Dallas, texas.

Its a mess here...has been for a bit. Wet and Im getting soaked. Waiting to pick up this load going to Phoenix.  More when I can get a minute!

Getting back to normal

Chris is back from vacation...thank GOD!  Chris, you see, is my dispatcher and apparently he is the only one who knows how to do that job and do it right.  After three days of driving around the country hauling two load locks in my trailer, I get a load paying half way decent.  over 2.50 per mile to go from Grayson, KY to Clayton, NC.  Ill take that any day over the loads I WAS getting and getting cancelled on me.  2.50 isn't that great, but it sure isn't that bad, either.  I'm just glad that Chris is back and things are getting settled back down.  I was about to blow a gasket if Chris didn't come back soon.  These fill in dispatchers were causing me to go broke.

I gotta hit the road, guys.

More later...be safe out there! 

The great "Bad Luck" debacle

I'm not real sure where to begin this post. It has just been one thing after another with me this week.  Had an awesome week last week, running my ass off and making a TON of money, but this week just seems to be one screwed up shipper after another and it is driving me absolutely crazy.

Let me explain.  Thursday, I drop my load off at the shipper and am told to head to Winchester, Va. to pick up a load headed to Indiana.  Not paying that well, but I figure loads coming out of Indiana pay well so Ill be good.  Head to Winchester (100 miles deadhead) and wait around all day because my pick up wasn't until like 11pm.  Get there and check in and get all the way to the window with my order number and the lady tells me "oh, this load has been cancelled".  I ask her when it got cancelled and she said "Last TUESDAY".  Yep, the load was cancelled over a week ago and no one bothered to tell anyone that it got cancelled.  I'm not a happy camper at this point, but I think what the hell, shit happens, right?  Fast forward to the next load.

I get with my dispatcher after this cancellation and explain what is going on.  He immediately sends me another load.  Go to Williamsburg, Va. and pick up a load of beer to go to Michigan with it.  Great, beer load.  Doesn't pay well at ALL.  Fuel surcharge is like 250.00.  I'm not happy with it, but again, loads out of Michigan pay decently well.  I don't turn down loads, either, so I accept it and go to sleep so I can start out fresh in the morning.  I wake up and drive 257 miles deadhead again (357 total deadhead at this point) and get to the shipper at Busch Gardens.  Get to the window there and she takes my load number and punches it in the computer and says, "OK, Prime, you can drive over here and park your truck or you can go to a truck stop and wait".  I'm like, wait?  Wait on what?  She then tells me that this load doesn't pick up until TUESDAY (I'm beginning to see a pattern with Tuesdays).  Keep in mind, this is Saturday.  Uh-uh.  No way am I sitting and waiting until freakin TUESDAY to pick up a load.  They would have to pay me well, put me up in a hotel, and give me Busch Garden passes to get me to stay and Prime didn't go for that idea in the slightest.  So, they sent me on another load.  

Head 287 miles to Tar Heel, NC to pick up a load of dead cows going to Ky.  So, here I sit in Tar Heel.  Over 600 miles of deadhead driving and over 600 dollars in tractor and reefer fuel spent and not one dime made.  Needless to say, I'm NOT giddy at this moment.  In fact, I would go out on a limb and say I'm pretty pissed.  I would also go out on a limb and say that if I don't get THIS load in Tar Heel picked up without a glitch this afternoon, I may just blow a fuse.

More later, guys...be safe out there!

Has it been almost two months?

Dadgummit (that is a Southern word, if ya didn't know.) I cant believe it has been that long since I last posted in this blog.  One good thing about me posting now, though, is that I am now mobile computerized. I now have a computer in the truck with a Sprint Air Card for Internet access.  I can now get online practically anywhere.  I'm saying that to say this - I will be posting at least every other day now.  That should give me something to do and Lord knows I have PLENTY to write about.  So, Ill start doing that with the load I was SUPPOSED to be on tonight.

Got to Winchester, Va. tonight to pick up a load of Nestle Chocolate beverage...well, I get here and the kind lady in shipping tells me that the load was cancelled.  Tuesday.  Yep, I am here at 11pm on a Friday night and the load was cancelled on TUESDAY.  No one bothered to tell the powers that be and I wasted half a tank of fuel getting here to get this load.  Hopefully, Chris (my dispatcher) will help me out with some money for fuel.  He's a good guy and I think that he will.

So, here I sit waiting to get up in the morning to head to Williamsburg, Va to pick up some Budweiser to take to Michigan.  Anyone up for a party?  LOL.  I'm tired, frustrated, angry, and just plain beat tonight.  I'm gonna hit the bed and see if tomorrow is a better day.

