Snow Snow Snow!! - Today's Drive 450 Miles

Snow Snow Snow!! Woke up this morning in Broadview Heights, OH just south of Cleveland about 6 am. The snowfall ended shortly after I went to bed last night. That's what I assume anyway because there was only a thin layer on the truck this morning.

Quickly got up, dressed, and ready to go all to find that I was blocked in by other trucks. Hmmm. So I checked and answered some email and checked out my Facebook updates. After about 20 minutes, one of the trucks not directly in front but next to it pulled away. Fortunately there was just enough room for me to maneuver through and drive out.

About 30 minutes after heading out, the snow started falling and falling and falling! For most of the day it was snow. The roads weren't to bad though. They had them plowed and salted pretty good. It wasn't until about the last 75-100 miles before it cleared up.

At 10 AM, I stopped in Fremont, IN for fuel at the Pilot Travel Center. Food there consisted of Wendy's and I wasn't too interested in breakfast there. As I was about to pull out of the parking lot, everything started looking familiar. I had been here before. Right across the street was the Red Arrow restaurant. I've had lunch there before and it was pretty good.

So I backed up, parked the truck, and walked across the street. I ordered the Big Breakfast; 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and wheat toast. They didn't have sweet tea, so I ordered an orange juice. A VERY GOOD BREAKFAST! I got to mark this down in my book to come back again!

Off again westbound on I-80 for two hours and stopping at a service plaza in Portage, IN for a break and grab a Geocache.

At 2:30 PM, I arrived in Bedford Park, IL, just outside Chicago, where I checked in with the receiver. My appointment time wasn't until tomorrow morning, but they were able to unload me today. YEA!

About 4PM, I had my next load assignment, mapped it out, and ready to go. North on I-294 to I-290 to I-90 westbound. Just before my destination at Rockford, IL, there was another service plaza where I stopped for dinner. I passed by the McDonald's, almost had the Panda Express, then finally decided to go with a Greek salad from the Gyro Cafe. It was pretty good. I also grabbed another Geocache there too.

Now I'm at the shipper. The load will be ready about 12:00-1:00 AM, so they will probably be waking me up in the middle of the night. But all I'm going to do is hook up to it, get my paperwork, then go back to bed. It's 12 degrees here right now and supposed to be down to ZERO before morning. YIKES!

Tomorrow I'll be headed down to Oklahoma. Snow is in the forecast again. That's the way it goes. Thanks for stopping by. See ya down the road.

A Cold Sunny Morning Followed By Snow

Welcome back everyone and thanks for stopping by. I woke up at 3am this morning and just couldn't get back to sleep. I think eating those 5 or 6 chocolate covered cherries about an hour before bed had me waking up early.

The outside temp gauge on the truck said it was 18 degrees. But it was nice and warm on the inside. The heater was on low, but I was buried underneath a sheet, a comforter, AND a sleeping bag!

At 4 am I decided to try reading, but that didn't help. I just wasn't tired anymore after only 4 1/2 hours of sleep.

Finally at 5am, I gave up and got out of bed. I caught my logbook up from the weekend and started today's log. Then I bundled up and went outside to sweep the trailer out. I'm not sure how good I did, holding a small flashlight in one hand while using the push broom too. But it passed when I got to the shipper.

Then around 6am, I headed over to the north side of town to QVC to pick up my load. After dropping my empty trailer, I checked in with the shipping office to get my paperwork. There was another driver there walking up into the office as well. He had been sleeping there overnight and told me his alternator belt broke during the night. Therefore his truck died and he hadn't any heat. I sure he was feeling a bit cold!

Anyway, hooked up to my loaded trailer and drove back over to the truck stop. Parked the truck and then hopped into the rental car. Drove it downtown to IHOP for some breakfast while waiting for Enterprise to open at 8am. By 8:15, Enterprise had given me a ride back to the truck and I'm set to go.

From Suffolk, I drove west on US460 to I-95 north towards Washington DC. I take the western beltway around DC to I-270 west into Maryland. Then I-70 westbound into Pennsylvania. I had a gotten a few snow flurries off and on in Maryland, but by Pennsylvania it was steady but lite.

I merged onto I-76 west going around Pittsburgh and into Ohio where I jumped onto I-80 westbound. By now the snow was getting heavier. I-80 through Ohio is their toll road and they actually have truckers lounges in their service plazas with showers, laundry, and TV. I think the only ones in the country with them and that's where I wanted to park for the night.

