My new experience with Gordon Trucking, post-buyout

Again, I'm in the Boise yard. I planned on stopping here for my break before heading to the receiver in Kent, Washington - I DO need a shower and a washing machine - but my DM was faster than me. And it turns out he's smarter, too. I've been taken off the load and put on a relay to Union City, CA, for a Thursday AM delivery. Nice!

So how is he smarter, too? Well, they're chaining going over Cabbage Hill on I84...what would have been my route. I do not mind one bit not breaking my perfect "never threw iron on any vehicle ever" string. And it will be my first visit to California and the dreaded CHP in a commercial motor vehicle.

I'm sitting in the nearby TA awaiting on a small repair to my truck...the left rear blinker failed at the last fuel stop and this is a good place to fix it since GTI Boise has no maintenance. And there will only be "a few hours" to wait. And no Transflo. Super.

 

It took them four HOURS to get me unloaded. Doing that took every minute of my time and put me well into the night. Knowing how difficult it would be finding a parking space at any truck stop, I asked the lumper chief - who was a VERY nice woman - if there was some place to park. And there is. Albertson's North Salt Lake has a very large truck parking area just outside the guard shack. There are probably 30 spaces, including lines on the ground. Just pull in, drive around, and park. No fee. No checking in or out. Just blessed sleep. In the morning, just leave.

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but if you're in the area and stuck for parking, remember it. I will.

 

That's good to know. It's been a while since I was there. Decades, actually.

 

What a day. Let me begin where it started at the GTI Boise yard in Idaho, where I spent the night.

First, there was the relay to California. My load was going over the infamous Cabbage Patch Hill (that's my name--it's famous name is Cabbage Hill) and they were chaining. I am happy to have missed that opportunity, I must say. Chains are there for one purpose...to remind the driver that if they ever need to come off, the weather is bad enough to stay put. Somewhere else. So I picked up my new trailer and headed the other way on I84 toward my first fuel stop, Winnemucca, Nevada.

As is often the case in Idaho in February, it was snowing, which isn't a bad thing. The morning rush hour seemed to be made up of people who actually know how to drive in inclement weather. There were NO accidents and NO ditch divers. A most unusual condition for this Midwest driver's eyes. I was hauling my first-ever high cube trailer, a 14'6" monster filled to 45,000 lbs...and the fuel solution said to fill in Winnemucca. Um, I don't think so. I scaled before hitting the road and weighed in at just over 78,000 lbs with all three axles within range on half a tank of fuel. Fill? Nah.

So off I went, content to make a very long, enjoyable...wait...what's that up ahead? Oh. An IDOT snow plow turning right, with the plow down...and moving fast. No proble....uh oh. What was that?!?

One big 'thud' and there's the little windshield ding left by the impact of that rock spinning out of the left side of the right-turning blade. Fortunately, it's not that big and not at all in my line of sight. But I sure wish they wouldn't go so fast near vehicles. Especially mine.

I made it to Winnemucca and put on enough fuel for the remainder of the trip and now I'm in Sparks for my break. Tomorrow, California, a place I left the last time in 1997. This will be my first experience with their über picky CHP motor carrier officers, so my eyes will be open for signage. I'm going to the Bay Area and expect wicked crazy traffic. And, of course, I'll be there right in the beginning of the morning rush and I'm not at all sure whether I'll be on the good side or the 'parking lot' side of the 580 and 880. Or that it matters.

Time will tell.

One final note from my parking space at the TA in Sparks. The TA part of the building is tiny, almost an afterthought, and hard to find. But there is a HUGE casino attached to it that is very easy to find. I guess they know where to put their money. And all the millionaire truckers are feeding dollar bills into the machi...what's that you say? There are NO millionaire truckers? Well, that can't be right; there must be, considering all the dollar bills going into machines. And nothing coming back out.

And they allow smoking inside. And MAN do the patrons take advantage of that. I am a non-smoker and just about gagged walking in, so I turned around and walked out.

This trip's tally so far: 749 miles over two days. Not too shabby. With lots of sun and warm air. Plus I'm missing that storm that's wreaking havoc on the Midwest. I know I'll be back in it soon enough, but I'm happy to have this respite, temporary as it is.