truck stop humor

truck stop humor

   Oct 1, 2009

      truck stop humor

       i think my shifting is getting better at least will is yelling less. this is probably our fourth trip from to kent and im felling more comfortable down shifting  when going up hill.  ive figured out 20 to 30 thousand pounds is the what i like. but boy oh boy,   above that 43,45 thousand pounds, like paper rolls from the mill. i hate shifting with   that weight.

      it usually my turn to drive during  the day and that means i get to cross shasta and ashland.  but by 5 or 6 p

m we are looking for   a place to switch drivers, will is busy counting his hours some times when it is dark he takes over un-officially.

      today we changed drivers at the truck stop in aurora, near salem.  as we got closer to the truck stop a sweet voice came on the cb asking...in her sweetest southern drawl.....

 

if anybody   was going to los angels. shes been trying to catch a ride all day.... and  as is my nature,  i started being sarcastic, answering her in my best southern drawl.....

honey, youve been trying all day to get a ride to la, what is wrong with this world when a working girl cant get a job, well bless your working little heart, opps i guess its not your heart that does all the work. honey, you are just sooo  sweet your giving me a tooth ache, tell me sugar,where your from do they pronounce it skank, or whore.... and you get the idea.  then towards the end of my rant i was saying...

 

give me a break that lot lizard needs to get a real job and stop stealing money from the working men around here... her accent is as phony as mine. why any real man would spend his hard earned money on something like that is beyond me.

what level of hell did dante put whores on.

well i figured this was in the privacy of the truck but i didnt notice that will  had reached over and was holding  the mic on the cb. (and just laughing) so everyone at the truck stop heard me.

the cb traffic was dead silent for at least one minute. then one  driver came on and said, so you think there's going to be any action around here tonight.

 since there are not a lot of women drivers its hard for me  to remain anonymous on the cb. needless to say, i didnt go in and use their bathroom. down the road we went. 

i guess that will cost me karma points.

      will thought it was the funniest thing ever.

      its nice to know that after 27 years will is finally learning to appreciate the Adams Family since of humor.

love and miss you all

   Sep 22, 2009

      fresno

      we are in fresno waiting to pick up another haz mat load from fed-ex headed for kent washington. our driver manager said she would sign us up for their dedicated run.  not too sure what that means it sounds like we should have a round trip from kent to fresno and back again. but just because it sounds sensiable doesnt mean swift is going to do it.  we will wait and see.

      while driving here we passed a road sign that said

       'sleepy hollow pet cemetery. get the respect and dignity your pet deserves, just ahead, take exit 666'

      for real, you cant make this stuff up.

      when we drop off our paper rolls in los angles, we noticed an odd hole in the side of our trailer.  it wasnt there when we picked up the trailer and wasnt there in the morning, when will did his walk around inspection. looks like a bullett hole. 

      i dont know. its so hot down here no wonder people are crazy.  cant wait to get back to the pacific northwest even if its for a day or two.

      since we are sitting here in fresno and its almost dark we need to eat and find a safe place to park until 2am.

      miss and love you all

home

Monday, April 18, 2011

need more home time

      Sep 5, 2009

      home sweet home

      well i thought i already posted this but i could not see it so hope im not posting it twice.

      two days at home is not long enough. we did get to have a fish fry with everyone. got to spend one whole day with the grand daughters. got to pick up natelie from preschool. she is learning cirlces.  '...but they are really  hard grandma.'

 got to take kenny to the movies. we saw shorts. (really save your money)

      got to get caught up with the kids.

      gave our beaver tickets to sally and doug. hope they keep us up to the minute on what the score is.

      we did get to shampoo the carpet, pick up dog poo, pick up the apples all over the back yard. water the plants, inside and out. put gas in the car, sleep in our own bed, watch the big screen in comfy chairs, relax in the hot tub.

      we did not get to, dead head the flowers, get the garden ready for fall, mow the yard, knock down the spiders, see everyone we wanted to.

      we have a load to take to butte montana. its a haz mat load and its time sensitive, so there is no extra time allotted for this one.

