Swift - Starting the New Year training with Swift 1/7/13 - A long read...

I bought a 300w inverter myself and a 150w. I use the 150w for my CPAP and it has just one outlet on it. The 300w is used for my tv and DVD player.

150w works fine for my CPAP and it's cheap. They only install the inverter if your machine is popping your inverter's fuses - that is if you have your own. When it came down to me getting one installed I didn't see the purpose since I had my own. You can always use an inverter for the truck anyway.

 

My pleasure.

Always.

Who knows
They were sending me back there from the East Coast then they said there was more freight back east. Now, today, they are sending me to California. I have a hometime request for next Friday in Williamsburg, VA to visit the family again and get another tattoo possibly.

 

Wow, it's been a while since I posted.

Currently I am at the Pilot/Flying J at exit 179 on I-80 in North Platte, Nebraska. I have a pickup a couple of hours away tomorrow in Sidney, NE going to Apple Valley, CA.

I finally got out of the Northeast. I was going nuts there for a minute. A couple of observations about driving a sleeper cab truck in the Northeast...
- Parking, legitimate parking, is nearly impossible after 6:00 PM whether it be at a truckstop or rest area. Walmarts have been my friend and once a Lowe's Home Improvement parking lot.
- Driving is not as stress free as it is out west or in the midwest.
- Picking up at some of the shippers is aggravating.
- Pizza is better.

So I took my hometime last time out visiting family in Williamsburg and Norfolk, VA. I parked at the Richmond Swift terminal and the parental units picked me up. It was good to see them as it had been almost a year since seeing them last. I was getting a tattoo for Mother's Day as part of her gift. It took a few days of going back and forth to Yorktown, VA to get it started but it turned out good. Can't wait for the next one. The current one is sort of a throwback on the old school "mom" tattoos with the heart but I had a twist put on it. She loved it even though she's not a fan of tattoos. She appreciated it.

Took one of my nieces shopping to make up for missed birthdays in years past. I never knew there was so much Barbie crap out there. She picked out all of it and I bought it. Was great to do something for her finally.

I spent about 4-5 days out there and then left. I gave my parents a tour of the truck when they dropped me off at the Richmond terminal. I headed down south to park near my pickup the next day. I parked at Big Charlie's Truck Stop in Virginia Beach and this is what went down...

My sis and her family live nearby in Norfolk so they offered to pick me up from Big Charlies that night and take me out to dinner. Done deal. My sis, two nieces and bro-in-law picked me up and we went out to eat Mexican. All went well and they drove me back to my truck. I gave the grand tour to them complete with nieces hopping all up into the top bunk like a couple of monkeys. They loved it.
Sis and her family got into their car to leave and I mentioned for her not to hit any lot lizards on the way out. I had already told her about the storied lot lizards and their practices. My youngest niece overheard my comment about the lot lizard and asked...

"What's a lot lizard?"

Me: "It's a little lizard that runs around the truckstops along with the turtles".
Her: "awwww, I love turtles!"
Me: "Keep your eyes out and you might just see some"

So my sis and family drove off. I left my Satellite radio and GoPro camera in a bag on the floor of her car. Crap.
I went into the truck to text her that I forgot that stuff. I had my tv pick up any local channels and I started to half watch Undercover Boss. Then it happened...

A woman wearing a t-shirt and jeans, normal enough, walked in front of my truck. She was saying something. "What?", I said. She asked if she could use my CB. That was kind of odd but thinking she must be a trucker on a very limited budget with no CB of her own, I said "sure".

She made her way to the passenger side of my truck and climbed in after I moved over some of my things. She said hello and immediately made herself comfortable with my CB.

"Any truckers out there want some commercial company?"

I stared at her in disbelief. It was a surreal experience and it was just beginning.
The CB crackled back with the response of a gentleman stating that he needed some company. She told him to go to Channel 25 and she switched the channel to 25. She asked him where he was. She told him to flash his headlights. Apparently he was in another part of the lot as we couldn't see any flashing headlights. She asked him something again and he didn't respond.

"Do you think he's a cop?", she asked me. "Does he sound like a cop?"

I responded, "I really don't know what a cop would sound like. He could be but I would think it's not likely. I think you would know more about this aspect of your business than me".

She said "hmmmmm" and thought about it for a minute, deep in thought.

"So, do you want some company tonight? I'll make it nice for you".

I said, "no, I'm cool. I got my Undercover Boss here to watch so I'm good".

She told me she really needed a fix. She had a bad habit. I asked her what kind of habit and she stated heroine. "I don't shoot up, I just snort it. It's got me for the past 6 months".

My first instinct, and what almost slipped out of my mouth was "you don't look like a heroine user...". But I kept my mouth shut. My intentions in that almost statement was that she wasn't rail thin. She was actually quite curvy and if not for the addictive habit, she wouldn't be bad looking. But, as it was, I wasn't attracted or needing paid sex. She asked to use my cellphone and I said it would be ok as long as she didn't try to go running off with it. She called either her pimp or boyfriend and apparently was telling him where she was. She was saying there wasn't any action. Now, here's where it got just a little bit weirder...

She hung up with her gentleman and gave me my phone. She said...

"That was my honey. He wanted to know where I was. He doesn't like that I do this but I have to. He can't speak since he has throat cancer so he makes clicking noises that I understand".

Odd.

She asked me again if I wanted any company. Again, the response was "no" and she left the truck. I never saw her again.

So, I am the fool and now I know next time some female wants to use my CB that the request will be denied. Funny thing about that, when she first got into my truck she said something to the effect of, "no one wants to let me use their cb tonight". No wonder.

And so it was on a quiet summer night at Big Charlies truckstop in Virginia Beach.

 

My first HOS violation....


