FIRST 5 YEARS:(Monday-Plainfield, Illinois)
Got up before dawn and headed for the customer; found them on Cicero Ave with huge driveway for trucks. They were unloading me before 7 AM and I was done with them at 7:30 AM. After I was unloaded I asked where I could go and wait for my next load as they didn't want me staying on their property. They said there was a K-Mart shopping center down the street where I could wait if I wanted to and I did. It was not long and I was given a load to pick up in Hartford, Wisconsin and take to Perryville, Ohio. I took I-294 and I-94 north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I took I-894 west and then north. When I-894 goes north, Hwy 45 runs with the interstate. I followed Hwy 45 north and out of the Milwaukee area. At this point, Hwy 41 is running with Hwy 45...I follow Hwy 41 when the two split. I go up a few miles to Hwy 60 and take it west. I get to Hartford and find the pickup just inside the city limits. I got there at 2:30 PM and was immediately loaded. I was out of the shippers with 34,000 lbs of mufflers by 3:30 PM. Looks like rush hour through Chicago, Illinois. Not much I can do about it except stop at the “Big Ball” truckstop south of Milwaukee for a couple hours. This I did. I was feeling a little tired so I set my alarm clock for a couple hours and took a nap. I left to go through Chicago about 5:30 PM, which put me through Chicago at the end of the rush hour. I enjoy traveling through Chicago-don't know why-Stayed on I-94 all the way until it joined I-80 going east. When I-94 and I-80 split, I followed I-80 east onto the Indiana Turnpike. The Ohio Turnpike followed. Midnight came as I was crossing into Ohio....
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...
January 8, 2010
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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)
- conservation agents (1)
- conservation agents-Maine (1)
- convoys (1)
- cooking-on-the-road (2)
- customs-US or Canadian (5)
- death while trucking (2)
- diabetes and driving (3)
- dispatcher's mistakes (1)
- DOT-Massachusetts (1)
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- DOT-Quebec (1)
- drive-why??? (1)
- drunk driver (1)
- DWIs and DUIs (3)
- Elvis Presley (2)
- fishing (1)
- food (4)
- friends (8)
- ghosts (3)
- Grapevine (1)
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- hobbies (2)
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- hunting-turkey accident (2)
- 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)
- people (10)
- people-nicer ones (1)
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- pictures-deer and Nephton mines (1)
- pictures-Hayward parking (1)
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- places to see (13)
- Police-Cleveland (1)
- Police-Jersey City (1)
- Police-New York City (2)
- Police-the "little" ticket (1)
- popcorn capital??? (1)
- registrations (2)
- rejected loads (3)
- relatives (1)
- restaurant-#1 favorite (1)
- restaurants-good ones (5)
- Rider permits (1)
- ripped off... (1)
- security-truck (3)
- side notes (14)
- snoring (1)
- speed trap (4)
- teaching trucking (2)
- The Big Texan (1)
- theft (1)
- tire blow out (2)
- tornadoes (2)
- Touring notes (2)
- trucker decisions (9)
- trucker frustrations (41)
- trucker helpful hint (21)
- trucker mistakes (1)
- 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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