Good Night From II

In Jonesboro AR at the loves, going to Streetsboro OH. Running 8.75 recaps. Ran through a hell of a thunderstorm, visibility dropped to like 15 feet and a serious crosswind hit, I could feel the truck sliding left going 20. So much rain so quick that I had to go dead slow. It wasn't a low area there was just so much coming down so fast that there was a few inches just coating the road as it flowed off. I'm at 79000 right now, so that probably helped with the wind a bit. I literally pulled out of Millard Refrigerated when the rain drops started, 2 miles later and I can't see. 2 more miles and I escape the worst of it. Went past the Averitt terminal, there were two trucks jack knifed to brace against the wind.

That fuller Advantage tranny is finicky, had mine calibrated in West valley and it pulls much better now. (Mine stuck in 9th near Rawlins, so they calibrated it)

 

There's something about that area ... I've caught a couple of really bad storms there. Some of the worst I've seen.

 

Perhaps it has something to do with the river,Jonesboro is on relativly flat ground compared to what's north of it too (I hate traveling through northern AR.) Alot of water in the surrounding areas, maybe the upwelling of moisture and increased evaporation has something to do with it. No meteorologist but I would assume all those wind currents slamming into that moist hot air rising has something to do with it.

 

I've learned how to get it to start in something other than 2nd gear and skip shifts (big difference when bobtail).
My truck is geared TALL (1180 rpm @ 65) and will easily run 65 in 9th. My biggest gripe is the fact that it downshifts from 9th (uphill) @ 1200 rpm and instantly looses 5 mph. If I try to hold it in 9th by locking it in manual it acts like the fuel has been shut off.

The truck only has 63K on it and I'm guessing could benefit from a reflash. Problem is convincing Duncan to take it to Kenworth. Gets great mileage, averaged 7.9 for the week, would easily get 8.5-9 pulling a skirted 53.

 

Brandon, SD. Start Orientation tomorrow, Officially left on Sunday. Turned the truck in and no one even came out for a inspection. Have fun everyone. Before I left was taking to a company truck on the Bush's acct while up in augusta and he was telling that all of a sudden his miles dropped down to almost 2K per week and he was started to do a lot of OTR freight. Spent a whole week just bouncing around TX.

 

Somewhere in TX, between Houston and San Antonio at a Love's.

I was sent a pplan at around 2200 last night that was going to the Dallas area.
I turned it down for many reasons, not the least of which was it not getting me any closer to Phoenix.
This morning I was sent another one that was picking up at the Lancaster terminal. It said 27 empty miles when I was in Houston, 220 miles away. I called a DM and it was already dispatched to someone else.

Then I got the load I've been waiting for.
Pick up in Port Arthur anytime today and t-call in Otay Mesa, CA on the 28th.
They even sent a trailer solution right away that was only 11 miles away.
This load will allow me the time to get through Phoenix to swap trucks and still deliver on time.
Around 1700 total miles. Too bad it won't be delivering in this pay period.

The pick up was fun.
It was raining... hard!
The staging lot and dock area was not really paved and there was between 1 and 4 inches of water everywhere I had to walk.
I wasn't sent the correct pick up number so I had to go back through it a second time after I called my DM.
Luckily the lot where I drop the mt and pick up the loaded trailer was new and paved.

 

Home, as in the place where I pay rent, for the first time in about six weeks.

I've finally had a couple of good paychecks and could get a new boot drive for my desktop computer. I've been spending the entire night installing and updating Windows 7, so I can get the free upgrade to Windows 10 on it before the free offer expires on Friday. (No snide comments on Windows 10, please; I have it on my laptop, and I know what I'm getting myself into. It'll be going back to 7 for the foreseeable future.)

I'm really liking this Amazon dedicated account. It's a team account, but my DM talked the CSR into letting me prove myself as a mentor. (I'm sure that having a 3+ year perfect record doesn't hurt.) While I go within ten miles of my house regularly (sometimes twice a day), the windows are too tight for me to stop. So, they found a load that I can T-call in Martinsburg, and then get my 150K B-service done Thursday morning.

 

Just finished orientation with the new company. Talk about laid back and relaxed. Take breaks when want. Roam around. Found out that for the most part I will be getting to stay in the area that I want as far as running. From the mid west to the southwest and back. Now and then will take a round trip Schwans load to upper NY and right back to either MN or Salinas, KS. Home time for me is not a problem since they have 3 receivers within 60 miles of me plus a Schwans 140 miles from me. THink that I am going to like it here. Got me a 13 t660 with APU, 13 speed. As soon as a in house lease truck, 2015 or newer opens up then it is mine. It might be some time since they really do not have a turn over here

 

Hope it works out

 

Sounds like a great move. Hope it works out for you. Don't forget about us little people here.