Trucking

Things might be picking up or I got lucky. Probably lucky. I did that load for Graebel Van Lines into Brooklyn. I had to drive all day to pick it up and then all night to deliver it. Bohemian had 5 trucks on the east coast, Graebel gives me a load immediately going west. I figure if I hadn’t have done one, I wouldn’t have gotten the load I’m on now.

Driving south on I-5 in Oregon, through a construction zone, I’m driving around a curve and a deer is in the left lane. He must have jumped over the barrier in the middle trying to get across. He stands there for a second, then moves into my lane. I didn’t have anywhere to go, I swerved a little bit and hit him with the left fender instead of the center of my radiator. I see his head and neck hit the top of my fender right above the headlight and he goes under the tires on the left side.

After the initial crunch and crash, I hear a scraping sound and it doesn’t sound good. Luckily there’s a small shoulder before the shoulder gets closed from construction. I’m on the side of the road trying to bend my fender away from my front tire. The headlight is fine, but the driving / fog light on the left side is smashed and the fender is bent and cracked.

Thankfully, It’s drivable, headlights work, nothing major bent and no fluids are leaking. Pretty lucky from a pretty big deer, I’ve seen a lot worse damage done to a truck. I’ve always wanted one of these and it’s always been on my list of things to get for the truck. It’s on my Christmas list if anyone’s interested Click on the picture for the site. These are built for Moose and really big deer in Canada. Almost every Canadian truck has one of these bumpers. I’m sure they are a little intimidating if you’re the car in front of a truck that’s tailgating, oh well. They do work. In the fall, Ohio and Pennsylvania are dangerous driving at night from all of the deer jumping on the road.

I’m in San Jose now getting unloaded and if there’s nothing going south, I’ll be going home empty. It’s been way too long.

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If you zoom out you’ll notice this is Brooklyn. This is where I delivered today. I’ve said before I’m not going into NYC ever again. Oh well. I get in just fine, found the place, actually drove right by it because it’s literally a hole in the wall and went around the block. Had to drop the trailer and let the crew unload while I parked a mile away and tried to sleep.

This is from google maps, street view. Just imagine a big 53′ foot trailer dropped where the white car is.

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I had to drop the trailer because the tractor was blocking the intersection right in front. The problem I have is getting out of New York. Manhatten is the worst, I really, really don’t go into Manhatten anymore. Brooklyn is almost truck friendly, in a New York City kind of way.

One major problem with driving a semi around New York City is the low bridges. The problem is overpasses are not properly marked. I couldn’t find a quick example in google map street view and usually I’m a little too busy to be taking pictures. Maybe next time. Anyway, a bridge marked 12′ 2″ is usually a problem. Not always in NYC, it has something to do with the lack of snow removal or so I’ve heard. I know places that are definitely marked 12′2″ and they’re on the expressway and they’re safe because I’ve followed other trucks. That’s just one of the many challenges that face big trucks in New York City.

I’m sure I would get better if I did it more, but I really don’t want to do it more to find out. Between the traffic, the construction and the traffic through the construction, I don’t know why people would live there on purpose. I’d like to go back and take a car around, it’s definitely an interesting place.

Once you’re in, you would never have to leave. It’s incredible how each neighborhood had absolutely everything you would ever need within a few blocks. Every few blocks is like a different country. It’s no wonder almost every movie made has been in made or sometimes made to look like New York City.

I was almost without a laptop till I got home. The iGo power cord is basically in four sections. One goes to the wall or dc power (cigarette lighter), a fairly big power converter unit, then a cord from there to the final plug adapter, plugging into whatever device you are powering. Laptop, pda, phone, whatever. One piece broke, the same piece that broke last time. I knew I had a spare somewhere, last time it broke I couldn’t find it and ordered another one from ebay, this time I found the spare unit and all is well, God loves me and wants me to have a computer.

I should be driving instead of downloading podcasts at the Flying J in Limon, Co. I’ve got about 980 miles to go to Dallas and was hoping to be there Monday afternoon, but that was being a little too optimistic, seeing how I need to sleep and Willie can’t drive (yet). Tuesday morning will have to do, I’m still getting reloaded for Phoenix, the only question will be Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. Then it’s a 1000 mile sprint to get to Phoenix before the holiday. Then I’m going home.

I’ve given up on National politics, it’s too sickening. I did find some Nevada and Las Vegas podcasts I’m going to listen and pick the best ones to follow. Good thing we’re not electing a King, though it kind of seems like it this election. Whoever it is has to work with the Congress. This will probably be the first time I’m going to know what I’m doing in a local election. At least until I get tired of the rhetoric, lies and pandering of the local politicians.

