Saturday, October 27, 2018

I'm still recovering from surgery.  I'll be back real soon.

In the mean time, another great weekend of SEC football!!

Unfortunately the end didn't come out as we had hoped.

Saturday, October 13, 2018

A wonderful Saturday watching SEC Football!!!!  I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Friday, October 12, 2018

Another driver that is here in Jacksonville, and does most of the local moves, had a load waiting for him over at the Port.  It had to load today.  His truck was in the repair shop.  So I helped him out.  Took his trailer over to the Port, he followed in his pick up truck.  I hooked up to his trailer in the yard.  Here it is:

The last two axles on the trailer are steerable. Makes cornering very easy.  Pulled out of the yard and down to the main road, rounded the corner from the stop sign and the last two axles on the trailer did not straighten themselves out like they are supposed to.  Instead they took the trailer straight off the road and into a tree.

Fortunately there was no damage to anything except the tree.  Called our mechanic and he brought the fork lift down and fixed the problem.  I won't get into the details of what caused this to happen, because you wouldn't understand it anyway. I'll just say that it was easily fixable.

Left that mess and went over to the Port.  Didn't have any more problems.  We loaded a Liebherr Material Handler that weighed 110,000 pounds (49,895 kg) using two big cranes.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any photos of that because I was too busy.  Here is an internet photo of one.  The one we loaded did not have the tracks on it and only had half the boom.  They were being shipped separately.

 Once we got it mostly secured to the trailer I dropped the trailer and left it there.  He was going to go back tomorrow and finish.  I went back to the Daily yard.  Now I will be off work for a while for my surgery.  

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Left LaGrange a half hour after sunrise this morning.  Heavy overcast and occasional light rain.  Breezy, but no big deal.  Drove to the Caterpillar dealer in Macon to deliver the machine.  Had to wait an hour and a half for the tire guy to get there.  When he got there we found out that they shipped the machine without any lug nuts!!  After waiting another hour for them to figure out what to do, they finally decided to take a few lug nuts off another machine and put them on my machine so it could be unloaded.  Got the thing off and the trailer put back together just as the first rain bands started to get to Macon. I left there and started to head home by way of Savannah.  Here is what the radar looked like.

Passed at least a hundred power company trucks that were going toward the storm.  The overhead message boards looked like this.

Just out of Macon drove through a real heavy rain band.  Was windy and could hardly see the road.  It didn't last long.  The rest of the way home was not bad at all.  Traffic on I-16 was light.  It was heavier on I-95, but it always is.  Made it home to Jacksonville without any problems.  I will be here for about three weeks.  Having surgery next week, then a little re-coop time.  Hope to be back as soon as possible.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

At 3 pm I was back at Caterpillar to load.  Loaded a Caterpillar 563D Feller Buncher that initially was to go to Washington, Georgia.  While in the process of loading found out that it is going to Macon instead.  That is much better for me.  Closer to home.

This is what a Feller Buncher does:

By the time I got finished loading it was too late to go anywhere so I went back to the truck stop a few miles away.  I'll get out of here a half hour after sunrise in the morning.  I should be well ahead of the hurricane that is coming this way.

Monday, October 8, 2018

Left this morning and drove the hour to LaGrange, Georgia.  Checked in then broke down my trailer to load.  Then came the "good" news.  My machine was not ready and won't be ready until tomorrow afternoon.  Also, it was another machine without wheels and was over at the other building.  I packed everything back up and put my trailer back together then went to the truck stop for the night.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

What a wonderful, and totally unexpected victory last night!!!!!!

Saturday, October 6, 2018

Left Jackson very early this morning and drove over to Shorter, Alabama to the Love's truck stop for the rest of the weekend.  I'm about an hour from where I load on Monday.  Now it is time to settle in for an afternoon of SEC Football!!!

Gators play LSU today.  It will be a miracle if they can win this one!  LSU is doing real good this year.

I love this time of year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, October 5, 2018

Went back to the Caterpillar dealer first thing this morning to wait for the tire guy to arrive.  Much to my surprise, they called another company that could get there much sooner. Once he put the tires on it I was able to unload it.  The heat really got to me today.  It is still in the 90's here.  After I left there I went o the Petro in Jackson, MS and took a long shower.  That helped.  Then had lunch and went to bed and slept all afternoon.  That really helped!!  Feel a lot better now.  Tomorrow I'll head back toward Lagrange, GA for my next load.

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Left LaGrange, Georgia a half hour after sunrise.  Drove to the Caterpillar dealer in Bogue Chitto, Mississippi.  Can't unload until tomorrow afternoon when the tire guy gets there.  I dropped my trailer there and went to a truck stop in Brookhaven, MS to wait.

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Left this morning and drove the rest of the way to LaGrange, Georgia to the Caterpillar plant.  Loaded a Caterpillar 535D Skidder that is going to Bogue Chitto, Mississippi.  

Didn't have any of my permits yet so I went to a truck stop a few miles away to wait.  All of them came in this afternoon but it was too late to go anywhere.  I stayed there for the night.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Back to work today.  Next load is up in LaGrange, Georgia.  I headed that way.  Stopped for the night at the Pilot truck stop in Tifton, Georgia.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Another great day of SEC Football.

Gators did real good tonight!!!!

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Delivered the excavator first thing this morning.  After that I drove home to Jacksonville.  Will be home for about a week.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Left at sunrise this morning.  Drove to the Petro truck stop in Reddick, Florida for the night. Will deliver first thing in the morning.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Left Beaumont a half hour before sunrise this morning.  Drove to the Flying J truck stop in Gulfport, Mississippi.  Couldn't really go much further because I didn't have my Alabama or Florida permits.  At 3 pm CDT my Alabama came in, but still no Florida.  So I just stayed put for the night.

Monday, September 24, 2018

This morning went in to Victoria, TX and loaded a Caterpillar 336F Excavator.  Just as I was ready to pull out I looked at the serial number and found that they had given me the wrong machine.  So I had to  unload that machine.  Then they brought the correct machine and I started all over again.  

It is going to Ocala, Florida.  Got it all secured and left.  Didn't go very far.  Stopped for the night at the Petro truck stop in Beaumont, Texas.  Just too darned tired to keep going.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Last night was a very pleasant surprise!!

Saturday, September 22, 2018

As soon as my 10 hours was up I left and continued on toward Victoria.  There is one truck stop in Victoria and it is crap so I do not go there.  Instead, I go to the TA truck stop in Ganado, TX.  Drove seven hours and fifty nine minutes.  Had to stop along the side of the road for 30 minutes only 12 miles from the truck stop.  Why did I have to stop, you might be asking? Because some jackass that sits behind a desk thinks that I am not able to drive after 8 hours without a 30 minute break.  If I do, it is considered an "EGREGIOUS" violation and I would be fined... are you ready for this?  $2700!!!  Tell me something, at your job, if you decide to continue working through your break or lunch, is the Government going to fine you $2700????   It does mine!  How freekin' stupid!!!  Thank God I live in a "free" country. 

Anyway, now it is time for an afternoon and evening of SEC football!!!!!!

Friday, September 21, 2018

Left Shreveport, LA at sunrise this morning.  Another great day on the road.  Absolutely no problems going through Dallas or Ft. Worth, Texas.  Made it all the way to Odessa, another 565 miles (909 km), and delivered the excavator in the rain.  Had a hard time finding a place to park tonight.  Had to go back to the Love's truck stop in Midland, Texas.   Next load is in Victoria, Texas Monday morning.  Will go there tomorrow morning.