Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Drawbacks to this Job

This has been one of those weeks that truckers dread, especially those of us who own our own trucks.  It is a week that we do not like and that we wish could have a do over.  When you have the normal 9-5 job or at least the home everyday kind it is easier to deal with some situations.

One of the hardest things to adapt to in this lifestyle is having to handle stressful situations on the home front.  Even with the technology of web cams and cell phones, it is still hard to interact electronically when the best option is face to face in person.  It is important to remember this is a lifestyle and not a job.  Even after all the years spent out here, these times seem to get harder and not easier.  We are alone for hours each day and friends are few and far between.  So when things go wrong in your personal life with either friends or family, dealing with it gets tough.

You can then add in another factor, mechanical.  What makes this so hard is when it is out of your control.  When you have that perfect dispatch, going right where you want to go, the opportunity to actually see someone you know and enjoy a little time away from the trucking world.  The other hard part of the mechanical is the sheer cost.  When you think of a major repair on your car being 3 digits, think 4 on a truck.  What I am facing this week is just that scenario.  We are going into the holidays and I had that dream cross country run that pays well and would allow me time with friends to blow off some steam.  Then at the last minute things go wrong with the truck costing more than a weeks pay and the loss of the good paying load with benefits.  I am now left with a large bill, a lonely hotel room, and no positive options for income in the short term.  Now comes the hard part of knowing that there will be no Thanksgiving for me, because, i am now required to work to pay the bills and times at home just get more tense when I am not there.

So, when you are headed out to your dinner at Grandma's house, watching the parades on TV, or headed to the mall for Black Friday, and you see that truck rolling down the highway, give a wave and a little more room to the person making your holiday a little nicer.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

A busy week and a look forward

This last couple of weeks has been busy for me, which is of course, a good thing.  I have traveled from South Texas to the Midwest, to the Northeast back to the Midwest, into western Canada and now find myself back in South Texas.  I have seen beautiful fall colors, blue skies, rain, snow, storms, high winds, and that was just one day!  I have marveled at the color of leaves and God's artistry in the sunsets.


This photo was taken in Central WI a little over a week ago.  I had awesome blue skies and wonderful colors along my path.

This photo was taken just last night south of Lubbock Texas.  I am always amazed at how wonderful sunsets can be.  I have seen thousands, but I am still captured by the awe inspiring beauty that they can bring.  Not only that, but I count them as rewards for another day given in earnest work for honest pay.


This was taken while crossing west on TCH 1 in Saskatchewan Canada, needless to say, Texas isn't the only place where they do it BIGGER!

In the last 2 weeks I have carried the elephant house for the Ringling Bros Circus, a new generator, and a trailer for Cirque Du Soleil, OVO.

After I drop my Cirque Trailer in the morning here in Laredo, TX, I will pick up a new tank trailer and go to Port Allen, LA.  From there it will be time to go home for a short vacation.  I hope to share with you pictures from a fishing trip my son and I are taking to Empire, LA for a fishing tourney.   It is also that time to renew my license and all the fun that brings.  Until next time, enjoy my view, and know that safety brings us all home.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

A couple of wonderful weeks!

Since my last post so much has happened.  There was the 30 year class reunion, time with my son, and the opportunity to pull another interesting setup.

The 30 year reunion was a blast!  It is great that the folks I grew up with and have not seen in 30 years can get together and have fun.  I mean lot's of fun.  While there we had a tropical storm that hung around for the whole weekend, but we were not deterred.  There were multiple opportunities for classmates to gather, discuss old times, share a drink or twelve, eat some great food, and just let the cares of the world take care of themselves.  I am thankful for the people I grew up with, the people I knew for a few short years, and the ones that are no longer with us.  We enjoyed all the "remember whens", and created some unforgettables.  We smiled, laughed, cried, and enjoyed ourselves.

That same weekend was time spent with my son and that is always special.  It is great to take him where I grew up, meet my friends, make new friends, and have fun despite the weather.  We set ourselves up for a Murphy's Law attack and we were not let down.  We took our kayaks with us and packed no rain gear or umbrellas.  Needless to say, from about 8 AM the morning we arrived until we left, it stormed.

This past week I had another opportunity to do something new in my job.  I got to pull a mock-up of the new Gulfstream G-280 corporate jet.  It was a great opportunity to do something different and have the chance to learn even more about what goes on around me.



