"They" Tried To Ruin Our Family Gathering

"They", the over used term to lump unknown persons into a familiar catagory. One we can deal with and not cast blame on any one particular person.

This "they" broke into our pickup in the wee hours of Saturday morning sometime between 3:30 am and 10:00 am.

Cameras, tools, a GPS, about $75 in change, trash bags, and can you believe it, ashtrays - the Butt Bucket kind, and Joe's smoking pipe. "They" rummaged through a spare suitcase, about 10 plastic bins with an assortment of winter clothes and hygiene items like soap and shampoo.

One bin the took. This bin contained spare headsets for our Family Service Radios, a spare set of these radios, a portable DVD player.

The inside of the pickup had stuff everywhere. The glovebox was tossed and the contents were strewn all over the front floor. Each of the door pockets were emptied and tossed onto the floor with everything else.

A tool box was carried off along with the plastic bin.

No windows were broken out. They did break the door lock on the driver's side to get in. They opened the back window of the pickup bed cap by forcing it from the side and getting in. Then they worked their way forward and opened the sliding windows into the cab of the pickup.

We still have our pickup and we can continue to work. Everything we lost can be replaced. After we calmed down and went about our business we saw that we just lost things and all was still good.

We spent the day with family and had a fantastic time. So all was well.

"They" only created a nuisance for us. We get to go on the insurance jugarnaut when this weekend is over and the office opens to file a claim.

In the mean time we are with family. We have the tools to continue working. We have our health. We have our heads back on straight and can go on with our lives.

So, some excellent pictures and video is gone forever. Our children and grandchildren are still here and I can get more pictures and video the next time we gather.

Karma. What goes around comes around. The police were of no help. The police didn't want to come out but were keen to take the report over the phone. So much for police protection. The bad guys win again. We still have to protect ourselves because there are too many bad guys and nobody allows us to take measures to put a stop to these invasions.

Oops, rant almost got loose. Oh well, today is another day to be with our family so let's get going.

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Traveling To Denver

The hoopla of the Democratic National Convention is over, supposedly. My poor husband is in better spirits now that we have rooms waiting in Denver and we are actually going to have our children around us.

One is flying in from California, another is driving in from Arizona, another is driving in from Kansas. The rest live in the Denver area. We have not met as a full family since 1992 and it is about time. Each of our children are in different career areas. Some are married and their spouses will get a baptism by fire.

Can you imagine that scene? Picture a few people sitting next to each other. Hair standing out from their heads at odd angles. Various expressions of shock and horror on their faces. If you do see some like this in a big group, take pity on them and don't make fun of them. If any are babbling and drooling and you want to help, just pat them on the shoulder and tell them they will get to go home to safety soon.



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Okay, So I Got Carried Away.

This blog was created for our kids, who are scattered over the western United States, so they would know where we were. We get a lot of "When are you coming this way?" and our usual answer is "I don't know", which is true. We don't know.

While I've been home I had spent some time Googling "Making a better blog" or "Writing a better blog" and I found some items. So I tried one of them. Write about what you know and in your own voice, the way you normally talk. So I gave it a whack.

One thing I've found out in this process is that I normally am a silent person. I don't talk a lot. Man, I did some "ratchet jawing" in my last post. That thing went on for quite a while.

Anyway, as I said, this blog was created for our kids. We get to spend three days with all of our kids and their families this weekend. I am excited. It will be almost like when they were younger and we went on the family outing over Labor Day Weekend. The difference is they will be going in their vehicles and they will be bringing their families along. What a way to introduce our family traditions to the in-laws. Man, oh man, they don't know what the are in for. By the end of this weekend there will be a lot of "We need to do this again next year" talk or it will be "Thanks. Had a great time. See you later. (Whispered to spouse) Let's get the heck out of here!". Either way, we will have had all our children together in one place for hours and hours. Sleep deprived, hoarse of voice, and numb brains from all the remembering and story telling.

I'll post later.

Looking For A Job In Drive-Away Trucking?

The job of Drive-Away is not for someone who just wants to "bump docks" as they say. Keep your comfy job. Nor is this a job for someone who can't seem to get themselves going. You have to be someone who can be self motivated and is not afraid to get dirty.

This is an outdoor job, much like a flatbed driver. All of the hooking up is done outside. There is heavy lifting involved. Heck, I'm a girl and I can do the heavy lifting involved in this job.

You get to try out mostly every truck that is on the road. I literally mean, every truck that is on the road. Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mack, International, Freightliner, Ford, Volvo. Years are from 1996 (once in a while) to 2009. You get to use every transmission that is out there, except for the two handle whatchamacallit thing. Fully automatic with no clutch, auto shift with a clutch for stopping and starting, 9 speed, 10 speed, super 10, 13 speed, and 18 speed.

You get to drive trucks that are quiet, and you get the rattle traps. I've had the 5th wheel clamp disengage on me twice. That, let me tell you, is an experience like no other as far as heart attack fodder is concerned. You get to drive a truck that the engine will shut down and restart with every hard bump you hit, and on some of the Interstates that can be quite frequently.

You get to drive daycabs that you swear once you are out of it no chiropractor in the world can put you back straight. The ones that make my body hurt just by looking at them are single axle International 4400 daycabs. Oh God, just hit me in the face with a two by four.

You get to drive trucks that the front suspension makes a popping and snapping noise when you make a sharp turn. You get to drive trucks that the steering wheel is not centered. The center spokes are almost at 12 and 6 on a clock face.

The seats. One truck the shock absorber will be low on gas and you get to bounce ever higher with each bump until you are sure the seat is winding up to be an ejector. Then you will get one where the shock absorber is totally gone and no matter how much air you put in it to raise you above the steering wheel each rough bump makes you bang down and hit bottom. You fear your feet will be cut off at the ankles if you don't get them away. You will get a seat that has so many buttons for the air gadgets you spend most of your trip trying to find the right one to get that hard fist out of your back, and open the seat back sides so you don't feel like sitting in the seat is akin to being strapped into the electric chair. Then there are seats with that hellish bar just under your thighs behind your knees. If anything will cut the circulation off to the bottom part of your legs this seat will. Then there are the ones that all the previous drivers got just right for them. The right front outside is broken down so bad that I can't sit there for fear I'll fall off. And, lest I forget the seats that when aired up the seat back comes closer to you. Kind of like a lawn chair collapsing on you in a clam shell.

All the trucks have cruise control. Not all of them work. A lot of the trucks have engine brakes. Not all them work. The CR England trucks have the engine brake on the floor, left, near the door and up in the foot well. You want to use your engine brake, you get to do a kind of line dance step. Stomp your foot to the left, do si do, now move it on up a bit, do si do, wiggle your foot from left to right, do si do, feel for the button and press with all your might.

I haven't even mentioned the cabover trucks. The old JB Hunt cabovers. Those are rock and roll, hang on tight, twist and shout trucks. One of those will make you wonder if you should at least try out for the bull riding competition at the rodeo. The one I like best is the Freightliner Argosy. I have not been in the Kenworth cabover so I can't comment on that truck.

