I'm Back!!!

All right... So after the holiday they sent me back down to Baltimore area to grab a load for Mississaga ON. This company takes care of a paper work for the border for us so I headed out. Got to Buffalo and spent the night parked in front of the business that I park at when I go home. My dad brought me My new Drivers license, my mail and a piece of pumpkin pie mom sent along. Then he went a got me a cup of coffee. ahhh it is nice to be home even if it was only for a moment. Then I headed out. Got to the border and you guessed it. The paper work wasn't sent through. SOB!!!! So the broker has on office right there went in took then a couple of hours to get it done and headed into Canada. Got to the Grimsby truck stop and spent the night. Delivered the next day and picked up a load of POP for Wal-Mart in OH. Ran that down here and now and headed to Columbus to grab a load to goto TX.I guess the road are pretty slick. The wind is blowing but not to bad. But it is an empty trailer so I am sure I will be all over the road way. I don't have to be there until 5pm so I might just wait a little longer. it is supposed to get better but who knows. At least I can give them time to salt the roads. They want me to deliver this load on the 5th. Only 1200 miles away. But we have a terminal in Dallas and I hope they are going to let me drop it there and have someone else take it the rest of the way. I don't see why I have to hold on to it and sit with it for all that time. We will see when I get down there. I am not going to say anything until I get there because I don't want them to take it from me any earlier than that. I need the miles. Things have been bad as far a freight. Usually it is near impossible to find parking after night fall but it really hasn't been the case. I really think there is a lot less trucks on the road now. I really didn't believe all the talk about how bad the economy is and all that crap, but I am starting to see what they are talking about. The trucking business is really the cannery as far as where the economy is headed. it is one of the first industries hit by a bad economy and one of the first to reap the rewards of an upturn. So I guess I am lucky to have a job. Over the past 6 months there has been thousands of layoffs of drivers. Our company says that wont be the case with us and I believe them. We really are set up pretty well as far as how this operation is run. But I think we still would have been better if we didn't get taken over by Con-way. But I guess there are some advantages to it. at least some possible ones. It just seems like they could be a lot better job as far as the different divisions working togeather. But I guess if that was the case we would even have more Con-way control then we do have now, and from what I have seen that isn't a good thing. I think you can tell a lot about a business at looking at the little things. Even the Con-way bathrooms are never clean. I mean if you can't manage to keep a clean bathroom, how can you trust them to move product efficiently? I guess it sounds a little crazy but it is true. I have been in hundreds of business facilities and the little stuff really tells you a lot about how a business is run. So if you are ever going to buy stock in a company my advice to go there and see if their bathrooms are clean and their offices and warehouse is well organized. Ohhh and i suggest buying stock in Budweiser or another alcohol beverage company. If the economy keeps doing poorly their sales are going to skyrocket, and that's no joke. Better get rolling.
WOOZE

So I picked a load up from GA to MD. About 180 miles I am guessing to Philly. So it looks like I should make Christmas no problem. The load is a light one of machines made of sheet metal. tons of time on it as i sit here 4 days later and only 660 miles. But at least I am headed for time off. Most people say I handle stress fairly well and I would agree for the most part, but I think I just react in different ways to it. Nothing is more stressful to me than being in this truck and not making the money I know I can. I feel like I am wasting my time and wasting away. Then because I am stressed I get to thinking and end up causing more stress for myself. It is stupid I know, but it is a reality. So hopefully this little break will do me some good. Although what I really need is to get back to Buffalo for a few days. But that will come soon. I was planing to visit a friend in Cleavland in January but I think I will put that off to go home. Today, although I have been sitting around waiting to get unloaded I feel pretty good. Sat around and talked with a few other drivers at the dock here. And if anyone has experienced such a thing knows that's good for a few laughs, grimaces and points of utter stupidity that make the day go by. I will also like to inform that I did set up a Yahoo messenger account because of the many requests from my loyal readers. I will like to thank BOTH of you for the suggestion. So you can get a hold of me on that thing also wooze1212.

Heavy loads...

