The Evil Trucker

It has been a damn long time

2009-03-24T21:31:00.002-05:00

I just don't know where the time goes. I guess my big excuse is that with this blog and it representing the general thrust of my angst towards the screwballs at Jim Palmer Trucking; I found it hard to continue writing when the source of the agitation disappeared.

I am looked at as somewhat of a visionary with the lucky guess that I had when I left JPT. They just happened to declare bankruptcy the next week. People think that I may have opinions on other subjects. I will not disappoint you, it is true but I have the feeling that it is better not to know too much when people ask. As if you had the knowledge but choose not to share it. At any rate, I really have no bitching to engage in. The company I work for now is much better than JPT and their merry band of liars. I work a regional route and life is just a bit boring. Not much to say...

The Break During The Week

2008-10-22T22:25:00.002-05:00

I get one run at the beginning of the week and one run towards the end of the week. That means that I end up back at the Fargo yard with either the choice of going home and playing rat race in order to get back or I can relax here and get some sleep. My choice today was sleep and the idea of rest. Today however, there is a non-stop talking asshole here. He has his hands on the remote and is talking. I finally told him that he was assuming an awful lot, thinking I could give a shit less about his endless blabber blab blab. I think it is sinking in, but, I could be wrong. I think I need to get back out to my truck and read a book. Dedication...

In Iowa and Suffering

2008-10-03T08:53:00.002-05:00

Not really suffering, but getting some needed work done on my truck. I get to stay in the hotel and relax while the mechanic does some work on my wind shield wiper washer motor. I also needed a lube and there was a slow leak on a drive tire. There was also the nagging thing with the Sbar heater not wanting to work when I actually need it, but I am just splitting hairs here.

I have been just getting into a routine. A rut would be more like it. I run the same routes every day and sometimes, I see the same drivers on the highway. I do remember when I was over the road and never sure of where I would be headed or even how long I would be out on the road and that used to bug me because I kept thinking about just how nice it would be to run the road every day and get well known at the truck stops and for once, I would know where I was going. Now, I know that was a long sentence and I don't care because it was true then and it is true now. There is no "happy"...you will complain about your situation no matter where you work or what you do. That is good to know going into work every day. Maybe it might keep you at your current job and maybe, you might still have your job at the end of this nightmare in the finance sector. Well, I must pack up and go back to the terminal and hopefully, I will get to go a different direction and they will not tell me when to deliver. Perhaps they will just say guess...Dedication:p

Falling Bridges

2008-09-24T23:17:00.002-05:00

The foot bridge fell down in Lisbon today. There were some workers on break and they, all six of them, decided to look over the river while on break. The bridge failed on one end and several of the men were severely injured. Hopefully not life threatening. I will pray for them. Dedication:}

There Is Nothing Left To Say

2008-09-18T23:33:00.002-05:00

I have nothing left to say which is code for I have nothing to say about work. I do not work for a bunch of losers that are declaring bankruptcy. As a happy frigging result, I have not got much fodder to talk about.
I guess that is in some way good. There have been problems while I have been here but we are working on them as I am writing this and see no need to address that aspect. I will need to talk about other things or perhaps write some fiction. we will see really soon. Dedication :'

Here I Sit In Hotel Foxtrot

2008-09-04T09:03:00.002-05:00

Here I am, having endured the embarrassment of having the wrong card read to me and assuming that there would be work to do this morning. I will instead be getting my load at 3 pm. I will be delivering to the twin cities probably in the morning...Friday.

It is times like this that I think that I made a grand mistake by coming here. I had the holiday that the dispatchers monster mashed all over in the name of getting another guy home to Indianapolis. I was willing to help. It cut my weekend in half with my wife staying in the RV without the air conditioner I was supposed to install left undone. I did get it installed, but on Sunday.

Now, that there is more than enough room for consideration...I am left to sit on Tuesday but only after being required to call every two hours. Then I get this Wednesday load and I have described the situation on that to the point of nausea. I begin to second guess my ability to earn money when there is so much time to sit. It is not good. Dedication:[-

Manic Monday

2008-08-25T22:44:00.002-05:00

Got into work and Don was getting ready to do some cooking, driver appreciation style. I thought that the food was nice and I just wish I had more time to enjoy it. Nice to have someone cook for ya as you get to work.

I had to load and at first, get my butt over to Des Moines...then it changed...I was to simply get my butt over to Owatonna, MN and meet another driver. Usually, this would be a grand source of disaster but I guess the planets lined up and gave me some grace as I got there and fielded a call from Wifey and then this guy comes in just 2 minutes later...the added bonus? The search is over for the dirt bag that filthed up my truck. He just came right out and said that he had the truck for 2 years. I got his number to be sure.

Not a bad day at all. Hope the other four days goes as smoothly...Dedication:')

Spam Land, Cupcakes And The Never Ending Phone Call

2008-08-22T22:10:00.002-05:00

I am here in the friggin land of Spam. It was suggested that I do the new company a favor and get the heck signed up with Idle Aire. Not a bad thing now that i have had the chance to try it out. There is one air flow device and the only fault that I can see is that the air that comes out is smelling like cigarette smoke because the air intake pulls air from the smokers truck into the unit and then returns the same stinky air back in an improved state...I guess. I filled the rascal up with febreeze until it was dripping. It is not a bad deal however as I get this as a benefit and my computer access is only a couple bucks. I don't have a tv in the cab so I could not tell you about their selection of fine movies. I just played on the computer and walked the lot. Really, this is the first time in quite a while I have been to a TA. This one at Exit 11 on I-35 in Minnesota in quite nice for a TA. Kinda like saying that the leper over there has a nice ass but I will let that one go as I really do not like the BF nature of truck stops in general. All of them are a necessary evil as far as I am concerned but TA is one of my least favorite.

I found a while back an old friend named Darrell. His nickname is Cupcake...or at least that was his name around my friend JD's house. We also knew him as duck. I found his aged mug on myspace and in spite of the fact that he was not the most loyal of friends, I invited him on as a friend. He does not answer...I invite him again and once again...no answer. Now, I know this guy for quite awhile and I know for a fact that he is better than no one but somehow, he has it out for me in some way. Maybe, in 11th grade, I failed to complement him on how his jeans fit him or something...I don't know. Either way, A snub from a zero is not a snub in my opinion...I'm just sayin...

I am some how enjoying this new job and yet, I just want to scream. The people here are too darned laid back. People forget to do things and they act as if it is perfectly OK to be inefficient. I just hate that. Dedication:P

Just Tell Me Which Way To Go

2008-08-06T09:46:00.002-05:00

I took a load out from Fargo yesterday and the dispatcher told me that I go to Des Moines. I, being well versed in English, accepted the orders and to no ones real surprise, I ended up in friggin' Des Moines with my trailer and took the paperwork in to dispatch along with a package that Don in Fargo sent along with me to deliver. You see, evidently, he thought I was to go to Des Moines, IA as well. I get told by Chad that I was not scheduled to be there and that I should head to Summit, IL at once. I was about out of hours so I, realizing the true dire nature of the situation, drove to Victor, Iowa and put her down for 10 hours. The wires got crossed and it was not my fault. Wait, 'till they get my bill.

I am going to the family reunion this weekend. I will say hello and make small talk with people that have not the time of day for me the remainder of the year. I hope it is all good though as I do not get to see my children as much with this new job. I do however get home more often and that is a definite plus. I hope to see my son there as he is going into the Navy in August and I may not see him for some time. Hope he likes it, he is going to be an HT...Hull Technician, or as we called them Hurling Turds. The hurling turds part comes from the simple fact that the hulls on ships do not need constant technician work and the local plumbing needs do however. Thus...Turd Hurlers..

Dedication")

oh, freakin yeah!

2008-08-02T21:52:00.003-05:00

Well, I still haven't figured it out yet. That is for sure. I am working in a regional situation where I have the opportunity to get home almost every weekend. That is unless I am stupid enough to ask for it....

I am not being a dickhead here. I am simply noticing that in the last seven friggin weeks, I have managed to get home during the friggin weekend. I also noticed that when I requested that the Sunday of my family reunion be left unscrewed, I suddenly ended up with a 24 hour layover on Wednesday in Summit, IL.

I have liked the way I have been run. I have liked the people that I have worked with. I, by the way got rid of the stink in my truck...I cut the carpeting out of it and threw it out. I now love my truck. I also do not mind the way I have been treated here now that the friggin truck does not stink like dead bodies. I am making what the bankrupt assholes at Jim Palmer Trucking paid me and yet I manage to get 9 or 10 days off a week. Go to hell, JIM Palmer.

Off the hook for now...Dedication:}

Osseo

2008-07-22T21:41:00.002-05:00

Well, all I can say is that I have been running just over a month with my new job here at Johnsrud Transport and I have been rather busy and getting used to the places where there is computer access and having time when I am at those places. It has been a challenge. The largest challenge was the fact that they put me into a truck that had a slob in it before. They tried to act all dumb and say that the guy that had the truck before was a good guy and good driver and that they are just "shocked" that there would be a problem.

That was when I got the Human Resources Director to sit in the bunk of my truck and I shut the door for good measure. He agreed that something had to be done and dispatched my manager at Fargo, Don Depee to tend to the problem by setting up a detailing. This he did and the first time the truck got done it was also wet...too wet to even sit in. So, Don had me take the Yard truck on a Chicago run while he dried the truck out. The yard truck, a 1999 Freightliner, had the AC go out 50 friggin miles into the trip. I toughed it out until I got to Tac in Summit, IL and got my load dropped in the yard and got her parked with some wind coming probably from a toxic waste site as it all smelled like refinery and was hot and muggy as hell. I sat there for 4 hours until a cool breeze came in and then I could retreat to the bunk.

The next day I went up to Milan, WI and could not friggin wait to get this hot air blowing piece of shit back to the Fargo yard so that I could at least get a shower and grab a blanket and pillow and sleep in this truck of mine that I knew would have AC. When I got there, the damn truck was not there and I was pissed. During this whole time, whether I was in the stinky truck or the truck blowing hot air, I was not getting any sleep as it was either hot or stinky. Anyway, I am back in the stinky truck and it still stinks but not as bad as before. We even put inside an odor bomb that would handle odors up to 10,000 square feet. It smelled like bubble gum for a day and then went back to the smell of ass.

The interesting thing is that I was approached by a mechanic and a driver on separate occasions where they told me that my truck was for a period of time occupied by a homeless person. I guess the security was so lack at one point that a homeless dude was able to get hold of a key and sleep in the truck. One of the guys insists that the company is not being forthright about the situation and that maybe I should go to the Labor board. That really would not do me or anyone much good unless I start growing a tail from this odor.

That having been said however, at this point, I have really no complaints. I am running a sorta regional run...I either go to Summit, Il or Des Moines, IA. I grab a back haul when there is one available. I am making pretty good pay for what I do...It compares nicely with Jim Palmer, who, by the way, declared bankruptcy recently. I do not regret leaving that company. They have changed and not for the better. It really has little to do with Jim Palmer himself...it is all the sycophantic losers he has representing his name. They are butt snufflers and have no vision or any ability to survive. They are the company and yet they are the biggest problem. I feel sorry for them.

Anyway, it is so far so good. Hopefully I can keep you updated with my adventures or lack their of. Dedication :)

Fixin the Stinky Truck

2008-07-02T22:44:00.002-05:00

I had good impressions of Johnsrud and tried to keep my mind open. I also met nice people that really seemed to like their jobs and approached their day with an apparent sense of pride. I felt that at the time that I had made the right move. I still feel that I made a good move...but was it the right move? Time will tell.

I was issued my first truck. I hook up and pull out and when I go from low to high range, there is a shreeeeeeeeeeeeeeek sound. I can't stop now and after all, it is shifting, so, I proceed. I have that truck for a week. Fast forward to my new truck...a freightliner. I was given this truck as a last minute deal and I liked the sleeper and the overall layout which, was an improvement over the T800 from the last week. I noticed as I was moving in that there was some dirt on the floor and an odor. The odor got more pronounced as I rolled down the road. In fact, at one point, the stench was noticeable at 65 mph with both windows open, vents open, and the AC on full blast with the bunk on high and the fresh air vent open.

I decided at that point that I would approach Human Resources and let them know that all the effort and money put towards a good impression at orientation is flushed good and hard down the toilet when you issue a new driver a truck like this. He agreed and there was a flurry of action and phone calls that were to tell me that the problem was definitely on the radar and that I was in good hands and the truck would be cleaned and deodorized. It was to be done last night. I will go in and see what there is to see. I do have my fingers crossed. Wish me luck. Dedication;(

Marching Orders

2008-06-27T09:22:00.002-05:00

I got my marching orders from the boss and I will be going to Lakeville, Minnesota for the morning. The load will be ready by noon so I can goof off for a while. I plan to go to the truck soon and start my housekeeping and putting away ritual. I have not started that yet as everything is well packed and will keep. No time like now however. I was just hoping that I would get a better idea of what I must have on the truck and what I really do not need. Well, time will tell one way or another. Dedication ;)

Hello Deery

2008-06-27T08:09:00.002-05:00

I was driving home from the Sheyenne River Raceway in Lisbon, talking to my wife and having a good time when all of a sudden a deer appeared in front of my hood. Bang. The car looks dangerously close to being totaled with air bags out and the whole car a mess. No one got hurt but there were some hurt feelings as I overreacted and was yelling and cursing. So sue me, it was stressful.

