February 25, 2010

Hello everyone!

It's been a little while since my last post but we wound up in Kansas City for a few days due both to weather and being out of driving hours and then the ice storm hit and no loads were moving. I am not complaining however, being in a hotel with cable, shower, room service and internet access wasn't exactly difficult to live with. lol

Back on the road last Monday, we headed to Delaware to pick up secret federal documents and take them back to Kansas. They padlocked the load so unfortunately, I haven't been able to read any of them. Of course my imagination suggests the documents will reveal the truth about the Kennedy assassination, or they're all about Watergate and the Nixon administration. As Nathan said though, they're probably receipts for how much the military spent on socks last year!

The weather was cold,  but clear so we had good driving conditions, which was much appreciated through Baltimore and Washington D.C. I did hope to catch a glimpse of the President because I have a few things I'd like to say to him. Apparently he's been in meetings and I didn't get the chance!

That's all for today, so from Indiana Nathan, Rie, Harley and Sonya hope you are all having a fabulous week!

Breaker One Nine!

Since I'm here at a hotel in Kansas City and it's snowing like it's Christmas, I thought I'd an answer a few questions and offer a little road advice since big trucks and four wheelers must share the road.

I knew this question would come up eventually! Allison asked, "What about the bathroom?"

Of course, I use the bathroom when we stop for fuel, showers, and at the end of the driving day. Also, the dogs need to get out about every four hours and we try to stop at rest areas for this so we can use the facilities. Occasionally, there are times when one just has to "go" and there's no time to stop the truck, or we happen to be in the middle of no where, so for those times, I have a 44 ounce plastic pop cup from the Quik Trip. It has a plastic lid and gets dumped, rinsed and dried, and kept for future emergencies. For those occasions when we have to have a bm and can't make a rest area, there's a trash can, lined with a Wal-Mart bag and paper towels. It's not exactly comfortable, but it works. Toilet paper and baby wipes are a necessity on a truck!

Some of the newer trucks do come equipped with showers and toilets, some even have mini-kitchens with cook stove and sink. These are called "apartments" and are longer than a normal tractor. They are very expensive and you may have seen them pulling moving van trailers.

Driver CB Lingo:

Remember those trucker movies from the 80's  BJ & The Bear and Smokey & The Bandit? They used trucker talk like "hey good buddy" "10-4" and "breaker-breaker," while some of the speak hasn't changed, some of it has changed meaning. So here's some Trucker-speak so when you rush out and get a CB for your car, you'll know how to talk to the truckers!

Good Buddy-This used to be a reference to any truck driver who was courteous or had done some kindness, however, now it means a gay or bi-sexual trucker looking for a partner for the night

Brake Check-vehicles are slowing or coming to a stop

Breaker One Nine-someone wants to talk

Radio Check-wants to know if  CB is working

Lot Lizard-male or female prostitute who works truck stops

10-4 or 10-affirmative, yes, or I understand

Smoky/Full grown/Statey/Bear-State Trooper

Care Bear-Any cop sitting in construction with lights on to slow traffic and protect workers

Plain Wrapper (any color)-Unmarked cop vehicle

Polar Bear-White unmarked cop vehicle

Kojak w/a Kodak-any cop shooting radar or taking pictures

City Kitty & Local Yokel-City cop

County Mountie-County Sheriff

Chicken Coop-weigh station

Yard Stick-mile marker

Meat wagon-ambulance

4-wheeler-any four wheeled vehicle

HazMat-Hazardous Materials require placquard on trailer

Straight truck-A truck w/tractor that doesn't detach from trailer

Bob tail-Tractor w/o trailer attached

Seat cover-A female in the passenger seat

Covered Wagon-A flat bed trailer with removable wooden sides and rails covered with a tarp

Flat Bed-A trailer used to haul heavy objects like steel, pipe, etc. and has no sides or roof, not to be confused with a step-deck, used to haul heavy equipment, or a low-boy, used to haul trucks or other large vehicles

Day Cab-tractor with just seats, no sleeper

Tanker-hauls fuel or any liquid, usually hazmat

Parking Lot-A trailer used to transport vehicles

DriveAway-A tractor that has other trucks piggy-backed on it

Reefer-hauls cold/frozen foods, sometimes hauls hazmat that requires temp. control

Dry Van-hauls any type of load not requiring temp. or humidity control

Bull Hauler-big, metal trailer that hauls livestock

Chicken hauler-flatbed loaded with metal crates hauling live foul

Boom Bar Load-These tractors have a large bar that attaches to the 5th wheel and has another tractor attached, facing rear so it can be towed

Dammit Girl-Driver has just seen a sexy woman in a four wheeler

Dammit Boy-same as above, but used by female drivers

Dammit Girl/Driver-A response used to express surprise, interest, or excitement (usually in response to a sexual comment)

Shut up stupid-a response to arguing truckers and one I hate hearing

I ain't got no panties on-usually whispered over the CB when no one is saying anything, a conversation starter, or in my case, a way to get me to turn off the CB

Some trucker's friends we met along the way

February 18, 2010

SNOW! SNOW! AND MORE SNOW!