I wrote in Life on the Road I didn’t think a freight recovery was going to happen any time soon, but hings seem to be picking up, it may be just a fluke and may not last. Up until now I’ve would complete a load and then wait for days and days for another load. Lately, I’ve actually had one load right after another and I actually had bonus freight on this last trip, which hasn’t happened in forever. I seem to be busy, but still broke. I’m getting decent rates, but fuel is out-freaking-ragous. I haven’t personally seen $5.00 a gallon, but it’s out there. I’ve mostly seen above $4.60 - $4.75.

I could have been loading today (Saturday) if someone would have called the shipper before everyone left on a Friday afternoon. The load is ready and they’re ready for me on Monday, oh well. At least the weather is cooperating so I don’t have to idle or even have the generator running. I’ve got food, WIFI a nice area for Willie walks and no one parked next to me. I’ll take the weekend off and get loaded on Monday and drive like a bat… to Dallas to deliver Wednesday morning and reload Wednesday afternoon for Phoenix, as long as nothing changes, which has been known to happen a few times before.

I don’t believe it! I had 40′ of truck leftover after one stop and actually found something decent to fill it up with. Office furniture going to Idaho. Pays pretty well, especially on top of the truck load that the 10′ is pay for. Chairs are going to be a day late getting to Salt Lake City, but they’ll get over it.

I’ve been driving about 65 mph and getting about 7.5 and 8.0 mpg, chairs are really light. Had to do something to make up for all the tolls going east out of upstate NY. Between Ohio and Indiana it’s starting to add up. I decided to spend the 50 miles and go 80 to 39 north going way around Chicago instead of 294 toll and 90 toll roads. It’s tough enough to get a decent paying load and between fuel and tolls, there really isn’t much left. That’s why this extra bonus freight came up at a good time. I’ll have to blast through Nebraska at 75 blowing any gains in fuel mileage.

Oh well, it’s always something.

At least I’m home. I’ve turned down a couple of loads, mainly because for one thing, I want to stay home over the weekend. Another, they weren’t paying very much. My dispatcher said they were getting tons of calls for trucks in Vegas, because for some reason there aren’t any available trucks in Vegas. Or it may be that there aren’t any trucks willing to take the ridiculous freight.

One broker called me direct after talking to my office, he says he can usually pay about $3600 on this load that’s about 2250 miles. A little on the horrible side, but it not only loads right now, it has an extra stop and he called my dispatcher yesterday for the same load. He’s got five loads to cover, this one is the most important one. He asks me what I want, I tell him $4800, which is a lot, but I’m home, the weekend is coming up, I really don’t feel like going anywhere, I don’t care if I get it or not. He tells me he only has $4600 total on it. So, he usually makes $1000 for making a few phone calls? He’s got to call his customer and call me back. He doesn’t call back, I don’t care. Shippers have been getting almost a free ride for too long. If I have the advantage somewhere, I’m taking it, It’s what they do. If I was in Florida and had been sitting for a couple of days, I would have taken less, but I’m not stuck somewhere.

Hopefully it will keep up like this on Monday when I am ready to go somewhere. Even then I won’t be in a big hurry. The bills are paid for the moment and I’m in no hurry to truck around for nothing. I’m in the trucking business, not the favor business.

Everyone has GOT to sign this. It only takes a second. This is the only real solution for the trucking industry. Strikes and anything else are either worthless or only short term. They’re looking for 3 million signatures. My previous post about this. Go to American Solutions.com - Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less.

We currently have 393,582 signatures.

Which is what trucking is most of the time. Lately though the feasts have been more like snacks and the famines seem like they go on and on. After sitting for two weeks, not finding anything and what was found was not worth taking, I not only get a good load, it’s one I think someone else fell off of. Since I was told, hurry up and get there and the deliveries are saying I’m late, someone committed to this load, then dropped out for whatever reason. Which is fine for me, it’s usually how I get a really good load. After sitting for two weeks, I have two loads back to back. I unload Monday morning in Aurora, CO (a Denver suburb) and reload in Colorado Springs, CO the same day, as soon as I can get there. Apparently the Gold’s Gym in Colorado Springs went under and all of their equipment is being moved to a warehouse in Salt Lake City.

