Good night from...

I just got a 2100 mile load with 250 empty... Cause of home time request in NW... Do it! Been averaging 2650 last four weeks..

 

Cookeville, TN at a Loves on I-40. Couldn't get the okay to tcall this toid so I'll take it to W. Memphis tomorrow and sit on it until Monday morning.

I put in for hometime in Missoula, MT. There's a truckstop there with the usual c-store, a casino, a cafe and a bar/grille, both with great food. There's also a tt bar so I expect to leave there broke.
Frank

 

Well, as last reported, we came out of Baltimore to Chicago, Chicago to Kansas City yesterday. Macro 30 out of Chicago for a day and a half was showing the dreaded 'no loads'. Got a couple bites on the way down to KC but they were like 1700 mile gems that didn't deliver for 7 whole days. Nope need miles this week lol. Charges for truck being in shop and tires purchased are starting to hit settlement like a storm. So I was about to empty out yesterday and a load offer came in with 200 miles deadhead for hazmat asking for help because there are over 80 trucks in the planning area too many compared to loads available and nobody will go 200 miles for deadhead. So I took it, 200 mt to 1500 loaded, keeps me moving delivers on Monday so still 2 more days to break off some more miles.

I wasn't able to scan my last load before the Wednesday cutoff so will have a little over 1200 miles to add to the 1700- should be enough to pull out of the negative.

In other news the score is many many rabbits chased for Abby, 2 treed racoons, 1 cat chased and a little too close call encounter with a skunk, fortunately madam skunk was aimed the other way lol.

 

Sitting in a hotel room about 40 miles south of Kansas City in a town named Peculiar. Dropped my load just south of here in Harrisonville. No sooner made it to the Flying J (next to the hotel) when I got a preplan to load tomorrow @ 1500 at the same place I just dropped at headed for Ardmore, OK. Doesn't deliver until 2130 the following day. As long as I keep going south & west towards Phoenix I'm a happy camper. Kinda liking these short mileage loads at the higher rates.

 

Hi Steve,
I dropped a load from Green River, WY there last week and got a second Arm & Hammer load out but it would have involved sitting for a full 20 hours before 3pm pick up. I declined it and got it right back with a shorter delivery time. When I declined it again got a snarl-o-gram about declining the same load twice and was put on some kind of hold until I talked to my dm. No forced dispatch? Yeah, no. Add this to the growing list of reasons why I am getting more serious about buying my own truck. I like Swift but I don't care for being treated like an idiot.
Frank

 

West Memphis, AR at the Flying J doing a 34 with almost 40 hours remaining on my 70. The only reason I didn't stop an hour east of my delivery in Memphis tomorrow morning was for the barbeque but apparently there's no bbq on Sunday. There are "party favors" (crack, coke, pot and crank) available on CB channel 15, a CB shop on channel 5, Crossroads truck wash on 23 and more hookers than flies on...you know: on what flies like to be on.

So, I'm still hoping there's bbq later so I idled over to the CB shop and got my radio tuned up (really nice people) and then cruised at 10mph a block over to the truck wash and got it handwashed, wheels polished up nicer than new and the interior detailed. Now I have a really pretty truck and a CB radio that can reach out and style someone's hair 10 miles away. Since a few of the lizards are really hot looking I'm a bit conflicted; "part" of me wishes I'd spent that $200 elsewhere. I got on channel 15 and harrassed the cops just for fun, though.

Just got a pplan picking up store fixtures 112 miles away tomorrow going 1718 miles to Hesperia, CA to a new Walmart. Next week's pay is going to suck but the following week will be sweet. It's all about the average, right? I put in for hometime in Missoula, MT the day this load delivers in CA so it will be interesting to see how late they get me "home".
Frank

 

Here at the home where I have been for about 1 week now. Arrived and still did not have power. Finally got it back last Monday. The plan was to head back out on Friday, and after the teeth extractions and some problems with the new dentures, had to stay home longer. The wife is not that happy about it, but understands, health comes first. return to the dentist again in the morning and hope to head out on Tuesday. Not going to take any load that is not going to get me at least 1K miles by Wednesday evening. Then only have to remove a little from Escrow so not be in the hole.

Scottie, had two new steers put on last Saturday, used the coupon, Centramatics and Bridgestones, and with trade in, walked out costing $998. It was the only way that I was going to pass DOT inspection.

 

Hi Frank, I'm thinking about selling my truck if you're looking around. I haven't totally made up my mind yet though, there are so many factors to think about. I'm gonna have to take the time to write out a big Pro/Con list.

That's a great price on the steers Squeak. I recently had some new ones put on but as I recall the T/A couldn't tell me what the total price out the door would be until Swift closes the transaction out.
My truck had to go into the shop for major surgery back in April for 5 days (turns out it was mostly warranty work thankgod), they put a new EGR cooler, new DPF filter, new 7th injector and some new sensors. All this stuff should be good for another 400,000 miles.
In May I blew a tire right on a DOT scale and it was $699 for someone to come out and put a new tire on-- I asked for a used tire, of course they were fresh out go figure. A few days later I bought another one to match it side by side then a few days after that again I got 2 more new ones to complete the axle set.

When I do this, I typically get ahold of Breakdown and request for them to open up a reference number at the shop I'm going to so they can put the tires on. It takes a week or two for it to hit my settlement. In between all this, truck sprung a coolant leak and again had to hit a Kenworth shop. A few days later I got the steers and centramatics and again a few more days later got 4 more drive tires put on. All this stuff has been hitting my settlements pretty steady to the tune of thousands of dollars.

Thankfully Swift's accounting department is slow enough that these charges get spread out a little.

Anyway, long story short, we are in Columbus, Montana aiming for the final in Spokane tomorrow.

 

Frank,

It turned out to be a pickup so I was on the road by 3:15. Called the consignee from south of OK City this morning and was told that they could not change an appointment the day of the appointment but that I was welcome to show up early and they would fit me in. When I got to security I was told to leave and come back @ my appointment time. That's twice this consignee has screwed me, NEVER AGAIN!

So now I'm sitting @ The Flying J in Ardmore taking my 2nd 10 hr break in 24 hrs.

 

At an independent on US-67 in Bald Knob, AR. Kinda odd name; almost sounds nasty. (I'm going to establish residency in Knob Lick, KY so I can say knob lick ? to proper church ladies when they ask where I'm from.) I went through a town named Goobertown as the QC GPS was sending me down a county road that was a barely one lane dirt road. Fun day today.

Saw Bluebonn's truck as I was pulling out of the Flying J in W. Memphis this morning at 5:15. Was going to swing around and lay on the air horn but he's a bit cranky if you wake him up at sunrise.

Frank