August 23, Still in Boise

spent the night in the truck. More comfortable than the motel room, even if the closest place to go to the bathroom is a porta-potty 300 meters away. Also, got wifi here – I like Cummins!

Buzzed down to the TA for a shower, a new lock, and to fax the BOL for my load. Yeah. Sometime yesterday another driver repowered my load. I have no problems with that, but the moron didn't do a pre-trip. If he had, he'd have realized he doesn't have the paperwork, and he doesn't have the key to the lock on the back of the trailer. He's gonna have all kinds of fun getting unloaded, the moron.

Tried to find a Walmart so I could get more food, but found an Albertson's first. Should have stuck it out for the Walmart. Albertson's was almost twice as expensive.

Gonna spend the night in the truck again. It's comfy. It's the daytime that's not. Gonna see if there's a Barnes & Noble nearby.

August 23, Still in Boise

spent the night in the truck. More comfortable than the motel room, even if the closest place to go to the bathroom is a porta-potty 300 meters away. Also, got wifi here – I like Cummins!

Buzzed down to the TA for a shower, a new lock, and to fax the BOL for my load. Yeah. Sometime yesterday another driver repowered my load. I have no problems with that, but the moron didn't do a pre-trip. If he had, he'd have realized he doesn't have the paperwork, and he doesn't have the key to the lock on the back of the trailer. He's gonna have all kinds of fun getting unloaded, the moron.

Tried to find a Walmart so I could get more food, but found an Albertson's first. Should have stuck it out for the Walmart. Albertson's was almost twice as expensive.

Gonna spend the night in the truck again. It's comfy. It's the daytime that's not. Gonna see if there's a Barnes & Noble nearby.

August 22, Decisions, Decisions

gah, it's like McDonald's – every so often you sample the wares and remind yourself why it's such a bad idea. Nothing wrong with the room – clean, neat, and all that. Just uncomfortable for a 300 pound 6'6” yeti. At least I could watch the Olympics some more, though they weren't broadcasting anything I'm interested in (mostly “race walking”).

Up and out of bed at about 9 – good thing Mindy called. Checked out, got receipt (Mindy confirmed that I'm getting breakdown pay AND that the company will be paying for the motel). Sitting in the lobby waiting for my ride back to Cummins.

I wonder if I want to eat something..

Took a taxi back to Cummins – my original ride was running late. Only $15 for the fare, got a receipt. Lady was very friendly, accommodating, and such. Gave her a $5 tip, since taxi drivers make squat.

Service desk hadn't heard back from breakdown, so I called breakdown myself. They claimed no knowledge of updated problem with truck, yadda yadda yadda. I let the service desk know, and asked that they re-contact breakdown and see if we can't get things going.

For now, I'm in the driver's lounge watching the Olympics. Again.

Been here now for 2 hours. Still nothing from breakdown at May. Don't know what's going on there, so don't know if I should be getting cranky or not. Being who I am, I'm not. Yet.

21:00 – no decision. Guys in service tell me that May is trying to get Cummins to pay part of the bill for fixing up. I think that's silly. As old as this truck is, and given that it's slated for disposal in the next 4 months or so, it would make more sense to me to simply “junk” it. Only thing I can think of is that they're planning ahead for when they want to sell it and want to be able to say “recent rebuild” or something.

Meanwhile, I sit here on my ass doing nothing but watch tv and browse the internet, costing the company $90/day with no income. And when I hit the motel again tomorrow night, that's FURTHER outlay with no income. Sure, in the grander scheme of things, it's not much for a company the size of May, but it would add up- and is largely unneeded.

August 21, EGR Valve? We don' need no steenking EGR valve!

Stopped in at the shop to discuss an intermittent “Check Engine” light. They tossed the computer at it and determined that the problem is a bad EGR valve and directed me to theCummins dealer in Boise. Grabbed new trailer (conflicting directions, but I think they want it delivered in Kent, WA) and headed out.

Checked in at Cummins. They say should take about 3 hours, so I can deliver my load in time.

After 4 or 5 hours, it's been determined by Cummins that it's not the EGR valve, but, rather, a series of relatively serious oil leaks.. from the head, the oil pan, and from the front cover. It's after hours, and breakdown says they can't authorize the expense – they'll have to run it up the chain. I'm to spend a night in a motel.

Fortunately, another driver with truck problems lives in the area and offered me a ride to/from a nearby Super 8.

