Enjoying North America while earning a living...

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

My photo
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 21, 2010

January 21, 1990, 2010

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Sunday-traveling)
I have a load that I have to drop at the Joplin, Missouri terminal and am running along with another company driver named Kerry. As our day started, we were passing Durant, Oklahoma heading north on Hwy 75. Shorty Hwy 69 met up with Hwy 75 and Hwy 75 left Hwy 69 and went to the northwest. We stayed on Hwy 69 all the was up to I-44. It was Sunday morning and things were pretty quiet on the road. Kerry and I were having a great chit chat about all kinds of things so we decided to go straight through to Joplin, Missouri...about a 3 ½ hour logbook violation. As we got close to Stringtown, Oklahoma we slowed way down as this town was a speed trap. We did stop at the Stringtown truckstop for a short break and were back on the road by 1:15 AM. Up through the cities of Atoka, Muskogee and Big Cabin before we got to I-44. At I-44, we went east into Missouri stopping at our terminal in Joplin around 5:30 AM. I dropped my trailer and turned my paperwork in. Did not want to go on the ready board as I needed my sleep. I went to sleep in my tractor sleeper at 6 AM. I got up and went into dispatch at 1:30 PM to get on the ready board. Dispatch said he had an urgent load that needed to get down to our trailer drop yard in Oklahoma City and I could take it now if I wanted to. It was a “drop in the yard” load that will be delivered by the local drivers so I took it. Got hooked up, did vehicle inspection and my paperwork and I was headed for Oklahoma City. I took I-44 through Tulsa and then to Oklahoma City...a little over 200 miles. I had the trailer at the drop yard and dropped by 6 PM. Called Dispatch and was told to bunk it in for the night. I wrote, ate munchies, got paperwork done and went to sleep watching my TV while at the drop yard.
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