HAL went into a coma yesterday. Again. I never get rid of the loose ends. Now I have to get him someplace to get him fixed. Then I have to go back and get him. Again.
Ignoring that little piece of crap paperweight that also fried itself 5 weeks after I bought it, I dug out Gramps here. He needs a new power cord, but I'm able to stabalize him with a BMF Clamp. He also needs a battery--I think---and if his power is disrupted for a nanosecond he gets narcoleptic.
Gramps is slow, and I don't have Sid Meyer's Civilization on him, but fortunately I can route, search for cheap fuel, use Mapquest to recon shippers and recievers, get my load info, etc. on him. Man, if I go without a laptop it's like going blind.
This one was a hospital delivery, and man...the entrance and dock aren't designed for anybody as big as me, plus it's like all the other vehicles are deliberately parked to make me hit them. I had to get real creative to get in here...
THEN the guy comes out and says he can't unload me. I'd called during the day and said I'd be here--she said go ahead and hit a door, but didn't tell these guys. Now I'm praying that securtiy doesn't come kick me out and make me do this again during rush hour (0800 appt.)
I'm pretty ticked about my left front steer tire--it looks like somebody carved it badly with a hatchet. I haven't checked my accounts for settlements yet (due today), but I've already got it spent. Got to pay my road taxes, get new steers, get another alignment, and make sure whatever chewed up my damn steers is fixed. And get HAL fixed. Or replaced.
If they tell me it's the mother----ing board again I replace him. My bro Eman went through hell (and 500 bucks) replacing the board less than 3 months ago. I'm not even thinking about asking him to help me out again.
I've asked Courtney to take me through Van Buren or Garland so I can drop him off at a joint I know/trust. They may be able to determine the issue quickly, and if it's the board I'll see what they have to offer.
Hal is like 3 years old now, and by this time I bet I can get something pretty good then and there.
This time I deadheaded less than a mile--that's like the third time. I'm doing great here--not just making a higher rate, but also cramming more work into available time and (comparatively) saving a ton in deadhead fuel.
Well, now I'll try to get Gramps to my bunk so I can read about the Browns and play internet poker. Means I have to unclamp his power cord. Wish me luck.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Someplace in NC
Stopped at this Motel 6 en route to 'Bama and just came back from the Sports Bar. Literally a few feet away. It used to be a Wendy's, but three young black guys converted the building into a Sports Bar three months ago. Crawling distance from three hotels, and I was able to park my rig...
Aint that America (with a "c", comrades)?
Their mom/aunt was the bartender and told the story. Grandpa was as white as me; she has green eyes. She's from Jersey. We talked race and politics. It was great. I love to see the american dream in action, especially when they're the descendants of slaves, or are legal immigrants.
And why the hell are we subsidizing non-citezens and not our own people? We don't need all our hotels, convenience stores, etc. owned by the rest of the world, do we? (Sorry I can't leave this to chance: We DON'T).
Anyway, My last pickup was close to Courtney's office in Delaware. It was supposed to be an 8 am load, but took til 1945. She was angrier than I was about it. That's a good sign for me, since I'm used to it, and apparantly she's not.
OK--most drivers get really upset about loads not being ready on time. Many company drivers and some owner-ops are compensated for the down-time to some extent contractually, but most of THEM still bitch and moan about it.
I'm a little different, because I've got the internet and Damian. I also have been doing this for awhile, and have been through it a lot--shit happens, and crying about it is useless (except in a blog which is designed to be your shrink--OK?)
Anyway, Courtney actually stopped by on her way home to drop off a couple log books for me, and to meet me in person.
Homina-homina! She's a BABE! Brains and beauty--wow. (And I'm not just writing this because I think she might read it.)
OK but anyway, she said she's going to get us some compensation for the wait-time--maybe not much, but something, anyway. And she also said that she thinks she'll try to get me on a sort of "route" away from the east coast.
James, her driver that I met at a TA who told me about the carrier and her, said that he had a sort of route too. He lives in SC, I think: She gets him home weekly, and he still makes great money.
Cool. I don't know how she does it, but it's just great.
She also told me that I was just about square with the "company store", and should start getting paid (that is the rest of my settlements after the 35% advances) now.
