FIRST 5 YEARS: (Friday)
As the day started I found myself getting close to Temple(Texas) on I-35 north. Also found another company truck coming up behind me. He called me on the CB radio and we found that we are going to the same place, the toy warehouse in Ft Worth. He has never been to the warehouse so he will follow me. I once again take I-35W and he was surprised to find the warehouse off of Hwy 360. Were got to the warehouse and parked outside the gate as we were the first two trucks in line at the guard house. We talked awhile, or what we thought was awhile, when the guard came out and assigned us to a door to unload. I informed the other driver that this place requires the driver to help unload and he wasn't too worried about it. We were assigned doors in different areas around the warehouse so I never saw him again that day. I had toy doll cars to unload with the warehouse fellow that is helping me. Yeap, a whole 53 foot trailer full of them...Christmas coming??? After getting unloaded, I called dispatch in Red Oak(Dallas Office). I was told to come to the terminal so off I went. I went down Hwy 360 to I-20 Eastbound. When I got to I-35 E I went south to Red Oak. I got along well with dispatchers of Dallas(Red Oak) Texas. I got to the terminal and dropped my empty trailer in the yard and checked in. Was given the choice of a few loads and took the Salt Lake City(Utah) tire load. I had gone through Utah before with my trainer and got to see some family. I had to look at the routing as I sure wasn't going the way my trainer went to Salt Lake City before. I hooked up to the trailer and did a vehicle inspection; then sat and looked at the routing. I decided to take I-35E north to I-20 west. When I would get to Hwy 287 northwest I would take it through downtown Ft. Worth then onto Amarillo, Texas. on I-40. Out of Amarillo, I would take Hwy 87 into New Mexico, where I will hook up with I-25 north into Colorado. At Pueblo(Colorado) I will take Hwy 50 west through the Rockies to I-70 into Utah. I will continue to Green River(Utah) where I will take Hwy 6 to I-15 north to Provo(Utah), my first stop...Anyway, I decided to sleep before leaving. Took off from Red Oak, Texas about 6:30 PM and really enjoyed Ft. Worth's downtown. Getting close to Childress, Texas as my day hit midnight. .
I kept a day by day journal the first 5 years I was enjoying North America. While earning a living,I kept track of where I went, often what I did, feelings I had and various other details. I am writing this blog day by day as I lived it. The month/day I lived it is the same as the month/day I write about it. The years are obviously different...thus the days title: ie: August 30, 1989, 2009.
About Me
- The Protraveller...
- Starting as a preschooler, I remember my Grandfather bringing me rocks from his trips he took after he retired. Each rock had a story to tell. In the sixth grade, I watched a freeway be built and then wondered where all the trucks would go. I remember in high school looking at the mountains and wanting to travel. I did many jobs BEFORE trucking but I always wondered what driving would by like. I really wanted to see things and drive a big truck. So after almost finishing nursing school, a divorce and three cute little kids, I became a truck driver. While earning a living, I found myself enjoying North America and seeing the land and people. NO ONE ENJOYED TRAVELING MORE THAN ME. There are two things I have enjoyed in this life and they are traveling and writing. I use to call myself "Protourist" but my Mother-in-law and Wife would become upset with me as they know I really love THE "travel" and not THE stopping to see things. I now call myself "protraveller"(I like it with a double "L") and my Mother-in-law and Wife are now happy!!! I love to write and this blog gives me the opportunity to share my past and thoughts with the public.
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
Blog Dictionaries...
The Trucking Dictionary...words in this dictionary will many times appear highlighted. If a word isn't highlighted or in the blog dictionary and sounds "different", check it out in this dictionary. Please note: Many times when clicking on these dictionaries anywhere in the blog, the first thing that comes up is an advertisement which I have no control over.
The Blog Dictionary...This dictionary contains words I use that aren't "trucker" words and thus not in the "trucking dictionary". I separate them--the dictionaries--in case someone wants to copy the trucking dictionary for personal use. This dictionary also contains names of people(not real names) that I dealt with many times through my trucking career. Blog word found in this dictionary often will be licked to it.
DAILY UPDATES SHOULD BE UP BY NOON CST...
October 6, 2009
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What's in my blog...???
- 666--Highway (2)
- A Trucker Tale-introduction (1)
- A Trucker's Tale (33)
- abandonment of truck (1)
- accidents (12)
- animals (3)
- backing (2)
- buffalo burgers (1)
- bull haulers (1)
- Catch 22 (1)
- caught but... (2)
- caught-almost (3)
- check trailer (1)
- church (2)
- citation-for moose killing (1)
- computer portable desk. (1)
- computer stuff (1)
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- convoys (1)
- cooking-on-the-road (2)
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- death while trucking (2)
- diabetes and driving (3)
- dispatcher's mistakes (1)
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- drive-why??? (1)
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- interesting (3)
- jackknife video (1)
- Just in time trucking (1)
- load content-strange (1)
- load turn down policy (1)
- logbook violation-see violation (1)
- logbooks (2)
- loyalty to a company (1)
- Matter of Opinion (1)
- Mayberry and Andy Griffith (4)
- mining--me??? (1)
- My opinion (1)
- Olympic bobsled (1)
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- people-nicer ones (1)
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- places to see (13)
- Police-Cleveland (1)
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- popcorn capital??? (1)
- registrations (2)
- rejected loads (3)
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- restaurant-#1 favorite (1)
- restaurants-good ones (5)
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- ripped off... (1)
- security-truck (3)
- side notes (14)
- snoring (1)
- speed trap (4)
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- The Big Texan (1)
- theft (1)
- tire blow out (2)
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- trucker decisions (9)
- trucker frustrations (41)
- trucker helpful hint (21)
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- trucker spouses (2)
- trucker want-to-be's (2)
- Trucking Student Questions (4)
- unreasonables (1)
- vehicle inspection (2)
- violation (51)
- water-drinking (2)
- weapons-weird ones (1)
- Weather (5)
- witches (1)
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