So I delivered that beer load no problems. took a little 4 hr nap and headed to NC to grab a another load. This one is headed to GA near Atlanta. Another heavy load of caned goods for Wal-mart. Back down 95 to 20 and then up a little state route 11. And here i sit waiting for them to unload the trailer. I just put in for home time to goto Philly for Christmas to see the little dude. I hope I make it there by Christmas... Plus it will get me out of this hot weather and back into the NE where I can make some miles and money. Not a big fan of this stuff down here. I really did horrible this week as far as miles. I guess it is nice not having to worry about the weather so much but I would rather be making some coin.

Florida Suicide....

Well I finally figured out why old people move to Florida. I think they are just sick of living and come down here in hopes that the combination of heat and humidity will kill them quicker. It maybe a more honorable way of killing yourself but just as effective over the long run. It is 80 something here in Jacksonville. The ride up here over last night was nice. There was a lot of fog and will also be a lot of fog tonight. But no one was on the road and it made for a good night really. I got to my delivery at 3am checked in and took a nice long nap while I waited for 7am to come for them to start unloading. That was a load for Cosco of bottled water. 46,600 lbs worth. With is just about the limit I can carry on this truck. I really should of scaled it. Trucks can only have so much weight total (80,000 lbs) and it has to be distributed evenly. 12,000 front, 34,000 on the drives and 34,000 on the trailer. You adjust the weight by sliding the trailer tires forward or back. I took my best guess and took off. I did get pulled into a DOT check and they looked at it hard, but let me go so I must of been close. Tonight a have a Budweiser load going to SC pick-up at 10pm deliver at 8am the next morning. something like 300 miles. I haven't looked it up yet to figure that part out. All it is is running up I-95. I like running that road and it has been a long while. This load is going to max me out also, but they have scales right there and they don't let you leave unless you scale out, so no problems there.

roasted Wooze

So since I left NC after thanksgiving they have been keeping me up in the North East. Which is ok really. That usually means short runs but they are usually lined right up so you do OK in the end. Plus the extra NE pay makes it almost worth it. I delivered that load in Tampa a day early and slept in a really crappy lot last night. today I drove to a decent truck stop just down the road and I will sit here all day til' about midnight and then go for the next load. This one is only 200 miles which is one of the shortest runs I have ever done. But Florida is known for it's lack of loads so I guess I knew this when they sent me down here. I really don't want to get stuck running nights again But at least here I really don't have to worry about snow and ice. I tried to do a little shopping on line last night for Christmas but just ended up looking at watches...again. There is this one watch I really like, but after a 400 dollar cell phone bill and all the Christmas shopping I still have to do it is just out of the question. but one day... I am really trying to save money. I have put myself on a budget awhile ago but It just never seems to add up. So I am writing every little thing I spend money on just to kind of watch it a little better. I really haven't saved as much as I would have liked. But that is ok I guess you have to enjoy life a little. Thats all for now folks.

Life is good, life is good. Grabbed a load just north of Chicago and taking it the sunny Tampa FL. Why is the Wooze so happy you ask? Simple really. One it is warm in Florida. 2 it makes my 2nd almost 3000 mile week in a row. 3 it has tons of time on it so I can chose to take my time. 4 I can deliver early if I want 24/7 so I don't have to take my time if I want. PLUS it only weighs 14,000 lbs. I might as well be hauling air. So Life is good indeed. Just talked to a few friends of mine today who I have not talked to in a long time. Just decided to go through the phone and call up some people that I have been neglecting. So that was fun to catch up with them. Right now I am in GA about 100 miles South of Atlanta on I-75S wanted to do another 100 miles today but instead decided to pull off call it a night at a rest area. Made myself a TV dinner and had some caned peaches and Cashews. And am presently thinking about making some popcorn and watching a movie. That is something I have to get is a few more DVD's for the truck. There is always drivers selling copies at the truck stop. I'll have to buy some next time. Hopefully I will get a run out of Florida that runs up 95 so i can visit a friend of mine. That would be really cool. Took a bunch of pictures today so I will get those up soon.

