Downtown Spokane, Breakfast at Zips

Yesterday, I was bombing across Montana with the plan of stopping in Missoula, dropping off the ruined trailer wheel, taking a shower, filling my water jug with some decent water and hitting the lookout pass. I did that pretty much in that order. While I was at the terminal, there was this other truck driver spreading doom and gloom about how bad lookout pass was and that it had not stopped snowing for 3 days. I told him that I had to go that way anyway, so what is the point in fretting over what I have not seen. He kept blubbering on about how it was really bad and be careful. I asked him for his cell phone number and told him if I were to get stuck that I would give him a call. It was slow going in places, it snowed in places, but, I made it through, only witnessing one spin out and rollover accident which, I called 911 and checked on the people inside. I was doing 45-50 mph and was being passed by this moron (who had his mom, kids, and wife in the truck) who was getting frustrated that I would not move over (into the deep snow drift to let him by. Truth be told, I was on the edge of the snow as it was and he had at least 15 feet of lane offered to him. I get that he was perhaps, scared of the big bad truck. Anyway, he accelerated and passed me and whipped the wheel to the right 50 feet in front of my grille. Bad move. The rear of his pickup swung and he hit the median at speed, sideways. One quick roll and all the stuff fell out of his bed and he landed on the wheels. First comment out of his mouth when I tromped through the snow? Look at this truck. The kids in the back were injured by the in flight movements of their portable DVD player, which shattered. I was glad to see that they were all seat belted. The cab of the truck protected them and they were belted in and for the most part, safe.

I am at the Flying J in Spokane waiting for the Mead Location to open so I can ask them for directions. I should have called them on Friday but forgot and they are closed on weekends. I have to wait for 8 o'clock which seems like an eternity due to the time change. I will live.

Now, It is off to Zips for a breakfast sandwich. Dedication:\

Update On The Never Ending Saga And Monkey Butt Powder

Well, This is a late entry regarding my trek across Montana. I made the delivery, albeit 2 hours late. Was the only vehicle on the Hwy 2 between Conrad and Kalispell, MT. Saw a butt load of elk right in the road. 6 hours of driving for 100 miles. Sucked, but I made it.

Got home on the 22nd to see my wifey poo and enjoy Christmas together. It was a welcome break and I was home 6 days or so. Cool were the presents I got. Cooler were the presents we bought for ourselves at the mall. I always like shopping with my wife, but we are dangerous on the budget. Have a hell of a good time though. I bought some anti-monkey butt powder to throw on my stepson...He would not come home until I had left. I will test it on his evasive ass when I get home though. Poof, melting, melting, melted.

Right at this moment, I am at Beach, ND after having blown out a rear outer tire, got it fixed and got on my way. I just pulled in this place because the sun was in my eyes. Really, there isn't much else here to be sure. Even the goats are bored here.

I got a comment from an anonymous person. It was not necessarily a bad comment. I just want people to know that I encourage people to write in so I can respond. Kind of frustrating when one hears voices, and no one is attached to them. So, please if you write, be courteous and stand and be seen as it were. Dedication :D

Happy Happy Havre

Here in Havre, Mt, having my Schwans first drop unloaded and looking at the weather map on the computer with apprehension. There is snow moving in and I have three more stops at Great Falls, Conrad and Kalispell, Montana. The last drop worries me as there are some rather dicey roads on that route as well as a mountain pass or two as I recall. Well, I will just proceed like I always do and if it gets too nasty, I will let someone know about it and keep myself safe. That is the plan, and as the saying goes...the best battle plans seldom make it to the battle field. We will see...

I have been doing some shopping as I have to work and shop at the same time. Sorry honey, I will not be able to get that deep freeze as you wanted as it will not fit in the sleeper. I tried, honest. I have most of it that was to take place on the Internet done and that is in the hands of the tailgating, surly UPS drivers. What can Brown do for you? Rear end your slow ass if you don't get the #$@!! out of the @#$*!ing way. It is a wonder that the stuff we send makes it at all with some of the driving skill displayed by the boring brown idiots. Want to hear a good one?

I was listening to Dave Nemo and a postal semi driver called to say that he was hauling 390 pounds of priority mail to Houston from Charlston. They had nothing ready for his return trip to Charlston but they did have a load full for Atlanta. The driver offered to haul this load as it was on his way and he was going to be deadheading anyway. He was told that his company had a contract with USPS for Charlston to Houston only and that another truck would have to be hired to do the load that did have the contract. USPS efficiency at work. By the way, this drivers company has a contract that pays $2.05 per mile, loaded or empty. Your tax dollars pay for that guy to dead head all that way. Isn't it great? Something to think about when your letters cost .41 cents a pop to send...Gotta to and get ready for the Great Falls part of the run. Dedication:0

Sitting at the Beach

I am here in Beach, ND...what did you expect? I know there are those that are stupid enough to try to get a truck on the beach and all that. If you know of such a place, let me know and I will join your silly self and go swimming. I am on my way to Montana for a northern tour across highway 2 for four Schwans drops. I am thrilled, as all it will take is one good snow storm and I will not get home for Christmas. Christmas, you hear that you boner biting rag heads with Al Quaeda? Christ, and Christmas...you sand losers had better hope we do not decide to have a holy war of our own. Oh, I know what you are thinking...but I just love to stir the pot. Now, I have a cross to burn...

Anyway, I have to get after it as I have 354 miles to go by tomorrow at noon. I think I will make it. Peace, Love, Understanding. Dedication :/

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town...Please Don't Hit Him

Another Texas road sign that is truly a sign of the times. People are so darn impatient. I just think that if Jesus were to return to Earth and be somehow unlucky enough to land in Texas, well he just wouldn't last very long as a pedestrian. That is, unless he managed to bring a large "I am the Son Of God" sign. A matter of minutes and he would be sequestered by the ACLU to a deep, dark, dungeon where he would be cleansed of all the offending attributes that religious icons seem to carry o' plenty.

Anyway, on to more serious things. I am here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and I am truly scared. I mean these streets are truly mean. There was even a traffic jam. The light turned green and it was over but there really has to be some excitement here. Everyone here is so drab during the winter. It is as though the whole persona is about winter suffering. It is 30 deg and sunny and all I have to say is that it could be one hell of a lot worse.

I just delivered a load of Coors to a distributor in Sioux and have taken my trailer to a Pizza supply house in Sioux Falls. Now Bret wants me to get that trailer loaded and then be bop over to the Pilot and drop it off and then go back to John Morrell and pick up an empty and then go to Marshall, MN and do the whole load up thing all over again. I am working on a compromise where I leave my empty trailer at Orion, pick up another empty trailer at John Morrell and hop, skip and jump my way up to Marshall, MN for a load of Schwans stuff. Going where, I have no Idea yet. We shall see how this all plays out. gotta go for now. Dedication.;0

Got Dirty Birds?

While driving on I 35 just south of Dallas there was the sign that is also the title of this blurb. It was a sign for a place that sells concrete figurines and birdbaths. I liked it.

I am once again in Wichita Falls resting up for the Sunday run like hell towards Denver 500. I deliver on Monday and decided that I would pool my energy today and get some needed rest. I have been rather down with a cold lately and felt that being lazy would somehow help. So far, so good. Gotta go for now. Dedication....

Just Catching Up At Long Last

I have had several opportunities to launch another missive towards this growing pile of words. It is just that I have either had to get going already or I just did not have the energy to fire the computer up and dedicate some heartfelt time in the name of endless drivel. I have no idea whether that is spelled right. So, for the sake of the uneducated...I mean crap.

I was being harassed by snow at last visit as I was trying to get my ass home for the family get together on the first of December. That turned out to be a nice outing and I was off until the 5th or so.