I will get some pictures in here when I get them. I stole a nice one to show the safety director at Johnsrud but that is printed out and not in any format that I can use. I know, the world is a cruel, cruel place. Gotta get to work...more later...dedication:/

Just Another Day Punching The Clock

2008-06-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

Watching the morning sun as it is becoming a presence here gave me a thought. I figured I would take a walk, then have some breakfast. After that, I would throw my stuff together and get over to Johnsrud and get my gear and my truck and then return here to gather my suitcase. Then, hopefully I will be headed to Fargo to get more of my stuff for the truck assembled and loaded up. The best battle plans never make it to the battle field...we shall see.

I got my A-OK from Ron yesterday and we had some fun driving in Cicero on Tuesday and then some St. Louis, narrow street action yesterday. It was a situation where we had gotten bad directions and I had a hunch. Ron would not let me act on my hunch. It turned out that he had wrote down the wrong street name and the two names sounded similar and I turned out to be right. We ended up on a dead end road and I had to back out then jack her around a narrow corner with parked cars and curbs to get back on track. No harm done and it did turn out OK. I have been lost and in a tight spot before and came out on top. Instinct will keep you out of trouble sometimes and other times it will bury you in up to your neck. Just depends on how well Murphy is feeling that day I guess.

I hope this day goes smoothly and I get on my way without too much trouble. This has been a long day coming. Dedication ;/

Rollin' Along to St. Louis

2008-06-18T20:58:00.002-05:00

I finally got my marching orders after 9 days in the Hotel Des Moines (California?). There was a delay on my trainer getting to my location because he had these pesky kidney stones aggravating his life and he had to get through it without busting an organ. I am glad we waited. First of all, the three guys I worked with rated with me very high on the scale of professionalism. They blew away any memories of trainers from Crete, Werner...anywhere as far as I am concerned. It is easy to get to that conclusion. First of all, I already know how to drive a truck. I also know that there are some basics to tanker operation and there are also some tricks of the trade that will make my frigging life easier. These guys are just gushing with that good stuff that makes my life easier.

Anyway, I worked yesterday and today with Ron Brown and he has already cleared me to get into my own truck. We deliver tomorrow at St louie and then we deadhead to Des Moines to pick up my truck...:]

That is the cool part, I get to get into my own truck and nearly one and a half months of adventure and application come to fruition and I get to get paid to get home more often. More later Dedication

Oh Yeah

2008-06-16T07:45:00.002-05:00

I really don't feel that way after the weekend that seemed like, in spite of the fact that I was in a hotel room, I felt like I was really in a waiting room. Today I am to go out with a gentleman named Ron and I am to train with him until Thursday. I need to express the fact that I am at this point in good shape when it comes to running the equipment and could probably do well to get my truck now. They want to err on the side of caution and I guess that is their game and their training program. I will not be harmed in any way by the extra training.

I was invited to a drivers' house named Robert yesterday for some good food and conversation. The only bad thing was the fact that they had cats. I love cats and petting them and the like. I am also deathly allergic to cats so that I must wash my hands and get the clothing that I am wearing off of my body as soon as possible. The longer the exposure, the greater the chances of me having an asthmatic attack. I came through it well however and no animals were harmed in my experiments. The nifty thing was the wildlife that was in Roberts' yard. There was a family of foxes and several deer and raccoons. They put out water and food for them and then leave them alone. We were talking on the porch 25 yards from the deer and all they did was look our direction. Cool.

Tim Russert passed away this weekend. Frankly, I learned more about the man after he died than I ever knew while he was alive. I did not care for the meet the press show and was oblivious to the life of an obviously well loved man.

Yesterday, we finally got a protection order served on an unruly neighbor. It is the one that has a husband that is a convicted rapist. Well, she got on a high horse on the 2nd of June and decided to yell at me and flip me off. It was the last straw in a long string of bullshit from her and I decided to put a stop to it. We will see what happens next. Gotta go Dedication "/

The Difference Between Purple and Pink

2008-06-12T06:04:00.002-05:00

I am here in Des Moines, IA, having completed my happy little orientation phase and now I am approaching the actual driving and hooking up and handling paperwork phase. I have completed my driving test which was unusual in that it took place on the very first day. The second day was videos with some hands on as we pumped from one trailer to another using both air and the hydropak. Funny how I could have been in the driving industry for so long and not really pay any attention to how tankers work. Looks good so far. The funny thing about this company is that there really is not a "story" or spin. It is what it is. I have spoken to at least 20 of these drivers and I am here to tell you that I can't get one of these guys to say a darn thing bad about the company. Oh, wait, there was one guy that said that sometimes the freight was "inconsistent". Welcome to trucking sunshine...

The bittersweet component added to the fact that in my opinion, I have managed to stumble into the best company to work for to date, is that Des Moines is in the middle of fighting an oncoming disaster. Yesterday, I was meeting and getting information from the department heads, ordering my uniforms and getting a general understanding of how the operations side of the company works. Just about any television was showing the down town flooding and showed the coming band of miserable thunderstorms and the red boxes representing tornado watches and warnings. Yesterday in western Iowa, a tornado hit a Boy Scout camp north of Council Bluffs and 4 scouts between the ages of 13 and 18 were killed. That kind of tragedy rests heavy on me as I was a boy scout at one time and I remember fondly the campouts and all the activities. It was real life in the fact that I was involved and with my friends and yet for me, it was fantasy in that the real world was insulated from the recreation, the tent building and the pranks and hazing that is frequent among groups of men in the wilderness. I am thankful in that no one was killed on any of my campouts. My prayers are with the families of the victims.

I think that the experience with this company will be a positive one and that perhaps it will change the scope of this page. Hey, a guy can't rant and rave about all the annoying stuff in life every day. That would get old. Perhaps I can attack an occasional lot lizard to stay in shape. Who knows? Dedication

Here In The Back Yard, Cutting Farts and Grillin' Meat

2008-06-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

Friday, June 6, 2008

Swimmin in the Rain Here at the Homestead

Uh, let's see. I put in notice here at Jim Palmer around the 24Th of May. And they got me outta DA truck very shortly after that. Just recapping. Well, I managed to look at a few opportunities including going back to work at mighty, mighty, Bobcat. I have decided to head off to work for the tanker outfit that I was talking to before.The big thing is the home time and the pay. Not at all bad there I tell you. Anyway, I start here on the 9Th of June as that was the earliest that they could get me in. That's right, I got me a two week vacation out of that deal and I have been working my frigging ass off here at home catching up with the honey doos and making up for one full year of abused home time. The last section of my roof will get completed today if the rain lets up. It is flashed, papered, drip edged, starter stripped and waiting for shingles. 16 by 12 feet. Once it gets started, it will be just like Whitney Houston and a small rock...it will be done in less than an hour. Of course, a small Whitney rock would make the Hope Diamond look like a spider mite. That is another story however.I managed to buy a rather inexpensive RV and have managed to park it in the yard for later camping since the rain is being rather relentless. I chopped down a 57 year old ash tree that was unfortunate in that it had to sit in my yard at a 45 degree angle. I placed a restraining order against the lady down the street who is married to a convicted sex offender. Some people need to learn some manners. In fact, I placed the protection order in the same week that I am running for a third term as a city council member. Maybe this time they will just vote me the hell out and I can get on with my regular life. I do have some kind of excitement around here and being that it is a very small town, that is a bonus, I guess.I was talking to a good friend yesterday and since I have not been in the truck (I practically have forgotten how to shift)He let me know about the price of diesel lately. $4.90 per gallon. If the price of fuel goes up much more, I can see a reversion to day cabs and motel stays for truckers. I can also see the return of multiple plant locations, instead of relying on cheap transportation to distribute their products... it will be a limited benefit with the additional jobs and potential improvement in the truck driving vocation..., but, the price of oil could also make China imports prohibitive. Buy American, now more than ever. dedication:_)

Let The Games Begin and End

2008-05-22T21:56:00.002-05:00

I did my first drop here in Montana this morning early from my 1300 appointment. After all there was a second drop in Washington and First, because I am always one friggin' motivated truck driver. And, that I knew that there were problems with the loading of this load and any delay by me would not help the problem at all so I gave them the best kick start that I could by being as early as possible. Also, I am running deadly close to the terminal. I put in notice Monday and I told Curtis that early or late was fine to get out of the truck as I was not on any tight schedule. I am going to fish, fuck (sorry, teatotaling dicklickers)and drink before I consider going back to work...It might happen all at once in the same hour but no doubt that will be another story. Hmmmmm, well, you have caught a fish...OK, I'll be right over honey...two good and vigorous minutes later...and that is the rest of the story. Whatever.

I think it is hilarious how these trucking outfits work. Hey, there have been many times where a driver gives his parting shot to the company on the way out. I get it. But I have done nothing or said nothing that would lead one to believe that I have any severe anger towards this company. I have my own reasons for leaving, which I am not going to discuss here. I also have my complaints about some of the things that this company does and has done. I feel that my situation would have been helped some if I had not worked with Bret. I feel that while he has done a stellar job lately, he has had quite a bit of growing up to do for most of my year here. Nuff said. While I may get fiery over the current shit, I could care less once it is over.

Don't get me wrong, I do learn the lessons of the past and that is part of why this decision to leave is an easy one. I have many contacts in this company and will continue to write about them as the subject comes up. I have also been contacted by friends that wanted me to write about their situation when there were circumstances that cast doubt. Integrity will not allow me to print pap here however and I have to have the things that I write confirmed. After all, this is a classy rag don't ya know.

I had a nice talk with Lonnie Wallace and he was nice enough to get me a room. I had been tipped off that I was being truck outed and I exnayed with my sheets and blankets and did not want to sleep with newspapers on the smoking benches. Might be good practice for when I go to Tex's house...he is about to be homeless unless he gets off his ass. I would like to thank the people that read this and give me nice complements on my email. It is nice to hear that what I did was good for you and of course...tell a friend that a weird guy is typing some real annoying shit and you just had to have a witness to the lack of humanity. What is he going to lampoon next? Mike's Hard Light Lemonade? Who the hell knows. I gotta go. No, I have gotta go and I am going to go and like it.

It is my anniversary and I have to say, the first anniversary that I really hit the gift on the friggin head. My wifey has been hinting for a few years now about wanting a ring commemorating the birth of her son Wes. Well, I naturally looked around when she mentioned it...but, those rings look like fucking shit. Sorry, but they do. I just happened to be in a JC Penney in Columbus, NE getting a watch for my Son for graduation and there it was...the ring of all ages and I friggin bought it. And she friggin liked it. And I will get a friggin *redacted* for it and I will shout out the open windows for all the inbred freaks and sex offender loser neighbors that live in my town to hear that I got a *redacted* for 40 percent off at JC Penney. And you fucking know that! I live in Elliott, North Dakota and there is a sex offender here but his licence is in another state. His name is Martin Wayne Vareberg and he lives three houses south of 205 Elliott St in Elliott, ND. I fucking hate rapists. Dedication;)

Iowa the Sequel

2008-05-14T18:15:00.002-05:00

Once again I am sitting on my arse in the Flying Jackass here at exit 125 on I-80. I delivered bright and early to those crack smoking scumbags at Sysco. I hate Sysco and I hate anyone that works there...I want to kick their puppies in the gut and abuse their home appliances with dung. I mean it, I hate that place and it doesn't matter the location. Denver Sysco? Assholes. Olathe, Kansas?, assholes. It does not matter one bit as they collectively suck goat nads. They really suck. Anyway, I had to go up to Ankeny, IA for the second part of operation dough drop. My appointment is for the 15th at 11am but I was able to talk to the guy and finaggle a 2000, we will fit you in sort of thing. Not perfect, but what the hell is in life.

I go in and grab a shower and I notice this freakish looking girl/pig staring at me. She had been acting strange since I had arrived there. She approaches and asks if I have a spare shower for her which I oblige her. She says that she is looking for a ride which I cannot oblige. I bought her a couple egg rolls and bid her good luck. I get uncomfortable with the homeless as you never know what kind of unruly behaviour to expect. I am not a taxi service however. Don't get me wrong, I do not have anything against the homeless or unfortunate losers in the travel game. It just seems that there is a growing number of people that act as if it is my problem that they are where they have ended up somehow. I do know what it is like to lose my job and end up in very bad shape. I never thought once to head out and travel using someones source of a job as my travel mode. I would feel too self conscious about that to actually pull it off.

Now is the interesting tidbit of the day. After long hours of research, grilling recruiters and filling out applications and talking to drivers, I have a replacement company that I have recently been accepted by. They have a terminal not far from my house. They will pay far better than my current employer will even discuss paying. They have a good home rotation of 7 days or so. They represent one factor that I have desired in trucking in that it would be just frigging nice not to have to deal with a reefer or a van trailer for that matter. The best part is that when I am not driving and am waiting to load/unload, I am on the clock after 2 hours. That is worth more than all the other benefits. That tells me that they value the time on the truck and are willing to do something about it.

I would like to say that this chapter coming up is in some way bittersweet and that I wish that I did not have to go, but, I can't. I would be lying. That is not to say that everything at Jim Palmer Trucking was bad as it was not all bad. Here is a list of the good and the bad as I see it.

