Good night from...

Pueblo ... Pilot at Colby tonight. Got a drop anytime, NLT than Thursday load ... racing my 70 to deliver in VA Wednesday.

 

OK in the past few days I've seen 2 truck stop crashes. Both were students at the wheel.

The first one was a truck and trailer parked along an oblong curb separating the fuel area from the parking area. This curb is a couple hundred feet long, circles around in an oblong shape with grass in the middle and a light pole. This guy releases his brakes and goes up and tries to turn left, but he forgot about his trailer, this is when I heard a nasty sound that doesn't belong. I woke up and looked out the window to see that he had dragged his driver's side landing gear through the curb bending it straight back.

Then late last night I heard a crunch then a huge crunch again, I looked out front it was a trainee truck, the driver dragged his trailer over a parked T660's hood while making a left turn (sight side). OK the victim was parked next to the guy in the last painted spot so he is going to get a little bit of blame here.
Now the victim has to get a ride to the hotel because his truck won't run and it is 28 degrees out here. He's got to get his load repowered and truck towed to a shop. Christmas is coming , 2 drivers are probably going to be fired and the victim is looking at breakdown pay which is significantly smaller than mileage pay.

Guys take it slow out there in the truck stops. You're not driving a car anymore, there's the trailer to consider. Think about where its going to be after you straighten out. Often times when you're turning into a fuel island, aim your truck directly at the pumps so your trailer will be lined up in the slot then turn the tractor in the slot and it will follow you straight in like a puppy. Otherwise, I have seen this a lot, the guy tries to get the tractor in the slot but the trailer drags the yellow safety pole pretty hard and BAM you got a preventable.

Anyway, I just called, receiver will take my load early which averts a problem with my next load pickup which would have been an hour before my 14 ended. Next load is only 150 miles loaded but I can do it with the fuel I have on board, rolling 725 miles since last top off-- feel good about 900 miles per 2 full tanks.

Oh yeah, Abby caught her first rabbit at Edwardsville KS terminal the other night. We were walking by the BBQ area, some drivers out there keeping warm by it, we got to the first grassy area near the 4wheeler parking lot, 2 rabbits skittered off but a 3rd rabbit was frozen stiff with fear then decided to run after his buddies. Abby pounced before I could do anything she had its neck snapped and was proudly clamped down on it and would absolutely not let go. We walked back to the BBQ and asked if anyone wanted to cook up some fresh rabbit lol and one of the guys helped me get her jaws loose and throw the rabbit in the trash can.
Also between last night and this morning Abby has caught 2 field mice here at the Morris T/A and ate them like whole like furry sushi.

 

Still here at the Decatur termninal, and now found 2 reasons not to like this terminal. No COFFEE after 11 a.m. and not even a machine so that can buy some, and if need mt, the same as Denver, go search and then send msg and see if available. That is if they have any. They do not have a clue.

Guess that getting a 34 here. Everything comming up on MAC 30 is for tomorrow pu, so grabbed a KC load going to Houston for Thursday morning. Even called DM, and was told the same. Nothing supposedly comming out of here anymore today.

Let me add another reason to hate this terminal. Found a MT, asked about it, and was told that it is already under dispatch, so asked the guy at the T-call window if he knows if this customer allows bobtails since it is their area, and the next thing that I know, some either DM or FM is up at the window and talking down to me like I do not know what is going on. Told him, politely, sir, I know the policy and I have been with Swift for almost 2 years, and 19 months of that time, a L/O. I know about them keeping a trailer pool. That sometimes a terminal will know more about what is going on with a customer then lets say the planner located in PHX. He then proceeded to say something to low for me to hear, and walked away.

 

Be careful with rabbit blood ! My step-mother's father died from rabbit fever when she was 9 and my uncle had it when I was around 10 , We were visiting them one weekend and my uncle was sick in bed, so when we got ready to go my step-mother went in to say hi/by. came out and said to get him to the hospital he had rabbit fever. doctor said he would have died by in the morning . Step-Mother's father was cleaning rabbit's had the blood on his hands , scratched a pimple on his nose. gone in less then 48,..... some yrs later when , when I had been married but a few yrs, my father-in-law and I were sharing a drink and telling stories, when I told him my step-mother's story, He told me that he's father and uncle had been there that night praying for her father

 

At the TA in Bloomington, IL. It's COLD out there! Doing laundry as I type this.

Delivery scheduled for Wed @ 7:30 am, called the customer and he said so long as I'm there before 1:30 pm tomorrow I can unload early. I love it when a plan comes together.

 

Goodnight from Logansport, IN, heading towards Aurora CO tomorrow, hoping to drop by Wednesday!

 

I really hope Abby is your cat, and not your daughter.

If she's your daughter, I would suggest you get her into JROTC ASAP - preferably Navy Seals or something.
She'll go far with them.

:smt066

 

blsqueak?..let me pm you on that particular window fm issue...i had it before there....

 

lol ... in a previous life I was forest firefighter. On occasion I worked with inmate crews. During a break in the action once, I witnessed and inmate chase down and catch a jack rabbit.

Oakgrove 70 ...

 

Well, still sitting here at the terminal. Send a message this morning asking if the trailers that I was being sent to where still available. Was told no. Then receive a message, walk inside and ask for a trailer solution. Then a planner comes up to me and proceeds to tell me that this is not the way that they do things around here, and this is after I tell the lady at the window that PHX instructed me to do this. I then ask the planner, please look at the message that I received, and he just tells me that I have to contact my fleet and they will send a message. Told him that my fleet is not even in right now and please look at the message that I received from PHX. He finally does, and then tells me to go back to my truck and wait for a solution. I have a feeling that I will be here waiting for some time. FR8, I think that this is the same planner that you had words with. So much for SWIFT trying to help.