FIRST 5 YEARS:(Tuesday-Laredo. Texas)
Was up-slept at the terminal last night-and in the terminal by 6:15 AM CST to find me number 3 on the trucker ready board. It wasn't much past 6:30 AM CST that the dispatcher called me to the dispatch window and gave me a load!!! Oh Boy!!! Houston, Texas??? I waited all this time for a Houston load??? Well, I took it but not with a smile on my face. Dispatch did say that they would take the load off the trailer today if I got it to them by 5 PM CST.
The load was light and I had been to this receiver before. It wasn't too far from our fuel stop, poor excuse for a truckstop, but a truckstop never the less. I didn't fuel in Laredo and was on my way by 7:15 AM CST. The border guard station wasn't busy as no one was on the road so I talked with the border guard for about 5 minutes. Went on to Freer where I stopped for a real short break and got me some ice cream which didn't last very long. I kept my speed up and was moving along nicely. Went right through Beeville and onto Victoria where I hit the 4 lane road. Onto I-610 where I took it to the north side of Houston and found the receiver's place. I was there at 1:45 pm CST and sure enough, the receiving department took the load off me.
I was empty by 3 PM CST and called dispatch. They had a load for me to Detroit, Michigan to pick up tomorrow. Have to go to the northern part of Houston; I am almost there now. I found the pickup spot by 4 PM CST. OH Boy, they said they would go ahead and load me as the load was ready and sitting on their floor. The load weighed 8, 984 lbs.; nothing for the big truck. By 4:45 PM CST I was loaded, dispatched and heading for the fuel stop. Fueled(168 gallons) and headed up Hwy 59 toward Texarkana(Texas or Arkansas). Hwy 59 is interesting to me as it has alot of beautiful scenery but it sure is a long, long drive!!! It just doesn't want to end...
Got up to I-30 and went east into Arkansas stopping at the "Big Ball" truckstop in Mandeville. There I sat out the night...
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...
July 3, 2010
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What's in my blog...???
- 666--Highway (2)
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