JUST IN TIME! I've called and made arrangements with my internet/cell, prepass, et al people about giving me time, and now I'll be funded in time to avoid cancellations and other problems. If I do get the bulk of my next settlement check, I can also knock out my road use taxes. I might even be ready to replace my steers (and diagnose the uneven wear problem)--although I think I can stall that a little longer.
So I'm pretty bouyant right now--back on my feet and looking down a smooth stretch of road.
Time to play internet poker and watch Steve Segal kick butt,
Aint that America (with a "c", comrades)?
Their mom/aunt was the bartender and told the story. Grandpa was as white as me; she has green eyes. She's from Jersey. We talked race and politics. It was great. I love to see the american dream in action, especially when they're the descendants of slaves, or are legal immigrants.
And why the hell are we subsidizing non-citezens and not our own people? We don't need all our hotels, convenience stores, etc. owned by the rest of the world, do we? (Sorry I can't leave this to chance: We DON'T).
Anyway, My last pickup was close to Courtney's office in Delaware. It was supposed to be an 8 am load, but took til 1945. She was angrier than I was about it. That's a good sign for me, since I'm used to it, and apparantly she's not.
OK--most drivers get really upset about loads not being ready on time. Many company drivers and some owner-ops are compensated for the down-time to some extent contractually, but most of THEM still bitch and moan about it.
I'm a little different, because I've got the internet and Damian. I also have been doing this for awhile, and have been through it a lot--shit happens, and crying about it is useless (except in a blog which is designed to be your shrink--OK?)
Anyway, Courtney actually stopped by on her way home to drop off a couple log books for me, and to meet me in person.
Homina-homina! She's a BABE! Brains and beauty--wow. (And I'm not just writing this because I think she might read it.)
OK but anyway, she said she's going to get us some compensation for the wait-time--maybe not much, but something, anyway. And she also said that she thinks she'll try to get me on a sort of "route" away from the east coast.
James, her driver that I met at a TA who told me about the carrier and her, said that he had a sort of route too. He lives in SC, I think: She gets him home weekly, and he still makes great money.
Cool. I don't know how she does it, but it's just great.
She also told me that I was just about square with the "company store", and should start getting paid (that is the rest of my settlements after the 35% advances) now.
JUST IN TIME! I've called and made arrangements with my internet/cell, prepass, et al people about giving me time, and now I'll be funded in time to avoid cancellations and other problems. If I do get the bulk of my next settlement check, I can also knock out my road use taxes. I might even be ready to replace my steers (and diagnose the uneven wear problem)--although I think I can stall that a little longer.
So I'm pretty bouyant right now--back on my feet and looking down a smooth stretch of road.
Time to play internet poker and watch Steve Segal kick butt,
Friday, August 6, 2010
Middletown, DE
A certain problem I had has somehow corrected itself, but having learned to be superstitious, I don't dare mention it.
Anyway I've crept back ahead a little on my fuel card cash balance...but have determined that I will need steer tires next, because of uneven wear, despite balancing, alignment, inspection, and centromatics.
I hope that the initial bad wear was there before I changed my shocks, and that new tires won't wear out so fast...at any rate I have to get an alignment and have the joints inspected when I get them. I might want new springs too. I really try to take excellent care of Herbie, and he and the DOT appreciate it.
Speaking of which, I just hope I don't get inspected anytime soon, because they'll nail me for that left steer.
I should have them right now, but have to wait.
I haven't crunched any numbers or asked yet, but I have to think that I'm just about square with the company now, and should get at least some of my next settlement check. The original combined hotel, repair, and unrealized advance pay have been knocked out for sure, but I know there's a 360 trailer rental, maybe 200 insurance, 150 security escrow, and more weeklies that slow the process down...like I said I haven't crunched numbers.
I'm very pleased--almost shocked--by how I've been running. Now that I actually told Courtney that I like long trips and don't like the northeast, I've already been to Laredo, then around St. Louis, and now I'm here in Delaware (but avoided every toll except the one coming over a bridge).
From here I'm going over 1,000 miles to Alabama.
There's a trade-off. I'm making less money. The northeast loads pay more, for the very reasons that most truckers hate them--and because fuel is more expensive.