I've driven the Werner's Freightliner Classic with the nose that goes on forever and the turning radius is two blocks long, well not quite that bad. I like the sound those trucks make. The high pitched "weeee" in acceleration and the throaty rumble in deceleration.

The Peterbilts, some of them, have a really LOUD (my husband calls it a "blooey pipe") that startles the heck out of me after I've driven for several hours and not put the brake on to decelerate.

Volvo has changed their console layout - finally. Their radio used to be below knee level at the right hand side. If you wanted to change a cassette or the dial you nearly had to get down on the floor to do it. God I hated that.

I've been in trucks where the sleeper is just behind the driver's seat, and I've been in the "Studio Sleeper" trucks with a couch and enough room to have 10 people in there.

I've had a raccoon come out from under the bunk and jump in my lap. Talk about some screaming going on, let me tell you. I've been in trucks that have sat in fields for months and the spiders have taken up residence. I've been bitten from my ankles all the way up to my ears.

And to think I have been doing this since August 2001.

Have I got you interested in this job? Let me tell you a few things you will need to know, items you will need to have, and later - near the end - I'll give you links of the Drive-Away companies that are always hiring.

The first thing you will need is a cell phone. Not just to keep in touch with family and friends, you will need this in your business. And I do stress BUSINESS. This is a business and you are an Owner/Operator. You will not be a company driver in the Drive-Away business.

A pager won't work. It may be nice to have but if you want to work and only have a pager you will have to find a place to stop, find a phone booth, and call the number that paged you. By the time you have done that, your next load is long gone by someone that had a cell phone and responded immediately.

There are no payroll taxes taken out of your pay. You are solely responsible for FICA, Social Security, Medicare, State, and Federal Taxes. When you figure to file your income taxes for this business you will be paying taxes and not getting a big windfall Income Tax Check in the mail. Filing your taxes is more complicated than just a 1040 EZ Form. You will need to keep track of where your money goes on a daily basis.

You will need to have receipts to back up everything you declare as an expense. I mean everything. Fuel for the truck you drive, oil, gas/diesel for your personal vehicle, wiper fluid, oil and anti-freeze you had to add to the truck you drove, audio books you listen to, laundry (a hand written note of the date, where, and amount), hotels you stay at when you don't sleep in the trucks, tires for your personal vehicle, any and all repairs on your personal vehicle, mileage on your personal vehicle. The list goes on, but you get what I mean. The only receipts you really don't need to keep are for food. You are allowed a daily per die um of $52.00 (I think it is up to now) for food, which includes snacks. You will also need to keep any receipts for clothing you purchase on the road, and you will be buying clothing from time to time.

This business is broken down into categories. They are: a) Drive-Away with other transport options; b) Singles Drive-Away; c) Doubles Drive-Away; and d) Decking.

Let me take these one at a time.

Drive-Away With Other Transport: Cement trucks, firetrucks, garbage trucks, box trucks (like U-Hauls), and military vehicles. These vehicles are constructed in a manner that there is no place to attach a tow bar hitch on the back. You will not be able to pull a personal vehicle behind these vehicles.

You will not have the worry of a personal vehicle breaking down on you somewhere, gas/diesel to purchase, additives such as wiper fluid, oil, or anti-freeze, no tires to replace, etc.

In most cases you will hire a taxi to get you to a bus station or an airport to get to your next job. You can even rent a car from the local airport, some Drive-Away companies have an account with the rental place of their choice and all you need is the account number. You will also need a taxi from the bus station or airport to your pick up point. You will need to have ready cash for the taxi and the bus. Usually, not always, the company you will be working with will pay for your plane ticket to the next destination. Usually, not always, this cost is passed on to their customer as part of the freight fee and you will not be responsible for this cost. Now I said Usually. You have to ask the individual Drive-Away company what their policy is on this item.

The next thing. Pack light. I can't stress this enough. You will be in airports or bus stations, and need to have your items as carry on. Included in your clothing you will be carrying your Legal Documents, which are IFTA papers, license plates issued by the company you work for, proof of insurance, Company Placards, and some Drive-Away companies require you have a spare random drug testing envelope.

If you keep in touch with the world by CB radio, you will need to carry that, plus about 10 feet of coax cable, and an antennae. A coat or jacket, the temperature swings in this business are more than you can imagine. You could be in Arizona on May 4th in shirt sleeves and bemoaning the jacket you are dragging along, then by May 7th you are in Wisconsin and the jacket is not near heavy enough for the cold air.

If you have many pieces of luggage, in this business, you won't have for very long. It will be lost on an airplane or left behind somewhere else. You and your luggage are going to be "attached at the hip" as it were. The lighter your load the easier this will be on you. And for heaven's sake, Do Not put any of your personal items in the tempting cubbies of these vehicles. Out of sight, out of mind. You will be long gone by the time you remembered your most favorite CD collection in the overhead cubby of the dump truck you left two states back.

Whatever Drive-Away company you work for you will need to have some information about the vehicle you will be taking. The information you will need is as follows:

1. The business name of the place you are going.
2. The business address (physical address, city & state).
3. The telephone number and contact name.

YOU will be calling this business and inform them of your expected time of arrival, for example, tomorrow afternoon around 1 pm.

4. The VIN number of the vehicle you will be taking. You will get the last six of the VIN.
5. The Unit number, if any, of this vehicle.
6. The Make and Model of the vehicle.

While you are talking to the person at the pick up site you will give them the Items 4-6 information so they know what you are coming for.

For your own peace of mind, call the pick up place first and talk to the person who handles these vehicles. Sometimes the name you are given is incorrect - that person hasn't worked there in months - find out who you need to speak with then and talk to them. Tell them your name and what Drive-Away company you are with. Then tell them about the unit you are getting and your expected arrival time. They will then let you know if the unit is ready or not. If it is not ready how long it will take before it is ready. If it will be several days, call your dispatcher and let them know of the problem. They can get you off that one and onto another one, or pay for your hotel while you wait for the unit to be ready.

Be professional. Don't just show up and throw a temper tantrum because the unit isn't ready or they are not prepared for your arrival. This is your business. Treat it like one.

To continue with what you get from the dispatcher.

7. The delivery place name.
8. Delivery address (physical address, city & state).
9. Telephone number and contact name.

Again, using your cell phone once you are on the way, call the delivery site and talk to the contact person there. Let them know you have picked up the unit and when you are estimated to arrive. If it will be an after hours delivery find out what their policy is on that. A lot of places do not allow any deliveries after hours or on weekends.

Plan your time accordingly. If you can't deliver or pick up over the weekend, then take a little time on the road and stop en route and see something you have wanted to see. Do not go 100 miles out of route to see the Grand Canyon just because it is sort of along the way. That is unless you are in a rental car and you are free to go sightseeing. If you are in the truck, find things that are along your route. There is a lot to do and see out there.

When you take one of these vehicles (dump truck, cement truck, etc.) there is no sleeper in them. You will have to stay in motels. Go to this website http://www.checkinncard.com and sign up for Corporate Lodging. The motel rates will be way cheaper than paying full rack rate. For instance, my husband and I have thought about getting a Sleep Number Bed. The Raddison Hotel has them. In Spartanburg, South Carolina we specifically stayed at the Raddison because they are with Corporate Lodging and we wanted to try the bed. The regular room rate for that night was $148.00 plus tax. We got the room for $49.95 plus tax. We won't be buying a Sleep Number Bed any time soon. I felt like I was sleeping with a beach ball in my lower back. I was more sore and achy the next morning than I had ever been on one of the hardest mattresses in say a Super 8.