Well this isn't going to be good because I can't even think straight right now. I have been stuck running nights all week, ran back up to Canada and out again. Passed through Buffalo at about 3am. ran into some bad weather in PA. Right now I am in IL. I delivered this morning around 3am picked up an empty trailer with all messed up brakes. I hope it is fixed. the guy said it is fine, I guess I will find out when I pull out of here for another load. It was cold last night around 19. now it isn't to bad. I am tiered and have to get some sleep.

Ohhhh Canada...

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! I am back on friendly soil and life is good!!!! The trip into hostile territory went well considering I had to deliver in Toranto and Monteal. No real problems other than a super tight blind side back into one dock. I would like to report that I did this very difficult maneuver flawlessly and with only one pull up and that was just to have the truck and trailer straight. But unfortunately I can’t say such a thing because it would be a blatant lie! In reality it took a few tries and by the end of the fiasco my truck was at 45 degrees to the trailer but I was in the dock and said screw it!!! Good enough! By the way, French people are creepy. Many times nice, but still creepy. They had me then go east of Monteal a few hundred miles to pick up a load from this little town in the middle of the woods. They make wood pellets for the stoves. By the way I am pretty sure they use trees to make them not waste material. Just so you all know that. I found that really weird that they cut up trees into dust which is then made into pellets and then someone burns them in a stove to make heat. Why the hell wouldn’t someone just put a freaking old fashion log on the fire? So, I took that load through the VT border crossing into NH at a Wal-Mart DC. Got told that any time i go through VT call the company... Well I kinda forgot about that part but I stayed on the interstate so I didn't think i needed any special permits. I do't know the deal really I kinda just didn't call. Anyhow, I dropped that load and took a well deserved and needed nap. Woke up at 7:30 and was still laying there when a message was sent to the truck. “When are you going to want another load” is pretty much what they were saying. OK, how about… Now. Right away I got a load and headed out. Across rt101 and up I-95 to exit 75 in Maine and then had to follow this little route 4 to a paper mill. As soon as I pulled up to the place a lady came on the CB told me to drop my empty trailer and they got the loaded one ready. Good deal!!!! Grabbed that trailer and headed back out. Ran the I-95 back south 100 miles to the first fuel stop I got to since I went into Canada and gave the truck a drink. The last 60 miles of the trip a little red light on my fuel gauge was lit. If anyone might have a clue what this light may indicate I would appreciate if they would relay that info to me. This load is bound for Indiana and not due till Monday so I have way too much time on my hands this weekend. But I can run it through Buffalo so at least I can see the family for a couple of hours. I am going to try and get up early tomorrow so I can make Buffalo at a decent time. I am guessing it is about 450 miles or so maybe less. So it will be an easy day. OK got to get some sleep so I can be safe and effective tomorrow. Wow thouse safty meeting and really sinking in...

OK so I made my 2 drops at the Kmarts yesterday. The fist one was fun. The guy who ran the dock was a cool dude and was jammin' to some hard tunes while working. I did a little shopping while the ruck was getting unloaded. Everyone will be happy to know that I replaced my hole ridden socks with new ones. Then I drove the 80 miles to the next one in MD. it was an older store and people there were not so nice. Didn't seem to happy about their job. One complained about not being able to take a lunch. After they unloaded I parked on the side of the building and walked over to the fast food place. The same woman that complained about not being able to get lunch walked in...lol so I said "looks like you had time for lunch after all" then she complained that she was going to be standing in line to long and turn around a left...lol After a bite I got back in the truck and they gave me a load picking up in PA 150 miles away. Jumped in the truck and headed out. Most the time when I am headed some where I take all the time I need to plain my route to make sure I know where I am going. This time a just looked quickly and headed in the direction. That wasn't a good idea. This is in a small town way off the Interstate and took a little bit to get back here. Truck routes where hard to find but I got here with the help of a local driver talking me threw it running my back door. So this load is a good one going to Toranto and to QC. so I will be out of contact after today for a few days while up in Canada. But i supose you all can handle not hearing for me for a few days, so don't give me any crap Cherly!!!!!!! j/k