting in the driver's seat but he wasn't doing anything.  It was going slower that the traffic flow and while I was behind it the brake lights kept coming on.  When I went to pass him there was nothing in front of it to cause it to keep braking.  I must say, I'm not a fan.  There is no way that a self driving truck could do the oversized loads we do.  Impossible.

After a couple hours I was told it wouldn't be ready anytime soon.  They have to order parts.  I was given a different load that wasn't too far away.  I drove over to New Braunfels, TX and loaded a John Deere 544 Wheel loader with a bucket and forks that is going to South Plainfield, New Jersey.

Left there and started heading north.  Just north of Austin there was a lot of construction.  I-35 there was 3 lanes wide.  There was a semi truck on my right.  I could not see the signs that said his lane was ending. This was a close one.  

I stopped for my 10 hours at the Petro Truck Stop in Carl's Corner, Texas.  This is the place Willie Nelson was part owner until Petro bought it.

Monday, February 14, 2022

 Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning.  Real good day on the road, for the most part.  Not too many traffic slow-downs going through Dallas.  My permit route going around Houston was a pain in the butt!!   Lots of construction and stop lights!!  Of course, I got only 3 green lights the whole way.  Being over-height I understand why I was routed that way.  There are a LOT of low bridges in Houston.  Still, it was a pain!!!  I finally made it down to Galveston.  There were a couple cruise ships in port today.  I delivered the tractor.  Being low on hours, I parked in the parking area across from the entrance to the Port for the night.  I load tomorrow morning in San Antonio.  I'll be there when they open.

Sunday, February 13, 2022

 Left 40 minutes before sunrise this morning. Great day on the road.  Saw a lot of brush fires in Oklahoma.  After driving 556 miles I stopped at a casino truck stop in Stringtown, Oklahoma for the night. So far the repairs that I made yesterday are holding fine.

Saturday, February 12, 2022

 I left a half-hour before sunrise this morning.  It was -15 F this morning.  The weather had cleared up nicely and the sun came out.  The road started off slippery with some icy patches to watch out for, but it didn't take long for that to go away and they were dry the rest of the day.  I did real good today until just north of Council Bluffs, Iowa.  My "Low Coolant" light came on.  

I stopped at the next truck stop to check it out.  Once again, my APU was leaking coolant.  I found the problem, fixed it, and added over a gallon of coolant to the system.  I continued on.  After about 10 miles I stopped at a rest area and checked everything.  It was all good. I continued on to the Sapp Brothers Truck Stop in Percival, Iowa for the night.  Checked everything again and it was all good.  

 

Friday, February 11, 2022

 Well, we got our blizzard.  It started around 1:30 this morning.  Felt the truck rockin'.  Didn't get a whole lot more snow, it added to what we got yesterday then the wind kicked it all up and created whiteout conditions.  This is my view this morning.

Sustained winds at 30 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH.  Temperatures in the single digits with wind chill in the minus teens.

I picked a good day to do a reset!!

An hour before the blizzard warning expires and it is still hard to see across the parking lot.

Thursday, February 10, 2022

 Left as soon as my ten hours were up this morning.  About 40 miles from Bismark it started to snow.  Then sleet, then rain.  Arrived at the Caterpillar dealer in  Bismark, North Dakota as they opened.  Delivered the motor grader.  Next load was in Fargo, ND.  I went there.  The weather was not very good on the trip over.  I-94 was very slippery in many places. Past several crashes on the way.  A semi had jackknifed, a straight truck was off in the median, and a pick-up truck on its side were just a few of them.

By the time I got to Fargo, it was snowing real hard and accumulating, as well as it being very windy.  It was not possible to load in those conditions.  I went to the Petro truck stop and settled in.  While I was eating lunch, the snow stopped.  Great!!  I went over to the Case plant and loaded a tractor that is going to the Port of Galveston.  It will end up in Brazil.

 

Being low on hours, I went back to the Petro truck stop.  I'll do a reset here then get started Saturday morning.

Just heard on the local news that we are under a blizzard warning for tonight. Cool!!

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

 Left a half-hour before sunrise this morning.  Another day of mostly back roads again.  not as many small towns to go through today.  Heavy crosswind most of the day too.  But that is normal for up here.  Stopped for the night at a small truck stop in Wolsey, South Dakota.  Got another 523 miles today.

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

 Left early this morning.  Made it through the Dallas / Ft. Worth area with a few small places of bumper-to-bumper traffic.  Not too bad for rush hour.  After that, it was back roads for the rest of the day.  Speeds from 20 MPH to 75 MPH and every small town ( and there were a LOT of them) had at least one stoplight which, of course, I got red.  Even so, I still got 513 miles in today. Stopped for the night at the Pilot truck stop in Newton, Kansas.

Monday, February 7, 2022

 Left a little before sunrise this morning and went to the John Deere dealer in Houston to unload.  It was pretty busy in there so I had to wait a bit to get a place to unload.  I finally did after not too long of a wait. My next load was not too far away.  Drove over to the Port of Houston and loaded a Caterpillar 150 AWD Motor Grader that is going to Bismark, North Dakota. 

