Military Bases - Always a Ball of Fun (not)

I am currently getting unloaded at the US Army Depot in Chambersburg, PA.  I am split between my views of delivering to military bases.  On one note, I love going to them because it's exciting, on the other hand, it is a PAIN IN THE REAR!  Security checks, checking out your truck, scrutinizing your paperwork.  They sent us back and fourth all over the base before finally getting us to the right spot to get unloaded.  We are haulin' a load of 26 APU's (Auxiliary Power Units), for use on APC's (Armored Personal Carriers).  We picked them up at a military contractor in Alabama, which was a pretty cool yard.  Guys driving around all over the place in these APC's.

This weekend is looking like it is going to be another long one.  We go to pick up in Gettysburg, PA at 1:00pm, for two stops.  One in North Carolina, and one in Alabama.  However we cannot deliver the NC stop until Monday!  Oh well another weekend of sitting.

The Crane Van

I wanted to show everyone what exactly this crane van is about.  It was new to me, as I never heard of a 53' dry van with a crane in it, and I know a lot of other drivers never heard of it either.  It really is quite neat and makes quick and easy work of moving freight in and out of the dry van.  Most of what we haul would more typically be hauled on a flatbed, and because the freight most of the time goes to construction sites, there is no dock to bump to.  Hence the need for the crane to get the elevators out of the truck.  

Most think the crane would take up a lot of space in the dry van, but it really doesn't.  It rides on rails at the top of the trailer, and only takes up a few inches of the ceiling, and takes up no space on the sides.  For lifting freight out of the trailer there are extension bars that extend outward about 8 feet.  I have a few pictures to show the setup.

Here is a picture down the belly of the trailer. You can easily see the crane riding the rails, while holding a crate.

Here is a picture of the crane out on the extensions lowering a crate down to the ground.

Finally Moving

The weekend in South Florida was ok, but agonizingly boring.  It is very frustrating to sit in a place with so much to do, but no money to do anything.  I was so relieved when Monday morning rolled in to finally get back to doing some work.  We went straight to our delivery point in Miami first thing at 7am, what a backing skills test that was!  Got that unloaded, and I drove off for Davenport, FL.  Got there unloaded, and loaded at the same place, then drove to Jackson, GA.  With a little bit of creative logging I managed to do 672 miles in my 11 hour alotment for the day :).  Not an easy task to do in Florida traffic!

We unload 2 stops in Atlanta in the morning, then load in Atlanta to go to PA.  Hopefully they will have a good load waiting for us up there.  We aren't supposed to deliver until Thursday.  Atleast we are for the moment, doing more moving then sitting.  

While driving aross central florida to cut over to 75, I was reminded of why I love driving a rig so much.  For as far as I could see, where orange trees set a fire by a beutiful sky starting off firey orange fading to deep majestic purple to black.  As much as I really dislike where this country  is heading, it is a beutiful and majestic land.

Sitting... Again

Sitting here in sunny and warm Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  In most cases I could think of no where else better to sit for a weekend, but we need miles!  We have spent more time sitting then driving, and we are not going to make much money that way. 

The drive from Hatfield, PA to Florida was nice though.  I started in Wilson, NC at 1am, and got to Orlando, FL by about 10:30am yesterday.  By the time we found the construction site we had to deliver to, my 11 was up.  It was nice to get a full 11 driving in though.  I drove 640 miles.  

I need to back us up a little though, to the delivery point in Orangeburg, NY.  The site as labeled by the Bill of Laden is a childrens pysch hopsital.  We drive to the place, and it is a large complex.  Quite a few modern looking buildings, but also some buildings so old, they looked like something out of a horror movie!  Driving around this place trying to locate the construction site was like driving around in some horror movie where a mad scientist or doctor is performing crazy experiments on people.  When we first got there it was about 6:30 in the morning, and it wasn't quite daytime yet, and the fog of the morning clung onto these old, scarey looking buildings just as you would expect to see in a horror movie.  After doing some research on this place, I found a NY Times article supporting the possability that this place is indeed something out of a movie.  The article which you can read by clicking here tells about how a man died in 1986 from being shot up with 9 different drugs!  I took some pics posted below.

Snow, Rain, and a Hole in the Wall

Not too bad a day, even though the weather has been pretty nasty.  I drove from Carlisle, PA to this hole in the wall truck stop in Mahwah, NJ.  Only a 200 mile drive, but it went really well.  Could of done without the snow and rain, but, it's a part of the job.

We can unload this load tomorrow morning, and I want to hurry up and get rid of  it.  We have a load to pickup tomorrow to go to Florida, and it is on a TIGHT schedule.  I am glad though to get to hit the road hard, and drive a full 11.  The drive to the consignee tomorrow is only 17 miles,  but most of it will be on a 1 lane road through some residential areas.  I really hate driving on 1 lane roads, but there is no other way to get there.  I checked it out on google earth, so I atleast feel comfortable knowing I won't have any crazy surprises along the way.

