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...

June 29, 2010

June 29, 1990, 2010

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Thursday-Anniston, Alabama)
I was up and calling dispatch by 7 AM CST and they had a load for me to pick up on the west side of Huntsville, Alabama. It had a pick up time of no earlier than 10 AM CST. I reviewed my possible routes and decided to go the interstates as I didn't have the time to "sight see".

I headed toward Birmingham(Alabama) at 7:15 AM CST and stayed with the "program". After getting to Birmingham, I took I-65 north to I-565 and went east. The factory that I was picking up at was a little west of the actual city of Huntsville and I found it with little problems by 10 AM CST. I checked in with shipping and was told the load was not ready yet but that I could back up to the docks, which I did.

Was out of the plant by 12:15 PM CST heading for Laredo, Texas out I-565 toward I-65. When I got to I-65, I went south, once again toward Birmingham. In Birmingham, I caught I-59 south and followed it all the way to I-12 in Louisiana. The interesting part of this trip-through Alabama and Mississippi-was the area I saw. I would see areas that were beautiful and a joy to go through and them areas that were depressing and boring. There wasn't any "Area" that was totally this or that; the beautiful and depressing just kept switching on me the whole way down to I-12.

At I-12 I went west to Hammond(Louisiana), stopped at the "Just a Truckstop"(7:30 PM CST) and fueled(156 gallons) for my trip to Laredo. I needed a legal break at this time and so I had dinner and watched a couple movies in the trucker movie room before going to bed with my TV on...

SIDE NOTE: Watch how the customers load the trailers if you can. You, or your company, often are responsible for the load getting there safe. The first picture is a load the customer "threw" on the trailer and I was able to get a picture before the doors were closed. The second picture is of a load of soda. The two back pallets collapsed because there wasn't enough wrapping around the pallet's contents or I went around a curve too fast. I ended up picking up the cans and we only lost a couple. The cans that fell all over the trailer, the fellow at the warehouse said they would put in their soda (soft drinks to the Canadians) machines...
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