      i know that when we get there we are going to be sitting there until monday or tuesday. they are not going to issue us a load on a holiday weekend.  i would much rather be sitting at home for 3 extra days.

i cant solve all the problems but maybe i can be there to help.

      thats about all thats new.

      love and miss you all,

good job....almost

Sunday, April 17, 2011

good backing job, almost

    Aug 23, 2009

      kansas to colorado springs to flagstaff, aizona

      that  was quite a thunder storm in kansas as we were leaving lots of lightening out this way. 

      i was trying to back into a spot i picked out.  it was away from everyone.  took me 3-4 pull ups then i thought i was done and somewhat proud of my effort when a guy came on the cb and said

 'darlin all your hard work was for nothing, your in a hazard material only spot' 

i said are you kidding me it took me forever to get in here straight

he laughed and said  'i saw that'

 

so i had to move.  i found a spot i could just pull thru.  (i know thats cheating )

      when we got to colorado springs we delivered ok and picked up an empty trailer and then went to wait for our reload.  we were able to find a truck stop with a back row wasnt very full so i could practice my backing.  it seems i do ok and will does ok teaching me when there is less stress involved.like no people watching. when i am practicing i back into a spot, then go around and do it again.  and nobody on the cb says anything. in fact some have come over and said its good that im practicing.  but when i try to back into a dock at a customer and i take too long everyone is yelling at me then, 

"come on swift, move that piece of shit"

  when im at a delivery or pickup and it takes me to long to back in will gets so nervous and upset that he takes the wheel and backs in. your doing it wrong, we dont have all day, move i'll do it.  i guess i get nervous  and make more mistakes too.

      we get a load going to flagstaff arizona. its just 800 miles so we can do it in one day. it ends up being my turn to drive through denver~~during rush hour.  but its not as bad as i thought. actually rush hour makes it easier for me.  its nice and slow. plenty of time to shift.  speaking of shifting, this load is a little heavier than the last one so id better be on top of my down shifting going up hill on this trip. 

      i did do better down shifting.  i figured out that i should take of the jake brakes (will leaves them on all the time, helps to slow down the truck faster) and that was the problem, i am not fast enough down shifting and the rpm's drop to fast for me. so i guess i'll do that until i get faster at shifting.

      we deliver our load saturday morning and are ready for another one.  hopefully one going home. we wait and wait and wait. but no load is being sent. so we end up staying the night and now its sunday evening and still no load.  i was able to  do some laundry. but dont worry i still have lots more to do when i get home.

      so while we are sitting here in flagstaff we finished up the sopranos  seasons 2 and 3 and  the tudors season 2. so thats another reason we need to get home, we are out of movies to watch. we will have to get the rest of the sopranos and also grab the deadwood series.

      well hope to be home soon.

      love and miss you all,

no diet vanilla pepsi

Sunday, April 17, 2011

no diet vanilla pepsi

      Aug 19, 2009

      shreveport, lousiana to valparaiso, idiana

      i have been out of diet pepsi vanilla, since denver.  what is up with that. i have been spending to much time worrying about my next vanilla pepsi fix.  i should be concentrating on shifting.  maybe its time to re-arrange my priorities.

      after driving from louisana to indiana, its obvious that we are fortunate to live in a beautiful country.  even if there are deserts.  will says i cant see the beauty in the desert, but i said i can after it rains.

      i dont think this country grows anything eles except corn.  from the road and in any state thats all i see growing.  america sleep safe knowing there will never be a corn shortish

      i drove through dallas~~glad thats over. and i drove the out skirts of chicago.~~wish we could have stopped for a chicago deep dish pizza.  we passed the cook county and  joliet  exits, '...on wendesday nights they serve a wicked pepper steak,- cant be as bad as the meatloaf at birch trail slammer...' 

      we are here and ready to deliver in indiana in the morning. just going to eat dinner and get a good nights sleep.

      BEEP.....BEEP......BEEP  the qualcom goes off about midnight.  they have a load that needs to go to harrisonville, missouri by 9am.  they want us to drop off our trailer and pick up this 'hot load.'