Good-They do not anally rape you as part of the orientation process.
Bad-For a decent pay raise, you might just accept anal rape as a negotiation tool.

Good-Their trucks look good when they are broke down on the side of the road.
Bad-Somehow, their trucks look good when they are wrecked as well.

Good-They have rather attractive recruiters of the female persuasion.
Bad-Lying ass bitches to hell with all of them.

Good-The management team is competent and forthright.
Bad-Competent about screwing up drivers lives and forthright about lying about it.

Good-The place has not caught fire yet.
Bad-The place has not caught fire yet.

Good-The payroll lady is very accurate and I have never once had to call about a shortage.
Bad-How the fuck can you screw up 191.00 a week? 5 of my paychecks were that or less in Dec, Jan, Feb...

I know, I am spoofing their sorry asses and I guess that I am sorry. Really there are quite a few nice, competent people working at Jim Palmer Trucking. It is unfortunate that none of them are at the top of the power ladder. Kudos to Dave Zohner, Dick Horst, Judy the logbook lady as you tolerated my shenanigans with poise, Lisa, as the pay was always there and accurate and you are quite the nice person, Heather, as she made some sense of my notes on job history and compiled it so it could be read by those not on depression medication... and a few I cannot remember to name as I have a bad memory caused by traumatic stress disorder from banging my freaking head on the steering wheel. Those people have made my life and the job easier in their own way. Bret, made my life here a living hell for 11 out of 12 months...too little too late and I do not want to see it go back to where it was all last year. Aubrey, I saw your snotty little look at me when you did not think I was looking and you can go to hell. You are better than no one you stuck up bitch. I think that all but sums it up.

I have been asked whether I will continue to write about Jim Palmer Trucking. I would have to say that I have plenty of contacts there and with as bad at they are currently being run that I would be dumb to switch now. Those guys have the capability of running a good company but they are just too damn full of shit to do it. Thus, I must continue to write. Dedication >:\/

You All Are A Bunch Of Hicks, Put Down The Chainsaw

2008-05-13T07:34:00.002-05:00

I am here luxuriating is the hickness that is Kentucky. I just like to dog out KY which is where the lubricant got its name as that is where my good friend JD lives and occasionally, he reads this. I really shouldn't be rattling cages and such but it is good fun until someone decides to rattle back. I can take it though as there really is not much rattling to do when your cage is lined in foam.

Got a return on an email to a very old friend...yes he is old like me and the friendship has been on ice due to different locations since the mid 1980's. It exhausts me to think about the relationships and struggles of the last 28 years. It is a wonder that children don't scream when they see the mileage on my face. The Saint was influential on me in some ways that average friendships are not. I don't remember ever going to a bar with Saint. We did not hang out in any way shape or form outside of ship life. He was always writing music and playing guitar and it intrigued me. He returned an email and It just made my day. Sometimes, that is all it takes. Now I can call my wife and exclaim, "he said yes!". Different story and shame on you. Greetings Saint and Velkommen to my sick little world. It however, is no more sick than on the USS Pyro. Remember when some prankster painted Psycho over the letters PYRO. Cool stuff...Dedication:/

Limbo, It Just Never Ends

2008-05-10T19:57:00.004-05:00

I am on my way to the great East Coast and it is a rather slow load...I call my good friend John Dean to let him know that there is a rendezvous location where we can sneak a beer in or to with some colorful conversation about cool subjects and fun times. I am pretty sure that breasts will come up at one point or another. Not really, I just added that because I thought it would throw some undetectable spin on this otherwise boring paragraph. Anyway, he is not answering for some unknown reason...it must involve breasts, I just know it.

The company is conducting some culling operations in the personnel department. There is a need to reduce the force somewhat and what better way than to fire a few assholes. Unfortunately, there managed to end up in the sieve, my good friend Tonio. What I know about Tony and his year here at the farm is not complete and it would not be fair to all parties to comment in depth about this. However, from my point of view, Tony will be missed by me in a black truck and we will keep in touch as friends do. Good luck as always, I will be pulling for you. And if I sent you one of those posters that show retards licking the windows on only the very shortest buses...I am sorry. You are friggin' special sunshine and don't let any Montana kiss ass inbreds tell you different. I just have to say, I am sorry lord and I know not where this stuff comes from. After it expels however, there is no wiping, it just flies out of me clean as a friggin' whistle.

The company is scaring the heck out of me lately. I was at Salina and 2 Palmers were fueling on TCH and were dismayed when their pumps shut off at 119 gallons and would go no further. No answer to that one. I am glad I fueled last night. There are problems with the EZPass, we have had "glitches" with the payroll. Now, I am not saying that I know of a specific problem with Jim Palmer...that is not my purpose here. I respect the fact that my checks have been accurate and Johnny on the spot. A lesser company would be feeling the turbulence much more however. I heard that TMC is feeling the heavy rolls lately. Good for those undercutting assholes, too.

Well, gotta go for now as I am getting groggy. Dedication:/

Some Days It Just Does Not Pay To Get Up

2008-05-06T21:42:00.002-05:00

Actually, it was not really a bad day overall if you look long and hard at all of the hours of the day and come up with some sort of average. It was just the last 3 of the working day that were grating on my nerves. I had picked up in Minnesota and was on my way out of the state on I-35 when the clouds got a weird look to them and there was more intensity in the rain and the wind. I was heavy, so the wind really was not a factor, but, at the same time, I was aware that the weather was changing. Well, up ahead, not quite a mile, was this dark circular movement of clouds and debris. I watched this mass enter the south bound lanes and commented to my wife that perhaps it was a mile ahead. It was really a quarter mile and it hit and laid over a semi, blocking all southbound lanes. I sat there waiting for wreckers and found out that the driver was naturally shaken up but nonetheless, OK.

The wrecker rights the truck and lanes are opened...thirty miles south, the same thing happens with another delay. I decided to pull in and just call it a day. The added bonus is that I have some access. Cool beans.

Well, gotta go for now...Dedication:)

Yep, I'm Just A Loser In Barstow

2008-04-25T19:40:00.002-05:00

Go ahead and say it. I am not sure what you wanted to say but as far as I have been concerned, I have had it all said to me lately. I have had all of my intentions spelled out for me, even if I had not thought to do them myself at that time. I don't know. All I do know is that if you are married, there is just nothing you can do. You are wrong and it does not matter whether or not you did anything. You will suffer and burn and suffer some more because she thinks you did something. Seems like a great time for me to go out and buy a dog.

As I mentioned earlier, I got my annual anal review from Jim Palmer trucking...27 percent average idle...too much. I got screwed on the bonus and got a cent for my troubles. You know? I have realized that all the little perks that attracted me to this place have been changed. Bonus is less, Pay sucks, Insurance was to be payed by the company after one year of service but now it is not. I think that this last year was a waste of time considering how much they are screwing us. And get this...Curtiss has all but certified for me that JPT is not receiving a fuel surcharge in their settlements and that is why all the benefits are shrinking...can you believe that bullshit? If you are an owner operator, you get a surcharge where Jimmy averages out your surcharge nationwide before you get it. That is another way that driver pay is skimmed around here. Courtney actually said in the same breath that he said that the company was stable and would be around and do well. He is some piece of work that Curtiss/ Courtney what ever his name is. If he wore a skirt and showed up to work, maybe he would qualify to fluff in porn.

I am headed to southern California and of course, I have a preplan. You see, I never get a preplan unless I go where my mother used to live. I haven't seen her in some time but nonetheless, I must rush rush rush when in So-Cal because I might have some quality of life while living in Jim Palmer's piece of shit truck.

I got another message about another computer problem involving our payroll. It was resolved within a few hours but it does seem suspicious as perhaps there was not enough money in the account to cover payroll. It is not likely that the suckers that work here would get any lead time on being axed in that event. They would probably strand us. That is the usual method of business in trucking. If you consider the level of truth being used in this company, I would expect no less. Well Gotta go...Dedication:"

This Is Just To Say

2008-04-22T08:14:00.002-05:00

This is just to say, that I am sorry for writing bad things about Jim Palmer and his band of merry cronies. But, it was good for me and it was so easy with as stupid as the crew there can be. And of course, there is the lack of truth that everyone there has to tell. And anyone that has read what I have had to write about Jim and his group of sycophants and losers will know that I did not mean one word of the apology either. Isn't it just funny, how people will apologize for something as a matter of course and something in that apology will betray the sorry feeling and give you the clue that really they are not sorry at all. I am not sorry either.

I was at a place in the greater Chicago area called Lagrou. In a nice neighborhood with a huge park across the street...beautiful. I took a walk and watched as it was getting dark, a couple playing tennis in the lighted court. They were having a great time and I was having a good time watching them. Then the lights went out and you could hear both of them yell out AWWWWWW! And back to the car and off they went. It is funny in this job that we get to see snippets of other peoples lives. That is not to say that if I were at home that I would not be able to see this. What I am saying, is that the life styles are different and the people somehow are different and to tell the truth...I have never watched anyone use the tennis courts in the park at home...

It took me to back in the day when I was in Bahrain. I had a Chief Petty Officer in my division and we were adversaries and not friends. But he was always trying to get me to play golf with him or invite me out on the town. This baffles me to this day as we did not get along professionally and he tried everything in his power to hurt my career while I was stationed with him. Anyway, on that day Drayton Rowe had invited me to play tennis at the courts on the old British Naval Base in Bahrain. It was only 92 degrees or so and excercise sounded good. I had never really played tennis but I was ok at it but I kept launching the balls out of the park on occasion...and there was this kid that kept stealing them and running off. Well, two tubes of balls later and we were on our way back to the ship. I guess someone from there would observe our little slice of life and feel transported in some way too.

I got my annual review a few weeks ago. I have been meaning to bring this up but have forgotten. Got a bonus, but smaller than I was told it would be when I hired on...Everything seems good if I am to look at comments from my mis-manager. Well, he had better say good things about me because he is an incompetent moron. I have just had the lowest mileage year for trucking since I started driving. 124,000 miles and most of the delays were due to either breakdowns or mismanagement. It seems that if a person is to make any money in this industry, that person needs to get to the common areas of trucking income...mileage, pay, and down time. Benefits also are there as well. This company does not measure up and they could do much better. Dedication :(

Called My Son and Collapsed in a Heap

2008-04-19T22:07:00.002-05:00

I have a good old fashioned cold...again. I was just lounging about, minding my own business when this pterodactyl shaped virus decided to shit on my face. For the second time in less than 4 weeks. It is not fair. Not one to whine...I am moving on.

I have been running pretty good...not great...but not bad. I am on my way to Chicago for Monday and I am 425 miles or so out...not bad. Getting ready for bed...Not one to whine...I am moving on...dedication;')

Greetings And Its Been A Long Time

2008-04-08T08:25:00.002-05:00

It has been nearly a month. I have been busy and it seems that once again when I have time, I have no Internet...The story of my life. I can't even begin to catch up in the traditional way, so I decided that I would infuse this blog with some absolutely disgusting XXX Porno to spice things up. I mean, when you have no material, naked people definitely help.

I was looking at my many notes of observation and trust me that many things that I find interesting even bore me after some time to think about them. Here is an excerpt on my observation of the morning news in Seattle. A place that agitates me to no end anyway. I hate that stupid place and would like to start my three state killing spree there.

Q13 in Seattle, the home of Seattle's Best four dollar coffee and heroin addicts that approach sleeping truckers for monetary enhancement and personal enrichment. The morning crew is perhaps the most handsome group with the largest jawbones I have ever seen. There is also the whitest looking Mexican on Earth and a Chinese reporter named Sabrina Fang. Are you kidding? I thought that people went on the air so that they could change their name to one that they like. Sabrina Fang? Give me a break...

A black reporter named Lowell...this dude is whiter than I am. I feel too black now, gotta go to Arbys and order something totally white trash to feel better about myself. Gonna get me a Camaro and move into a trailer. I'm gonna cut the sleeves off my shirts and chase my wife around with a broken beer bottle. OK, people, I will chase her with an unbroken beer bottle. What are we? Barbarians?

All of these people are the welcoming committee for Seattle where people come to get killed, crash their cars and get rained on all the while getting the shit taxed out of them. Move me in...I want to become a member of the rat race in the middle of the mountains too.

By the way...the white Mexican? Her name is, get this, Maria Arcega Dunn. I used to think that Los Angeles was frigging unbearable with Dr. George Fishbeck who looked like every asshole history teacher that gave me a B- in my life, but he did know the weather...today is going to be hot with cool in the morning...it is Southern Frigging California, how hard could that be...really? Sports guy Eddie Alexander who looked like he just smoked his last Newport and downed his last vodka tonic just minutes before. He did go to jail for fraud however. And the worst was Trisha Toyota...I am not kidding. Cheech and Chong lampooned her ass in Up in Smoke with the reporter that was named something that resembled every Japanese motorcycle manufacturer listed....you know, Suzuki Kawasaki Honda...

