Swan song

It is with more than just a little embarrassment and a great deal of sadness that I have to end this blog.  This will be my last and probably my final post on this blog.  I had an accident.  Not a bad accident, but an accident all the same.  That made my third and final accident.  None of them were very bad.  They didn't involve another vehicle.  They weren't on a road or highway.  I still have a completely clean driving record, no speeding tickets or other citations of any kind.  My record with the DOT is completely clean, but I will not be able to get another job driving for at least another year or two.  There is an industry database that all transportation companies report to.  They report all accidents that they consider an accident into this reporting system.  They call these incidents "preventable accidents".  Since I  hit something......Swift considers it an accident.  I hit a curb and bent a rim,  I hit a yellow pole and left some yellow paint on the trailer.  I pulled to the left to avoid another driver in an entrance gate and hit another yellow pole.....
Three preventable accidents....three accidents reported into the DAC system..... Swift terminates my employment due to safety concerns.  Now I have found out that it will take at least a year or two before another transportation company will hire me.......

So my big Truck Adventure is over for now.  Who knows, I may have to give it another try later......but for now....it is time to look for another source of income.....   Thanks for all the comments.  I enjoyed it while it lasted.......Tom

Back to driving nights

It seems I am back to driving nights again.  That's OK, I get to see more sunrises this way.  I was trying to figure out just when it was that I started enjoying sunrises so much.  It seems that I have always enjoyed them.  I remember seeing some memorable sunrises when Diane and I were in Hawaii.  That was a lifetime ago.  But the more I think about it, it probably has something to do with the memories I have of going to the beach on Sunday mornings when we first moved down to Ft. Lauderdale.  We used to get up while it was still dark and drive to the beach. We would go the southern part of the beach near the Yankee Clipper hotel.  It is the hotel that was built to look like a cruise ship right on the beach. (It is still there, under a different name.  I posted a couple of pictures of it here a few months ago)  They used to have picnic tables on the beach.  My father would cook us breakfast on a Coleman camping stove.  Bacon and eggs basted in the bacon grease.  Not good for your heart .....but great for your soul......  We would watch the sun come up and eat breakfast.  You can see the sun coming before it peeks up over the horizon.  The glow shows up first.......That's when you start to get the really good colors......  After the sun came up and we had filled our stomachs, we would play in the water and build sand castles.........  I can't remember if we had started using "skim boards" yet or not......I guess seeing the sunrises now brings back those good memories for me....

The last couple of nights have been spent in Iowa.  I had stops in Des Moines and Oskaloosa the first night and last night the stops were in Kirksville, MO, Oskaloosa and Pella Iowa.  I would have stopped by to visit with our Niece Laura and her new baby Emma in Oskaloosa,  but 3:00am just doesn't seem to be the best time for a social call.  If I ever get there during the daytime, I promise I will call.......

I have received my marching orders for this evening.  I will be making deliveries in Washington, Wentzville and St. Peters, MO this morning.  I also have a scheduled pickup at Pevely Dairy in Hazelwood, MO as soon as I can get there in the morning.  It is officially scheduled for 8:00am, but if I can get there before that time, I am told that they will load me early.  I would like to get into and out of the St. Louis area as early as I can.  I don't like having to drive in Rush Hour traffic on a Monday morning if I can help it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week....I will be giving it my best shot......Tom

Sunrise in Northern Missouri

I took these pictures this morning.  I was driving south on Highway 63 in between Kirksville and Macon, MO.  I put up a couple of pictures that I took on either Wednesday or Thursday earlier in the week.  I was on Highway 70 and coupdn't get pulled over in time to get the really good colors.  Today was much easier to do since there wasn't as much traffic on Highway 63.

Sunrise cont.

I was pleased with how well the colors showed up in these pictures.  Not bad for a camera on a cell phone!

Sunrise

I took these pictures the other day.  Not quite as spectacular as the pictures from this morning.