Then I had to get going to Jamestown and get a load of Potato Sticks and head out to Louisville, KY. My reefer broke down and I ended up losing a whole day on the deal. Jim Palmer paid nothing for this delay to me. Then I got rooked into the Schwan's load out of Walton KY going to Arlington, Texas. This load was kind of slow as I was late to my Louisville, KY drop due to the ice storm I was trying to cross in Illinois. I pulled over until it was safe and ended up 5 and 1/2 hours late to the Louisville show. I always err on the side of pulling over because simply, I do not want to know what it feels like to slide into a deep ditch at speed. All the losers at Jim Palmer are concerned with is the fact that if their load is late, they get docked. Well, I am not going to say all the losers because the safety guy is always saying on the quaalcomm to pull over and be safe. Funny though since every time I have a delay, that delay is followed by two or three very slow and non profitable loads. In fact, the drivers at Jim Palmer call it "getting spanked". Tell a driver manager that he is an asshole, get spanked. Refuse a load, definitely get spanked. Call and swear into the phone at someone, Spanky, spanka, spank, spank.

Back to safety. It seems that safety is really for the people at trucking companies to beat the driver over the head with when something goes wrong. It is also a good "cover your butt" measure when you are sending drivers with profit generating freight into harms way. The driver is the company source of income and at the same time the driver can be the biggest drain. In the form of lawsuits. It is really funny though, how quickly a driver gets thrown under the bus when something goes wrong. You can be the driver of the year and have 25 years at Jim Palmer Trucking. Just as soon as you slam into the side of a minivan full of people due to running a red light, they cast you into the fire. There is something terribly wrong with that. I mean, the driver does his job and the trucking company makes money the whole time for the most part. The fact is, that there are dispatchers, managers and all other employees making mistakes all the time that cost their companiy money. I don't even want to hear about the price of fuel going up and all that. You are preaching to the choir. It just seems that there could be a bit more loyalty on the part of a trucking company towards the driver. All this advertizing on the part of company owners and spokesmen, talking about how their respective company is so much better because they have been there, they pay more, they treat you like family, they want you to succeed in your "career" etc, etc.

Fact is, you are a number. You are a number that performs a task and provides your company with a positive number for their corporate equation. The more you perform that task, the more money they make. When you hit the icy road, they tell you to be safe and pull over. If you wreck, then there is a negative number that effects their business outlooks and forcasts. Pulling over is not what they want to tell the driver to do, but the truth in their hearts is too sick and disgusting to say out loud. There is an unwritten rule at trucking companies. That rule is, make the most money you can while shelling out the least amount of cash. There is also the rule that no one is to say this out loud much less utter the truth spoken above a whisper. There is no room for loyalty in that business equation. Frankly, I would rather be a porno shop attendent than to be one of the kiss ass losers that aspire to run trucking companies. Scumbags, one and all.

Think I am wrong? Try this on for size. My truck broke down in Washington, causing me to need a room for 2 nights while the truck was repaired. I call the dispatch and they say to find out if the hotel will take com check. Turns out, that this hotel does not. They tell me to pay for the room and they will reimburse me for it. This room was the last one the hotel had available and was not in a cheap neighborhood. I will say this...it cost $210.00 for 2 days total. The next week, the refund was $120.00. This is on top of the fact that I did not receive one dime for the time off. I could see if I let the truck go completely to hell and it broke. This was an issue with the motor I had addressed at the shop in Missoula not ten days before I broke down. I wanted to cool down before calling up these assholes to find out what fine print or needle headed policy was responsible for me being ripped off. I will let you know when I find out. dedication

Off Into The Snow

Of course, it always works out that the repair schedule does not meet the weather schedule on the dot. I could have gotten out of here last night but there was not any loads available when the truck was done yesterday evening. I chose to head out today...Snow has hit the snowqualmie pass requiring chains. I am empty and probably will be routed to Wenatchee. That seems to be the common routing out of Seattle. We shall see how many times I will have to chain up.

Down With A Loud Thump, Thump, Thump

I-5 North in Washington. Driving along about noon on Sunday and tuning the radio. Happy, in the fact that I was, in spite of all the shopping traffic, on schedule. I had just turned the XM to the Led Zeppelin channel to escape all the talk radio which at that point, was really going nowhere. Comes a point after all when at least it seems like it has all been said. At any rate, I was climbing this slow hill doing about 55 MPH when the sun got in behind me and gave me a great shadow of both the tractor and the stacks. That was when I noticed the smoke. I looked in the mirror and the smoke was going back a hundred yards. I was lowering the power and looking to find a place to pull over when the engine started thumping loudly and shaking the entire tractor. I just made it off the freeway with enough power and put on the brakes. It was kind of surreal. The engine wasn't leaking, smoking, or for that matter, not showing any outward signs of anything being wrong. The temperature was 195, oil pressure was 50 but rpm's were down as I was lugging down in 9th gear. I really couldn't find a thing wrong except that the oil was down 1.25 gallons. I had filled it 2 days prior. I hope Caterpillar can find out what the heck is wrong and quickly.

Really, all that mattered yesterday evidently was not what I did or was able to do. What mattered was what I had no control over. The dispatcher was all concerned about the delivery and how he was going to get another truck to pick up the load and rescue it. I was concerned about where I was going to stay and how to get there. My wife was concerned about whether I was going to make it home for our Thanksgiving get together for the family. The shop foreman at Cat was concerned about this truck being added to an already overloaded work roster. No matter where you are at in a situation, there are concerns and all of them will be different and will intersect at points. I think I will read a book. Dedication %\-

Watching Frazier

There isn't very much here in Frazier Park, CA. At least from this truck stop and all the concrete insulation from the outside world. I went to a small grocery store and saw some of the locals and they seem to look like us. You know, normal? Really, I get into this idea of mine that we as truck drivers are, by nature of the job, removed from a large part of society. Sure, everyone sees the almighty truck roaring down the road. Everywhere we roam, there are neighborhoods of life just going on with out us. I know, this sort of sounds stupid and I am just doing a poor job of putting what I am thinking on paper. But here goes. Here is an example.

Sad. I was at a signal the other day, when I looked left and there was an old car with a woman in the passenger side. She was crying. I had no idea who was driving as the angle from my tall cab would not allow such intimacy, but, when they pulled ahead of me there were five children of young age in the back seat. It could be there was a death in the family. Or she could be perfectly happy and just hates the hell out of her hemorroid surgery.

Angry. There were two people in front of a church in Wyoming a while back. As I drove by, the guy hauled off and hit the woman right in the face. Makes for an interesting dose of faith while sitting in those pews. I have faith in the fact that that woman is going to buy a Lodge frying pan and bash the hell out of her worse half.

Alone. On US-20, it started a few years ago. First time I drove by, There was a fresh chunk of bark missing from a large pine tree and signs of a recent accident. I drove by again two weeks later and there was painted on the trunk in large orange letters..."MOM". Another two months, there were beer cans at the foot of the tree. I can't imagine losing someone I care for and feeling such loss that I would visit the site where they died. However, it has not happened to me, either. Perhaps, when I have that fiery crash, maybe someone will have a beer on my behalf and put one of those crosses up. It could happen.

Happy. Driving through any town on a nice, not so hot, summer day. Well, it is just heaven. People mowing their lawns and children playing and enjoying the summer. With that being said, I would like to point out that much like appreciation of angry grizzly bears, bees, black widows and cyanide...it is better we observe and not get too close. You never know what will happen. We might just live a little. It beats the heck out of just doing what ever you do and waiting for all those Red-dyed M&M's to catch up with you.