  '....we have 1/2 a tank of fuel, its dark out and we're wearing sun glasses, lets hit it...'

      so off we go.  will drives while i sleep. and when i wake up we're in Missouri and its raining!!!  YEAH  its been so long since i saw rain, my web feet were starting to crack.

      oh hey, we  passed blues springs, Missouri, home of david cook, American idol winner.

      we drop off our load and wait now for a reload  hopefully one headed west.

      we got our load and it goes to denver, i already know denver is out of diet vanilla pepsi.

      its my turn to drive and at least i get to drive the freeway. in kansas.  its a nice freeway.  we are just ahead of and west of several big storms.  i drove through a little of it. just regular rain, but then after we went by it really developed into something big. warnings were all over the radio, and even at the rest stop they had the storm warnings playing over a loud speaker.

the rain was just awful. but it was the wind that was scary to me.  will  woke up and just told me to slow down,(i didnt think i could go any slower) anyway by then we were just about through it.

                                    oh hail, its hailing now
it is still hard to be away from home when people need me.  how can i be a good mother when i cant even be there for a shoulder to cry on. maybe i cant fix the problems but at least be there.  i know there have been lots of times a hug from my mom made me feel better.  i really want to go home.

love and miss you all

get out of denver.....

Sunday, April 17, 2011

get out of denver baby, go-go

     Aug 16, 2009

      get out of denver, baby, go go

      i think bob seger was wrong when he sang get out of denver...,

we cant get a load out.  the drivers lounge is full and there are many owner / operators waiting. so while we wait we take advantage of the laundry and showers.   just a litter side note, the denver police force is well funded.  there are cops all over the freeway pulling cars over.

      we walked to walmart, just down the street a few blocks,(then through a field and across 2 sets of rail road tracks)through the field there were prairie dogs and as the path led us close to a mound we could hear the prairie dog bark ~more like a squeak~ to warn the others about us.  and just as we got close he would duck back in his hole and the next guard would send out his alert.  it took about 5 prairie  dog alerts to cross the field.  that was fun to watch, almost as much as merkat manor.

      fianlly got a load, we are off to shreveport louisiana.  i'll have to call sally and doug for tips on speaking and understanding cajun. Maybe we can catch some music

      we are here in shreveport.  oh my gosh, is it hot and humid.  the truck stop was full when we got here, about 10pm and we had just decided to park on a side street. Just as we were settling in for the night, we saw someone leave, we suddenly became parking lot stalkers. but we got the spot. we have not turned the truck off and we are here until monday.  the 1 load of laundry isnt going to get done today. although there are 4 washers only one is working. and with the humidity it would take 5 times through the dryer i'm sure.  but im also sure after we deliver in the morning we wont get a load out right away, so im hoping there is a regular laundromat down town.  i just dont want it to pile up like before.

     

i cant believe how hot and humid it is here and i cant believe I am the only one complaining about it.

there is so much going on at home. i wish i could be there. its very hard to know one of your kids needs you and all you can say is im just a phone call away.

but dont call while im driving i cant talk.

i dont like driving. i wish i could get another job and be there for my kids like a mother should be.

      hope to get home soon

      miss and love you all

new mexico to denver

Sunday, April 17, 2011

new mexico to denver

     Aug 14, 2009

      new mexico to denver

      while driving to new mexico we passed a lot of sights in arizona.  we passed the exit for sedona az, the spiritual and metaphysical mecca for hippies  and gypsies.  we passed the exit for meteor crater the best preserved  meteorite crater on earth.  we passed the exit for winslow. ~~standing on a corner in winslow arizona, such a fine site to see~~.

  we passed the petrified forest national park, world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood.  passed both the grand cayon and walnut canyon, (probally grand in its own right)

      I40 would be a great route for a vacation.

