FIRST 5 YEARS:(Sunday-Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Sunday morning started with me watching movies at the "Just a Truckstop". I got back to our Oklahoma City dropyard at 1:30 AM CST, turned on my TV and went to sleep. I slept until about 10 AM CST and then got up. No big deal today. Called dispatch with hopes of leaving Oklahoma City but was told that I would be here until tomorrow as nothing to assign. Talked with an occasional driver, typed and watch TV all "boring" day.
SECOND 5 YEARS:(Working for a company that cares)
I worked for a meat hauling company out of Olathe, Kansas(I only put this in as many may be able to figure out the company's name--it was, and I am sure it still is. a good company to work for). I had a full load of hamburger rejected at an Alabama warehouse because the meat plant had put CO2 tablets in the meat to cool the meat down and hadn't let the tablet dissolve all the way before sealing the bags. The CO2, they claimed, makes the meat look older then it was. For this reason, the grocery warehouse didn't want the meat. I sat around until until about 2 PM CST until the meat company could find another buyer, which they then sold it to at a discount. This all happened on a Thursday and I had put my request--rather strongly--in for being in Kingdom City, Missouri on, or before, Saturday. This request was for dropping my second son--who was riding with me--off with his Mother. Well, the meat got resold to a warehouse in North Wilksboro, North Carolina. I was to deliver it Friday AM and I once again told my dispatcher or my request. Friday morning I was at the warehouse and they didn't get me unloaded until about 3:30 PM EST. I then learned that it was the company's policy to get the refrigeration unit checked out after each rejected load just to make sure the mistake wasn't our problem. When I got unloaded and called dispatch, they told me that I had to take the trailer to the trailer service place in Charlotte, North Carolina where they were waiting to check out the efficency of the trailer. They weren't too happy about hanging around on a Friday night but they did their job well. It had to be 6:30 PM EST when they got done. I was really down as there was no way I would get a load at this time on a Friday night; maybe not the whole weekend either. I called dispatch when the trailer was finished and the dispatcher told me that he had the orders to deadhead me to Kingdom City, Missouri, at full pay, for Saturday. We left and stopped the night at "Just a Truckstop" in Knoxville, Tennessee. Saturday morning we left Knoxville early, stopping in Paducah, Kentucy for fuel, and arrived in Kindom City before the sun went down. I dropped off my son and then called dispatch. They deadheaded me to Olathe, Kansas for Sunday...They may have done this as I always tried to help them out when they had a problem, even if it was not in my best interest...
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...
April 28, 2011
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What's in my blog...???
- 666--Highway (2)
- A Trucker Tale-introduction (1)
- A Trucker's Tale (33)
- abandonment of truck (1)
- accidents (12)
- animals (3)
- backing (2)
- buffalo burgers (1)
- bull haulers (1)
- Catch 22 (1)
- caught but... (2)
- caught-almost (3)
- check trailer (1)
- church (2)
- citation-for moose killing (1)
- computer portable desk. (1)
- computer stuff (1)
- conservation agents (1)
- conservation agents-Maine (1)
- convoys (1)
- cooking-on-the-road (2)
- customs-US or Canadian (5)
- death while trucking (2)
- diabetes and driving (3)
- dispatcher's mistakes (1)
- DOT-Massachusetts (1)
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- drive-why??? (1)
- drunk driver (1)
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- interesting (3)
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- Just in time trucking (1)
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- logbook violation-see violation (1)
- logbooks (2)
- loyalty to a company (1)
- Matter of Opinion (1)
- Mayberry and Andy Griffith (4)
- mining--me??? (1)
- My opinion (1)
- Olympic bobsled (1)
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- places to see (13)
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- popcorn capital??? (1)
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- rejected loads (3)
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- restaurants-good ones (5)
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- ripped off... (1)
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- The Big Texan (1)
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- trucker decisions (9)
- trucker frustrations (41)
- trucker helpful hint (21)
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- trucker spouses (2)
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- Trucking Student Questions (4)
- unreasonables (1)
- vehicle inspection (2)
- violation (51)
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- weapons-weird ones (1)
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