November 22, 1989, 2009

FIRST 5 YEARS: (Wednesday-Laredo, Texas)
Slept in my tractor at the terminal last night as I hoped that I would get a load out. (see helpful trucker hint below). Stayed up until about 2:30 AM swapping truck stories with the other drivers. Interesting or important stories? NO, just stories. Woke up at 10 AM and checked with dispatch as I saw trucks(full semis) pulling out of the yard as I got my logbook caught up. I was deadheaded (sent with empty trailer) to Joplin, Missouri to get a load. I like Laredo but only at a couple days at a time. I grabbed my empty assigned trailer, hooked up, did a vehicle inspection, caught my logbook caught up and headed out. I was running by myself even though there were about twenty of us going up to Joplin. I drove to San Antonio(Texas) and stopped at the "Just A Truckstop" for lunch and fuel. Did both and headed north on I-35. Took the lower lever of the interstate dual level structure through Austin(Texas). Continued north past many of the population centers of Texas. Took 35 E to our Red Oak, Texas terminal where I stopped just before they closed for the day(6 PM). Found they had a load to Salt Lake City, Utah but they could not give it to me. I was programed to go to Joplin. Left Red Oak and caught Hwy 75 north. Hooked up with Hwy 69 and after going over the Red River into Oklahoma lost Hwy 75. Stopped about 10:00 PM at the medium sized truckstop in Stringtown, Oklahoma for the night.

Trucker Helpful Hint: (go where others don't want to go...)
I learned shortly after becoming a driver that often you can get out of an area(get paid miles) where there are alot of drivers waiting for loads if you are willing to go where they don't want to go. An example: Out of Laredo, Texas I was at the terminal one night with about 60 drivers in front of me. A driver went to the dispatch window and started complaining about the load he was going to get. I asked about the complaint and dispatch had a short run for Houston, Texas. I was a new driver and dispatch told me drivers don't like waiting for days for these short runs. He said that they give these shortys away to anyone who wants them if they can. I took the load for that driver-driver and dispatch were happy- and left. The thing about this load was that I got unloaded in Houston and then got deadheaded(sent empty) to the Red Oak(Texas)Terminal where I got a load to Laredo. I was back in Laredo, Texas before I would have gotten out of there if I wouldn't have taken the Houston, Texas load. If I didn't want to stay on the "READY BOARD"(LIST OF DRIVERS IN AN AREA NEEDING LOADS), I often asked for the crappy loads. Yes, they were not worth much, but they could put you in a place where you wouldn't have to wait long for something out that might be really good. This happened many times over 10 years.