FIRST 5 YEARS:(Monday-San Manuel, Arizona)
As my day started, I was sitting at the loading dock next to "Cowboy"-handle(nickname) of the other driver from our company-waiting to get loaded with copper. There was another truck from our company(husband & wife driving team) but it wouldn't get loaded for awhile after us.
The company started loading us at 12:30 AM PST(Arizona doesn't follow daylight savings time) and it didn't take long as we were both loaded by 1 AM PST. The forktruck drivers put the pallets of copper in the trailers and nailed(with a air gun) the pallets to the floor. Cowboy and I both had on about 44,000 lbs on our trailers. This company had a certified(government checked) scale for us to weigh on and we did. We both had to move our trailer tandems(double axle wheels) to get our loads legal. We got our paperwork work all legal, did our vehicle inspections and called dispatch.
By 1:30 AM PST, Cowboy and I were on our way to Alton, Illinois. We left San Manuel on Hwy 77 which we took to Tucson(Arizona) and I-10. Followed I-10 into New Mexico.
We had talked alot on how we were going to go and Hwy 77 to Hwy 60 was totally out of the question!! Back to Phoenix and up I-17 was thought of but I hate I-17 northbound...too much "up and down"!!! We decided on I-10 to Deming, New Mexico where we'll take Hwy 26 to I-25 northbound. We thought about going to Las Cruces and taking Hwy 70 to Hwy 54...naw, we decided to stay on the interstates as much as possible.
Before we got into New Mexico, we stopped at the Arizona rest area at 4:45AM PST and were back on the road by 5 AM PST. We needed to keep our speed up to get to our goal for the first day of getting to Santa Rosa, New Mexico. We used the breaks as a time saver to legally get to Santa Rosa in 10 hours. We would log a stop-logged at a minimum of 15 minutes- and stop for only about 5 to 7 minutes and then it was back on the road. We made about 5 to 7 miles per stop. We logged four stops and that gave us 1/2 free driving time(TRUCKER HELPFUL HINT). Hey, it works...I once had to log 7 breaks to get an extra needed hour legally!!!. When we got to Albuquerque, New Mexico we took I-40 to Santa Rosa where we stopped at 1 PM MST for our 8 hr break and refueling(202 gallons-I was pushing it). Cowboy and I went in, ate and returned to our trucks for sleeping. We chose to get up at 10 PM MST to get going again which we did. I went into the truckstop before we left and got some munchies. We hit the road at 10:30 PM MST and took I-40 east. By midnight, the end of our day, we were closing in on the Texas/New Mexico border...
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 21, 2010
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