The strange thing is that when I went into the Navy, I could not get used to the new faces on the morning news shows in SF or Honolulu and I don't want to get into Yokosuka...that stuff would pop your eyes out if you had not had your coffee yet. I guess there are people that are growing up in Seattle and are used to the stuff on their television news. All I can say, they must be screwed up all to hell. Dedication"/

You Gotta Love It

2008-03-11T11:36:00.003-05:00

I checked on my poor abused truck this morning. Waiting for parts and trying to remove the broken studs from the head without destroying the head were on the burner for my mechanic. Pretty nice guy for the most part. Usually, it is a distinct lack of personality and character that I notice most about these wrench turners. You are looked at as a revenue source and as a source of agitation when things go not as planned. I managed to get in some walking this morning and feel better as a result. I have been cooped up in this hotel room and getting out and getting some air is good for the body.

I have been working the remote out as well and if it weren't for the commercials, there would not be 45 minutes of programming in six hours run. I just get annoyed with all the commercials that repeat and repeat. I am not going to buy a swiffer, period.

I went to a restaurant yesterday and I found that Ruby Tuesdays is a rather nice, expensive restaurant. I ordered a triple prime burger and it was nice but not on the level of an In-N-Out burger. The price, $9.49 plus beverage and tip. I wish that there was an In-N-Out here...Well gotta go for now...Dedication:[

Sharonville, There are worse armpits!

2008-03-10T08:34:00.004-05:00

Well, my day started with ambition and is slowly ending in a relentless tide of quick sand. I was over at the KW dealership first thing this morning and was told that they would be glad to look at my truck...this afternoon. Well, it was the answer I was not looking for but it will have to do as I do not have a tow truck here with me at this moment.

The frustrating thing here is the fact that first of all, I was supposed to be home by the 5Th of March for a meeting. Bret, who had 3 weeks to react managed to screw that up and not get me home. I ended up being sent to Virginia while asshole boy realigned his three brain cells to allow for thought. If he had only done his job, I would still probably have broke down, but that would have been after I had arrived home in time of my appointment.

My wife is very upset by the situation. She does not function well when I am gone. And I have been gone too long now. I asked Bret what his plan was to get me home and He replied that He did not know but he would try. I told him that this was really hard on my family. He amazingly replied that yes he understood what I am going through. I really think that he has no idea what it is like to have somewhat of a plan and simply have that plan shattered because of a mistake of a "manager" that is simply there for a paycheck. When I get home, Bret is going to ask me when I am coming back...I will reply 2 weeks and if he says one thing about that, I will reply 3 weeks. I am pretty sure that he is planning on me taking only 4 or 5 days off. I am going to screw up that plan and hopefully give some insight to someone who sorely needs it. Dedication"/

Broke Down Again

2008-03-09T15:39:00.002-05:00

I was driving along nicely on hwy 9 in Kentucky. I had entered Maysville and stopped at at signal. I tuned my radio to the trucker Open Road Channel 171 and got the green light. I accelerated and then it sounded like 2 of my cylinders went dead and left me with no power. I accelerated anyway as I didn't need to park in the road. I pulled behind a closed store and waited 10 hours for the tow truck to get there. Once there, he drove 15 miles per hour in the festive ice storm over to Sharonville to drop me and my defunct truck at the Kenworth dealer. In the morning, I walked over there and found that everyone on the Saturday shift had taken a Snow Day.

It will be Monday before I hear or see any signs of life at the mighty Kenworth dealer... Dedication:(

I Am In Ohio, Happily Seeking Intelligent Life

2008-03-01T22:25:00.002-06:00

Not really, I am just sitting on my ass watching the next new thing on the computer. I am after all a man of action. When some setting on my computer was accidentally switched, causing me to not be able to get into the happy zone which is this place, I got right on it...a week later. I am a man of action and will do something...tomorrow...I am tired. Good Night Now! Dedication:I

Support From Home And Safe Driving

2008-02-23T19:55:00.002-06:00

Funny thing, this driving business. I mean, I do a job that when done properly, gains my family a paycheck and a minimal amount of satisfaction. Yet, if I make a mistake, there can be deadly consequences for me or the unlucky person that tangles with my truck at the wrong time. That is not to say that car drivers are incapable of making driving errors too. It is just that I am on a regular basis, making adjustments in my driving to compensate for non-attentive drivers. It is just a normal thing. You look and observe drivers every day and it is easy to see when a 4 wheeler is not being driven with 100 percent attention. That is clearly a different subject for another day however.

What I would like to address today is the most basic line of support that the driver gets from his loved ones at home. The daily call to home. This is one area in the truck drivers life that is routinely a source of agitation. Some people use the daily phone call home as a controlling mechanism. Constantly asking where the receiving party has been and agonizing about any lack of control. Others use the phone call as a game to play...what mood may I be in today. Will, I chat you up and make you feel like a million bucks or will I be cold and distant for some unmentioned sin. Others clearly use the phone call as a weapon, yelling and hanging up...I have heard them all. There are times where I call home and realize that I have absolutely nothing to say and yet, I want to remain on the line as that is my portal to the normal side of my life. It is my view of the place I am the most happy.

And yet, I really want the people reading this to understand that first of all, there are quite a few mental things going on in trucking. I am not sure if anyone would want to study the mental stresses that drivers go through on a regular basis and their effects on mental health. Drivers are constantly moving, get poor sleep, eat poor diets, have high stress and who knows what else goes into their jobs. Certainly, trucking must be a petrie dish of stable mental health if you believe all the crap that the trucking companies would have you believe. Just approach a few drivers in the truck stop and strike up a conversation with them on a random basis and you will find that a few of them are "odd". Better yet, after you determine that they are "odd", ask them what company they work for and I am sure you will find the big companies well represented. I think that much like society, mental illness exists in the trucking industry, but, to a larger degree. It is not addressed by trucking companies until something happens. There is really no mental evaluation in the hiring process. Trust me, I have spent some quality time in orientation with complete nut cases. And while I could bore the daylights out of you with theory on this, I won't. I am here to tell you that I have observed this behaviour for some time now.

There are some people, usually non-drivers, that look at the trucking industry as some sort of all fun party time where life on the road resembles something out of Smokey and the Bandit or Convoy (to name a lousy movie). The truth is that for the most part, trucking is a solitary business. Even if the truck driver is part of a team operation, the job is a matter of each driver handling their respective shifts while the other driver sleeps. There have been times that I have not had a meaningful conversation with another person for two to three days. I would have to speak naturally, during fuel stops. For the most part, it was just the radio and coffee for company.

I find that there is quite a bit that is frustrating about trucking as most all drivers do. But nothing is more aggravating than lack of communication with home...At least I dialed the phone today. There just was no point in doing so I guess. Dedication:(

OK

2008-02-21T14:04:00.002-06:00

OK, Red soil and no sign of intelligent life anywhere. Oklahoma, the land of Oakies from Muskogie even though Ol' Merle Haggard I believe was from Bakersfield, Ca. Hey, it doesn't matter to me but I am just saying. And John Denver was from Texas...so there!

I am on my way to a non descript warehouse on the east coast, Alexandria, Va and a second drop in Maryland. It represents a stroke of luck in the accumulation of miles game that us truck drivers like to play in the name of paying the bills. For the first time, the other day, I had a pre-plan for my next load issued to me. I about wrecked the truck as I was in such shock. I naturally thought that perhaps my manager had simply called in sick and someone that did not know any better was actually doing their job. But, it turns out that ol' Bret was there and yet, I am getting a preplan...Don't get me wrong, I like it when things work the way they are supposed to.

Then after I get the preplan and drop my Santa Ana bound load, I get a message from Dave the weekend guy. He wants to get me into a Grandview, Wa load that delivers one day earlier than the one I currently had. I wanted to help him out as the other driver was shorter on hours than me. So, I said sure, why not? Bret came in Monday morning and saw what I was doing and had a fit and swapped me out and gave me the load I currently have. It all worked out in the end. I certainly am not complaining as the miles in the last month have not been there and I have tried to be patient with the company as I am used to the idea of it slowing down in the winter. I have been there before and see no need to rock the boat for a situation that no one really has control over. Preplans would have gotten some of the gaps between loads to go away however.

I was on I-40 Westbound on the way to California, being passed by a truck with "Jesus Christ Is Not A Swear Word" in large letters on all sides of the trailer. More specifically, red letters on white trailer. I noticed that his trailer lights were not working and I got on the radio to let this obvious fine gentleman know about it as I would want someone to let me know if there were a trailer problem. He replied, "don't fucking worry about it". Which I have to admit that there really is some irony in that somehow. So I decided to go back out to him and inform him that something was also badly missing on his trailer as well. He comes back with "and what the hell would that be?". I just love the culture and class that I am privledged to encounter in my travels, so I replied that the lettering on his trailer should include the words "and I am a stupid fat asshole" on all sides of the trailer as well. After all, I am not one to false advertize as you well know. He came back with all sorts of profanity and I just laughed at him and egged him on by saying that I was in a big black truck that somehow did not say that I am an asshole on it and the trailer is also black with Jim Palmer written on the side and all he had to do was slow down in order to "catch" me...that just seemed to make him more angry. I was having fun by this time so I added that maybe he was just too fat and lazy to even do that as he was certainly too lazy to take care of a simple thing like ensuring that no one rearends your trailer by checking the lights. By this time, he was yelling on the radio but others were laughing and making fun of the guy. Well, fast forward to yesterday, I parked at a lot in Seligman, AZ. I got in the parking area and sure enough there he was. I pulled right next to the moron and turned my interior light on and gave him a little toodaloo wave and stared at him. He didn't even get out of the truck. I said "you get your lights fixed yet?" He reached over and turned off his radio...I guess he didn't get them fixed yet. Perhaps he might change his trailer lettering to read "I am an asshole, but Jesus loves me" Dedication:^

Looky There!

2008-02-15T07:41:00.002-06:00

The Slackers Guide To Trucking Company Operation

2008-02-14T23:31:00.002-06:00

It has still been a slow month. Following on the heels of the slow January. Following on the heels of a rather slow December. I do not feel at this point that it is entirely the weather, the season or the business climate. I will explain further in somewhat scattered detail as I have not yet had my meds...I don't have meds, I am needing them however...

If you look at the average mileage for my runs, while I am actually running, that is, then the average really is not too bad. Not to say that I am running by any means terrific to be sure. But, none the less, not terrible.

There is the constant reminder when working for Jim Palmer Trucking of Missoula, Montana, that you are working for people that are more concerned with collecting a paycheck, or kissing large butts that are attached to people that are perceived to possess the real "power", rather than display personal excellence. Or in the case of my driver manager...personal hygiene.

Extreme Sloth on a High Level. On average, I am losing a full day with each load and sometimes more than two whole days. There is no desire to do any extra work and get a load set up by the customer disservice representative or my driver mismanager. As a result, there is no such thing as a preplan. They do not start working on the new load until I am empty. I find this to be unacceptable. Preparation is the very bedrock of success. No planning? I am concerned that this company may possibly be too lazy to be in the modern trucking industry. They are certainly not very well run.

Forced To Do Nothing. This company operates under the forced dispatch program. That works out to be that they do a crappy job of getting you some freight and when that freight arrives, you as the driver have no real say in whether you actually drive this crappy freight or not. There is no choice in the matter. Funny though when drivers are called into the office and grilled about the mileage that they are getting or not getting and that the mileage had better come up or that something "will have to be done". Forced dispatch? and the driver has to answer to the lack of mileage? Sounds to me like driver services is afraid to do their job and kick the stupid driver managers in the ass and make them optimize their efforts for the benefit of the company. Funny thing is that when the driver is getting plenty of mileage, that also the company is seeing more money coming in as well. I don't know, maybe I am just an armchair quarterback. I don't really know anything about business. Let's see, More miles, Happy driver, more revenue for driver and company. I must be missing something...oh, yeah, people must do their jobs for that to happen. That is it!

Spend 500 bucks to save a dime. Repairs are often passed on to the Peterbuilt dealership because the company repair facilities are overloaded at times and there is the whole warranty issue that keeps you going back to a bunch of losers because they repair the truck for free or at least at a warranty discount. I have a clutch fan that is definitely going bad. It was going bad ten days ago. This fan is past warranty at 409 thousand miles. The fan stays running all the time and is hurting the mileage. I put the truck in the shop for a day in Denver and was dismayed when they said that nothing was wrong after a day and a half. Especially when the fan was shrieking on the way out of the parking lot.

I am going to run this sucker until it falls off and slices the radiator. I hope it happens in the fast lane on I-10 during rush hour. After I block a full lane of traffic, I am going to go to the side of the road and pull my pants down and show my ass to that stupid traffic helicopter that adds insult to injury by harassing people that break down by buzzing them with that dumb chopper. I need to do this. I am after all, living in a small town and have nowhere near enough shit to talk about. Dedication:)

Tell Me Again How You Feel...

2008-02-05T18:25:00.000-06:00

Just Once Could I Win

2008-02-05T17:55:00.000-06:00

Rewind back to the Rawlins period where I was stuck. I made it to the customer by Friday night. There was nothing said at the time to me as I was under the impression that they would take the freight on Saturday. Not so. Nor could any of the weekend morons actually do anything on my behalf. Like, perhaps letting me drop the load in Denver and allow some other driver coming off of home time to haul it in to get an empty. Lord knows I have had to do that a number of times. I ended up waiting on until Monday at seven am. I went in and gave them my paperwork. He said that I could back into a door but I am not a priority because I was late. They took seven hours to get me unloaded. After I got my paperwork, I went to the bathroom and emptied all the contents of all the cleaning supplies on the floor and left. Neatness was not exactly my priority and I did feel better. The bathroom is sure to be clean after scrubbing several gallons of hand soap off the floor...6 to be exact. I am still chuckling about that and it was 2 days ago. A lesser man would have resorted to grafitti, but, not me. I am freaking creative. Having only one thousand miles for the last eight days makes a guy creative. I am so creative. Well, I have another wonderful run with 500 or so miles and 2 days to get there. I might be so creative that I take a crap on their counter...who knows? Dedication:p

The Rawlins Mess Revisited...

