Up at 6:15 to head to Chicago.  The mountains are pretty this morning.  All foggy.  Got a long way to go still, almost 600 miles and only 9 hours to do it in.  Here’s hoping we don’t hit holiday traffic.

DG:  Found another Motel 6 close to our stop so decided on a room and a shower. No bedbugs this time though. The truck does get pretty small sometimes.

Ordered a pizza and spaghetti from a local Italian place and it was very good.

Watching TV and just having a relaxing evening. Nothing to see here. Move along. Just two people having a relaxing evening.

Interesting thing happened on the highway today. We were traveling north on I-57, speed limit 70 mph so I had my cruise set.  Usually cars are passing me when I’m doing the posted speed limit. I notice a line of cars behind me in the left lane and a longer string of cars directly behind me. The lead car in the left lane was staying about even with the back end of my trailer. This went on for several miles without any change in speed or position.  I thought, “What’s going on here?”  So I start to slow down a bit. The cars in the left lane start to pass me and as soon as I see the State Trooper that was the second car back on the left I realized what was going on. As soon as he cleared the front of my truck he sped on leaving everyone else behind and of course with him gone everybody came around me and sped down the road exceeding the speed limit as usual. Everything was back to normal.

Up about 7 and headed down the road to Albany, Geogia to get a load of candy.  Just great!   We stopped at a convenient store for caffeine and got boiled peanuts for breakfast.  Love those things!   I know mom, you’re making a face right now.  Haha 

We got our load of 40,000 pounds of peanuts and are headed to the M&M factory outside Chicago.   Yummy!

Traffic around Atlanta was crazy again.  I swear I couldn’t sit in that to and from work every day.   We were over an hour just getting around Atlanta.   No thanks. 

Made pretty good time after that until there was a wreck just outside of Chattanooga. Looked like a truck hauling a camper turned over.  Not sure how that happened.  I didn’t see any other cars involved.   We waited probably an hour or longer there.  

Needless to say, it was late when we got in to the Loves truck stop north of Chattanooga.   We were able to take a shower though and eat so all is good now.  

I’m off to bed.  Got a 6:15 wake up call.  

Goodnight y’all. 

Up at 7 am.  Took a Benadryl last night to help with the itching and slept like a log.  I don’t even think I moved.  Haha.   Itching and swelling some better this morning though which is good.  

We have just a little over 300 miles to go today.  

DG:  GPS, what are they good for?  They will get you lost unless you check their given route with a map. Today, in my haste to get to my next load, I forgot to check the map against the GPS direction and you know it, that dang contraption give me a wrong turn. Annie and I were cutting up about something and j wasn’t paying real close attention but I did make the turn it indicated and then 18 miles down a country road it heads me back in the other direction. So we lose about an hour of driving time.  When we got back to the intersection where I had made the turn I distinctly remembered the GPS telling me to turn there. The correct path would have had me going straight at that intersection.  

Wel, all is good and we are parked in a KMart parking lot for the night. Picking up more candy in the morning and hauling it to Chicago.

God bles. 

Up at 1 am to see if our door is ready.  Not due until 2:30 am but sometimes get lucky and we did or so we thought.  They gave us a door to back in to and so we got all set up.   About the time Greg sets the brake the lady from inside comes out and says the shipping manager fell and hit her head and they are going to have to take her to the hospital and it will be a while before somebody else gets here who can unload.   Sorry to hear that and hope she is okay.   Our clock doesn’t start again until 5:30 so our time is ok.  They got us unloaded about 6:30 which is good.  Our next pick up is only 14 miles away and it’s going to Alabama.   We are going to Florida the weekend of the 13th so I figure they may keep us in the south this next weekend.  Oh joy!   I am really enjoying the cool weather.  We get to the next place and they load us in about 10 minutes.  Only one container of plastic resin liquid or Elastoflex apparently.  Not sure what it’s used for but we have 4,500 pounds of it.  

Well our night in the hotel is coming back to bite me – literally.   I think I got in to bed bugs.   I have a bunch of bites on my left arm, face, chest hand and foot, which is the side I sleep on, and they itch!!  Greg never gets bitten by anything.   We can walk through Mosquitos and I get eaten alive and he comes out without one bite so of course the bed bugs didn’t bother him any.   I think we need to really avoid anything owned or run by Indians.  Their truck stops and now their motel, are just never clean.   I guess they have a different idea of what that is than we do.   Oh well.  I’ll have to buy some Benadryl when we stop.  