Thursdau 1-05-12

Hello and good afternoon.  I received an unusual load yesterday.  It turned out to be a day run!  I was able to pick up the load and be on the road b y 4:00 in the afternoon.  That is very unusual for me lately.  The nicest thing about that load was that there was only two stops and both of them were in the St. Louis area.  The last stop was for the St. Peters store!  That is the store were I park my truck.  I was done by 8:30pm.  I wasn't too happy when I went to start the Jeep and it was dead.  Diane had to come and give me a jump so I could get it started.  I was really angry with myself when I figured out that the reason the battery was dead was because I forgot to turn out the lights.  I was able to spend the night at home last night.  That is always a good thing.  I slept in and have been waiting for my dispatcher to send me a load for today.  While I was just hanging around and waiting, I was able to get a few thing done.  I was able to get the Chrystler re licensed.  It really wasn't all that much of an accomplishment since Diane and the kids did all the hard work. They got the car inspected.  I was able to finally get my present to my mother for Christmas in the mail.  Sorry it is so late Mom.  I was also able to do my laundry.....

I just got my load assignment for tonight.  I will pick up the load at 8:45 this evening.  I have stops in Columbia, Washington and Sullivan, MO.  I also have a pick up in Warrenton, MO at the caves at 7:00 tomorrow morning.  I will be taking whatever I pick up there back to the DC in Moberly.  So it will be a long night.....but the weather couldn't be better...so no time for complaining.....Hope you had a wonderful day today......Talk to you again tomorrow....Tom

Wednesday 1-04-12

Good afternoon......

I am sitting here waiting to receive my load assignment for today.  Monday and Tuesday were spent driving up to Milwaukee and back.  I delivered to stores in West Burlington and Muscatine, IA.  Then on over to Illinois.  I delivered to Silvis and Galesburg, IL.  When I had emptied my trailer, I drove it to a Cargil plant in downtown Milwaukee, WI. I got to Milwaukee right in the middle of morning rush hour traffic.  You haven't lived until you driven a big truck in rush hour traffic.  You want to leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front of you....just in case they slam on their brakes.  Just as soon as you get enough room, someone will cut in front of you......I know I have been guilty of doing the same thing in my car....had I known how mad I was making that truck driver when I did it......I think I would have stopped doing that a long time ago......OK i will get off my soapbox....  I arrived at the Cargil plant with an hour and one half left to drive.   I was a little disappointed that the load wasn't ready, so I had to take my 10 hour break at the plant.  There is a Casino within walking distance.  I hear there is a good restaurant there.  I passed on that and cooked in my truck instead.  I slept and watched some TV.  I completed my ten hour break, hooked to my new trailer and was back on the road by 7:30 pm.  I got back to Moberly around 2:30 this morning.  I tried to update my blog, but was too tired .....so I ate some dinner and went to bed. 

So now I have to sit here and wait to hear where I will be heading this evening.  I don't know that I will get a load for sure........I expect to get one...but we will see.....Have a great day today......Tom

New Years Day.....

I can't believe that I am spending a New Years day and haven't even watched one football game!  I can't remember the last time that has happened.  I woke up around three o'clock this afternoon.  Last night and this morning I delivered to three stores in Galesburg, Kewanee and Silvis, Ill.  The last stop in Silvis, Il is in the Quad Cities area on the border between Illinois and Iowa.  I finished up around three thirty in the morning.  I then had a four plus hour drive back to Moberly.  There were wind advisories and it was not much fun trying to keep an empty trailer on the road.  I got back to Moberly around seven forty five this morning.  It was a good run with good miles (518)

I received my load assignment this afternoon. This load has about half the miles, but one more stop.  I will be visiting Walmart stores in Troy, Wentzville, Warrenton and Mexico, Mo.  It should be ready to around nine thirty this evening.  I should be done some time around six this morning.  I have been getting some good sleep so far this week.  I keep hearing that the amount of freight going to the Walmart stores will be slowing down now that the holidays have passed.  We will see how it goes and how long I can continue to work form here.  If it slows down dramatically, I will probably have to go back to driving over the road.  We will see.  Have a good night......
                      Tom