Do other people notice these things? Seems that when you listen to two truck drivers talking, all you hear is some version of that stupid dispatcher and what he did this time. Well, I am here to tell you that even if I were a dog, and only had one squeeze toy, I wouldn't want to play with it all day. Seems to me that I think of myself as a bit odd. When my friends would all be observing the hot looking woman in the front yard and I would be just thinking to myself...you can't put a darn western looking front porch on a cape cod? Well, can you? Dedication">

Ok, I Sorta Like This Hardin Place

Hardin, Montana...parked across from the super 8 and resting for my delivery at supervalu tomorrow at Billings. Piece of cake for the most part. I am notified by my fearless leader that I will deliver this mess of animal flesh tomorrow and proceed with haste to Missoula's magic truck magnet at the terminal to get my hands on a more profitable load. We will see...

I have to feel like a jerk right now. I pulled into my spot and my reefer is running like hell and I am surrounded by quiet, non-running trucks at rest. I am sure that will change as I have my bunk heater running. More to cure the RTV that is gluing my xm radio and phone mounts to my dash. Yes, I know, I have had the truck for a couple weeks now but I am lazy and need to use my time much more efficiently. At least they are in. Well, I must go to escape the fumes...good night now! Dedication<(}C

Windy South Dakota

Actually, I am thankful. I was driving south on I-29 north of Watertown and getting the hell pounded out of me by the relentless high winds. I had lowered the speed from 65 to 55 and was wondering how long it would be driving to Worthlesstown, MN to pick up this load. I was mindful of the South Dakota Highway Patrol car that had circled and came back south and was behind me a bit. I crossed a bridge and it seemed that the truck had gotten a dope slap and had leaned over. I was not really aware of the trailer other than the fact that I had a real nice view of the left side. No big deal as I had a good view of that with the wind all day. A Cornhusker driver behind me and behind the cop got on the radio to inform me that there was daylight showing under the right tandem with that last gust. Marvelous. I was just deciding to find a safe haven or drop the speed some more when ole full grown bear decided to put on the lights. I took the cue and pulled off on an off ramp. He just came up and said that I had gotten some air and that I should stop at the truck stop up ahead and not to exceed 45 mph. I did that and now I am here. At least there is some computer access. Not every lemon makes lemonade to be sure but at least I am safe. The winds are supposed to die down by this evening and we will see what happens then.

I watched a Country Hearth Bread truck fuel and head out...fifteen minutes and he is back. Even loaded, a bread truck has a hard row to plow in heavy winds like this. It is weird being parked and seeing the inside of the truck rocking just like it is going down the road. Well, it is going to be a late night and I must at least give it a good try when I get this load finally under me. Shut eye is in order. Dedication :]-

Winnemucca To You Too!

I am suffering here in Winnemucca, NV, getting ready to head the remainder of the way to Grantsville, UT. This run is sorta slow with the Grantsville drop tomorrow morning and the second drop at Loveland, Colorado on the morning of the ninth. I am not too worried about it as I usually complain when they give me loads that a bag full of amphetemine would not help on. I can deal with this...read a book, watch some TV and dig my freaking eyes out. No, this is not really bad. And I am liking this ugly, warthog of a truck. I am now naming this truck my Mexican House truck. That is not a bang on the Mexicanos among us. It is fact. The traditional Mexican adobe house (what, did you think that I was going to use a traditional Tijuana house?) has thick earthen walls that are rather drab, yet inside is warm and cosy and probably smells wonderful if there is Mexican food cooking. I do not have room for a Mexican cook in this house either...maybe a steno burner and a saucepan. The sleeper is much more livable than in that piece of crap peter eater peter car I was stuck in. The Kennywhopper is quieter down the road, has more places for my crap, is roomier, has windows, has a table for my computer and a place to store it and plug it in and has no dents or smashes. The aluminum is well taken care of as well. I like it. The only down fall I can see is that the horn will honk if you look at it too hard and the Jake and cruise and interrupters are on the steering wheel and will take some getting used to. All and all, a good truck. I just won't hold my breath waiting for anyone to approach me with compliments for the nice looking truck. I can deal with that. Dedication;]

Speak about Spokane

Stopped here for the night and drank a beer and am getting my XM radio hooked up. Hard to be me tomorrow as I will be driving all day and hopefully ending up in California. You will hear about it here...back to work, Dedication :0

Bambi Killa

I was driving along yesterday morning near Butte, MT and along came a stupid deer and ruined my progress. Had to go to the terminal and assess the damage and plot a course. After all was determined and viewed, it was decided that it would be best to get into another truck as the repair on this one would certainly take a few days. Considering that they were not offering a first class ticket back to North Dakota for an all expenses paid vacation where I can chase my wife around and drink brewskis and run the hell out of my barbecue...I decided that a different truck would be the way to go...

Turns out that the deer was a blessing in disguise. I will be getting a truck with sort of a better sleeper and larger bed and all in all, it will represent a modest improvement over the old truck. Also there are no dents on this truck. Seems that the driver of this truck was able to keep his consumption of alcohol and vicadin down to reasonable levels and as an added bonus, he was reasonably clean in the way he chose to take care of the truck.

I just have to think that things happen in threes. First, my wife hits a deer, now me. I suppose I will have a long distant cousin in Nebraska plow into a deer and it will all be over with. Usually it is in threes in the same area however. One year we had three Don Johnsons pass away...well, two of them were Don Johnson and the third, strange enough was the Dentist Dawn Johnson. All died in the same month last year.

Looks like at least tentatively, I will be heading for California for more debauchery and crime. Suits me, I live in a small town and there is just nothing to talk about.

Here are the things I have been thinking about while driving down the road:

I hate the Bill Mack Show. I know, you probably just freaking love the show and you are insulted beyond belief and are wondering how I could possibly be a bigger asshole. Which, I could be without trying, but, here is why I think his show sucks.

First, I don't care how important you think you are, Bill Mack. But when you act all self important and spend all this time dropping names about the legends that you know. Well it just gets old.

Cindy sounds like a constipated hippo when she laughs. I just wish she would open her damn mouth when she laughs like a human being. NNNNNN NNNNN NNNNN is not a frigging laugh...HA HA HA is. Open your mouth walrus face.

I don't know where they dug Truman up from put they need to shove him back there and close the drawer. His voice is just plain annoying and more music and less of what he calls music is good for the listener.

Shamrock, Texas...what an armpit.

Leann Rimes and Blue should be jettisoned off the flight deck of a soon to be scuttled aircraft carrier along with her family and pets. Bill Mack just loves to talk about how he wrote the song and gave her a big start, ETC. She had barely released the song and Bill couldn't keep his fat leathery face out of the spotlight. What a moron...

The people that call the show really need to have something to talk about. I mean, it is just a darn shame that Mr. Condescending Bill Mack has nothing to say. But, who the hell can blame him with such crappy material. If I hear one more, "thank you for what you do Bill and Cindy" I will start checking my golf swing on puppies at elementary schools infront of kindergartners. Bill Mack, you suck, suck I tell you.

Dedication (;^I>

I'm Hard As Hell In Harding

I figured I would try to attract the reader through subliminal sexual references. OK, I just couldn't think of a title and this one kept running like hell in my spacious non-brain cell filled cranial cavity.

My excuse? I just woke up, fired up the computer, and have not had my coffee yet.

I'm on my way to Taxas, home of the Dallas Cowpigs and the Houston Disappointment. The land of swaggering big toothed, bad breathed, fat women. I am going to get a frigging welcoming committee from my Dad when I get there. It is all in good fun however. I do have a Houston Texans helmet hanging from my visor in the truck so I guess that qualifies me as a Texan resident far better than all the illegal alien jerks driving around without licences or insurance. While I am on my way to insulting everybody, Fuck Mexico. There, I'm Done.