August 20, I love beach vollyball

Drive to Peyette an easy one. Guessed my arrival time and absolutely nailed it. 10.5 hours driving and I arrived exactly when I guesstimated I would.

Only item of interest during the day is the suicidal crotch-rocket jockey, highballing down the highway cutting people off and driving between two rigs; one passing the other.

I passed up a couple Pilot stops on the mistaken belief that Peyette would have a Transflow terminal available for the drivers. Well, poop. So far as I can tell, the only terminal that does is Layton, and I would rather not stop there for anything. First Pilot I see tomorrow I stop.

Only driver here for most of the evening, so I had the TV to myself. To be honest, though, probably wouldn't have been much of a fight – I watched the Olympics. Really got me revved seeing the ladies in Beach Volleyball. I was impressed.

There's another driver here, but he's stayed in the lot so far. Pulling a reefer – I know he can't turn that off, but I hope he doesn't idle all night. It's already into the low 70s, and will continue lower. High for tomorrow in the area is supposed to be low 80s (10 degrees lower than today was). No need to idle – no need at all.

August 20, I love beach vollyball

Drive to Peyette an easy one. Guessed my arrival time and absolutely nailed it. 10.5 hours driving and I arrived exactly when I guesstimated I would.

Only item of interest during the day is the suicidal crotch-rocket jockey, highballing down the highway cutting people off and driving between two rigs; one passing the other.

I passed up a couple Pilot stops on the mistaken belief that Peyette would have a Transflow terminal available for the drivers. Well, poop. So far as I can tell, the only terminal that does is Layton, and I would rather not stop there for anything. First Pilot I see tomorrow I stop.

Only driver here for most of the evening, so I had the TV to myself. To be honest, though, probably wouldn't have been much of a fight – I watched the Olympics. Really got me revved seeing the ladies in Beach Volleyball. I was impressed.

There's another driver here, but he's stayed in the lot so far. Pulling a reefer – I know he can't turn that off, but I hope he doesn't idle all night. It's already into the low 70s, and will continue lower. High for tomorrow in the area is supposed to be low 80s (10 degrees lower than today was). No need to idle – no need at all.

August 20, Yer dog owes me - again!

Back on the road again. Got load at about 11- just about the time Salud called and said my paperwork had been signed. Aline took time out of her day to grab it )Salud lost the papers, but eventually found them in somebody else's chart( and run them down to me. I then spent 2.5 hours at Concentra getting a new DOT medical card.

Gotta do something about the BP. It's just a little high, but the doc gave me another card – good for a month, bless his heart. I called Salud to see if they will change my prescription without me present. Left VM. They called back (I assume it was them) while I was on the phone with the IRS...I need to get online and check my voice mail

Picked up my load. Dog food again. Last time the load was destined for SLC – this time, it's going to the Walmart Dc in Hermiston,OR

Day uneventful, really. Stopped for the night in Rock Springs

I really need to learn to use a calendar better. I was just re-figuring my trip,and I realized I now have three days to go 750 miles. Fortunately, delivery time is open-ended, so I can drop the trailer at 00:15 on the 22^nd, maybe even something like 23:30 on the 21^st. It's only about 5 hours from Payette, too. I'm gonna be particular in the morning about checking my coolant levels. I think I have a leak, and if so, I'm gonna want it fixed. Seems like spending a day in Payette might be a good use of time if they fix it.

August 18, permits and Sociology Grads

Stopped by terminal to make sure all the permits for the truck are up-to-date. Went from there to my interview with Dan. He's very personable, and quite easy to talk to. Interview normally takes about an hour to an hour and a half, says Dan. We were at it for closer to three. Lots of side-trips.

Kinda strange to find somebody not in the industry (or thinking about it as a career) expressing an interest.

August 16, Almost home and another wreck or two

Didn't like the looks of the showers, so I stink. Headed south right on time, told Aline my ETA to Denver yard. She's gonna be there ahead of me, asleep.

A wreck on I-25 in the Ft Collins area slowed things a bit, but not badly. The horses look ok, but the guy's truck is toast.

Put only a few things in the car this morning. I have to come back this evening to make the delivery, so I'll grab all my take-home crap then.

--

Hit the gate at 19:05. Would have been a minute or two early,but there was a wreck on I-80 at Quebec – Right on the overpass. I got off the interstate and got right back on again. Most of the delay was the traffic light. Got a couple pics,but dunno how good yet. Nope,missed anything good

I was a bit concerned with the unload prospects this time- I have the car and Aline has to go to work at 04:30. If these guys keep with their reputation, it's gonna be fun.

