Looks like I'm going back to Specialized...

Load #1 is delivered...on time and in 1 piece.

And I'll tell you all the VERY best part of hauling this stuff...the consignee's. (farmers very glad to see you arrive)

I worked up a small sweat unchaining that combine...not bad, but I was working at it.

As I was driving it off the trailer I saw the farmer walk in his house, he came out just as I was climbing down out of the combine...carrying the biggest glass I have ever seen, and it was full plumb to the rim with ice cold water...just for me

There was no waiting for a load...called in that I was empty (yes, we call) and he told me where to go get my next one. Its a tractor, pick it up tomorrow, delivers Thursday...a lil smaller at 11' 6" wide...and there is a reload headed back to KS right there where the tractor delivers...not a bad week considering I spent most of Monday training, and the routing for the first delivery took forever....I will end the week with 1,600 miles....a decent first week, I was a bit slow doing my route planning...out of practice at planning them that precisely.

EDIT: I looked at the work assignment wrong (getting use to this new Quallcomm)...I just might end up with 2,000 miles if I can make it back to KS by Friday before dark.

 

Load #2...I forgot to take a picture (busy day), but its one of these... [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAFxp90g_S4[/ame]


Turned out to just be 11' wide....so its an easy one, no escorts, easy routing...easy $$$.

This is 2 weeks out for me so far....I hate doing laundry in truck stops, but I've been doing a load here and there...I probably won't be back home until Sept. 3, I have that week off to go to my sons graduation (USMC boot camp)

I am thoroughly enjoying my job again though...a lot less traffic. (it is illegal for me to travel through major cities during rush hours, LOL)

 

The only thing nerve racking for me is scheduling the escorts...loading, unloading, and driving it down the road doesn't bother me one bit. I've been around heavy machinery most of my life...most of it construction equipment but big farm equipment isn't all that different.

Load #3 is loaded and ready to roll (gotta put my flags on in the AM)...its going to Opheim, MT...and I'll need escorts all the way up through MT (2 lanes all the way). Its another combine, just like the other one except this one is 4 wheel drive...makes it a bit heavier in the rear.

Something I've noticed about hauling combines...you don't spend much time on interstates, but I like it that way. They give us a Comdata fuel card to use when we have to (which is often), but we're supposed to fuel "in network" when we can.

 

They routed me through Denver to keep me out of Nebraska on this load (NE is an expensive state for oversize loads)...I had a 3 hour window to get through north of Mead before they shut down one lane of I25...If I hadn't made it, I could have got around it but I would have had to contact the local authorities for permission to use their streets.

I've had some extra time for some rest on this one....I could probably have been in Opheim tomorrow afternoon, but I decided I'd rest a little and get in there Monday around noon (mountain time)...also, didn't wanna take the chance of having to keep a pilot car overnight.

Due to so much road construction in MT...I'm gonna have to go "off pavement" for a ways (253 north out of Terry, MT)

This load went a ways out of route (nearly 300 miles)...but I was told they'd rather pay me for the extra miles than pay an escort...there is no avoiding the escort from Terry, MT though. I'm in Sheridan, WY tonight...gonna go to Miles City, MT tomorrow...the escort is supposed to meet me in Terry at 0730 Monday.


Wyoming during rush hour (I25) ...beats the hell outta anything back east. I believe I seen more speed goats (pronghorn antelope) than I did cars.



And don't mind the 1,000 miles worth of bugs...the last 2 truckstops I fueled at didn't have anything to wash the windows with.

 

3 loads down...

I'll load #4 (combine) about 0800 tomorrow...going from western Montana to eastern South Dakota.

Not much trip planning involved in this one, the same escort that brought me up to Opheim is gonna take me back down to Billings...I won't need any escorts after that (Yippee!)

I've sorta gotten the hang of the escorts though...scheduling them is not that bad on the longer loads...but on a 400 mile load that delivers the next day it can be a pain.

EDIT: By the way...253 north out of Terry, MT is a paved road all the way...good road, but it has several narrow bridges.

 

I got myself in a bit of a "situation" yesterday...

When I did my trip plan I overlooked a 12 foot width restriction on I90 a little west of Rapid City...

When I saw the sign on the interstate (12 foot width restriction 7 miles ahead)...I stopped and went to the SDDOT website and there it was...plain as day...I cussed myself for a minute then went to figuring out a way around it.

I called the SDDOT....the line was busy, for nearly an hour...got tired of waiting on them and found my own way around it.

All was well until I found an 11 foot width restriction on that route (it WAS unlisted on the website)...I'm not gonna go into details on how I got out of there, but I did it and without any ill effects.

It was a learning experience...it really was, I learned which way NOT to go next time, LOL.

And I saw a lot of bighorn sheep...IF that ever happens again, I'll just wait for them to answer the phone.

#4...delivered, safe and sound.

 

Its better than most trucking companies...quite a bit better.

I got stuck in Iowa for the weekend...Iowa never sent my routing, which was applied for at 0800 this morning...so here I sit until Monday.

I was kinda pissed about it for a few minutes, but after it sank in (2 days off)...I realized it wasn't so bad. I need to do some laundry and get a restart anyway...I'm ready for some R&R