18wheelsandwomen

I am at the shipper for an hour and leave at 3:30 and the other truck should be arriving anytime now. I decide to stop at the Pilot in Roland OK and I am hoping the stoplight is now fixed at the entrance to this truck stop. On April 24th, when I was last here, I sat and sat and sat behind the first semi waiting for the light to turn green. The light was not working. This trucker got a break in traffic and pulled out and at that time a cop was approaching from the north and he turned on his lights and got the truck stopped northbound just a couple of driveways away. Naturally the light now turns green for us after the cop activated his red lights. I make my left and almost swung off the road to tell the officer that we sat at that light 5 minutes or longer and to be of support to this driver.  I was also going to do the same as this driver until the cop arrived. 

Today I have the same problem at that light and I am the second truck in line. I am in a hurry as I do not want the second truck to catch up to me as I am to be the first one–not that it matters, but it would prove why my CB handle is TURTLE.  I think I have approx. 1 hour of time ahead of him. But this delay and if either one of us stops or does not stop for fuel on the way down or any other stops/delays, it could have that second truck pass me up.  The “race” is on now!!!  Something new and different as we both try to figure out where the other one is at without calling to confirm our plans we are forming in our heads for that driver!

 I was getting ready to call the cops about this light when the lead truck made a left turn on red but he did not get caught like the driver last time. Now its my turn to do the same and just as I was getting ready to do a left on red with a break in traffic, the light turned green for me.  I was so happy to see that as I really do obey the law but a right turn here went out of town to who knows where and I can’t do that to find a place 20 miles later to turn around!

Back on the interstate the phone rings and I had just got back up to fast speed–barely. The other driver is wanting to know where I am. I tell him and he is “not far behind me”.  He must have got a light load to be this close to me.  He is in a rented Penske semi so I should be able to see that orange color approaching me.

I get to Calera and I saw a Penske semi in my mirrors and it was gaining on me!! I am looking really hard in those mirrors like that will bring the outline of the driver in better view to see! It can’t be my co-worker, or can it??? The truck gets closer and I see 3 of them! The first one is not a International truck so I know it is not my co-worker. When they get closer still, I see the first truck is a daycab (no sleeper) I see the window behind the driver and trailer. I also know my co-worker will have a sleeper truck. These trucks are pulling UPS trailers. Near the Texas line they pass me.  

For the rest of the way to our receiver, I am watching and wondering if I am going to get passed by my co-worker.  I pull into the driveway at 9:30 and get backed into the dock. I am the first truck. (on another trip I was also first by 1 stoplight! A 2- truck trip makes the drive more exciting as we can make a game out of it.)  2 of the boxes of tools had broke near the trailer door so I helped pick them up. When I left, I was still wondering where the other truck is and I did not see him when I was heading north. But with all the lanes and it being dark, you can’t see everything.

I have just enough time to make it to Anna for the night. I get parked and the phone rings. 2nd truck arrived 15 minutes after I left.  He will stop for the night farther up the road into Oklahoma. I close the sleeper curtains and read more on the trucker movies in one of the magazines. Looks like Smokey and the Bandit are the #1 favorite of truckers. Convoy was also a great movie. Now I am tired and can sleep. 694 miles for the day. 

The previous story was trip #68.  I am waiting for the Dallas driver to return from yesterday’s trip since we share the semi.  He is a little behind due to yesterday’s weather. When he arrived after 3, he said the trip took  2 1/2 hours longer because of the severe weather.  Tornadoes were along the route we take and Stringtown OK and Anna TX were 2 of the towns caught in it. Many vehicles had to stop and sit on the side of the road  to wait for a break in the weather. Somewhere along the route the water on the road was tire high on the semi. Law enforecment was also stopping traffic at times.  The wind and rain were also a challenge. 

