Jun 28, 2008

Running On Empty

So I am home all of about 2 minutes this week...

I guess I got a little spoiled being home 3 days a week in the past, but that is part of the reason I love my dedicated route.. Until NOW!! Until all of these changes... Slower Truck and Mr T....

So, I am in and out and back on the road. A lot of pent up frustration!! Can't run, as I have banged up my knee, several times in a row. Same knee, three times in 3 days.... Running burns out my aggression, so right now I am ready to explode. I have been doing a low impact toning routine, but it just doesn't burn up the extra aggressions like running does.

My tolerance for ignorance is also at an extremely low level.....

I have worked 13 out of the past 14 days and am out the door again this evening!!

$%^$$&$ !!

Oh well, life goes on!!

Three Ring Circus

Jun 22, 2008

Slower Traffic, Keep Right

Yet Another Little Trucker Production.

Ha, at least I have something to keep me occupied while I am laying over after missing those afternoon appointments.... sigh....


Jun 21, 2008

Whiny Trucker Post

This is the first of many of those snotty nosed, swollen eyed posts....

Actually, I am more anxious and bitter with a lot of anger thrown in just to keep it well rounded.

I finished my first week in my neutered truck and the results are as follows:

7 days to complete my run, instead of 4.5

Fuel mileage is down .4 mpg (not the intended result)

A pay decrease due to more time in the truck.

7 back-ups encountered. (A fatality at the exit I needed, resulted in a 20 mile detour to get reloaded)(A pedestrian wearing black clothing was struck on the interstate at 4am, almost makes you wonder if he had a deathwish, because there was no disabled vehicle anywhere along that stretch of road)

Missed regular delivery appointments by 15-30 minutes resulting in having to spend the night, twice. These guys normally stay late to unload me, but I missed the extended deadline.

I also realized I cannot drive a straight line at the slower speed. I spent a lot of time trying to steer myself off of the rumble stripe.

Oh well, several of our trucks did indeed show a better fuel economy, so I will just have to get use to it. Too bad we all don't run in the mountains, which is the reason my fuel rating went down. The truck struggles harder at the slower speed to get up those hills.

Hmmm, okay, I guess I am finished venting for now....

Jun 14, 2008

Little Trucker Productions Presents

I have a little treat for you today, boys and girls.....

I made a video about me and I thought I would share it with you!!

Go on and take a peek!!!


Very Superstitious


How about you? Are you superstitious?


Yesterday was Friday the 13th, and as a child I was in constant fear of Jason or Freddie sneaking into my bedroom late at night and killing me. Since then, I have grown up a bit and don't put quite as much thought into the subject.


I will admit, as a trucker, that some pretty freaky stuff happens along those mighty concrete slabs during this date. Usually it is just some kids throwing stuff off of overpasses. But my superstitious miiiiiiinnnnndddddd (and I don't care) never seems to go into overdrive anymore.


In fact, just today, my Father reminded me that yesterday was indeed Friday the 13th.


and with that being said....


Upon recollection, it was an unlucky day for me.


My truck was turned down to 62mph, top speed.... (coincidence, that it happened on the 13th) I think not!!


Also, I put in my request for a transfer, and the outlook is grim. My Boss took it all in stride, but the location I am hoping to transfer to does not see any openings in the immediate future. This stresses me out quite a bit. How does one manage finding a home, while waiting on a position to open and trying to avoid renewing a lease on the current residence.... Come On!! I promised my niece I would be moving in October, and this is one promise I NEED to avoid breaking. Not that I break promises. No! She is just very anxious to have me in a local proximity, as I am myself.


So, how about you? Anything thing happen to you to fuel the frenzy that belongs to Friday the 13th?



Jun 12, 2008

Cue the Fat Lady........

in three..........two............one.............



The Powers that be have spoken.



As of Saturday, June 14th, my slow truck will be turned in the mosey mobile..... Top Speed = 62.



In the previous weeks, I have recorded my fuel mileage for the sake of posterity. I have been logging anywhere from 6.4 (with heavy loads) to 7.9 (empty). Last week, I averaged 7.3 mpg. I will be shocked if the castration of my truck results in better fuel economy.



Shocked....



Tonight, I head out and my final run, as a remotely slow moving vehicle. Beginning Saturday, I will become the large metal object obstructing the right lane.



I will go ahead and offer my apologies now, as I will be unable to get out of my own way.



These folks are really making it easy for me to transfer.......hey, might as well acknowledge the bright side of this tragic situation.



So for the next few months, expect alot of snotty nose, swollen eyed posts complete with huge amounts of whining....



Interesting Facts (okay, maybe not interesting.....)



*Cruising Altitude (Top Speed of previous trucks driven by ME): 117 mph, 98 mph, 76 mph, 72 mph, 67 mph.



*Blue Light Specials (speeds at which an officer requested an introduction and gave me a Driving Award): 98 mph, 84 mph, 84 mph, 84 mph, 77 mph. Don't judge me!! Texas has a lot of open roads and Cow Haulers are a bad influence!



