Calex Express....My New Home!

I just got my load info, I am loading in Jacksonville tomorrow for a load going to Spartanburg SC. Then reloading in Greenville for a drop and hook for Mt Top Pa on Sunday. I won't be going through your part of GA.

 

All packed and will be leaving at 6am in the morning. Stay safe all, God Bless!

 

Like many states in this great country, once you get off the interstate and travel back roads you're able to see what this great land is all about. And Pennsylvania is one of them.

 

Well I'm sitting here at the Petro in Scranton. I left the house Friday morning around 6am. I was pretty busy around the house this past week so I wasn't able to load my truck until right before I left. That usually takes me a while. My wife as usual had all my meals and lunches ready for when I left. We have this down to a science now. I'm able to carry 16 dinners, lunch and a few frozen dinners in the fridge. My dry goods are always restocked and she makes sure I have my 3 gallons of Arizona Diet Green Tea along with a case of water. I hate to say this, but I find it totally gut wrenching if I have to buy something in these overpriced convenience stores, I mean truck stops. My wife makes sure I have all my meals and dry goods to last me a whole round to California if I should go. I do buy a meal occasionally on the road so I am able to get out of the truck once in a while. I have enough points on my rewards card to eat off of for a month if I wanted. She asked me if I needed anything else to make living in this truck a week at a time easier, I told her the only thing I need to complete this living experience on the road would be a washer/dryer and dishwasher. She told me at that point it would mean a divorce, she said she refuses to pay for the house if I'm living in the truck. I told her that I fully understand and that I'll do my part to be home every week.

So enough of my food stories and back to trucking stories. I got to the port in Jacksonville at 1pm, got checked in and was loaded and on my way to Spartanburg SC in an hour. I was preplanned to drop and hook in Greenville SC as soon as I could get there. I've had this run a number of times and it goes off very smoothly. I got to Spartanburg around 8pm and was empty by 8:15. It doesn't take long to unload 5 8,000 pound rolls of paper. I bounced down to Greenville and was hooked and on my way by 10pm. I had gotten a message from Louie to take an inventory of the empty trailers at our shipper so I was running around for a half hour taking down trailer numbers to give him on Monday. I still had 2 hours left on my clock but decided to go to the T/A in Duncan and call it a night. I woke up yesterday and drove up to Mountain Top PA to drop my trailer. This drop is great. When you get there you spot it in an empty door around back, drive to the front and walk inside to get some one to sign your bills. Usually I find someone, even if it's a janitor. But not this time, not at 9pm on a Saturday night. What we do then is sign the bills ourselves, put the door number on them and leave a copy in the basket in the office. Done! Now I had 50 minutes left on my clock and 15 miles to the yard. I bobtailed to the terminal, fueled my truck then logged off my system and drove up here to the Petro.

I was told to go to the motel tonight and Monday night. My truck is due for it's Bi-annual inspection so it usually takes a day and a half. I should be ready to go Tuesday afternoon. I've now been here 19 months and have fallen into such a great routine that it's almost comical. It's not rocket science, pick up and deliver on time and safely, get along with everyone you work with and just do your job. I've been doing this racket for close to 30 years and this has been the most laid back place I've ever worked at. The job is the same as it has been for 30 years, but it sure is nice working for such a good company.

One last thing that is pretty funny, I had heard as I came into Pa on 81 that DOT was set up in the rest area at the 78 mm. I had planned to stop there to make my dinner and to use the bathroom before I got to my consignee. Well sure as #### they were there. I had nothing to worry about and only had 11,000 pounds in the trailer so I pulled in and parked right next to the DOT truck. I immediately did my log then jumped in the back and started cooking. About 10 minutes later here comes a knock on my door. Who was it? No other than Mr. DOT himself. He asked me if I was sleeping there for the night I told him no, that I was taking a meal break. He asked me if I would mind parking in another spot so he had room to flag other trucks in. Absolutely sir I said, then he guided me with his flashlight so I could back out of the spot and park a little further down. After eating and potty break I walked over to him and started BS'ing. I learned something new last night. If the Pa DOT is set up in the rest area and they don't have the lights flashing and you decide to pull in they are hooked up via their vehicles to the weigh in motion scale as you enter the rest area. You are automatically weighed as you come in with or without the lights flashing. He showed me my weight ticket and was spot on. He told me the reason why he had me move was so he had a place to pull a truck in if they were overweight.

That's it for now. Time for a shower and breakfast. I saw Todd as I was parking last night so I texted him to make sure it was him. We made plans to have a breakfast date this morning and tell truck driving stories. See ya later!

 

I truly consider my wife a huge part of my success out here. She's just as important as every other aspect of my career. And she does all this for me while taking care of her real estate business, the house and the two neediest Labs on earth.

 

Well I wasn't going to do it, but I've decided to get a motel room. My beloved Miami Heat are on national TV tonight and the company offered so why not! With all the luxury items I have to make my life a little more comfortable while on the road I really don't like wasting money on a motel, but what the hell.

 

I don't think so. They only hire at the beginning or ending of our freight lanes. I'll be at the terminal in the morning and I'll ask. What part of Texas do you live in?