Make sure you take a shower the morning of your delivery. Do Not show up with stinky arm pits and real strong body odor. You are a professional, not something that crawled out of the slime pits. This is your business. You could lose the ability to take another load to this place and that will deprive you of an income. Be smart.

Continuing on with things you will need to have from the dispatcher for this load.

10. Miles. Most places pay by House Movers Miles and not actual miles.
11. Pay for Miles. This will be your Total Pay for this trip.
12. Fuel Surcharge. There are some Drive-Away companies that Do Not pay a Fuel Surcharge.

When you sign on with a Drive-Away company you will be given a ComData Card. This card will be loaded with your advances for your trips. Depending on the Drive-Away company the money on the ComData Card will only be accessible from an ATM Machine. You will have charges against your money from ComData and from the ATM machines. This is one other item you will need to keep track of. This is a Business Expense. Find out from the Drive-Away company how much is deducted from your advance for loading the money on the ComData Card to begin with. The ComData Fee ranges from $.70 to $1.25. So right away you will have that amount of money gone from your advance. Find out how much it will be. If you are expecting $500 on your ComData Card and check your balance at an ATM you will find you only have $499.30. Save yourself the headache. Also remember, each consecutive time you check your balance on the ComData Card, ComData will snatch up to $1.25 from your balance. There will also be the fee you have to agree to at the ATM machine to get your money. Save the ATM receipt because of the fee shown on the slip. That is a Business Expense.

The Advance you are given by the Drive-Away company will be for fuel, food, hotels, snacks, taxis, and bus fare. In your settlement from the Drive-Away company you will be reimbursed for the taxi fare and the bus fare. Get receipts for these or you won't be reimbursed. You will also be reimbursed up to $30 or $35 on your hotel room - later in your settlement from the Drive-Away company. Ask the Drive-Away company what the amount is they reimburse while you are under load. When you stay at a hotel between trips, that is out of your pocket. Get a receipt, it is a Business Expense.

At most every truck stop you can purchase 6 x 9 manila envelopes. They come in a packet of five or six. Buy some. Keep the receipt, this is again a Business Expense. Write on the outside of the envelope, I don't care which side, the following.

Date - This will be the date you actually begin the trip. Taxi and bus fare receipts go in this envelope, as well as all the other receipts you will acquire.

Load Number - This is the Load Number given by the dispatch office for the vehicle you will be moving.

Pick Up Location - Write down the location name, address, city, state, contact name, telephone number.

Delivery Location - Write down the location name, address, city, state, contact name, telephone number.

Miles - This is the miles you will be paid for.

Pay - The amount you are paid for the miles.

Fuel Surcharge - The amount you will be paid as Fuel Surcharge.

Advance - Subtract this amount from your Pay and Fuel Surcharge and that will leave you with the amount you should be paid on your settlement for this trip.

List any Reimbursable items on this envelope at the end of your trip. These will include permits, tolls, oil you have to put in the vehicle, washer fluid you have to purchase, motel receipts (the amount the company will reimburse you), bus fare, taxi fare, etc. Once you have a total of these items then add them to the amount left over from the subtotal after the Advance and you will have a new total of what to expect for a settlement.

All receipts you will acquire during this "Load" will be kept in this envelope. When you get the unit delivered your copy of the Bill of Lading will go in the envelope.

You may think I am being really picky about these receipts. I am because this is a Business and needs to be treated as one. If you don't have some kind of a system in place to keep track of receipts and BIL (Bills of Lading), other than your pants or shirt pockets, or a purse for the women drivers, you will be out a valuable item come tax time. When it is gone, it is gone and the IRS won't take a hand written note and an amount you pulled out of the air as an expense. Only a note for the amount of money you spent at a coin operated laundry they will take written on a piece of paper. And that one has to be reasonable.

If you want to make money at this job, you can.

One of the items I neglected to mention was Log Books. The Drive-Away company will supply you with Log Books. If you find you are out of Log Books and BIL's (Bills of Lading) call your dispatcher and they will FedEx or UPS a batch to you at your delivery site or the next place you will pick up.

Back to making money at this job. If you dawdle you are frittering away YOUR MONEY. If you have a trip that can be done in two days and you take three weeks to deliver it because your route takes you 50 miles from home and you want to be home you are cheating yourself and you are a lousy business person. Just stay home and don't apply for a job in Drive-Away. We don't need your selfishness bunging up the works for the rest of us.

Just get it in your head that you will be gone for three weeks then take a week off. Call the dispatch office every day, even under load, and find out what they have. You know, the "Squeaky Wheel" thing? Call and let them know you have picked up and when you expect to deliver. Find out what they have before you get to the delivery point. Most times they will have something within 5 to 10 miles of where you will be delivering. Or they will have something out of your delivery site and ready for your arrival. Be smart. This is your Business. I can't stress that enough.

You will have to find out from a Drive-Away company what these Singles pay. They range from $.90 to $1.15 a mile and can be as much as $1.75 with the Fuel Surcharge. There might be a vehicle that is full of fuel when you get there and you don't have to buy fuel for the whole trip. That is part of your settlement and can be used to pay the expenses on your next trip. Or you can start a "Mad Money" stash and put it away.

You will need to find out what the policy is of the Drive-Away company in final paperwork. Some companies want you to use TripPak, which is found at truck stops, to send in your paperwork. You will submit your BIL, all logs, a mileage report, copies of fuel receipts, copies of tolls and permits. If you make copies of tolls, permits, fluids (oil/washer fluid) get a receipt for the copies.

Some Drive-Away companies supply you with postage paid envelopes for these items but require you to fax in all your paperwork first then mail it in. The place you deliver to will allow you to have access to a copier and fax machine, or there will be someone there that will do it for you - make your copies and fax your papers. Then just drop your logs and all paperwork in a mail box or leave it for outgoing mail at the delivery point. You will be paid from these items you send to the Drive-Away company.

Settlement Pay is different for every Drive-Away company. Some pay you directly on your ComData Card. Remember, there is still a ComData Fee that is deducted from this final pay. You can get access to the ComData Card you hold online and actually see what their fee is. Make sure you print a copy of this each month. It will show how much was loaded on the card and how much you took off, plus any fees they charge. Business Expense.

Some Drive-Away companies will require you to provide them with a check or deposit slip you VOID. The company will then have your settlement monies directly deposited to your bank account. Depending on your banking institution (ours charges us $8.00 for each transaction with one of our dispatch companies) you may be charged a fee for this direct deposit.

Some Drive-Away companies mail a check to your home address for your settlement.

No matter how you are paid, you will always get a Settlement Sheet from the Drive-Away company that will have all of your monies, except for ComData Fees, listed on the sheet and will show the amount you made for that particular trip. These are mailed to your home address and will need to be saved for tax time.

