CRETE - A Year in Review

Does anyone know if they normally try to get you home on weekends or is it just wherever it falls? I actually prefer to be off during the week and was wondering if there were more loads to be had on the weekends?

 

I contacted Lincoln today. For Family Medical Leave (FML) you can pay your premiums as you go or they will make your payments for you then work out a payback when you start driving again. I do believe that you have to have at least a year's service with Crete before you can take FML.

 

I just found out that the truckstop in Rhode Island (RI's Only 24 Hour Truckstop) on I-95 Exit 5B is now a T/A. Parking is now free and the T/A shop is open too. Wish I had known that yesterday, I would not have had to park way down in Branford, CT. (Yeah, I know there is a Pilot at the CT/RI line but I just do not like the parking there....)

Oh yeah...I just received a plaque at home...it says I have 1 Million Accident Free Miles.

 

congrats man!

 

A couple of firsts for me. Got to go over GW bridge and then had first solo run through trucker challenging New England. Made a wrong turn in western New Hampshire and had to stop traffic to get turned around. An older gentleman stopped to help with traffic. I stopped to thank him and he asked where I was from and his cousin ended up living in my home town and I knew his cousin. He invited me to park in his church parking lot overnight. Then invited me over for supper and to watch the Red Sox game. Small world.

 

When will I learn not to take back roads in Pennsylvania when I'm heavy Actually not too bad since the leaves are beginning to change colors. Made it to Breingsville, PA from the Romeoville area. My dang truck started spewing it's black smoke again but this time I kept it running hoping the re-gen light would come on but it never did and the smoke finally stopped. Like I used to tell one of my Harley buddies...if it's leaking it will eventually stop....once it runs out of oil
Heading right back through Ohio to Galesburg then toward home.

MMR's are out and my Sept. was not very good, just a tad over 9K

 

Heading out of Breinigsville, PA I decided no more mountain back roads so i took 476 north to 80. It would have been a good choice except for the fact I80 was closed(bad wreck) at X212. No problem I thought. I 'll just loop around by Williamsport but it would be about 25 miles OOR. Well it took about an hour since there was not one but two construction zones. If I had gone routing way I would have came out past it. Sometimes you win sometimes you don't!

 

Greetings, Cretens.

Just now signing on my laptop after letting my BP settle back down following a back-and-forth with my AM about my pre-plan.

Picked up a load yesterday. On the load call, I noted my PTA as Fri., 10/11 at 0600. After delivering this morning, I was only going to have 3 hours left on my 70, so I thought I'd do laundry, make a WM run, etc. Plus in the next few days I pick up between 6 and 7 on two of them, so the 3 could carry over.

Just before I get to my consignee, the pre-plan hits. Picks up today and delivers 510 miles away at 1300 tomorrow. After unloading, reloading, driving to the shipper, that leaves about 2 and change. I had no intention of getting up at 0100 to run all night....exactly my thinking when I initially put in my PTA of Friday morning.

Well, the back-and-forth ensues. I get the standard "sometimes there are situations that arise...."....the standard "straight from the 3x5" response. I stood my ground, asking why we even bother sending in PTAs when (A) they are often not viewed and (B) when they are viewed, they are ignored?

"Sometimes situations arise......"

BS.

It's the continuing culture of doing the minimum in terms of planning. This is twice now in the last few weeks, and I"m about sick of it. I don't have the patience any longer.....my fuse is far shorter then Ralph's and SSB's.

I did 8700 miles in September with 7 days off and a 34. My miles continue to be pretty good....this week will be just under 3000. But the more gray hair I get, the shorter my tolerance for this crapola.

 

That's why I use "Just For Men" hair coloring

 

NH is a wonderful place. I lived there for 15 years. I occasionally think about moving back to that part of the world, but I'd live in Maine or Vermont if I did go back. 15% per dollar property tax in NH is no bueno. Guess they gotta make up for the lack of sales and income taxes somehow.