Calex Express....My New Home!

johnboy...thanks i will check with him. runningman...thanks for info ive seen your trucks a lot on 81. will check into it too. i just want to run lots of miles and good benefits for family too. now dont have any and only .34 per mile at about 2000-2400 mpw.

 

They aren't hiring in my part of TN. They want folks near Knoxville or Chattanooga.

 

Do they hire out of Columbus, Oh?.........and do they force drivers into Canada?

 

I'm pretty sure they do. They don't force you to go to Canada unless you are able and are willing to go. I have my passport and have been there the last 2 weeks with absolutely no problems or issues.

 

Give 'em a ring.

 

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm home and will post my adventures for the last 2 weeks, first the week after Thanksgiving.

I was home for a week over Thanksgiving. On the Friday after the holiday my wife and I were out shopping around 5pm and I had to call into dispatch. Louie, my regular dispatcher was off that day so Pat gave me my load info. It was a p/u on Monday in Fernandina Beach Fl. for a load going to Kingsport TN for Tuesday, then deadhead down to one of our regular customers in Cleveland Tn for a load going to St. Catherines Ontario for Thursday morning. I was told to drop it in the yard in Pittston on Wednesday. I asked Pat if I could run the load through and he said to me rather surprisingly that yes I could if I had a passport and was able to get into Canada with no problems. I told him yes on the passport and yes on the no problems. In todays economic times, and being close to the holidays, the extra miles would be very handy at this time, plus the extra pay for crossing the border is nice.

I'm going to skip all the minor details except to say that the unload went along fine, the deadhead to drop and hook for Canada was fine, but the trip in between was not. I drop and hooked after the 3 hour ride then had to wait 2 hours for the paperwork to be completed, it seems there was a problem with the count and it was not leaving until the count was correct. I made it as far as Dandridge TN at the Pilot and took a shower and my 10hr break. I woke up and was on the road by 7am on Wednesday with just over 700 mils to go to my delivery, thinking I would make it to my fuel stop in Harbor Creek PA and take my 10hr break there then finish the last 2 hours the next day.......wrong! As I was getting ready to leave the Pilot, it stated to rain and was real windy. I started hearing on the CB that they had wind advisories and high profile vehicle warnings...(me). I made a decision to leave with my 18,000 lbs of wheelchairs and headed toward West Virginia. I made it to the last service plaza on the WV tpk and had an early lunch. My phone rang and it was Louie my dispatcher telling me that I had to meet another one of our drivers in Buffalo that had a customs form for me that I needed in order to load in Canada to come back into the US. We made arrangements to meet 6am on Thursday at his p/u which was only 1 mile from the Peace Bridge border crossing. So far so good right? Now is about the time the fun starts.

I left the service plaza and started up Rte 19 that cuts off from the WVA tpk to I-79. The winds started to really blow and I was fighting the steering wheel trying to keep this truck and trailer in a straight line. About 2 miles from the New River Gorge Bridge a dully p/u pulling a goose neck trailer with a couple of new horse trailers on it was blown over and had the whole bridge blocked. There I sat, along with everyone else for 2 hours until they got everything cleaned up, then let all the cars go first then escorted the big trucks 2 at a time across the bridge. They said they had 70 mile an hour winds going on and it sure felt like it. Let me tell you something, being escorted across that bridge and looking down the 900 foot drop sure made everything om my body pucker up real tight! I made it across then fought the wind the rest of the day. Did I mention that when I left Dandridge that it was raining? And was still raining until I was about 1 mile from the Pilot at exit 99 I-79 in PA when my windshield wipers quit. Now, if any of you read my earlier blog about the bird incident in NC a couple of months ago you'll recall that when the mirror was being fixed at the Volvo dealer they told me that the wiper motor was on recall and that while I was there they would replace it. I politely told them at the time that the wiper motor was working fine and that it's been working just fine for the last 725,000 miles, why would you want to fix something that wasn't broke? Well there I sat at the Pilot at 9pm scratching my behind asking the man upstairs if this was the end of my problems for the day.