Drive-Away Singles: These are bobtails. Trucks with a 5th Wheel or not. Daycabs or sleeper trucks. Vehicles you will be able to mount a tow bar hitch to pull your vehicle behind.

The major expense you will have with this is a vehicle and the tow bar assembly. The vehicle you will have to purchase on your own, the Drive-Away company will not supply you with a vehicle. Some Drive-Away companies, not all of them, will have a specific tow bar attachment assembly you can purchase from them and a light bar. You will have to agree on an amount that will be deducted from your Settlement for the Drive-Away company to provide you with these items.

With the exception of bus fare, airline tickets, and hotels, all the information I provided for the Drive-Away With Other Transport is the same. Unless you have a Daycab truck you are delivering. This unit will not have a sleeper and you are required by the DOT to have a motel room. You may be asked to show a receipt for a motel room if you get pulled into a weigh station for a DOT Inspection. The motel reimbursement will be the same $30 to $35 per night.

Although you will have the freedom to drive to your next location with your own vehicle you will have added expenses. Wear and tear on your vehicle, tires to replace, fuel to purchase, front end repair, eventual engine overhaul and/or transmission repair. These are costs of doing business and come out of your pocket. Not to mention the downtime and loss of revenue from being in the shop. These expenses are tax deductible so you need to keep these receipts. The fuel costs will be added up and then averaged for the daily per die um for mileage set by the IRS.

In the Singles operation you will need to have some basic tools. A 3/4" socket wrench, a 3/4" open and closed end wrench (check with the supplier of the tow bar hitch, you may need a different size socket wrench and closed end wrench), a ratcheting chain tightener or boomer, safety chains that attach your pickup to the tow bar/hitch, and a 30' 7 wire electric cable with both ends having an electric coupler. This will be needed for the light bar to work. Attaching one end to the connection in the bobtail and the other end to the connection in the light bar. You will need to purchase rubber bungies.

Some Drive-Away companies will supply you with the tow bar/hitch (for an agreed upon fee) and all the attachments you will need to secure it to the back frame of the bobtail. Some Drive-Away companies will take the time to show you how it is installed on the bobtail, others will just give it to you and let you figure it out.

Everything I indicated before about dispatch information applies here. Pick up site names, addresses, city, state, contact name, telephone numbers. Delivery site names, addresses, city, state, contact name, telephone numbers. Miles, pay, fuel surcharge, advances, etc. All is the same as above and the procedures you go through.

Now, unlike the Drive-Away With Other Transportation, you will have a "tail" behind you that will need to be monitored continuously. If you attach your tow bar/hitch and your vehicle, head out and never look back, you just may be surprised by your vehicle missing when you get to the delivery site. It has happened on numerous occasions.

Luggage and personal items, well the "Sky's The Limit". Bring along whatever your heart desires, or will fit in the vehicle and you can still safely drive on the highway. If you have a buddy you want to bring along and share the experience with just make sure the Drive-Away company knows this and your buddy has a Class B CDL driver license. If it is a spouse you might have to get that person to the DMV and have them take the tests to get their Class B driver license. Most Drive-Away companies frown upon riders. Their insurance people will have a fit and raise their rates, or so I've been told. Find out what the policy is for the company you will drive for.

Just like the Drive-Away with Other Transport, if you want to make money you can't dawdle. You have to get out there and move.

I'm going to go off topic here for a minute. Where did the phrase "Lolly Gagging" come from? Since it is another term for dawdling, I've never known how it came to be. Such flights of fancy I get in my head would be some woman named Lolly, long ago, that had a penchant for talking and talking. People couldn't get her to shut up so they could leave. Then one day someone put their hand over her mouth and pushed her away and off they went - hence Lolly Gagging. So I have turned the phrase around in my fashion and say "We were Gagging Lolly".

Okay, back to where I was.

No matter which way you choose to do the Drive-Away you are still a Business Owner and have to treat this as a business. In order to make money you have to be smart. You can not rely on someone else to decide when and where your next load will be as if you were a company driver. You have to make it happen. You have to call the dispatch office and say "What have you got? I'm at this location now, will be at that location then, and I need something out of there."

One item I did not mention before is breakdowns. And they happen. Flat tires on the vehicle you are delivering. A turbo goes out. A fuel filter needs to be changed. Batteries are dead and need to be replaced or you need a jump start at the motel you stayed. Whatever the repair, it does not come out of your pay. The dispatch office will have you contact a local road service company and Get An Estimate of the charges for the repair. Always you will hear "Get An Estimate". The road service people are pretty good about letting you know how much it will cost to come to where you are and provide the service. If you can limp into a truck stop that has a shop you will hear the same thing - Get An Estimate. Once the repair is made you will be given an Express Code for a ComCheck that will be made out to the repair company for the amount agreed upon. In your settlement sheet you will find this listed as an advance then put back in so don't get all wild eyed. You are not being billed for this. Their accounting set up has this built in and it has to be shown against which load.

In any aspect of Drive-Away you decide would suit you best, please keep in mind that this is a business and you will make better money if you treat it as one. Your hygiene is just as important as the care you take to pick up and deliver these trucks. Your hygiene will hold more importance than you think it might. If you are all stinky when you arrive and people want to run from you while they gag you can bet they will call your dispatch office and tell them to not send you back there ever again. After a few of these complaints you may find yourself 1,000 miles from home and are continuously told there is nothing available yet. Only after several days of sitting and waiting for a load, blowing up at the dispatch people, they might let you know that your hygiene has been your downfall. Don't let this happen.

This is an outside job. You work in the heat of summer, the cold of winter, you do get sweaty when you work. You just don't have to stink like soap and water are foreign terms in your vocabulary.

Now to the part of the industry we are in. Doubles Drive-Away: We each take two trucks. If you are in this by yourself you will find it easier to get loads than we do because most places will have two trucks and few places have four.

Doubles Drive-Away is just a little bit different. You will need to have more equipment and it can be very expensive. The equipment you will need will be heavy, cumbersome, have a lot of attachments, and will be filthy with 5th wheel grease. You will need to have two sets of axle chains, one boomer, 50' of air line hose, a specialty attachment for firewall mounted air fittings, a cross over yoke with a reducer valve, some extra fittings to to attach the cross over yoke directly to the brake pods, a 50' 7 wire electric cable with both ends fitted with connectors, rubber bungies (lots of bungies), 6' hardword boards (4 of these), four 2 1/2 inch "C" clamps, two 10' ratchet straps, and a boom or a transport trailer.

Some Drive-Away companies have a transport trailer they will let you use. You will pay a very hefty monthly fee for the use of this trailer, I've heard as much as $500. Unfortunately, you will not be schooled in the use of this trailer. You will need to figure it out yourself, or so all the complaints we have heard over the years. Your personal vehicle will be on the transport trailer between the two trucks. You will need to have your vehicle secured to the transport trailer or you will play hell getting out of a weigh station in any state for an unsafe mount. So you will need to purchase tie down straps or find the chains car haulers uses to secure cars to their trailers.