      Albuquerque new mexico is one of the nicest big cities ive been to.

      the folks are very friendly, poliet and helpful.  the roads are neat and clean.  not over crowded, what a difference 24 hours makes.  and the town smells so good.  like peppers and onions.  they must use red dirt in the cement.  the freeway and over passes were framed with a coral/terracotta colored cement.  a lot easier on the eye than staring at white cement full of graffiti. 

      after we picked up our load we are headed to denver.  its only 400 miles. not a good pay day. but it is what it is.  hoping to get back home soon.  i miss everyone.

      since i'm driving to denver i hope im better at down shifting going up hills, than i was driving here.  i kept missing gears.  ended up stopping on a 7% grade and starting in 1st. 

a big NO NO very dangerous. will was yelling at me, the construction workers were looking, even they know im not suppose to be stopping.

      we arrived at our drop off location.  will ended up driving around aurora, co. we had a 5 am appointment. but the guy with the bolt cutters dosent come on until 6 so they cant cut off the seal until then.  are you kidding me!! so we wait.  if it isnt one thing its another.

      love and miss you all,

where are we going

Sunday, April 17, 2011

where are we going

      Aug 12, 2009

      where are we going??

      we sat after unloading for about 5 hours, waiting to be dispatched.  according to swift rules we are not allowed to be parked on the street in the los angles, and we were within there little circle of where not to stay.  so will asked for permission to drive to a secure location, because it was too far for us to just decide on our own to drive.  an hour past and no response so he asked again, stating that the sun was going down and we needed to relocate. again we waited and waited. no response so finally will sent a message "dark now. need secure yard with facilities. female co-driver"  it was just a few minutes later we got  the 'your good to go' message.

      we thought they were taking there time dispatching us because they were looking for something north to get us home for a day.  but at 3am the qualcomm beeped and we were dispatched to north carolina.   we drive to L A and pick up a trailer in the mersk ship yard going to a walmart in NC.

  as soon as i raise the landing gear swift tells us the delivery has changed and we need to be in NC in 2 days.  we cant do that.  i'm not ready to drive team miles yet, and will told our dispatcher that just yesterday.  i cant drive with will in the sleeper.  and im not even expected to be ready for 2 more weeks.  so we told the dispatcher and her response was ' i have faith you two are doing great' our response was 'NO" we can not do it.  we asked what they wanted us to do first they argued with us about my driving abilities.  then decided we can drop the trailer in oklahoma city in 2 days so we started off to ok city. then swift told us to drop the trailer in albuquerque new mexico in 1 day.  alright then. so i think thats where we are going.  will is so mad at them, he was ready to leave the truck and take a bus home.

      i hope things get better in albuquerque .  but we will probably have to sit there for a day before we get a reload.  that will probably be our punishment.

love and miss you all

pomona

Sunday, April 17, 2011

omak to pomona

  Aug 10, 2009

      omak,wa to pomona,ca

      we had to drive about 200 miles of what seemed like old logging roads, to get to our   next pick up.  rolls of newsprint bound for pomona, ca.  guess we are done with the light  loads. 

we weigh 79,888.  boy does it drive different.  i have to get faster at  shifting because the rpm's really drop fast the heavier you are.  i drove from omak to spokane.  i was suppose to drive further, but when will saw me starting to panic because spokane   was busy, small driving lanes, and pretty hilly, he took over at a stop light. ( sshhh dont tell anyone)

      when we stopped for a break we discovered i had hit an owl, or a hawk, it was hard  to tell, but will put his gloves on and took it off the grill.

                                      i'm sure it wasn't this owl

      we stayed monday in fontana at the swift yard.  looking forward to a free shower and good laundry facilities.  we finally found the showers, out back in a trailer. no place to do laundry. we still have some clean clothes left, but its a shame to waist this time.  if will knew the fontana yard was like this we would have stayed at the flying j. but we're here now.  our load delivers tuesday in pomona.  will has figured out the hours so i dont have to drive.  yeah!!

      we are so close and yet so far from relatives.  little brother joey over in santee and aunt nadine and cousins in pasadena.  wish we were here for a little longer.......

      love and miss you all

omak suicide race

Sunday, April 17, 2011

omak suicide race

 Aug 7, 2009

      heading north suicide

      after a very windy night in kennewick washington we are off to make our home depot deliverys. kennewick, richland, moses lake and omak.  along the way we are hoping to find a walmart so we can pick up a few supplies.  number one on the list diet pepsi vanilla.  the last walmart did not have any so i had to settle for diet dr. pepper. (and we need more drink water too)

      so far everyone has been nice, no big problems.  one nice man even offered me a cookie.... after he gave me #$%& while i was backing up and parking. and after i did it right he came back on the cb and said well, well give the little lady a cookie.