I called into breakdown and told them what happen, while on the phone I was told that the wiper motor was on recall, not exactly what I wanted to hear. They instructed me NOT to move the truck and that they had a Volvo dealer 5 miles away that they were contacting. 10 minutes later I get a phone call from the service manager from the Volvo dealer telling me one of his mechanics was on his way to me. 1 hour after getting to the Pilot I had a new wiper motor and was on my way. Now I have wipers and a new outlook on trucking.

I make it to the Ta in Harbor Creek Pa for fuel then go and meet the other Calex driver in Buffalo for my customs paper. I meet up with Gary, get my paperwork then drive the 3 miles to the Canada customs center. I clear the initial customs check then go inside for my background check. 45 minutes later I'm on my way to my delivery. I arrived at 7:45 am for my 8 am appt and get unloaded in 2 hours. While getting unloaded I get a pre-plan for a p/u in Toronto that afternoon for a delivery in Syracuse NY for the next morning at 8am. At 4 pm I'm sitting at the US customs to get back into the good old USA. I made it to the Petro on the Thruway and spent the night there sleeping rather soundly. I get up early, head over to my delivery, get there at 6am for an 8am delivery and was told to back into door 19 and they will unload me. 20 minutes later the receiver knocks on my door and hands me my signed bills.

I call into dispatch and was told to come to the terminal, p/u my paperwork then head over to Mcelhattan PA. for a drop and hook for Orlando Fl that delivers 5am Monday. After getting to the yard Louie tells me that I will be doing the same run the following week. I guess that was my reward for going to Canada for the first time in 21 years with no problems. Thats the end of the first week to Canada, wait till the next week, what a doozy that was.

The weeks totals...

3590 paid miles
Extra Canada Pay
490 Miles paid # Local rate
Total 6 Days earnings....1499.00

 

Sounds like you had a great time. Did you have it in low with you on tank steering ready to jump? Crap like that motor always come back to haunt you at the worst times. We all been there and done that. Had the same thing w/tie rod a few months ago. Mech said should think about changing it. OK next week. Meet crane to head out to oil platform in ND. Go to turn onto highway and snap. Them proceed to kick myself in rear.

 

Breakdowns never really happen on your terms, they always seem to happen at the most inopportune time. After getting through the trip to Canada I had time to reflect and realized it wasn't bad at all and that I would do it again. I didn't expect it to be the very next week.

 

With out the severe wind and wiper pooping out sounded like a real good run. May get the same border people next time and run right through. Pay was good.

 

Here is my 2nd trip in as many weeks to Canada.

I was not able to get a reset this past week as I only was able to get a 10hr break last Sunday. My wife met me at the Pilot in Ft. Pierce with all my restocking needs (food) for the fridge and some needed winter clothes that I would find out that I would truly need. We spent the day last Sunday doing some shopping, went out to dinner, then went to a movie. After she left I cleaned house then left to unload in Orlando. I got unloaded about 7 am Monday and was told that they were putting together another Canada run and that to call back around 9am. I fell asleep so Louie called me about 9:30 and told me to start heading to Savannah Ga and he would send me my load info over the computer while en route. About 11am I get my info and I had to be at the shipper before 2pm to load. I called the shipper and told them my eta and was told that it was going to be too late to load that day so they would load me 7am the next morning. I called dispatch and was told not to worry about it as they had 2 loads going to Canada and that they would switch me with another driver and push me back to load a day later. Tuesday I got loaded and was on my way to Loudon Tn for Wednesday morning. I got unloaded and then headed back to Cleveland TN for a drop and hook for St. Catherines Ontario. After getting my new trailer, my paperwork and an hour nap I headed to Knoxville for fuel and a shower. I left K-town and made it as far as the last service plaza on the WVA tpk. Before going to bed I put on the weather channel and listened for what was in store for me the next day, not very encouraging.

