An old man's career goes flat, Snackbar moves to open deck

When I ain't rolling making money (when I should be), I am aggravated. Especially when it's because of a brain fart by someone who should have known better. A simple mistake, I can understand, we all make mistakes...but ordering a machine that is bigger than the door they want it delivered to? And these people make armor for our military? Did they use to make door plugs for Boeing 737’s

As far as the rescue load for the freight...they had another driver who's load cancelled, so they sent him after it instead. He could get it delivered sooner anyway. As for me, stop 3 was delivered and I am just barely in NJ, 46 miles from Stop 4, and the final stop is only 23 miles from them. And, since I busted arse to get this load delivered by Friday, I was given a choo-choo train wheel load to Western NE that picks up before 20:00 tomorrow evening. So I get double the miles from the rescue load. Maybe he was following the route tab on the Sam-crappa and it had him routed that way. My PA load was actually the last on the route even though the email had it 3rd. When I arrived, I did a manual arrive and it wanted a reason for me stopping out of order and I chose "more efficient route" (or something like that)

 

Yeah, the only thing you have to remember not to do is complete the empty call on the last stop it shows. Manual arrive and depart and scanning the paperwork still works until you hit the empty call. So I just go in order of the stops on the email and then when I am really empty, I go to the final stop on the box and empty out.

My 1st train wheel load, like my 1st Genie load, took me some time to secure it and to feel comfortable with it, and to be comfortable with how they ride...but all the loads after that it's easy peasy. And I also see a long deadhead in my future. I figure, unless something unique materializes, I am headed to Wichita/Park City afterwards for a FL load. I am due home on the 21st, but my eye doctor appointment got moved out a couple days, so I told them I can extend my arrival to home until the 23rd or 24th if necessary.

 

Both of the NJ stops were a 5 finger cluster, or another words, typical NJ. 1st stop, address was slightly different (Executive Ave instead of Executive Drive, and there is no Executive Dr in Edison) and no name of the customer on the building. It was at a trucking company that warehouses and loads containers for freight exporters. They open at 8, or so the sign says, around 8:15 the receiving guy shows up, I follow him in. He goes into the office and disappears. A forklift guy comes out of the office and tells me the other guy be back to help in 5 or so minutes. 20 min later, I sign in and hand him my paperwork. He hands me back my copy and says to wait by my truck and someone will be with me shortly, and he'll sign my paperwork. 30 minutes later, one of their local drivers comes over and asked if I checked in yet. I give him the low down and he goes in and lights a fire under someone's butt and 5 min later they unloaded their stuff (3 crates). I half arse retarp, using the big straps I had to take off to unload there to hold down most of the tarp, and add a few bungies in between. I only had 20 miles, and a fair amount of surface streets to my final stop, so it didn't have to be a 70 mph tarp job. Port traffic is backed up to the interstate exit, fight my way thru it, get to the staging area for my final and untarp and mostly unsecure the load. While I am doing that, a guy with a 3 axle RGN backs in beside me with a large shrink-wrapped marine engine on deck. He stops and chats while I finish up, turns out he is a small fleet owner and trys to recruit me. He almost had me convinced to join up until he mentions that he paid percentage AND pay via 1099. As soon as I heard that, I thanked him for the offer but I don't do 1099 or percentage. 3 hours later they finally pull me in to unload. Once inside the gate, the unload goes quick, and I was off to the train wheel plant 220 miles away. Get to the plant, spread my axles and back in. 2 forklifts appear and throw 16 stacks of wheels on my trailer, the helper airnails the wood on the top, and I get to securing everything. Thankfully I have my J-plates because the end stack stopped right at the wheel well of my stepdecks front axle. Get everything secured and weighed out in around an hour and my weight balance is almost perfect. Just a quick hop up the interstate and I spend the night at a Rutter's truckstop a few exits away. I told my FM yesterday that I wasn't gonna have enough hours on my 70 to make a Monday delivery. I have 1400 miles to travel, but by the time I got shut down, I only have 20.42 left on my clock, so it looks like I do a 34 in NE before delivery. And this customer is way out in the sticks north of the Sidney, NE Love's...so 1st thing Tuesday morning I will deliver. 5 stops and 4 retarps kinda ate my clock up, but this run and a run to the house, plus any long deadhead I get will make decent miles and I have also put in for 3 days sick pay (dentist, optometrist and DOT physical) and I am cashing out my vacation so it pays on the check that includes my hometime, so it should be a normal check. All in all, this month won't be as big of a disaster as I was expecting given that short 3 day run to Colorado last week.

 

Had to laugh yesterday. Coming out of Newark I saw a Tesla SUV sitting on the side of the road. Sitting beside the Tesla was a big portable generator charging it. Way to go you yahoo!!!! Probably put more polution into the air with that non-emission generator than if he would have bought a modern internal combustion engine powered car.