There was a bad accident yesterday at mile marker 13.5 on I-90 in Montana. I was driving kinda slow in the curves because I could see the sheen of ice on the highway. A Flatbed, hauling aluminum roll sheeting, lost control in the curve, slammed into the concrete retainer wall in the median and drug there for over 200 feet then slammed into the guardrail and rolled over with load, dunnage and everything strewn over 750 feet. I pulled up to it a quarter mile back from the carnage and it just gave me chills. The driver was killed but I was unable to find out whether he was thrown or was still in the cab. It was an outfit out of Washington. I think that first of all, one needs to look further than the fact that there was a shutdown freeway, or that there was a crash. Rescue and cleanup crews needed to be called. Everyone on the Eastbound side of I-90 needed to adjust their schedule. The Company needed to be called about the death of one of their employees. The Family of that employee needed to be notified that their member would not be returning and would no longer be there for them.

The witnesses I spoke to at the accident told me that the driver had passed them coming into the curves when they were already moving at 60-65 MPH. They also said that lane control was a problem for this driver and that the memory of the truck was vivid as he concerned the other drivers...

I too was going that way and was being passed by trucks that got lucky and did not lose their lives that day. Just last night, I was driving through fog between Butte and Billings, MT that gave me maybe 50 feet of visibility. I was going 40-45 with a truck tailgating me the whole way. There needs to be a change in the attitude people approach driving with. That accident could clearly have been prevented. If his schedule was tight, the place to catch up would not be in those curves. The speeding signs and postings through mountain passes are written with blood. Don't let that blood be your own. Drive like you are a responsible citizen and encourage your fellow driver to do the same. It is time we do a little more than pay lip service to the term Safety. Dedication*:)

A Short Note From Corning

Hi, for those of you enjoying the weather in ND. It is nice and warm and sunny and 70 degrees. Nanner nanner boo boo!

Ciudad de Nacional

I forgot to add the important and alway pertinant point in my earlier missive that stuff actually happened in National City, Ca that was worth writing about. When I arrived to the Customer about 10:30 pm I decided that my fat puffy trucker ass needed some excercise. So, I trooped up the road back to the freeway and explored the Trolley Museum and the old Depot from the outside. Then I walked the mean streets for awhile to the tune of about 2 miles. As I was walking along I noticed a guy sleeping behind a sign for an industrial complex. I noticed a rather distinct radio playing next to where he was sleeping. Fast forward to the next morning there is this guy knocking on my window bright and early asking me if I needed to hire a lumper to unload the truck. I said probably because my company is run by a cheap, inbred, jerk that doesn't pay a driver squat to do the same job. That is another story. Anyway, a Mexican roach coach pulls up, burritos made of lava like fire (good) are bought along with cups of awesome coffee and he breaks out a small transistor radio and turns it on. It is the same radio. I hire the guy and go on my merry way. When a homeless person wants to dig themselves out and pull themselves up, I am more than willing to help. I hate panhandlers. This guy would not let me buy him a burrito or coffee. Nothing. I can respect that.

On a licence plate belonging to a dog training school van...SITHAPNS.
dedication:
;./

Do Something Normal, No One Notices

I am trying to get my ugly mug on my myspace account. Now, I am a dinosaur compared to my children who are as savvy as fighter pilots when it comes to moving about the internet and setting up sites to their liking. I for some reason am not seeing success when I go to load the picture from my floppy. Either the computer freezes up because there is not enough wireless strength or something else is amiss. Either way, it sucks. So I have decided to go to drastic measures. I am going to take a picture of my ass and proceed with the loading process. I might even draw eyes and a big nose and try to use my butt crack in some cosmetic way. No, I really do not want my tookus on the internet. But, I figure that I will discover in some deranged way how to get a damn picture on the internet because sure as California air is full of cottage cheese like chunks of floating crap, If I do attempt to get my butt on the air as it were...I will end up backing into success. I just might have to endure some butthead jokes for a while. Please keep sending your donations of food and Prosac, I am grateful but never proud.

OK, OK, Words At Long Last From Barstool

Barstow, California...where we would steal away while camping at Calico Ghost Town and buy beer or even stow away into a bar and sit and drink...thus the term, Barstool. I stopped and decided to while away some time by showering, eating fine cuisine (in-n-out), and entering some fine prose to my blog. I can see you are really friggin impressed at this point.

As I was well into my schedule like a well oiled machine on a mission should be, I get a call about an incident with the car and a deer. Car, dented, not in the ditch...Deer, dented, in the ditch...wife and stepson, shook up but ok. That is a relief when I am this far from home, there is no telling what I would do if something bad were to happen. I sure as hell would not be in this truck waiting for asshole bret to get me home...that is for sure.

I stopped in at the In N Out and had a burger and small Coke. Something is different though. I ordered grilled onions and I got grilled reconstituted onions and it made the burger taste like a White Castle. Gross.

Bag O' Pictures

This is a loose bag of photos that I did not use in anything else therefore they sit. Some are just plain cool. Others represent something different altogether. Flowers in a rest area.

That large thing is an earthen dam.

Cool house overlooking the earthen dam.

Dam, Damit all.

Dam with little ape waving...LOL

Wind turbine blades against summer sky. In Nebraska. In the middle of Nowhere...

O Here Are Some More Pictures

Kentucky Downs as visible from the rest area.

The forest is in a rest area in Indiana but I cant remember where as I lost the notes referring to it. But it is still awesome to look at.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado. I liked the way the light illuminated the red in the hillside. Unfortunately, the red is rather blanched in this photo.

I have no idea why I took this picture.

Nor this one.

Some Recent Pictures

I Just wanted to show the golden colors of some of the trees in Montana.

Mount Shasta in her elusive glory with the clouds constantly moving.

Olive orchards in northern California. I am partial to olive trees because they remind me of my elementry school days. The Olive tree was the most common tree in the school. Non toxic fruit and all.

Mount San Antonio...Mt. Baldy at this angle is directly behind it. I grew up knowing exactly which direction was north for the first 18 years of my life. We drove up there and collected snow, explored, hiked and later on drank.

I Am In Utah Because I Just Have Nothing Else To Do

I know, I know...you have been just chomping at the bit, waiting for the next installment of Lets Torture The Driver. It is as though there has not been enough punishment for me in doing my job. Traffic, Weather, Lot Lizards, Lumpers, Ugly Toothless Hookers on Crack. It has not been enough to tempt my senses to actually react to stimuli. I am just bored I guess. So when I chose to take this mission, I knew that with out a doubt that there would be stimuli...Fire. Now there is something to talk about with the other coffee drinkers at the round table. I ask, "Joe, how are things for you buddy?" Joe replies: "Well, I got the crop outta the field and didn't break any equipment. I just wish I hadnta planted so much corn. Seems everyone planted corn this year and it kinda pushed the price down a bit." To which I reply: "Yeah, well I went to California and got burnt to a freaking crisp just so I would have something to talk about to you losers. Why don't you idiots just get a coffee maker? Save you a whole lotta money." Not exactly the conversation maker ya know?

My next frigging rant has to do of course with the losers at Jim Palmer Trucking. The first part is just a plain shame. I was talking to an owner operator yesterday at the Denver terminal who had recently had his truck burn to the ground in Temple, Texas. Seems that he had a blowout and before he could get it to the side it caught fire. He tried to fight it with the wimpy fire extinguisher but the unit ran out of juice before the fire was out and the flames were a dancin as they monster mashed their way onto the guys sleeper and sent the truck to Davey Jones Locker for trucks. I know just what you are thinking...Yeah, So? Trucks catch fire sometimes. The kicker was when this driver who had been with the company over 2 years without an incident, checked on his weekly settlement. It was being held from the driver because they wanted reimbursement for their Qualcomm unit which was on the truck. These jerks held money away from this guys wife and family so they could be paid first for their qualcomm unit. What heart from an asshole like Jim "I've Been There" Palmer and his band of merry butt whumpers. I think that if there were a natural disaster, It would be my hope that it hits Jimmy's house and that the insurance company hold out his payment for the damage in lieu of replacing the gas meter. I mean I am sure it would mean nothing to his wife as I'm sure she can hold her liquor with the best of us. Been there indeed.

