THE ADVENTURES MK III - Still doing it my way

Well an interesting ride last night. Woke up way earlier than I wanted because my ICA called me wanting me to transflow in my new medical card since the doctors office didn't send them the last one. This worked out great though as I hopped on the load board for a few seconds and one of my favorite loads down to GA popped up. From the crappy shipper, unfortunately, but whatever. Fell back asleep and after moving the alarm out an hour, every hour, from 1700, I finally got moving at around 2100 LOL. Started out about 80 miles from my delivery in VA, got there no problem.

Grabbed a crappy empty and headed off for the pickup at the crappy shipper. This is the super tight yard that I always whine about. This time the nighttime security guys probably just wanted to laugh at a truck driver on the camera so they gave me this ****ing impossible spot to drop the empty in, and I know they saw my truck when I rolled up and it's pretty obvious this thing doesn't turn on a dime. So of course I get the second to last spot on a row and try as I might there is just not enough room from the curb for me to pull forward enough to spin the trailer into the spot and get out of the jackknife without hitting the trailers on the other row across from me. Finally I give up and drive around the entire lot to get turned around and come in from the opposite side and have to blindside it in, since there was some space open on the row across where I could get my truck. After about 5 minutes and 4 GOALs I finally got the ****ing empty in there.

Then I go to pick up my load, which is of course, surrounded by 2 trailers close on either side. Try as I might I CAN'T GET IT OUT without dragging my trailer against the ones on either side of the hole I'm trying to get out of. I stick out too far with my tractor and just can not make it work.

Finally I try some NEXT-LEVEL TRUCKER STRATEGIES and pull the trailer out as far as I can with the tandems slid all the way back, then swing the tractor to the side a bit at the last second. Then lock the trailer brakes up, and reverse and turn a bit with the tandem slide still released, pushing the trailer back but keeping the tandems stationary. Then release the trailer brakes and move forward again. Eventually I was able to get out of there by doing this because it allowed me to completely change the pivot point of the trailer while giving me enough room to move it out while not hitting the trailers next to me. I had to be very careful not to hit the one on my blind side with the swing.

FINALLY get out of there. Jesus. So it's like 2am and I'm on 58 headed back towards 95. Nice and easy cruise at 60 MPH. I come up on this 4 wheeler doing a little slower than me. I bump my cruise down a MPH but I'm still gaining, so I just ease over to pass him. I slowly pass by still on cruise and he waits until my trailer gets to the front of his bumper then just matches me MPH for MPH. I am not in the mood for this ****. This continues for a good 10 minutes. I speed up a few MPH, he speeds up a few MPH. I slow down, he slows down. I speed up to speeds I should not post on this forum knowing the speed limit on 58 in VA, he does the same. Now I'm getting ****ing pissed off. Anyone that has been on 58 in southern VA knows how in the left lane there is NO shoulder, a SOFT median, and you have NO room for error and don't want to be in that left lane for any longer than you have to be. Finally I hit the jake and slam on the brakes and I catch him off guard and he doesn't slow down until he gets to my tractor, then just rides along beside now. **** it dude, you asked for it. The air horn on this KW is LOUD. I just lay on it for 30 seconds with him right next to me. FINALLY it must be starting to cause damage to his ear drums so he speeds up and I get back over behind him. Just as I think he's pulling off, he slows down again, so I fly over and just roast by him and keep on it. He speeds back up again and just rides behind me the entire way back to Emporia. A couple times he pulls out to pass me, but thankfully I'm pulling one of SNI's finest TA 94XXXX series trailers which includes the complementary LANE-HOG tandems which track a good few inches off the tractor, causing me to take up close to my entire lane from paint to paint. I guess he saw this and decided not to push his luck.

Finally he gets the balls to pass me around Emporia and takes the 95 south exit. I just went to Sadlers and got some donuts and coffee. God I was pissed. WTF is wrong with people.

After that, I jumped on 95 and cruised all night and all morning. Sun just came up as I shut down... time for a little Netflix and then some sleep. Should finish this trip up tomorrow and deliver in GA. I want a Frito load out, but I bet all those are gone, so I might have to sacrifice something to the load board Gods in hopes of something good popping up.

 

You know in hindsight I really should have fixed that leaking sunroof before I came down to GA without a load out, on the weekend, with a giant system dumping rain on the truckstop I sit at for the next 2 days. I think I'm gonna need a bigger bucket LOL.

 

So far it has been a successful morning. Watched about 3 episodes of Sons of Anarchy. The Load Board Gods tried to smile down upon me with a load to Winchester, so naturally I check the weather, then check the loads out, then check my email, then refresh truckersreport, then click on a post I'm interested in, watch a youtube video, then finally remember to book that load. Oh wait I can't because I've ****ed around for so long someone else has assigned it. From the exact city I'm sitting in. Who probably took the exact same load down here that I took. And is probably sitting in the exact same truckstop as me. COME FIGHT ME BRO, THAT WAS MY LOAD.

So instead, I have successfully pulled my tractor forward and reversed back into the spot since the bobtail that was parked on the line next to me finally woke up and left. At least I'm somewhat straight in the parking spot. Small victories. In other news, the sunroof has started leaking, but apparently decided to collect in the steering wheel, so when I turned the wheel to straighten myself out in the spot it poured all down my leg instead. Whatever. Time for more Netflix.

 

Just can't seem to get out of GA. Lost out on another load this morning that was picking up near Savannah and going down to I'm guessing the HD in Valdosta. Spent too much time thinking about it and when I went back... gone!