The load information is still the same as with the singles. Pick up site, delivery site, load number, Vin number, Unit number, miles, pay, fuel surcharge, advances. The difference is your pay will be more for the two trucks than with a single. You could be paid as much as $2.20 per mile with the fuel surchage calculated in. Again, that all depends on the Drive-Away company you sign up with. Some Drive-Away companies pay $1.40 with the Fuel Surcharge included.

There is more that can go wrong with Doubles. You have more wheels on the ground, thus a greater chance of tire failure than with a Single. Now, this doesn't mean that you will have a tire blow out on every trip it just means there are 12 tires on the ground as opposed to 10 and the total set up weight is greater with Doubles than with Singles.

There is another vehicle involved here. Both vehicles, most times, have to start and run. With two vehicles there is a greater chance that one won't start and run.

You will be, in effect, driving a tractor trailer with all the length that entails. You will need to have a Class A CDL to drive Doubles, where you only need a Class B CDL for singles.

There is double the paperwork involved. Most Drive-Away companies require you to have a separate BIL for each truck, thus double the paperwork. Permits and tolls cost more because of the weight and configuration than a single.

Fuel costs will escalate because of the "drag" you have from that back truck. You are, in effect, pulling a parachute behind you when you do Doubles. With a single bobtail you could get up to 10 miles to the gallon. With doubles you will be ecstatic when you get 6. I am serious about this.

With the back truck trailing behind you there is one precaution you have to take. I mean HAVE to take. The steering wheel of the back truck needs to be tied down securely. If you don't tie that steering wheel off you will have a truck that goes into "Jack Knife" at every turn, before you leave the lot.

You have to be more conscious of what you are doing and your driving skills have to be good. Any damage to these trucks that you cause from your driving is money you lose by paying the Drive-Away company their Insurance Deductible. You can be docked as much as $2,500 for each incident. This is with a single as well as with the double. If you damage several trucks in the course of your driving you will be let go like a hot potato. Dropped flat. Your DAC report will reflect this and you will have trouble getting a job anywhere else. This is serious business.

In Doubles you can also pull your vehicle as a third unit behind your second truck. These trucks will be connected with a boom, which can be had (for up to $500/month) by some Drive-Away companies. There will be about four tow bar assemblies you will need to have built. Find out from someone that does this type of drive-away. They can let you know how to get them built. If you are mechanically inclined and quite handy with a welder you can make them yourself. Just be advised, there are several states that will make you take your vehicle off. Pennsylvania and New Mexico are just two of them.

The next kind of Drive-Away is Decking: I don't know anything about decking and the equipment you will need. There are quite a few drivers that only deck and say they will not do anything else.

If I have not persuaded you to join the ranks, you might consider contacting companies like AutoTruck at http://www.autotrucktransport.com which is decking and delivering new trucks. They are union and they fly you everywhere and have a shuttle to pick you up at some airports. This will give you a chance to see what "Hot Seat" really means.


The Driveaway companies I personally know about are:

Dependable Transportation http://www.dependabletransport.com
Coldiron Companies http://www.coldironcompanies.com
Truck Movers http://www.truckmovers.com
D&T Truck Transport 1748 County Road Q
Fremont, NE 68026
402-727-7277
Worldwide Freight Carriers http://www.worldwidefreight.com

Part of My Inspection Process & The "Demented Ride"

This is not me, nor is it my video, but it is one of the things I have to do when I do the inspection of the trucks for Drive Away. All trucks on the highway are SUPPOSED to have been inspected in this manner. It used to take me a long time to do these, now it comes second nature. When we get a set that only Joe will drive I will do a video of what I do with these trucks and what our hook up consists of.



One post I submitted was about getting sick on a road. That post was in "Mrs. Cranky Pants" and I referred to feeling sick and wanted off the demented ride. The video above is of that particular section of highway - in the daytime. I had to drive this at night, in the dark, with nothing to use as a marker except the on coming traffic and Joe's tail lights. Just watching this video makes me sick.

As you may be able to tell, I'm home for a couple days before we leave, yet again. Cramming all kinds of pictures into this blog as I can while I have access to a computer.

A Search For Humor Resulted In This

While fiddling around, not wanting to go to bed just quite yet, I did a search of humorous blogs on Google. The list of names is enough to put one to sleep, and trying to figure out what the blog is about by the title was enough to make me a little jittery. Then I saw one of possible interest.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com

Entering the site I was delighted to find pictures, and commentary, of decorated cakes. It appears all of the cakes were bought and paid for. Not made by family given to the recipient free of charge.

I spent the next half hour laughing so hard I had a coughing fit, or looked upon the cake pictured and got queasy. They range from cute to really odd and disgusting. While you browse the cakes pictured just imagine YOU are the recipient of the cake. What the heck were people thinking when they walked up to the counter and put their order in?

The one I have pictured, above, is something that happened to me one time. In the bakery section of a grocery store I frequented (years ago) I requested a birthday cake for my daughter who would be two years old. It was at a time in my life when a little extra money - $10.00 - was a windfall and I wanted to splurge on her birthday and get her a cake. I felt so good about myself and I was so excited to see her face when she saw the cake with her name. At the time, the name of Carissa was unusual and not common as it is today. It took about four tries with the cake decorator to get the spelling right on the order sheet. I snatched that paper away and wrote "Happy Birthday C-A-R-I-S-S-A". Just Happy Birthday Carissa was all I had wanted on the cake, the extras cost - well extra. All was well and I left the store with promises the cake would be ready the next day after 3 pm for me to pick up. The time came for me to pick up the cake. The excitement I felt upon entering the store was intense, almost giddy. As I got to the bakery I was walking on air thinking about the happiness in my daughters face when she saw her cake. The person at the bakery brought the cake out and everything came to a screeching halt. My heart plummeted to my feet and all the euphoria I felt dissolved into horror.

The cake presented to me was one with a boy theme of Transformers and across the top of the cake was just like this "C-A-R-S-S-I" the quotation marks were in place as were the hyphens. I was disheartened and getting hot. During the next few minutes of negotiations to correct the cake I was finally told it would take another day before the cake could be made right because of the spray color they used and the Transformer Theme I would still have to pay for since they could not sell it to another person now that it was used. The only good thing about this whole mess was that my daughter was too young to know what all the hoopla was about.

Well, after that fiasco I began making my own cakes. Some turned out good while others were questionable. But I made the mistakes and paid only for the cake mix and frosting. So I was out maybe $4 instead of $25.

Go check this blog out. You will get a good laugh.

The Trip From Laredo, TX to Calexico, CA

In my last post, I told you of the trial and tribulations in Laredo, Texas and ending the day in Del Rio, Texas.

The next morning, Wednesday, August 20, 2008, we left the Days Inn in Del Rio later than we had planned. We were both so tired that 5 am came and went. We didn't get up until about 6:30 and left the hotel close to 8 am.

About 20 miles west of Del Rio, Texas on US 90 is the first Border Patrol Check Point we would come to. As you can see, we were on a two lane road and would be for the next, nearly, 200 miles to Fort Stockton, Texas. Anyway, back to the Border Patrol Check Point. Some have dogs along with the officers, this one was only the officer.