Well with the snow coming down, I was focused on the driving and missed the first service plaza. The second one though, I was watching out for. It was located on the turnpike just south of Cleveland in Broadview Heights. The snow was still coming down and it was getting dark. Two reasons why I didn't want to be driving anymore.

So after parking the truck, I grabbed my stuff and went in for a shower. It was nice to finally get one. That small truck stop back in Suffolk was so little, it didn't have any showers. Good thing it's cold out and I wasn't sweating much!

Anyway, so that's where I'm at now. I'll see how much snow comes down overnight and maybe I'll get some pictures in the morning for ya.

See ya down the road.

Ohio to Florida via New Jersey?

What a day! First I get stuck in the snow. Then I need to get home to Florida from Ohio and they send me to New Jersey. What's up with that?

OK, back to the beginning. I woke up this morning about 7AM to 28 degrees and about an inch of new snow overnight. That doesn't seem like much to me. Look at the photo. Not a lot of snow right? But it doesn't take much to loose traction. I could not budge the truck an inch! The wheels just spun in their place.



So I walked down to the receiving office, checked in, and then told them I was stuck. They told me where to get some rock salt from the shed on the side of the building. So I carried a 50 lb bag of salt 200' up to the truck and spread a little around the drive tires. That did the trick! Pulled out onto the pavement and then carried the salt back.

They got me unloaded around 9:30 AM and I left there and headed a few blocks down the road to a McDonald's which had truck parking behind it. Around 10 AM, they sent me my next load info. Actually they sent me my next few loads which get me down to Florida and home for Christmas. Not quite what I wanted though. Looks like I might be arriving on Christmas day!! NOT GOOD!!

But let's just see how it works out. Let get rolling.

After mapping out the first load, I run inside McD's to grab a quick bite to eat. By 11:00, I'm on I-80 heading eastbound.

A short 30 minutes later, I'm in Lordstown, OH at Con-Way Freight picking up my next load. Non-stop eastbound on I-80 and 4 1/2 hours later I arrive in Hazelton, PA where I relay that trailer with another drive who will take it the rest of the way to Rhode Island. As for me, I hook to his empty and head to New Jersey. But first I fuel up at the Pilot Travel Center there at that exit.

I get to Somerville, NJ at 7:30 PM, check in, drop my empty trailer, hook to loaded, and by 8:30 I'm back on the road. Taking US22 to I-295 to the Jersey Turnpike (I-95) southbound. At 10:00, I pull into the Walt Whitman Service Plaza located on the Jersey side of Philadelphia. That's where I'll be parking for the night.

This load goes down to Lewiston, NC. The delivery time is set for 12/23. Hopefully I can deliver it tomorrow. My next load going to Florida is supposed to pickup on 12/24 in Charlotte, NC. Hopefully it will be ready early too.

Will I make it home for Christmas? Stay tuned...

OH, and that loud squealing noise I was hearing yesterday... Nice and quiet today!! Good News!!

See ya tomorrow.

From Carson, KY to Streetsboro, OH - 323 Miles

Woke up this morning at the Love's Travel Center in Carson, KY around 6AM under a thin layer of snow. Fortunately I was inside the truck where it was warm! Outside it was 29 degrees.

Anyway, after getting dressed with a shirt, sweater, AND jacket, I ventured out into the cold to go inside to the McDonald's. I sat down with a sausage egg and cheese McMuffin and sweet tea at a table. They had Fox News on the large flat screen TV, so I took my time eating.

I got underway at 8 AM, driving north on I-71 through Cincinnati and Columbus. I stopped once at a rest area near Congress, Ohio for a quick walk in the snow for a Geocache. Hey, I was getting bored. By then it was up to 35 degrees, but I wanted a break. Found the Geocache quickly and back to the truck to thaw out!

About 30 miles south of Cleveland, the truck started making a loud squealing sound like a belt noise. Checking the gauges, I knew the belt was still intact. Also the noise seemed to only be above 1100 RPM. So I kept it around 55 MPH or if going down hill, I let it coast faster in neutral so that the RPM's stay low.

I turned east on I-270 and then north on I-77. When I reached the I-80 Turnpike, I was supposed to turn east again. But because I was half focused on the truck problems, I went west instead. I hate when that happens! Especially on a toll road because there are even fewer exits and opportunities for a u-turn. I had to go about 8 miles down, take the exit, go through the toll plaza, make a u-turn, back through a toll plaza again, and then head east now!