By the way, that's because of fuel taxes. That's your government soaking the fatcats for your sake, comrades.
Yeah--and the carriers have to charge higher fuel surcharges on those loads. The shippers then have to charge their customers more for their freight. The Distributors and warehouses then have to charge the retailers more for their freight (again, since they put it on other trucks to pass it out).
The retailers then have to charge YOU more, and conratulations: YOU have just paid that tax on the fatcats, just like you pay the rest of them.
Adam Smith and Ben Franklin knew this. Karl Marx and...well anyway he didn't care.
By the way, please notice next time you see a logging truck, or a flatbed loaded with lettuce or live chickens or melons. Burning diesel. Paying taxes. Now you want another VAT tax?
The Fair Tax would be perfect. Even illegals would have to pay it. You buy something, you pay tax. You don't get your income taxed. Rich people buy more stuff. Duh.
Hell with it. Back to being like everybody else: MEMEME.
I was gone for awhile, but I'm back now.
Anyway I've crept back ahead a little on my fuel card cash balance...but have determined that I will need steer tires next, because of uneven wear, despite balancing, alignment, inspection, and centromatics.
I hope that the initial bad wear was there before I changed my shocks, and that new tires won't wear out so fast...at any rate I have to get an alignment and have the joints inspected when I get them. I might want new springs too. I really try to take excellent care of Herbie, and he and the DOT appreciate it.
Speaking of which, I just hope I don't get inspected anytime soon, because they'll nail me for that left steer.
I should have them right now, but have to wait.
I haven't crunched any numbers or asked yet, but I have to think that I'm just about square with the company now, and should get at least some of my next settlement check. The original combined hotel, repair, and unrealized advance pay have been knocked out for sure, but I know there's a 360 trailer rental, maybe 200 insurance, 150 security escrow, and more weeklies that slow the process down...like I said I haven't crunched numbers.
I'm very pleased--almost shocked--by how I've been running. Now that I actually told Courtney that I like long trips and don't like the northeast, I've already been to Laredo, then around St. Louis, and now I'm here in Delaware (but avoided every toll except the one coming over a bridge).
From here I'm going over 1,000 miles to Alabama.
There's a trade-off. I'm making less money. The northeast loads pay more, for the very reasons that most truckers hate them--and because fuel is more expensive.
By the way, that's because of fuel taxes. That's your government soaking the fatcats for your sake, comrades.
Yeah--and the carriers have to charge higher fuel surcharges on those loads. The shippers then have to charge their customers more for their freight. The Distributors and warehouses then have to charge the retailers more for their freight (again, since they put it on other trucks to pass it out).
The retailers then have to charge YOU more, and conratulations: YOU have just paid that tax on the fatcats, just like you pay the rest of them.
Adam Smith and Ben Franklin knew this. Karl Marx and...well anyway he didn't care.
By the way, please notice next time you see a logging truck, or a flatbed loaded with lettuce or live chickens or melons. Burning diesel. Paying taxes. Now you want another VAT tax?
The Fair Tax would be perfect. Even illegals would have to pay it. You buy something, you pay tax. You don't get your income taxed. Rich people buy more stuff. Duh.
Hell with it. Back to being like everybody else: MEMEME.
I was gone for awhile, but I'm back now.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
South Texas-Shades of Tennessee Ernie
Well, Junior at my old company told the dispatcher to have me call at 10:30 saturday. It sounded like he wanted to talk to me. So I did. And again at 10:45. And at 11:15. At 12:00 Brian said he'd give Junior my number and have him call me. Thinking that he actually might, I accepted that.
At 3:30 I blew a tractor tire. It was a retread I'd had to take when I got the truck; one of four I'd intended to replace as soon as I saved enough money. The tread only came 75% off, so it was flopping like a clown-shoe, and tore my front splash-guard mostly off (I had to finish that), bashed my APU's exhaust pipe down and tore it out, and beat the hell out of it's housing. (I was going 70).
Road service was a last resort for me--I had a little over 400 bucks. And I couldn't drive faster than 10 ir 12 mph or I'd tear the APU's exhaust the rest of the way off and out. plus scour a hole through it's housing and into it's guts.