DG:  I guess you can say I am naturally repellent.  She’s right, bugs rarely bother me. That’s true also about the Indian run truck stops we visit. We always know what to expect when we walk in the door and see them behind the counter.  To be clear we are talking about gas station and not casino Indians. The difference is obvious. 

So here we are in Glendake, KY.  Just south of Louisville.  We will make our stop a day early. Here’s hoping they will unload us. Surely they are anxious to get their resin.  This is the lightest load we’ve had and the second lightest I’ve had since starting this career.

We stopped at a Petro truck stop which is the same as TA as they were the only one in the area that had laundry facilities.  I think the other truck stops are missing out on some profit by not having laundry. Oh well, not my business. 

If there is no blog Friday morning it’s because we won the lottery tonight. I will call a limo service, leave the truck right where it sits and we may never be heard from again. Not.  I would have to complete the trip I think. I don’t know. I hope I am confronted with that decision in the morning.  That would be a pleasant dilemma to have. 

Well, better get to sleep so Santa will come. 

Love to all and God bless. 

Up at 6:30.  We have almost 500 miles to go today.  The weather is starting to get a bit cooler and the trees are starting to change in spots.  Goodbye summer!

DG:  Not so fast. Here in southern Michigan it’s a balmy 84 degrees.  Not Fall yet.  Some leaves are starting to turn, I will give her that.

We are at the receiver seven hours ahead of schedule.  It’s okay though because they have plenty of parking. Apparently the warehouse crew works only at night. One of the drivers who was already here said they start at midnight.  That’s good because my appointment is for 2:30 AM but my clock won’t reset till 5:30. So if they take the standard two hours to unload I should just have one hour to wAit for my reset.

We are backed up next to a pond. There are about a dozen ducks just sitting there and fish jumping all around. There’s also a no fishing sign but doesn’t matter, I don’t have a fishing pole with me.

It’s dusk and a mist is beginning to form on the pond. The humidity is high as sweat is forming on my head. I am trying to enjoy a cigar but may have to cut it short. Precious has been running the field here but I think she is tired and wants to go back to her basket.

I just noticed we have been talking to the dog for some time now. Not in the usual way that people talk to their pets but asking her opinion on certain things. Or pointing out something the other is doing and asking what she thinks of that. I worry that we have crossed some point of no return. Mentally. I want to ask other truckers if this has ever happened to them but not sure I want to know their response and I sure don’t want them to know that we are doing this. It’s a strange conundrum.  Is that redundant?

Annie – Here are some pictures I took tonight of the pond that is behind us.   A few ducks, an egret flying and some of the plants around.   Its a neat pond and its begging for a fishing pole.   Sure wish I had one with me.

The corn is really starting to get brown and dry out.   Should be harvest time soon.

Up at 6:30 after a good night’s sleep.  I don’t think Precious even moved.  Greg always sleeps good.  What is it about men that they can sleep in any position anywhere?   

Back in the truck and heading to receiver at 7:15.  Appointment is for 8 so hopefully we can get in a bit early and get back on the road.  Lots of trucks in the parking lot.  Hope we don’t all have 8 am appointments.  

Got right in and got a door pretty quick. Yeah!  Already hear them rattling around back there so hopefully we won’t be long.  

Fall is almost here.  I can’t believe it. You can start to see it up north.  Some of the leaves are just starting to turn and the temperatures are getting cooler at night.  I love fall and can’t wait to see the trees in the different states.  

DG:  Fall, yes, very beautiful. But it is a sign that winter is just around the corner. Odd saying that as if the seasons were on a road that you could choose which one to take and therefore which season to be in. I would take the summer road. Maybe veer off to spring occasionally and fall, but definitely detour around winter. It is not a road I like to travel. 

So this receiver seems to have their stuff together. Actually began unloading before our scheduled appointment. That is rare if it has ever happened. See, it can be done. That was targeted at Wal Mart though I doubt they will see it. 