Going through South Carolina, I am hoping the timing is right, and we have the few minutes I need to stop and pick up some things I had to leave behind at a friends house.  Other than that, I really don't have much else to say today.  

Behind the Wheel

Today I got to drive!  All in all it was an OK day.  I drove a total of 182 miles, which really isn't much, but it's better then the  0 miles driven in a rig in the last 11 months.  It really came right back to me much like the saying, "It's just like riding a bike, you never forget".  Other then a few whispered scrapes from the tranny here and there, my shifting was pretty much spot on, which I am happy about considering it was my first time using a 13 speed.  I actually really enjoy the split gears, I found it much easyer in traffic and hilly situations, where for a quick gear up or down all you need to do is flip a switch and let off the accelerator instead of having to full blown switch a gear.

The day wasn't perfect though, as I realized I am having to really think about my trailer and where it is at when making turns.  I got used to driving a 4 wheeler for a while, so I am having to re-adjust my turning style back to a rig.  Not that I made any crazy mistakes, though I did lightly swipe a sign making a right hand turn, I had all the space in the world, I just didn't pull out enough before cutting the wheel, and I am making sure that never happens again.

As far as my backing skills go, they do need some work, specifically my 45.  I did 2 blindside backs today without a single problem and on the first shot, once to get into a hole at a yard to wait to get loaded, the second to bump dock.  Though I get to the Flying J in Carlisle, and couldn't 45 it into the first hole I saw.  I probably could of got it, but so many trucks floating around trying to find a spot that I just got frustrated, and luckily found a hole that was super easy to get into. 

My actual drive time today was pretty nice.  I felt it could of been better, but it was more then satisfactory anyway.  I drove from Bloomsbury, NJ to Gettysburg, PA to get loaded, and from there to Carlisle, PA for the night.  I drove up 34 to get to Carlisle, which was a bit nerve racking considering it is just a 1 lane road that is very winding, and hilly.  I drove it fine, but I was just nervous.  I never really did like driving back roads, and try to avoid them when possible, but it was a good way to help me get comfortable with this truck.

While getting loaded in Gettysburg, there was a flatbed driver there getting loaded via a forklift inside of the warehouse, he was backed into a sunken open dock.  He was quite the chit chatty type, so we talked pretty much the entire time we where both in there, which happened to be about 2 hours.  The guy loading him was to load us, but we had to wait for him to get loaded.  It was a pretty interesting time as the forklift kept breaking his wooden deck, and at one point broke a hole through about a foot by a foot big, causing the forklift to get stuck in the hole and having to have another forklift lift him out!  I was going to take a picture to post up, but my phone was dead so I couldn't.  

This load was supposed to be a 2 stop load, but they couldn't fit it all in the trailer, so we only have  the one stop.  A bit of a bummer as that means less money for the load.  Though because this is a warehouse we will probably pick up at fairly often, my boss decided to buy pizza for everyone, for it we where pretty much guaranteed quick load times in the future :).  We got two complete elevators going to the same location, a children's psychiatric hospital in Orangeburg, NY.  We aren't supposed to deliver until Thursday afternoon, but tomorrow we are going to see if we can deliver early.  We already have a load that is to be picked up Thursday in Hatfield, PA, to be delivered to Florida by the next day.  We will have to run that load as a true team to make it on time, so we are really hoping we can deliver in NY quicker so we can get loaded quicker to have a little extra buffer time.  Though it will be nice to have a descent run, instead of this floating around NJ, PA, and NY hardly moving.

I have been watching the visitor stats, and every day this blog gets more and more visitors, and already a descent sized pool of everyday readers!  But please guys, don't be afraid to register yourself to 'follow' the blog, which is available to do from the column on the right.  Also I would love to hear some feedback, comments, questions, ideas, opinions, whatever!  So please utilize the comments feature!  I want this blog to be more involved, I want people to participate!  Plus I really love to read what you guys have to say!

Sittin Around

Well today marks the 4th day on the truck, and it has been spent sitting around.  The load on the truck when I was picked up had 7 stops, 3 left when I was picked up, two in Brooklyn, and one in Jersey City.  Well the warehouse was closed for the weekend, so we had to sit and wait around until today to unload it.  Meanwhile Saturday morning we went up to Brooklyn, got to the first stop fairly easily, and unloaded.  We then proceeded to head for the second stop, which we got lost getting too, but eventually got there and unloaded.  We hung out in Jersey City all weekend, and delivered the Jersey City load at 8:30am local time.  Waited on dispatch all day for a load and never got one.

