Running with JCT

After leaving Nogales Sunday, I was cruising up to Portland Monday when the company called. "If you can get there by 16:00 Tuesday, they'll unload you then." Challenge accepted! Challenge lost. . .

Some quick math showed that I had about 90 minutes to spare at a 60 mph clip. After deducting a couple of mandatory new 30 minute breaks and a fuel stop, it was looking like a lost cause. The 55 mph speed limit wasn't helping either! So they rescheduled (or scheduled, since there was no appt when I picked this load up) me for 5 am today. Albertsons was reasonably quick and I had a preplan for a little LTL 3-stopper to Spokane and Post Falls followed presumably by a deadhead to Tyson in Wallula and then parts unknown. CRUNCH!

Some driver hit my trailer and tore a nice chunk out of the side. He was being "helped" by a spotter, lol. I'm sure all of you experienced drivers have your own stories about spotters and their uselessness! The other driver was very nice (Canadian) and apologetic. Did the dance with Safety, dotted my i's and got out the duct tape. It was an easy patch job, the hole was an equilateral triangle about 6 inches. . . no wait, Canucks are metric, so about 15 centimeters a side, eh.

Got down to Clackamas to pick up some chilled beef to go and was loaded and outta there in an hour. I had TWO drivers remark to me how beautiful the day was. About 81 degrees and sunny. Really spectacular for Portland. Headed up the river on I-84 enjoying my second light load in a row. The cruise control was back after taking a sick day all day yesterday. That meant no jake brake either. . . lots of fun. Crossed the river at Biggs and looked down at the temperature gauge. Frickin' 95! Geez, all the way across Texas last week the hottest I saw was 81. Cruised into the Petro with 7 minutes left on my 14. Long day!

Tomorrow I have 3 drops and should be done before noon. Like I said earlier, I'm guessing that I'll get deadheaded to Wallula and call it a day. Tyson loads out of there and I could end up going down the coast or back east. It's a drop and hook there too so maybe I can trade this draggy trailer for one with a skirt. It really helps a lot. With a 60k lbs gross weight yesterday and today I only managed 7.5 mpg. I'm spoiled with the aero trailers! Tomorrow's payday and I'll post some numbers if I get the time. For now it's bed time.

 

Wow! Just got my preplan as I'm waiting at my second drop. Wallula, WA (yep) to Lakeland, FL. That's 3289 miles! Your move, Terry, lol.

 

Got over to Pasco, WA and dropped off my trailer for repair. It's going to take a week before they can even LOOK at it so I'll be bobtailing over to Tyson tomorrow. I at least now have a chance of scoring a nice mpg trailer for this trip! This trip has a drop in Charlotte, NC on the way to Lakeland. It's 2600 miles to Charlotte (2573 paid) then 544 paid to Lakeland. I'm not sure of the weight, but the load assignment is teasing me saying 13,427#. If only. . .

This cruise control issue is pissing me off. After it behaved pretty well yesterday, it went MIA today. My foot is pretty stupid too in these slow states. I was running between 54 and 64. Still, with these last two light loads and about 160 miles deadhead I'm sitting at 7.8 mpg on the Qualcomm. Not bad for a non-aero trailer.

Today was payday. I got paid for the one trip from Lemoore, CA to Dover, FL at 2806 miles. That 79000 pound load got me 6.7 mpg (ugh). After adjusting out the free fuel that I carried over into this week I netted (I'm talking pretax, as always) $1018, or $.363/mile plus the 2 cent safety bonus. The 3/10ths difference between 6.7 and 7.0 mpg cost me 17 gallons, $65, or 2.3 cents/mile. I'm going to have to work harder to maintain that 7 mpg average. This trip has a lot of potential in that department. If it's anywhere near as light as they say it is AND I pick up a new trailer, then 8 mpg should be in the bag. This trip has some time built into it; my appointment in Lakeland is 02:00 Friday (thanks a lot) I might be able to squeeze in some work on the truck on the way, or at least get some laundry and food at my friend's house in Illinois.