Friday, August 19, 2011

Another Good Week

I want to start this entry with the "move of the Week".  As I am traveling south on I-17 in Southern Arizona, I had the opportunity to witness more of the driving proficiency of the motoring public.  A driver enters the interstate, crosses out to the fast lane(on a three lane interstate), and then immediately exits at the next exit across three lanes of traffic.  All of this in less than a 1/4 mile.  I really hope the.25 second gain my getting in the fast lane kept her from being late.


After leaving Marana, AZ on Wednesday, I headed over to Scottsdale, AZ to pick up a portable stage.  This is not just any portable stage.  It has been used in the MLB All-Star Game, the Super Bowl, and other big events.  The company that designed and patented it has a very unique product.  It is carried in a 53 foot moving van style trailer, is on wheels, and is steerable.  Once it is removed from the truck, it is unfolded, the "train carts" are set down and assembled, and the sound and band equipment is placed on it in the parking lot, it can then be rolled in to the stadium at half time or at the end of a game, and reset and ready to perform in 70 seconds.  It truly is unique in its functionality and versatility.  It will be used this Saturday night at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, CA.  The Band will be Mercy Me, a contemporary Christian music group.


While I am waiting things out here in Ontario, CA, there are more mundane tasks to be completed.  The one I dread the most of course is laundry.  This time it is 2 loads and $8.  I have already washed the truck this week and scrubbed the floors.  Certainly everything I do is not that exciting.  On top of the daily grind of doing paperwork, keeping the glass clean, making regular maintenance checks, I still have to squeeze in 11 hours of driving and 10 hours of required off duty time.


On Monday I will be connecting to an overweight generator that is going to Tinker AFB, in Oklahoma City.  So far I only have one of the permits needed to make the trip and will receive the rest on Monday.  While doing over-dimensional or overweight loads pays well, there is a certain amount of headache as well.  One of the things with permits is thje requirement ot enter every scale house along your route and present your paperwork.  It is most important that you check your permits thoroughly for errors and special instructions.  Different states have different requirements.


Everyone please have a wonderful and safe day out there wherever you are.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Been Away too Long

Let me first apologize for not keeping up.  I really need to make this a daily or at least every 2 or 3 days entry.  It has been a busy summer already and am looking forward to some breaks this fall.  I am not complaining, in this time when so many are out of work I am blessed to be overworked.  the bulk of my money this summer has come from pulling stage sets for the U2 tour.  I do not care for them as people, but I will take their money.


I have posted new pictures and new videos, please click on the links to the right and enjoy what I have to offer. there are  more coming in the near future, so check back often.


Tonight finds me in Ogden, UT, pulling a new Travis Dump trailer to Kuna, ID.  I am going to Darling International, a rendering plant.  On Tuesday I will pick up an Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer(AVCATT).  There are 2 of these units that go together and we are going to the training center at Marana, AZ, in Pinal Air Park.  Well this is all for tonight and will make sure that more pictures get posted over the next several days.


Oh, and please do not forget to click on the AMSOIL links to get your vehicles converted over to the best synthetic oil on the market today.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

4 QUESTIONS

I want this blog to not only be a look into the everyday life of a truckdriver but also a chance for you to learn something new hopefully.  I have for you today 4 questions that I think everyone would have a positive answer to.  There are links on my page for those that want to go further and look at this.


1.  Would you like your car, truck, equipment to run more trouble-free and last longer?  Did I hear you say yes?  I think I did!  Today with ever increasing repair costs and the tough times we are all facing.  People are making the decision not to buy that new car and just keep the old one running.  Some people are making the decision to buy and saying this will be the one that lasts me a long time.


2.  Would you like to have better fuel economy?  With gas headed for $4 again of course you would!  If you could put a lubricant in your vehicle or equipment that would save you money on fuel would you do it?  Yes!


Let me give you some answers to these first two questions.  There is a product that has been on the market for 39 years that will give you these advantages.  AMSOIL is a pure synthetic motor oil that will help your vehicle or equipment last longer and be more fuel efficient.  




With AMSOIL products, vehicles and equipment. . .
• last longer
• need fewer repairs
• perform better – more responsive, more power
• get better fuel economy (more miles to the gallon)
• emit cleaner exhaust


Finally, AMSOIL synthetic lubricants last longer than other
lubricants, which reduces lubricant costs and the amount
of used oil sent through the disposal system.


As you use AMSOIL products, you will soon notice that your
vehicles and equipment perform more powerfully and use
fuel more efficiently than before. Over time, you will
appreciate that your vehicles and equipment spend less
time in the repair shop, costing less for maintenance. The
product features that keep the car out of the repair shop
also help it last longer.


