Friday, January 29, 2016

VERY early I left and drove up to Milwaukee, WI.  My plan worked again.  Hardly any traffic through Chicago and Milwaukee at 3 am.  When I got there I took a nap until they came to work.  I was empty in a matter of minutes and on my way toward my next load.  It is Monday morning in Morton, Illinois.  I drove down to the TA truck stop in Bloomington, IL.  Sunday I'll go over to the Daily yard in Morton.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

My plan worked.  I got up at 3 am and was on the road by 3:30.  Made it around Atlanta, Georgia without any problems.  Had a little bit of bumper to bumper traffic in Nashville, Tennessee.  Continued the rest of the day with no problems.  Stopped for the night because I ran out of hours, at the Pilot truck stop in Gilman, Illinois.  Drove 726 miles (1168 km) today.  Will get up real early again and try to beat the Chicago rush hour tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Yesterday morning I took the truck over to Caterpillar for repair.  Number two fuel injector was not working so it was replaced.  At the same time my trailer was getting a few things fixed too.  Got two new tires, had a rusted and leaking air tank replaced, and two new shocks.

He finished my trailer yesterday.  My truck was ready this morning.  Picked it up, got my trailer and headed out for my return trip to Milwaukee to return the rack.

Didn't want to deal with Atlanta rush hour traffic so I stopped at the TA truck stop in Jackson, Georgia for the night. Will leave very early in the morning to hopefully try to beat the traffic.

Monday, January 25, 2016

This morning went the couple miles down the road to the Port of Brunswick and delivered the swing gear.  Now I have to take the rack back to Milwaukee.

But before I go to Milwaukee I went down to Jacksonville and had some work done on the trailer.  Also getting some engine work done to the truck.  So I'll be home for a couple days.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

This morning made it the rest of the way into Brunswick. Will be at the TA truck stop in Brunswick until Monday morning.

Friday, January 22, 2016

This morning one of my escort cars was late.  He forgot that we changed to Eastern time zone.  Once he got there we left.  When we crossed into Georgia the red escort car dropped off because we didn't need her in Georgia.  Made it around Atlanta with surprisingly little difficulty, even with the rain.  Ran out of daylight so we had to stop for the night at a small truck stop in Waycross, Georgia.  We are less than an hour from Brunswick.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Got started just before sunrise this morning. Stopped at the Illinois / Kentucky state line at a Pilot truck stop.  Kentucky and Tennessee require two escort cars.  So we waited there for a few minutes for her to get with us.

We got back at it again.  Had no trouble getting through Nashville.  Had to stop for the night at the Love's truck stop in Jasper, Tennessee because we couldn't go into Chattanooga because of the curfew.  We may just get lucky on the weather.  National Weather Service says that we will have a lot of rain tonight and tomorrow.  They Aren't predicting snow here until Friday night.  Hope they are more accurate than they were last time!!  Can't start in the morning until 9 am because of the Chattanooga curfew.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Went into Milwaukee this morning to load. Let me tell you, it was not easy to get into this place!!  It was the first time any of us had loaded this thing so there was a lot of guessing as to how it would go on the truck. What it is, is a huge 50,000 pound ring gear for a Caterpillar 7495 Rope Shovel.  It is the thing that the machine sits on and enables it to rotate.  Just to give you an idea of the size of it, here is a photo of the machine.

First had to put the rack on the trailer and secure it.  Then "fly" the ring over to it.

Here it is all loaded up and secured for transport.  It took four attempts to get it right.

Left there and had one heck of a time getting on the road.  The first intersection was an elbow turn to the right.  There were stop light poles on the corners and a median.  The piled up snow was solid ice.  Had to go up on the median and into the ice pile to make the turn.  When the bumper hit the ice it bent the bumper into my tire.  Once I made it around the turn I pulled over to the side of the road, attached a chain to a tree and to my bumper, and backed up to pull the bumper off the tire.  Wisconsin had me routed through the city streets for a long time before getting back to the Interstate highway.  It took what seemed like forever!!  Wisconsin does not require an escort for this load (I'm 14 feet wide) but the rest of the states I will be going through do.  This thing is going to the Port of Brunswick, Georgia.  I met up with my escort before I got to Illinois.

Continued on uneventfully, thank goodness, and stopped for the night at a truck stop in Auburn, Illinois.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

My plan worked.  I left Racine, WI very early this morning and drove down to Harvey, Illinois.  No problems with traffic at all  Had a little trouble unloading.  The brakes on the machine were frozen so it wouldn't move.   It took a little while but they finally released and the thing come off the trailer.  Didn't have another load yet so I went to the Petro truck stop in Monee, Illinois to wait.

A few hours later I got another load.  It is tomorrow morning back up in Milwaukee, WI.  So, I drove back to the Petro truck stop in Racine, Wisconsin for the night.  We are having a heat wave!!  It got in the teens today!!  Supposed to get a little snow tonight and tomorrow morning. 