2008-01-31T19:15:00.001-06:00

Seems that I have been there before. You pull into a truck stop, get out, look around, and you think to yourself that perhaps you remember this. You rack your brain trying to associate your current mind picture with the pictures of trucker dump past. Was it the scenery? Did some idiot say something on the CB that has been said many times before?

I was working for Crete Carriers. I was slogging my way through the snow and ice and decided that I would do myself some good to pull in and get some rest. I pulled in and was relieved to see some parking spots available to me. I slipped right in and went in for a shower and something to eat. I was feeling great when I went to bed that night. I woke up when the daylight made it necessary along with the indian alarm clock (that means that I had to pee). I looked outside and it looked as though the trucks were dropped from overhead flying aircraft. There were trucks everywhere, not to mention, the snow piled up on my hood blocking at least 15 inches of my forward view. I was stuck and could not move as there were too many trucks parked catawampus for me to get out. I figured that I would walk in and have some breakfast and read the paper. There was no paper available, so I made due with a trucker magazine. Breakfast was good and someone walked in and I overheard them saying that the highway was closed to the west due to a wreck. The harsh reality had set in right there that I would not be moving anywhere soon along with my unintentional compadres in the parking lot. Soon the wind became a major factor with the blowing snow making the other trucks into silouhettes on the dimming daylight.

Fast forward to today. I was coming east and making great time, when the CB blasted on about an accident at the 206 mile marker just shy of Rawlins. While I was happily running over the occasional ice patch at 60 mph, there were some schedule and mentally challenged drivers doing 75 mph on by me. Sure enough, there was a 4 or 5 truck crash involving some of the fast movers who were ill prepared to handle the conditions as they changed. It really is the same old story that happens over and over again. People that have high assumptions about their driving abilities meet adventure and danger on the highway.

Here is my opinion on driving ability:

1. I am only a good driver if I am driving safely. Safe means taking into account all road conditions and using all reasonable information available to me. It also applies to my ability to operate that vehicle with enough sleep and a good attitude for driving.

2. Ice is ice and ice is slippery. Use all the trucker wives tales you want. If you are on ice there are things for the most part that you can use to make yourself safe. You can slow down, steer mildly and brake like there is an eggshell on the pedal that you do not want to break. The one thing that is often ignored is the pull over and park in a safe place option. Sometimes you just need to give the salt truck a chance to help make it safer for you.

3. Hot freight and pressure from the dispatcher equals death or injury. Not that we don't need a little prodding now and again, but, when you have a dispatcher telling you to get over that mountain when they are sitting behind a warm desk and are not putting their livlihood on the line by proceeding into certain danger, I just tell them to back the hell off. Hot freight cools off awful quick when that truck is on its side in the ditch.

4. Courtesy goes along way when you are in bad weather. Signal your intentions. Let the other driver know when he is by you by dimming your headlights briefly. Do not be one of those knuckleheads that flashes with the brights. And speaking of lights...use them, even if it is only raining in the daytime. That visibility goes along way as well.

5. Don't speed. Any accident situation can be recreated as a mathmatical problem. The weight of the vehicle, road condition, visibility, road contour and speed all add up together to establish the findings when there is an accident. There are many more factors to consider as well. There are data bases of information that law enforcement uses to establish the speed part of the equasion in an accident re-creation. Don't let the speed of your vehicle take you into the accident too fast. Speed is the part of the potential accident that all to often, the driver chooses to his dismay.

6. Drive within your limits and the limits of the law. When there is an accident, the first thing that happens besides all the usual things like removing the vehicles and treating the injured, is the contacting of the company and getting information on where and when the truck was running. There are many ways for this to occur. The most common is the Quaalcomm but there are also fuel and other receipts with their date and time stamping. This is all compared to what you as the driver "said" on your logbook. In bad weather, it is wise to have those times and places match your logbook as best as possible. Do not expect your company to go to bat for you or the dispatcher that prodded you to stand up in your defense should there be an accident. You will know full well the view from under the bus as you will be thrown there quickly. The company line universally will be that the company does not condone or recommend drivers to drive in an unsafe manner or when the weather is dangerous.

7. Common sense...when the weather is bad, there is no time to screw around. Keep off the phone and CB. Keep the stereo volume low as the CB can warn you of what is ahead. Avoid running side by side on icy roads. Do your best to increase your following distance. If the trucks are driving badly around you, back out of it and let them go on. Do not keep yourself in a dangerous situation...get out of it by being proactive to danger instead of being reactive. If you have to react with a panic stop, chances are that you are not noticing what is ahead of you and that you are too late.

8. Drive ahead. I know, you are going ahead or forward...but actually look forward. Way forward. Those brake lights at 300 feet will not give you enough time to react. Better to be able to see those brakes go on at 1/2 mile and have the time to stop with control.

9. Leave the Jake brake off or use the lower settings if you need to slow down. The Jake brake will behave like your regular brakes on your drive tires. So will sudden or abrupt down shifts.

10. Keep the cruise control off. That cruise control does not know that it is snowing outside. It will simply try to accelerate to keep the truck up to its set speed. If that happens at the wrong time, you will get the chance to test your supertrucker skills at handling a spinout at 60 mph. Not what I call fun I can tell you.

11. Keep your eyes on the 4 wheeled vehicles. The people driving cars and pickups are not professional drivers and no matter where they live, they do not drive anything near 140,000 miles per year in adverse conditions. There are many situations going on in cars. Distracting children, bad drivers, poor maintance, bad tires just to list a few. These things will affect the way they drive and for the most part, passing a truck on an icy road scares the hell out of them.

12. Do not tailgate. Do not tailgate. Do not tailgate...

I am sure that there are many more things that come to mind but I only have so much time to write. Be safe out there and if you look in the mirror and see a complete idiot, please stay the hell out of a big truck. The roads are dangerous enough as it is. Dedication :)

Skank Attack in Albuquerque

2008-01-26T08:16:00.000-06:00

I don't know what it is about this Flying J. One time I was here and I was talking to my wife on the phone with the window open. There was this nice breeze and it was a good day. Then to my dismay this ugly, ice pick groomed, toothless lot lizard skank jumps right up on my step and with my wife on the phone, proceeds to ask me what I would like to do tonight and did I want someone to talk to. Boy, that was a great one to pull with my wife on the phone. Anyway, I am sure it was the same one that woke me up today. Only, this time it was at 4:53 am. The hour did not change either my answer to her or her looks. Either it was the same one or they have a cloning factory producing them. Time for a new model. But, I tell you what, if you happen to have an absolutely poppin', smokin', awesome looking hooker approach you and ask you for a date, Tell her that you do not have a corsage and walk away because good looking truck stop hookers are either completely bonkers or they are the Police. Either way, you are asking for it.

I was driving merrily across I-40 yesterday and noticed as the day for my driving was about over that really, nothing happened. I saw no wrecks, nothing of notice. That is almost strange. I heard about some interesting stuff on the news. None of it within eyes view of my windshield. That is awesome. When something big is going on and hits national news just as you drive by it. Yesterday, some drivers got to see the smoke and evacuation of the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas. It is right next to the I15 freeway and I am sure that the commotion was grand. I just hope no one lost their lives.

The Three Burritos:

When I was in first grade we lived on 3802 Grand Avenue in Pomona, CA. My mom had divorced my father and ended up where she clearly did not want to be. Back at home under the aegis of my Grandfather. She hastily sought escape and latched on to the first sorry suspect to fall under her gaze, his name was Ron.

Ron was a tall lanky loser that liked beer and Mopars and racing Mopars. He had a job at Dub Minton's garage in Pomona and made a not so respectable wage of 65 bucks a week. The apartment was also 65 bucks per month. Since my mother was rather insincere and had difficulty with the truth, I was never able to extract the exact terms of their arrangement aside from the fact that she did not love him, but somehow managed to go to Las Vegas and marry him. My grandfather did not really like him and that should have been a sign. My brother and I did not like him either, as he really liked to be a father in no other way but discipline and the belt.

Here was the arrangement as I saw it. My mom did not work but we were to be fed somehow. So my mom would feed me and my brother oatmeal, cornmeal mush and any other crap that she would call food, but me and my brother would just call it crap. Somehow there was enough money for Ron to be able to eat to his liking. We were not getting enough to eat and yet we had to endure the cooking of porterhouse steaks for Ron and Mom while we had as I described earlier as "crap". All I remember is that I was hungry all the time. Breakfast could be eaten but only if I did not pack a lunch. A teacher discovered that I had no lunch and I repeated my mothers words verbatim to her. That was changed to I could eat lunch but no breakfast because of my big mouth.

Their was plenty of money also left over for Ron to campaign 4 different cars in his racing endeavors. Funny thing though...he never won much money driving those purpose built 10 second cars. He won a pot of money off of our daily driver 1966 Polara with a 383 in bracket racing. He could have saved one heck of a lot of money by just racing that. There was also money for Ron to sit in the front yard and bench race and drink beer with his friends. We were expected to play and act happy and we made horseshoes with the beer cans and kicked them around. You could get a good horseshoe out of a can in those days as they were made of steel and once they bent, they stayed on your feet for awhile.

During this time, my mother started acting strange. You never knew what you were going to end up with at the end of the school day. One day, I came in from first grade and my mom grabbed me by the hair and pulled me into the wall face first. I asked her what was wrong as I cried. She replied, "you took 2 extra fig newtons in your lunch." That was it. I mean I just can't imagine being so mean that you would deny your own child 2 cookies. The problem was, I had no idea what she was talking about. I hadn't even seen those cookies and yet, I was getting smacked around. I was grounded and sent to my room. When my brother came home from the babysitter (yes, that is right). He got the same treatment in much the same fashion.

During that time, Ron regained custody of his children from his prior marriage to Carol, who was now married to Sonny. Me and my brother got to meet Ronnie and Lori and we all moved into one bedroom at that place. It was always really clear to me and my brother that these kids of his were to be favored over us. At Christmas one year I got a car and it was already broken. Ronnie got his car and it was a 1968 Shelby Mustang with a battery powered clear working engine. Most of the memorable gifts that my brother and I received came from my grandparents. Not much in money, but things we needed...actually, they gave to me and my brother year around. I am sure glad we had them or life would have actually been worse than it was already.

Also during this time, my mother would leave all of us kids outside. Oftentimes, from 8 am to 9 or 10 pm. If we had to pee, we had to pee outside. She did not want us in her house as we were dirty and we would mess up her ready for Good Housekeeping home. There were times when Ron would come home with friends and drink beer in the driveway while us kids were bathed under cold water with the hose in the driveway because we were "dirty", much too dirty for her house. It was also during this time that the Burrito incident occurred. It started on a Saturday morning. We were sent out to play as usual. When I went in to use the bathroom later in the morning, the door was locked. No answer at all. Soon others had to use the bathroom and knocked and pounded on the door to get in to no avail. We went without lunch that day and we went without supper. It was cooling down quick at around 1030 pm when my mom opened the door and said "if you wanted to come in, why didn't you just ask?". We were directed to bed straight away. We were hungry and dirty from playing in the dirt all day. Bed.

The next morning, Ron was not at home and I got up to see if there was something to eat. I had gotten used to getting dressed if only to go to the bathroom in case there was a commotion, I could have a quick escape. My mother would seldom ever venture outside to chase us and that was well known. My mom got up and intercepted me before I could grab some food and I was outdoors with a shove. The others were woke up and sent outside to "play". We were all grumbling about being hungry so I went up to the door and knocked and said that I was hungry and that I needed something to eat. My mom said that she would make us some burritos and that we had to be good in order to get them. In fact she said that the one who was the most well behaved would receive something special. We stayed away from the house and did not bother mom once as we were really hungry and needed something to eat. It had been 2 days since our dog Maggie had anything to eat either as we were out of food for her as well or it was in the house, I can't remember. Anyway, the door finally opened at 6 pm and my mom comes out with an old Pup 'n' Taco bag with three bean burritos in it. She proclaims that we were not good and as a result we had just better get into the car and right now. We did as she told us. As we were waiting for her to get to the car, she opened the burritos in front of us and fed them to Maggie. The other kids started crying, but I refused. I was too angry. There had to be someone that could do something about this. We were taken to Gwen and Fred's house to visit. The whole time, even though I said I was hungry, no food. Honestly, I can't remember when we finally got to eat. I know we went at least 2 days without food though.

That is not the worst part of the story however. The worst part is that this whole thing, the starvation and abuse happened 75 feet from Ron's mothers house. It was a three apartment flat we lived in. The the doors were 30 feet apart. We were in the back apartment, Ron's mother was in the front. Her name was Grandma May and she did not do shit for us children. She was home the whole time, her curtains were open and she saw us there. When we went to her house, we told her that mom had locked us out and that we were hungry and she told us that she was ill and did not want any guests. The funny thing is that two of us children were her blood relation grandchildren and she turned them away hungry and filthy as well. She was too good to deal with children that were dirty and hungry.