Since I just lost all my previously typed text somehow I'll make this short.

I had a pickup in E. Hartfort, Connecticut at Coke Cola going up to Rochester, NY. My appointment time was for 1300 and I arrived at 12:20. I checked in and waited. And waited and waited. I left the lot loaded with nearly 45,000 lbs at 1900 that night.

I went to the closest scale, 25 miles away going in the opposite direction of my destination. I wouldn't make the fuel stop (with scale) a couple of hours away. This was a good choice to not drive a couple of hours away to get scaled as I later found out.

I drove the 25 miles back east in Connecticut and scaled. Drives were heavy and overweight. I moved the tandems all the way forward. Still heavy on the drives and moving the 5th wheel would have no effect. I would have to return to the shipper in the morning and get the load readjusted. Great since I just spent 6 hours (6.5 if you count me being early) there already.

Got there at 0900 the next morning. To make a long story short. I waited and waited and waited. As hours passed and I continually sent my DM messages about how long this was taking for the load to be readjusted. I asked if I could just drop the trailer and once they decided to get to the load I could bobtail back and pick up the load. No, it was not an option.

They finally got my truck docked about 1.5 hours before my 14 was to expire. About 1 hour before my 14 hour clock expired the truck rocked with them adjusting the weight. They would not allow me to park there overnight. The best they could do was suggest a parking lot a few miles down the road although most likely it would be filled up by now. It was now after 2100 and I had been there 12.5 + hours. Waiting.

I left the yard with a little over 35 minutes left on my clock and headed to a Wal-Mart that I had decided on earlier in the day. It was 25 miles away. WAlmart seems to be the only place lately where I know I willl most likely find parking, if they allow trucks to park there.

Connecticut was especially dark this night. I had just bought a new GPS a day prior and I had the brightness setting all the way up. It was glaring in my face as it sat stuck to the upper left hand corner of my windshield in all it's 7" screen's glory. It was new to me and I didn't want to try and adjust the brightness and mess up my directions to the Walmart.

I missed my turn into the Walmart and had to redirect myself through some old New England streets while I worked my way back to the Walmart. I got there after my clock had gone over about 40 minutes past my 14. ####.

I can't begin to tell you how angry I was to have sat at Coca Cola for a total of 19 hours over two days waiting for a load. Ironically, Coca Cola was bugging our planners asking when the load was going to get there up in Rochester. Coke Rochester needed to get with Coke E. Hartford and yell at them instead of bugging my company for what was a screw up by their people. I T-called the load at the Syracuse terminal on Saturday night so someone else could take it the remainder of the 90 miles to Rochester on Monday, when Coke rescheduled the delivery since they wouldn't take it over the weekend. Originally the load was set to be delivered on Friday afternoon. On Friday afternoon, as the delivery deadline ticked by and past I was still sitting waiting to get my load readjusted.

So, I went to the Syracuse terminal. I t-called the load, happily dropping that trailer and leaving behind my two load locks inside the sealed trailer. I feel for the guy who has got to deliver it that Monday and wait for them to live unload it - especially if they function anything like the Coke place down in E. Hartford. Good riddens Coke delivery.

The safety guy at the Syracuse terminal gave me my two needed classes and explained to me that I shouldn't worry about the HOS violoation now permanently on my record. If I was to be audited they would see in the Qualcomm notes that I was at the shipper all that time and that the violation was out of my control. I was not allowed to leave the shipper. I was not allowed to park there for my 10 on the shipper's property. It was not my fault. Made me feel a little better but not entirely.

I spent two days in Syracuse at the terminal basically relaxing, cleaning my truck and ordering and eating 22" pizzas and calzones. I got my 34 in and was sent to pick up a load in Pennsylvania going out to here, North Platte, NE.


** I should note that after my hometime in Virginia I was sent to a Coke distributor in Philly, out on the west side but in the city proper. I went to do my pickup and there were outside contractor, non Coke trucks, parked all along the street waiting to get inside the facility to get loaded or drop. I couldn't find any parking but did find a little space in front of a fire hydrant and bus zone to call Swift and let them know I couldn't even park legally to check in at that security booth. I couldn't take the load. They didn't give me any grief about it and took me off the load. I fought my way back out of Philly through narrow city streets back into S. Jersey for a pickup.

I need to stay away from Coke me thinks **

 

Product review...

So, I finally pulled the trigger on a GPS (outside of the one on the Qualcomm). I did my online research and decided on the Rand McNally 720. It was $399.

So far, so good. I love this thing for many reasons. My favorite features are the "POI - Points of Interest" feature which quickly brings up the major truckstops and Walmarts either along my pre designated route or just nearby. I love the fact that it tells me in advance of speed limit changes, tollbooths, construction, etc. The fact that it warns me when I'm speeding is awesome as well. The colors and features are top notch and it is pretty simple to use. The touch screen is fantastic.

Now I bought the 7" $399 model 720 and had it for a day. That evening, the evening where it was shining in my face, seemed a little overkill so the next day I exchanged it at another TA for the $299 5" model. I drove with that one for a day when I realized that I was spoiled with the 7" screen. The next day I stopped at the third TA and exchanged and upgraded once more back to the 7" model. I've loved it ever since.

I haven't owned any other models so I don't really have a point of reference to compare it with other makes and models. I was considering the Garmin that was $399 but after reading about the features on this one I stuck by the Rand McNally 720. The only feature I haven't been able to use yet is the wifi inspired weather forecasting. I just got my mobile hotspot on my cellphone but since I don't get service here in Nebraska I haven't been able to try out this feature yet. It's not a big deal either way as my cell has weather and basically I'm going to have to get where I need to go regardless of the weather. But it will be cool to see how this feature works anyway.