Picked up more saline and NG supplements.  This time were are going to Michigan.  This shipper had their stuff together as well.  Load was ready, drop one and hook to the other. In and out. 

Now stopped for the night in VA.    

DG:  Up at 7:00 ish.  A good night’s sleep and no hurry to get to where we are going. This gives me mixed feelings.  While I don’t care for being pressured I don’t like having too much spare time either. I’m not getting paid by the hour so every spare hour is another hour without pay. It’s a delicate balance. 

Love’s truck stops started a new service of checking your tires while you fuel. They have one isle dedicated to this service at participating stores and so far there have been no lines.  It takes about ten minutes. They check pressure, tread depth, temperature and inflate to manufacturers recommendations.  This is supposed to save fuel and increase tire life. So far though I’m not impressed as my second experience with this service showed that two tires had actually gained tread over the course of a couple of weeks. That would be amazing if true and the cause were discovered. I could make millions. 

Stopped at a rest area just across the Maryland border. They had some Civil War information so I picked up a pamphlet. We are close to Emmitsburg  where the Union Army stopped before moving on to Gettysburg and the subsequent battle that ensued there. Annie was thrilled and didn’t want to leave. Not. 

14 hours early for my appointment and find out they do not have warehouse people on weekends. Appointment is for 8:00 in the morning but guard said we could show up at 7:30.  Parking was available across the street behind the Hardee’s and from the looks of things we aren’t the only ones with an early appointment as the parking lot is filling up. 

We have decided to stay in the motel that is next to the parking area. Feels nice getting a shower and having room to move around and watch cable TV. 

Well, I’ll let Annie say a few things. Take it away sweetie.  God bless. 

Annie – We stayed at a Super 8 Hotel. Not usually my first choice but they are doing remodeling and it was pretty good.  We asked for a non smoking room but I don’t think that’s what we got.  Burned a couple candles that helped some.   The bed was really nice though.  Soft and big enough to move around in.   Preciois actually had room without getting squished.  Lol. 

We watched about three hours of The Big Bang Theory which was fun.  Don’t get to see a lot of junk TV because it takes internet out here on the road so it was fun just to watch something funny for a while.   

Well, early morning call.   Talk to you tomorrow.  Goodnight y’all. 

DG:  I once thought about naming our days like chapters of a book but when it comes to putting it on paper so to speak, nothing comes to mind. Wait, just had a brain storm. Today’s adventure is “Two For One”.  Let me explain. This load we have is going to another shipping company from which we will pick up a loaded trailer and take that trailer to another shipping company. No deadheading. Two for one. Or it could be, “The Added Cost of Your Goods”.  You see, as a shipper KLLM charges to move products. When you move a product from the manufacturer to another shipper another cost is added on. Makes one wonder how inexpensive things would be if we could all buy direct.

Also, I have a bone to pick with the Mars candy company.  They make M&Ms among other tasty treats. As you may recall when we went to Hershey to pick up a load we got free samples. We even got them when we delivered to another Hershey plant in Illinois.  Mars on the other hand went so far as to put signs up in their receiving office, “No samples given”.  Well!  I see the sign as I’m watching a guy sweep up a pile of twix candy bars, in the wrappers, that overflowed one of the boxing machines. Those went into the trash but they can’t give out samples. Well let me tell you I have about 37,000 pounds of assorted tasty morsels sitting not six feet from me maybe I’ll just help myself and see how they like that. I would but that would be a heck of a thing to go to prison for. I can see it now, first day in the yard, “what are you in for?”, “stole a load of milky ways wanta make something of it?”.  Yea, that would get me killed.

Okay, so we have some extra time on this one. Not due until ten tomorrow night but the pick up is for noon so I figure we can do both around 9:00 in the morning and head to Fredricks, VA and either deliver tomorrow and get a new trip or deliver on Monday morning when it is due and get some more sleep time tomorrow.

Anyway, it’s bedtime. So I’m out of here. God bless.

DG:  Delivered a load of meat last night that was picked up in Kansas at one of our favorite spots, Cargill.  If you’ve been following the blog you know that’s not true. 