Left there and drove to the Love's truck stop in Alma, Texas for the night.

Sunday, February 6, 2022

 Nothing exciting today.  Just a nice uneventful day on the road.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Baytown, Texas.  Will deliver in the morning.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

 Left this morning and wasn't on the road a half hour before I was in bumper-to-bumper traffic.  A 2 1/2 mile back-up from a wreck and construction.  Three lanes down to one. Took about a half-hour to get through that.  From there on it was pretty much smooth sailing the rest of the day.  I stopped a little early tonight because there was another traffic back-up about 20 miles ahead.  I'll wait until tomorrow to go through there.  Should be all better by then.  Stopped at the Flying J truck stop in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Friday, February 4, 2022

 This morning I loaded, in the rain, a John Deere 210 Excavator that is going to Houston, Texas.

Left there and drove to the TA truck stop in Commerce, Georgia for the night.  There is a Longhorn Steakhouse across the street from here.  I ate so much that I hurt!!  Feels good though.  I'll get started again tomorrow morning a half-hour after sunrise.

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Rained all day.  The crane was supposed to be here at 7 AM.  They didn't show up until after 9.  

It took a while for them to set up.  While they were setting up a problem was noticed.

They ordered a dump truck of stone to be delivered to fill the new mud hole that developed when the crane went in.

Then the building came in.

He did a great job.  Then backed in over the hump and it made it without getting stuck.

They unwrapped it and lifted it off.

This is how far his trailer was stretched.

Then the bathrooms came in.

After they were lifted off it was my turn.

I was finally empty and leaving there after 2 PM.  I load tomorrow in Kernersville, North Carolina.  I drove down there.  Spent the night at the John Deere / Hitachi plant in Kernersville. There are 2 trucks ahead of me in the morning.

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

 I left the yard in Jacksonville at 12:30 this morning.  Drove straight through to Zion Crossroads, Virginia. 646 miles. I have the air conditioning units for a new Checkers restaurant.  The three sections of buildings are also coming.  Two of the three are already here.  We are at a truck stop on the opposite side of I-64 from the job site.  The crane is not due here until tomorrow.   Here is an overview of where we are going.

Here is where we are parked in relation to the job site...

What is going to be interesting is the main building (on another truck) is 16 feet wide and is stretched to 90 feet long.  PLUS there is a slight hump in the road leading up to the job site.  Just enough to bottom out the trailer.  Tomorrow will be interesting.

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

 My next load arrived here at the Daily yard this afternoon on another truck. I used a telehandler to unload the other truck and load my truck with two air conditioner units and a small pallet of parts.  They are going to Zion Crossroads, Virginia.

I will leave here around midnight.

Friday, January 28, 2022

 Left this morning to arrive in Jacksonville when they opened.  Delivered the wheel loader.  Then went to the Daily yard in Jacksonville.  Will be here for a few days.  Have a couple doctor's appointments next week.  Should be back at it again on Wednesday.

Thursday, January 27, 2022

 I left the Daily yard this morning at about 2:30.  Great day on the road.  No traffic issues anywhere.  Drove 656 miles to the Love's truck stop in Yemassee, South Carolina for the night.  I'll deliver first thing tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

 Left Maybrook, NY early this morning and drove the rest of the way to Wallingford, Connecticut, and delivered one of the excavators and the two extra buckets.  Then drove to Plainfield, CT, and delivered the other excavator.  From there I drove back to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to the Daily yard and loaded a Volvo L90H Wheel Loader that is going to Jacksonville, Florida.

I stayed in the Daily yard for the night.  I'm exhausted!!!   Heavy traffic all day.  510 miles of it!!!  Good night.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

 I was on the road at 1:30 AM.  Light snow almost all day.  In the first 120 miles of Pennsylvania on I-80 I passed 14 semi truck crashes.  About 1/3 of them were not upright.  Most of them had been there a while.  Others just happened. Didn't see any car crashes, only semi trucks.  I stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Maybrook, New York.

Monday, January 24, 2022

 Got some more snow yesterday.  Left this morning and it was snowing.  Went to AIS in Grand Rapids, MI, and loaded a John Deere 75G Excavator that is going to Wallingford, Connecticut.

Then went to Michigan Cat and loaded a John Deere 85G Excavator and three buckets that are going to Plainfield, Connecticut.  

Left there, still snowing hard at times.  Passed a lot of cars spun out in the median and off the side of the road.  Passed a few semi-trucks jackknifed off the road and one on its side. Continued on to the Middle Ridge Service Plaza on I-80 in Amhurst, Ohio for my 10 hours.

Saturday, January 22, 2022

 Drove the rest of the way to Grand Rapids, Michigan this morning.  Started snowing hard about 20 miles east of Grand Rapids.

Parked for the rest of the weekend at a truck stop in Byron Center, MI.  Still snowing.  They have a good restaurant.  I load a few miles from here Monday morning.

