Friday, June 21, 2019

I got a nice rest today.  My South Carolina permit didn't come in until a little after 4:30 this afternoon. Obviously, too late to go anywhere today.  I'll start a half hour after sunrise tomorrow morning.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Left at 2:30 this morning and drove to a landfill in Mauk, Georgia.  Got there at about 7:30.  Loaded a Volvo A40 Articulating Dump Truck that is going to Blairsville, Pennsylvania.  

Left there and headed toward Pennsylvania.  Unbelievably I had no traffic issues going around Atlanta.  Had to stop a little early today.  My South Carolina permit, which was ordered two days ago, still had not come in.  I'll be at the Petro truck stop in Carnesville, Georgia until it gets here.

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Left a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Drove to Ocala.  Heavy, heavy rain along the way.  Fortunately it wasn't raining when I unloaded.  Next load is up in Georgia.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Orange Lake, Florida.  Well get a very early start in the morning.

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Left a half hour before sunrise this morning. Had absolutely no traffic issues going through Lake Charles or Baton Rouge.  Thats amazing for Baton Rouge!!!  Traffic is most always a mess in Baton Rouge.  Unfortunately I had to stop early.  My Florida permit was wrong.  I told them about it in an email that I sent last night and they received this morning when they came to work.  The correct permit still is not here.  So I stopped at a truck stop in Robertsdale, Alabama and will wait here until it gets here.

Monday, June 17, 2019

We left at sunrise this morning.  Arrived at the place in Portland, TX in good time.  They are building a huge new natural gas processing plant there.  It is just getting started.  Still assembling all the equipment and supplies to begin construction.  Like all the major construction sites they are stupid with "safety" rules.  Had to be escorted in and then back out again.  I waited for over an hour for them to come get me.  Finally got back in there and unloaded the machine.  Then waited for another hour to be escorted back out.  Left there and drove back up to Victoria, TX and loaded a Caterpillar 336 excavator that is going to Ocala, Florida.

Left there and drive to the Petro truck stop in Beaumont, Texas for the night.

Sunday, June 16, 2019

We left a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Great time to go through Houston!!  Hardly any traffic at all early on a Sunday morning!!  Stopped at a truck stop in Refugio, Texas.  Was done at noon today.  Deliver tomorrow morning.

Saturday, June 15, 2019

We all left at sunrise this morning. More back roads through the rest of Arkansas.  At the Texas line my lead escort car dropped off as I only needed a rear car in Texas.  A little Interstate in Texas, but mostly back roads.  Stopped for the night at a truck stop in Normangee, Texas.  Will get a lot closer to Portland, TX tomorrow for a Monday delivery.

Friday, June 14, 2019

Left after the St Louis curfew was over at 9 with my pilot escort car following behind.  The Mississippi River is the highest I have ever seen it.  Lots of flooding in Missouri.

 In Missouri my lead car joined us as we continued on through the back roads.  

Took forever to get through Missouri!!  At the Missouri / Arkansas line my lead car dropped off and I got another one.  We continued on through more back roads to the Petro truck stop in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  More back roads tomorrow through the rest of Arkansas.

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Went over to the Caterpillar Proving Grounds in Washington, Illinois first thing this morning.  Loaded a Caterpillar D6 Dozer that is going to an oil refinery in Portland, Texas.

I am going to have an escort from St. Louis, Missouri until I deliver.  In Missouri and Arkansas I have to have two.  For some reason (I think the flooding might have something to do with it) I am going to be on two lane back roads through most of Missouri and Arkansas.  It doesn't look it, but I am 14 feet wide, thats why I have the escorts.  Anyway, I left there in pretty good time.  Just before I got back to the Interstate in Peoria, this happened...

Miscalculated when to have the escorts and scheduled them for tomorrow morning.  I could have made it through St. Louis today.  Oh well.  Will just have to get a late start tomorrow morning because of the St. Louis curfew that ends at 9 am.

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Left very early this morning in the rain.  Got to the Caterpillar dealer in Eau Claire right when they opened.  Delivered the excavator.  My next load is down at the Caterpillar Proving Grounds in Washington, Illinois.  Drove down to the Daily Yard in Morton, Illinois for the night.

