FIRST 5 YEARS:(Tuesday-Phillipsburg, Kansas)
I was up and going at 5 AM CST and since everyone else wasn't, I took a walk around the neighborhood. Nothing special but nothing I would think was out of the ordinary. Nice but normal.
The roofing place started to come to life around 6:30 AM CST and I checked in. Slim, the other driver from my company was getting up and around about them. I pulled out a ways to open my trailer doors then backed back to the dock. The unloading started moments after I parked back at the dock. By 7:30 AM CST I was unloaded and they were working on Slim's trailer.
I called dispatch and was told to call back in an hour. I sat on the roofing company's property but out of the way of the action; Slim joined me. At 8:45 AM CST we both called in and I had a load; Slim didn't. I was to go to the west side of Wichita, Kansas and pick up a load of Sunday Paper inserts going to Dallas, Bryan(College Station) and Houston, Texas. I left after the call as I had got my logbook caught up and my vehicle inspection done earlier.
Yesterday I came up to Phillipsburg, Kansas from Wichita and so I just reversed my routing and went back. Took Hwy 183 south a short distance to Hwy 9. Hwy 9, once again was a beautiful route. Along Hwy 9, I stopped at Portis, Kansas and mailed some letters I wrote. While at the Post Office, I did what I liked to do, talk to the local residents. The gal behind the counter was very talkative and I feel I learned alot about the area. Continued on Hwy 24 to Hwy 81 southbound. Hwy 81 turned into interstate 135 and I took it to Wichita. Found the pick up point and was backed to the dock by 1:15 PM CST. It was a huge building in the middle of no where. At least it had a huge paved place for the shipping department.
I picked up the load, which weighed 39,960 lbs. and I was off down I-35 into Oklahoma. Rolled into the "Just a Truckstop" in Oklahoma City at 5 PM CST. I fueled(136 gallons) and went into the restaurant and had dinner.
Went to my tractor after dinner and tried to get some sleep. The weather was pretty wild as the truck kept rolling and rain kept pounding on it. No tornado problems as I had my TV on and they had no weather advisories on....
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...
May 29, 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)
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- 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)
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- drive-why??? (1)
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- interesting (3)
- jackknife video (1)
- Just in time trucking (1)
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- load turn down policy (1)
- logbook violation-see violation (1)
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- loyalty to a company (1)
- Matter of Opinion (1)
- Mayberry and Andy Griffith (4)
- mining--me??? (1)
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- places to see (13)
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- restaurants-good ones (5)
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- ripped off... (1)
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- unreasonables (1)
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- violation (51)
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- weapons-weird ones (1)
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