Friday, January 21, 2022

 Fortunately, the snow stopped and there was no accumulation.  I left at about 2 AM and drove to the Kentucky / Ohio state line on I-275.  Had to get ahead of the Cincinnati curfew that started at 7 AM but couldn't go into Ohio until a half-hour before sunrise.  That was at about 7:25 AM.  Then I was back driving again.  Drove to Perrysburg, Ohio, and delivered the wheel loader.  My next load is Monday (because I didn't have enough hours left to get there today) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I started off that way and stopped for the night at the Love's truck stop in Milan, Michigan.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

 Left a half hour after sunrise this morning.  Traffic was heavy today.  No problems going around Atlanta. But had an 11 mile back up of bumper to bumper traffic from a wreck in Cartersville, GA.  Stopped for my 10 hours at the Perto truck stop in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Hope to start again at about 1 AM, however it started snowing while I was eating dinner.  So, I may not be going anywhere.  We'll see.

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

 Late this morning I got my next load and left to go get it.  Drove up to the Port of Savannah, Georgia, and loaded a Caterpillar 950GC Wheel Loader that is going to Perrysburg, Ohio.

Left there but didn't get very far.  Stopped for the night at Grady's Truck Stop in Pulaski, Georgia.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

 Got up early and drove to Richie Brothers in Davenport and delivered the motor grader.  Didn't have another load so I went to the Daily yard in Jacksonville.  They have a few crappy loads but nothing worth taking.  Hopefully, something better will pop up tomorrow. In the meantime, I did 3 loads of laundry, then went to Wal-Mart and restocked.  Very productive day.  Now I'm going to watch the rocket launch from the Kenedy Space Center in Titusville tonight.  Should be able to see it real good from here.  The sky is very clear tonight.

Rocket Launch: January 18, 2022 7:04 PM EST | SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 4-6

Jan 18, 2022 07:04 PMLC-39ASpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 4-6

MISSION

SpaceX's Starlink is the constellation of networked satellites aimed to provide internet services to those who are not yet connected, and to provide reliable and affordable internet across the globe.

Monday, January 17, 2022

 Was over at the Caterpillar dealer in Austell before they opened.  As soon as the opened I delivered the "C" frame.  Didn't have another load yet so I found a place to park and waited for 8 am when the office folks came into work.  Finally got my next load and went over to McDonnough, Georgia to load a used  Caterpillar 12M Moror Grader that is going to Rickie Brothers Auction in Davenport, Florida.

Left there and drove to the TA truck stop in Lake City, Florida for the night.

Sunday, January 16, 2022

 Left as soon as my 10 hours were up.  That was about 1 am.  As soon as I pulled out on the Interstate one of my headlights burned out.  Stopped at the next truck stop and replaced it.  Always something!!  As I got n the bridge going into Kentucky it started to snow.  Was in snow, sleet, snow/rain mix and rain all the way to Atlanta.  It was all rain south of Nashville.  Stopped at the Petro truck stop in Atlanta, still raining.  The place was full at 8am!!  I was lucky to get a spot.  I'll deliver a few miles from here tomorrow morning.

Saturday, January 15, 2022

 As soon as my 10 hours were up I left.  It was still very windy and now it was snowing.  The snow was the fine powdery kind of snow that the skiers love.  It was blowing horizontally.  The roads were fine to start off but rapidly deteriorated.  

After I drove through Kansas City I decided to stop and let the system pass.  Stopped at the Petro truck stop in Oak Grove, Missouri.  I'll check the weather later after I wake up and see if it is better.

I slept for a couple hours and decided to get back on the road.  The weather had not gotten any better.  By the time I got to Topeka it had improved some.  Missouri did a much better job than Kansas in keeping the roads clear.  It continued to get better the further I went.  By the time I got to Illinois the snow was gone, just a light mist that went away too.  There was no snow on the ground.  I stopped at the TA in Mt. Vernon, Illinois after driving 600.3 miles today. Going to watch the replay of the Alabama / Georgia national championship game on ESPN and get some very much needed sleep.  Phone is off. Good night.

Friday, January 14, 2022

 Left real early this morning and arrived in Aurora, Colorado a little before they opened. delivered the compactor then loaded a "C" frame for a D8 Dozer.  It is going to Austell, Georgia.

Left there in real good time.  Heading east on I-70 the crosswind was horrendous!!  At least 40 to 50 MPH crosswind.  I was very happy that my load had a low center of gravity.  The other semis were having a hard time holding their lane.  I had no problem, although the wind did bounce me around a lot.  Expand the video below to full screen to see how the wind affected a pick-up truck pulling a trailer. Also, you have to look real close to see it, look at the debris blowing across the road and how fast it is blowing.

I stopped for the night at the Love's truck stop in Ellis, Kansas.  The wind is bouncing the truck A LOT!!!  Supposed to get snow later on tonight. We'll see.

Thursday, January 13, 2022

 I had a reset coming up very soon so I decided to get it over with now.  I'll be leaving here to deliver tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

 Yesterday late afternoon my truck was fixed!!  They sent a car over to the hotel and picked me up.  After getting my truck I went back to the hotel and checked out. Then back over to Thermo King and picked up my trailer.  Once that was done I hit the road.  Drove all night, 638 miles, and stopped when I ran out of hours at the Flying J truck stop in Big Spring, Nebraska.