The second installment of my surgical strike rant has to do with some mismanagement in regard my personal profile. Specifically, the part of my personal profile that lets the driver manager know my preferences in regard to where I like to run and how long I like to be out before going home. When I started, I had an interview with Bret and we discussed where I like to run and what I like to do and how long I like to be out. I spoke clearly without the hint of an Iranian accent when I said in plain English, "fourteen to twenty-one days, I have a wife and son at home." The first couple months went just fine with Bret frequently asking me if I wanted this load or that to get home. He even asked me at the 9 day mark if I wanted home time. That is how it went until June. I got into it with this penisless jerk named Dave. This mealy mouthed loser could screw up a wet dream and Jim Palmer in all his stupidity just loves this guy and will do nothing about him. He is also well known for doing things with drivers personal information and trip information. Manipulating the information for his benefit is what dickless Dave is well known for. He really is not the focus here, but he is my suspect in the situation. Anyway, I ended up all summer spending 35 days plus out on the road. I call Shane, and I tell him the situation and he checks my profile and notes to me that the entry said 4 to 6 weeks and that It must have been changed. I asked him to find out who could have done this and he did the typical snake act where he doesn't want to offend anyone. He actually got indignant, asking me why I wanted to dig all this shit up and why don't I just drop it and that he was getting angry. I replied that if a driver had manipulated personal information on this level that he would certainly be in range to be fired. He replied that would I want to fire someone over a simple mistake? It was no mistake...Brett was operating under his original entry and the entry was changed. This is how this loser has managed to last ten years at JPT. If your job requires you to pucker up your lips and what you are kissing tastes and smells like feces, then you are a loser. All the lies in the world told to truckers to smooth things out will do no good. If there is no substance to what you say and more so what you do then you are nothing. You are a loser Shane and everyone knows it. Been there indeed...

In Misery In Missoula

Not really. It is just that I frigging hate the hell out of waiting. Oh yeah, I will behave like I have all the time in the world and be all polite and kind when really, I just want to smash some frigging furniture and punch a few people right square in the nose. OK, not really. But I do hate waiting. I have been banging on the head of my driver manager and breakdown department for better than 2 months about the idea of getting to Missoula to get something looked at on the front end of my truck. The tires are toast now. They will make good 3,000 mile trailer tires now.

I was in Wenatchee, Washington. Stemilt apple manglers and shippers. They are large. They are inefficient and they suck. They think nothing about keeping a driver waiting to load better than a day and have the nerve to ask you to monitor channel 40 the entire time in case they want to get a hold of you. Further, once they get you to the dock, they want you to sit in the lounge and wait for one of their illegal Mexican workers to mumble in broken Spankish to you when they decide to load. I got to the dock and told the lady at the counter that I would be at my truck because, after all, I have been there 24 hours, what could a couple more hurt. Anyway, back to the original thrust if you will of this missive.

I was in Wenatchee to get a load to go through Missoula to get my errant front end worked on. Cool. Of course there were people in the shop but they weren't really interested in doing any work as of course, it was Saturday. I am penciled in for Sunday. I got a hotel room and must wait until then.

I also have a date with the log nazi in logs department. She stated on the phone that she needs to clarify some things with some of my logs. Perhaps she would like to clarify how I was able to log 75 mph in a 65 mph truck. I am ready as hell for my reply "It is to keep up with the 80 mph driver manager" Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the log lady...she has a job to do. I just have a job to do as well and that comes first.

I will add some more blather tomorrow as my head clears from the hangover of being stuck in a too small truck and being insulated by poor management and indifference by the leadership by a multi-million dollar juggernaut without a rudder. Dedication:.]

Swamp Critter

I am doing the usual crossing Iowa and heading on to Denver to ultimate and complete ruin. I guess that is better than focusing on the fact that Iowa on I-80 can be a rather dangerous crossing with all the frantic traffic. I-80 is just one busy road to drive on not to mention the whole Des Moines debacle in the middle of the state. Des Moines really isn't as bad as it used to be a few years ago. The whole place was in a state of constructional torture and disarray and that only referred to the minds of the truckers driving the destroyed arteries through town. Yes, it is much better now with the wider freeway and more lanes. Seems that I never get stuck in traffic while going through and that must mean it is working.

It is indeed Friday night and I am in a rest area debating whether I should plow on through past Omaha or should I stay here and suffer the indignity of spending the night in a Rest Area. On one hand I could show my typical hard work ethic and press on towards the goal...or I could show a bit of caution considering it is Friday night and there will be the inevitable drunk or drinking drivers to contend with.

I think that considering that I weigh 77,500 lbs that physics is on my side and I will get this pachyderm back out on the road and at least roll out to Lincoln. Drinkers be damned I have miles to do.

I had a strange sad experience today. I was driving across Illinois and someone on the radio reported that a car had hit a deer and it was in the median. I approached it in the median and it was a clean 3 pointer and it was sitting up with its rear haunch disabled and blood was coming out of its mouth as it was suffering and looking around. I see deer get hit all the time...usually after the fact, but this bothered me as I do not like to see anything suffer. Of course if I had stopped and put the poor creature out of its misery, there would be a whole new can of peas opened up. Better to leave things like that be. Well, gotta mix it up with the party crowd. Dedication...

Nordakota Again...

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. I somehow managed to stumble into some luck and ended up with a load headed for Fargone, ND. I delivered the load without incident. The unloader was motivated by the fact that it was Friday night, he was young, and his shift was ending real soon. I love it when the planets align on a full moon night and give me the green lights and following winds. It just makes things easier to get done.

Now I am at home and have the honey do list and the rest and relaxation list and the home schedule that takes over when I am home and not under the rule of the incompetent and the petty losers that run my company. I would rather clean the gum off the bottom of theatre seats than be associated with these clowns for more than I have to. I am laying the plans of my departure as I am writing this.

Well, It is off to the races. be safe, Dedication:/-

Here We Go Again With The Same Stupid S***

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Like A Coffee Can Tumbling Down A Hill (And I'm Inside)

I just seem to end up in these situations. The load is always without enough time to run and when there is the time to run it, some needle dick in customer service always wants me to do him a favor or a shag that always seems to benefit someone else. I have no idea why, but I picked up a load bound for happy go lucky San Antonio, Texas. More specifically, H E Butts of HEB grocery store fame. I always get a chuckle out of that name for some perverted reason. Sounds simple enough, but why in all stupidity did someone bother picking up this load in Gainesville, Florida and then take this load all the way down to the Tampa yard. Seems just a bit out of the way.

I lit a small fire under my driver manager today by simply requesting to be directed to the Missoula yard with a rather vague qualcomm message. He first sent me a message to call him but I was tired and went to sleep. I guess he couldn't handle all the suspense so around noon, when I was at the apex of REM sleep, he rang me on the phone. I decided to be just a bit less vague with him on the phone. I did however, insist on the routing. Rule number one...if you are going to pick a fight, have the element of surprise and have plenty of advantages at the ready. When I get to Missoula, this Felix the Cat just might open a big bag of tricks and either get some things ironed out, or I will get the kinks out of this situation for good.

Really, I just feel that the company has been rather unresponsive to my request for a larger sleeper truck. I do after all spend quite a bit of time in there and they don't. It has been several months since they have first been notified of my concerns and now is the time. If I am not headed to Missoula after this load, I will simply put in short notice and get the heck off the stupid ship jimmy boy. Too many other operators that have no need to rip off drivers and lie to them.

