Fuel for Thought

Headed South

By Dale
Posted Sep 22nd 2009 5:30PM

         Today is officially the first day of fall.   From the temperatures, you sure can’t tell it, but I could really see the colors changing on my trip south. I woke up this morning in New Jersey, and got a call to go to Allentown, PA to pick up a run headed to Knoxville, TN.   It wasn’t scheduled to pick up until 2:00pm, but I took a chance and went in early… luckily, it was ready, when I got there at 1:00.   For a bit though, it didn’t look like I was going to be able to take it. It was two skids, which I can haul... but one of them was oversized.   They were expecting a dock high truck, not a van… and had planned accordingly.   My company dispatched according to size and weight though, and since they were told 2 skids, and just under 2400 lbs, they sent me.   With a bit of rearranging, we got the freight on my van, strapped in and the doors latched. It took every inch of my freight area though… even had to move some things around in the van.

 

            With the heavier load, the van rode a bit low, but handled it fine.    Last time I had a load this heavy it was liquid… and that was a bear, but with the solid, non-moving freight, the van was ok.   It was actually a smooth run… straight down I81 most of the way… drove thru parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia… then the length of Virginia into Tennessee. There I picked up I40 into Knoxville.   I had to meet another driver at a cross docking location so he could take the freight the rest of the way into Alabama.  My company only sends solo drivers about 700 miles for safety reasons.   While we were waiting, 2 other FedEx vans pulled in for another transfer load. It was nice to talk to drivers from different parts of the country, and compare notes on how we were running.   It does seem to be picking up for everyone, as we’ve all been busy the past couple of weeks.

 

            I’ll be laying over in Knoxville tonight, hope to be able to sleep.. it’s a bit muggy here… was nice and cool in Jersey.