Finally I reach the Streetsboro, OH exit. Just a few miles later I reach my destination around 2:30 PM. The place is closed today, but they have overnight parking. So I'll hang out here until morning.

Microwave oriental noodles followed by popcorn for dinner. At least I have some leftover sweet tea. Hmmm, I think it's time to re-stock my groceries!

OH, I checked the engine out and couldn't find any loose pulleys or anything. Couldn't get the noise to re-occur either. Hopefully, it won't hinder me from getting home in time for Christmas!

Stay tuned...

Kansas City Here I Come!

After a long day yesterday, I slept in a bit today until almost 8AM. Well mostly because it was just too cold and I didn't want to get out of bed! I was trying not to idle the truck all night because I can sleep a little better without the noise and shaking. It was about 38-40 degrees outside and probably 50 something inside the truck. I had a sheet, a comforter, and a sleeping bag over me. It was nice and warm as long as a didn't move over a few inches into a cold spot!

Anyway, I finally got up and out. I decided to sit down inside the T/A's restaurant and have a good hot eggs and bacon breakfast. I had 580 miles to go and didn't want to stop unless I had to.

It was 11:00 by the time I got on the road. I-70 westbound through Indiana and Illinois. I didn't stop until 5:30 PM in New Florence, MO when I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the McDonald's. Stretched my legs a little and relaxed too. Drove for another hour and fueled up at a Pilot in Boonville, MO.

I finally arrived in Kansas City, MO at 9:30, well actually 8:30 local time. I'm parked here at the consignee. This one actually had instructions to open the doors and back into a dock. They'll start unloading when they get here in the morning. Sounds good to me.

Thanks for spending another trucker's day with me. See you again tomorrow.

Back in Ohio Again.

It's getting colder out there! Hello everyone and welcome back to my regular visitors. If you haven't already please take a moment at the bottom and post your comments and introduce yourself.

Today started out in Hazelton, PA at the Pilot Truck Stop. It was about 39 degrees when I woke up! Brrrrr! I drove about an hour over to Easton to pick up part of my load. That took almost 2 hours for only 1/4 of the trailer full.

Then I drove just 18 miles over to Allentown, PA for the rest of the load. This took almost 2 hours as well. Although on this stop I didn't mind too much. I have been wanting to get back over to this warehouse for 14 months now.

The last time I was here was in August 2008. There is a Geocache called "Road to Nowhere" that's about a 2 mile round trip walk to. I tried unsuccessfully to find it 14 months ago and have always wanted to come back and try again. Now was my opportunity.

While they were loading me up, I walked over to look for it. After reading the previous finders logs, I knew WHAT I was looking for, I just didn't know which one. There were about 20 of these items here. I just had to figure out which one it was in! I looked into the correct one TWICE and still didn't see it. Then I noticed some scribbling on the outside and took another closer look inside. FINALLY! Now I can sleep well knowing I found this sneaky hide.

Anyway, back to work.

After I returned, they finished loading the trailer. A total of 42,000 lbs of pipe fittings loaded all the way to the doors. Crossing 5 states to Kansas City, I need to get to a CAT Scale to have it weighed to make sure I'm balanced correctly. I looked in my truck stop guide book and it says there's one several miles down on I-78. No problem, I'm not going to hit the first weigh station until I-81.

But when I get off at that exit, I don't see any kind of truck stop there. It looks like your typical shopping center area with stores and restaurants. Great, now I got to figure out how to turn around! Fortunately, there's a shoulder I can pull off onto and check. I get a Google satellite image and follow the street around several blocks and I looks like I can do a big loop around. All businesses and no residential. 20 minutes later and I'm back on I-78.

About 20 more miles in Myerstown, I come to a Pilot. A quick run over the CAT Scales to find I'm 4100 lbs overweight on the trailer and 7,000 lbs under on the drives. I had to slide the tandems ALL THE WAY to the rear of the trailer to balance it correctly. That stretches the trailer out and makes for harder turns. Somebody didn't know how to load a trailer very well.

Anyway, after adjusting the trailer I fuel up and off I go. I-78 to I-81 south to I-76 west to I-70 west. I drive all the way to Buckeye Lake, Ohio just before the Indiana border, 654 miles later.