Fortunately, they were right on it again. I was back out the gate just about 3 hours after I arrived. Home in plenty of time

August 16, Almost home and another wreck or two

Didn't like the looks of the showers,so I stink. Headed south right on time, told Aline my ETA to Denver yard. She's gonna be there ahead of me, asleep.

Put only a few things in the car this morning. I have to come back this evening to make the delivery, so I'll grab all my take-home crap then.

--

Hit the gate at 19:05. Would have been a minute or two early,but there was a wreck on I-80 at Quebec – Right on the overpass. I got off the interstate and got right back on again. Most of the delay was the traffic light. Got a couple pics,but dunno how good yet. Nope,missed anything good

I was a bit concerned with the unload prospects this time- I have the car and Aline has to go to work at 04:30. If these guys keep with their reputation, it's gonna be fun.

Fortunately, they were right on it again. I was back out the gate just about 3 hours after I arrived. Home in plenty of time

August 15. ooooh! Wetness!

For sure I'm not going to make it to Denver today. Lucky to get to Cheyenne. Among other things, running up against my 14 yesterday put those plans to bed. Another problem is that Google maps gave me a distance of 1115 miles between Lewiston and Denver. Routed miles appear to be a good 100 or more miles longer. If I'd gone the way Google suggested, I might be making my delivery today, instead of having it rescheduled for tomorrow night.

On the good side, day was mostly uneventful. Had a little trouble getting the truck started in the morning...was WAAAY low on coolant. Curious – I checked it the morning before and it was fine.

Oh, there was ONE thing. Billings, MT. Some clowns moving the top half of a house down the interstate. How they got a permit, I'll never know. Bottled traffic up completely when they tried to cross a bridge – they are at least two and a half lanes wide, so nobody was getting past them until they were off the bridge, and even then, we had to drive on the left shoulder. I think I got a pic.

Today was also the first time I've had to take a nap in a month or more. I wonder if it's a biological response to stress..

Good news, though. I finally got to actually USE my windshield wipers! No torrential rain or storm, but sufficient rain that wipers were needed. Used them off and on from north of Casper to Wheatland where I've stopped for the night. Nice rain... but even a little cool for me at the moment. Turned on the Webasto for the first time. Kinda noisy for an electric heater, but yeah, it's WARM. No more hairs on the backs of my calves. Turned it down from low to 'almost off'. May have to open vents, too. Wow

Averaged 56mph today – not too different from the last time I made this run. Probably safe to calculate Missoula to Denver at 55. Of course, Lewiston to Missoula should be calculated at about 40. I think the same is true of hwy 97 through Oregon – calculate at 45mph. Maybe 40... have to go look at my spreadsheet.

Gonna hit the pitt early – my 10 is up at 05:30, and I wanna take a shower before I leave.

August 14, Routing software is stupid

Got woke up a tad early – Flying J wanted to clear the lot so they could put down some sort of compound to help keep the dust down. Used the opportunity to head over to Potlatch. In retrospect, should simply have move the truck and waited. Permit issue still unresolved. No trailer number either, so I have to ask in the office.

Got trailer. Sit and wait. Finally came back with “go buy a permit, we'll put the funds on your Comdata card”. Zoom zoom. Permit is only $43 for a year- pass that on to Dispatch. Takes almost an hour to get the money on my card so I can write a check for it. Burning my 14 fast, here. Should have resolved the permit issue before I moved this morning.

Permit is in the book and I'm heading north on 95. I think this is a mistake. We'd be better off taking 12 over to Missoula. It's a little longer on a Fed Highway, but it cuts off nearly 100 miles. This routing software blows un-chewed chunks.

Made it as far as Bozeman. Avg speed almost exactly 50MPH. No way am I going to make a 22:00 delivery tomorrow.

Truck stop guide is wrong again. Says there's a Flying J at exit 308 on I90. I'm sure that when the put in an exit at 308,there will be a Flying J there. But such is not the case at the moment. Went back to 306 and asked the nice Walmart manager for permission to park out back. Made sure I'm against the curb (not the building) and not blocking anything (other trailers,trash compound, etc)

Grabbed lunch for tomorrow- hell of a lot cheaper than a truck stop! - and am headed for bed

August 13, standing on the brink of disaster

Spent night at shell station as expected. Arrived a half hour early for appointment and they put me right in the dock. North West Freight Handlers (Lumpers) went right to work while I was prepping the comcheck.

