Running with JCT

Are you dropping hints? Are you getting a New truck? Thanks.

 

Eight days. Wow. You'll have to take some time figuring out the shift pattern again.

 

I'll be alright. My dad had some heart problems and surgery. So I took off longer than I planned. I'll be back ready to hit the road tomorrow

 

Glad you are alright from the accident and I hope that your dad is alright.

Everyone have a Merry Christmas and remember the true meaning behind it.

 

About how many miles are you getting out of those super singles?

 

Merry Christmas from sunny Florida! So good to be home!

 

Don't cry for me, Argentina.

Its the 23rd and I'm heading to Casa Grande AZ from Lufkin TX with a load of bock-bock that the world can't live without. The shipper loaded late so now I have to run balls out to get to the receiver for otd. The unmagic box chirps as I'm coming up on El Paso. It's not a standard time for the canned messages so it must be my pre-plan to get me home for Christmas. Its time to send the reefer temps so I pull into the rest area to check it out.

There must be some mistake here. This next load is heading to the Garbage State, not the Golden State. A leisurely run to New Jersey is not something I would normally turn down but I've never missed a Christmas with my wife in 30 years. Time to call home.

We've over spent for Christmas it seems. Not really sure how "WE" did that because I know I haven't bought a thing this year. Oh well. In the midst of discussion of how the kids are old enough now "we" have pretty much decided to take the load and run it when another call comes in from Oklahoma. Its the planner trying to button-up the day and wants to confirm that I'm committed to the load.

After telling him that I was suppose to be headed home he claims that nothing is showing on his screen but will work on something to get me back to the L.A. area if that's what I want. I've got to call home again and confirm this as its a big decision. Since two days home at Thanksgiving turned into six its decided, take it. Call back the planner on his direct number and confirm. Done deal. It feels like the right decision.

Just a few minutes after hanging up some other clown from Oklahoma is calling me. Its my manager. He is very apologetic and assures me my hometime request is in his system. Must be one of those "technical b i tches" - sometimes called technical glitches by the less tech savy. I tell him I'll take the load but there is absolutely no way to make the 7am pick-up when I'm delivering at 6:30am. He says since I'm helping them out he'll throw an extra $1,800 on the load. HELL YEAH! Amen and alleluia brother! Maybe he said $300? I don't know, it was loud in the truck but its extra money so I'm happy to take it.

Get to wally-world at 23:00 and park across the street so I can ease in around 05:00 and not arouse the slumbering spirits within the bowels of the unmagic box. A few hours of unloading by the minions (or for all I know, they could be Oompa-Loompas) while I contemplate lifes greater mysteries will keep the unmagic box from unleashing a wrath upon me.

Six hours (and $50) later all of the dead chickens have been accounted for and I'm free to go. Send off the empty macros and "BAMM", there is the new load. No sooner than I finish reading the load message another comes in wanting to know my eta as the shipper closes at 12:00 today. I got a problem here....so what else is new?

In order to make otd with Wally's chickens I had no time to get a broken trailer fixed. Somebody left it with a broken landing gear crossbrace. I stayed connected at Wally's house; for safety, you know. So I call dispatch and fill them in. He says drop it at the shipper and call breakdown. OK.

Turns out they are just a block away. Pull in around back at 11:30 and they come out to meet me. I don't hide things and I try to be upfront as possible so I tell the guy I just came from the mighty house of Wally and this trailer is dirty and broken. So, I show him the damage and the inside. He says, "No problem. Swap out your trailers, grab your papers and let's get outta here." Cool.

Get done, grab the bills then call breakdown. Explain what's going on to breakdown and expect the worst. "No problem, buddy, thanks for letting us know." Well that was easy, I think this really was the right decision.

For the last four months I've been saving my rewards points to buy a shiny new toy. A truck specific GPS, a Garmin dezl 560lmt. I cashed in all 29,000 and some odd points to buy it tax free in the land of liberal tree huggers and pan handlers.

