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.

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.

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.

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!!!!

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.

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.

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.