Funny thing is that I am sitting in the San Antonio, FL Flying J and I am headed to San Antonio, TX. God I must be bored. Dedication :}

Virginia is still for Idiots

Virginia is still here and I am here to leave my urine stained mark on the state that makes me laugh the most with the general goofiness that exists here. It has been 2 weeks since I have typed in the hallowed pages of this blog because I took some needed time off and have decided at least temporarily to suffer on the ravages of the stupid ship Jim Palmer Retard.

I will enter more on this as I get more sleep and can comprehend average syllables in a more effecient manner. Time for sleep/dedication

Catching Up In Ogalalla

Well, it has been a few days and during that time for some reason I have been shuffled around it seems in an effort to make up for all the stupidity of this last month. So much time had been wasted from all the incompetence that my driver manager Brett had the nerve to tell me that I would have to stay out longer to get past the 11 thousand mile mark for the month. I used to get 13 thousand with Crete with 6 or 7 days off during the month and I have only had 3 days off in the last 8 weeks and he acts like I am the one not pulling my weight. I feel that it has gotten to the point where I am getting really tempted to get very rude with these people. There is, at least with Brett, a real lack of concern about the drivers well being. There are people working for this asshole that have wives and children and are struggling through these relationships because all Brett has on his mind is his bonus and his concerns and his image and how he measures up in the political scheme of things at Jim Palmer Trucking.

I have been ranting about this company long enough, I feel and I have decided that for starters, there really is no future with such an inconsiderate bunch of inbred morons. I am taking a week off as soon as this load delivers and I drive home 250 miles from that delivery point. This is a delivery that could have taken place on Saturday but Brett felt the need to send me all the way to western Colorado to do some of his shit work that he likes to do so much. Better clean your nose off old friend as you will have me around no longer. I have several companies to choose from. The priority will be ease of dealing with the company and home time. This staying out over 30 days is for the birds at least with this company. Shoot, if I had stayed out 30 days with Crete, I would have a small fortune to spend with my time off. Not at Jim Palmer. They are too dumb to take advantage of the time a driver is away. I had so much time wasted. What a mess.

I am talking to a guy that has a set lane or lanes that he likes to run and can set me up with a triangle shaped run that offers me through home time with time off every 2 weeks and at a higher rate than jimmy ripoffs will pay. More on that later. I suppose I will have to change my header and make some adjustments to my ranting. I can still rant about Jim Palmer and their own brand of stupidity as that never seems to end. I have a year of good material about them right now and it just seems that the stupidity is never ending. I love job security. Gotta go for now.

West Memphis Armpit

Actually, I am at the Flying J, which is more like an armpit with some generic deodorant added. It is not quite like my experiences at the TA west Memph. I pulled in to the TA at about 9 am on a Sunday to grab a shower and roll on my merry way towards California. I had grabbed all my gear and headed out to the building to turn in my fuel stub for a shower and I noticed a black gentleman getting out of a car and walking sort of towards my direction. I nodded at him as I passed and kept walking. As I passed the car, I got a bad feeling because the guy in the car was staring at me really hard. I grew up in the Los Angeles area. When a complete stranger is giving you eye contact, that means that either he is looking for a handout or that something is about to happen. Either way, it is not necessarily for your benefit. I noted this and approached the fuel desk. I handed the fuel attendant my bag and said "guard this for me" and ran out the back entrance. I skirted the trucks on my row in the back and came up right between where my truck was parked. I already had 911 punched in my phone and hit send as I caught the guy breaking into my truck through the lower vis window on the passenger window. I chased the guy all the way back to his car and they took off and I read the licence number to the 911 operator with the description and the direction they headed. Keeping your eyes open towards the surroundings pays off. If I had been the typical person, I would have lost my belongings or my truck. I had to put duct tape over the partially popped open window for a bit but my truck and my stuff was safe. That was 1998 and I was with Crete back then. If anything, there are more cameras monitoring the lots but, the real question is; is there anyone watching? Chances are, the cameras might help when a crime has already happened and will do little else. Keep your eyes open and you will not have to rely on the facade of security that exists in the truck stops these days. The police did catch the guys in the car. The police really acted as though they could care less and since the window was not broken that there was not much to act on. The police really are of no help unless they perceive it that you will complain in their area and cause them some trouble. Chances are, you do not live there and will not be treated the same as a local taxpayer would.

I am delivering this tater load to Birmingham tomorrow at 0500. Birmingham is a place that is just as miserable as West Memphis. I was going to a grocery warehouse at the same period of time as the truck break in. I was at a traffic signal about 6 blocks from the warehouse when a guy approached my truck. It was common at the time for lumpers to try and drum up some business if they knew where you were going. He hops up on my drivers side step and lifts his shirt and there was a small caliber pistol and he was demanding my money. I reached down and grabbed my bowie knife with the 11 inch blade. He got agitated and started to reach for the gun so I struck him in the chest with the knife. He fell and I drove off through the red light. I called the police and told them what happened and the one cop replied that it looked like there really wasn't a victim as far as he was concerned. I left it at that content that I was fortunate not to have been shot.

Here I Sit Broken Hearted

I was in striking distance. I had the oil and washer fluid topped off. My log book was done and legal. Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. As I have said in the past, my truck was having some sort of battery trouble. Seems that the battery was fine. It was the starter, which stopped working for me at 0730 this morning. I called breakdown and they are sending a gentleman to help me out within the hour. I had been keeping the truck running because of the problem but she shut off on her own for me and wouldn't turn over. Broke down in Belgrade, MT. At least I am here in the Flying Jacko where I can play on the computer and go to the bathroom and the coffee is hot. I have been broke down on US 50 in Northern Nevada and that was a 6 hour debacle, waiting in the heat with no air conditioning wondering whether I would get rear ended or not. That is certainly no picnic. I would call myself fortunate at this point. I just can't bring myself to relax knowing that this load is really hot and time is something I don't have.

The Girl In The Van In The Trees

Yesterday while driving on I 94 in Wisconsin near Tomah, Wisconsin, specifically. I was driving along in the rain and was making a mental note to slow down to myself. It was raining really hard and the water was puddling up pretty good on the lane ruts. Enough so that I was having to take an active role in keeping control of the truck. That of course mean't that I had to put down my bowel of cereal. I just hate when that happens.

Anyway, I was approaching the overpass at mile marker 48 and hit another good sized puddle and backed her down from 55 to about 50. I was thinking in my mind that I hope this heavy rain stuff doesn't get the idea to stick with me all the way to Washington. I was also getting peeved at the fact that these cars were flying by me with no lights on. They were all but disappearing in the rain wash that clouded up behind their speeding cars. I was, as I said just coming under the mm 48 overpass and I noticed a dark green Oldsmobile Silhouette moving fast coming onto the freeway to merge ahead of me. Just as quick as the van appeared, the van hit a large puddle under hard throttle and the rear kicked out to the left. The driver hit the brakes hard and steered hard and the van left the road sideways and flipped as soon as it hit the grass. I couldn't believe how high the van flew. Then the van hit a low branch hanging out from a large oak tree and wedged there, about eight feet up. I whipped the wheel and slowed down fast, got out and approached the van through the chest high grass. Just as I called out, there was a loud crack and the van landed on its passenger side with the front grille smiling at me sideways with the lights still on. I walked up and called out again. A red head popped out from the passenger side window. My first thought was, there is a 14 year old out for a joy ride. She really looked shaken up but appeared unhurt. She was rather short and needed help to get out of the van. I approached the roof and grabbed her by her armpits. She was light and was out in a second. Once her feet hit the ground she started shaking and crying and she hugged me saying thank you for stopping. Then she looked at the van. It was all sinking in for her at that moment. I told her that I was glad to see that she was all right and the van...well the van wasn't important. She told me that she was 17 years old and asked me go get her purse. I went to hop up on the van to reach in and realized that the van was very near to tipping over. I was just lifting her out and never noticed.