My favored route from Phoenix to the 40 east is through Payson. I just prefer the drive. A quick look at my magic box with Google navigation (the old version, not the new POS) shows passing through Payson. Cool, right on again. Google picks the route that I would go a good 95% of the time so I've come to trust it pretty well. I finish up on the unmagic box and do a few other things while the shiny new gps finishes thinking about how the route should go (it has issues but that is a whole nuther story). I finally get the route summary screen to show and it sure looks the same as mine and the magic box's. OK, Mr. Garmin, off we go and I'll follow this neat little shortcut you are insisting on. I would have just gone straight up the 10 to catch the loop then hit sr87 north but now I'm a big boy and have a fancy-schmancy trucker GPS (yeah, trucker is not what I call it now).

A few miles and several turns later I am developing a big distrust for Mr. Garmin. Pull off to the side and consult my old friend Mr. McNally and find we are headed towards Globe. That means the GPS is routing me across US60 to Show Low.

I've had my combination driver lumper licence since '94 and have never been across this stretch of road. I'm not scared of back country roads and actually prefer them. Maybe Mr. Garmin knows something I don't, and besides, if i can make it though WV SR61 between Boomer and Oak Hill, I can make it anywhere. After all, how bad could it be? (You don't ever want to take that road....ever!)

The signs are starting to show. Heading through Florence I'm losing confidence in Mr Garmin. Not 1, 2 or even 4 but now I'm passing prison number 5. Last chance to go my way at Florence Jct. No, I'll trust this truck specific GPS and besides, it looks fairly straight on the map. How bad could it be?

Making my way to Globe on US60 I now remember why I don't go this way much. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to trust the truck specific GPS and maybe I should have just gone home. Past the Freeport-McMoRan mine and copper smelter and through town to my turn. Turn left and up the hill. Into sixth gear, full throttle at 18mph and that's all she's got, yet hope still remains. Until I crest the hill, that is.

All I see before me is an endless undulation of mountains. Now I'm pissed. Not so much at the truck specific GPS but at myself for not going the way I wanted. Ahead I forge through 5, 6, 7, 8 and at one point, even 9% grades. Up and down, up and down, up and down along a never ending ribbon. If its not the grades its the turns, one after the other. I'm so mad I'm missing shifts and grinding gears.

I've got to calm down. I take a deep breath and look far out before me. The view is actually quite pretty and now I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel this stretch of highway.

I tried several times to take a picture of the GPS map but none came out well and I really needed all of my limbs for this drive. The best one is attached and you can see one of the switchbacks on the right.

After passing the half way point just beyond the Salt River I pass a JCT heading the opposite way and think, "He, too, must have a truck specific GPS unit". Sucker.

I finally make it into Show Low. Its taken almost 6 hours to go 200 miles and the mpg is hammered at 3.7. Its pitch black outside now and I tell Mr Garmin exactly where he can go. I no longer think this was the right decision. Throwing the Garmin in the trash is my first thought but cooler heads prevail and I instead abandon his route and head for SR77 to go straight up to I-40.

On the way through town I pass a church on my right where families are gathering for Christmas services. I glance over to see a family of four ascending the front steps toward the door. The young boy opens the door and in a split second the light and scene from inside spills forth. Inside another young boy in a red v-neck sweater and dark framed glasses listens intently with a huge grin on his face while those next to him tell their stories. Others are seated on folding metal chairs at the tables greeting the new arrivals.

In that split second view I absorbed an hours worth of viewing and knew exactly what was happening inside that church. At that same time my heart sank, my face dropped and a lump formed in my throat. I now knew right then that I had made a horrible decision. On this special day I should be at home with the special people in my life. My family.

Jamestown is the goal and there is no time to waste. I dry my eyes and press on with this earth saving load of cream cheese.

Never again, please, never again.

 

I live in gold canyon 12 miles from Florence. I took that route once never again. You'll be surprised Arizona has some scary grades and switch backs but all on the US highways. I took a way that had me going down a 10% grade and climbing in 6th up down up down brake brake brake never again