Should be starting Roehl in late February

A pretty mediocre day today as I suspected it would be with this Big Lots load. Called ahead about 4 hours in hopes of getting unloaded this afternoon at the first stop but no dice so I am stuck here until they start unloading tomorrow at 0800. I don't like my prospects after that as tonight #### is supposed to hit the fan weather wise here and I got some back roads left for tomorrow. Got a nice preplan picking up in Danville, KY heading to KC, just hoping things work out weatherwise.
Cold but what the hell, firing up the grill tonight in the back of the store for some blackened salmon and tilapia with trimmings. One bright spot I managed to get my sweets supply refurbished at Big Lots and Family dollar here so I got enough stashed up for a cavity or two

Guess I will give an update on my traveling since leaving out on Nov. 29.

11/29 - 11/30 Durham, NC - Wilmington, NC - Hickory, NC - Anderson, SC --- 563 mi +35 drop pay
11/30-12/1 - Anderson, SC - Charlotte, NC - Macon, GA -- 420 mi
12/1-12/3 - Macon, GA - Lithia Springs, GA - Charlotte, NC (2 drops) - Elkridge, MD -- 805 mi + 35 drop pay
12/3-12/4 - Elkridge, MD - Gaithersburg, MD - Augusta, GA -- 605 mi +35 detention
12/4-12/7 - Augusta, GA - Riegelwood, NC - Springhill, LA -- 1273 mi
12/7-12/9 - SPringhill, LA - Crossett, AR - De Pere, WI -- 1057 mi
12/9 - De Pere, WI - Combined Locks, WI - Oak Creek, WI -- 149 mi
12/9-12/13 - Oak Creek, WI - Combined Locks, WI - Middletown, CT -- 1212 mi
12/13-12/14 - Middletown, CT - Kearney, NJ - Fairborn, OH -- 720 mi

16 days --- 6804 miles (425 mi/day) + 105.00 in extra pay

 

I still have the trusty do it yourself log book. Pretty long day today. Took a combined 5 hours of unloading at two stores to get all the Big Lots stuff off the truck. So that and subpar roads puts me behind on my KC load but not much I can do about that except tell them to move the old appt. time back.
If you want a pretty detailed look at my last 6.5 months ATLNOOB you can see my updates on my trucking blog. I am averaging over 10K miles a month so I can't complain.

 

The pay scale is accurate the last time I looked and they haven't given us any increases so I think it is the same. I have talked with a few drivers that are getting similar miles to me and others that are getting considerably fewer.

 

Well been from KC to Tomball, TX (suburb of Houston) where I relayed my insulation load off at the Lowes store for a driver that needed to get home and took his load on into San Antonio today. Real nice weather, 75 degrees and listening to the blues this afternoon. A little slow on the unload at HEB but already had a preplan to pick up a load in Garland, TX heading to Valdosta, GA (no appt.) so looking at a pretty sweet, warm weather run. Just ran out of steam tonight so calling it a day just north of Waco.

 

A pleasant 600 mile day across I-20. The rest of the trip heading on US highways through Alabama and Georgia but hoping to drop this load off sometime around 15-1600 and keep rolling perhaps toward Ellenwood to have my truck looked at as I think the starter is on its last legs. Sitting out tonight in Meridian, MS with my grill fired up for some late night vittles.

Seems to have been a relatively slow week with the weather early on and a couple of short days but calculating the miles right up where I normally am for 7 days.

12/15-12/16 Fairborn, OH - Jeffersonville, OH - Columbus, OH - Frankfort, KY - Elizabethtown, KY ----------- 405 mi + 15.00 drop pay + 10.00 detention
12/16-12/17 Elizabethtown, KY -- Danville, KY -- Kansas City, MO -- 659 mi
12/17-12/19 KC, MO - Tomball, TX -- 853 mi
12/19-12/20 Tomball, TX -- San Antonio, TX -- 212 mi
12/20-12/21 San Antonio, TX - Garland, TX - Meridian, MS -- ca. 796 mi
7 days - 2925 miles + 25.00 extra pay

 

Got a 500 mile day in today. Dropped the load at Valdosta, GA around 1630 and had a preplan to pick up in Albany, GA at the P & G. Rolled on up to Albany but the load won't be ready until around noon or so tomorrow with it dropping at the WM DC in London, KY. Should be able to easily make that drop tomorrow night and hopefully get something headed back toward the house.
A pretty good show on the Lockridge report today about the "dumbing down" of the trucking industry. I will have to agree that the vast majority of folks jumping into the trucking industry are more than a little ignorant in regards to the difficulties of this job and simply don't have the skills to handle it for very long. I would not hesitate to randomly pick someone that has survived in the trucking industry for say 5 years or more up against a random person in the population for a test in common sense and make a substantial bet on the trucker coming out on top.