Anyway, while I appreciate KLLM’s efforts to keep us moving I don’t like being mislead and/or given wrong information either on purpose or accidentally that makes my job more difficult or more complicated.  Allow me to explain.  After dropping out initial load at an affiliate of Kraft we were informed there were no empty trailers at that facility.  We wait for instructions. Go to the Morrow, GA yard and get an empty. This is only a few miles away and I can get my truck washed as that is a requirement for anyone taking out a trailer from a KLLM terminal that has a truck wash. As we are reminded the company spent nearly one million Dollars on these big automatic truck washers we dang well better use them. Okay by me. It’s free and who doesn’t appreciate a clean ride. 

So sometime during our drive to the yard, or it may have been a sour of the moment thought, the local dispatcher tells me she has a full trailer that needs to be delivered about 30 miles from there and it’s due at midnight.  As my clock had only a few hours on it I was delighted to hear that this receiver had overnight parking. That will work out just fine as I can get over there around 8:00 pm, they won’t start unloading me until midnight and that will probably take two hours at least so that will be six hours of my ten needed for a reset and I will wait out the four hours on site and leave about 6:30 towards my other pick up. Sounds great don’t it?  Ah, but things aren’t always as they seem. I should have known something was up when I showed up at 8;00 and the guard told me to come back around 11:00 that there was no place for me to park. When I explained I did not have enough time on my clock to leave and come back In three hours he relented and said I could park in one of the two spots by the guard shack that looked like they were used by the construction crew during the day.  So I did. Around 10:00 pm someone knocked on the door. It was the guard telling me to pull in door three. Okay, I can wait there as well as where I was so I moved the fifty feet or so, nestled Chebby into the dock and went back to bed. In about 29 minutes another knock on the door. This time it was one of the lumpers asking for my papers.  Gave her my papers and she said some were missing and I said that was all I had and she said she would have to check and see if they need to get the missing papers faxed over befor they could start unloading.  No problem, I here all night. Well, wouldn’t you know it, they started unloading right away.  And it only took them about twenty minutes to do so. Then the same lumper lady came out and told me to pull over into a spot beside these other trailers as they were still checking on the need for more papers. Okay, I have a parking space so it looks like my plan is going to work. Thirty minutes later she comes out and gives me my copy of the bills and says all is good.  

So now I ponder. Sit still and hope no one notices me until morning or go ask permission to pull into the first spot I was in and wait for my clock to reset. When am I going to learn it is better to ask forgiveness than permission?  New guard on duty tells me I can’t park on the premises. I asked where could I go?  She says there is a Wal Mart about a half a mile away. I think I can get there without my drive clock starting. So off we go at a snails pace with flashers flashing.  Almost there. Then I hear my Qualcomm, “You are in violation of your driving time”. Dang it. I either went too fast or this thing has a distance limit. Either way this was going to necessitate a call to dispatch and logs. So I call dispatch and explain the situation stressing the point that I was told by the Atlanta dispatcher that there was overnight parking there. They told me what message to send and to call logs when they got in. So much for leaving at six in the morning. 

Now that my clock started anew with my HOS violation I lost the five hours of off duty time I had accumulated and so a six o’clock departure was now eleven. However, when I got a hold of logs around 9:00, that’s eastern time as the Jackson headquarters is in the central time zone and they don’t come in till 8:00, I was told that they had already made the adjustment and I just needed to update my logs. So when I did I see that they restored my original off duty time and changed everything to reflect that I had been off duty the whole time since arriving at the receiver and if I had know that was going to happen I could have left at six after all. 

So I haven’t been in the best of moods today. I feel like time was stolen from me. And you can’t get back time.  And with that my whole day has been screwed up. 

Annie – I’m going to bed.   Hopefully after a good nights sleep things will be better in the am.   

Happy Sweet 16 Abby!!  We love you!!

DG:  Wish we were there to celebrate. 

At the moment we are being unloaded of our shipment of beef and pork products. It 11:00 in the evening and since my clock has run out we will have to stay here until 5:30 in the morning. 

Lying in the bunk you can feel the forklift going in and out of the trailer. Usually it is a mild rocking motion but tonight it feels like these guys are trying to tear it up. 

Well, better get some rest before heading to Cleveland, TN and the PA tomorrow. 

God bless.