*Safe Driving Awards (actual tickets I have received for speeding): One! I actually got the ticket for doing 77, in Tennessee... Coasting down a hill in a 55 zone... The judge mercifully threw it out. So, I guess that really does not count. The others resulted in a warning. It seems Texas and Oklahoma have compassion on little bitty girls driving great big ol' trucks. :)



*No Fly Zones (states in which I can actually do the speed limit, now): California 55mph, Illinois 55mph, Michigan 60mph, Ohio 55 mph, and Oregon 55 mph. Out of the five states listed, I was last in California and Oregon over 7 years ago. Last trip through Illinois, um, maybe 3 years ago. Michigan and Ohio, I venture through about once a year. Boy, that is depressing! I am now a moving hazard in the remaining 43 contiguous states.

It is all over, but the crying..........*sniff, sniff*

Jun 8, 2008

The New Adventures of Superman

So, um, Superman called me this morning.

He told me that he recently bought a house.

He told me that he does not go to bars anymore.

He told me that he is going to try to quite smoking and cussing so much.

He told me that there is plenty of room for me in his new house.

He told me that he gave up his daughters for adoption ?! (Okay, so his ex has had custody of them and the new husband wanted to adopt them) But his theory was that this would save him money if some other man was responsible for them ?!

I appreciate the efforts, Superman, but I can't respect a man would who give up his children to save money........

I mean really?!?!?!

Jun 7, 2008

ROFLMAO

What else can I say.........

Celebrity Sex Faces



oh, just as a warning, there are a few choice words in the video... So maybe you shouldn't watch it....

Jun 6, 2008

Not Again....

I got THAT dreaded phone call today.

The one that starts out, "It is your turn to pick"

I cringe whenever I hear those dreaded words... It means that Mr. T is at it again.. His choice of routes forces me to run a load I would prefer not to run. This week, it will be Tennessee, Ohio, and Michigan... Two of those states have 55 mph speed limits for trucks, the last time I checked, anyways. And Kentucky is in the way!!

It also means my paycheck will be less than I am accustomed to, and more time in the truck. I will be a regular OTR Trucker this week. Not really, I still won't have to wait to get unloaded, and I still already know the customers. The main drawback, other than having to cruise through OHIO and MICHIGAN, is that the stops are quite a ways apart. Meaning I might get lucky and get three stops delivered in one day, as opposed to my usual 7-8 while riding around the Big City. I do have an extra day off this weekend..... yippee.... but the prolonged trip might make it difficult to make the Father's Day event my stepmother has planned.. Sorry DAD!! I will try to be there.

In other news, today was splendid. I got my 5 mile run in, along with an hour at the pool, and the evening finished out with a nice thunderstorm. It was out of the blue, and it took me several minutes to realize my car windows were still down... ugh.... Guess I need to give the Pony Car some extra t.l.c. tomorrow.

Oh yeah.... I have a new infatuation. It is driving me crazy, because there is absolutely nothing I can do about it....It makes for nice dreams, but seriously, I prefer to not ache to know someone, whom I will possibly never "know". But, yeah, he is nice to dream about.

Okay, until then..........

Jun 5, 2008

Are We There Yet?

I keep looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, or perhaps a silver lining. But I can't see it yet. I know it is out there, but it just seems anytime I try to do anything, I am knocked on me arse.

I had been debating on making the move back to Bama. At first, I was undecided. After some time, I had made up my mind, but still felt much anxiety over the decision.

Recently, I have become quite excited over the changes that will take place when I make the move. October is the target month.

The biggest fear I have been dealing with is that the New England route is my comfort zone. I have so many great customers up there. The route is easy (if you can get over driving in NYC) and the miles are good. It has become my second home. My brother mentioned to me that I will have great customers anywhere I go, because there are great people everywhere.... But still, it has made me leery.

The last two weeks of May proved to me that he was right. I ran some southern routes and had a good time getting acquainted with the "new" (to me) customers. But they were all splendid! It was also nice to be home more during those two weeks. In fact , I did not miss New England at all, just the pay check.

Which is something else that I have been fearing. I do not want to take a pay cut. It is hard enough on a single income, and with gas prices in the ludicrous range.. sheeesh! So,I spoke with a driver out of the Chattanooga yard, and he gave me a ball park estimate on his salary. Turns out, I might make a buck or two more! and the freight will be a little bit more stable.

Next on the list, which will make it even easier to head back to Bama, is the confirmed rumor that our trucks will be turned down to 62 mph..... I know that they think this will help with fuel economy, but at such a slow rate of speed, the truck is being suffocated. I already cannot climb a hill, even now at 67.... My current fuel rate is 6.8 mpg... I am curious to see what happens when they cut me back. But it is not the fuel economy that has me concerned. I just cannot see driving to Massachusetts at 62 miles per hour... That adds a few hours to my trip, but the frustration of always being in the way would cause me to explode. Come on, 67 is already hard on my nerves!