We get asked the same question at all of these "Are you a US Citizen?". Joe, being the more adventurous soul answers "Yes sir, I am. And, are you?" The first time I heard him ask this question I was on pins and needles wondering what was going to happen. Did the officer think he was being disrespectful, or belligerent? I figured we were going to be hauled out of the vehicle and dragged (kicking, screaming, and begging) into the little building that accompanies these posts. Images of rubber hoses being flailed upon our persons was a predominant theme bouncing around in my head. Instead the officer smiled broadly and proclaimed loudly "Yes, sir I am. Born and raised in the US." Several miles later and many minutes my heart rate returned to normal. I did still look in the rear view mirrors to make sure no one was driving up behind us to take us to our doom.

On this day, Joe first in line and me bringing up the rear, when I approached the officer on duty he just waved me through. "Go on ma'am, you are clear." That stunned me. I was waiting to give him my answer of "Yes sir."

During this days trek I thought about having a video camera propped on the dash board looking out the window to record the landscapes we pass through. I even considered going to a "Spy Shop" (where you can buy all manner of video recording devices) and getting a "lipstick camera" and attaching it somewhere on my person so our trips could be viewed from my perspective while driving. Although this would be good to do, it would end up being really, really, boring. Then my thoughts turned to how I could switch the video on and off so I would not have to fall asleep editing 12 hours of highways to get the pieces I really wanted in.

The day before, traveling US 90 to Del Rio (going the opposite direction of today), there was a Seismic Survey Crew out in the fields driving this strangely articulated vehicle with a mechanism in the middle that whomped down on the ground every so often to send sonar like sound waves into the ground and picked up by another device to "see" what was below the surface. This crew is out looking for places to drill for oil. Joe calls them "Thumper Trucks" because that is what they do - Thump. I did not have my camera with the zoom lens near me that day or I would have taken some pictures of these vehicles.

Things like this is what I thought would be good to get on camera. That way you could see the different things that go on in our world.

I have not quite figured out the best way to do this. Digital Video Tape or a Digital Thumb Disk. What kinds of cords and plugs would I need, how many wires would sprout from my clothing and get tangled up on my way in and out of the truck. How would I shut the thing off when I had to go to the bathroom? Would I have to proclaim to all in hearing they are being video taped when I go into a restaurant or a truck stop? Would I have to video the floor in these places, or the table top in restaurants? I guess it might be worth a little more time to think this idea through.

These thoughts carried me on US 90 to Sanderson, Texas where we got US 285 to Ft. Stockton, Texas.

Searching for a place to eat before getting on I-10, we found a "K-Bob's Steakhouse". Not a bad place to eat. It was really busy. The locals eat here and it was packed.


View Larger Map

After lunch we got on I-10 and headed west to the New Mexico state line where we have to purchase permits for our trip across New Mexico. Walking to the Weigh Station office, after having parked in their lot, we saw a Greyhound bus in one of the Inspection Bays. All of its passengers were off loaded and stood around waiting to be let back on the bus. There have been several bus accidents recently, with fatalities. Before we left the Weigh Station with our permits two more buses were brought into the Inspection Bay. They are taking this thing serious. Do I mind, hell no. Safety is a major concern for us on the highways.

Back on the road and debating whether to keep going to Willcox, Arizona for the night or stopping in New Mexico and saving Arizona for the next day. Our log books determined our stop would be in New Mexico. Neither one of us could afford a Log Violation for out of hours in Arizona where we have to buy another permit.

The Holiday Inn in Deming, New Mexico is where we stopped for the night. They had rain before we got there. The lake like puddles in the gravel parking lot told that tale. In the truck parking lot were five semi trucks and trailers marked with the "Monday Night Football" logos on them. Ah, football season has come around again.

The next morning, Thursday, August 21, 2008, we got an early start on our day. We would have the advantage of being two hours ahead of this part of the world so a start at 7:30 am our time was 5:30 local. Off we go, back on I-10 and heading west. Breakfast was at the Flying J in Lordsburg, New Mexico.

At the Weigh Station in San Simon, Arizona we went in to purchase permits to cross Arizona. The cool start to this day was going to be turning hot the closer to Hell we got. By the time we got to Tucson, Arizona the A/C was on high with that dreadful sun beating down on us.

West of Tucson on I-10 we had to exit onto I-8 and head towards San Diego. About 20 miles west on I-8 we encountered another Border Patrol Check Point. You will see that the bugs had been in full force for a while. The windshield is covered with their spatters. This check point had multiple officers and a dog or two. Being in the west bound lanes of I-8 we only had to slow down. We were not asked if we were citizens.

The Border Patrol on this portion of the highway take this very seriously. These officers are clipped and their tones of voice are more authoritative. Still doesn't stop Joe from asking if they are US Citizens also. I swear, that man makes my heart race for more reasons than just seeing him across a crowded room. Kind of reminds me of poking a stick at a snake.

We stopped in Yuma, Arizona for one final potty break before we did the 50 or so miles to Calexico, California and delivery. Joe had called the person in charge and let them know we would be there at 5:30 pm local so they knew we would be after hours.

Once in the lot at TBM Carriers in Calexico we got busy with the delivery. It took us 1 and 3/4 hours to get finished. Another 20 to 30 minutes to chat with the guys that checked us in and out the gate. We were on the way back to Yuma, Arizona and the Ramada Inn.

Earlier in the day we had heard some disheartening news. Another trucking company has closed. We were told to be on the look out for their trucks and call one of our dispatch offices and alert them to the location of the truck. It is my understanding that the trucking company just shut off the fuel cards to their drivers and told them to get home best they could. That is a real shitty way of treating their drivers, if in fact that is what they told their drivers. Makes me wonder how many of their drivers were 500 miles or more from home with no money to get anywhere.

Here are some pictures of the sand dunes in California on I-8 just a few miles west of the Arizona/California border.

New Kenworths - Brand New

On Tuesday, August 19, 2008 we left the Days Inn in Del Rio, Texas. We have become regulars, of sorts. The people at the T&B Bar/Grill next door recognized us. It is nice to be welcomed to an establishment far from home.

Up at 5 am, out the door at 6:15, on the road at 6:30 (a stop at McDonalds included), finishing our deadhead to Laredo, Texas.

We arrived at French Ellison Truck Center in Laredo at 9:30 am ready to get these trucks hooked up before the day got too hot. It was ideal weather for it, overcast and a bit humid, but cool. The General Manager said the trucks weren't ready yet, we could wait in the drop lot for the trucks. We went to the drop lot and waited. While waiting we listened to more of the book on CD we have been working on for about two weeks. It helped pass the time.

The first truck arrived at 10:20 am. Since none of the trucks were assigned to either one of us Joe decided the first truck out would be the one I would drive. The trucks are all the same and they are all new so nothing major to consider. Joe did his work on the back of the trailer to get my boom extended and ready to be stubbed into the truck I will drive. I moved the first truck into position for my boom then got out and inspected the truck. Joe did his magic until I finished my job then I helped him get the boom stabilized so I can get it off the trailer and move the truck out of the way. That done we got back in the pickup and listened to more of the book.

The second truck arrived at 11:30. I moved it behind the truck with my boom then inspected it while Joe installed the axle chains. When I finished the inspection I put on the air fairing braces and straps, then helped Joe with the brake assembly and light bar. Now that both of my trucks were here and all the "work" was done on them we hooked them together and I was ready to go. Back to the pickup to listen to more of the book.

