Good Night From II

This is the first time since I've been driving that I got here. In fact, I haven't been to New Orleans since I was a very young kid.
It was a little family trip, and I think my dad got mugged during that trip.

I haven't missed much I guess.

 

What a fun morning.
After getting turned around on some side streets of New Orleans (at one point I had to get out and remove a construction barrel that was blocking the road so I could make the turn. It was covering a large hole that would have destroyed a car tire/wheel. I put it back after making the turn.) I finally made it to my pick up.
USPS facility, and not much room to get around. I was blocking other trucks by following the instructions of the guard, and they were yelling at me to move.
I did when I was told where to go.

The USPS place at the other end was much better.
As I pulled in the yard dog flagged me down and told me to drop the trailer right there. As I was unhooking I asked about empties. He said that they needed this load right now, so it would be unloaded in a few minutes.
I waited, and sure enough it was less than 30 minutes total that I was there.

So I'm near Atlanta, GA again with a 0700 pick up in the morning that is headed to Jackson, MO.

 

I was left with what was on the load, plus a bundle of spare bungees. It was thier rachet bar.

But the plot thickens. The skateboard had a air leak, during the process of them fixing the leak, they discovered the kingpin was out of spec. So the load had to be transloaded. We transloaded it to a step deck. Down goes all the tarps and straps. And I have to resecure and re tarp the load. Doing that in 97ish degree heat, a soft reefer driver, I thought many times I just couldn't do it. But I pushed through. For the trouble they paid me 500 miles, so that was a welcome suprise. And I was one of two drivers having too transload for similar reasons that day. We helped each other out. But two drivers working transloading two loads, is still like doing the whole process yourself. And both of our loads required lumber tarps, two each.

To make up for lost time a recent flatbed upgradee, teamed with me to Laredo too make it on time. And us two gringos got to the final in Laredo to discover 1 English speaker in a warehouse.

At first they wanted us to dock, then after I had my codriver bring the step deck forward, they figured it out and cleared a space for us. A few of the van drivers marveled at us pulling our tarps and securement. By the time we were rolling the last strap back up, the forklift came around and got everything off.

But I'm in my FB truck now, 9 speed manual. Inventory will be in the morning. I'm missing alot of stuff, I just haven't counted it yet. And they set me up with a load, an obvious one for Laredo (tomorrow I hunt for ramps on top of everything else.)

 

Murfreesboro, TN on a 34.

I had the time on this load for a 34 so I got a motel room.
It's nice being able to watch a NASCAR race for once.

 

And the only race I've been able to watch this season, Jimmy Johnson wins at Martinsville.
Jimmy punched his ticket to the championship race at Homestead, and I'm happy for him. I would like nothing more than to see JJ take his 7th.

 

Me and the step deck are bout 50 miles south of OKC, drop one van off tomorrow, and head to Ohio to drop the other two.

 

I never got to pull those new fontaine aluminum steps. I left just when they started getting them in. California spread is dumb as hell though.

 

We have two different models of those fountaine step decks, different ramp systems. I like them for some things. But I prefer the trailers with real rub rails and spools if I have to tarp. And I agree the California spread is just retarded. Haven't pulled one yet, hope I can avoid it, but I know it'll happen. Heck I think the normal step spread manuvers fairly well.

 

Flying J between Cleveland and Columbus. Deliver two more vans at 8am.

So everyone has been calling me, trying to get me to train flatbed students.

I found out why.

There are 79 FB students in need of a FB mentor. 32 are currently with van mentors, the rest are just waiting. And there are 9 avalible FB mentors atm (myself included, cause my status transfered with me.) with a fresh batch of FB students starting class next week.


So, I told driver development I'm new to the division. Thier response "still better than a van driver teaching them".

Guess they have a point.

But it's a bit ####y.

 

It definitely is better than nothing. I did not have a FB mentor, I just did the 3 day class in phx and they sent me on my way. And of course my first load out of phx was those clay pipes loaded across the trailer, that was fun, it was nothing like anything they had in the yard to practice on. I did my best and took the load back to the yard for Ray's approval.