Art's world of the weird and wonderful

When I first took this gig, my mind was full of places to go and things to see. The road turns out to have its own agenda. Joplin, Missouri wasn't on my list, but the road brought me there in April, so I'd remember in June. You don't plan on the places where ''something awful'' happened, you spot them on the map while you plan, or on the sign as you pass the exit: Littleton, Colorado; Paducah, Kentucky; Washington, D.C... Well, maybe that last one belongs in the Political Forum...
I'm in Oklahoma City, which is where the Murrah Federal Building used to stand. But, that's not what's on my mind when I pass through Oklahoma. Instead, I think of a little town off I-40 called Weleetka.
To be continued...

 

irony: my phone will delete entire paragraphs before i post, but refuses to let me delete a duplicate post.

 

I know the who and why of the Oklahoma City Bombing, and though it can't make sense of the senseless or ease a community, it somehow gives hope. To show it to other would-be ''patriots'' and say look, this is too much. This is taking things too far.
I don't know the who and why of Weleetka, where persons unknown went Bonnie & Clyde on two 11 year-olds walking from home. The armchair detectives had their theories. ''Drug vendetta'', they whispered. The police released a sketch of an Indian, which in Oklahoma is about like looking for a Rabbi in a bagel store heist in Manhattan. Good luck finding that guy.
Maybe I don't want to know. What could explain the inexplicable? And what does this have to do with trucking? Jeez, Art, depressing much?
Well, it's part of this...experience. It will hit you at some point that this isn't tourism. The places and people are real, in ways that the tv and the net don't convey. And you may be surprised at your reaction, your connection, to places you barely know exist, but remember.
Like Weleetka.

 

Has it been a month already? Almost two? The good news is,that means I've been working hard. Out to California, down to the border, up in Vermont, and everything in between.
First trip thru the Rockies, so gorgeous.
Rigged up an "air conditioner", which served me well during this heat wave. Wondering if Swift will reimburse for ice?
Major purchase - a smart phone. I don't know how to live w/o one now. Just totally opens up a whole other world beyond going from truckstop to truckstop. All sorts of stuff within walking distance, or public transportation. If I hurry, I could make a serious dent in the "visit every major league ballpark" bucket list item.
Downers: First service failure. Ran out of gas, in the ts parking lot, to begin the day. Waited over an hour for service guy to come out, with fuel island 30 ft away. And then the batteries died trying to get going again... Lesson learned - ask for fuel. If you don't, and run out, it's on you.
Still learning what ECT can and cannot do. I know they're super busy. One likes one word answers. My goal in life is to get a response with more than one sentence from him. Another likes to answer any question but the one I asked. Sometimes they're great, but what's the point of extended coverage if you fear using it?
All in all, though, doing just fine. Had an "Injun moment" the other day - guy at the terminal, a trainee, told me about his mentor nodding off while driving, amongst other things. Got him to give his DM a call, and got him off that truck.
Finally, they say that you're your own boss as a truck driver. Well, that's a myth. Every other truck driver thinks THEY'RE your boss.
Take care out there.

 

Capthook: yep, I'd been rounding down my fuel reports, and still, the routings seemed to have it in for me. Called onroad once for advice on how much fuel I'd have left once the Low Fuel warning came on, and from that I hand calculated how far I could go. Got across the Mojave with the gauge flatlined, so felt OK the night I ended up running out. No more of that.

Injun: Can't speak for everyone, but I'd miss you in a second. Hope your new gig is working out well.

 

Fresh from the "why don't newbies stick around" thread....

When I started, I tried to stick to 8-9 hours working per day, to keep from running out of hours on my 70, and also to afford me some time at the end of the day to unwind, explore, etc...
Then at some point, I sent in an ETA that reflected a 13 or 14 hour break, and...well, on this particular load, that raised a red flag to my DM. Since then, i've pretty much gone all out. I seem to end up with better paychecks, but then of course it's mostly straight to bed at the end of the day.

My mentor is no longer with swift. I'm reluctant to be specific, but he did one of the "forbidden five", in a construction zone, and to be honest, I could see that one coming. Nice guy, and its a shame, but speeding, tailgating, etc...eventually catches up to you.

I guess about the most exciting thing the last few months was the trailer I picked up, which had its brake lines sabotaged by someone with a sidecutter. Just the service brakes, and cut in two places. Not very nice.

After a year and change doing this, Im still not always on the ball with trip planning, especially with accepting a load now and then that I later realize I can't possibly make. I just don't expect to get sent something like that.
I also, still, am very reluctant about parking in crowded truck stops. I'll park between two trailers with inches on each side, but when there are cabs involved I get nervous.
I feel I'm doing myself a disservice in not getting the practice. Sooner or later, I'm gonna need that skill, at a customer if not a truck stop.

Oh, and just remembered something else exciting that just happened today. Picking up a preloaded trailer at Home depot, I went to slide my tandems, and...no release arm. What the...?
And then I saw the little shiny knob, and the air lines. "No way!", I thought, as I gave it a tug. And sure enough, those lovely little pins slid back just as smooth as butter.
"Gleeful" comes close to describing the feeling.