12:15 the third truck arrived. This would be Joe's back truck. I moved this truck behind the trailer in readiness for Joe to install his axle chains while I did the inspection. Once finished with these tasks I secured his air fairings and helped with the brake assembly.

By now the overcast sky had cleared and it was getting really hot. We both needed more water but didn't know if we should leave the drop lot or not. Joe decided we would at least get the trailer attached to his back truck and think about putting the pickup up. We got the trailer attached and HAD to leave for water, we both were about to fall down from heat exhaustion and dehydration. Off to the convenience store we went. Gatorade, water, and juice we loaded up on then returned to the drop lot. The fourth truck had not yet arrived by this time, 1:45.

We stayed in the pickup and listened to more of the book.

2:20 Joe decided to get the pickup loaded on the trailer. We could sit in my truck in the air conditioning until his truck came. At least all the hard work would be done by that time.

Getting the personal stuff out of the pickup into my truck took about 10 minutes. Getting the pickup loaded on the trailer and ready for Joe's last truck took another 15 minutes. We sat in my truck and watched the storm clouds roll in.

Wouldn't you know it, just as the guy brought Joe's truck in and backed it close to the trailer the rain came. Cats and dogs rain. A full on gully washer. In about 15 minutes the amount of rain that fell was about 4 inches. I didn't want to wait for the rain to stop to do my inspection. Leaving the inspection sheet and clipboard in his truck I check the stuff on the inside; washer/wipers, radio, A/C, gauges, and flipped the light switches on. While I was outside checking for damage on the truck Joe was honking and waving his arms at me from my truck. I waved him off and went about my business.

Soaked through, but done, I went to Joe and asked for my street clothes. Off I went to the French Ellison office for the bathroom to change clothes and get signatures on the load sheets.
Walking across the street to the office I encountered water ankle deep, and warm to the touch.

Once in the office I left a trail of water puddles on my way to the bathroom. Dry clothes and I felt better. Now in search of a trash bag to carry my wet stuff out and get papers signed I found the sales person I needed and off I went. When I got to the door on my way out the rain had stopped. Time to get going.

By the time I got back over to the drop lot Joe had his truck backed into the trailer and the pickup wheels strapped down. He was working in his rain coat, at least one of us had some sense. I only had about five minutes work to help him get all hooked up then get his stuff transferred from my truck to his.

Ready to leave and begin our trip to Calexico, California. This night we will be where we started the day. The Days Inn in Del Rio, Texas.

Taking A Leisurly Drive

This morning Joe tried to wake me at 6:30. I swatted at him and grumbled "Leave me alone", which he did. He snuggled right up to me and we went back to sleep until 8:30.

Joe said it rained during the night, I didn't hear a thing. One of those few nights when a bomb could go off and I'd sleep through it. I looked out the window to be greeted by sprinkles and an overcast sky. The local forcasters are warning about flash flooding. We are wondering why there would be that kind of concern in this Midwestern part of Texas.

The rain continued across Interstate 20 to east of Odessa where it was a good sprinkle, just enough to leave the wipers on intermitent. It finally petered out near Midland. West of Midland is miles of open range with oil pump things from near the roadway and off into the distance as far as one can see. I took pictures of it, send them later.

Interstate 20 ends at Interstate 10. We went west on I-10 and stopped in Van Horn for something to eat. Usually our stop in Van Horn is at the Love's Truck Stop but today we went across the street to the Sands Restaurant which is a little dive. This little dive had garnered some fame a few years back when Tommy Lee Jones was in the movie "Three Burials for Melaquides Estrada" and some of the footage was shot at the Sands Restaurant.

We got into Clint about 8 pm and was done unhooking by 9:45. Tonight we are at the Red Roof Inn in El Paso. We'll get papers signed tomorrow and deadhead for Laredo.

Posted with LifeCast

I Don't Want To Go...

We got to the house yesterday afternoon. I spent the next four hours doing catch up paperwork. Printing out each of the Corporate Lodging charges and getting them entered into the proper bookkeeping record, going through the mail. We get a ton of crap when we get home. Local store flyers, some weekly newspaper, office supply catalogs, and nuisance junk mail. I overheated the shredder yet again with the proponderance of junk.

Joe was in his chair printing receipts of stuff we had paid on the road for our house bills. It got to be so hard on him he went to sleep. I tease him about sitting quietly for three minutes and is out of it.

Our neighbor came for a visit. He got Joe caught up on the local gossip then they talked guy stuff for the next few hours. Our neighbor left near 10 pm and not long after that I went to bed. Joe went to his office for one quick game of Free Cell and woke up at 1 am not having finished the game he started.

I was real sluggish this morning and just couldn't get around. The laundry I had done last night was all folded and hung, ready to get into today. I didn't want to even get dressed.

We finally got out of town around 12:30 this afternoon and headed out.

If there is anyone interested in OLD courthouses I saw one this afternoon in Albany, Texas. That one just might be put on my list of photo opportunities next time we travel on TX 79, or was it on US 283? I don't remember.

We are in Abilene, Texas at the Days Inn. Time for bed.

Posted with LifeCast

Conditioning A Smoking Pipe

I have "LifeCast" on my iPhone so I can do my daily writing while we are on the road. I had received a comment from the LifeCast people about the new feature that had been added. Take pictures with the iPhone and upload the photos to the blog site. I was so excited about this and took some pictures and tried to send them. Doesn't work without a computer. I have to have access to a computer to do this. Good luck with that while I'm 1000 miles from home.

So today I am getting caught up on our adventures.

When we left Florence, South Carolina the first time going to Monroevile, Indiana we stopped in Statesville, North Carolina at the J&R Tobacco store. http://www.jrcigar.com Joe had lost his pipe some time back and needed to replace it. After our shopping was done we stopped for lunch at a little chinese food place in the same complex.

Joe was messing around with his purchases and next time I looked at him I thought he was picking his nose with something brown. "What are you doing?" I asked him as I took a picture of him doing this strange thing (photo on left).

"I'm conditioning my pipe" is what Joe told me. The oils on the side of his nose, it seems, is the ideal oil to smear on the wood. I asked him to hold still while I took a picture to make sure I was seeing what I did see (photo on right).

Okay. Alright. These guy things are lost on me.

The Day I Spazzed Out

We don't very often take tractor trailers. As a matter of fact, this is the first time in seven years that both Joe and I have taken tractor trailers. I didn't have the lightbar to look for while going down the highway to make sure I'm still on the right path. As you can see, he blended in with all the other trucks on the road (photo right).



Out of all the trailers in front of me I had to follow the little red "Get A Way Farms" label on the back of the trailer (photo left).

Just in case you don't remember this days post, it was on Saturday, July 26, 2008. These trucks and trailers were going to Tunica, Mississippi for auction. http://www.tunica.miss.com

The thing about this spazz attach is a) I've never been to Tunica, Mississippi, b) I knew the roads to take to Memphis, Tennessee but not where to go from there, c) I do have the iPhone with the Map Feature that I could have used to get the directions if I had lost Joe in all the knot of trucks, d) my tail was not the usual truck I was used to seeing in my mirrors.

