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.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Sunrise at our loading site on the Mississippi River.

Before I could load this morning they had to move out the empty barge and bring in a loaded barge.  Here is the empty one.  Notice how high it sits in the water.

Here is the loaded one on it's way in.

Ready to be unloaded. It sits a bit lower in the water with 50+ 70,000 pound slabs of steel in it.

Did five more loads today.

Now I'm done with this!!  Stopped at a truck wash and washed the truck.  It was so dirty from the week in the dust bowl!!!!  After that drove over to the Daily yard in Bettendorf, Iowa for the night.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Another exhausting day.  Did six loads today.  One day of this left!!  I'll be glad when its over.  It is a lot of work.

Wednesday,

What a day!!!   I'm exhausted!!!!  Did five more loads of steel slabs.  Here is what it looks like when they unload one.  Look how far the trailer comes up before the slab lifts off the trailer.  Remember, these things are 70,000 pounds.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Drove down to Muscatine, Iowa this morning.  Took five separate loads consisting of one each slab of solid steel weighing 70,000 pounds.  They went to a steel plant in Montpelier, Iowa which is only 28 miles from where we loaded.  These slabs are being unloaded from a barge in the Mississippi River.  I'll be doing this all week.  There are three barges and over 100 loads from them.  Obviously, I'm not the only truck doing this.

This is another one of those times where I am so glad to have this truck.  Took a shower and cooked.  Its great!!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Delivered the pump skid first thing this morning.  Next load will be a lot of the same thing. It is up in Muscatine, Iowa.  It is steel slabs that are only going 14 miles.  There are about 100 loads going.  I'm getting a bunch of them.  Just a lot of the same thing over and over again.  Drove up to the Daily terminal in Bettendorf, Iowa for the night.  I can plug in here and not have to run the generator.