Huh?

zman3k · Feb 15, 2007

By show of appendages and/or vestigial tails, how many of you learned to drive in the blowing snow driving a 20,000lbs vehicle from Ohio to Chicagoland? Yeah, that's what I got to do the other day or night or something, whenever it was. This afternoon we finished our third load, a shorty to Madison, WI from the 'burbs of Chicago, delivering to a downtown hospital two hospital beds and we've decided to come to rest at a truck stop in Beloit, IL for the evening as all the other loads they tried to get me on this afternoon would run me out of hours and on one they were going to try and work out a swap, but that fell through.

This week, we're going to try and get pointed in Texas direction so A.) Holly can get her license, and B.) [most importantly] to get somewhere where the mean temperature is 40 degrees or higher for a few days. Also, we need to bugger our vet so we can get Max's vaccination record so he can go to the great white north, we've already had to turn down a load for that reason (sniff sniff, are those the purists I smell heading this way?)

Anyway, that's all for now, it's been quite interesting thus far, and can only get better once we get this truck into a position to keep going forever and ever and ever and ever (ad infinitum et nauseam).

TeamCaffee · Feb 15, 2007

Glad to hear you guys are doing well. You sure jumped right into the middle of this weather didnt you? Keep safe and keep us posted.

cheri1122 · Feb 15, 2007

Now that you've got the freeze out of the way, you can look forward to the fog, and the blinding rainstorms, and the sun glare during rush hour driving - there's just so much fun ahead, lol. Seriously: take it easy, and trust your judgement on when NOT to drive, and you'll get to experience the best of Mother Nature, too. Like the beach in February!

zman3k · Feb 15, 2007

Fog, blinding rainstorms, sun glare at rush hour, I've done that in buses many times...in a college town...BRING IT ON!!!!

And in Texas, sometimes blinding rainstorms, fog and sun glare at rush hour all at the same time.

And say what you will about beaches in February, but I love them then, no one is there.

TJ959 · Feb 16, 2007

The first time I ever drove one of those big ol bend in the middle trucks all by myself was in a blizzard. Grand Rapids MI to Tipp City OH and then back to Lima OH. Trucks were in the ditch everywhere. I had to pry my fingers off the wheel. Probably took 2 years off my life.

Doggie Daddy · Feb 16, 2007

OMG,I guess I missed it on the news....When did Illinois take Beloit from Wisconsin?

Moot · Feb 16, 2007

Illinois traded the Road Ranger and the Flying J to Wisconsin. In return Illinois got the Frito Factory and Hormel. Now all of the truck stops are in Beloit, Wi. and the gourmet food is in South Beloit, Ill.

nightcreacher · Feb 17, 2007

>By show of appendages and/or vestigial tails, how many of
>you learned to drive in the blowing snow driving a 20,000lbs
>vehicle from Ohio to Chicagoland? Yeah, that's what I got to
>do the other day or night or something, whenever it was.
>This afternoon we finished our third load, a shorty to
>Madison, WI from the 'burbs of Chicago, delivering to a
>downtown hospital two hospital beds and we've decided to
>come to rest at a truck stop in Beloit, IL for the evening
>as all the other loads they tried to get me on this
>afternoon would run me out of hours and on one they were
>going to try and work out a swap, but that fell through.
>
>This week, we're going to try and get pointed in Texas
>direction so A.) Holly can get her license, and B.) [most
>importantly] to get somewhere where the mean temperature is
>40 degrees or higher for a few days. Also, we need to bugger
>our vet so we can get Max's vaccination record so he can go
>to the great white north, we've already had to turn down a
>load for that reason (sniff sniff, are those the purists I
>smell heading this way?)

>
>Anyway, that's all for now, it's been quite interesting thus
>far, and can only get better once we get this truck into a
>position to keep going forever and ever and ever and ever
>(ad infinitum et nauseam).

dont talk about getting better,mr murphy will teach you a lesson
great job

zman3k · Feb 18, 2007

Mr. Murphy and I are close personal friends and collaborate on a great many projects.

Yesterday, we got two dry runs due to a shipper not having a load two times and put back on the board. Later, we got a load offer from Des Plaines, IL to Buffalo, WV for tomorrow, so we took that. This afternoon we moved from Gary, IN to one of the Oases on the IL tollway and we are now 5 miles away from the shipper, which is good since the pick-up time is 0800 (0700 local), trying to beat the bum rush from south of Chicago to kinda north of Chicago on a Monday morning, as I'm sure we'll get to catch plenty of it on our way out of the area. It'll be nice to see something other than the Chicagoland area and the associated tollways, esp since we don't have I/EZ-Pass yet. In fact, it'll be nice tomorrow to not have to deal with any tollways or turnpikes once we get out of the Chicago area.

And sorry about the cockup on the Beloit being IL/WI thing, but it happens to the best of us, right....right? Let's just call it the Greater Beloit Metropolitan Area of Northern IL and Southern WI.

cheri1122 · Feb 18, 2007

Zak, I wasn't being sarcastic about the beach in Feb, I was in Fla 2 wks ago, and the beach was pure heaven! Lots of other people thought so too, cause it was nowhere near deserted. If you get down that way, pick up some red naval oranges - I bought a huge bag to bring home & share, but they didn't make it back north - man, they're good! :9

zman3k · Mar 10, 2007

4 weeks down.
Well we got sent down to the freight black hole of the universe, otherwise known as Florida and that was after spending time in New England waiting to no avail. So we waited our time in FL, and couldn't find anything to get us out so we moved up to Atlanta, with a stop in Athens to visit a good friend of mine. And we managed to come full circle from Atlanta to Knoxville to Greenville back to Atlanta. We haven't had anything in several days so we moved to the 'burbs of Atlanta, after bailing on a motel at 20/285 in Atlanta. We're taking a couple of days repreve in Acworth, GA.

Also we are trying to make our way back to Texas so we can get holly her license so we can share the driving duties, and be available for more runs. Unfortunately, I can't find anything anywhere to get us back to Texas. We did find a brokered load that was perfect and would have delivered us and the load to Austin, TX, 30 miles from home, but alas it was too long for our truck. C'est la vie, so they say.

Anyway, we're going to recoop here this weekend, and hopefully hit next week running with a possible chance of getting back home so we can take care of some unfinished affairs. Thank goodness for my dad, who is helping us with some of that stuff until we get back, I owe him big time, but that'll have to wait until we start making the big bucks, b/c that's why I took this job, solely for the money. :+

x06col · Mar 10, 2007

Driving for a Contractor? Big Bucks? Huh?

zman3k · Mar 10, 2007

If you will take note, I didn't say how I was going to make the big bucks, smarty pants, rather, I was just going to make them.

Looney2 · Mar 12, 2007

Lived in Michigan all my life. Driving in snow is like 2nd nature.. Got 2 questions though from reading the previous posts. If you take a load and the weather gets too bad to drive and you call in to say your shutting down, do you still get paid for delivering the load late?? Also can you get a speedpass for a cargo van??? Looney

cheri1122 · Mar 12, 2007

Speaking strictly for myself, if I feel the weather is unsafe to keep moving through, I will inform dispatch of the fact - if they disagree, well, I don't know what would happen, as it's never happened yet. I feel it's my life on the line, and I'm not risking it for freight. I will get it there safely, but that has to be my call - I'm driving.
Yes, you can get an EZ Pass for tolls on a van - but there are none for Ohio or Indiana.