Enjoying North America while earning a living...: September 11, 1989, 2009

About this blog's layout...BLOG UPDATED ONCE PER DAY...

I follow my journal daily by writing under the daily title, "FIRST 5 YEARS:" The first five years will strictly follow my 5 year journal. If I find the day I am writing about to be boring, I will either write about thoughts I remember(placed under the title of "SECOND 5 YEARS"), write a trucker tale(placed under "A Trucker's Tale"), give a helpful trucker hint, ask a "student driver" question or do something.....When a location appears after the day of the week after "FIRST 5 YEARS:", it is where I am at the start of that day((IE: FIRST 5 YEARS: (Sunday-Kansas City, Missouri))..... I would encourage those that find themselves enjoying North America to follow me day by day.....REMEMBER: THIS IS A BLOG ABOUT WHAT LIFE IS LIKE FOR A TRUCKER THAT DOES NOT HAVE A DAILY ROUTINE ROUTE(called a "dedicated" route). THERE WILL BE MANY TIMES WHEN THE ROUTING, SCENERY AND DAY'S ACTIVITIES WILL BE SIMILAR(boring???) TO PREVIOUS DAYS; THAT'S TRUCKING! THERE WILL BE DAYS WHEN THE ROUTING, SCENERY AND DAY'S ACTIVITIES WILL BE TOTALLY NEW; THAT'S TRUCKING. Frustrations? I mention the frustrations I had as a driver. I loved my job while earning a living and realized that all jobs have frustrations; truck driving is, and was, no different..... Many pictures on this blog can be left-clicked and made larger.....Questions?...Please E-mail PT at fabalt2000@centurylink.net

September 11, 2009

September 11, 1989, 2009

FIRST 5 YEARS: (Monday-traveling)
As I approached the dividing of Interstate 35 N into I-35W and I-35E, I had a minor decision to make as I can take either. I need to get on Hwy 360 north that is equal distance from downtown Dallas and Fort Worth. Kind of interesting in that the place I am going is in Fort Worth but is on the Dallas side of Hwy 360. Since it is Sunday night/Monday morning, I chose to take I-35W through downtown Forth Worth and take I-30 east to Hwy 360 north. Got to the Trinity exit where I went east about 2 mile. I chose to go though Fort Worth because I just like it and don't get the opportunity very often. Got to the toy warehouse and parked outside the gate behind two other trucks. Left truck running with the air conditioning on. Was woken by the gate guard at 7 AM and told to back into door 17; so I did. I had to help one of the warehouse employees unload the trailer. The employee was a female named Sandra. This is the second time I had
been unloaded by a female. The first time, the gal unloaded me in Benton Harbor, Michigan with a fork truck while polishing her fingernails!!! Anyways, Sandra and I unloaded the trailer of nothing but one type of female doll. We had to put the doll boxes on a pallet and since the whole trailer was dolls, when we were done we had pallets all over the place. We got done and no doll boxes were missing and she signed my paper work.
Called dispatch and reminded them that my lights had been stolen so they sent me over to Irving(Texas) to get repaired. The trailer repair shop fixed the trailer and I was then dispatched back to the toy warehouse to get a load to Michigan.
Went back to the toy warehouse where the trailer I needed was waiting for me. Picked it up and dropped the repaired one. When I left the warehouse gate, I pulled out onto the street and pulled over to the curb for a four hour nap. After the nap, I walked around my unit to check out lights and tires. I could see into the toy warehouse yard. As I was looking inside the gate, I was watching a truck backing up. Something went wrong: the driver backed their trailer into the trailer that was sitting there. The sitting trailer had its side ripped open and was leaning on its side as one of its dollies was bent. I was glad it wasn't my turn to have an accident. I couldn't help so I took off. Went north on Hwy-360 to Hwy-183 east. Went north on Hwy 12 'til it hooked up with I-35 E. At I-635 I went east to Hwy 75 north. As midnight came I was going over the Red River, boundary of Texas and Oklahoma.