Enjoying North America while earning a living...: April 15, 1991, 2011

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

April 15, 2011

April 15, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Monday-Commerce, Georgia) I was awake at 6 AM EST and went into the truckstop for breakfast. I was at the receiver("The Pottery") at 7:45 AM EST and checked in. They had me back into one of three docks in the back of the store. FRUSTRATION ALL DAY....I got backed to the dock with no problem but they didn't start unloading me until after 8:30 AM EST. I was really feeling like "GOING" but they unloaded me so slowly. I watched some of my TV, did all my paperwork, walked around the parking area(walking off frustration) and went in to check how they were doing at 11:30 AM EST. I could feel them walking around in the trailer but didn't know how far along they were. THEY WERE ALMOST HALF A TRAILOR DONE!!! I watched them and they were taking things out of the trailer, putting price tags on them and then taking and stocking them on the sales floor. Oh yes, what did I haul here??? All kinds(in the 100s) of Mexican make stuff you find sitting around a person's yard or house. I could have pulled my hair out!!! I was told that they usually get the trailer unloaded by 4 or 4:30 PM EST...4:30 PM EST was this day's completion time. FINALLY....I called dispatch when empty and my paperwork was signed and dispatch told me to deadhead to Nashville, Tennessee. I took off southwest on I-85 toward Atlanta, Georgia. At the east side of Atlanta I took I-285 north and west to I-75 and then went north to Chattanooga, Tennessee. At Chattanooga, I got onto I-24 and headed toward Nashville. I stopped at our fuel stop at Monteagle, Tennessee(Rocky Top) and fueled(131 gallons) at 8 PM CST. I stopped at Antioch, Tennessee(below Nashville) at 10 PM CST for the night. I called dispatch and got on the Nashville, Tennessee TRB and was ready to get moving tomorrow...