And I'm tired! See ya tomorrow.

A Long But Short Day. HUH?

What kind of a title is that right? Well after you read today's post you'll understand.

I woke up between 5:30-6:00 this morning. Not sure exactly. The consignee started unloading at 7:30 when the first shift came in. They had me done in about an hour so I just hung out there in their parking area. The nearest truck stop was about 15 miles away and closer to the center of Cleveland.

Finally about 9:45 they assigned me the next load and by 10:15 I was on the way. It was a Con-Way Freight load picking up in Lordstown, OH about an hour away. My appointment time wasn't until 4PM, but I was hoping to eat along the way.

I almost stopped at McDonald's, but decided that's not what I wanted. As it turned out there wasn't much for options either. After getting to Con-Way, I decided on just having a Cup-O-Soup.

Around 2PM, I thought I'd just inquire and see and to my surprise the load was ready! So I hooked up to the loaded trailer and rolled east on I-80. Across Pennsylvania to the Pilot Travel Center in Hazelton. There I relayed with another driver who was finishing the run to Massachusetts.

So the long day was that I was up a little early and the waiting around made it seem longer. The short day was only the 333 miles of driving.

Dinner tonight was the Subway here at the truck stop. Tomorrow I pick up a load in Allentown and haul it all the way to Kansas City.

Thanks for stopping by. See ya tomorrow.

Running On Fumes!

What a long day! Not only was I running on fumes by tonight, but so was the truck earlier today!

It all started back in Shelby, NC where I was parked at the consignee for an 8:00 AM delivery. Well they are a first come first serve unload and it was a good thing I backed into the ONLY dock door yesterday afternoon when I arrived. By 6AM there must have been 8-9 trucks lined up to be unloaded! I knew that because I was awakened at 3AM!

I'm not sure what time the actually started working, but around 3:00 was when I kept hearing things tossed into the nearby dumpster. Then the forklift going around me and across the parking lot. By 4:00 AM, I gave up trying to fall back asleep!

They started unloading my trailer around 6:30. I went ahead and sent in my empty message over the Qualcomm and was surprised to have been assigned a load BEFORE I was actually emptied. I quickly checked and the pickup time was at noon and the shipper was only 60 miles away. That's good, I still had a little while for them to finish!

I mapped out the trip into my laptop while I waited. By 8:00 I was rolling and on my way. While I was planning my route, I checked fuel and it showed I had 1/4 tanks. That should get me at LEAST 200 miles. Now I could have gone east over to Charlotte and fueled up before going to the shipper. That would have taken me the long way and about 20 miles out of route.

Or I could go ahead and pickup the load and continue north on I-77 into Virginia and fueled at out next approved stop there. It was about 180 miles away. Now on full tanks you can go anywhere from 800 to 1200 miles depending upon weight and terrain. So I figured 180 miles on 1/4 tanks no problem right?

Well I start heading north towards the shipper and about halfway there I glance down and notice my fuel now says 1/8! Now if I head back down to Charlotte, I'm making a BIG out of route circle! After the shipper, I get only 100 miles into the run and I am flat on fumes now! So I have to pull into a non-approved fuel stop and pay cash just to get me to our regular fuel stop. Yes, I get reimbursed for it, but the fuel dept REALLY DOESN'T LIKE THAT!

So I stopped in Jonesville, NC and get $40.00 worth of fuel. That's about 16 gallons. Not too bad for a car, but when these trucks usually hold between 180 and 200 gallons of fuel, the cashier tends to look at you funny when you ask for $40! But that's what I put in.

By now it's almost noon too so I eat at the Backyard Burger's that's there too. I think that's the first time eating at one of those. Not too bad actually.

Back on the road for an hour to stop once again for fuel at a Love's Travel Center in Locust Hill, VA.

Now it's north on I-77 for 3 1/2 hours through West Virginia and into Ohio. I stopped at the Ohio Welcome Center in Marietta. There were 2 Geocaches there at opposite ends of the rest area. So by the time I walked to find one and then the other, I walked just over a half mile. Not far but there were some good hills there top climb over too so that made for a nice bit of 30 minute exercise.

Continuing onward up I-77, I arrived in Solon, OH, just east of Cleveland, at 9:00 PM. This time I have a 7 AM appt time so we'll see what time they actually wake me up!

That's it for now. I'm tired and I'm going to bed. See ya tomorrow.