Big Loads - Post Photos Number 2

With certain exceptions, you stay out of Loves and Pilots. In the truckstop directory, you can find a truckstop on your route. I look for a mom and pop joint with a big lot, preferably a real restaurant. Usually, these places will have a huge lot, and because it's not a big chain, will not be full to the brim with the bottomfeeders...which betters the odds for us getting a spot.

Found a nice truckstop in West Virginia on 64. Was pulling an OSOW across 64 and I looked into the directory and stopped at the very last truckstop on eastbound 64. It's stick truck territory. Got in and parked, walked inside to the restaurant. Good food, great prices. No beer. Not even in the c-store. Not a dry county, they just don't sell beer.

The locals cram into this place for the food. I got the special for the day, which was pot roast. Surprisingly good, and got out of there for under $10!

There were a couple stick trucks in the lot, guess the drivers were at home. As the sun started to go down, the other OSOW trucks started coming in. Everyone had the same idea as me...find a restaurant and sit and wait for Monday morning (Virginia rules apply).

Occasionally, I will run into one of our drivers, who has lots of points built up on his Loves/Pilot fueled card and get a shower. Had a piloted load from Texas to NJ. Running with another driver. Tennessee routed us around the 840. I realized that the timing would be tight, but we could make it over to Lebanon,Tn a couple minutes after evening curfew. Otherwise, we are stopping 1.5-2 hours early. Well, we hammered through and it got dark on us while we were on 840. When we got to i40 the other driver jumped off to go to the pilot. I'd already checked my directory and opted instead for Uncle Pete's. The lot wasn't big, but you could still get an escorted load in there after sunset.
The other driver's pilot cars called mine, and they decided to come to Uncle Pete's too, because that Pilot was jammed up. Now, it's bad enough to still be out on the road after evening curfew, but it's even worse when you are leaving a truckstop because you can't get a spot. For I stop at a mom and pop, I have no problems paying for a shower. As long as I'm safely parked, I am satisfied.

 

Does anyone have any tricks for getting rock trucks centered? Sometimes it takes me 5-6 tries to get it right. Problem is, once you get up to the trailer, you really can't see the back of the trailer anymore.

I usually end up moving upba bit at a time and stopping and look at how far over the edge my tires are.

One time, I decided to ask a ####house truck driver to center me. What a mistake that was. Guess there was a reason he was cleaning out houses.

 

We don't usually get to move these off road tandem, twin steer trucks. This one in particular had tipped over on the drivers side. Luckily the driver was 100% OK. It was fun getting it loaded/unloaded due to it dog tracking so bad. Could not get the box to lower any more, had to chain her down! I had flags on, but had taken them off before taking the pic..

 

I start a ways back and look down the center of the trailer, once I start on I hold he wheel straight and I'm usually close. If you fall of back up and start over.

 

Truckdad,

I learnt that lesson, just because they have a cdl, doesn't mean they know left from right

 

But I agree, goal is how I've done it. I think the Volvo seat is off center too.

I'm just trying to learn the tricks to do it better. I appreciate all the advice.

 

It's amazing how when I first entered the business, I thought it was so easy, I'll just move up the ranks and excel because I'm smarter than the average bear.

But its not that easy, you have to step back and think. Idk, that's why I love this trade, it challenges me everyday and I'm not the smartest person in the room.

 

Remember those pics of Hammer's 3 deuce beam trailer pulling the big road grader? Big Ronnie asks about the well, and HH says it's 37 ft. I was thinking, "Wow! That sucker is going to be difficult to maneuver!" It was a hell of a securement job too. Then Hammer tells me that he's heading Nelson Bros, from Decatur,IL. That would be straight up I74. There's a lot of construction on 74, but they were still routing all the OSOW loads up that way.

A few weeks before, I was heading south out of Virginia through Georgia. Catalina was being escorted through Georgia with a 19 wide. It was an ugly, rainy day in Georgia. Can you imagine trying to navigate a 19 wide around the 285 Loop in the rain? Even with police escort, that's a wearisome day. And it's one of those deals where he absolutely had to make it from Ringgold,GA to Savannah on a Saturday, because the Georgia rules apply. He made it. That's a hell of a run. He never said anything, but if you've done it, you know that's one hell of a driver to pull that off.

We don't realize it until we do it, but there is a lot of work, LOTS OF WORK, involved. I guarantee every time Big Ronnie pulls into a truckstop, some driver is there thinking, "I can do that!" And they stop Ron and ask him a couple questions. 5 minutes later, this guy is in the restaurant telling everyone that he used to heavyhaul.

Yessir, sure does look easy when that big load is moving down the 4 lane on a sunny day.

I'd wager that every one of the guys has had their share of horror stories. I think it was Ol JD (JohnDeere) that was talking about how difficult it was running through Pennsylvania. I was having nightmares of running downtown through Pittsburgh with a 3 axle Rgn, 29 ft well, and OSOW. All of those twisted tight streets, those crazy single lane right turns, those bridges and the river flowing right through the city. To put it in perspective, you know all of that construction going on at Thompson Roadand I10 at Baytown...how tight it is? That's how tight downtown Pittsburgh is.

So you go to a watering hole. You order some groceries. You have an adult beverage. You hold it up, and look at it and you say to yourself, "I earned this. I am going to reward myself. Everyone else is in their trucks eating PB&J trying to save money, and you are looking for the barkeep for the 2nd round.

There's a lot of talent on this board, and there's a lot of respect too.

 

Haha

How do you always know how to put it in my perspective. Or insert random persons perspective.

I remember the PA turnpikes from when I did expedite but you brought it home with the Thompson Rd example.