on the road

trip 3

2006-08-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

Well, my third trip out is done and I'm back at home for 3 well deserved days off. Our trip started out with us heading over to Fort Frances, ON empty to switch trailers for a pre loaded full of paper. 3/4 of the way there, our trip assignment was changed and we were then heading to pick up a load of potato chips in Minneapolis,MN. 45 mins. later, our assigned load was changed again, we were still heading to Minneapolis, MN but to the south end now to get loaded with pipes and hoses. We got fairly close the first day out, so we shut down in Rogers, MN at the T/A so we could beat the traffic and get to the shipper early in the morning. Our appointment was for 7 am and we arrived at 5:30 am. I finally got backed into the doors at about 7:30 am and went in to talk to the shipper, who tells me that thier understaffed and it was only him and another guy working on the dock. Tells me that for sure, i'd be loaded by 9 am, so I climbed back into the truck and had a nap. Woke up at 9 am and headed back into the building to get the paper work and I take a pek in the trailer...7 skids in the trailer and about 25 more on the dock by they trailer doors. Shipper apologizes that it's not done, that he's having some problems with another trailer and I tell him it's not a problem, that I was gonna go back and lay down, well 20 mins later the shipper is knocking on the truck door telling me that i'm ready to go. Says thanks for being so paitent and the two gusys stopped everything to get me loaded and on my way, Cool!! Took off for Regina, SK via Winnipeg, MB...nice I was gonna be home for a little while. Drove up to Grand Forks, ND and stopped for coffee and to call the customs broker to confirm the load had cleared customs. Bad news! When the shipper had faxed the paperwork to the broker, the PARS number was smudged and he was missing a couple of pages. The broker told me that since I was so close to the border, It would be quicker if I just head to the border and tell them that the PARS failed and I had to go to the broker, so that's what I did. So I sat at the broker for nearly 3 hours waiting for him to re-enter all the info into the customs computer...looks like I won't be at home for too long now! 3 1/2 hours later, i'm on my way. Got to stop for dinner at the Husky truckstop in Headingly, Mb had a bite to eat with the girlfriend and was off again. Made it to Austin, Mb that night and shut it down. The rest of the trip form this point was all good, nothing but drop and hooks and empty moves. Continued on from Austin to Regina,sk dropped the loaded trailer, picked up an empty and headed to Saskatoon, SK to pick up a load for Edmonton, AB. Dropped the loaded at the first place in Edmonton took an empty to another shipper in Edmonton, swithched the empty for a loaded and headed back to saskatoon, sk. Spent the night at the company's terminal in Saskatoon and headed for Prnce Albert, SK in the morning with a load of matresses. From P.A. headed back to Winnipeg empty...and a night to sleep in my own bed. In the morning we had a load dispatched to us by the time I got to the yard, 1 drop in Brandon, Mb and the rest of the load in Regina, SK. all easy stuff! From Regina, SK, we headed to Belle Plaine, SK 35 miles away for a live load of water softening salt. Now those shippers know what they are doing!! They had the trailer loaded in under 15 mins...45,000 pounds of bagged salt!! The load was perfectly balanced to boot! Took that load back to regina, SK dropped it in the yard and took an empty to Lethbridge, AB to drop & hook a load of potato chips. Brought that load back to Winnipeg...cool, another night in my own bed! Next morning we headed out with a load of dangerous goods headed for Calgary, AB. Dropped the loaded at the consignee's dock and headed to our drop yard for an empty and went to Saskatoon, SK, where I had to take my second road evaluation for the Company. Passed the eval. with flying colors 155/162 points. allowable score was 102/162 points. From Saskatoon, SK we moved empty back to Winnipeg for 3 days off...and here I am!
12 days out and we went 6056 miles...a very good run!!

Keep the shiny side up!!

