Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

Are you still here? I'm back in my truck. I'm here until about 1am.

 

yeah ill be here till morning

 

Got our first drop off this morning. I can't say it was easy, not the drop, that was a piece of cake. The last 350 miles were a royal pain in the arse. I took the truck back from George at the Loves in Ontario Oregon at 10pm last night. George went to sleep, I left the truck stop and no sooner got onto 84 and it started snowing. At about the 335mm the roads disappeared. I stopped in a rest area and took a break. Boy was that not a good idea. I was on snow covered roads all the way to the top of Cabbage. The chain law was up, there was no place to stop and put my chains on so I kept going. I called George and told him to sit in the jump seat and take notes. I made to Pendleton without any issues, slow but safe. It snowed on me all the way to The Dalles. I stopped for a quick cup of coffee then went on. We sent a message into dispatch informing them about our delay. That wasn't an issue. Got to Fred Meyer D/C in Clackamas and was backed right in. We were pulling out at 9am and sitting in Jubitz T/S having breakfast at 10am.

I forgot to fill my DEF tank last night and had my low warning light flashing telling me it was low. I had to put in a container I bought just so I could make it to my fuel stop here in Chehalis. This was a long hard trip for us. We left East St. Louis at 7:30 Saturday night, in the freezing rain, then I had snow the whole way across MO to Platte City. George took over and drove from 1am to 6:30am until we got to North Platte for fuel. I explained to him that we needed to ride all night, but if he got tired, he know's exactly how I feel, to pull over in a safe place and shut it down. The first thing I told him when he got in the truck in the beginning of December was that if he ever got tired, to stop the truck. He has done so a few times. I told him it's much easier explaining to dispatch that you got tired then it is trying to explain to safety why you ran off the road because of you being tired. I will say this. We were able to deliver this load on time even with a tight window because of George. He manned up, did his part and got us over the hump. I'd say and give him 2 thumbs up.

I got my reload info for tomorrow. I unload at 3am in Puyallup then have to dead head to north of Seattle to Stanwood and live load a frozen load going to Mira Loma Ca. It delivers Thursday morning at 8am, I'll be dropping it in the Colton yard about noon on Wednesday. It's been about 20 years since I've gone up or down I-5 thru Wa, Or, and Ca. I just hope it isn't snowing over Shasta, I've had enough of this already. My winter started the first week of November and I'm done with it.

 

Man you aren't kidding about the snow on that stretch. The last time I ran it this winter, road crews couldn't keep up and there was about 6 inches of packed snow. Closed it off a hour after I went through. Chain laws were up from LaGrande to the scales just before Cabbage. Made for a long night.

Glad you guys made it safe and sound, and way to go George!

 

Great job, guys, stay safe!!

 

Ok, me thinks I finally understand how dispatch operates here. I was telling George the other night that because we are emptying out in the PNW with a reefer that we will probably get loaded to So. Cal. Bingo, right call. We got empty at 4am in Puyallup, while waiting at the dock my reload came over the squawk box known to many as the Qualcomm. I had to dead head to Stanwood about 80 miles north of Seattle and load at some cold storage place. The load was going to Mira Loma for Thursday. I sent a message into Tim after we got rolling with my ETA in Mira Loma and asked about dropping this in our Colton yard. I never heard back so we just rolled on. Here's a little story about luck. The bills said I had 33K in my trailer, the shipper told me there was 24 double stacked pallets and a single one in the rear. I looked at my suspension gauge and was showing 55lbs. There wasn't a scale to be found near me so I figured I would go down to the Loves in Chehalis where I slept the night before. On our way down we passed 3 state scales, all closed. I went and weighed the truck and boom, 11,800 on steers, 30,280 on the drives and 35,980 on the trailer. I had room to slide the tandem back and got my weight legal. I was very grateful those 3 scales were closed. My only concern from that point was if I was at or under the 40ft mark for California. I guess I am, the 2 scales we crossed let us go.

Like I said earlier, it's been 20+ years since I've been down I-5, but remembered that there are a ton of s-curves and steep grades from Roseburg south to Redding. I got to the Love's in Roseburg, fueled up and decided to go to bed because I was exhausted from being up early that morning. My 10 hour break was up at 4am, over slept and finally left at 6:30. I drove up and over the mountains and made it to Redding. I gave the truck to George with 580 miles to go, said good night and went back to sleep. I no sooner fall asleep then my Qualcomm goes off. I now have to drop this load in our Colton yard, grab an empty reefer and drop and hook a preloaded produce load in Colton going to Gordonsville Va for Friday morning. I have home time scheduled for next Thursday, my birthday and Friday, my anniversary/valentines day. I will have time to do one more west coast turn before I head home.

I just need to say that I'm doing a major juggling act here. My wife has a medical issue going on that is requiring doctors, specialists and now a biopsy needs to be done, which is taking place on Friday, meanwhile I have an Aunt, my mothers sister, that is like a second mother to me that, just had part of her leg amputated and isn't doing well. All this and I'm bouncing across this country trying to do my job, get George ready to go solo, comforting my wife, comforting my mom and worrying about this job. A few more bumps in this road and I'm going to throw up the white flag. One thing I was told a very long time ago, and something that I take great comfort in, God only gives you enough at one time to handle.

 

JB this is so true. As you already know I had a stressful 2013 with my daughter and her cancer and one of my other daughters getting in trouble. But just when I was about to say heck with it and give up. I prayed and looked for things I sincerly thanked God Almighty for and when I started giving thanks thats when things started turning around. It didn't happen over night but it has changed. My daughter is Cancer free. My other Daughter comes to me every few days and says Dad thank you for caring and loving me enough to ground me and making her see the big picture. My prayers are with and your familiy be strong and find things to be thankful for. I'm proud to have you as a FREIND.

 

Thank you, and so very true. Now if I can get this truck off this rough arse Hwy 99 here by Bakersfield I would be just tickled pink.

 

Here's tonight's menu. George stopping in Tehachapi for fuel, John starting his clock and driving to Colton to drop this trailer, then driving over to the Walmart produce center to pick up our loaded trailer, then driving to Quartzite Az to shower. Then drive out my clock near Benson Az and give it back to George. We are routed this way because of the weather between Flagstaff and eastern Oklahoma. Big snow storm, I'm over it already.

 

JohnBoy I am sorry to hear about your wife condition and you mothers leg amputation. As my wife always tells me that God has a plan for everyone and everything has a reason don't ask why. I know that is true and you will overcome this somehow. I do hope that your wife is ok. Your family will be in my prayers.

I know how it is to try to work and worry about family problems. We are not supposed to bring family problems to work and not bring work home to family but in this profession it is hard not to.