My May Journal

Week #10
July 27th - Aug 2nd

This week continues with the load from Mazonome, WI to Beaverton, OR. Wednesday morning I find myself starting out in Beach, ND at the Flying J and go into Billings to fuel the truck. I end the day at the Pilot outside Missoula, MT. Another wonderful night in Montana. 43 degrees overnight. I have been lucky to be up north this summer. Almost all summer long. Thursday I head into Troutdale, OR and spend the night at Loves. I love coming here since there is a Shari's restaurant there. Excellent pie Friday morning I make my way to my delivery and find myself in a bad spot due to bad directions. I call the customer, no answer. I call the broker for directions, "You guys deliver for us there all the time." I find another phone number online and call and finally get a person who transfers me over to another voice mail. At this point I am getting frustrated. Big time. I look up where I am at on google maps and find there is no warehouse or anything on that side of the street. I scrolled up just a bit and see there is a building with a few docks on the other side of the street blocked by the overpass. So, out of desperation, I go over there and lo and behold there is my customer. I was to turn right instead of left at that light. So I go and check in and send in updated directions. Letting them know that their current directions get you stuck on a dead end street in a residential area. Fun times. As I was sitting there getting unloaded, I get a pre-plan to pick up a load in Salem, OR headed to Illinois. I am to drop it in Layton, UT due to home time coming up.

After I am unloaded I head down the road to Brooks for lunch. I don't have to pick up until 1500. After lunch I make my way to Norpac in Salem and check in 2 hours early. The lady asks "Is your refer pre-cooled?" Of course it is! I always do that. Well, when I remember. So I get in a dock 2 hours early and out of there before my appointment time. Nice. I get to Brooks, scale and fuel. I end up getting back up to the Troutdale Loves and spend the night. More pie for me! The next day I get to Heyburn, ID and stay at the Loves there. Sunday morning I make my way to Layton and drop my trailer. I end up sitting the rest of the day waiting on a load to get me back to Denver for my home time. Monday morning comes and I get a load that is going to Fort Worth, TX that I get to drop in Denver. SO after getting hooked and scaled I make my way across the wonderful state of Wyoming. I stopped in Rawlins at the TA and met up with a previous student for lunch. I then made my way to Denver with a stop at the Pilot to fuel the refer before I drop it. Once I get back to the yard, it is late so I stayed the night and left Tuesday morning for home time.

Miles This Week:
Miles Driven: 3489
Miles Paid: 3434
Miles Difference: 55 or 1.6%

Miles Total:
Miles Driven: 21778
Miles Paid: 21048
Miles Difference: 730 or 3.4%

 

I have been with May for 2.5 years now. I only started my journal when I got into my new truck, 2012 Cascadia #2844.

The miles have been a bit hit and miss the past few months. It all seems to depend on how you set your PTA and a little bit of luck.

I am out of Denver, and have a terrific DM.

 

They sent a message out this spring about this very thing. Basically if you get caught doing it, you are done. I would advise against it.

Running a TV and an Xbox or PS3 will drain your batteries down in about an hour or so. That was in my trainers truck some 2,5 years ago.

I only have a 12v fridge and my laptop. I game on my laptop so I don't need a TV or a video game system on board.

 

They will sell you a 2000w inverter for $250 assuming they have any at the shop you are at. It was tough for a little bit to get one. They will install it no problem.

I still have my 1500w cobra inverter, and they put it in since they did not have any 2000w inverters. I think they put mine in since I had it before they went to the 2000w inverters. I am not totally sure that you can put in an inverter other than theirs though.