You will notice, too, that your vehicle or equipment runs
cleaner, which reduces the air pollution associated with
vehicles and equipment. When you use AMSOIL synthetic
motor oils for the recommended 25,000-mile or one-year
drain intervals, you will produce less used oil destined for
disposal than you did with your previous, shorter-drain oil.
Used oil, even when recycled, affects the environment.


For more information, please click on the banners on the right side and the bottom of this blog.


Tune in tomorrow for 2 more important questions!!!!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Sitting and Waiting

I do not sit well.  This is one of those weeks that over the road drivers are just resigned to accept.  This major storm has impacted most of the country by the time I write this.  I have been sitting since yesterday.  I picked up a new tank trailer in Laredo, TX going to Plattsmouth, NE.  The snowstorm that impacted north TX, all of OK, and parts of KS and NE,  has delayed my trip by several days.  The state of OK has very little clearing equipment and chemicals.  This causes really long delays in clearing roads and rendering them safe.  


Are you a driver of a vehicle that just refuses to watch the weather or feel you are so important and well skilled that you can drive in 3 inch per hour snow and 40 mph winds?  It really is amazing that people are so foolish and then the National Guard has to come out and rescue you off the interstate that is now closed.  There are a large number of vehicles, cars, trucks, and big trucks that are stuck on the turnpikes in OK today.  I will allow the auto drivers to be stupid.  However, I give no sympathy to the truck driver that allows himself to be caught in a storm like this.  There are multiple options available for drivers to get weather and road info.  Please do not tell me your dispatcher said you have to do it or you will be fired.  If a dispatcher tells you that, then go to the nearest bus station, clean out your truck, go home and find a job with a safe company.  No one should work for a company that operates unsafely.  There is absolutely NOTHING in or on a trailer that is worth your life.  If there is an emergency and it really needs to get there, then airplanes and helicopters work very well.  I firmly believe that if you voluntarily went into the weather and had to be rescued, then you should be required to pay for your rescue.


Well, at least I have my laptop, books, Sirius radio, and can go inside and watch TV.  While I have these diversions, sitting is still no fun.  I am much better off when I can get out, take a walk, go find something to do,  When it is this cold, we are having sub zero windchills at night, it is really tough even to get out and walk to the building to go to the restroom.  I would be happy if the sun would come out for a while.  Well, I guess it is back to reading and playing games.  Enjoy your day and be safe wherever you are.



Friday, January 21, 2011

Mixed Bag

Well, it has been a full day.  It is going to be a long lonely weekend.


This is one of the things I hate about trucking.  Due to no fault of my own, ok well maybe some, the loads I chose took me to  a dead end for 2-3 days.  I took what at the time seemed to be the most profitable and would land me in a good spot to roll the weekend.  It did not work out that way, so I will sit for 2-3 days.  Interesting part about trucking is, if the wheels ain't turnin, you ain't makin no money.  If you work at a normal job and there is nothing to do but busy work, at least you still get paid.  I don't get paid for sittin, and it costs me money to sit.  Just to shower is $10 per day.


The good.  I reconnected with an old friend today, someone who can cheer you up just by saying hello.  That is always a good thing.  I also got to stop and eat at a favorite place today.  That is a big positive about my lifestyle is the ability to find and enjoy new places.  Today's stop was in Rayne, LA, at a place called the Frog City Travel Plaza.  On the menu is some really good cajun food and I make it a point to have gumbo there whenever I can.  By now you are wondering, "Frog City"?  There is indeed history and a story behind the name.  Click here to learn http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/rayne/index.html


The other good.  I got a text from my daughter in El Paso, TX today.  She sent me another cute pic of my grandbaby.  So I will share.






Thursday, January 20, 2011

Courtesy

In this day and age, when it is all bout me and right now, courtesy has gotten lost.  And it is not the men in this case.  I hold the door for lots of folks.  Twice today I held the door for female truckers, neither of them said thank you.  What?  Is there an expectation that I should and do not deserve a response?  If I say good morning to you, can you at least respond?  Tell me to go to hell, I don't care, but try to be friendly if possible.  Here is a little tip to make some people feel human, if they are wearing a name tag, call them by name.  Instead of just saying thanks when the waitress brings the coffee, take the time to look at her nametag and call her by her name.  It almost always gets a smile because you noticed.  I have really started practicing this and it makes a difference, whether it be a waitress at a truckstop or the worker at The Home Depot.  Instead of just passing by someone and keep on walking, try a good morning or good day, maybe that little bit of attention will make their day because someone they are thinking about is not thinking about them.  Courtesy requires very little effort but pays great rewards.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Clean Air Tax