Kirs

trip 2

2006-07-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

Left Winnipeg on July 4th for Murray, KY hauling a load of oat flakes. Made it to Murray a day early and by the luck of a phone call for directions that we needed for the morning, we got unloaded that night. Had a really good lunch at a place called Martha's restaurant in Kentucky...first time I had real southern BBQ. Pulled pork, black eyed peas, creamed potatoes and fried green tomatoes all washed down with a big cold glass of sweet tea, I was in heaven!(If you ever find yourself in Murray Kentucky...GO TO MARTHA'S!!!) We got a reload in Carol Stream, IL a suburb of Chicago at Kodak. I don't know how people can deal with the kind of traffic that happens in Chicago on a daily basis, it's just plain nuts! Our reload took 3 hours for the paperwork to be completed and we were on our way back to Winnipeg. Dropped the trailer in our yard in Winnipeg and put the truck in the shop, she was acting kind of funny on the road. The mechanic looked at it and found that the air-ride was riding about 2 inches high, he lowered it and the problem was solved. We grabbed an empty trailer and headed for Fort Frances, ON to pick up a pre-loaded trailer of paper. Took the paper to Maquoketa,IA crossing the NARROW rail bridge at International Falls,MN If you've ever crossed at International Falls, you know what I'm talking about! Our delivery appointment was really tight to get to so we had to run the night to get there on time. I kinda like night driving...no traffic but you get sleepy, thats for sure! Ran into some pretty heave traffic in Debuque, IA at lunch time, so we ended up being late for our unload by about 20 mins. Reciever said not a problem at all! Reloaded in Muscatine, IA (again) with a load of furniture headed for a drop in Regina, SK and a second drop in Saskatoon, SK. We took it as far as Regina and got an empty move to Winnipeg for our days off. About 4900 miles in total and we're off again on the 18th of July. I can't believe I'm gettinng paid to do this work!!

trip 1

2006-07-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Trip one is now on the books, and I'm hooked as a driver! Heres a rundown: Left Winnipeg, Mb with a load of potato chips for Thunder Bay, On Got into T-Bay with plenty of time to make the unloading appointment only to be delayed 5 hours by a slow unload. Got a reload of paper out of Dryden, ON headed for Addison, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Again, we were early for the unloading appointment, but it was a dock that keeps strict unloading appointments, so we couldn't get unloaded early. Got unloaded fairly quick there and had to reload in Decatur,IL with a load of artificial sweetener, like sugar twin I think. It was a pre-loaded trailer, so we were in and out fairly quick there and headed for Brampton,ON Heading up the 401 towards Toronto found a major air leak comming from the main airline running from the compressor to the wet tank. Pulled into the TA truckstop in Woodstock,ON to get it fixed and 7 hours(yes,7 hours!!) later we were off to Brampton. Slept in our Brampton drop yard over night and grabbed another pre-loaded trailer of paper in Concord, ON headed for Carroll, IA. I got to see Iowa 80 truckstop there(the worlds largest truckstop. http://www.iowa80.com) and ran through my first real batch of heavy rain. Made the unload in really good time and got unloaded about 15 hours early. Grabbed another pre-loaded trailer of furniture this time, in Muscatine,IA and headed towards Regina,SK. Dropped the trailer in Regina at our drop yard and pulled an empty just down the road to get a load of plastic margerine containers and lids headed for New Jersey but we were only bringing it as far as Winnipeg. Home for days off, finally! 11 days out and we made a total of 4859 miles.
Keep the shiny side up!

Kris

going on the road

2006-06-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

Everythings all said and done, it's time for me to start making some money driving truck. My first dispatched trip will be tomorrow morning, but I still don't know where it will be. My trainer Paul is really cool and he's going to help me along the way for 17 weeks. I'll be driving a 2005 Volvo 670 with a Meritor 12 speed "freedom line" auto shift transmission and powered by a 400 hp Cummins ISX engine. Thats all for now...I'll start writing a little more when I get some miles under my belt.

Keep the shinny side up,

Kris