Calex Express....My New Home!

Well I just got parked for my 10 hour break here in Tucumcari NM at the Flying J. What a day yesterday. I'll write about it when I finish the trip. I have a noon appointment on Wednesday but this receiver has a 24 hour window which means they will take me off anytime 24 hours prior to my delivery appt. I'm shooting for Tuesday around 3pm.

 

Good to hear from you Larry. I wasn't one of those trucks you saw, I was on my way to California.

 

Well I have some extra time so I'll tell you about my return trip from California......

I left the motel in Madera around 4:30 am Pittston time and started heading to my pick up down in Mecca CA. which is about 12 miles south of Coachella. I drove as far as Bakersfield and pulled into a rest area to grab a nap knowing that my wife would be calling in about an hour. Like clockwork she called and we spoke about what things needed to be taken care of when I got home. I was making a cup of coffee while we spoke then finally saw daylight and left to finish up the deadhead.

I went across Hwy 58 to 395 south to pick up 15/215 to I-10. I stopped at the Outpost cafe in Hesperia for some breakfast then left. I must say, I have stopped at the Outpost for many many years and must say that the breakfast I had was one of my better meals this trip. It kills me to have to spend any money in these truck stops for food that at best is disgusting. I had no choice this trip, like I said earlier I had to switch trucks while my regular truck was in the shop and all my food went bad the night I spent in the motel in Pittston. The loaner truck I have doesn't have a working fridge so I had to toss all my food to start this trip. Not happy about that, especially since my wife puts a lot of work into making sure her husband eats good on the road.

Before I left the Outpost I called the shipper and asked if my load of seedless grapes was ready. They said it was and asked me what time I would be there.I told them around 11:30 and they said to back into door #3 when I arrived. This didn't sound good to me, especially with a produce load. I found the grower without any problem, thanks to my new GPS, backed into door #3 and went inside. After signing in I went to the dock to find my load staged on the platform to be loaded. I was done in 35 minutes and pulling out of the shipper headed to the T/A to scale and fuel.

After leaving I knew by the way the truck was pulling that this was a heavy load. I got to the T/A and scaled to find out that my instincts where right, I was 79,600 with a little less than 1/2 tanks of fuel. This is going to be a loooooong trip! I was looking at the map to see which way I would go to get back up on I-40 and decided to go the back way up to Needles. Let me tell you, if you have never gone this way, pray that you never break down on this route. It was 106 degrees when I left the T/A and I knew it wouldn't get any better until Flagstaff.

I headed east climbing up Chiaraco Summit to Hwy 177, then onto Hwy 62 to Hwy 95. By the time I got onto 95 it was 114 degrees in the desert. Everything in my body told me that I should have left after dark but I said no, that I'll try it now. I finally made up to Needles and got on 40 to Kingman where I called it a day. Garylobo called and said he was having reefer problems and that Calex made arrangements for a Carrier shop to stay open to fix his problem at the 66 mile marker. I was at the 48 and my day was finished, he still had 7 hours left to drive and had to deliver on Tuesday so he kept going after the repair on the reefer. I woke up early, fueled and left Kingman just at daybreak. I didn't have to deliver until noon on Wednesday so I was able to pace myself and sleep every night. For those of you that think you can't make any money with Electronic logs, I'm here to tell you you can. I haul produce and am able to run E-logs and still deliver on time.

I made it to Tucumcari NM to the Flying-J where I had the second and last good meal of the trip. Try the Santa Fe Chicken....it's delicious! I went inside, ate, watched some TV then went to bed. I woke up at day break, made some coffee then left. I got to the T/A in Amarillo Tx for my 3rd of 8 fuel stops for the trip. Between the weight of the load, the desert driving with 114 degree heat and the extra fuel stops let me tell you, I earned every last penny I made! After a nice shower I left and made it to Mt Vernon MO for fuel. I still had some time left on my clock so I decided to go to the T/A in Stafford MO. Wrong move, by the time I got there, all the parking spots where full. I wound up sleeping on an off ramp that night. That'll teach me. Next time just stay where you are.

I woke up late, showered had breakfast then left. I stopped in Effingham for fuel (again), then went as far as Eaton Ohio for the night. I woke up this morning and made it to the T/A in Lamar PA, where I'm at right now for the night. I unload tomorrow at noon so I have time to shower, put 50 gallons of fuel in the truck and drive the last 80 miles to my delivery, then go to the terminal to switch my belongings back into my regular truck, boy I can't wait to get her back, this truck performed ok, but I rather have mine. I'll be headed home either tomorrow or Thursday and be home for the holiday and my wife's birthday. Be safe all, God Bless!

P.S. This is what I'm talking about. Meat Loaf?????