 It was a very interesting trip as I was being told this as he gets his stuff out of the truck at one door and I put my things in at the other door as thats how tight a schedule we have to make Dallas on time when there are delays.  It was so hot and humid yesterday that we knew there would be storms and it was just the timing that he got it on his trip and not mine. But I have been just ahead/behind a storm on this run.  Another trip I knew I was heading into it so a lot of drivers were pulling in at the next towns along the way to look at the sky and get more info and decide if you can make it to the next town for safety.  One of those drivers would be me!!!  Again this is not fun.   I have been caught in weather a few times while in Chicago area and the “fun” of this is not what I look forward to.  Yesterday’s weather happened along the US 69/75 route we take. 

I am off to the shipper and soon on the road and I decide to take US 412 because of wanting to stop at the Pilot in Muskogee and to see a different road. Time to Dallas is and has been the same amount of time for me taking this route instead of staying on the interstate.  Part of the reason is the turnpike speed is 5 mph faster than the interstate.  I arrived to the Pilot at 6:30. 

Arrived Dallas with no excitement along the way.  Backed into the dock and a different unloader greeted me.  The regulars must be busy or on break.  I get the papers signed and leave for Anna where there are 3 truck stops.  I go to the one on the west side of the road as the other 2 are always filled up.  But more food selection is on the east side.

The west side truck stop is getting fuller now that their are new owners who have filled in some of the holes in the parking lot and they have more to do to.  Some are deep enough to cause major damage to your rig.  It is a good place to take your break and with new ownership, the parking will get better. Everything takes time and money.  Won’t be long when all the spots here will be filled up at this time of the night.  The next stop is 40 miles north at Calera.

When I crossed the Texas line tonight heading to Dallas, my odometer read 179,999 miles. When I shut down at Anna it was 180,113. When I signed the papers to get this truck from the rental place, the mileage was 63,017.  So that is 117,096 miles in almost 8 1/2 months which is 13,776 miles for each month.  I enjoy knowing things like this.  Just glad I am not paying for the fuel!  I read some of the trucking magazines that I picked up at the Pilot on the way to Dallas before going to sleep.

In the morning, I get free coffee as it was not made when I came in and I had to wait for my morning coffee.  I am a regular here and buy other things so it is nice to have a freebie.  I have this gut feeling that there will be 2 semi’s needed for Dallas tonight.  And I won’t know that till I get closer to home.

At Eufaula I stop to get fuel and purchase 112 gallons.  Next to me is a woman Schneider driver who owns her own truck.  We visit and I am told that she enjoys being an owner operator.   This is a pretty blue truck with a horse picture on the side.  When you own your own truck, you can do pretty much anything to it.  And it would be fun to drive a really nice show truck around.  I am not at that point to own my own truck and may never be.  Lots of work and headache.  I also don’t want to be gone from home so I would have to find a driver for it and maybe do some trips with it and give my driver a break.  We both leave and head northbound and I get passed as I enter the ramp for I 40 eastbound.

Must have been a full moon last night. Traffic is playing their games with the semi’s today. Speed up and slow down, won’t let you over, driving slower in any lane and then you pass them and that makes them mad so they speed up and pass you, swerve in front of you and slam on the brakes.  Even a trucker did this to me and my patience is now slim to none.  Sure will be glad to get home and off the road but I still have that gut feeling about a second trip.  

Sure enough as I enter Fayetteville, the company cell phone rings. 2 semi’s are needed today and can I go again??? I say yes and that I will not make it back in time for my DOT physical tomorrow so it will need to be changed to next week. I will be the first truck so I head to the shipper to start round 2. 

Before leaving for Dallas again, I got a new debit card to use for fueling the semi.  I am to use this card first and if there are any problems, then I use the fuel card in the semi. I put my overnight bag in the truck and start a new mileage sheet before leaving for the shipper.  It is very humid today and there are storm watches and warnings out for the area that I will be traveling in.

At the shipper, I see crime scene tape around an employee’s vehicle. It was burnt and some of the vehicles around it were touched by the fire. Guard told me an electrical short caused this.  I have never had that happen to me with any vehicle of mine, or the other vehicles that I drive.  New or old, it does not matter. You just don’t know when this may happen to you.  

I back into the dock and my load is put on single file in the center of the trailer. Near the end of loading, we were going to run out of room, so the product was put on of a row of 3 across then a row of 2 and another row of 2 then 2 singles again.  Could have also done 2 rows from nose to door too. 

