Good Night From II

Petro in Laramie, WY. Nap time

 

Memphis, parked in a SMALL customer yard for a 10. 8 am appointment for live unload tomorrow and apparently this customer unloads with a pallet jack. Should be alright since they take about 12 pallets off then I'm on to NC.

Glad I ran it out to park at the customer rather than at a truck stop or at the terminal. It would be a nightmare to get into this customer if there was any traffic at all. I studied the situation for the last couple of days on the run from Denver and actually got ahold of a weekend staffer at the customer. Had to go into oncoming traffic line while crossing railroad tracks, then jack in off the street to back into the customer's lot, with a blind side to boot in order to miss a dumpster.

Finished dinner in the truck. Have my morning coffee chilling in the cooler. Have another 610 miles to run tomorrow for the final. Life is good.

 

My run across I-40 through OKC to Memphis was a bit strange today. Generally a smooth ride, but some weird incidents along the way:

- Trucker driving a beat up tractor and rusty reefer nearly clips my fender and forces me onto the shoulder as he finishes a pass in eastern OK, with nobody around for miles behind us. No need to get over in a hurry. Then he starts passing the truck ahead of me, one of those slow motion drag races that took forever and a lone car comes up behind him and then the truck he is passing takes an exit...

... and Mr. Beater just hangs out in the hammer lane for the next mile. So the car starts to slowly make a pass on the right and all of a sudden Mr. Beater changes lanes. He doesn't just change lanes, he SNAPS over into the lane and nearly runs the car off the road.

- East of Little Rock I run into a band of thunderstorms. Nothing looked too spectacular, roads are dry, then all of a sudden I get broadsided by REALLY strong winds approaching an overpass. As I start climbing the bridge on the overpass I see a wall of water pouring down sideways, almost whiteout conditions. Traffic came to a standstill for about a minute. Both lanes stopped and cars stopped on the shoulder. Finally we started creeping forward and 1/4 mile later we were back up to the speed limit with clear skies.

 

Got back to Greer this morning and they must be handing trucks out left and right. Looks like only 4 left on the yard that are brand new. Hope they get you hooked up. You will enjoy the mentor class with Chief, he keeps things interesting.

 

There's something in the air ... I've had a rash of independents lately that can't seem to manage their lane integrity ... to be fair had a Celedon today that just couldn't wait to get over.

Yeah Arakansas' weather can be pretty unstable this time of year.

 

I've seen the worst behavior out of the indies lately. Yesterday, I was passed by a USX truck (doing 65), and he had a white box indie literally drafting him; his front bumper no more than 18" off the USX truck's DOT bumper.

Truck stop behavior is worse. I saw one the other day toss a bag full of trash out of his window as he was pulling out of the parking space. If you see someone taking a whizz in the parking lot, it's usually an indie.

Why? My guess is that they don't have any accountability to anyone else. They don't have a huge billboard advertising who they drive for, so there's no way to call anyone.

 

They usually keep most of the new trucks over at the body shop lot. It's over on the other side of the interstate.

 

yep...noticed lately a lot getting stacked up by the back fence and along the driver 's parking lot though. Too bad none are for flatbed

 

Asked my DM for one last time I was there. Said they are for teams and mentors. I says, oh....the valuable employees huh? She just laughed and said no, not at all.

Riiigght

 

lol, thanks for the chuckle

Stopped in lovely Corbin KY at the Pilot. Enjoying The Hobbit (book not movie) and a Padron series 2000 cigar. It is a fine evening.