           it makes will more nervous when i park than it makes me.  i know im learning, but will doesnt want me putting up with all the negative comments, he usually turns the cb off when i start to park, he forgot that time.  but i can do an angle back good enough now. so i guess i can only get better right. i think he is afraid that people will watch this swift driver try to back and it is taking so long etc, he is afraid it makes him look bad, and with 30 years experience he doesnt want to put up with that.

           we are in omak washington , we probably wont get a reload out of here, so looks like we are here for 34 hours.  we did get to a walmart and yes they did have diet vanilla pepsi.  

 Omak is famous ~~if thats what you want to call it~~ for the Omak Suicide Race.  its going on this weekend.  it involves horses and riders. they start with a 120 foot full gallop, the horses and riders continue down a 210 foot down hill at a 62 degree angle.  after a panicked swim of more that 100 yards the horses face the final grueling uphill sprint.  over the past 25 years 20 horses have died.  for the life of me i dont know why any town would want this as their claim to fame.

                                  this is from their web site.

    

  so needless to say we wont be enjoying  any local events on this 34 hours off.  we'll just hang out at the truck stop.

      hope everyone is doing well

      love and miss you,

salt lake city

Sunday, April 17, 2011

salt lake city

      Aug 6, 2009

      salt lake city

      im going to try and post some pictures of the Bonnieville Salt flats.

      Yes, it was hot 105.  there was a 2 story viewing platform we could take the pictures from.

   

   after will figures out our route and who will be driving when, he enters the route into the co-pilot  program on the lap top and from there its a breeze.

      the co pilot voice tells you when to turn and most importantly tells you how to get back on route if you miss your turn.

      we are going to have to start eating in the truck more. eating out is expensive and not good on my tummy.

      its not like we dont have any food in the truck, it just that we need to get out of the truck.

      we spent time in salt lake city utah.  makes me miss oregon. from salt lake city, i drove to pasco washington,

      (yes, i drove). we have about 20 hours here because we cant deliver at home depot until 10am.

      then 3 more home depot stops and we will be ready to get reloaded. but the way they work things, we'll probably   end up sitting here all weekend without a load and without making money.

      i did get in some backing ~ parking in. it's still pretty tricky but i think i'm getting the hang of it.

      i also need to work harder on my down shifting. too much grinding gears.  i did  however drive cabbage on I84.  (good thing we were light)

 it was a slow trip.

love and miss you all

k falls

k falls

      Aug 2, 2009       k falls, oregon   

     here we sit in k-falls, oregon.  we went to an online truck stop finder, but that truck stop did not have anything the web advertised.  no showers, no laundry, no restaurant, no truckers lounge.  being hot, sticky, and in need of clean clothes, we had to stay at the motel next door.(i have a sneaking suspicion  that the motel listed all the amenities for the truck stop, knowing once your here, your here.)

  i have been practicing  my backing. i still need a spoter. i still should not be left alone when it comes to backing.

  it is taking quite a lot of compromise on will's part.  he is used to doing this job by himself, and everytime i ask him can i do that, want me to hold that, want me to look that up for you, the answer is always, no i got it.  if i didnt talk so much he'd probally forget he has a co-driver to help.

  so this is one big learning experience for both of us.  we are able to leave here at 6 am monday so we'll just have to wait and see when we get dispatched and where we go.  its not as hot here as it was getting here. so we shall see where we end up next. 

    Love and  miss you all,

off like a heard of turtles

off like a herd of turtles.

      Jul 30, 2009

      off like a heard of turtles

      well we are finally ready to hit the road. we went from Portland, Oregon to Bellingham, Washington, a Lowes load.  We get there after thinking we were going to a Lowes distribution center not a Lowes store. so will turn 75 feet around and headed back to the store. we unhooked our trailer at the dock and then hooked up to the empty one waiting for us and the glad hands/coupling was broke, so we had to call for road services.  and now we are out of hours and have to hang out in the lowes parking lot.  but its all a learning experience.