Perhaps that is not the worst part of the story. Maybe it was the fact that years later I confronted my mother about this when I had 2 children of my own and had made sure that my kids wanted for nothing. I never left them alone in the elements with no food or concern for their safety. The question I asked was "what was going through your mind when you had your children unfed for 2 days and locked outdoors and your children were knocking on the door asking for your help as a parent, as an adult?" Her reply was really interesting. She said that she knew alot of things that were unpleasant happened and for the most part, it was Rons fault. Unwilling to let her off the hook, I countered with how could you do such a thing to your children? She replied, and I remember this to this very day. She said, "look, just don't let the same thing happen to your kids if you feel it was so bad, OK?

Her name is Avelie Mirron McIntyre, age 67 but her licence may read Lee M. McIntyre or Becker for a last name. Her birthday is February 21st and she is too regal to answer my calls. She hasn't answered one for over a year now. She either resides with her daughter (my half sister Lisa) who has 4 children from 4 different fathers and a drug rap sheet a mile long. The city they lived in last was La Verne, CA or it might be San Dimas or Pomona. 5 foot 5 inches tall, auburn died hair cut in a bob and she worked for the local bus service in Pomona. If you see her or if you know her, ask her if she would like to have a burrito. But she will have to wait a long time for it. Dedication :)

Anyone wanting to pass this along may do so as I think that stories like this happen every day.

Pearl Jamb

2008-01-24T13:44:00.000-06:00

I am in Pearl, MS. I have showered, shaved, shat and ate and now I have something to say which to some may resemble shat but the heck with you, what do you know anyway? I am on my way to Sparks, NV and am really happy to be going back into the snow. I miss chains I tell you... Really.

This Flying J is a nice on the outside but dumpy on the inside example of a truck stop. The shower was not cleaned, the fuel island was dirty and there were islands cordoned off rather than being fixed. The salad bar was full of good food that was hard to eat when I had to sort through plates to find a clean one. The coffee tasted like Comet. It was not a good experience. About the only thing that could happen in this place that would make it worse is for someone to pull their pants down in the TV lounge and take a dump on the carpet. If that were to happen, I would have to say that it is a day and I must be going. There are homeless drifter types everywhere and I just think that with the amount of money that Flying J makes here that they could police the area a bit and keep some order. I got asked which direction I was going by a couple guys that were drinking beer in the open in the morning...I replied which way you headed? I love to confuse a drifter by making him use brain cells in the morning...He said west, I asked is Atlanta west?, and walked off while his microprocessor went into overload. It was a good thing he didn't follow as I had my what is a worm that produces fabric and how many electrons does a nitrogen atom have at the ready. Potential Jeopardy contestants are not in this parking lot. Thank God. Dedication:P

Sometimes it is Not What You Say...

2008-01-22T13:01:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I look around and simply see normal things and in my own twisted way, find humor in it. Other times I see twisted things and since I am rather twisted in my own way, I still see great humor in what is there. I just wonder how this would change the term military intelligence. Get the hell away, they are throwing...splat!

Taint Sucky It's Kain Tucky

2008-01-21T15:17:00.000-06:00

I am writing my latest load of crap from the back seat of a 1974 AMC Gremlin with my trusty bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill in my right hand while trying to figure out how best to lobby for the best selection to be played on the cassette player. After all, the stupid Loverboy tape has been played 4 frigging times already. How many times can you listen to You Take Me To The Top? Enough already.

Really, I am at my corporate office that usually produces my best work and as I seldom make any entries while I am at my home 20...you can assume that I am where I belong. Anyway, I stopped in and visited a good friend. A friend that has been in the view from way back in high school. It is funny, how few of these people really are there for you after this long. There are some that I have kept in touch with somehow. This guy has been there for me all along as well as his cool parents. The things we did are the stuff of legend. Or at least the stuff that appears legendary after enough beer. I am not sure, but none the less, it was a cool time. It is funny that I remember it so clearly with fondness because, I also remember being somewhat bored quite a bit of the time. I remember wanting more but, who knows what we really want. I guess I was just bored of that darned place and wanted something different. There were drinking contests, party fests, dates, races and fights that seemed to put a wrinkle in the normal part of our lives. There was the time that my friend told the car next to us that his tail light was out and the guy got violent and somehow the hatchet that belonged to my grandfather ended up embedded in the guys windshield as he tried to hit my friend with his car. He did not stop to return the hatchet. We were fun people that would fight at the drop of a hat. The fighting was just a way of changing the scenery a bit. We were all bored.

We all want something different that is why I joined the Navy. Different? You bet. High paying? No way. I was driving to work while in the Navy. The ship was stationed at Pier 28 in San Francisco on the Embarcadero. I was driving from Vallejo every morning and had quite a few variations of the view of the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge every single morning. All I could think about on the way to work was whether the traffic was going to allow me to get to work on time and agonizing about the fact that I needed to get my car into the shop before it broke down. I was too busy to enjoy one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

I was just this morning talking to my friend about this place at Mt. Baldy that we would park and stand outside smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. The elevation was about 5,000 feet with the City of Pomona far below. The mountains come together and form a "V" and at the bottom of the v is the Valley. The lights were beautiful and the mountain air without all the smog from below was refreshing. Beer tasted better and the conversation was always lively. The highway patrol would occasionally sneak into the little turnoff and try to catch us doing something or other. That is why we would stand outside of the cars. Upon first sight of the Chippy's, we would jettison our bottles down the mountainside and stand there looking innocent as though we were perhaps waiting on the train or a bus. It was an accepted game at the time and to not throw away your bottle was in some way disrespectful and crossing the line. You see, the police officers of old really did not want to have to bust you. But they would bust the dim-witted or the stupid.

I asked my friend if he truly missed Pomona. He replied that he did but that it had changed a lot and you really can't go back to that. I guess he is right. You can't ever go back home again. It is not there. Dedication :/

Sitting at the Plank

2008-01-13T21:19:00.000-06:00

Plankinton, SD. I am sitting here, having talked to my wife and a good friend from high school on the phone. I can update this thing here and get on my merry way. I have no access to the computer at the customer. I gotta grab the Internet where it is available. You can send large gobs of cash to me directly to finance my Verizon card and the ripoff monthly rate for unlimited access so that there will not be gaps in my entries. Let no one be denied the access to the Internet...send money now. Because I can't justify it in my budget. It is somewhere around 60 dollars per month. That sucks.

Going home for a few days. Gonna do the Buffalo Supper at the church. I did it for the first time last year and it was a pretty intense 10 or so hours. But, boy did we ever serve one heck of a lot of people. All you could hear for hours was smacking lips and talking. A good time was had by all.

The photo above is the Trinity Methodist Church in Pomona, California. That was where I went to Sunday school and got into trouble for putting crayons in the radiator. My grandfather was the caretaker for the property which takes up most of a block as at one time there was a full size school there as well. I miss Pomona at times but places and situations change. I could never live there now. Dedication:}

Plans, Bands, and Rubber Bands

2008-01-11T20:55:00.000-06:00

I am going up tomorrow to pick up a load of Onions in order to take those onions to another driver and give those stinky things to him and get a load of something else that will run me towards home. Cool and fun at the same time. It would be more cool if it were to be happening oh, I don't know, where it is not freaking snowing and blowing like hell. That's ok though...I will get home eventually whether they like when or not.

I have been rocking and bopping around on Myspace looking at all the bands that I used to watch in High School and college. Can't believe that the punk rock bands at the local club are not only together but playing gigs. Check out, Midlife Chrysler, Channel Three, Stepmothers, Simpletones, Gigantor. They are something and the music was really good. Or I was really drunk...which I was, but it sounded good anyway. Late...Oh, Rubber bands...boing! Dedication "^)

Kearney, Snow, and The Chance Of Redemption`

2008-01-09T23:48:00.000-06:00

I was on I-80, talking to my wife and I hung up with her in order to pull in to the truck stop here in Kearney. I pulled in, and called my wife back and all of a sudden...snow and its blowing. Good thing I had enough miles in...I shouldn't say that as we will find out tomorrow whether the miles I did were enough. Time to sleep for now. I will report the massive snow drifts if they are there tomorrow. Dedication:+)

Zoooooom!

2008-01-09T12:03:00.000-06:00

Since my last missive...I hauled a short little load from Budweiser to Sheboygan, WI. I am a beer guy. If you drank any beer brewed by G. Heileman in the 70's or 80's you would have noticed a Sheboygan on the label list of breweries. This was the original home of Kingsbury Brewing Company. Their Near beer was what I saw the most in California but they were well known for a fine lager as well. I doubt you can find that beer any more. Beautiful country up there though. I drove through the tornadoes in Kenosha, WI to get there. It isn't how it sounds. I got there after the tornado had gone through. As far as I am concerned, I give tornadoes the right of way by a long shot...

Now I am headed to SLC for Friday and have to get the heck moving as I am due to arrive on time in spite of the fact that I am heading towards a nice little storm. Yeah, you know, the little storm that wreaked all that havoc on California? I'm going there...oh Joy! Dedication:C

Waiting and Waiting

2008-01-07T09:52:00.000-06:00

Just sitting here in Jamestown at the TA. There is no load available yet or some such nonsense. Really, it means that in spite of the fact that I have been driving this load for 5 days, there have been no plans made for my next trip. There never is...

The weather is rather nice and warm and I am hoping in holds out. I have purposely only ran 8 hours a day to stay in the east moving warm spot. Yesterday, I was in Indiana and the attendant there told me that two weeks prior that there was 2 feet of snow on the ground. No sign of it yesterday though. Well, My quaalcomm has beeped and it looks like I am going to get busy. Dedication:)

Just Sitting On The Davenport

2008-01-05T21:47:00.000-06:00

I remember when I was a kid, my stepdad would say to straighten the cushion on the "davenport". I don't know, but I knew of many people back then that would call the couch the davenport. That has nothing to do with what I am about to talk about, except that I am in
Davenport, Iowa. I know, it is a crappy segue, but deal with it.

Just being here, I can still smell the stench of all the presidential wannabes in the air. Can you say Hillary has left the building and yet it still smells like skank. Anyway, I do not get excited about all this presidential crap this early in the campaign. There are still skeletons in the closet to be exposed and that takes place later on in the campaign. There are scandals, someone has to make an oblique racial statement that the NAACP (a racist organization) needs to get into an uproar about. Or something along those putrid lines. Remember Gary Hart? Things almost never happen by accident, they just happen.

I get calls from friends, all wrapped up in the putrid garbage that is our political system. When you look at it all, you need to look long and hard at what our past presidents have had to say and what they actually did, once they got into office. You will not exactly hear that aspect of this on the news.

Reagan, spoke about national defense. He spoke about getting rid of government control of business and there have been varying degrees of success and failure in those decisions. The bulging military budgets of the 80's were proof that Reagan was serious about keeping the Russians at bay. The 600 ship navy could be shown to be a bit much however and who needed the budget deficits from all this.

George Bush senior was pretty much voted in to continue in some small way the Reagan legacy and it was apparent really soon that he was no Reagan. The Read My Lips and New World Order statements were pretty much regrettable. His choice of a vice presidential candidate is proof in my mind of his incompetence. What a side show that crap was.

Then came Bill Clinton and Al Gore and the "Message of Hope" I am really curious how that garbage worked. Bill Clinton was governor of one of the most morally bankrupt, backwards, non producing states in the union and yet he was to give us some hope? I am sure thinking that he was the one with the hope as he left stains on Monica Cheeseburgerinskies (on the spell Checker, No suggestions) dress. And perhaps hoping that the barracuda that he was married to didn't find out. I wonder, jokes aside, how many things about America were compromised while everyone was once again paying attention to the media hoopla and nothing else was being reported. Really, when I think about it, it seems that the people were being screwed once again. It is just that these two clowns assumed that no one would notice.

Then there is George W. Bush...everyone thought he would be just like his dad, who, in turn was supposed to be just like Ronald Reagan. What a mess that was. I appreciate the fact that he was an alcoholic and decided to straighten up and all his faith issues. I get it. I just do not like Republicans that do not act like Republicans. Halliburton is however, very happy with W.

My point in all this, is that we are often moved to vote in one direction or another by our friendly media. The same friendly media that says that America does not produce anything anymore so we might as well buy a Toyota. The same media that is corporate in nature and benefits from everything they say and that includes Fox, CNN, ABC, all of them are the same in nature. It is just the opinion might be or appear to be different.

