The journey begins - purchased a truck.

Just so you don't think it's all laying around the pool drinking beer . . .


Fixed to both sides and pocket stake holders for the front and back.

I may get a thin sheet metal piece fabbed up for the back of the trailer, just so I don't have to take up storage space with the 4 pocket stake placards, but that will get me going for now. There was a load from AR to LA of one drum of hazmat, picking up yesterday, delivering today - didn't have placards, so couldn't take it. The other goodies coming out of AR required tarps - (in the canvas shop being gone over) - so I thought it best to put some time into PREPARATION.

Had a beeatch of a time finding the placards. Chrome shop mafia, none. Freightliner, No. Joplin Trailer had the flip style, and a smaller trailer shop had the insert style. All up about $95 and an hour or so with beer in hand and cordless driver in the other.

This morning I'll attack the seats. A buddy of mine gave me a practically brand new seat out of a freightliner, I'll put that in the passenger side, and swap the lightly used passenger side to the drivers side, and discard the old drivers seat. Load some clothes in it, restock the oil and additive box, squirt some grease here and there, mow some lawn and clean up the pool some more. I think that pool will get a bit of use this summer.

Side note, self hijack - it never fails to amaze me - every year. The pool places are FLAT OUT about a week before Memorial Day, I think it is (or is it July 4th) - because everybody leaves their pool till then to 'open'. Then it takes hundreds of dollars in chemicals, scrubbing, filtering - to get them ready. I simply pull the cover off about this time of year, set the pump on timer for 3 or 4 hours a day, put 4 lbs of shock and some chlorine tabs in the skimmer, brush and vacuum it twice, and the sunlight takes care of the rest. Come June/July, it's clean, sparkly, and ready to go. Procrastination, I guess.

 

SILLY BOY . . .

Monday -

Tarps not ready . . . TWIC not in the mail . . . . last settlement due in the account Tuesday . . . . antsy pants again - hit the board. 2 hours of searching . . . . TWIC this, TARPS that . . . . too heavy . . . . west (no - learned that last week) . . .

Oooh! - Springdale, AR - San Antonio, TX - $1600, 606 miles. 1 extra stop in Dublin, TX. That'll do. Gotta do something - right?

It said "CONTAINER" - turns out to be 2 trash compavtors (big'uns) and a cardboard press 'baler'. Agent slow with loading it in the system, load confirmation etc, finally get going at 1 pm, fuel and arrive 2.30pm. Guy loading it accidentally crushes a can of brown spray paint on the deck . . . accident . . . I say little.

Over secure it again - right at 13' 6" - makes me nervous. It's 5.45 pm before I get out of there. Hit the hay in Weatherford, TX, 2am

Tuesday -

Off at midday, get rid of dublin, TX - not enough time to hit the San Antonio stop - OH - wait, it GREW ANOTHER STOP!
2 stops in San Antonio - neither of them want to see me at 6pm. 7am and 8am, thanks. Off down the 281, getting crud fuel mileage and beginning to get annoyed with myself.

Wednesday -

Fun starts at 5am. drive the 50 miles in, arrive 6.20am, chains off the baler, ready to roll. Installer turns up (BOB, we'll call him). BOB measures. "Wrong size". Customer says "Leave it on the truck". I think "SHAFT AGENT ROYALLY FOR RETURN FREIGHT" . . . .

Off to final drop, happily thinking big $$$ thoughts and an easy load. Final drop (JACK, we'll call him) - installs for shipper, and needs the baler out of the way so he can redneck roll the dumpster off the back of my truck. His forklift is a no show at this point. He MEASURES baler, takes photos, makes calls . . . . and says "It's the right size". JACK calls BOB. BOB takes a trip over (40 minutes later). BOB says . . . . "OOPS!

Back to first drop I go. The forklift THEY ordered is long gone. Won't be back till 2-3pm. We try to get it off with 2 3500 lb forklifts - it's looking like a mission failure. BOB is truly sorry, and a bit embarrassed, so he takes me to lunch. Nice guy, we chat, eat. Forklift shows at 3.30pm. Off the truck it goes, . . . . and . . . . .

Back to the second drop. Forklift is there, JACK has been waiting. Unload the beast with a 3500lb forklift, off the back, lift here, balance there, chain over here - drive out from under it. Tidy up dunnage and chains, and head straight into 5pm traffic with 2 hours to spare of my 14.

Agent had been kept up to date with the whole thing. I didn't complin abou the extra stop that wasn't mentioned, and never mentioned the can of paint - but she asked me what i thought was a good figure to compensate for the days events.

So, I figured there was 750 miles on my odometer for the trip, 144 more than posted. 144 times $2.60, 2 extra drops at $50 each, and 9 hours at $30. Total - $812.

I get a call back from her with tales of nitpicking from the customer about hours and miles, and almost lose my peachy demeanour, but keep it civil, and give her the "Whatever" - I think she said about $450.

Lessons learned -

Don't take equipment that needs stuff ordered to take it off with, like a forklift. I think Old Man told me this, and I didn't ask enough questions first.

Don't go to Texas. Forty Cal told me this, and I swear I plum forgot till I crossed the OK border. Ain't much but not much in the way of rates.

BE PATIENT - seems this is an inherent trait that may be hard to shake. Tuesday or Wednesday could have come before I had to go earn some dough - I get "dog with a bone" mentality pretty easy.

I actually had a $4.05/mile load booked to Denver, enough to d/h home and still make out good - and it cancelled.
I rang on a $6/mile load from Del Rio to Ft Worth - and couldn't book it because of the trash on my truck - lucky I didn't commit to it, it would have been a FAIL.

3 other load I rang on, left a message, never called back. Others vaporised on a 2nd click. An Agent told me "I should have stayed in bed today - it's THAT quiet"

Tail between legs, I should have a putzy load from Waco to Chickasha - 2 forklifts ( one chain on each corner and strap the forks down, right?) - and then I'll be in close proximity to get an earbashing from somebody on here that ALLREADY TOLD ME WHAT I LEARNED TODAY !!!

On the positive front, the secretary seems to have the payroll and the feds sorted out, though she almost slammed the phone through the computer in the process, but learning is never easy, right?

Soup and Salad, wash me nasty nads, brush me toofy pegs, put on me jim jams, and go to beddy bo bos.

TIRED trucker. Silly boy.