Friday, February 5, 2016

Nothing!!!!    So I'll be here all weekend.  The other Daily trucks are still here too.  Not good!!!

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Left at sunrise and drove down to Raleigh and delivered the dozer. I really love driving those things!!!  The power they have is amazing!!!  Can feel it.  Anyway, I didn't have another load yet so I drove over to the Petro truck stop in Kenly, NC to wait for my next one. Sure hope it is soon.  There are several other Daily trucks here waiting too.  That's a bad sign.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Went over to the rest area in West Virginia and met the Bridge Monitor (white pick up in the photo below), and the escort (parked behind the Bridge Monitor in the photo below).

We left and went across the bridge at 30 mph (48 kph) with no problems.  Once we were across they took the exit and went back for the next one.  I kept on going.  Overcast and some rain most of the day.  Other than that, no problems today.  Stopped for the night at the Petro in Mebane, North Carolina. Will deliver tomorrow morning.  Don't have another load yet.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Timed it perfectly this morning and entered Kentucky at Louisville right at 9 am. Had a short day today.  There is a bridge 17 miles in West Virginia that the State is requiring a "Bridge Monitor" and an escort car when I go over it.  I have to go over it at 30 mph (48 kph).  I'm assuming that the escort car will do a rolling road block and slow traffic behind me while I go across the bridge by myself.  I assume the Bridge Monitor is there to make sure that we actually do it.  There are 4 of us going over tomorrow morning. I'm the first.  We will be meeting everyone at the rest area at mile marker 10 in the morning. I stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Catlettsburg, KY. I'm about 20 minutes from the rest area.   Can't park at the rest area overnight in West Virginia.  They do not allow "Oversize Loads" to park in the rest areas overnight.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Went across the street first thing this morning and loaded a Caterpillar D7R Dozer that is going to Raleigh, North Carolina.  As soon as I started I knew my front brakes were not good.  So I stopped back at the TA truck stop in Bloomington, IL and got them replaced.  Thought it might be a good idea to have good brakes when I'm 111,000 pounds (50349 kg).

When that was fixed I left.  Didn't get too far today.  Stopped for the night at a truck stop in Austin, Indiana when I ran out of daylight.  Can't start too early tomorrow because I can't go through Louisville, KY until after 9 am.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

This morning I went over to the repair shop at the TA and had routine maintenance done on the truck and generator.  When that was done I drove over to the Daily yard in Morton, Illinois. It is right across the street from where I load in the morning.  

I really hate it when football season is over!!!!!

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.