Heading For Little Rock! Maverick

That one plant at sparrow's point where you pick up coils is real spooky looking. It is just real old. Had to spend the night in a field the first and only time I was there! Have not picked up molding there yet, but now that you mentioned it, that is probably where I will go.....lol
Have a great week!
Heading out at one today and will stop in Breezwood PA for the night for a delivery tomorrow at 9:00 am.

God Bless!

 

You know what I mean, I can call to get clarification....lol

 

Well I have taken a nap and a shower and I feel refreshed. I headed out of Gary Indiana at 03:00 this morning and arrived here at about 11:30 AM.
Had a lot of fog at first, so much that I was going 35 on the expressway with my flashers on. I could not see a thing, yet there were trucks flying by me like nothing.
Once I got on US30 it was better.
I started off the week with a load of black sand that I picked up in Woodbury MN and delivered to Middletown Indiana. While I was undoing my straps one of the workers picked up my bar and starting helping me. Then there were two fork lifts and the load was off before I could roll up one strap. The only problem with getting done before 8 am Central time, is that the CSR's do not come in until then so I had to sit for about an hour before I got my next load. No big deal though.
My next load was to pick up a single coil in Terre Haute, Indiana and take it to cleveland ohio. On the way to cleveland, I noticed that now my left rear drive tire was losing air. I have had a small leak in the right one for weeks.
I pull into a rest area and there are bubbles coming out from under the tire.
I sent in the breakdown macro and a guy came out in about an hour. In another hour I had it fixed. I was just about out of time so I found a Pilot just outside of Indiana.
I delivered in Cleveland and my next load was to Columbus Coatings in Ohio and then to Precision Strip in Alabama. As I am writing it all down, I get that load canceled and get a load to pick up in Cambridge Ohio to be taken to Lexington NC.
I make the pick up early and have to turn the truck completely around to get backed in. As I am doing a GOAL before I back into the dark building, the guy comes out and acts real impatient with me to get the truck in there. He guides me in even though I can hardly see him as he is standing in the dark.
They start throwing the 4 skidded coils on the truck so fast, I did not get a chance to put the friction mats down.
After it is loaded and the paperwork is signed, he says ok, pull out and you can do whatever you want outside. Now it is pouring down rain and I have to tarp these four coils. Fortunately they were wrapped in plastic. By the time I got them secured, there are large puddles of water sitting on the top of them. I thought about writing on my bol that I was forced to tarp in the rain. When I delivered the next day, the consignee just sit them out in the rain...so it did not really matter.
My next pick up was at Uniboard in Moncure NC.
While they were loading they came up to me and said, "We can not find all of your load. Pull up and wait"
Well they finally found it after 45 more minutes. They were placing the pallets so that they hung over the side about 2 inches on each side. I have a 96" trailer.
I got my tape measure out and measured them. The foreman comes up to me and starts talking about how I just changed how the load weight was going to be distributed. I said "All I did was measure the sides. He says We'll you made them move the pallets. I said, I gave them no instructions on how to load the truck.
He goes and talks to his guys who apparently were very new. They restacked my truck at least three times.
By the time I was done, I had been there a long time and was out of time.
I went to the truck stop just down the road owned by Indians.
When I was doing my PTI at 03:00 I noticed someone jogging up in down out in front of the pumps. The place was closed. I figured it was one of the owners.
While I am out there a truck pulls in all the way behind the building back where I am parked. I kept a close eye on them as they pulled around. I did not want to get ambushed. I get in my truck and start out the driveway. All of the sudden the owner, turban and all comes running over to my truck yelling at me.
You have to take your car with you he says! That is not my car, I tell him.
They came to you! He said. I say, NO NO NO....that car pulled in back there and I do not know who they are. I continue out and as I made the bend, I could see him out there running them off. You just never know what you are going to run into.
This load delivered up in Grand Rapids Michigan. When I got the load that was scheduled for 1500 pick up, it had a delivery time for the next day at 1500, 800 plus miles away. I called them and let them know.
So I got to drive a whole day with out stopping. It was nice!
So after I get unloaded from this one, I am anxiously waiting to see the load that is going to take me home. It was a load to US Steel, in East Chicago. It had a pick up time of 1500. You can be up to 30 minutes early or up to 30 minutes late.
I pushed the governor on the truck and ran 64 as long as it was the legal speed limit.
I usually run between 55 and 59, but never over the speed limit.
I got there right at 1500.
When I pulled into the dock,there was no one in site. There is a sign that says " Drivers, Do not hunt us down, we see you. We will get to you when we can.
They were pretty nice once they came over to me about an hour later.
Got loaded, tarped and headed over to the Gary Terminal.
As I was heading to the showers, I stopped in the shop and asked how there work load was. They said not bad. I told them about my leak on the right side.
They said fill out a ticket. I started to but did not have my mileage which they require. The thought of walking back out through the slop and getting in the truck was more than I could bear....I had been up since 0230. I told them very nicely, you know, I will just catch it next time, I am going to take a shower, eat and then go to bed. I was not upset at all....just whipped!
While I was out in the lounge about an hour later, the guy comes in and says to me,
your truck is back out there. I said, you did not work on my truck. He said, yes I did.
I changed your tire and also found a headlight out and a light on the trailer.
I told him the lights just happened today, because they were working when I did my pretrip.
I thanked him very much....so hats off to the Gary Shop!
So I got up at 0230, made coffee in the lounge, and was on the road at 0300.
My coil has to be delivered in Pittsburgh Monday Morning. I will probably be on the road by 0400. It kills my wife to wake up so early to take me back to the truck...but that is love. I offered to sleep in it on Sunday Night, so she could sleep in, but she insists on taking me up there.
So that was my week in review! Hope you all have a wonder weekend!
God Bless!
Jim

 

Don't I have to deliver first?

 

Yes you can! I do not have time to go into details, but this was the most stressful week I have had so far....mainly due to inaccurate directions...but The Lord saw me through it all and I am the better driver for it!

God Bless!

Jim

 

Had a great week! Got home this afternoon at 2:00 pm and do not have to leave until Monday Morning!
I also got assigned a new fleet manager as I met all the requirements to move on!