Looking at my logs, I have two hours in which I can work today. In that two hours, I need to get down to Lewiston (or close to it) for my next load. I'll have about 18 hours workable in which to get that load to Denver. Should be good, cuz the last load looks to have taken about 16 hours – and that one spent a lot of time putzing along at 35-5 on highways 12 and 13, and in the back of beyond, ID.

Gah! Made it to Lewiston barely in the nick of time. Would have had about 10 minutes to spare, but got behind this moron in a step van that would NOT go the speed limit. Generally about 10 under. I was wondering why nobody was passing – it turns out that the three vehicles immediately behind him were part of his caravan.. and nobody sane wants to pass 4 cars at once. By the time we got to Colton, WA, I'd been behind him for 30 miles. I could not see the end of the train of vehicles behind us – it was at least 40 vehicles long- possibly longer. In Colton, he FINALLY pulled over and let people by. A whole 5 miles from US 95 and 4 lanes of travel. Frelling moron!

Going through truck's permit book – don't have over-length permit for Idaho. Asked dispatch if they could tell how much one would cost, and if Port of Entry would take Comcheck. They seem a bit confused – it's apparently supposed to be in the book. I double checked, only thing with Idaho on it is the hazmat permit. Not the same thing at all. We'll see how this goes. I think I'm gonna take the book in Monday and ask Tim or Danny to look through it and see what's missing. Don't want to run into this again.

As usual for this part of the world, it's hotter than hell in August. Truck says it's 103 outside. And I'm not even on blacktop – dirt lot. Probably actually closer to 95. I'm idling the truck anyway, until it cools off a bit.

August 12, Why I hate Oregon

Damn, I'm starting to hate this particular run. I'm calculating SOMETHING wrong. Any way I look at it, it should be – and is – about 16 to 17 hours drive time from Sacramento to Spokane. But my ETA is completely whacked. And it's not like I spend a lot of time on break or anything. Well, truth to tell, only took three or so breaks – and two of them lasted together about an hour and a half.. Not my fault – got in line at the fuel island in Biggs, for instance, behind a guy who was broken down and nobody would let me over into the next lanes. He finally got started, but only after I sat there for 45 minutes. Still doesn't explain my eta, though.

Then, to add to the fun, this section of Spokane is all torn up. The streets, that is. Having been here before, I have SOME idea of how to get around the closed streets. If I were coming at this cold, I'd be completely screwed.

August 11, Soup's on!

dropped load at Woodland Georgia Pacific. Dispatched instructions were dead on – almost. No big deal. Only change is that S&R has moved to the east end of the building. Dropped note to dispatch about it.

Dropped trailer and picked up a new one. Advised dispatch that I was empty and went to park in the shade. I'd not even got my shoes off for a nap when they came back with a pre-plan. Campbell's soup again. To Spokane. Again. This time, though, I have the hours and the time to make it to the scheduled appointment, even if the load won't be ready until at least 19:30.

God, this sucks. 100 degrees again, and no place to go hide. Running the truck A/C to keep from collapsing from the heat. Shooting my idle time all to hell.

Good news, though. When Campbell say 18:30, they mean 18:30. I noted that they put a couple MAY trailers in the docks at about 17:00... one of them being the trailer I brought in this morning. At 19:40 Mountain time, I went to S&R, and they handed me my bills and sent me on my way. Of course, while I was inside, the hostlers moved my trailer out to the 'ready' line.

I checked the paperwork – yup same trailer I brought in this morning. No big thing, just fun.

Fortunately, it was just a hair over 8 hours since I dropped it – so I can split berth the log. I can drive to about 05:00. While I'd like to, I know that ain't happening. Not with the northern California and southern Oregon mountains to cross. That stuff drains you, even if it IS fun – day or night.

Headed out... stopped for fuel in Corning, CA. Still trying to decide if I like the way that TA is laid out. Some aspects really nice, others... meh. 125 gallons allowed, but pumps stopped at 123 and change. I wonder if the allowance is made in dollars, and the price went up between the time I was given the fuel stop and the time I got there. I'm gonna take Danny up on his offer and see how fuel stops are determined. I bet I'm right.

