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

As I have said before, you Abilene drivers have the patience of Job. Personally, I would have already "gone over the edge". Me and a rental car would have long been heading home.

 

Driving a rental car from here to Richmond would eat into the breakdown pay they're going to give me for being clever enough to break down somewhere else besides one of our terminals.

 

Breakdown and detention pay is the hardest money that I have ever made.

 

Came off hometime yesterday morning 0300 and bobtailed down the road to grab my reefer I dropped at the truckstop down the road from the house and discovered somebody parked their car in front of it. Thankfully it belonged to the driver in the truck parked next to my trailer and that he got up when I knocked and wasn’t an arsehole about it either. Dropped it off in Groveport since they really needed it and did a 30 minute break then they sent me the Alpharetta load even though didn’t have the drive hours left to make there, told me to grab it and get as far as I can and they worked out a relay with another driver which met me at the J in Knoxville. Deliver his load he had 2200 tonight in Richmond at SuperValu DC. Decided to head to the yard and hang out til delivery, didn’t feel like sitting in Knoxville all day. Next load is a cigarette load to Sidney, OH.

 

Truck has been repaired. I think. When I was pulling out of the bay, I suddenly lost a lot of air pressure from the air reservoir. Mechanic did something and it seemed to recover, but it's certainly something that makes me nervous.

They sent me a load assignment while I was still in the repair bay getting serviced. It told me to hook an empty dry van. Which are in short supply here at the Bordentown Petro. Especially since the driver who rescued my load bobtailed over here and didn't bring me a trailer to swap.

And even if I'd had an empty trailer attached, I still wouldn't have made it to the shipper on time.

So I called HQ and explained things and got taken off the load. We'll see if I can work my way back to Richmond tomorrow.

 

Well, 8 hrs in the dock at UNFI/SuperValu. 6 hrs detention pay. Unloaded all the other trucks that came after me for some reason and left me for last. Must not like us. 364.15 in lumper fees. Was there long enough to get a 8 hr split in and had 10:16 drive hrs so I kept on rolling to colonial heights to the dsc warehouse then to Ohio.

 

Moving day today. They finally kicked me out of my KW. Gave me a choice between a new Volvo or a new Freightshaker. There are definitely things I don't like about the Volvo's we run, whereas I've never driven a Freightliner before so I know nothing about it, bad or good. So I picked that one.

It's the 2nd truck in a row I've had that started out life as a lease-op vehicle. Only 34k miles. Apparently the guy who leased it was only in it a couple months before deciding that the life of a lease-op was not for him. At least it's green, though, so my fellow Abileenies will recognize me.

It had no livery or decals whatsoever when they gave it to me, including the DOT number. Had to get that squared away, as well as obtaining a bunk mattress, which I guess the previous owner took with him when he left.

 

Came out of hometime,to a day of layover,hopefully the rest of the week pulls itself together. Been running pretty good the past several weeks.

 

Wow, I drove through Wytheville last night and was going to shut down there for a 10. Nope.

With all the extra trucks running around the closed I40/I26 section, including me, there wasn’t a spot left in the whole town… and beyond.

Crazy. At least y’all got private parking in the area.

stay safe

 

Delivered that cigarette load Friday morning then bounced me to Monroe, Mi to get the Byhalia run from Pitt Ohio Express. New yard there they must have bought off yellow. Dropped on the yard sat and did a 34. New friday I was doing a York, Pa turn around, love it when I get planned for a week. Will deliver in Byhalia 0600 in the morning. Been pretty good so far, hope it stays up.