Ill post again tomorrow night.  More later, guys...be careful out there! 

Lease day? Who knows?

Well, I went upstairs at the Mellennium Building this morning and spoke with Chris, my dispatcher on the lease side. He tells me that I dont have to do anything until tomorrow morning, so I am free for the day. he did, however, tell me to go down and speak with leasing and pick out a truck. So, I did what he said and they were swamped with phone calls and told me to come back after 9. I guess Ill see if Im going to lease or pick out a truck today after I get there. I have all day to do what needs to be done since I have no classes to attend before tomorrow's Lease Orientation.

Im getting giddy about this new opportunity to lease this truck and actually start running my own business and making some real money. It's not going to be easy, I know that. But I also know that I can make this work. I have learned how to drive the truck and how to run the truck and now it is is just time to put all of that into action and run this thing for myself! Having my own business. It is what I want to do. I honestly think Im going to be successful at this. At least I HOPE I will! Wish me luck!

More later, guys...be safe out there!

OH MY GOD...you are still HERE?

Itas been since May that I have updated this thing, but for good reason. I dont have a computer on my truck. At least I DIDNT until I brought my iMac on board. Hard to find WiFi spots though, so Im still internet less. Anyway, 66673 is no more. I am now at the yard waiting to get my lease truck. I will be going down to leasing tomorrow as well as going to see Chris, my dispatcher on the lease side. I cant wait to get this new truck and get started making some decent money.

Ill try to update this as much as I can from now on as I can go to Flying J and any place with IdleAire now and connect. As for my experiences with the company side, let's just say it was an "experience" and leave it at that. :)

More later, guys...Be safe out there!

A lot to catch up on!

Whew...where to start?

I finished up my 60K and headed back to the yard in Springfield to take my A seat upgrade test. This test should have been extremely easy to take and pass, but for some reason it wasnt and I failed hell out of it the first time. And the second. We got two times to pass it on Monday and iof we didnt pass, we had to come back out to the pad on Tuesday and retake it.

Well, I did fine with the straight up and straight back deal. It was then on to the serpentine. This is where there are cones set up to simulate a lane and then offset, about the length of half of the truck, there was another set of cones simulated to be a lane. It was basically a lane change, but we couldnt touch a cone in the process. If you dont turn these trucks at the right time, the trailer will not track right behind the tractor, therefore hitting the cone on the right hand side with the right rear tandem. I did this TWICE!

I was devestated! No way I should have failed this once, much less twice! It was really depressing to fail this thing. So, I came back out on Tuesday and nailed it the first time. :Great", I thought...this is over and now I just need to finish out the classes and get a truck. Along with retaking the test, I also took the Smith System class and the Maintenence class which you have to have to even LOOK at a truck. I successfully completed those classes and went to Leasing on Wednesday and they assigned me a truck right then and there.

66673 is my truck number. VERY pretty Midnight Blue Freightliner. It is old, though...2006 with 345K miles on it. BUT, it rides great and drives like a dream without a load on. I havent had a load on it yet, but that is a whole other part of this story. LOL

Finished up the classes today (Friday) and met with Dennis, my FM. He is a super nice guy and I think he is new to having his own fleet. I dont care if he is new or old or in between, as long as he gets me the miles that I need and the money that I need, we will be happy campers.

Now, on to the load never being hauled yet. In have been sitting here at the yard since 12ish this afternoon. Thought I had a load, then it got cancelled, then I got a load going to Alabama...delivering on 06-02. Um, it is May 24. NO WAY Im taking that load and sitting for over a week waiting to drop. Screw that dumb stuff. So, Dennis and I had a talk and he is now trying tog et me something out and towards home. I hope so. I miss my little girl and I miss LadyTiger...she is my heart and I havent seen her in a while. Ive got to get home to my babies as soon as I can! So, cmon, Dennis...Im rooting for you, dude. Get me a load out of here ASAP!

Yesterday, as I was leaving the yard bobtailed, I almost ran head on into Tnet and Joe from the MyLifeInaTruck blog. Just the coolest couple to be around. I was sad that LadyTiger wasnt with me so she could meet them as well. We met up and ate in the mellinium building here at the yard. Just talking and shooting the breeze...getting to know each other. She is a big poster on primedrivers.net and it was awesome to meet the guys that I read so much about on their blog and the primedrivers.net site.

So...I now sit. And wait. I hope I dont wait much longer.

more later guys! Be safe out there!