I called my wife the next morning and gave her the cities up north I would be going through so she could go on line and tell me what I would be going through. I don't know what she did, but let me tell you, she gave me the forecast for the rest of WVA, Pittsburgh, Erie, Buffalo, and Ontario. What she gave me and what I went through were as different as night and day, she mind as well have given me the local forecast in Baghdad for as different as they were. Basically she told me cold with a chance of snow showers....WRONG!!!! After starting my day on Thursday morning, I hit snow and had snow covered roads all the way to Erie PA. From that point on my trip turned out to be one of the most hazardous, dangerous trips I have ever had in my 25+ years of driving.

After fueling and making sure I had blended fuel in the truck I left Harbor Creek PA and headed to wards Buffalo. At the NY state line the overheard warning sign told the story in two short sentences, "Warning, Blizzard Conditions with Whiteout Conditions Ahead!" Take a deep breath John, how bad can it be? Well I soon found out, Lake effect snow for the next 24 hours with 50 mph winds and snow accumulating at the rate of 2 inches per hour. 10 miles into New York I hit the whiteout conditions, snow was coming down sideways and we all were doing about 15 mph. with me somehow in the lead. After fighting this for an hour and a half I knew that the Angola Service Plaza was nearby. About a mile ahead there was a snow plow on what I thought was the shoulder, when really he was on the entrance ramp to the Plaza. He must have heard us on the CB and told me when he saw our headlights to follow him into the plaza as he would plow a pathway for us. At that moment all I said was that God sends Angels in all shapes and sizes, this one happen to be a snow plow!
Here it was, 3 in the afternoon, snow blowing and falling at 2 inches per hour, wind blowing at over 50 mph and me and a hundred of my closest friends now camped out in this Plaza, oh and Gods little helper doing his part to help out with the plow. Just as we entered the plaza news started coming in over the radio about a pileup just past the plaza with 6 or 8 big trucks and a bunch of four wheelers on the eastbound side and that the road would be closed to at least 11pm. Not a problem, I have food, water and entertainment. The bathroom was just a short walk away. I was only 15 miles to Buffalo and 30 miles past that to my delivery.

At 5am I got up and pulled out my cold weather gear and went inside to freshen up and find out what was going on to wards Buffalo. I was told that 10 miles past the plaza the roads where clear and the wind had died down. Well I made it to the Peace bridge and Canada customs, was cleared in 10 minutes and on my way to my delivery on dry roads. I am convinced that Canada's only export is wind and snow because it was all over upstate New York and not a drop on Canada soil! When I got to my delivery I was the 2nd truck to unload and got finished at 3pm. I had gotten my reload dispatch that was not very promising at all. I had to deadhead to Silver Springs NY in the heart of the lake effect snow belt for a p/u that night. I had a 150 mile deadhead that was very uneventful until I got off the Thruway and drove the last 80 miles on 2 lane country roads with the snow falling again and the wind just howling, all in the dark. I finally make it to the town that I was to p/u in and stopped to find out exactly were Morton Salt was. Well, like I said earlier, God sends Angels in all shapes and sizes, this one was a college girl that happened to be in the store I had stopped at and overheard my conversation about directions. In the blinding snow she said to me to follow her and she'd bring me right to the guard house to check in. I followed her and as she was leaving she blew me a kiss. What an Angel. After getting loaded it was 38 miles to Dansville NY and the T/A on I-390 for the night. I Woke up early Saturday morning, showered and played in the snow to Elmira NY when I finally ran into dry pavement and sunshine. Got to the terminal around 11am dropped my loaded trailer then bobtailed to Williamsport Pa for my load to Orlando. Got home Sunday late afternoon for a little time off and am getting ready to leave tonight for a 4am delivery Tuesday morning. Got a call from my dispatcher this morning and told me that I will be reloaded tomorrow for a load going to PA for Thursday, then home for Christmas. This was a week that I will never forget. One thing that was said on the CB while I was at the Plaza waiting out the storm that I will always remember, went something like this, "All the professionals are parked in the plaza waiting out the storm." So very true! Here are a few pictures of my adventure. God Bless all. Be safe.