Millis OTR journal

Wassup y'all. Hope all of you are safe and happy out there in Truckerland. Tonight I'm in Valley Grove, located in West-By-God-Virgina. It's been a minute since I've posted, so here's a rundown of my last few days. I was in NY in my last entry, heading to North Carolina. When I finished that run, I was nearly out of time. Opie saw that before I even told him. My delivery was in Raleigh, which is notoriously and painfully short on parking. He gave me a glass load from Lexington that picked up the following morning. I managed to get parked at a Petro on the way with exactly 1 minute left on my 70. It doesn't get any closer than that That load went to Trenton, and I delivered it this morning. I assumed I would be given a load going to Cleveland/Akron/Canton area, as I have home time scheduled. I was given a beer load going to Greensburg PA that delivers tomorrow morning, and then I'll be deadheading home from there. Good enough for me. Tomorrow I'll be sleeping in my bed and I'll have the whole place to myself, as my wife is away on vacation until Friday. That's a good thing, I have a truckload of things to accomplish on this trip home, pardon the pun. I don't have to be up for 12 hours, and getting up then would almost be overkill. I have a ton of cushion to work with. I'm gonna put in my earplugs and kiss the world goodbye very shortly. The place I'm going to tomorrow has some spare parking available, so I may go early. They take loads according to appointment but they are good at sliding folks in early. They are VERY quick at unloading. So I will probably roll the dice a little and hope for some luck. Here's hopin'. Last time I went, there were two or three drivers that were late, so they got me in immediately. And then home sweet home. I'll check in with you guys soon, and from the comfort of my office chair. Talk to y'all later. Be safe, and check your pins. Peace.

 

Getting unloaded now. I'm 153 miles and an Uber ride away from relaxation

 

I appreciate your sentiment, and I agree. It is sad. There are many things that separate us out here. OTR vs regional vs local. Dry van vs reefer vs flatbed. O/O vs company driver. Independent vs union. Whoever messed with my truck almost had to be a trucker, and that just hurts. We are all out here doing the same job, taking the same risks, and fighting the same battles. We all have families. We all have friends. We also drive along side all the car drivers that have family and friends. What we do is a huge responsibility. We aren't soldiers or firemen or police officers. But we do risk our lives on a daily basis, and we affect the lives of so many people around us. Those people count on us to do our part to keep the roads safe by controlling our part of the equation. The term "professional truck driver" is one that I take very seriously. Lives count on me being safe. @MACK E-6 said it best

I don't know who did it, and I don't care. If we can't stand together out here and help each other, who will? I have met a few truckers out here that I don't ever want to see again. No matter how much I dislike them, I would never mess with their ride. If I had a completely sensory-override moment and I was angry enough to inflict harm on someone, I have two fists. I am not going to kill you or put others in harm or make someone mourn all who were affected. I don't understand why that person did it, but it makes me sad. Be a spark, and help another trucker. Even if you don't like them. The roads are angry enough, there is no need to add to the problem.

 

Wassup guys. Greetings from Uniontown, Ohio. Or as I call it, Home Sweet Rental. The deer and squirrels say hello. I am extremely happy to be home but I feel naked without my truck. It's weird how my perspective has changed as time goes by. I had my usual experience at my final. I didn't get in much earlier than my appointment time but the folks were courteous as usual, and the service was fast. The drive home was longer than normal, and I was shocked that I was sent that far away from home. Simply because of the deadhead mileage. Hey, no complaints here. Driving through the mountains of Pennsylvania and flying by everyone was a nice change and a fun experience. Usually I am sitting in the slow lane doing 30 with my flashers blinking. Not today, my friends. Blaring some great driving music and floating up the grades like a champ. Gotta love it If I had an extra 10-15k in weight, that would have been magical! I have so much to do, but for tonight I am ordering delivery and crashing afterwards. Tomorrow I go to Candy Land. You might refer to it as a dealership. Time to start window shopping. Super pumped!!! I hope y'all are doing well. Be safe out there guys. Keep the rubber side down, and check your pins.

I will leave you with a good driving song. Crank it up to 11, and drop the hammer....