I have driven a lot of miles and have witnessed quite a few accidents. I have had a pickup with 4 guys in back with beers drive by me and the guys waved at me at 5:45 on a Sunday morning only to see those same 4 guys with blankets soaked in blood covering their bodies after a roll over an hour later. I have driven by a mother and her 3 children in Clines Corner, NM after their Ford Explorer crossed the median on I-40 and hit a Mayflower truck head on. I came upon the scene mere minutes after the accident happened and the police weren't there yet. I could see the bodies burning inside the truck completely engulfed in flame. Evidently, she had been late for a dental appointment when a tire blew out at 75 mph. Both of those things did bother me and I am not trying to gross you out with my war stories. I am just saying.

I guess my point is, I was really bothered by this accident even though no one got hurt. Sometimes, when a car cuts me off, it is easy to lose the idea that there is a living, breathing, human being in that car. There are children, elderly folks, people that do not feel good, Someone that is having trouble in their life...you just never know. Try to think about the fact that there are people that matter to someone in that car ahead or behind you. It might just change the way you drive. Dedication.

Spend Ten Bucks To Save A Nickel

I have been running rather hard lately. Freight has been quite good and there has been little time to stop and actually take a breath. Right now I am losing sleep in order to at least get some words into this pile of expression. I had a fun load that went from Virginia to Indiana. There was where I last found the time to type. I delivered that load to Indy and was sent to Manteno, IL and had to pick up off the drop lot, a load that some prima donna that didn't want to go into Melrose Park left for someone else.

I don't love driving Chicagoland. I do however drive a truck and as a truck driver, I feel that the least I could do is drive the stupid truck where the truck needs to go to make money. The world is quite full of sissies that are always whining and crying to get out of having to do their job, but, I am getting away from the main thrust here.

I then was informed that I had a load but customer service would want me to pull a couple shags first. I was not very happy because generally, customer service people are inbred stupid morons that throw a wrench into the routine of a driver. This was no exception. I arrived late in the afternoon on the 17th to find out that my load of 2204 short HHG miles must have the first drop on the 21st at 0500 in the morning. I call and state that there really isn't too much time on this load considering that my truck does not do 85 mph and that any spare time that this load had will be eaten up by his stupid favor to customer service. I just love it when you present a moron with the facts and they act as if you said absolutely nothing at all. So, I decided that I was in the mood to make some money and decided to pull the shags and drive like hell towards Missoula, MT. Jim Palmer Trucking terminal in all its glory. Today I sent in a message stating that I had a maintenance issue (batteries, Starter) and that the load was tight and any time spent in the Peterbuilt dealership will be time that I literally will end up late. He replied that I should get with my driver manager, Brett in the am. And that he would note it on my screen. I just love it when people do as little as they can to get a paycheck. I figure that I could make it but it would be so close. Washington is no state to mess with when it comes to log falsification or any other monkey business. I have had a good relationship with the WA DOT and I want to keep it that way.

Where do you ask is the spend 10 bucks to save a nickel? That would be where I notified them 4 days ago that there was a bad battery problem and needed to get the truck in the shop before I ended up stranded. They would rather run me (and yes I would rather run) than set the truck to be repaired. This diversion tomorrow to Missoula will not make anyone at JPT happy. It is to be sure for their own good. Sometimes, you gotta hit someone with a 2x4 to get them to do the right thing.

Siricomm Sucks

I ran out of hours in Staunton at the Pilot and managed to get a parking spot without managing to kill anyone and somehow through the night, I managed to keep all the parts on my truck intact with all the lousy parking jobs by the other drivers. Not to put anyone down but the lot is kind of tight and represents a keen challenge to those who have not got the whole parking thing down.

I managed to fire up my computer and check for wireless networks and all that showed up with a signal was Siricomm. I figured that I would try out the wireless and paid $6.99 for one days use of the service. Well, let me tell you that I could have ran a phone line all the way to the building and set up dial up and had that be much faster. It was prone to drop frequently and really, was not worth the cost. Flying J has their wifi for $4.99 per day and a recurring charge acct is $19.95 per month and the added benefit is that you can get the Flying J network in other truck stops as well. A much better deal. I am at the TA in West Lancaster, Ohio and was pleasantly surprised to see Flying J network pop up. Convenience at a good price and it is fast.

Gotta wait until midnight to get some needed hours to get this load delivered to Meijer's warehouse in Middlebury, IN. 240 miles, 4 hrs 40 mins so says the computer. It is now raining and hopefully that stuff will do its best to peter out by the time I set to rolling. It is hot and I am running the truck facing the Idle Aire stalls. I was talking to a gentleman about the prices of the program. It works out with the Gold membership to be $1.85 per hour of use. That is not bad compared to the 3 bucks an hour for idling use. I personally cannot afford that and Jim Palmer has made no decision on the subject. Curtiss at orientation told me that drivers get to the point where they do not want to leave when they hook up to Idle Aire. Idle Aire is like crack to these guys I guess. Really, I think that JPT wants nothing to do with paying for anything for the driver even if it will save some money and wear and tear on the equipment. I suppose when I buy my own trucking company I will be posed with the same decision and come up with some baloney excuse for not setting something up.

Remember, no matter what you do, there is no happy. Sure there is happy at times but a life with all happy would be boring. That is why we marry. Dedication

Virginia Is For Idiots

I have to say first of all, that I really do not have anything against Virginia. And when I come up with these titles I really want to emphasize that you or anyone else should take what I write in this thing with a sense of humor. I mean, I really don't want to offend anyone. I don't want anyone to end up in some therapy session with a cave man in the waiting room because I said Virginia is for idiots. I really don't want that to happen. But I am right, it is true. Let us visit the facts shall we?

In Virginia, on every on ramp to the freeway there is a sign that really sums up the intelligence level of the Virginia driving public. I am saying that this sign really shows the two-toed sloth, knuckle-dragging, somer teeth , one brain cell in good health holding up 2 million crippled half drunk brain cells sort of thinking that goes on in the head of the average Virginian. The sign I am referring to is a no left turn sign. That is, would you or any other average driver even think about turning straight left as you are merging on the freeway. I sure hope not. All this from the state that will give a trucker a ticket for using his flashers to warn drivers that he is going very slow going up a hill on the freeway. The State Patrol just loves it when stupid Virginia drivers with their heads up their butts smash into the rear ends of trucks because it must mean an abundance of overtime. But really, like most states of the caliber of Virginia, they just don't get it. And neither do the drivers here and that is why there are the stupid signs...

I delivered the happy little load I had in the greater Richmond area early this morning and promptly received a load picking up to the west 100 or so miles going to Indiana. I got there in a rush and was pleasantly surprised that he load was a drop and hook. I love them for the most part. That is unless your drop and hook is taking place near Laredo, TX. Seems like anything left in that area for more than 10 minutes ends up with missing parts. And to think these idiots in our government want to bring that whole element into our country through cheap, Mexican drivers. Most of the people that work in government if they do not live in Washington, D.C., live in Virginia. You see, all stupidity comes right back to Virginia.

My friend was rather miffed today that one of our drivers, who was at a rest area in Wyoming, parked for the night only to find himself blocked in when he wanted go head out. So he knocked on the doors of a couple trucks and asked them if they would oblige him by moving this way or that. He knocked on the door of a New Century Transportation truck and the inbred retard got mad at the fact that his parents are of the same sex and followed that up with being mad at the fact he was being woke up and assaulted the Jim Palmer driver injuring him badly. From what I understand he broke some bones and the driver might lose an eye as a result. You see one of these trucks...give them the finger for me. I mean it. Also, lets say a prayer for the driver as that could have been any one of us that could have happened to. I hope he recovers as good as new and finds himself the biggest asshole, shark, wrongful injury lawyer and sues the daylights out of anyone associated with the driver of that New Century Transportation truck.

