Laredo

Well, I'm currently stuck in Laredo, TX waiting for a load to get me out of here. Laredo is a hard place to explain, it is much better experienced. Laredo is on the southern part of Texas, bordering Mexico and it's sister city Nuevo Laredo on the Mexican side.

The truck to car ratio here must be about 4:1. Between the US carriers bringing things to the border, the companies that shuttle the trailers across the border, and the Mexican drivers who make the deliveries on their side "of the fence", it is a semi-city if there ever was one!


There is really only one way in and out of here, I-35. Because of this, I have to wait for a load that is coming north from Mexico back into the states to get me rolling again. With the economy being a little slow, Laredo has become a FIFO location, First in First Out, there are about 40 Schneider trucks here ahead of me, so I wait my turn. At least I can shower, clean up, eat, and hang out online.

I have mentioned the food here on my previous postings, the locals will park their somewhat homemade kitchens outside of the OC's and cater to the drivers with fantastic Mexican food.
Taco Bell's got nuthin' on these people!

Well, I'm gonna brave the heat and go check the computer in my truck for a work order, hopefully, I'll be out for here soon!

Crazy Weather Night

We had a huge weather front come through the Chicago area last night. The storm went on for hours, especially the lightning, quite an awesome sight.

So Far So Good...

Well. I'm over half way through this run without incident (knock on wood) I am keeping my run time more under control, and am trying not to stress over the lost bonus check. Water under the bridge, so to speak...

I am just finishing up a run that had me in Oklahoma for several days. I can tell you from experience that it is HOT down there right now! It is one thing to be somewhere hot and go inside a building to beat the heat. It is a very different world sitting in an aluminum cab sitting on a blacktop parking lot trying to keep your cool. Although idling the truck is discouraged due to fuel use, big trucks burn about an hour a gallon at idle, I ran the truck for many hours trying to get a good nights sleep. This is a little unproductive for me due to the fact that I don't sleep well with the truck running, but I sleep even worse when I'm in a puddle of my own sweat.

My trip out took me through Joplin, MO again. This time I had a chance to walk around a little bit. I couldn't find a retail type store for the Chrome Shop Mafia, I'm sure there is one, but walking around a lot in 103 degree heat was not my idea of a good time, so I grabbed a photo of their sign. I swear this is the rig they used to "ambush" some of the original Trick My Truck participants.

Joplin is a nightmare to drive in. There are four major chain truckstops, and at least two small local ones with the "Mafia" in the middle of all of it. Everybody and their couzin Cooter are trying to see this place, so there are rv's, semi's, minivans, and cars full of people all trying to occupy the same place at once, kinda like driving in Atlanta or NYC, jeez... Makes me glad to be back near Chicago!