                                      look mom , no hands!

Love and miss you all

getting started

      Jul 15, 2009

      getting started

      Well here I am about to start a new chapter in my life. Chapter 10 truck driver.....

      Chapter 1, childhood. being the oldest of 6 that was a long chapter.....

      Chapter 2,  mother hood. Paige is the star character in this chapter of my life.....

      Chapter 3, marriage and divorce. A short but necessary chapter.....

      Chapter 4, new love new challenges. My second daughter Jennifer and my husband Will, help write this chapter.....

      Chapter 5, ten years later. Our son willis rounds out our family, ten years younger than his sisters.....

      Chapter 6, life, love and marriage. Just life as we know it....

      Chapter 7, grown kids. The Girls get married....

      Chapter 8, grand kids. Kenny, Mariah, natelie, and lilly. This is the best chapter and I hope it gets so big it needs its own book.....

      Chapter 9 gains and losses. Lost my job, but gained a sense of who my friends are, and what family really means.....

      Chapter 10, truck driving mama. Still making entries in to this chapter.....

      .. ..

      After tearing my rotator cuff, I had to find a new job. I got my school bus enforcement. I was only working as a substitute driver, which gave me about 3 hours a week. Which didn’t pay any bills.

      So it seemed to Will and I the next logical step would be for me to get my CDL class A and we can become team drivers. Our plan was to work for the company Will was driving for, but after I went to school and got my license his employer told him they wouldn’t be able to get around the insurance requirement of 2 years experience. They had hoped that his 25 years experience would sway the insurance company. They did not sway or bend. Bummer. The next company I went to, I didn’t pass the backing test. Bummer. So now we are heading off to another trucking company. Will is already there and I about to start...

      Ive been trying to figure out what to bring. 7 pants, 14 shirts, 14 under things, shoes, socks, towels, bathroom gear, oh my gosh that’s a whole bag by itself, the powder, soap, deodorant, make up, hair stuff curling iron, hair blower, etc.....

      Food. I have to think carefully about this part. My IBS wont let me eat just anything, especially since that bathroom is more than 10 feet away. So lets see. Crackers, peanut butter ~~ok food is taken care of.....

      Music. Even though we have sirius radio in the truck, but id better take along my favorites . Jimmy buffett, john butler trio, maria muldar, warren zevon, bonnie rait, shemeka Copeland, the uppity blues women.....

      .. ..Other entertainment. Looking though my book case to see what books I can read again. Pillars of the earth, world without end, the shack, dalai lama in my own words, wicked. Or maybe one of the new ones I have but haven’t gotten around to , divine comedy, son of a witch, confessions of an ugly stepsister. Have to remember to grab a couple of movies from our library. The sopranos, the tudors, and will already has his favorites but I don’t need to list those titles, im sure you can guess those.....

      I don’t think I need my belly dancing instructional videos. But I should add some cd’s so I can listen to the music and visualize my moves.....

      What if I get tired of reading. Maybe I should bring a craft project. What about a crochet or knitting project. I’ll have to look around a see what I can come up with.....

      I guess I should wrap this up. I have a lot to do before I hit the road, like, slimming down my list of things to taking. Shampoo the carpets, knock down the spider webs, pull weeds, wash windows. Show someone how to work the vacuum, dish washer, and clothes washer. Make sure they can find the broom and mop.

      Someone has got to take care of the dog. Sergeant Schultz ruptured his Achilles tendon, behind his hock on his rear right foot. that’s not what its called on a dog, but that’s what it's equal to for us. He cant bear weight on it. So he has been tri-poding around here for quite awhile. Getting weekly shots for inflammation and daily pills for pain. The vet said the only way to fix it and bring back the integrity of the tendon is to go to an orthopedic surgeon. But since I couldn’t afford to go to an orthopedic surgeon its awfully hard to justify taking our dog to one.....

      Well I hope this blog thing works out. i'll see how often i get around to posting. Hope it’s a good way to let family and friends know where we are and what we’re doing. ....