Where is everyone #2!!

If you're on the north end up by Newton the Newell truck plaza isn't to bad. Couple restaurants you can walk to but nothing special. Its on 135 exit 31.

 

It's 30 miles away, but Google reviews say it's a nice stop and has been completely remodeled.

 

It used to be a dump. I was there this summer and its real nice now....for a truckstop.

 

Or ring up the missus, I'm sure she's cooking dinner and my house is less than a mile from Newells.

In all seriousness, Charlies (the restaurant) can be a real hit or miss on the food. Used to be the place for locals but not so much any more. When the old man Charlie died the kids ran the place into the ground.

 

Mauston, Wi at the Kwik Trip. Going to run a 12' down to our global headquarters in the morning then head home.

 

WARNING - I'M GOING ON A RANT!!! Because of where my Where is everyone #2!! post from early this morning.

So, over the past 24 years I have accumulated quite a collection of crap, er, uh, um, I mean stuff, very important stuff (to me). And I also have a small machine shop in my back garage including an engine lathe and Bridgeport mill. So when I want something that can't be purchased or can be but I want it better or different I take it upon myself to make these things. I have extended mirror brackets, lighting equipment and many other things that are one of a kind.

With all that BS out of the way I have (HAD!) a set of high output amber strobes for the rear of my loads that #1 are hand built and #2 can't be bought at any price from anywhere because I pieced together the electronics and built the mounting system myself. So to make a long story short they can be replaced but not from the overpriced crap at Peelot.

I get up this morning, make my post, walk in for a shower, come back out, build a fire in the Cummins, light up the truck/trailer and hop out to walk around and make sure I still have all 18 tires. The first thing I notice is that there isn't the bright flash reflecting off the trees behind me like there was last night when I backed in. I walk to the back of my trailer thinking one of the power wires must have come loose going to the strobes because the oversize lights at the front of the trailer are burning and all are wired to the same hot spot at the rear. I get back there to find this -


and the other side -


BOTH $$$$$$$ Lights gone, wires cut with wire cutters. Some $$$$$$$$$$$ low life had to watch me back in and consciously walk into the trees I was backed up into and cut the ####### wires to take the lights. I was backed into the far southwest corner of the parking lot so there's no $$$$$$$ way someone happened to just be walking by and grab them, the low life ############ had to walk specifically back to that spot and cut the $$$$$$$ wires. They are cut with wire cutters because the shape of the cut is symmetrical on both faces of the wires. The $$$$$$$$$$$$ had to have walked down between myself and the Scotlynn (sp?) reefer to my right or down the left side between the load and the fence to get back there. The reefer was backed tight to the bushes and my trailer was just touching them.

All I can say is I hope the miserable $$$$$$$$$$$ has a happy Thanksgiving because now I can't run Colorado till after sunrise Thursday morning which means I will miss Thanksgiving dinner at 2:00. I needed those lights to make everything come together on this load to get there by 2:00. Normally I always have a spare for EVERYTHING but just a few days ago I loaned my LED amber flashers to another driver because the scales had him shut down at Ft Collins for not having any. I was a nice guy and now I do believe in the saying, nice guys finish last! Now I'll be really ####### lucky to get home before sunset curfew. Thanks you low life piece of $$$$. You can also explain to my children why they didn't get as much for Christmas because those lights belonged to ME not my company and as such I have to take money from my family to replace them. Merry $$$$$$$ Christmas and a Happy &&&&&&& New Year to you to you low life piece of &&&&.

I know this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what another member on here lost at the Wal-Mart a few weeks ago. It's not the money either, it's the fact that it is really messing up my dispatchers carefully laid plans to get me home for Turkey after loosing almost all of last week waiting on a truck. She pulled strings and put this together for me to get me back on Turkey day and now because some @@@@@@@ felt entitled my plans are in jeopardy if I don't find more lights tomorrow. I'm only getting 9 hours of driving time at best between the short days and heading east this far north. I don't have the time to be stopping at every place alongside the freeway trying to find new lights.

RANT OVER! But still chapped!!!

 

I'm at the blue star homeless shelter in Jax. I pulled a 53' UPS van with those aero wings on the bottom. They work well at pushing the trailer sideways in strong crosswind. Weather was nasty all day. Dropped it and picked up a set of pups going back to Jax. Easy Easy. Better than the LS driver behind me, his swap was on a Swift trailer. lol When I saw him pulling into the yard, I pointed and laughed. Back to step decks next week.
I got low balled by a customer I've dealt with many times this week. Wanted me to haul a 12 wide, 9 high tarped piece from FL to VA, multimillion $$ item. I quote $3.75 all in which was a very good price, I think. Customer came back at $3.25 and I told them to pound sand. Load goes on the board today and nobody bites. Agent emails me and asks if I'll do it at the my original quote. I tell him that was yesterday's price before the customer insulted me, today's price is .50 more. I've done a lot for this customer, including moving them into their new facility, surveying said facility (for free) to make sure you can get a truck in it, returning their equipment(dunnage, tarps) from out of state delivery sites (for free). Evidently service and going above and beyond means nothing these days.

 

Catalina

Where are you starting from tomorrow ?

 

You can't pick up some temp replacements? Even batt powered cheap chinese magnet mounts would work to get you back to the house, wouldn't they?

 

If your down south by Boeing/Spirit there's nothing. You best bet (pun intended) is to run down to the Casino.