Saturday, January 14, 2012

Drove to the Petro truck stop in Atlanta this morning.  Will be here until 9 am Tuesday morning.  Deliver in Athens Tuesday.  I hate holiday weekends!!  At least there is football today and tomorrow.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Left Bald Knob as soon as the sun came up.  Stopped at a Wal-Mart and bought a new printer, so I'm back in business again.  Other than that nothing else exciting today.  Drove to Lincoln, Alabama on I-20 to a truck stop for the night. 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

It sure did get colder and windy last night.  Got more than a dusting and less than an inch of snow last night too.

It is still real windy.  Went over and picked up my next load. It is a vaporizer.  Have no idea what it is for. 

It is going to Athens, Georgia for a Tuesday delivery.  Drove to a truck stop in Bald Knob, Arkansas - yes, that really is the name of the town.  AND my printer finally quit working tonight!!  It lasted 3 years bouncing around in this truck.  Not bad but really lousy timing.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Went over to Thermo King and had my APU serviced this morning.  It was WAY overdue.  The fuel filter was starting to clog up making it run bad.  Works great now!!  Then back to the truck stop for the rest of the day.  All my permits are here already so I'll be good to go in the morning.  Loading appointment is at 9 am local time.  The weather here today is great!  Sunny and clear.  Supposed to get real cold and windy later on.  They are forecasting a light dusting of snow tonight as the cold front moves through.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Good news and bad. 
Good news:  Finally got a load. 
Bad news:  Doesn't load until Thursday!!
Loads in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 
Drove up to Tulsa today to spend some time at a truck stop in Tulsa.  Livin' on Tulsa time!!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Went in to Irving and delivered the engines first thing this morning. After that drove to the TA truck stop in Rockwall, Texas and replaced my right front tire. Still no loads available so I went to the TA truck stop in Terrell, TX and stayed there for the night. Didn't like the other TA.  No food there.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Very easy day today.  Drove to the TA truck stop in Dallas, Texas this morning.  Was there, refueled, and parked before 10 am (9 am local time).  Will be here until Monday morning.  Deliver in Irving, TX first thing.  Don't have a load out of here yet so I may be right back here after I deliver Monday.  Until then its a football weekend!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Left the TA in Jackson this morning and drove a few miles over to Griffin, GA to pick up four Caterpillar engines and four boxes of parts. 

They are going to Irving, Texas.  Got on the road and drove to the Petro truck stop in Shreveport, LA for the night.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Delivered the first tractor in Manning, SC as soon as they opened this morning.  Then up to Boiling Springs, NC and delivered the other one.  Loads are still not plentiful yet.  Next one is in Griffin, GA.  Drove to the TA truck stop in Jackson, GA for the night.  Made it through Atlanta with hardly any bumper to bumper traffic again!!  Amazing!!  And on a weekday too!!!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Having time off and spending it with the people that mean the most is a great thing!!  But now it is back to reality!!  Swapped out trailers today.  Picked up a 48 foot expandable flat bed trailer.  Expanded it to 53 feet long - notice the gap in the middle of the trailer.  Needed it for my next load.  Went down to Alachua, FL and loaded a well drilling machine mast. It is going to Blount Island, FL.

After loading I took off and drove up to Blount Island, FL and delivered the mast.  Then went back to the yard and dropped off the flat bed trailer and picked up the step deck trailer that I have been using.  Left there and drove up to Brunswick, GA to the port and loaded two John Deere tractors.  Yes, I got to drive those too. 

 I loaded them on the trailer, chained them down and left. Drove up to Manning, SC to the TA truck stop for the night. I drop off one tractor about 3 miles from here in the morning. The other one goes up to Boiling Springs, NC.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Had a fantastic Christmas with family and friends. 

While I have been off had some work done to the truck.  New rear brake pads and a new brake drum. Also had RGN ramps put on.  RGN ramps are for the rollers on a RGN (removable goose neck) trailer to attach the trailer to the truck by rolling up the ramps to the fifth wheel. Still don't have a load yet but don't want one until January.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Easy day!!  Went into Blount Island and delivered this morning and then back to the yard.  A whopping 18 mile round trip!!  Now I'm off until next year.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

I looked at my Florida permit again and saw that Florida allows driving on Saturday AND Sunday until noon.  I was happy and got on the road.  Drove to our yard in Jacksonville and parked.  I'm home now!!  I'll go deliver at the port at Blount Island tomorrow morning.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Left Manchester, TN as soon as the sun came up.   Made it all the way through Atlanta with no bumper to bumper traffic!  Got as far as Lake Park, GA on I-75 (exit 2).  Can't drive in Florida past noon on Saturday so I had to stop. I'll be at the TA truck stop until Monday morning sun up.

Friday, December 16,2011

Left Bloomington, Illinois as soon as the sun came up,  Very uneventful day on the road.  Was not able to get through Chattanooga, TN before curfew so I had to stop early tonight at a truck stop in Manchester, TN. Had a great diner at Charlie's Steak House two doors down from the truck stop.  I'm stuffed!!  Finally a good meal out here!!!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

This morning drove into West Allis, WI and delivered the counterweight.  Then drove over to Mequon, WI and picked up my next load.  It is a rock crusher screen and two boxes of parts.  It is going to the port in Jacksonville, FL.  From there it is being shipped to Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Once that was loaded and tied down I got on the road.  Didn't get too far before I ran out of daylight.  Stopped at the TA truck stop in Bloomington, Illinois.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Left Bloomsburg, PA early this morning.  Once I got to Ohio it started to rain.  It rained the rest of the day and is still raining. Very uneventful day on the wet roads.  Hit some bumper to bumper traffic in Chicago (what else is new??!!??).  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Racine, Wisconsin.  Deliver not too far from here in the morning.  Here are the photos of my load:

Hard to believe that white thing weighs 20,000 pounds!!  It is a counterweight for a machine like this:

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Went into the Port of Newark (NJ) to deliver this morning.  Because I had to wait until sunrise I got stuck in a lot of bumper to bumper traffic on the way in.  Finally made it. Then I waited!!  Didn't get unloaded until about 1:30. Fortunately my next load was only a few blocks away.  Went over there and got loaded with a box of crane parts and a 20,000 pound counterweight.  Photos will be tomorrow.  This load is going to West Allis, Wisconsin.  That is just north of Milwaukee.  By the time I got out of the port I hit afternoon rush hour traffic and got stuck in more bumper to bumper traffic.  Needless to say, I didn't get very far today.  Stopped at the TA truck stop in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania for the night.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Got on the road at sun up this morning and drove through Pennsylvania to the TA truck stop in Columbia, New Jersey, that's I-80, exit 4.  Stopped there for the rest of the day because I would not be able to get into the Port of Newark, unload and re-load before they closed for the day.  I would also run out of hours.  So I'll go in tomorrow morning and, as Larry The Cable Guy says, Git 'R Done!!