 Now to someone not in trucking, you may be wondering why load it this way.  I get 25 to 35 containers of product with some weighing 800 pounds to 1800 pounds and higher.   Trailer can be and has been loaded 3 across in the nose then the next row is 2 across or 2 singles and then 3 across and keep repeating till you get to the doors.  This balances the weight in the trailer and on the axles.  Putting all these containers in the first 1/4 of the trailer will make me overweight on one axle, so you might as well use all of the 53 foot trailer. 

Soon I am on my way to Dallas.  I can not get my country station that I really like when I got closer to Fort Smith. Bummer!!! Not sure what is going on. I kept trying for the 1.5 hours that I can get this station.  Next option are my CD’s.  So I did that to get some music. Got to have music while I drive.  It is rare for me to have the radio off on anything that I drive, but it does happen.  Due to the weather,  I also used the weather radio in the semi to get updates/keep posted on the changes going on and what I may be heading into.  

I cross the Texas line at 8:55pm and this is just perfect. This is the time I try to achieve as it just works well with delivery time and heading back north before shutting it down for some sleep. Anything later than this time, just delays everything.  I have done enough trips now to know that I must get northbound to a certain point in order to have enough time for my break and time to do a return trip to Dallas which comes up often and still make it to Dallas before my legal hours of driving are up. 

I arrive at the reciever at 10. Another goal achieved!!!  I have learned to stay about 2 feet to the right of the expansion crack in the concrete as this will line up the trailer door with the dock plate. Just enough light from the dock and the trailer lights to make it possible for me to see this to get into the dock quickly.  Many places we go to do not have lines to guide us so you learn to watch for these expansion cracks or anything to help you guide that trailer to the dock plate. I bump the dock and have also learned at docks that do not lock you in, to pull up about 2 inches, so the dock ramp will lift and fold out and not get caught on the trailer.  Can you just picture parking at your places you shop without lines!!!  What a mess that would be!

While the product is being taken out of the trailer, I use this time to walk and stretch.  When my papers are signed, it is time to leave. I go thru the gate but do not shut it as their local truck will be arriving shortly.  Done this for so long that if I open the gate to get in, I shut it. If it is open upon arrival, I leave it open when leaving. 

 I head for Calera OK for the night.  Was thinking about going to the next stop which is another 15 miles but when I am nearing Calera I am seeing some ground fog. I turn on the weather radio and get a report of fog the farther north I go.  Now I am tired and decide to not go the other 15 miles. This is also how accidents can happen.  So I shut down for the night.  On this Wednesday night, the roads were not as crowded with vehicles like other Wednesdays.  Also plenty of parking at the truck stop and this is not normal. Not sure what is going on with all this parking and lack of vehicles on the road.  I will get fuel here in the morning as it is $2.67 and at Eufaula and the others I checked coming to Dallas it was $2.72.  Its 1am so I shut off the lights as I did some quick reading to unwind and naturally when I layed down to sleep I became wide awake!!!  436 miles.

DAY TWO

I could not sleep right away as trucks are pulling in and setting those air brakes makes noise and like anything when its quiet, it seems much louder.  And the air pressure was dropping from my air lines and air bags which rocks the trailer/truck some. Kinda feels like someone climbing up on the steps.  Drivers are always alert for sudden movements of your vehicle as it could be someone trying to get into the truck or trailer. In time you get used to this and are able to sleep.

I wake up about 7 to overcast skies. It is also very humid and there are more storm watches and warnings for today. My legal break is up at 9.  I do get fuel when ready to leave and then start northbound.  I do stop at Eufaula to get some food and quickly visit with the workers as this is where I stop most of the time for fuel/food. The 2 new fuel pumps put in for semi’s are just about ready for use.  That will be a great help to us.

When I get back to my office, I get to go to Tulsa in another semi to get it back to our office there. I will bring a straight truck back.  I also find out that I get to take my DOT physical on Friday!  I am just thrilled.  My medical card expires the 17th.  Plenty of time for me to do Tulsa and back and still be legal. 467 miles for today.