Oh, I was tempted! Damian has given me holy hell over the years, and subconsciously I want him dead...but we have to think with our cortexes. Also, if the rest of the tread tore loose, it could blow the tires behind it or tear the air lines and/or cause an accident.
Thanks to another trucker I ran into (since my CB is broke), I found out that the Pilot I'd passed 3 miles back had a Wingfoot and two other tire places around it.
I love Texas! Much of I-35 has access roads parallelling it, and they're two lanes! I could limp at 10 mph all the way back there, ("FAP-FAP-FAP"), at 10 mph without causing a traffic jam. I called my former comany, thinking if I could get any money at all, now would be the time. Junior had gone home.
Yep. So I get to Wingfoot and they don't have used tires. That was a massive problem, since you have to match tread-depths...it meant that I'd have to buy two NEW tires. (Later, I did run around, finding other places closed on weekends--no used tires to be had anywhere).
So I had to call Courtney and borrow 700 MORE bucks to get two new tires (and patch a third, and move everything around.)
This was not a ripoff compared to other places. I got open-shouldered Michelins for 450 bucks each. These were the tires I'd intended to replace my four old ones (and eventually the others) with anyway. I would have got something cheaper, but (inexplicably), these WERE their cheapest drive tires!!! (Well, Dunlops were a little less, but he only had one).
Michelins are better than ALL other truck tires, for both durability and mpg's!!! So there was good news to go with the bad news: I now have only two tires to replace, and know where to get them.
I'll have a decent week as-is, or a monster week if I'm able to get this load delivered monday (a day early) and scan the paperwork in.
The carrier is still keeping my settlements to get all the money they fronted me back, and now I've just added 700 to that total.
It can be deceptive, ya know? Okay I get 35% advances loaded onto my fuel card, for fuel and road expenses. The majority of that does indeed go into the fuel tanks. You tend to forget that what you get in settlements is now only 65% of what the load pays.
I was well on my way to working with this, however. I was pretty shocked to average over 6 mpg's hauling 44k through hills and towns, then to get over 7 with this 42k load to Laredo. I also beat the lowest internet fuel price I'd found on the internet by a nickel.
So now I had a little traction, and knew that I'd get to Texas with over 400 bucks on my card and 150 in my pocket, plus 600 miles of range; the next advance would put me farther ahead, and by the trip after that maybe I could get some money into my business account to avoid cancellations and pay my road taxes.
Then POWfapfapfapfap...
Even Junior...I think he might offer me a percentage of the new company. I threw the idea out last time. I just want this episode over with, and if 2 or 3% could pay me a couple hundred a month or something, I could deal with that.
Anyway, I had intended to treat myself to a night in a hotel with a bar nearby. Damian was refusing to air condition me and I was momentarily defeated. (He just wears you down. This owing my soul to the company store/being unable to collect what I'm owed even in emergencies, no call-backs, 10 calls per-day, getting Damian fixed, loose end after loose end unpaid bills--yeah I'm worn down a bit).
After paying the tire bill, thanks to the guy knocking off the labor on the tire-patch, I found myself with 130 bucks. Still planned to do it. But this guy says it's 79/night inc. taxes.
It's okay. With renewed vigor, I went after Damian again, and figured out how to make him cough up the cold air. This lot is shared by the Mexican Restauraunt and hotel, so I'm parked here 80 miles from Laredo. I can't show up at my consignee before 1200 monday anyway, so tonight I'll go over there and drink some beer or margaritas or something, and just sleep in Herbie.
The reasons I stay in hotels when I can are the sense of space and normalcy. I can catch up on all my TV shows, take a bath, and (in a bar) meet new people and get away with misbehaving. It's even partially offset financially, as I don't burn fuel or put more wear-and-tear on Damian.
Anyway, Damian's exhaust pipe is pointed down and dangerously close to the ground. I was able to beat it snug to the block with my BMFH (one-handed sledge hammer), but the brackets are partly torn out, and I couldn't bend the pipe back up--I'll need a torch for that. Until then, I've got to be really careful, because of it hits the ground it's gone, and I won't know it.