I had the occasion today to pay some more of my clean air tax.  What is that you say?  You have never heard of it?  Well let me share my story with you.  You see there are really evil polluters out there that bring you your groceries, your gasoline, your clothes, and anything else you own.  Yes we are the evil truckdrivers and we must be made to pay for that privilege.  As of the year of 2007 there were some new standards enacted for diesel vehicles, the first was a change in fuel formulation and then the addition of devices to the trucks that would reduce pollution.  Here is the cool part, you will pay more for the new fuel, oh and it requires new oils and additives for the engines, oh and there are two new filters that are on the trucks.  This first tax amounts to a one time payment in the vicinity of $10k.  Then there is the added lifetime tax on the fuel of  nearly $100k per truck based on an average lifespan of the truck being 10 years.  Oh wait there's more.  You see the wonderful Diesel Particulate Filter that is added to the truck also requires maintenance, as it must be cleaned approximately every 2 years, at a minimum cost of $600.  But wait, there's more, for only another $450 a year you get to burn 150 gallons of diesel in this DPF, to turn the soot to ash, so that every 2 years you can clean it.  Well you say, you deserve to be treated that way since you are such an evil polluter.  The thing is we have not seen a raise in the last 3 years since all this was introduced, no one wants to pay more for what they have, but they want to stop global warming, I mean global cooling,, oh hell climate change.  This is all for the better they say.  But in the mean time, I will spend less, not buy as many big macs, and hold off on that new car purchase.  To hell with the economy, we must support the polar bears, the sandhill crane, and Al "looney bin" Gore.  I'm just sayin.....

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Some Simple Rules

The week has begun.  


It is good to be back on the road.  Having been off for a month I am again becoming re-acquainted with those that either know traffic laws and choose to avoid them, or are so wrapped up in themselves that they really do not care.  A couple of simple things to follow here.


1.  Turn Signals.  I know these are antiquated devices and serve no real purpose, but lets look at this wonderful invention and how it should be used.  When you are on the entrance ramp to the interstate highway, it is the law, that you must use your turn signal.  While it is understood that you are entering the interstate, this is also a courtesy that says, "I see you", here I come.  If you are using your turn signal, and it is safe for me to move over, I will give you room.  On the other hand, if your phone is glued to your ear and you are holding it with your signal hand, and you just come charging out and expect me to move over, then forget it.  It is your job to safely and legally merge with traffic.  This means set the phone down, or put down the fat pill that you must eat while driving and use your turn signal.  As far as I am concerned it is your desire to drive on the shoulder of the road.  Also, it takes me a little while to make a turn, when you see my signal on as you approach me head on, and we are both making left turns, then please use your signal so I may begin my turn instead of having to assume that you are going straight.  Again, I know, you are on a most important phone call with Publisher's Clearing House, but please use your turn signals!!!!


2.  Directions.  With all of the technology out there today, there is no excuse for last minute lane changes to catch an exit ramp.  I know that I drive slower than you do, however, you can wait the extra 5-7 seconds behind me until it is time for you to safely and LEGALLY exit the highway.  It really makes me angry when I see you behind me, you jet out to my left side, then pull a Dale Earnhardt and cut me off not knowing that you are 3 seconds from death.  You do not know what is in front of me or what the condition or traffic flow is on the ramp.  If you hit your brakes in front of me like that, understand, you have just written your obituary, because I cannot stop 80,000 pounds in 50 feet.  If you see that you have missed your ramp, continue forward on the interstate and take the next one and come back.  Trust me, unless you are at the end of the highway, there is another ramp ahead.


I am a courteous driver, I expect you to do the same.

Friday, January 14, 2011

A New year and time to go back to work.

Today really gets things started for the new year.  I pick up my truck from the shop, make sure all my permits are in order, logbook is ready to go and finish all the laundry.  Tomorrow I pack the truck and prepare to roll out on Sunday.

     The start of this new year and week will find me picking up a new trailer at the Utility Trailer plant in Paragould, AR and delivering it to a dealer on the east side of  Fort Wayne, IN.  This is roughly half of what I do, picking up new trailers and delivering to the dealers and customers they were designed for.  The other half of what I do is moving trailers for shows such as Cirque Du Soleil, Disney on Ice, Broadway shows, Rock Concerts.  Also included in this list of other things would be military simulators, portable equipment, and carnival rides.