I am probably right now looking at Ron Paul. Why? The media hates his guts and I have to wonder exactly why. I mean lets look at the fact that they endorse and push some pretty unsavory politicians that offer them entertainment value and I guess, Hope? The media hates Ron Paul because for one, he is on the edge and he does not have an opaque view when he describes what he wants to do. Vote him in I say. Why? Well, if his views are extreme and make no sense once he gets to office, I am sure that congress will hamstring his butt and keep him from doing any real harm. I for one think that the fact that the media hates this guy so much really appeals to me. I mean if you are a republican right now, are you really getting a juicy look at Huckabee and coming away thinking that he will be a good conservative? I see social democrat written all over this guy. I know he is a minister, but take a good look at how many churches you have went through in looking for just the right place for your family to worship at. Oh, you just picked one? Well then, tune in and let them tell you who to vote for while they fail to report all the faults and dishonesty. Just don't blame me when once again we get a puppet to the corporations and see our taxes rise and the only benefit being received is by the corporations as they move overseas and get taxpayer dollars to do it. There is one case where right now I would not vote for Ron Paul...that is if he goes independent. People are sheep and if there are three choices, I just can't imagine how hard that will be if people actually have to think when they make a decision. It would be just unbelievable. Dedication")

P.S. Vote for who you are wanting to vote for. I have written this with the hope of not getting you to vote one way or another. I have written this to get people, regardless of their political leanings, to analyze and actually think before jumping on that band wagon. This is America, and here you do have the right to your opinions and values. Thank God that we have those rights. There are countries having elections every year with the United States blessing that are in effect rigged. But, since there is an election, it must be the peoples decision. When the person coming into power does not flatter the US? There is sudden scrutiny about the election. Just a thought. :D

I Am Going To Bomb The Corn Palace

2008-01-05T09:09:00.000-06:00

And I will serve popcorn to the homeless for years to come. I am near Mitchell, SD and had stopped to rest more out of boredom than being tired. No real need to rush as the real push will be today and I will mop up the rest of the miles tomorrow. I plopped in Shooter in the computer this time and watched. Stupid me, I have a television and have been using it for my dvd playing antics and I thought to myself that I have never watched a dvd on my computer. It was eye opening. The picture was clear and wide. And the sound was better. At any rate, I am getting ready to go now and get fuel at Sioux Falls. Boy am I glad I am not still in Montana. The wind last night was causing reports from I-15 and I-90, closing both freeways for accidents and rollovers. I am heading east thank you and hoping that the angry gods do not see my progress. Gotta go, Late <;/

Wally World

2008-01-04T18:13:00.000-06:00

You learn something new every day. The town of Lame Deer, MT has a college in town. The name? Dull Knife. I was on I 90 near Ellsworth AFB and saw for the first time in flight, a B-1 bomber. I had looked at pictures but in flight, they look so graceful. They are long and lean and this pilot was doing touch and go's. Cool.

The funny thing about truck driving to me is the fact that when I leave to go over the road; it seems like in the lives of those I leave behind, I disappear. It is a little bit different now with the modern means of communication, but for he most part, I disappear for three weeks at a time. It is hard to feel like you belong much anywhere when you have that every day in your life.

The other thing about trucking is that you drive by some of the most interesting places and things on earth and yet you cannot get your truck into those places to have real experiences there. Sometimes, it works out where you can park right there and go right in or park a block or two away. Those incidences are really not the rule however. The reality is that communities want our goods and services, but do not really want us to be able to experience real life because it is somehow inconvenient to have us around. Truck drivers are really looked at as the necessary evil. We need their products and yet want little to do with the inconvenience of having them actually park their trucks and wander around in our perfect little communities. We certainly want the income that can be available as long as it is convenient for us to get it. We just do not want strange people that we do not know coming into our stores and restaurants and being, well, you know, strange? The people driving trucks are the same as most everyone else but are hamstrung by the size of their conveyance. In Lisbon, ND there is a rule that does not allow a truck to park on a residential street. The funny thing is that there are quite a few people that drive trucks for a living. I wonder how often it is, that an ordinance is so easily passed into law that restricts one segment and only one segment of society for the supposed greater good. I can bet that the people on the city council do not drive trucks for a living. Perhaps if they did, the ordinances would be a bit more progressive. Just some thoughts I guess, I have been getting rather lax about my entries and figured I would add some non thought provoking content. The funny thing about Lisbon is, there are towns that are much more stringent. The only signs not in some of these towns is, "get the hell out" Dedication;/

Spokane, Supper At Zips, I'm A Rebel I Tell You!

2008-01-03T10:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, Stopped for rest and had a Papa Joe and a real Strawberry malt at Zip's. They are a locally owned chain in the Spokane area. Their food is cooked fresh and the malts are real and out of this world. The guy behind the counter must think I am a stalker. Sorry dude, I here for the food.
On my way to the Ohio area and am looking forward to it as it has been only a few days since I have been in a snow and ice storm on the road with idiots that haven't mastered breathing much less driving. That is how I ended up here in Spokane last night. I was going to drive on into Idaho, but it started snowing and getting slippery. There were too many cars driving too fast and having close cars. When in doubt, Back out. That means that in the name of safety, it is best to get the heck off the road.
Well, to get dressed, and get moving off to Lookout Pass and the snow that has not been removed by the Idaho Dot since last week. Dedication:')

Get Your Ass To Work

2008-01-01T09:29:00.000-06:00

It is off to the races. I am heading to the first pick up point today and will await my loading tomorrow. I know that I am living on the very edge. These are exciting times after all. I know, you have probably read the word Wenachee too many times...me too. But I was just trying to spruce it up a bit. Anyway, Breakfast, and I am off. Dedication :-P

Downtown Spokane, Breakfast at Zips

2007-12-31T09:29:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-29T17:32:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-20T11:31:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-19T16:34:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-18T13:31:00.000-06:00

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?

2007-12-15T21:15:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-10T19:14:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-27T09:23:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-26T10:07:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-23T22:32:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-15T21:25:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-14T14:59:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-11-07T12:30:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-02T14:59:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-31T10:35:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T19:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T07:33:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T07:16:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-13T18:10:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-05T21:38:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-09-29T13:45:00.000-05:00

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***

2007-09-27T22:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been driving a lot lately. I noticed that I had a rather short entry about a week ago. The result of ending up in a lot of armpits and not any Flying J Truck stops which, are really just dolled up armpits acting like they care about the driver and such. I have had no time when I fuel at FJ to get on the computer or even check my email.

On another note. Just once, I would love it if someone would send me a FU message...I know, besides my children...you know, like those messages that people send that say happy day to you and here is the happy chain and please don't break it. Don't get me wrong, I like those too but send out a message that says F*** You now pass it on A**hole. Have some pictures of asses or pictures of people throwing up on their cat. You know, the good stuff. I bet that would get forwarded with quite a bit of energy.

Now back to the subject that my title indicates that I would actually want to write about...
I have been trying to get the morons at Jim Palmer to get my truck back to Missoula. I have had it with living in this substandard cramped sleeper and have been trying to get this remedied. Well, anyone unlucky enough to work at Jim Palmer know all too well that the losers that work there pay lip service to the idea of actually doing anything much less anything for the driver. It really makes me sick.

I was reading in a trucker magazine the other day and found a Jim Palmer ad looking for Owner Operators to lie to and steal money from. It had Jim Palmers fat face on it with his stupid bucket shaped head and unintelligent look with the caption that Ole Jimmy was a driver back when the biggest hazard a truck driver faced was either driving into dinosaur tracks or catching the clap from one of Jimmys road girlfriends. Anyway the caption blathered on about how Jim has a better company because he knows what it is like to be a driver and how he tries to keep his driver happy by providing the driver with free hand jobs from the recruiting girls. I really can't for sure remember what crap he was trying to say cause I just wanted to get a knife and do some adjusting on that goober face on that pumpkin head. At any rate, Jim Palmer would need to come up with some truth in advertising to convince me about knowing what it is like to work, not in trucking, but for his stupid ass and his stupid company.

Jim Palmer worked as an owner operator in the 60's...he was paid off the hubometer. Owner operators there today drive 8 percent for free because the stupid loser just can't bear to pay the driver the actual mileage he drives. He has it in his business model that profit is gained by pawning off expenses like mileage onto the driver.

As a Jim Palmer owner operator, you would assume that since JPT advertizes themselves as an irregular route carrier that you would stand a reasonable chance of actually driving an irregular route. But, you see, this is not the motivation in getting an owner operator in the first place. It is a way to earn money even further off the back of a driver that has much more to lose. Real brave is the process that o/o's are routed routinely where the fuel prices are the highest and yet the fuel surcharge is paid on an average. Let's say that as an o/o you are stuck in the 13 western states for the most part. That us usually the case. The fuel surcharge is averaged on the prices for the lower 48 states being drawn down by the cheaper states like Georgia and South Carolina and most of the south eastern states. Your fuel costs $3.23 but your fuel surcharge is diluted to a level like $2.97. It is just one more example of how big fat Jimmy is getting even fatter. And yet, you go to a terminal, (not that I have been to one in a few weeks, I might want a better sleeper or something) and they talk like they are just about to close up shop.

JPT did make an announcement last week that Jim Palmer was moving to the exalted Chairman position. So he will have the largest horns on his hat at the Grand Poobah meetings. I just hope he doesn't decide to do his own commercials. Dave doing his own commercials for Wendy's for all those years was too much for the public to bear. Dedication

I just couldn't let all this seething go down the river without something positive...OJ isn't getting out of this one and Michael Vick is a scumbag and he happens to be black.

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

2007-09-18T00:57:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-13T21:27:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-31T23:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-26T12:23:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-20T09:31:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-19T23:58:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-19T23:24:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-08-11T21:14:00.001-05:00

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...

Who Do You Hate? That's Your Date...

2007-08-08T09:48:00.000-05:00

I guess that there really is no justice in this world. I mean, it seems that from what I see, trucking companies really go out of their way to put up a good impression. Put their best foot forward if you will. It also seems that the better looking a company is on the outside, that the more screwed up they are. You see all the shiny equipment and the slogans of true unconditional dedication towards the driver and the driver's family.

How does a person cut through all the garbage when looking for a company to drive for? First and foremost you need to have a plan when you approach that company or call them. Spend two days writing down any and all questions and follow up questions that come to your mind. If you have no idea what to ask, other drivers are a good source of question ideas. Once you have called the company, have your questions written down in front of you. Write down or record the answers as you talk and get all of your questions and answers down. Then, with your hook baited with all of that recruiter talking away about his company being the greatest thing since the enema bag...you set the hook. Tell him or her that everything sounds great on the surface but are they willing to put everything that they just said in writing. If they say that they are not prepared to put anything in writing, just respond with, "certainly you prepare written proposals for your non driving employees". If they will not relent and give you a written employment proposal, do not give them the time of day because they are not worth it. You might have to provide them with an application so they can finalize their proposal to you regarding pay based experience, etc. It is still worth it to get it in writing. If you ask for it in writing and the company sends you a pamphlet with pay quotes and benefits, Keep looking.

I was driving yesterday north on I -65 coming up to northern Indiana to meet another driver and get him home by taking his load when I saw a big Toyota Sequoia SUV pass me on the left. It was all covered with environmental stickers...you know, save the earth, etc. I got to thinking that with all that effort with the stickers and all that, perhaps he could have put them on a Prius and at that rate would be in the area at least of "Trying to Save the Earth".

Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those guys that likes to empty my motor oil on the ground because I hate cleaning out my drain pan after oil changes. But really, a Sequoia? I drive a 1974 Dodge pickup with exhaust that is much shorter than the wheel base. It is loud and the added benefit is exhaust that you can see and taste. My truck is ugly, yes, but it will hold 2900 pounds of corn for the corn stove with out even a groan. I went to the dump the other day and I had 1.9 tons of crap in the bed. That is impressive and the fuel mileage...18 miles per gallon. You see, I feel that there is a whole lot of work done by environmentalists that is good. Mr Sequoia however, is clearly missing the point.

My truck was manufactured in America by Americans with American parts. If I broadside you, your airbag will go off and I will have to sweep up some parts of the street and drive home. My truck has a grille that when it hits a bird, opens up and defeathers the bird in the process and the now bald bird rests against my radiator for a slow roast. How efficient is that? And tasty too.

My truck the bird mangler is clearly not fuel efficient. That is why I may only drive it 20 to 30 miles in a month. Only when I have something to haul, do I fire the thing up. I drive my well maintained Ford Festiva or Tempo when I need to get someplace and do so with efficiency. My point? How many of these pseudo earth savers change out their cars every 2 years or so? If they kept and maintained these vehicles longer, there would be a much more significant energy savings when you think about how much energy it takes to build and assemble a new car. If you are going to save the earth, you must look at the bigger picture. Simply putting stickers on a gas hog will not do it alone.

Pictures

2007-08-05T12:11:00.000-05:00

Somewhere in Montana I think. It was much more grand when I snapped the shot.

A tropical plant farm in Homestead, FL.

A boat at a customer in Tampa.

View of Ontario, OR.

The same view but further back

Mount Shasta.

I can't seem to put these pictures up as fast as I take them so here goes. D

This truck was at a rest area on I-90 in MN.

I will talk more about this later...what a trip.

I can't seem to put them up as fast as I take them. So here goes.

This was the view I screwed up when I was in the rest area. I saved the wrong one.

Welcome To The Pleasure Dome

2007-08-05T10:59:00.000-05:00

Let's see. On my last entry I was rather immersed in the whole DOT influence on my world. From there was a family emergency and being that I was only 250 miles from home, I figured that I should have no problem getting home to handle this problem. I had after all, been out on the road since the 6th of July. I called my driver manager, Bret and told him about this problem and that I would need to be home as soon as humanly possible. Bret did his typical, I am having a bad day and have no intention of doing anything for you routine. He sent me on a load from Sioux Falls to Fort Atkinson, WI. Then after jumping through all the hoops the jerks at Jim Palmer Trucking wanted me to jump through, I anxiously waited for my next load which should have gotten me home. It was from Darien, WI to Fulton, NY. I know, it is in the opposite direction. I got on the phone with the driver services manager Curtiss and gave him the calm end of my growing rage. Which, at this point, I was amazed at how really calm that was. Finally, Curtiss decided to kick Bret in the behind and get him steered in the right direction. To sum it all up, I picked up the load in Darien and met with another disgruntled driver that stated that he was not at all surprised about my predicament. He lives in a major trucking lane and has to beg to get home as well.