I just have to keep plugging. A month from now I know I'll have my life back. It'll feel good to get square with the company, and I'll have the new harness and all but two of my tires. I'll be making more than I even made before (possibly with dividends from the new, well-managed trucking company augmenting it), and get trips to Texas or maybe other places when I ask for them---or even ongoing.
Courtney: I didn't know that she had to call the company--actually I'm not sure, but I think Korena--to get me the money for repairs.
See, I'm a contractor and the truck is all on me. To fix a trailer--that's not an issue. But owner-ops are rightfully expected to fix their own equipment. I know that Korena, for her part, has to get to some VEEP or something to get approval on the stuff I've incurred. And I can imagine this person throwing their hands up and saying "why not?" by now.
But it was neccessary. I'd exhausted the alternatives, and the load needed to get there. Anyway, I would hope the company considered the fact that NEW tires are an investment, making a breakdown far less likely on that unit.
I personally would have paid me half my settlements, however, since then I could have knocked this out without bothering them.
But hell--their books aren't set up for this stuff. they have a maintenance budget--only for trailers. For MY stuff, they had to open a separate file and put me off to the side. They can just close the file when they get their money back. They probably don't want to carry it over into the next fiscal quarter--they can't be certain that I won't just bug out and leave them stuck for the balance--yeah I get it.
So I sure hope I can get this in and scanned by monday night. I got to pay this off ASAP.
Well time to conquer the world and blog some more and drink margaritas and stuff okbye.
Post script: I have lost APU a/c again and haven't been able to correct it. It's 103 degrees and I think I'll burn twenty gallons idling before I get to the consignee. Oh--and of course I have to get the bastard fixed again. And pay for it. Somehow.
I'm not a gypsy. I have a family that I need home-time for. His name is Damian, and he came from hell.
He might work fine an hour from now, but that's just so he can get my hopes up again.
It just never stops.
At 3:30 I blew a tractor tire. It was a retread I'd had to take when I got the truck; one of four I'd intended to replace as soon as I saved enough money. The tread only came 75% off, so it was flopping like a clown-shoe, and tore my front splash-guard mostly off (I had to finish that), bashed my APU's exhaust pipe down and tore it out, and beat the hell out of it's housing. (I was going 70).
Road service was a last resort for me--I had a little over 400 bucks. And I couldn't drive faster than 10 ir 12 mph or I'd tear the APU's exhaust the rest of the way off and out. plus scour a hole through it's housing and into it's guts.
Oh, I was tempted! Damian has given me holy hell over the years, and subconsciously I want him dead...but we have to think with our cortexes. Also, if the rest of the tread tore loose, it could blow the tires behind it or tear the air lines and/or cause an accident.
Thanks to another trucker I ran into (since my CB is broke), I found out that the Pilot I'd passed 3 miles back had a Wingfoot and two other tire places around it.
I love Texas! Much of I-35 has access roads parallelling it, and they're two lanes! I could limp at 10 mph all the way back there, ("FAP-FAP-FAP"), at 10 mph without causing a traffic jam. I called my former comany, thinking if I could get any money at all, now would be the time. Junior had gone home.
Yep. So I get to Wingfoot and they don't have used tires. That was a massive problem, since you have to match tread-depths...it meant that I'd have to buy two NEW tires. (Later, I did run around, finding other places closed on weekends--no used tires to be had anywhere).
So I had to call Courtney and borrow 700 MORE bucks to get two new tires (and patch a third, and move everything around.)
This was not a ripoff compared to other places. I got open-shouldered Michelins for 450 bucks each. These were the tires I'd intended to replace my four old ones (and eventually the others) with anyway. I would have got something cheaper, but (inexplicably), these WERE their cheapest drive tires!!! (Well, Dunlops were a little less, but he only had one).
Michelins are better than ALL other truck tires, for both durability and mpg's!!! So there was good news to go with the bad news: I now have only two tires to replace, and know where to get them.
I'll have a decent week as-is, or a monster week if I'm able to get this load delivered monday (a day early) and scan the paperwork in.
The carrier is still keeping my settlements to get all the money they fronted me back, and now I've just added 700 to that total.
