January 22, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Tuesday-Iowa City, Iowa)
Woke up at 8:15 AM CST and walked around the truckstop terminal a short time. I was heading east on I-80 by 9 AM CST. I traveled around the Quad-Cities into Illinois and into Indiana an hour and a half. I stopped at Lake Station for lunch at 2:30 PM CST. I had a fast lunch and was headed east on I-94 by 3:30 PM CST.

I got to our Taylor(Detroit) terminal just before 7:30 PM EST. I dropped my trailer in the terminal yard and checked with dispatch. Dispatch gave me another load immediately. I was to go to Utica, Michigan, pick up a loaded trailer and deliver it to the Kansas City(Claycomo), Missouri Ford plant.

I fueled(128 gallons) and headed for Utica. This plant I went to seemed like the only one I have been to that is more than a couple miles off the interstate or major highway. I went down miles of stoplights and bumper to bumper traffic before getting to the plant. I dropped my trailer and was told to pick up another. The storage area for the trailers is(was???) on an old oval race track with the ends inclined. I had to drive over the inclined section to get to my loaded trailer. I left the Utica plant at 10 PM EST with the snow starting to fall. Driving west on I-94 as my day ended...

January 21, 1991, 2011

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Monday-Kansas City, Missouri)
Was up and checking with dispatch at 5:30 AM CST. I was told to take my trailer to Lenexa, Kansas and drop it at the receiver's. No trailer to pick up so I just bobtail back to the Kansas City terminal.

I was back in the terminal at 9 AM CST and on the TRB. Sat around the terminal and finally got a load at 4:30 PM CST. The load???? Take an empty trailer to Ottumwa, Iowa and switch it for a loaded one going to the Taylor(Detroit) Michigan terminal.

I got the empty trailer hooked up and was on my way to Ottumwa by 5 PM CST. I was in the rush hour traffic a very short time while on I-35 northbound. Scale house was closed but I didn't have anything to worry about. Into Iowa and to Hwy 34 at Osceola(Iowa). Went east on Hwy 34 to Ottumwa, finding the shipper's trailers on the east side of town.

Dropped my empty trailer and backed up under the loaded one getting ready to hook to the king pin(the trailer "pin" that the tractor hooks to). With the front of the trailer sitting securely on the fifth wheel(The place on the tractor where the trailer rides) I got out to roll the dollies(the stands that hold the trailer front up) and found them locked frozen.

Dollies are composed of several gears in a gear box. The trailer I was picking up had a gear box that had gotten water in it and the temperature when I got the trailer was at 5 degrees....frozen solid. I had to hit the gear box with a hammer and spray WD 40 into the box, hoping to break up the ice and melt it a little. It took some doing but I finally got the dollies working.
Trucker Helpful Hint: When dealing with frozen parts on a trailer, use FLAME "as a last resort" if at all. I just fear the chance that a "fire" might get away from you and...There are ice melting sprays you can store-if legal with the federal DOT-in your side boxes for these problems...

Got all hooked up and called dispatch; I was told to take it to our Taylor(Detroit) terminal where I am to drop it. Left Ottumwa at 9:30 PM CST on Hwy 34 east. At Fairfield(Iowa) I took Hwy 1 north. As I was getting close to Washington(Iowa), I had a pickup truck pass me driving fast and erratically. I called a law enforcement person on CB channel 9(the old emergency CB number) and by the time I passed Washington the law had the pickup stopped. I got back on the CB radio channel 9 and called the police about the pickup truck. The officer I talked with told me that the OLD fellow they stopped was drunk AND that he had stolen the pickup....

I continued to the Hawkeye truckstop in Iowa City(Iowa) getting there at 11:45 PM CST. went to sleep for the night...