Mountains at night ARE fun. Different fun from daytime,of course, but fun nonetheless. Made it to a rest area just outside Klamath Falls, OR. Could have gone on, but was right at 03:00 – seemed convenient. Even better, UP has a branch line right across the highway- every 90 minutes or so, a short train rumbles by. Actually made my sleep easier :)

I need to stop at a store – preferably drug store – and get some Orabase, or some other topical anesthetic. Damn mosquitoes or something in CA just eats me alive. Raises huge welts, and they ITCH like doomsday. I had to use a lot more of my anti-itch stuff than I wanted to (well, ANY in this cause is more than I want) just to get to sleep. Ankles, in particular, were driving me insane.

Next time I head into CA, I'm gonna douse myself in OFF. And as soon as I can, I'm getting a generator and a window A/C. No more leaving the damn windows open so I can breathe. If the temp is above 80 and I'm gonna be longer than an hour, the A/C comes out.

I need more money! I need to get that air card, too. Sitting here for 2 hours waiting for my 10 to elapse is a waste. I could be mining or missioning, darnit. Or selling loot, which would be better.

At least I can get another time code when I get home – make sure I don't go comatose and lose training time like I did between employments.

August 10. Melting away in Kaliforn-i-ay

I was right. Lots and lots of available parking. Problem is, I'd forgotten that it gets HOT here. 106 in the parking lot at 18:00 locally. Means I'm putting off my shower for a few hours – AND I'm idling the truck. A/C ain't good enough to make it comfortable in here, but it's certainly less Uncomfortable.

Passed a wreck about 15 miles north of here... I think the ambulance had already left – just a couple cop cars and an overturned car. Tried to take a pic of it – we'll see how it comes out. Pic came out badly. Not gonna bother posting it. I need a better camera

Interesting – in just the few minutes I've been typing here, temp – according to the truck – has dropped to 100. Hope the trend continues.

At 20:30 local, outside temp is 85. Temp inside the truck, though, is still over 100, I think. I'm afraid to buy a thermometer to find out. Turned the truck off when the A/C couldn't keep up. Went inside and sat by the phones. When exterior temp dips into the 70s, I'll go shower. Got the fan up and running now, blowing cool air into the truck. In a little bit, I'll reverse it.

Damn – didn't catch who that guy drives for, but he was in a hell of a hurry to get out of here. Typically, if he's in a heck of a hurry, a driver will do maybe 10 or 15 mph at most in a parking lot. This guy was doing close to 30. Moron.

August 9. We all need practice

Fun day. Load from Olympia WA to Wauna, OR – about 100 miles (200 if you count the deadhead to Olympia). Nice 7% grade just after entering OR.. got it both up and down, as I came back the same way I went in. Load to Wauna was cardboard boxes

Next load was from Wauna to Halsey OR – 6 rolls of paper. I was supposed to just drop/hook a new trailer in Halsey, but it only took them 10 minutes to offload the paper. I felt bad for the May driver ahead of me. He was scheduled a load for Chico and Woodland CA – but some OTHER May driver took his trailer. Not sure how the mix-up happened. The two trailer numbers are not even close to being alike. Made me a tad concerned, since MY load is going to Woodland, too. Fortunately, my trailer is right there on the line, ready to go. 29,000 pounds of paper towels.

Hooked up and headed south. Got about 4 hours left of my 14, should reach Medford ok.

Actually, made it to the Petro in Phoenix,OR. Plenty of parking – and STILL people are parked outside the lines. Poor schmuck ahead of me is having one o' those nights. Can't park for shit. All KINDS of spaces available... granted, the aisle is a little narrow, but Pilots are generally tighter... and he can NOT get that Stephens truck in there. He gave up on one spot and went to go around... whereupon I swooped in and planted my rig in the next spot over. Muahahaha! One pull up, and that was just to move over a foot or so to center myself in the slot. I was parked and shut down before he even made it around to try again. Maybe having a truck on both sides of his desired slot will help.

Nope. He took one shot at it and moved on up the line. I dunno – maybe he's a trainee or somebody who needs the practice. Another fella of similar geographic origin standing on the tarmac tried to guide the driver in – to no avail. Eventually just gave up and watched.

I went inside the store to use the restroom and grab a lemonade.. when I came back out, the Stephen's driver was still at it. And the three slots next to me (2 on one side,1 on the other) were either full, or becoming so as a driver or two was backing in.

Tomorrow will be easy day. About 300 miles to consignee, but I figure to stop about 50 miles short. I know there are two truck stops in the town where I plan to stop.. should be a no-brainer finding a spot at dinner time.