And if you are paying attention, you are probably wondering to yourself, " If you transfer, won't you still be in a 62 mph truck?"

YES, but 62 in the city is a whole heckuva lot less stressful than 62 on a 70 mph interstate!!

Also, having the fluffy kitten hanging around those two weeks has awakened my desire to have a pet of my own! Yeah, my SIL wants me to get a dog, so she can play with it, but I want one for my own selfish reasons!! I need the companionship!! Also, I am excited about strengthening the relationships I have with my niece and nephew!!! :)

So, I was gonna put in the official request to transfer this week, but my boss is on his honeymoon and won't be back until next week. He is going to be sooooo upset with me, but a girl has got to do, what a girl has got to do! Besides, I told everyone I would come off the road by the age of 35. Missed that deadline, because I enjoy my New England route that much.

Yeah, I think it is definitely time for a change. And I know it will be good for me! But the way everything keeps smacking me in the face,I am now becoming concerned with whether I will be able to afford the move. Not in the long run, but the actual moving costs....See, there was the insurance issues, which I had to pay out due to mis-communication, both medical and dental! And the radio issues cost me a total of $400. Now, gas prices! It will be hard, but worth it in the long run, right? I can live on Ramen Noodles for a few months, I guess. I am trying to hoard every single penny I can get my hands on, but costly things keep popping up! Dammit!!

Oh well, at least the future looks bright, if I can just hold on until then.

Enough Already

I am soooooooo mad, I can hardly contain myself....

I mentioned I was having CB radio problems on this post..... Check out #3 on the list. So this has been going on since the beginning of April.....

I went to retrieve my radio yesterday and with much fear and trepidation, I entered the shop. Normally these guys are typically friendly by nature. Yesterday, they did not have more than a few words to say to me. I have not misbehaved with them either. Even though I want to slap them around and curse them out for being such stooooopid jerks about the whole thing.

It took 6 weeks for my radio to be shipped and "repaired". Two weeks was the estimated time frame given......

Repaired??? The professional technician could not find anything wrong with it.

So as a quick recap, here is what I am left with.

A radio that only needed minor adjusting..... Now it won't modulate without a screeching noise heard off in the distance, the meter no longer works, the talk-back no longer works, I can only be heard about a mile( as opposed to the 6-7 mile range I was accustomed to). It took a total of 10 weeks to "repair", and I am in worse shape than when I started...

When a very disgruntled ME proceeded to leave, the tech reminded me of all the free goodies I had initially received.... Well, the installer twisted up the coil on the antenna and spilt glue all over my steps, not to mention, when he checked the SWR' reading, he never actually hooked up the meter.... I am out over $200, so just how FREE where all the extra goodies. Especially since, the goodies actually hurt me in the long wrong. For example, he removed my heavy duty mic cord and replaced it with a smaller version, which will have to be replaced when the soldered joints break, due to it being smaller.. I did not ask for this!!

He also told me that the reason my radio no longer works properly is because of the high frequency range I speak in.... First things first, I do not have a high pitch voice, so he
is telling me that my radio does not like girls??

Anyways, I am just so stinkin mad, I cannot even compose a decent post about it!! My thoughts are scattered and fueled with rage.

10 weeks, $200, and a broken radio...............

I am so sorry that I did not want to date you ( Did I mention that part?) He wanted me to travel 2.5 hours on the weekends to hang out with an extremely obese man who has emotional issues... I explained from the beginning that I wanted a radio repair and nothing else. I was more than happy to pay for it, with cash!! He did give me an antenna set-up for free which worked great until the installer messed with it....yesterday.... The installer is his son!!

I did pay, dearly!!

When I returned home, I purchased a used radio from another driver....My problems are solved! And no, I will not be buying that $400 radio you were trying to sell me because mine does not work properly anymore.... Jackass, the reason it wont work is because of YOU!!!

This , my friends, is why I have not been to a radio shop in over 7 years.... the last time was not nearly so detrimental to me. But this was the third time a tech saw nothing but boobs and screwed up my radio. I hear he really is an awesome tech.....I believe it, too. I just think he was unprofessional with me and had a grudge against my radio because I would not date him.... Oh, one final thought.

I agreed to pay the freight charges to have my radio shipped to PA.... I was charged shipping for FOUR radios to be shipped.... I only noticed this after I had left, because he did give me the receipt for shipping, with the other radios listed..... I sincerely believe this was an intentional jab, you know to let me know he was indeed screwing with me.....

ASSHOLE!!!!!!!

A Monumental Moment

I just rolled over to 100k...


I tried to take a picture of the odometer, but dammit, I was in Jersey and we all know how I love to complain about the rough roads in Jersey!!





So, it only took me approximately 160 days to do it!! That averages 625 miles per day... But remember, I only work 4 days a week.... I am going to miss all that time off when I move....sigh.....


So, can you imagine driving 100, 000 miles in 9 months, much less 160 days....? At least I enjoy it, most of the time.