FIRST 5 YEARS:(Tuesday-Joplin, Missouri)
The shop repaired my tractor while I slept. They got done with it about 5 AM CST and put the trailer in the tractor yard while I slept.
I woke and was in the terminal by 8 AM CST. I found Branywine(female driver/trainer) and her trainee in the drivers' lounge. She was upset that she had to bobtail, with her trainee, to Ft. Madison, Iowa to pick up a brand new trailer. I didn't really want to go to Indianapolis so we traded assignments.
By 9:30 AM CST I was on my way to Fort Madison bobtailing northeast on I-44. Got to Lebanon(Missouri) and took Hwy 5 north to Camdenton where I took Hwy 54 to Fulton(Missouri). In Fulton, I checked my post office box for mail and checked in with my insurance man and his cute assistant. I and the assistant--"Warm Heart"--talked for about 45 minutes about travel, especially around Erie, Pennsylvania where she was from.
Continued up Hwy 54 to where it intersects with Hwy 15. Took Hwy 15 to Center(Missouri) and took county road "H" north to Hwy 24. A very short distance on Hwy 24 and I got to Hwy 61 northbound.
With Hwy 61, I went to Fort Madison, Iowa and found the trailer dealer. I got there around 8:15 PM CST and was able to get my new trailer. I tooked it up and the lights didn't work correctly. I reported it to the security guard and he put a seal on the trailer doors--made sure I didn't put anything in the trailer while in the plant--and sent me back into the factory area. The fellow then came out and fixed the problem. THIS SEAL ON THE TRAILER DOORS PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN THE FUTURE HISTORY OF THE TRAILER--SEE TOMORROWS BLOG FOR DETAILS.
I called dispatch and they had no load for me. I went down to the parking lot behind the Country Kitchen restaurant and stayed there for the night...
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...
January 14, 2012
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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)
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- drive-why??? (1)
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- 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)
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- people-nicer ones (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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- side notes (14)
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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)
- trucker want-to-be's (2)
- Trucking Student Questions (4)
- unreasonables (1)
- vehicle inspection (2)
- violation (51)
- water-drinking (2)
- weapons-weird ones (1)
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