August 8, I'd forgotten Seattle traffic

There's a R/R a few feet away, but it was quiet until around 08:30 when a commuter flew by with horn blaring.. I have about 4 hours before I need to get rolling for my first delivery.

Gah, lord save me from ever running local here in the Seattle area. Of course, part of the problem is directions from dispatch for my first stop. Wrong! Well, kinda. May be ok coming up from the south, but if you are southbound, they're whacked. Took me into downtown Tacoma. Urk!. Finally found my way there. Just in time. Sent note to dispatch to provide more straightforward directions.

Left that store with 3 hours to go to next delivery – and I was late! Took me almost 4 hours to go a mere 60 miles. The dock at the second store was – surprise – badly laid out.

Remainder of the stops were fairly straight forward, though I did suggest to dispatch that a note be added for the Snohomish store suggesting that any driver turn at the third light. Earlier lights will dump you into the parking lot, where it's hard to maneuver.

Got a load in Olympia tomorrow afternoon – going a whole 95 miles down to some podunk place in OR. Oh well. Miles are miles even though it's only going to be worth about $55. Appear willing, and maybe good runs will come my way.

Parked for night in weigh station just outside Federal Way. There are truck stops closer to shipper, but why take the chance?

Got started on my spreadsheet. Now it's bed time,I'm beat.

August 7, Mmmmmmm, burgers!

While waiting for my 10 to end, got tires checked and they opened my chain box for me – I appear to have all the required chains, and there seems to be enough room for my rolled up carpet idea,too. They also yutzed with my Qualcom. Dunno what changes were made, other than you can't log on/off any more = all transactions are linked to the truck, not the driver

Trip uneventful, though it was kinda fun actually passing other trucks on up hill climbs. Didn't pass a lot of 'em, but enough to feel good.

Stopped in Yakima at about 18:00 – met up with Mom, Allie and Dustin for dinner at Miner's. Allie hasn't changed, Dustin seems to be an ok guy – he'll stay that way so long as he keeps Allie happy. He messes with her,though, and he's dead meat. Mom's doing really well. I didn't see her right after the stroke, so I can't compare, but she's getting around ok.

Left Yakima at about 20:30 or so – need to check my logs. Fueled in Ellensburg Pilot. Pulled off 90 just west of North Bend for a weigh station. Followed other trucks, didn't see sign saying station closed (and that it was in a different direction). Fortunately, was on highway 18 – which is part of route to our drop yard in Auburn – just coming at it backwards.

Hit the yard at about 23:30 and bunked down for the night. Nearest bathroom is a porta potty about 100 meters outside the gate to this place - placed there for the convenience of those using the bike/hike trail.

August 6, A load! A load! My kingom for a load

Still in Layton at 13:00. Do I hear more layover pay in the offing? Got four hours before DM heads home.... after that, I should be here for another night. I know there's a load here bound for Salem Or.. talked to driver who dropped it. I think it's due Thursday, too. i.e. tomorrow. Checked with DM about an hour ago, though, and nothing available.

Mindy found me a load – just a drop, but it's miles. Lawn and garden tools – like, lawn mowers and the like. Eventually going to Seattle area, but I get to drop trailer in Payette.

Rapture! Mindy got the delivery load assigned to me, too. I'll be taking this trailer to Seattle tomorrow, through Yakima!

August 5, Layover Layton lives up to it's name

Layover pay. No load for me – not even the trailer I hauled over. Spent day nattering with other drivers.

August 4, Yer dog owes me!

After 3 days home time, back at the terminal. If I'd called like I said I would, I'd have had a load this morning at 05:00. As it is, I gotta hang around and wait.

Noon – got a load. Dog food going to SLC. I bundle up, PTI, and drive a whole 2 miles from the terminal to the shipper. Dropped my trailer and spent a good 20 minutes locating my load. It was hidden behind a Werner truck who was picking up HIS load.

Got it and heading out. Scaled at the TA in Commerce City first. 45500 pounds on the BOL. Overall I'm at 77.3K. No worries. I'm pleased – I moved the tandems and picked an arbitrary hole – and hit it dead on. There's about 175 pounds difference between drives and trailer tandems.

I gloat

Arrived SLC and drop trailer exactly at midnight. Send in my notes to night dispatch, and transflow my paperwork for the past week.