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Left a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Only had about 3 and a half hours available today.  Stopped at the Petro truck stop in Portage, Wisconsin.  I'll get almost 11 hours tomorrow.

Monday, June 10, 2019

Left a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Very short day.  Only had a littke over 5 hours available today.  So I stopped at the Petro truck stop in Rochelle, Illinois.  Had only 8 minutes left when I stopped.  Had my 90 day inspection done in the repair shop and did four loads of laundry. I'll get almost four hours tomorrow.  I'll at least be able to get into Wisconsin.

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Nothing exciting today.  Left a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Another good day on the road.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Mount Vernon, Illinois.

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Left this morning and timed it right to get there when they opened this morning.  Loaded a Caterpillar 336 Excavator that is going to Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Left there in pretty good time.  Nice day driving the back roads of Texas.  Stopped for the night at a convenience store with a few truck parking places in Atlanta, Texas.

Friday, June 7, 2019

Left a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Drove to a place in Hidalgo, Texas along the Mexican border that transfers freight across to Mexico.  No one there spoke English except for one guy from the office.  I unloaded the machine and they wanted me to load it on their trailer, which I did.  They didn't know how to run the machine and all the labels on the two dozen switches had warn off a long time ago so I was happy to do it for them.  I was across the street from the border fence.  Here is the border crossing a few blocks away. The other side had trucks lined up as far as I could see waiting to enter the USA.

My next load is back up in Victoria.  I started that direction.  Stopped along the way for food, fuel, and a shower.  Then continued on up to a truck stop in Refugio, TX for the night.

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Left at sunrise this morning in a thunderstorm.  Rained steadily to Baton Rouge. Between Baton Rouge and the Basin Bridge the heavens really opened up.  Could hardly see.  It started to clear once I got to the bridge.  Eventually it became sunny and hot.  Other than that, it was a pretty good day on the road.  Some bumper to bumper traffis in Baton Rouge.  Made it through Houston without any B2B.  That is very unusual!!!  Stopped for the night at the Love's truck stop in Sinton, Texas.  I'll deliver tomorrow right at a place at the Mexican border.

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Went back over and picked up my trailer and was on the road a half hour after sunrise this morning.  Had some bumper to bumper traffic in Atlanta, GA and in Montgomery, AL. Stopped along the way and scaled...

Told ya it was heavier than it looked!  Drove in the rain most of the day.  I was supposed to have a rear escort car in Alabama, but I made it through without one.  Fortunately, I didn't get caught!!  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Hammond, Louisiana.

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Left Kentucky at 3:30 this morning.  Timed it great again.  Got to Georgia a half hour after sunrise.  Quite a bit of bumper to bumper traffic going around Atlanta.  Made it to Covington and delivered the Screener.  Next load is over in McDonough, GA.  Drove over there and loaded a Roadtec Shuttle Buggy that is going down to Hidalgo, Texas.  This thing is a lot heavier than it looks.

I really didn't have enough hours left to go anywhere, and I found a slight problem with one of my tires, so I left my trailer there and drove over to the TA truck stop in Jackson, GA.

While waiting for the shop to be ready to fix my tires I went and showered and ate.  Just as I finished eating they called and said that they were ready.  I got 4 new tires.  Then parked for the night.  I'm totally exhausted!!   My whole body aches, can hardly move.  Phone is off and I'm going to sleep.  Good night!

Monday, June 3, 2019

My Kentucky permit didn't come in until 11 am.  Because of that, I didn't get anywhere near as far as I had wanted to.  I left and drove to the Flying J truck stop in Franklin, Kentucky.  Because of the lack of adequate truck parking, I have to stop early in the afternoon.  The machine on the trailer has a 3 foot overhang to the rear so I have to have a parking place where no one can park behind me so that someone does not back into the machine. 

 

By stopping a little earlier I usually don't have a problem finding an acceptable parking place.  I'll leave here at about 3:30 in the morning.  Have to time it so that I get to Georgia a half hour after sunrise.

Sunday, June 2, 2019