Calex Express....My New Home!

Kanzaki Paper is 2 minutes away from A+R...DeMoulas is pretty easy..did you have to go inside the enclosed loading docks and have to drop the trailer or did you use an outside dock???....enjoy your vacation!!!!

 

Enjoy your vacation floating around on the big boat JohnBoy.

 

Well I'm here at melissa produce in vernon waiting for my load I already picled up my 1 pallet down the st from here my load won't be ready tell the afternoon I don't know what was up with la traffice this morming what usually take an 1hr and 15 min took almost 3hrs to get here

 

No I'm gng to wegmans in pottsville pa

 

Hey gang,

Been a while since I've been on here. Hope everyone's well... I let John be the keeper of the blog - and I go about being the keeper of the microwave oven I have in my truck now. It's been a game-changer, believe me. Since John and I bought one about a month ago, no more nasty dinners in truckstops! Either I eat my wife's home cooked meals (whose idea I stole from JohnBoy, thank you very much), or I enjoyed pre-cooked meals bought at Wal-Mart for 20-30% of what I'd pay in the restaurants. On my last run to the west coast, I saved $100 over what I usually spend, and I'm on a new run now, where I hope to save another $100. That is, I used to spend $300 round trip out and back, including food, washing the truck and trailer, washouts, etc. Now I'm gonna try to do it on $100 or so. $45 microwave at Wal-Mart! If you have an APU, give it a try! You won't be sorry.

This west run I'm doing has turned into a battle already. Louie told me on Monday morning that he wanted me to go west - problem was he didn't have a load going that day - so he "created" one! That is, he moved up a load he had scheduled for Tuesday to Monday. Only problem was my two shippers didn't know about the change. I had pickups in Wilkes-Barre and Jessup PA going to Bolingbrook IL and Morris IL. Louie had to call them while I was at the first PU. Suffice to say, it was six pm Monday evening before I was done. Then had to be at the first drop in IL at midnight Tues night/Wed morning. Got that off in an hour - got a little (very little) sleep, then on to Morris IL. The Costco there did a good job. After bumping dock at 0915, I was on the highway by 0945. Best part of the trip so far.

Then onto Little Chute (Appleton) WI for a broker load. Only problem? The broker gave my load away last night to another carrier. Fortunately, after loading at midnight last night, this guy went to sleep nearby and the broker called him this morning, asking him to wait for me, because they wanted to unload him, and put it on my trailer. I needed to do this because I think Louie has a reload for me near Vernon, CA, so I didn't want to take the broker's offer of a different load going to Oakland CA. Too far of a deadhead perhaps.

Anyway, got here at 3pm local time. Other driver came over from the TS to meet me here and get things going. Problem is, shipper now says we have to wait until 7pm local time to do the swap. Ugh. So here I sit at 1730 local time, typing away. This is a lot of work to get to the west coast, where the real money is for the company, hauling back that pricey produce, eh?

Just completed my year here at Calex in mid-October. It's been a good year, and I enjoy the people I work with very much. Since I've started alternating west coast runs with my Florida loads, the $ have gone up, and the home time has gone down. That's just the way it is in this business eh?

Johnny, I see it's been said many times in here already, but allow me to raise my hand and wish you a Bon Voyage my good friend. Safe travels, and thank you for your great friendship and help you've afforded me this past year. I consider you a friend for life.

Let's see: you don't smoke, drink, gamble or chase women anymore...why is it again that you want to go on a cruise???

 

Wegman's...that's the good drop! Usually 1 hour in and out. Welcome aboard and if I can be of any help let me know. I think I'm following you out to Vernon to deliver, and perhaps pickup as well.