Junkero's Swift Adventure

In Atlantic city. Sitting at the end of an old Airport runway. They are loading the trailer as I type. My trainer is playing a basketball video game, I have my laptop on top of the steering wheel. We wait. #### muggy here on the east coast, This southern California boy just isn't use to this stuff. Soaking up a/c as long as I can.

 

Sitting at the WV Terminal. The famous band really loaded our deck with parts for their stage. We are very heavy, which caused a little problem. 20 miles from the WV Terminal we had a blow out on the trailer. We decide to drive on what we had and crawl into the terminal. Half a mile from the Off ramp to the terminal, blam, the other tire blew. We pulled off and sat under the freeway overpass for 16 hours until a tire guy got there. I told the tire guy we had been there so long that the Postman had started delivering mail. Trucking adventure! T-call this trailer and pick up another. Then off to S Carolina.
Junkero

 

You know you should pull off when you are tired. Last night I was kind of tired, not nodding off or anything just yawning. Well last night as we pulled into N. Carolina I started to see things. A little faint spark of light to my left. A little spark to my right. Sometimes to or three at a time. I was thinking that I was seeing things and was about to tell my trainer to take over when it dawned on me that the sparks were fireflys. I hadn't seen one in years, they don't have such things in
California. The Trainer took over not to long after that. Those bugs glow for a while on your windshield when they hit...yucky but cool
This load of 2X4's we gave on the back is kind of heavy and the trailer kind of dog tracks. At one point as I made lane change it leaned a little and made me a little nervous. I watched the back of that trailer wave it's way down the road like a hawk. My trainer was wondering why I was slowing so much on the turns. Better cautious than sorry. I hope these things don't get worse than that...
Junkero

 

I'm 49 and my roommate at orientation was 53, and nothing was said about age to do flat bed. While at Swift Phoenix I saw some pretty big flatbed guys getting out of there trucks. I think you will do fine
To day we are in the lovely town of Gary Indiana. As we drove down to the terminal it looked like a bomb had gone off in the area torn down buildings, ramshackle houses, I hope this is only the industrial side of Gary. Looks like we have no flatbed work going the direction we need to go. So we are switching to Vans. In a while we will pick up a load going to Minnesota. I'm glad my shifting has improved, and the trainer trust me to head on down the road on my own now that we have passed the 50hr mark. Backing these spread axles is a huge hassle. The set up and trailer position is totally different from a van. Frustrating as hell as the forward axle binds up as you back and changes the dynamic of the turn. #### humbling when you could back a van through a thin alley and you take 4 pull ups to get this crazy trailer to turn.
Last night we had dropped off the trailer we had (T-call), a load of steel I-beams.
The shipper had scales and we had their scale slip with us. The terminal didn't like that. They wanted us to "Cat" scale it. They called us just after we had showered and we had to go back get the trailer chain it down scale it again then take it back.
Total waste of a shower. Trainer said this was something new or maybe something that this terminal required. Would have been nice to know before hand. So warm and muggy here that when you step out of the truck you sweat instantly...lol
This California boy isn't use to this humidity. All part of the adventure.
Found out the other night what it was like to try and sleep while the truck is rolling...NOT I think I got some sleep but the movement will be something to get use to. I was in the lower bunk, braced my feet to the Cabinet behind the seat and put my hand in front of me as I lay on my side. I would do that viagra not roll out of bed joke right now but the moderator might not like it...
So far so good.
Junkero
PS Sweet Tea. Have to be careful when ordering. I like Ice Tea but I don't like sugar in it. Dang that stuff is too sugary...