This runs right against what I was given to be the impression of this company. First of all, they state that since Jim Palmer Trucking is run by the gentleman that started this company with one truck, you have a very good chance of being given a fair shake because he has (been there). Well I have only one thing to say. Ol' Jimmy is pretty old now and I doubt that he has driven over the road in the last 35 years maybe 30. Jimmy is like the rest of us, that is, he likes money. He has his company being run by some really unsavory people that are there to collect a paycheck and could care less about loyalty and truth in their dealings with people. That is not to say that that building in Missoula is chock full of losers, but half full means that you as the driver must deal with lower life forms on a regular basis and those lower life forms usually have titles and get big bonuses off of our efforts.

I did finally take three days off and handled things fine. Got what I had to get done and now I am back at it. I took a load from Grand Forks, ND going to Dickson, TN. Delivers tomorrow at 1300. I have 600 miles or so to go. A good effort today will put me in striking distance. Just where I want to be.

On another note, I have some unauthorized passengers aboard. Actually, I have had them for several days. Yeah, you got it, flies. The efforts I have made to get these little buggers out of my truck have all failed. I think there are 4 of them. They love to buzz my face while I am in traffic and they get bored around 3 am and like to land on my legs, arms, face wherever. I wouldn't have so much of a problem with them but they keep stealing the blankets.

Yesterday, I was driving through Minneapolis on I-94 and passed the area on 35w where the collapsed bridge was. I got off the interstate on a side street and caught a glimpse of it although I could not stop the truck or get a picture. Picture 10 football fields completely wrecked. That was the image I took from the view. What a shame. Gotta go for now, Tennessee awaits.

Overweight in South Dakota

2007-07-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

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.

Another Fine Under-American

2007-07-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

Can't seem to find underwear with that American Made tang? WWW.wickers.com they make 'em right here and I have had pairs of their underwear last 10 years. I said I would give ideas to those that want American Made products...well, here ya go.

Rain In Beloit

2007-07-26T11:04:00.000-05:00

These are pictures of the fields surrounding the Ripley State Line Truck Stop. The bottom photo is of the vineyards in the area and the top is of a pumpkin patch that is directly behind the truck parking area. The truck stop is sort of dumpy but has a good restaurant.

Well, well here I find myself at the Flying J in South Beloit, WI. Usually I am in a god awful hurry and have barely enough time to fuel much less look at the surroundings. There really isn't too much here that doesn't involve trucks, truck stops, and naturally, truckers. I prefer a bit of character for my surroundings thank you.

If it seems that I am a bit negative this morning it is because I am. It is raining. Rain can cleanse the soul. If I were in a grassy meadow with a stream and had a fishing pole in my hand there would be a different feeling associated with the rain. It is just very hard to get jazzed up over the rain in a truck stop with the puddles taking a brown hue from the motor oil and who knows what other substances.

I went in and had a cup of coffee with another Jim Palmer driver and had coffee and some buffet breakfast items. I really hate eating with other truck drivers. I mean, there is the way I have always learned to behave in most situations, which I feel, clearly represents the way I have been raised and what my mannerisms are. When I am with another person, I find myself a critic of their behaviour. What that person sees as a witty statement will embarrass the hell out of me. The other driver had to get going on to Delaware, OH which is where I just came out of.

After I dropped off at Kroger, I was sent to Fredonia, NY to pick up a load for Stevens Point, WI. This is a town that is home to the Point Brewery that makes Point Special Lager beer. One of my favorite beers to smuggle into North Dakota. I have a friend that lives in nearby Marshfield, WI and he can swallow 24 cans at a time. However, Customs has been noticing his rather bloated appearance. I think they are on to us. My wife thinks I am dating a fat, bloated Wisconsinite. It is just about the beer, I promise.

Anyway, I have until midnight to get to the Roundys warehouse. I think I will make it.

The State Of The Union and My Computer

2007-07-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

You will notice at times that there are gaps in my entries. Some days, I just don't have a thing to say. Other days, there just isn't enough time. Other days still, there is just no reception or access to the internet. I am one of those guys that has a wife (and therefore I suffer miserably) that can justify some expenses like, oh, I don't know, Food. And yet with all of her capricious expenses on food, bills, insurance and the like, will not allow me the necessary tax deductable and convenient expense for a Verizon card for my computer. Just think, I could make entries to this blog sickness every day and some days more than once. I can have absolutely nothing to say and yet just sign on and say it anyway. Better to have something to say and say it every few days rather than fill a page with nothing.

Not being on the computer every day...This is truly a blessing. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am not one of those guys that would consider using my computer as an extension of myself. That is, to say, being one of those people that cannot express himself without the aid of a keyboard, cellphone, PDA, Etc. I am a person with opinions, feelings, desires, and hobbies all on my own. I am not defined by the fact that there is technology that accents and makes certain parts of my life more convenient and enjoyable. I have a computer and that is as far as it goes much like the fact that I also have a Buick. I have no Buick tattoos and do not own a Buick T-shirt and I do not spend 3 grand annually on the Buick anal hoedown in some armpit in South Dakota where Buick enthusiast women prance about topless to show off their Buickness as it were.

I'm not smacking against the marketing juggernaut that Harley-Davidson has managed to pull off with their fine American-made motorcycles and the fine people that ride them. I am just saying that I am a person and there is nothing that I can surround myself with that will define me. If I am an ass, I am an ass that uses a computer. I am not a computer using ass. I know, I am losing you. What I am saying is that you should use this short life to do things and avoid being defined by the silly things that amount to nothing more than window dressing.

That having been said in the last paragraph. Have any of you ever given any thought to what you buy and what that says about you. Do you as Americans cast your vote whenever you buy something? I personally think that is a very important thing. Every time the cash register goes ding...think about it. That is one heck of a lot of voting that Americans do every day and you never get to register to vote. I feel that if there were a registration process to be a consumer, that people would consider their voting choices more carefully. When you register to vote you determine what party you lean towards and you can change your leanings when you vote, it just makes you think about which way you will vote. That is my impression anyway.

One look in your trash can will reveal alot about what you do, what you consume, what you read and even what you feel is unimportant and therefore throw away. When I was in the Navy, I had a neighbor that bought one heck of alot of porn. At least that was what I thought because on every trash day, I would haul my trash can to the curb and his can next door usually had 2 or 3 examples of porno video packaging visible in his trash. Based on that, I could have decided on the evidence provided that my neighbor was a porn freak. I could see him slinking down the aisles at the adult bookstore with his raincoat and galoshes and then slinking home to watch hideous displays of debauchery and rape. Really, I will never know. He and his wife sort of were snots and I never really socialized with them and never had chance to ask him about all the packaging. It just goes to show that what you buy will in some way represent what perhaps you stand for. What do you stand for?

The reason I ask that question is that there is a lot of talk about how Mexico is invading the United States. How China is removing the American worker from the work place by producing cheaper products with its slave labor. I really get a kick when I hear some moron on the Fox Network...remember, fair and balanced, blabber on about how nothing is made in America any more.

Nonsense! Fox and all the other networks are well paid for their advertizing by large corporate entities. Large corporate entities in turn are in the business of making money...profit. Nothing disonorable there. Large corporate entities also make more profit when they can circumvent the normal processes that produce products that generate profit. The largest cost in the production process besides material would be naturally, Labor. You cut out the Wages, Insurance, benefits, FICA deductions, Workmens Compensation premiums and even the cost of manufacturing facilities and I will tell you, that you have saved one hell of a lot of money in your manufacturing process. You give a Chinese company your manufacturing specs and they produce it for a fee. Nothing could be easier and the money will just roll in. And for quite a few of these companies, it has.

It would be easy to just jump on the bus and sit here and say that the Greed and lack of character of the American business executive is just terrible. It would also be easy to say that money talks. What every American needs is a big fat dope slap...think about it. Chinese labor would not be a factor if every American were to refuse to buy Chinese products. It is difficult I know because a diligent consumer must actually make an effort. Sometimes it is just a matter of asking the shopkeeper if there are any American Made products in a particular area and if they could be ordered. The internet is also really helpful. There are books on the subject, but they are really not necessary. All it takes is to read the labels of what you are buying and to put forth the effort. I think that America is worth my effort and therefore I buy American every chance I get. This is not the easiest pursuit as there are always detractors that get their information from the News Networks.

Here are a couple easy to find American Products: Give them a try.

American made shoes can be found at WWW.nbwebexpress.com click on the Made in USA section...American Made Jeans can be found at WWW.pointerbrand.com and they are forthright about whether or not you are buying made in USA. These products are not cheap. They are however, products that I have used for years and have found them to be of great quality and that makes all the difference in the world. I will list products that I use from time to time and see if I can make a difference. You will not find these two products at Wal-Mart. They cannot make cost consessions that will allow for 10 dollar jeans and shoes. They also are dedicated to their loyal employees that have produced great quality for years and years. Loyalty deserves to be rewarded.

End of Sermon, Dedication

Buggered By Cherries

2007-07-22T12:02:00.000-05:00

On my last entry on July 18th, I was kind of miffed by the crappy scheduling that I had been subjected to in the last few days. That was nothing compared to my dealings with the idiots at Stemilt in Wenachee, Wa.

When I am given my load information, I head the 136 miles up from Grandview to Wenachee. I arrive at the Old Station plant and check in. I am told to wait and monitor channel 40. There are a lot of trucks but there are always a lot of trucks at this location. I wait, and wait. Finally, at 5 pm my dispatcher calls and lets me know that they will not be able to get to me at all on the 19th and that I should get to a truck stop and make myself comfortable. I am told that there is a truck stop next door. The happy little place, Wenachee Truck Stop. Wonderful place. First of all, these losers put a crummy convenience store on a dumpy dirt lot, sell the back row parking spaces to people who will rent them and leave approximately 11 spaces available for those of us that want to park by 9 am can take. The food is warmed over pre-made crap and the place and the bathrooms were filthy. Do I sound negative? Good, because the place should be used to test low megaton nuclear weapons and then fill in the hole. Oh, and the owner should have his feet beaten with ball peen hammers and then set on fire. Or something like that.

This is all bittersweet, because Wenachee is a rather scenic place with the cliffs and the rolling hills. I enjoyed the views but I am getting away from the story. The picture above shows the truck stop and an example of the looming hills above.

Anyway, I go back on the 20th and am told over and over that it will be a couple hours, just a couple hours. So I stay up all day waiting for this crap to end. The whole time I am watching the docks. Mexican drivers were hitting the docks at a rate of 6 to 1 of any other color. All the people in the shipping office that were working the window were Mexican. Coincidence? Who knows, but about that time someone said on channel 40 "Looks like some Mexicans have paid off the bitches at the shipping office." Next thing you know there is a bunch of yelling from a woman at the shipping office.

About 20 minutes later, I am called into the office and given directions to their Miller Street location and told that my cherries are being picked now and will be ready late tonight. I proceed to Miller Street where a dock worker comes up to me asking me for Jim Palmer hats to which I tell him I am fresh out. I mean that takes a lot of nerve. Leaving me stuck for 2 days with filthy bathrooms and crappy facilities for the driver and then I am expected to pony up for a hat to please someone. What nerve.

I go to bed at 1830 expecting to be woke up in the wee hours but it never happened. I woke up wide awake at 0230 and cleaned my truck, washed my hair, changed clothes and did anything else I could do because I couldn't sleep. I went and had breakfast at a Denny's style place. It was my first hot meal in 2 days. The place was full of drunks and tweakers. Not a normal person in sight. I ordered my food from a waitress who was rude and sizing me up in some way as if to say that she knew that I was not from there and not a member of her drunk, tweaker club. I looked to her as if to say: give me my god damn eggs you hag I just want to eat and get out of here. On the way back to the truck there was a car ahead of me with the door open. This guy was drunk as a skunk and throwing up. Marvelous. I walk by and he just kept puking. I started imitating his sounds and laughing. He starts yelling at me and even tried to get out of the car and chase me like some drunk zombie. It was hilarious, I just kept watching.

I finally got into the dock at 0930 on the 21st and was in the shipping office with a rather nice lady who felt the need to smooth the situation by talking a lot. No problem with me on that one. I asked her what the problem was with getting me my product and do they have any idea how inconsiderate it is to string a person along for 2 days with no shower, hot food or even Internet access. How would she like it if I locked her in a box and told her for the privilege of hauling my freight, she would have to eat cold food, not bathe, and only use this filthy bathroom for 2 days. She replied that there never was a true shortage that Stemilt had oversold their cherries to Export accounts which get the company 13 dollars per case as compared with Kroger whose contract calls for 9 dollars per case. It was a money decision and Truck drivers are stuck in the middle of it. Lousy business if you ask me. If you have any opinions on the treatment of truckers at Stemilt, their phone number is 800-665-8124. Tell them that we deserve better treatment and that we will not stand for this abuse. Dedication