Sunday, July 29, 2007

Overweight in South Dakota

This happens to every trucker at one time or another. I get a load going from Milwaukee to Sioux Falls, SD. I am bumping up against my 70 hour rule. I have it figured out that after getting loaded at Quad Graphics, I will have exactly 8 hours to run before I run out of hours. I call the dispatcher and tell him this and that I don't think that I will make Sioux Falls. He replies that I have the hours. So, I proceed and log it in such a way that will piss off the Log Nazi at Jimmy Palmer but, will allow me enough time to get to Sioux Falls. I make the drive and stop overnight at Blue Earth for some needed rest. Upon checking with the calculator, I figure that I will arrive at Sioux Falls, SD with 15 minutes to spare. Now I haul plenty of freight for Quad Graphics and one thing I do know about these guys is that they have really no idea how much the stuff they load weighs. My bills show 36 thousand pounds but the truck is riding heavy and my suspicions are confirmed. 46,500 pounds at least. I tandem it out with the room on the drives for the fuel weight to come off and all was ok with the world. Then, ten miles out from the South Dakota scale, a motor home decides to cut me off and I have to brake hard. When I cross the scale, I am heavy by 1,800 pounds. The time used for the overweight scale hog to go over my paperwork uses up 15 minutes and there I sit, waiting for midnight. Some luck.