It can be deceptive, ya know? Okay I get 35% advances loaded onto my fuel card, for fuel and road expenses. The majority of that does indeed go into the fuel tanks. You tend to forget that what you get in settlements is now only 65% of what the load pays.
I was well on my way to working with this, however. I was pretty shocked to average over 6 mpg's hauling 44k through hills and towns, then to get over 7 with this 42k load to Laredo. I also beat the lowest internet fuel price I'd found on the internet by a nickel.
So now I had a little traction, and knew that I'd get to Texas with over 400 bucks on my card and 150 in my pocket, plus 600 miles of range; the next advance would put me farther ahead, and by the trip after that maybe I could get some money into my business account to avoid cancellations and pay my road taxes.
Then POWfapfapfapfap...
Even Junior...I think he might offer me a percentage of the new company. I threw the idea out last time. I just want this episode over with, and if 2 or 3% could pay me a couple hundred a month or something, I could deal with that.
Anyway, I had intended to treat myself to a night in a hotel with a bar nearby. Damian was refusing to air condition me and I was momentarily defeated. (He just wears you down. This owing my soul to the company store/being unable to collect what I'm owed even in emergencies, no call-backs, 10 calls per-day, getting Damian fixed, loose end after loose end unpaid bills--yeah I'm worn down a bit).
After paying the tire bill, thanks to the guy knocking off the labor on the tire-patch, I found myself with 130 bucks. Still planned to do it. But this guy says it's 79/night inc. taxes.
It's okay. With renewed vigor, I went after Damian again, and figured out how to make him cough up the cold air. This lot is shared by the Mexican Restauraunt and hotel, so I'm parked here 80 miles from Laredo. I can't show up at my consignee before 1200 monday anyway, so tonight I'll go over there and drink some beer or margaritas or something, and just sleep in Herbie.
The reasons I stay in hotels when I can are the sense of space and normalcy. I can catch up on all my TV shows, take a bath, and (in a bar) meet new people and get away with misbehaving. It's even partially offset financially, as I don't burn fuel or put more wear-and-tear on Damian.
Anyway, Damian's exhaust pipe is pointed down and dangerously close to the ground. I was able to beat it snug to the block with my BMFH (one-handed sledge hammer), but the brackets are partly torn out, and I couldn't bend the pipe back up--I'll need a torch for that. Until then, I've got to be really careful, because of it hits the ground it's gone, and I won't know it.
I just have to keep plugging. A month from now I know I'll have my life back. It'll feel good to get square with the company, and I'll have the new harness and all but two of my tires. I'll be making more than I even made before (possibly with dividends from the new, well-managed trucking company augmenting it), and get trips to Texas or maybe other places when I ask for them---or even ongoing.
Courtney: I didn't know that she had to call the company--actually I'm not sure, but I think Korena--to get me the money for repairs.
See, I'm a contractor and the truck is all on me. To fix a trailer--that's not an issue. But owner-ops are rightfully expected to fix their own equipment. I know that Korena, for her part, has to get to some VEEP or something to get approval on the stuff I've incurred. And I can imagine this person throwing their hands up and saying "why not?" by now.
But it was neccessary. I'd exhausted the alternatives, and the load needed to get there. Anyway, I would hope the company considered the fact that NEW tires are an investment, making a breakdown far less likely on that unit.
I personally would have paid me half my settlements, however, since then I could have knocked this out without bothering them.
But hell--their books aren't set up for this stuff. they have a maintenance budget--only for trailers. For MY stuff, they had to open a separate file and put me off to the side. They can just close the file when they get their money back. They probably don't want to carry it over into the next fiscal quarter--they can't be certain that I won't just bug out and leave them stuck for the balance--yeah I get it.
So I sure hope I can get this in and scanned by monday night. I got to pay this off ASAP.
Well time to conquer the world and blog some more and drink margaritas and stuff okbye.
Post script: I have lost APU a/c again and haven't been able to correct it. It's 103 degrees and I think I'll burn twenty gallons idling before I get to the consignee. Oh--and of course I have to get the bastard fixed again. And pay for it. Somehow.
I'm not a gypsy. I have a family that I need home-time for. His name is Damian, and he came from hell.
He might work fine an hour from now, but that's just so he can get my hopes up again.
It just never stops.
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