July 31. Always call ahead

Arrived at consignee at 14:30 for a 20:30 appointment. No, they can't take anybody early, come back at 19:30. This is gonna play hell with my hours. Started driving at 08:00, so 14 hours is 22:00. I hope they can unload in time for me to get back to the terminal.

Arrived at the gate (again) at the requested 19:30. And sat there while they dicked around for half an hour. Finally given permission to proceed to “staging” and check in with Shipping and Receiving. Did that.. and got told that, contrary to dispatch instructions, I DO cut these guys a lumper check. That ate up another 20 minutes.

On the good side, at precisely 20:30, they gave me my door, and at 20:35, I was docked.

On the bad side, the “restroom” for drivers is a frelling portapotty way down at the far end of the building.

On the worser side, the damn load is floor loaded. This is gonna take forever to unload. Dammit! I will say this for them, though – I hit the door and they hit the dock plate- got right to work on my load. Doesn't feel like any screwing around.

Oh – no driver's lounge or waiting area inside out of the heat. At present, I'm not at all interested in coming back here, ever again. If they get me unloaded in time for me to get back to the terminal legally, I might reconsider that.

It may happen.. it's a floor load, but they're using a fork lift anyway.. cool!

Starting to think it won't. It's 21:40 – and my 14 is up in only 50 minutes. I'm gonna be illegal for a bit. Damn.

It was close – got back to the terminal at 22:40. WHEW! Forgot I could take advantage of split berth logging.

July 30, Toilet paper is your friend

Gah, long day. 635 miles in exactly 11 hours. Well, 11 hours and 6 minutes. Pulled into Casper WY truck stop at MM 182 dog tired. Hell of a drive... averaged 57 mph, which is very good for this truck. Plenty of parking, adequate store..showers,etc. But no cable TV. Lame lame lame. Nothing quite so.. odd as a bunch of truckers sitting around watching “So you think you can dance?” and offering constructive criticism. Definitely a touch of surrealism there.

Drive was made more ... entertaining by the fact that either I ate something that doesn't like me, or I have a bug of some sort. I dared not pass up ANY stop, be it truck stop or rest area. Severely dehydrated by the end of the day. At least my stomach hasn't been having conniptions. Had that been the case, I'm pretty sure I'd have parked.

July 29, Earth to Lurch! Earth to Lurch

Hit the road this morning at 05:00 mountain time. Arrived at consignee's at about 05:30 – a half hour early. Lucky me – they slapped me right in a door. A few this' and thats and the lumpers were in control. I figured it would take a couple hours, so I crawled back into bed. That was a waste o' time. I'd barely dropped off when they were knocking on my door telling me they were done. In and out of that place in about 2 hours. Zounds!

Headed down to Lewiston for my drop and swap. No problems finding the place, either. On the down side, I had no idea what trailer to pick up. Quick stop at S&R solved that problem... and away I go!

Except I'm supposed to go NORTH on US 95, and I somehow end up going south. Didn't even catch my mistake for about 45 minutes..by then, it made more sense to cut across Idaho on US 13 and US 12. Wow! Beautiful drive. US 13 is full of tight turns, though. Gotta be careful coming around those blind corners.

Hit Missoula at about 16:45. Followed the signs to I-90. Think I should have gone a different way – it was almost an hour drive through town to get to the interstate.

Starting to feel cramped on my hours.. not sure how many I have left today. I know 14 kicks off at 19:00, but how many hours have I driven to get these 370 miles? Yeep! 10 hours. That sucks big time. Gonna call it quits here for the night. If I try to get on down the road, I may run into issues trying to find a place to park.

Clouds look interesting..maybe get some rain tonight. Lessee.. 17:30 stop time.. plus 10 = 27:30.. minus 24, that means I gotta get up at 03:00. Bleagh! Still, if I do that, it means I should be getting into Denver at about 08:00 or so Thursday morning – effectively giving me 3 days off! Woot!

Note to self, though. Get back on the glucosamine. Knees having a hard time of it after a full day of driving.

July 28, Boooooorrriiiiinnnnggg

I told myself I was gonna update this blog over the weekend.

I lied. It's Monday morning,and I've not added a thing. Probably because not a damn thing has happened since Friday. Only thing of note is that I went and paid for a few days of wireless at the Flying J. - I used that to largely catch up on The Trucker's Report and my favorite webcomix

I do have my next load assignment: picking up in Lewiston, ID and heading down to Denver – Finally. I'll be home sometime Thursday.