Monday, January 18-2016

First thing this morning I was at the Caterpillar dealer in Milwaukee to load. As soon as I go there the black cloud caught up with me again.

They could not find my machine.  Had the paperwork, just had no idea where the machine was.  I sat there for three hours.  They finally located it.  I had to go to Dousman, Wisconsin and get it there.  It was about 45 minutes from Milwaukee.  So I drove over there.  Found the machine.  BUT it wouldn't start.  Sat there for another hour and a half while they got the thing started.  Finally got the Caterpillar 140G motor grader up on the trailer and secured.  By the way, the temperature was between 0 and 3 degrees.  

Left there and decided that I didn't want to go through Chicago at rush hour so I stopped for the night right where I started from at the Petro in Racine, WI.  Will get a very early start in the morning to beat rush hour.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Very early this morning I drove up to the Petro truck stop in Racine, Wisconsin.  Will be here until Monday morning.  Another cold front will be coming through. Now it is 22 BUT temperatures will drop a lot and get windy.  They say Sunday the high will be 0 and the wind chill will be -25.  Monday the high will be 6 with a wind chill -30.

Friday, January 15, 2016

Well, I finally got a load.  It isn't much of one.  It is Monday up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I'll go up there tomorrow.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Nothing!  So I continue to sit and wait.

Wednesday, January 13. 2016

This morning had a big pool of antifreeze on the ground under my truck.  That is never a good thing.  Took it to the shop here at the Petro.  They found the leak, or should I say leaks.  My air compressor was leaking coolant and also had it leaking from my lower radiator hose.  They fixed everything and I was out the door 9 hours later.  Still don't have another load yet, so here I sit.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Went over to Portage, Indiana this morning for my next load.  Was to drop my trailer there and transport a screener to Middletown, Ohio, leave it there and then bobtail back to get my trailer.

Everything was good until I hooked up to it.  That's when we realized that it would not work with my truck.  It was too low and would tear up my fenders.  

So I had to leave it.  Someone else will have to do it.  Hooked back to my trailer and went back to the Petro in Gary, IN.  Will be here until I get another load.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Went about 6 miles from here and delivered the wheel loader first thing this morning.  Then went back to the Petro truck stop.  My next load is tomorrow morning in Portage, IN.  That is not too far from here.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Once again the weather weasels got it wrong.  We got rain, changed to snow, then back to rain.  The most we got was a dusting of snow.  A far cry from 5 to 7 inches they forecasted.  These are the same people that are preaching man caused climate change!!  Yet we are supposed to believe them when they tell us all that gloom and doom about how we are going to all burn up and the coastal cities will be under water from global warming 10, 20, 50, whatever years from now.  Why does anyone take them seriously when they can't even get the weather right for that very same day!!!!!??????????????!!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately, there are way too many idiots that believe that nonsense! The only thing they got right was that it got very cold.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Left real early this morning and drove to the Petro truck stop in Gary, Indiana.  Wanted to get here before the weather started to get worse.  National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Lake County (Gary), Indiana from 3 pm CST to noon tomorrow.  Expecting 5 to 7 inches of heavy wet snow and blowing winds.  Once the cold front passes the temperatures will plummet.  Of course I'll have pictures for you if there is anything interesting.  The live cam should be up and running for you too.

Friday, January 8, 2016

The guy finally showed up last night at 8 pm. he was done in 45 minutes.

This morning I went over to the Kawasaki plant in Newnan, Georgia and loaded a Kawasaki 67Z7 Wheel Loader that is going to Gary, Indiana.  

Left there in pretty good time and drove up to the TA truck stop in Seymour, Indiana.  Easy day tomorrow.  

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Left this morning and timed it just right.  Got to Norcross, GA right at 9:30.  But that is when things went bad.  Made a right turn to go to where I was to unload and saw this sign.

Well, by now it was too late.  Couldn't back out of there onto a major roadway - way too much traffic.  Just past the sign was a truck loading area to a business.  I pulled in there and turned around.  As I was pulling out the trailer bottomed out and I was stuck.  Couldn't go backwards or forwards. I was also blocking the road.  I disconnected the trailer from the truck so at least the road was open.  Called a wrecker, and waited for him to arrive.

Once he got there he lifted the trailer up, pulled it forward, and I reattached to it and pulled out.

Then went in to deliver.  The road was narrow and I had to make 2 left turns.  Each one took a lot of maneuvering to make it.  Finally did.  Just as I came to a stop to unload one of the suspension air bags on the trailer exploded. Set off all the car alarms in the parking lot.  It was LOUD!!

Finally got the machine off the trailer and I got out of there.  Next load is tomorrow morning in Newnan, Georgia.  I went down there to the Pilot truck stop and got there at 2:15.  Road service was called by the Daily shop and we were told about an hour and a half to get to me.  At 5 pm he still had not arrived.  Daily shop called another company.  As of now, 6:30 pm, no one has shown up yet.  The rest of the story will be on tomorrow's post.  The saga continues......