Enjoying North America while earning a living...: October 23, 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

October 23, 2009

October 23, 1989, 2009

FIRST 5 YEARS: (Monday)
Madison, Wisconsin...was woken up the way that I hate, by Bill, the manager, hitting the side of my truck. I had set my alarm for 7AM but was woken up at 5:45 AM and told where to back the trailer. Bill told me that I should just go back to sleep until I feel them unloading the trailer. I did go back to sleep and woke at 8:30 to no activity in the trailer. Got out of my tractor to find that no one had stated unloading me yet. Bill walked by and I said nothing about my load not having been touched yet. He then said that he would get someone on it as soon as all his service trucks got out.
I did get unloaded....at 10:45 AM. Called dispatch and was told to go to Oakfield, Wisconsin for tomorrow. This load will be going to Chattanooga, Tennessee. I had just unloaded here in the south part of Madison; I knew of a restaurant I liked around I-94 and Hwy 51. I decided to have lunch there before heading to Oakfield and chose to drive up HWY 151 through downtown and between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. I enjoyed the trip through downtown that I almost turned the truck around and did it again. I wish I had had a place to park the truck so I could walk along the lakes shores. I got to the restaurant and parked the truck in their parking lot as far from the doors as I could. I walked into the restaurant and talked to the manager about my truck being parked outside. He said I could stay parked where it was all afternoon if I liked. I said I would as I am not wanting to go to Oakfield early. I will leave Madison about 5PM. I filled "my tank" and went to the truck and took a nap until it was about time to leave. I updated my logbook and left. I followed HWY 151 north. Everything went fine until I passed Waupun, Wisconsin. The directions I had just didn't make sense and I couldn't find the company I was looking for. I stopped at a convenient store where a customer told me that he would take me to the place, which he did. I settled down for the night after reviewing the route to Chattanooga.
THE WEEK TO REMEMBER HAS STARTED!!!

SECOND 5 YEARS: (check your trailer!!!)
A fellow driver-handle(nickname) was Sundance-had a load of refrigerators from the states go the Montreal, Quebec(Canada). He got through the Canadian customs with no problems. He then took the load to Montreal where he had it unloaded at the receivers. Sundance didn't speak French, which the people speak in Quebec, so he just took his signed paperwork(not checking it), closed his trailer doors-not looking in the trailer-and proceeded to his next assignment in New York. As he entered the states at New York, the U.S. customs officer asked him what he was carrying and he said he was empty. No one checked the trailer. He got to his pickup and opened his trailer doors only to find two "rejected" Canadian refrigerators. I don't know the outcome but it was a problem that wasn't an easy fix. YOU DON'T MESS WITH CUSTOMS ESPECIALLY IF IT IS A MESS UP ON YOUR BEHALF!!!