FIRST 5 HOURS:(Friday-San Antonio, New Mexico)
Four AM came pretty fast and I found myself ready to go. I had checked out the tractor and trailer before dark last night so all I needed to do was a fast logbook upgrade. By 4:15 AM MST I has heading south on I-25 and by 7 AM MST I had pulled into the packing lot of "Just a Truckstop 2"(a smmal version of the full truckstop) near the receiver "Old El Paso". I decided to have breakfast before delivery so I did. I was disappointed in the food and the price and will try to avoid this place again.
Went on to the receiver and checked in with the receiving department. I had to wait. This plant had alot of construction going on and a student in another company's truck hit a conveyor hanging out of a building and broke it all up. I was unloaded by 11 AM MST.
I called our local El Paso dispatch and was told to go to the terminal; I did and found myself 26th on the TRB. I sat around the terminal most the afternoon and even took a short nap. My number on the TRB actually got lower quite fast as they were moving freight out pretty good. Then they came to me!!! I sat and sat and sat until just before the terminal closed. I got the last load out and it was to Memphis.
I fueled(143 gallons) and talked with a couple drivers for some time before I left for Dallas. I left the terminal at 7:15 PM MST and headed east on I-10. I was running by myself and enjoying the evening. I wasn't in a hurry so after getting on I-20, I stopped at a big truckstop at Pecos Texas for the night. The time was 11:30 PM CST so I walked around alittle and then went to bed...
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...
July 5, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
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)
- DOT-Minnesota (2)
- DOT-Quebec (1)
- drive-why??? (1)
- drunk driver (1)
- DWIs and DUIs (3)
- Elvis Presley (2)
- fishing (1)
- food (4)
- friends (8)
- ghosts (3)
- Grapevine (1)
- Halloween of '91 (1)
- Hee-Haw (2)
- Highway Patrol-Arkansa (1)
- Highway Patrol-California (2)
- Highway Patrol-Indiana (1)
- Highway Patrol-Iowa (1)
- Highway Patrol-Kentucky (1)
- Highway Patrol-Missouri (4)
- Highway Patrol-Ohio (4)
- Highway Patrol-Oklahoma (1)
- Highway Patrol-Texas (2)
- Highway Patrol-Utah (1)
- Highway Patrol-Wyoming (1)
- hobbies (2)
- holidays (2)
- hunting-turkey accident (2)
- interesting (3)
- jackknife video (1)
- Just in time trucking (1)
- load content-strange (1)
- load turn down policy (1)
- 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)
- people (10)
- people-nicer ones (1)
- pictures-all (8)
- pictures-Bucksnort (1)
- pictures-cargo problems (1)
- pictures-deer and Nephton mines (1)
- pictures-Hayward parking (1)
- pictures-Lake Ontario (1)
- pictures-moose (1)
- pictures-Needmore Road (1)
- pictures-tailgating accidents (1)
- pictures-the "little" ticket (1)
- Pictures-turkey hunting (1)
- places to see (13)
- Police-Cleveland (1)
- Police-Jersey City (1)
- Police-New York City (2)
- Police-the "little" ticket (1)
- popcorn capital??? (1)
- registrations (2)
- rejected loads (3)
- relatives (1)
- restaurant-#1 favorite (1)
- restaurants-good ones (5)
- Rider permits (1)
- ripped off... (1)
- security-truck (3)
- side notes (14)
- snoring (1)
- speed trap (4)
- teaching trucking (2)
- The Big Texan (1)
- theft (1)
- tire blow out (2)
- tornadoes (2)
- Touring notes (2)
- trucker decisions (9)
- trucker frustrations (41)
- trucker helpful hint (21)
- trucker mistakes (1)
- trucker spouses (2)
- trucker want-to-be's (2)
- Trucking Student Questions (4)
- unreasonables (1)
- vehicle inspection (2)
- violation (51)
- water-drinking (2)
- weapons-weird ones (1)
- Weather (5)
- witches (1)
Blog Archive
- ▼ 2011 (365)
- ► 2010 (365)
No comments:
Post a Comment