After the ticket in Green Valley, AZ, we finally made it to Nogales to pick up a load heading to Rochester, NY instead of the planned on Florida anniversary trip. By the time we made Missouri, the cold weather had set in and only continued to get worse the farther east we went. St. Louis began the really bad weather and it took nearly an hour to get across to Illinois, and by the time we hit Indiana our top speed was about twenty six miles an hour. Needless to say, we didn't make our appointment in New York. But we did make it, which is more than some can say.

Most of the wrecks were four wheelers (cars), due to driving too fast.  We had a couple of close calls with four wheelers who didn't want to be behind or beside a big truck, so they sped by, lost control in front of us, and thanks to some great driving on Nathan's part, we avoided being caught up in their stupidity! Because of the deep snow, there were no real injuries, except to the pride of those who landed in the ditch or median. Unfortunately, there were a couple of big truck accidents that did result in injuries to the four wheelers who hit them, and I have to say, I am very proud of the drivers who chose to dump their trucks in the ditch rather than directly hit the vehicles who tangled with them.

If you saw the 40 car collision on highway 71 north of Columbus, Ohio, you know what we were dealing with. Fortunately, the wreck, with its twenty-nine mile back up, was on the southbound lanes and we didn't wind up sitting for hours at that location.

Following are some pics I took along the way. Please remember all the pics are taken while the truck is moving, and some of the roads are very rough, especially on the ice and snow, so some are blurry. My bad! :)

Sunset in AZ

F4 Phantom located in Corona, AZ at the VFW

This truck lost his trailer tandems in Oklahoma

The tandems that should be under the trailer!

The blue car was driving too fast when trying to make a left on to the on-ramp.

Snowing in Missouri near St. Louis.

Near St. Louis.

A car lost control in front of this truck and he hit the median guardrail.

Like I said, we were driving! Sorry about the focus.

The St. Louis arch in the snow.

This truck also swerved to miss hitting a car. (Illinois)

Pieces of the bumper.

The driver was injured in this crash.

This truck and car were involved with the truck above.

Westbound lane as we were heading east.

All part of the westbound wreck.

This was in Ohio on 71N.

The cab of the above truck.

This straight truck just slid off the road in front of us.

This car was involved in the 40-car pile up on 71N. 

Most of the vehicles had already been moved by the 

time we reached the wreck area, but a few cars and

quite a few trucks were still being towed.

Special Post February 12, 2010

Today I have a special post because we kind of got stuck in Nogales, AZ while on our way to pick up a load of corn going to Florida. Our anniversary is on the 17th and this trip to Florida was supposed to be a little honeymoon trip for us. We were going to be able to take some time off, park the truck, rent a car and drive down to Key West to play in the ocean and take a little break. We haven't had a honeymoon vacation since we got married 10 years ago. Because of what happened the load was cancelled, we spent the night in a WalMart parking lot and the load we are picking up today is going to the Syracuse, NY area--so much for a honeymoon!

Now, I am not placing fault here, it's just one of those things that happens sometimes and you deal with and move on. It was really just our turn I suppose you could say. While on I-19 headed from Eloy to Nogales we were pulled over by a State Trooper because he noticed a mud flap on the outside of the DOT bumper. This is called a "courtesy check" but when it happens all paper work is scrutinized, including log books, fuel receipts, registration of the tractor and trailer, plus insurance, bills of lading, etc.

For the first time in eight years, Nathan received a ticket for a log book violation because while we were in Eloy, we stopped at the Pilot Truck Stop and I did laundry while he took the truck for a PM (Preventative Maintenance), which occurs about every 25,000 miles because this truck is equipped with a Tri-Pak, and then he took the truck through the truck wash to get some of the salt removed since we'd been on the east coast. While doing his log book, he didn't mark the PM or wash as "on duty, not driving", and then, stupidly, he inadvertently marked the day as the 10th, which was actually the previous day, so he had two days dated as 2/10. That's considered falsification of a log book and got him a ticket, along with a fix it ticket for the DOT bumper being bent, AND he got a warning about an Arizona requirement that trailers have a reflective "L" in the upper corners of the trailer doors that isn't required anywhere else. And we were put out of service for ten hours!

The trooper was very nice, and very cute. I could be a cougar for this cutie-pie!

Cost of a PM $236.00
Cost of a truck wash $77.00
Seeing the look on my husbands face when he got ticketed: PRICELESS

Officer Azbill writing the ticket!

