Saturday, November 4, 2017

Had an unexpected very late start this morning.  Was fogged in until 10 am.  When I was finally able to go, I did.  Saw a couple weird things today.  The first one was a pick up truck with a car on a trailer.  It was parked on the side of the road and the occupants were doing something when the car rolled off the trailer and bounced a few times before it stopped moving.  Fortunately it all happened on the side of the road and it didn't hit anything.  The other weird thing I saw was just before I got to the truck stop.  There was a pick up truck with an ATV on a trailer.  While it was going down the interstate the ATV broke loose and rolled off the trailer into traffic.  Another pick up truck hit the ATV.   I went by shortly after it happened and they had moved everything off the road. I stopped for the rest of the weekend at the TA truck stop in Baytown, Texas.

I listened to this disaster on the radio.  The Gators were totally horrible!!!  Not too terribly surprising given all the problems they had off the field this week.

Florida vs Missouri

Today, 11:00 AM

Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri

Florida Gators (3-5)

 

16 - 45

Final

Missouri Tigers (4-5)

	1	2	3	4		Total
Florida	0	6	3	7		16
Missouri	7	21	7	10		45

Friday, November 3, 2017

As soon as my 10 hours was up I left and went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Got there and loaded a Grove RT650E Rough Terrain Crane that is going to Houston, Texas.

Left there and started back toward Houston.  Since I don't unload until Monday I decided to stop early.  I also would not have made the Beaumont, Texas curfew. So I stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Egan, Louisiana.

Thursday, November 2, 217

Got a late start this morning because I had to wait for my Mississippi permit to come in.  When it arrived, I left.  While on the way this afternoon I got a call and a change of plans.  

Instead of delivering tomorrow I'm going to the Daily yard in Houston and leaving my trailer and load there.  I'm getting a different trailer and going back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to get a crane to bring back to Houston.  After that I go back to the Daily yard and get my trailer and load and deliver it.

I went to the Daily yard and dropped my trailer and picked up the other trailer.  The only problem was that I had to bring all the chains and binders with me.  So I had to take all the chains and binders off my load and put them on the other trailer.  I will spend the night in the yard and leave for Baton Rouge as soon as my 10 hours is up.  Good night!!

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Went into Conyers, GA this morning early to beat the Atlanta rush hour traffic.  I got there early.  When they opened I loaded another Caterpillar 336E Excavator.  It is going to Houston. Texas.

I got out of there in good time this morning.  Got stuck in some bumper to bumper traffic going through Atlanta, but it wasn't too bad.  Aside from that, nothing else interesting today.  Stopped for the night at the TA truck stop in Grand Bay, Alabama.  Couldn't go any further because my Mississippi permit has not come in yet.  I'll get to sleep in tomorrow morning until it gets here.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Went over to Ocala and delivered the excavator first thing this morning.  Next load is up in Conyers, Georgia tomorrow morning.  I drove up to the TA truck stop in Jackson, GA for the night.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Left at sunrise this morning.  Another uneventful day on the road.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Reddick, Florida.  Will deliver in the morning.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Nothing exciting today.  At sunrise I drove over to the TA truck stop in Slidel, Louisiana.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

As soon as my 10 hours was up I was on the road heading for Victoria.  Got there and loaded a Caterpillar 336F Excavator that is going to Ocala, Florida.

Left there and had a very good day on the road.  Some bumper to bumper traffic in Houston but not too bad.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Egan, Louisiana.  Tomorrow will be a very short day.  Can't drive in Mississippi or Alabama on Sunday.  I'll just drive to the other side of Louisiana tomorrow.

This was as bad as I thought it would be!!

Florida vs Georgia

Saturday, October 28, 2:30 PM

EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Georgia Bulldogs (8-0)

 

42 - 7

Final

Florida Gators (3-4)

	1	2	3	4		Total
Georgia	21	0	14	7		42
Florida	0	0	0	7		7

Friday, October 27, 2017

Went back over to the landfill very early this morning.  Got there before they opened.  When they opened I went back in and hooked back up to my trailer.  Had to wait a couple hours for the crane to get there.  After they got there and set, up they took the machine off my trailer.  But they didn't have anything to put it on so they had to use my wood.  Then they started to put the wheels on.

It took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to put the wheels on.  At 2 pm they finally finished with the wheels and I got my wood back.  I was out of there as quick as possible.  My next load is in the morning down in Victoria, Texas.  That is about a 7 hour drive.  I started off that way.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in San Antonio.  As soon as my 10 hours is up, I'll finish the trip to Victoria.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Went over to the landfill to unload first thing this morning.  They couldn't unload me today, the crane couldn't get here until tomorrow.  I dropped my trailer there and went back to the truck stop until tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Left this morning a half hour before sunrise.  Had another good day on the road.  When we got to Texas, my escort dropped off.  Don't need one in Texas.  I continued on to the Pilot truck stop in Snyder, Texas for the night.  Deliver down the road from here in the morning.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Left this morning to time it to get to St. Louis at 9 am when the curfew ends.  I was off by about 10 minutes.  Met my escort at the Missouri state line.  He will be with me until I get to Texas. 

