My Millis Experience -

I saw him actually as I was leaving Fulton - he was coming in. I got loaded in NF very fast and was out of there.

 

Thanks - I am learning as I go. But it's appreciated!

 

Man how do I start this - let's just say the last few weeks have worn me slap out.

After I delivered to Neeah, WI - I DH to Wisconsin Rapids to grab a load going to Jessup, MD. Which is right between Baltimore and DC. Not the best area to have to go during the day since traffic on 95 SUCKS!

Well - you know(maybe you dont) we cant run 76 except from New Stanton, PA to Breezwood, PA. So I had to run about 70 miles more - heading towards Youngstown then down close to Pittsburg and then over to the parts of 76 I could run. It's a trip that just wears you flat out with the hills and windy roads.

Finally go to the customer and delivered early. Once done they sent me to Elkton, VA to the Coor's plant for a load going to Midland, GA (which by the way isnt on the dang map)! Anyway - head to Elkton, load time is set for 2pm to 2300PM. No problem and I get there at about 2pm. Check in and if youve never been there - you drop your trailer - then bobtail to the "holding area" which is actually a nice trailer with TV, Microwave and pretty nice bathrooms. (all the other Miller/Coor's could learn from this place) - well I wait and wait and wait and wait. Finally at 6pm I go back to the guard shack and ask about my load. She say's and I quote "That line is down due to a robot failure" - we're working on it but it could take another 5 to 6 hrs to get fixed. Great - just what I needed. So I end taking my 10 there and head back to the guard shack at 4am.

Thankfully - the load is ready. Get this - the load time on the ticket say's "7PM" - yet no one ever called me and the delivery date is Tuesday. I let dispatch know I would be there on Friday but would be after 4pm. So I am told to just drop it in Cartersville - Perfect!

I grab the load - it's raining like a &^%#(..... Get out to 81 and head south. Make it too Cartersville with no real issues - drop the load and BS with Greg for a little while and head to bed. I hit ready at 4am and get a load out of OB in Atlanta going to Trenton - easy run. I breeze through ATL since it's 4am on a Saturday - get the load and get to Trenton about 3PM on Saturday.

Find out my Buddy Kirk is there - so we headed out for dinner and met up with Kirk and shot the bull for a little while. We all were tired so we headed off to bed about 9PM.

Sunday morning I get up at about 5am - figured I would grab a shower and get rolling early - or so I thought. Just as I was stepping out of my truck - I hear a loud BOOM! What the #*^%$ was that I thought. There was a guy behind me slidding his tandems and I thought he might have dropped his trailer. I stepped down from my truck and started around the front of my truck when this guy screams at me "dont go in there, the building is on fire"! As I rounded the front of my truck I see flames shooting through the roof! I freaked....but I guess the 12 years as a Firefighter kicked in.......... I asked if he called 911 and he had. I was to the side of the building as was about 10 other trucks in what we call the Bobtail area. I immediately started to bang on Kirk's door and the truck next to him. Screaming - Move your trucks the building is on fire. I ran to each truck doing the same thing. Come to find out only 3 had drivers in them. I then moved my truck away from the building.

About then the Police showed up - but no fire trucks had arrived yet. Kirk and I ran towards the drivers room to ensure no drivers were in the showers - but the police officer stopped us from entering the building. However we were able to shine a flashlight through the window and could see all three doors were open and the lights were on so we knew no one was in there. I then called the Emergancy number for Millis to ensure they knew what was happening. The police officer asks....."is there anything in there that's flamable"? I looked at Kirk and he looked at me.....of course - everything in there is flamable it's a maintenance shop!

Just then the fire department arrived and we moved back father to ensure we were out of the way. No one from the shop was there - so we kept having to give the FD the layout of the building to assist them in their search. Several other drivers came out and we all just sat there in amazement watching this happen.

There were hoses everywhere so we couldnt get a tractor and trailer out of there - only a bobtail. Sent dispatch a message I was stuck and couldnt move until this was over. Of course they understood as there were several other drivers in the same situation.

Thank God - no one was hurt or worse. The building can be fixed or rebuilt over time. Finally later in the day when all was cleared - I hit ready and got a "no loads available" so there we sat.

Kirk and I and another driver headed out to a movie and dinner - still shocked as to what we went through that morning.

I feel for the mechanics as they lost some of their tools and work - but again thank God no one was hurt.

Got a load on Monday morning out of Wayne Madison heading to Knoxville for a 2PM delivery. I grab the load and head out of Trenton. I get about 30 miles away and POOF - my truck just dies. Coasted to the side of the road and it wont re-start. Will turn over - but wont start. Guages then all die and nothing happens. So I call in a breakdown message. Of course with Trenton down now - who knows what will happen.

Finally 2 hrs later they send a tow truck and tow me to the Cin Kenworth Dealer. So there I sit at the KW dealer waiting and waiting. It's a short in the ECM and they cant seem to find the short. So after sitting there till 7pm - I call a hotel shuttle and off to the hotel I go. Walk over and grab a great dinner at Cracker Barrel and drift off in a very comfortable bed.

The next morning - grab the shuttle back to KW and my truck is ready. So Off I go to Knoxville and deliver the load. Get a load out of Knoxville only 5 miles from where I delivered going to Cherokee, AL. Easy run and off I went. Made the delivery last night and slept at the customer since there were no empties last night.

Im up early and looking for an empty. I found out from Shipping/Receiving that any trailer in the lot above the guard shack is not tagged and can be taken with no problem. So - lucky me there is an empty right there.

Hit ready and get sent to Byhalia, MS for a load going to Cin, Oh that delivers on Friday. Perfect since I start my home time Friday and this puts me about 87 miles from home once I deliver. But it's only 499 miles to the customer and I can be there Thursday. So off I go and get stuck in a detour due to an accident on I40 just before Nashville - that takes an extra HR and then hit it again on I65 just across the KY state line. Ok - enough it enough so I grabbed the first TS I saw and stopped for the night. I'll see if I can deliver tomorrow instead since I am only 154 miles away. If not - I guess I'll head to Trenton and see what's going on there until Friday morning.

whewww....crazy few weeks and home time is just a day away. Be safe out there and again thank God no one was hurt in Trenton!