Signing the ticket!

"Look, you stupid truck driver, just sign the damn thing!"

"Hey, I have a gun, you know!"

This is my view of them at the trooper's truck.

I kept waiting for the handcuffs to come out, but again, I was disappointed!

February 10, 2010-Part Duex

Ever get the feeling you're going in circles? I certainly do and it's not just a feeling either. From Oklahoma to Kansas to Phoenix, AZ to Kentucky to Kansas City to Massachusetts to Kansas City to Phoenix, AZ! We delivered in Phoenix this morning, then got a PM, a truck wash, did laundry, took a shower, and we'll load tomorrow going....where she goes no one knows!

Here's a few things we saw as we ran in circles!

Hello! It's me on the road and that's a Marten truck we're passing that you can see out the window!

The TA Truck Stop Corfu, NY. This driver, Ken from Holladay, TN is adding diesel treatment to keep his fuel from jelling because of the cold temps. It was about 19 degrees.

This parking lot slid on ice and lost some of the cars he was carrying outside of Cleveland, Ohio.

 We ran into a little snow west of Santa Rosa, NM

                                         Phoenix, AZ

             I thought this looked cool! Near Phoenix.

If you don't know how to drive a truck, don't get in one--even a moving truck!

February 10, 2010-Part One

     Today's addition to My Road Trip is in two parts because it's been so long since I've posted and I have a lot to say--also, today is my best friend, Candi's birthday. Candi lives in a very small town in Missouri where she's a nurse at a doctor's office. Candi and I have known one another for about five or six years now. We met because of a gigantic dog named Brutus, who was in the dog pound and about to be put down. Candi volunteered at the pound to try and find the animals homes before they were put down and ran ads in the newspaper. I answered one of those ads and adopted Brutus. Candi and I became friends and worked together to provide homes for animals from two different pounds, as well as encouraging people to have their animals spayed and neutered. Candi is like a sister to me and I love her so much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANDI!

I promised to post pics of the truck so everyone can see how we live on the road. There are many misconceptions about living on a truck so I'm going to try and clear them up.

Isn't it expensive to live on the road?

No, it's not. We have everything we need on board, plus some things you might not think of!

Don't you have to pay for motels every night?

Not at all. Most trucks are equipped with two beds.

How do you take showers?

Nearly every truck stop has showers, which are free to drivers when they purchase fuel. Trucks usually fuel once a day and can hold from one hundred to three hundred gallons of diesel. We fuel at the Love's Truck Stop where we have unlimited free showers and coffee.

What about laundry?

Most truck stops have a laundry room with washers and dryers like the ones at your local laundromat.

What about food? Do you eat at restaurants every day?

Some truckers do, but that's expensive. We have a refrigerator/freezer and microwave on board, as well as plenty of storage. We shop at Wal-Mart and buy groceries not only for meals on the road, but also in the event we run into bad weather and wind up stuck on a road due to accidents or road closures.

Any other questions? Please leave them in your comments and I'll answer as I can!

We drive a 2006 Freightliner Columbia class with a Detroit engine and a fully automatic transmission (our first auto).

This is the tractor, or Bobtail when driven without a trailer attached.

We pull a 53' reefer that carries refrigerated and frozen items. The max weight allowed on any truck is 80,000 pounds. A reefer can take approx. 45,000 pounds cargo weight and still scale under 80k. Weights are calculated per axle. The steer axle can weigh at 12,000 pounds, the drive axle and tandems can weigh as much as 34,000 pounds.

On the scales weighing a load to make sure all axles are legal.

Trucks can carry as much as 400 gallons of fuel and have a fuel tank on each side. There are pumps on both sides so tanks are filled simultaneously.

Log books are required by the DOT for all drivers. They have specific rules for driving, loading, unloading, and off time that must be logged every day. A calculator and loose leaf log book is a drivers best friend!

The reefer trailer has a refrigerator unit at the front, thicker walls, and a fuel tank to operate the reefer, which adds extra weight and causes the cargo loads to be less than those a dry van can carry.

Sonya and Harley run things. Seriously!

                                                Command central.

TV & DVD Player

Above this shelf are more shelves I use for clothes.

Sonya on our bed. She's usually under the blankets, tunneling like a gopher!

The entire bed opens up and there is a ton of storage beneath. Above our bed is a bunk that has had the mattress removed and hinged lids added for more storage space.

                                        Microwave on top of fridge.

Bedside control panel for lights, AC/Heat, stereo, and 12 Volt plug.
                                                      

The "pantry" above microwave. As you can see, we store food, paper towels, and dishes here.

The doggies food and water next to our closet. The closet is below the TV/DVD shelf.