Another friend was irritated today when he went in to a North Carolina truck stop. He has a brand new Peterbuilt with a brand new engine that consumes only the most ultra of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel. To sum it up: he had to run to the auto pumps with a Jerry can to get some needed fuel to his truck to give him hope of running to the next available stop. If the EPA is going to mandate these things in the trucking industry for the greater good of the environment, the least they can do is follow through and treat this new standard in a forthright manner and make that fuel available on a larger scale.

My final subject today is the continuing saga involving heartless American Corporations and the stupidity of doing business with a scumbag run country like China. China has over and over again fell way short on attention to detail when it comes to the public trust and the health of the American consumer.

-First there was the harmful chemicals in the dog and cat food that killed our pets.

-Then there was harmful chemicals in toothpaste...chemicals that are common to antifreeze.

-Then there was an essential adhesive band left out of the construction on truck tires. I just loved that one. The wholesaler responsible with eroding American jobs had the nerve to say that they could not afford to financially handle the recall.

-Then there was more harmful chemicals in toothpaste that was distributed through expensive hotel chains. Let me get this straight, you charge $250 plus a night for your hoity toity rooms and you can't afford an American supplier for small tubes of toothpaste? I think I will read the labels on my own tube of toothpaste and hit a Motel 6.

-Then there were reports that the seafood from China is mostly tainted and chemicals and growth hormones are being exposed to the seafood that is bad for the health of any who consume it. I get my fish from the end of my fishing pole and I proudly consume those nitrates knowing that the pollution is American.

-Then there is Fisher-Price and their Chinese made lead poisoning of children.

-Now there is Mattel and the fact that the same Chinese idiots managed to forget that children don't do well being poisoned by lead either.

I know I am probably missing a few of the recent news releases about the hazards of trusting a country that does not have our best interests at heart producing our products. There are reasons that the United States has regulations and laws that protect the consumer. The simple fact is that these companies have been allowed to place their reputations in the hands of a bunch of people that lose nothing when someone gets hurt by their lack of attention. It takes a very long time to start a business and gain a reputation as being good at it. It takes a lot of work to become a household name. It takes a very short time to lose all that you have worked for because of apathy, poor management, and taking the public trust for granted. What a shame.

I make my vote count when I make the cash register ring. Make sure that what you buy is made here in America. At least that way, if something goes wrong, you have someone to sue.

Black River And Silly People

It was actually in Osseo where the silly person was. I was taking a break in the TV room with some rather pleasant guys when this woman walked in with a bag and sat down. Then with no warning she started cussing about the fact she needed a ride south and cussing about how she needed a shower and couldn't get her card to work and was cussing about all the stupid people that were causing her all this trouble. I felt uncomfortable as I always do when someone acts like this. I probably would have offered to help her but she seemed drunk and was trying to insult everyone in the room. We were obviously responsible for her troubles. Just as her insults toward us became unbearable and I was considering backhanding her, another trucker in the room turned to her and told her calmly to shut up or leave that he didn't need to sit here and be insulted by a no account like her...good for him. She cussed us out and then left. Good riddance.

Later, the fuel desk attendant came in wanting to know who dialed 911 from the pay phone. No mystery there.

Well, I must get off my butt, having fueled, I need to fill out some trip envelopes and update my log and get an accurate idea of what I have for hours for the next few days. I put in my drivers status the other day and miskeyed the mileage. The computer accepted it then but when I entered my driver status yesterday and the day before the computer replied that my mileage was over 5000 miles off and couldn't possibly give me my reply. No one on the computer at the company is smart enough to figure this out evidently. I will try this again today and see what happens. Gotta Go.

Where The Heck Do I Start?

Let's see now, I delivered my load to Rochester, MN without major incident. I picked up a load in Minneapolis, MN that was drop and hook...I like that. And am happily on my way to two drops in the great state of sawtooth hicks and losers...West Virginia. Just kidding. Really.

I had a good friend in the Navy that was from Elkins, WV and I just have to say it...he was a hick. I think he liked the fact that he displayed hickness at every turn and I am sure as heck he is still the same way today. He was one true friend and it was a shame he went off to A-school and ended up who knows where. Perry Petro from Ohio was another great friend that I spent 4 years in Hawaii drinking beer and listening to great music with and he is still in my thoughts and I hope all is well with him. Would like to get in touch with him somehow. Clayton Blair from Tennessee is another great guy that falls in that list as well.

Anyway, I have entered the great tangent zone which carried me clear away from the earlier paragraph. I have another blog I just started called www.thebeerpage.blogspot.com that I started recently. You see, I have traveled to over 50 countries over many years of government service and currently have 1200 beers tasted in the United States however, some of those beers were tasted in the 1980's and 90's and my methods have changed along with some of the formulations of the beers since then. At any rate, my opinion of a lions share of the beers that you run into in some of those countries is that they are simply crap. They may not be crap when they export it here but I have a problem with some of the third world garbage that tastes like lawn clippings floating in grey water.

I have brewed beer since 1984 and am a certified beer judge which means really that I am simply a beer bum that will use any label I can get from any beer brewing/judging organization to get close enough to beer and taste it. Beer for free is the best but I am not cluttering any of the beer page with that stuff. It is all beer that is tasted at the time I enter it. Being a truck driver poses a bit of a challenge as I just can't pull up to the local brew pub and belly up. I also have had to take mental notes on locations of beer brands and remember them when I get a weekend off in that location. I spend a mint on hotel rooms and have sipped some of the finest beer made by American craft breweries from Super 8 plastic cups.

I must say one thing at this point, I am not a beer snob. I do not worship every word I read in beer brewing magazines and could care less about the subtle undertones experienced by the so called beer experts. There are a few great beers from Belgium and there is honestly quite a bit of crap. I could care less about some of the California breweries that simply load the heck out of their beers with an overly imbalanced amount of hops and call it craft. Balance, good ingredients and proven brewing methods with consistency in mind are some of the hallmarks of the successful brewing industry. If the beer you pay 9 bucks a sixer for is what floats your boat, cool. Just don't get mad when I choose not to give your beer 5 points because it tastes like one of my home brewing mistakes.

One other point I would like to make on the beer page...I will not discriminate against any brewer. If I have great things to say. It is because it is great. Which brings me to the word that I haven't wanted to say...the B word. Budweiser. Anheuser-Busch has taken quite a bit of abuse from people in the "beer media" for lack of another world. Seems that if you write about beer, it is almost obligatory to bash Anheuser-Busch. Right now, there are some breweries that are banking successfully their profits for their efforts thanks to the evil empire A-B. Some craft beer purists will bash a craft brewer as if they sold out in accepting distribution and infusions of cash from the much larger brewers. These kindnesses naturally are not out of the goodness in the hearts of the mega-brewers. Brewing, like anything else in the United States is a business and business is there to make money. Everyone needs to get their piece. Nothing wrong with that in my mind. If that same mega-brewer helps out a brewery with distribution and other help and suddenly the beer is compromised...well, that is another story.

Let's see, did I have a point tonight? I am not sure but the words flow pretty good from the keyboard anyway. Really this is about the life and things that are in the complicated thing I call my life. Some days are good and some days are typically bad and I try to express that. If you are reading this and have the sudden urge to go on Zoloft to balance you out in order to handle the pitches and rolls that is this page, sorry about that. They are only words. Relax. It is raining like heck here at Osseo at the Super 8. Glad I am not a flat bedder tonight. With that in mind, I hope you are all dry and safe. Dedication...