Still Waitin'

Got to the shop and my tractor was ready, new tires, cold A/C, I'm a truckin bubba again!

Wait a minute, no power on the Qualcomm Computer, big time dead..

So, I'm back in the OC, and the truck is back in the shop.

The Great White North with no A/C

I'm going to be here for at least tomorrow morning. The mechanics have found the problem with the electrical system. Without getting to geeky, there is a sensor that detects when the battery voltage drops to low. This sensor will cut power to all non-essential systems to ensure that the truck will start, and not leave me stranded somewhere. Well, as some of you know, I have had to jump start the truck, and have had to put a battery charger on it when I go home for a few days to get 'er started again.

This sensor is broken, and is actually causing a constant current draw. The troubleshooting on this is taking a lot of time. There is a leak somewhere in the A/C lines, which is going to take more time to find and fix. Never mind the oil and filter changes going on.

More time.....

So I'm hanging out at the operating center with a fabulous high speed Internet connection. Cell phone calls cost a fortune up here, which has made Skype a godsend www.skype.com for those who haven't checked it out. videoconferencing over the web for FREE!

I hope to hit the road back to the U.S. tomorrow morning. I already have a load going to southern Jersey.

Texans LOVE to give the finger...

Hi,

Sorry it has been a while on the updates, I have moved off the 0-90 day dispatch board, and moved into "real" employee land. My loads are spaced closer together, and time not behind the wheel is at a premium, (read: sleeping). While this is good for the paycheck, it is harder on the blogging time. I should have a better balance on this in a few weeks (I hope!).

I left the house a week ago, and headed straight to Kansas City, MO with a load of paper. Gotta love paper loads, they are heavy, and make hill climbing a challenge. My company not only governs the speed on the trucks, but also dials the power down on them. This is good for fuel consumption, and longevity of the engines, but most of my adventures you have probably noticed start with the saying "I was passed by..." Honestly, there are very few times I would like to go faster than I can, I believe in keeping the rubber side down forever.

I headed to South Carolina with a load out of Missouri, I stayed at a real truck stop the other night. I say real because it wasn't one of those chain "travel Centers" that I usually go to. This was a regular mom and pop owned, got a greasy spoon diner attached, mostly dirt lot, can fit 50 tractors but has about 65 in the lot kinda place.

I should have seen it coming, but after a 500 mile day, a bear of a loading dock to get into, oh, and my A/C has quit again, I got blindsided by a man talking to me in the parking lot. Seemed nice enough, when all of the sudden he pulls out a rag and some rubbing compound and starts polishing the wheels on my rig. He goes into the story of his pregnant wife needs money, and his crack head brother was looking to turn his life around...

"shit...walked right into this one" I somewhat think the joke was on him. I only had $4.00 in my pocket, which I ended up giving to him. He looked quite disappointed, and didn't even finish the polish job. He did, however leave polishing wax on the wheels. I was more than happy to finish the job!

OOOOOO...Shiny Wheels!

Well, Like I said, It's been really hectic on the road. It's 9:30 and I'm going to bed. Getting up early to run a load to Canada. I'm looking forward to this, I haven't been to the land of the maple leaf for a couple months now. I hope I remember how to do my border paperwork!

Don't taze me bro'

ahh, the new tagline for the decade, I've been waiting anxious for that to show up. Sure sounds more hip than can't we all just get along? I've heard the audio for days now, but I just saw the video. It was funnier in my head, kinda like reading a book vs. watching a movie.

Back to the road. I'm in Charlotte right now, getting ready to head out to Ohio. I have moved off the "newbie" dispatch board, and have moved up to the normal board. Pay raise to follow in a month or so. That's good news.

I've made my way through Seville OH, and got my winter training out of the way. That's a mandatory classroom and road evaluation we all have to do every spring and fall. Drove to Philly, and dropped a trailer, which led me to North Carolina, and back to Ohio. I like Ohio, it's growing on me, lots of wide open spaces, and very few low bridges!

Well, my satellite is beeping at me, back to work... more to follow later.

Back on the Road

Sept 16, 2007

I’ve been working my way west since I left on the 14th. I’ve moved paper to Mass, and Tissues to Ohio, I am beginning to notice a theme here! Pretty uneventful stuff really, except that I’m losing my muffler. Now, a car can sound bad when the baffles fall out of it’s muffler, but this thing brings on a whole new meaning to LOUD, especially when using the engine brake, I can be heard for miles coming to a stop with that thing on!

I have requested that my next stop take me through an operating center to get that looked at. I mean Jeesh, I can’t even hear my Barry Manilow tapes over that noise!

(Laugh track here…)

Never wanting to be one to buck pop culture, I have a new companion along for the ride. Friends were “kind” enough to give me a ceramic gnome to accompany me in my travels. You know, like a gnome that roams…or something like that. If he doesn't wander off at some truck stop, or get caught under my wheels, he may have a good time.

Well, it’s off to watch a little TV, and enjoy a little down time. I don’t get unloaded until tomorrow morning, so I can hang out for a while in nowhere, oops I mean Alvada OH.