It’s not great pay, but it’s not horrible. From Salt Lake City, I can drive home empty and take a few day off. But you’ve already had two weeks off! Not the same!! Sitting around a truck stop for two weeks, is not quite the same as sitting at home. Just a few days to do laundry, grocery shop, vacuum the truck and make sure my wife hasn’t forgotten what I look like. Besides, I may be waiting for a week for another load anyway. Much better waiting at home than at a truck stop.

Okay, it’s really another day, the same truck stop. This is probably a new record for waiting for a load. I was empty in northern New Jersey the 16th. over the weekend, then a week, then over the holiday weekend, I’m still here.  There were a few possiblities, but none worth taking. I turned one down that loaded in Manhatten and went to Saint Paul over the weekend, but it wasn’t paying enough to deal with tolls and going downtown. I’ve called on a few and am amazed at the offers people expect you to take a load for.

For the weekend, I dropped the trailer and went to a nearby grocery store for supplies, that was another shock. The week was spent driving to a free truck stop, grocery shopping, on the computer and taking Willie for walks around the parking lot. At least the weather has cooperated and I’ve only had to run the generator a few minutes at a time to keep the battery charged. It’s not that the computer is that much of a drain, but I’ll have the radio on and the refrigerator takes a toll on the batteries after awhile.

Even at this one truck stop I’ve moved three times. Sounds sily, but if I’m going to be someplace, I want the perfect parking place. The first time, a reefer trailer pulls right next to me when there are 50 parking places open, some even pull-throughs, this reefer was running and what was the purpose of that??? Just to piss someone off? I moved to the very end, next to a little open grass area to be away from other trucks. Everyone loved to walk their dogs there which made Willie go nuts every time a dog walked by. Then I moved away from other idling trucks and reefers. The weather is getting a little warm, but with all the windows open and a breeze going through, it’s okay without running the truck or the generator.

There are a couple of possibilities for a loads, one to Vermont and the other to Chicago. Not much else and definitely nothing worth taking a loss for.

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I’m trying to not look at the trucking news while I’m sitting here in New Jersey waiting for a load. I’m going to have to move soon because it’s pay to park, but I was trying to stay close to NYC Jersey metro area so I wouldn’t have to drive so far back to the area, but it’s been a few days and I need to start planning on a long, long weekend. The Flying J is about 50 miles away from where I’m at now, which is already 50 miles away from the metro area, but at least at the Flying J I have some restaurant coupons and shower coupons and it’s free to park.

The couple of loads that have come by, haven’t been very much money. The national average for diesel this week is $4.497, my office is saying in Nevada diesel was close to $4.70. At $4.50 a gallon in an average truck getting the average 5.5 mpg it costs $0.82 cents a mile just for fuel. Rates aren’t much higher. The rates I’ve been getting this month have been in the $1.35 ranch. My truck normally get 6.5 mpg that’s $0.69 cents for fuel. So, my rate hasn’t been horrible, but the lack of freight makes up for it. I’m about to start taking some horrible rate just to get back home.

I’m taking the truck to the Volvo dealer and getting it appraised and go from there. Used trucks haven’t been doing too bad because of the overseas market, if they give me an offer to take it and it’s more than what I owe… I’ll have to change the name of this blog.

The trailer payment is almost double and I may be able to lease it to someone or sell it outright, but it’s not as much as the truck payment and by itself, it wouldn’t be so bad and I could take some time to sell it without too much pressure.

What’s bad is that things seem like they are about to turn around. Shippers complain of not having trucks in a certain area or the shipper says they’re desperate, but it’s not bad enough yet for shippers to make them want to pay for the outrageous fuel prices. Maybe in a few more weeks or a few more months enough trucks will be off the road and things will pick up. I’m not sure yet if I want to be one of the ones that are left on the road or even care.

The problem is what to do next. A couple of fields I’ve looked into aren’t doing much better. So, me and Willie are sitting under a thunderstorm in New Jersey, I continue to look at my dispatcher’s email and the Internet Truckstop for loads and working on my websites that are bringing in a little but far from enough right now to make a big difference, but it gives me something to do.

If you’re looking for hosting or a domain name go to Wayne’s Domains to buy your domain names or hosting. The host on that page isn’t the greatest, but in order to be able to get the best deals on domains, I had to offer their hosting. Domains are cheaper than Godaddy with email and all the extras and professional support. I’ve got better hosting available but no page setup for it yet. If you’re interested, just let me know. It’s just like the hosting I have also offers domains, but they’re not as good as the people that I get my domains from. I’ll do another post shortly about the complete package and more.