Had a very good day on the road.  Missouri took us on a long detour.  Thought we would never get out of Missouri.  But we finally did.  Stopped for the night at the Woodshed Truck Stop in Big Cabin, Oklahoma.

Monday, October 23, 2017

Went back over and picked up my trailer this morning and sat there and waited for the "go ahead".  It finally came at 1 this afternoon.  I was very glad to get moving again.  Didn't get too far.  Stopped for the night at the Pilot truck stop in Lincoln, Illinois.  Will meet my Missouri escort at the State line in the morning at 9 am when the St. Louis curfew is over.

Friday, October 20, 2017

Went over to the Caterpillar plant in Montgomery, Illinois first thing this morning.  Loaded a Caterpillar 826K Compactor that is going to Snyder, Texas.  This one had "utility wheels" on it.  I like it when they have those on.  It makes it much easier to load because the machine sits higher.

After securing it to the trailer I go over and weigh the truck.  If everything is good, they take the wheels off and do a few other things.  Then I'm good to go.

As I left there I sent an email to my dispatcher with my scale ticket, dimensions, and told him that I was on the road. A few minutes later he called and said "...don't leave..."  Too late, I was already on the road.  He said that they did not have any way to unload me in Texas and that Caterpillar was saying to stay there until they figure it out. Oh goodie !!!!  So now I had to find a place to turn around.  Easy to do in a car, but not quite so easy with 113,000 pounds (51,256 kg) of truck.  I did and returned.  I sat there the rest of the day.  At quitin' time my dispatcher called and said that they still have not got it figured out yet and to stay there for the weekend.   I backed the trailer in a spot in the back of the yard and dropped it there.

Drove back to the TA truck stop in Morris, Illinois for the rest of the weekend.  It is the closest truck stop and it is 45 minutes away.  

Now it's FOOTBALL TIME!!!!!  Except the Gators are off this week.  Still have the rest of the SEC to watch.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

This afternoon I got my next load.  It is tomorrow in Montgomery, Illinois.  I drove over to the TA truck stop in Morris, Illinois for the night.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

As soon as my 10 hours was up I left.  Drove straight through to Bellevue, Iowa.  When I got there they told me that it was a Caterpillar 730 dump truck that had been stretched 12 feet and modified a bit.  Well, all kinds of alarms went off in my head. I know how a 730 fits on my trailer and an extra 12 feet just wouldn't do well back there.  So, before I disassembled too much of my trailer, I had him bring the machine around and park it next to my trailer. 

Just as I suspected, It didn't fit.  It was 6 feet too long.  Not even Vaseline and KY Jelly would squeeze it onto my trailer.  After a few phone calls, I ended up leaving it there.  I drove down to the world famous Iowa 80 Truck Stop in Walcott, Iowa for the night.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

My escort arrived right on time this morning and we left. Great day on the road.  Perfect weather ad light traffic. Delivered the dump truck this afternoon in Louis, Kentucky.  Next load is tomorrow in Bellevue, Iowa.  Started that direction.  Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Waddy, Kentucky.  Will get going again as soon as my 10 hours is up.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Nothing special today.  Left this morning and had a good day on the road.  Stopped for the night at the Flying J truck stop in Franklin, Kentucky.  Have to have an escort in KY.  He will meet me here in the morning.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

My friend and I went back and finished securing his machine on his trailer.  Then we left.  Had a good day on the road.  Stopped for lunch and had some good Texas bar-b-q. Of course, I had ribs!!  Stopped for the night and until Monday at the TA truck stop in Prescott, Arkansas.  

Now it's FOOTBALL TIME!!!!

Gators are wearing their new uniforms tonight. 

I still like the blue.

But even the new uniforms couldn't get them a win.

Florida vs Texas A&M

Saturday, October 14, 6:00 PM

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

Texas A&M Aggies (5-2)

 

19 - 17

Final

Florida Gators (3-3)

	1	2	3	4		Total
Texas A&M	3	0	7	9		19
Florida	3	7	0	7		17

Friday, October 13, 2017

Found out last night that a friend was loading at the same place.  I met up with him there first thing this morning.  He loaded a large excavator.  I loaded a John Deere 400 Articulating Dump Truck that is going to Louisa, Kentucky.

I finished mine but he still has more to do.  We were both totally exhausted.  The heat took its toll on both of us.  We decided to leave our trailers there for the night, go to the truck stop for the night, then return in the morning and finish his, and then hit the road.