We eventually moved on to the Bloomsbury, NJ T/A truck stop, where we are currently sitting.  Dispatch closes at 5pm, so we have to wait until tomorrow for a load.  I haven't driven yet and I am really anxious to do so. 

Watching everyone scramble around this super crowded truck stop has me really wondering how rusty I will be doing backing maneuvers.  I feel very confident that driving will come right back to me, and that I will have no problems getting back behind the wheel, but backing into a hole or a dock... I don't know, I will do some practice hopefully tomorrow at a less crowded truck stop.  

This last few days though because of sitting has been a good time to get to know my boss and co-driver, and for him to get to know me.  We have a lot of things in common that I didn't expect which is good, and he is very easy to get along with and laid back.  There is a bit of cultural difference though, but nothing I can't live with.  Overall I think we will get along well and do well together.  

Getting back to the driving issue, I found out yesterday that in March I will be solo for 2 or 3 weeks while he takes some home time.  I am actually pretty happy about that because it will give me some time to get used to this truck and do some practicing if need be doing backing maneuvers without feeling like I am being watched by my 'boss'.

The truck itself is quite nice, and I am glad that I was able to get back on the road in this equipment.  The truck is a Volvo 780, has a built in fridge, microwave, 120v power outlets all over the place, XM Satelite radio, and a good sound system, so I cannot complain about creature comforts.  All I need to worry about getting is my own laptop, and a descent camera so I can get back to my photography hobby I picked up while driving before.

After leaving the house, despite my attempts to make sure I didn't forget anything, I forgot my expensive toothbrush and toothpaste that I got for Christmas, which I am upset about, as well as a few articles of clothing I did not want to forget.  Oh well, that is life, no matter how hard you try to set everything up, you will always forget something.

Well wish I had more to say on this post, but I don't.  It's been a long boring weekend, and I just can't wait for tomorrow to come with a load.  Good chance the load will either go to Florida, or somewhere out west.  I am really hoping for a Florida load so that I can stop in South Carolina and pick up some of my belongings that are down there.  In the mean time, stay tuned, I will put up a post tomorrow with an update as to what is going on, until then, keep on truckin.

P.S., I would love to hear back from my readers, so don't be afraid to comment!

Back on the Road

Well it has been a year since I have been on the road as a commercial truck driver, and now I am back on the road.  It has been a long and hard year, and the return is bitter sweet.  I love the OTR lifestyle, but a part of me enjoyed the security and familarness of being in one place, and doing a daily routine that  never changed, though the bigger part of me missed doing something different every single day; going to bed somewhere I have never been, and waking up the same, just to head out to somewhere new.

This time the experience will be slightly different, as I am now doing what I call semi-team driving.  My boss, who is O/O of the truck, and leased onto a small company, also rides along, and drives, although it is mainly my job to drive.  Semi-Teaming so far seems like it will be a great way to go, you aren't under the constant stress of tight deadlines where the truck never stops moving, yet you also have someone with you, so you are not alone as you are solo.  I am hoping it will be the best of both worlds, as it so far seems to be.

This new chapter and journey in my life began yesterday at roughly 4:00pm when I stepped onto the truck. I haven't actually driven yet even though I am quite anxious to do so.   Though at the same time I am sort of glad, the load he got to pick me up is a 7 drop, 1 in Jersey City, NJ, 2 in Brooklyn, NY, and one in PA.  Upon being picked up, we camped out at the Petro in Bordentown, NJ for the night, and headed out for Brooklyn at 6:00am this morning.  We where going to do Jersey City yesterday, but the warehouse is closed for the weekend, so we are forced to sit the weekend out and wait.  It has been an interesting experience in Brooklyn today, but as I right this we are on I-278 heading out of this place, hopefully to not have to come back again.

The moment I climbed into the tractor, was the beginning of a small emotional roller coaster for myself.  At first the emotions of getting back into this industry and doing something I love to do hit me, then as I sat there looking at the controls, and watching my boss drive, a wave of minor worry hit me, "Can I still drive this thing?  Am I going to be really rusty?  Will I remember how to safely maneuver?", and a million other thoughts and questions I thought to myself.  But as the night went on, the the day progressed today, and I got more hands on, the more it felt like instinctive nature, which is reassuring to me.  As I watch him drive, I am in my imagination a step ahead doing the maneuvers, from making a turn, to accelerating up the on-ramp, and his actions pretty much reflect exactly what I imagined myself doing, so I know I will be fine, and my experience is not gone.  Like riding a bike, all you have to do is hop on one, and you will do it right without even thinking.

I am going to start off this new chapter with the knowledge of my past experiences including my mistakes, and utilizing it all to the fullest so that I may be that much more a better, safer, and more professional driver then ever before.