Change, of any kind, for me is critical meltdown. I get used to one way of doing anything. I get my routine set and I know what to look for and how to handle a situation. Put a spin on it, no matter how minor, and I have the voices in my head clambering at high volume. My heart races, by breathing increases, my senses are heightened to danger, and I just come to a full stop. If there were warning buzzers or klaxons emanating from me, during this time of panic, I would be one loud and noisy person.

Over the years I have been forced to deal with this part of me. Needless to say, I haven't quite got it down pat yet. The full on panic time and total function stop has decreased to mere seconds, maybe as much as 30 seconds, but it is still debilitating. Now if I could figure out how to deal with the recriminating voices in my head. Get them to just shut up. "What the hell was that all about? You know what you are doing, or did you all of a sudden become stupid? Look at all the people staring at you right now, what could they be thinking?" Unfortunately these voices in my head go on for longer than 30 seconds.

My way of dealing with the voices in my head (oh God don't tell them that, they will really think you've lost it) is to loudly say "Shut Up" or "Delete, delete".

So picture this in your head. You see a woman in a big truck, stopped at an intersection or driving on the highway. You look up into the truck window to get a better look at this woman you think is confident and you have a degree of awe. Now you see this woman swatting her hands around her head like she is chasing a fly away and her mouth is moving. You kind of know what she is saying because you've said this a few times yourself "Shut Up". She keeps repeating this "shut up shut up shut up" and her hands are waving around. Now you no longer think this woman is confident or someone to, momentarily, admire. You are sure she has just been let out of the looney bin and you want to put as much distance between her and you as you can.

So if you do see me on the highway or at a stop light telling myself to shut up, don't worry. It is just me dealing with my demons. All will be well in a few minutes.

A Look At What We Do For A Living

Transport Driveaway is a multi faceted field. The big bus type motor homes and the Class C motor homes are one area of Driveaway. Cement trucks, fire engines, and dump trucks are another area. The part of the industry we do is called "Class 8 Truck Driveaway". The Class 8 truck is the semi truck with a fifth wheel.



In 2001 Joe designed and built the trailer we use in this business. In 2003 he designed and built my boom. We take four trucks, three trucks, and occasionally two trucks in this work. The two trucks Joe would take with his trailer. When we have three I will drive the single truck while Joe has his trailer loaded.

The lightbar on Joe's back truck is what I follow. This is what I see as I drive these roads.

The Trucks Are Not Ready!!!

Thursday morning, August 14, 2008 we arrived at Werner Transportation yard, their Fleet Sales Division to get the trucks that had gone from one dispatch office to another. 9 am we were there and ready to get to work.

Three of the trucks were parked in the lot, the fourth one was still in the body shop being repaired. I figured this would be an ideal time to get the available trucks inspected while we waited for the arrival of the other one. One of the perks with these trucks was two of them would be full of fuel for this trip. It turns out that the two trucks full of fuel were assigned to Joe. We made a decision to change the truck assignment then inform the dispatch office later.

Continuing in my inspection, one truck has a noisy sound that is not "normal" to my ears. There is a very loud air hissing noise coming from behind the cab. Go inside to the Fleet Sales Manager and inform him there is a problem with one of the trucks. A service person is called to check this out. I continue with my inspection. The next truck I inspect is the one I will drive. The tail lights are not very bright and when the left turn signal is one both rear lights flash, same happens when I turn on the right signal. Back into the managers office to tell him there is another problem.

There were a total of five trips into the manager's office to have service out.

The truck with the hissing noise, the governor failed (haven't a clue what that is except it has something to do with the build up of air for the air brakes and other items that use air - wipers and windows).

The truck with the rear lights blinking, the ground post had rusted badly enough it had broke off the truck frame. The service person had to do some torching and soldering to get that post reconnected to the frame.

From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. we messed with these trucks until we finally got hooked up. All day long working on these trucks that we were told "Were Ready and Have to be in Clint by Monday". Part of the job, just deal with it.

Our plans of being home for the night were off. One more night on the road in a hotel then home to our own bed.

We took Interstate 80 out of Werner Transportations lot in Omaha, Nebraska. Cross the river into Iowa and merge onto Interstate 29. Take I-29 to exit 10 and get on Iowa State Road 2 over the river that divides Iowa and Nebraska on another border and onto Nebraska State Road 2. Take this road to US 75 at Nebraska City, Nebraska and take that road all the way to Interstate 70 in Topeka, Kansas.

Going down US 75 we first encountered rain passed Nebraska City, within two miles the rain had some hail in it. This is a two lane road with twists and turns, oncoming trucks splashed my windshield with a huge amount of water my wipers could not keep up. This rain and hail lasted for more than 15 miles. I was on the edge of my seat and just this side of panic by the time I got through the worst of it. I made it through and no one suffered, all turned out well. We passed out of the storm and you would not know there had been one.

Dawson, Nebraska is a small town divided by US 75. This little hamlet is about six blocks long, and maybe just as many wide. About four years ago, the last time I had been through there, this little town looked like it was on the brink of falling down. Going through Dawson on this day the town looked as though it had perked up. There is a fairly steep grade in this town and trucks in the past would go through with their engine brakes rumbling. I have often wondered how upset the towns people would get being woken in the night by the loudly rumbling engine brakes and hear that loud noise during the day. This would be almost constant because it is a major road for truck traffic. Going through the town on this day I noticed a sign just before entry that "Engine Braking Is Prohibited". The towns people must finally be getting some sleep. That might be the reason the town looks to have perked up.

One of our stops on US 75 is near Hiawatha, Kansas. The Sac and Fox Casino. It is out in the middle of no where it seems but there is always a lot of vehicles in their parking lot and several trucks in the truck parking area. We stopped for something to eat and just a couple hours of entertainment. Joe is the only one that left with the money he came with. The machines kept all my money.

We are not going to be home this night. Wichita, Kansas and the Comfort Inn is as far as we are going. It was real late when we finally checked in. I didn't do my paperwork, I just got undressed and went to bed.

Today was spent driving home. We arrived here at 1:30 this afternoon and I have several hours of paperwork to do and a little bit of laundry. Tomorrow, Saturday, we are leaving for El Paso.

14 days remain before we see all of our kids in Colorado. I am getting excited.

*Crash Bang Whomp* - Single Axle Daycabs

Tuesday morning, August 12, 2008, Joe had to leave early to get a screw out of one of our pickup tires. He went from one tire repair shop to another in Council Bluffs, IA. THEY wanted to drive our pickup into the bays and Joe would not allow them to. They stated their insurance would not allow non employees to be in the bays so off Joe went. He finally found a place that let him back up to their bay and the tire got fixed.

My cynical mind thinks this foolishness is because of all the people that want to sue. In my opinion there is an enormous amount of idiots running the streets. Screaming and hollering for every hang nail they get to a lawyer.

It was after 9 a.m. before we got to Penske Truck Leasing in Omaha, Nebraska to hook up trucks. This has been our third time to get trucks from them. Single axle day cabs. Groan and sigh.

On the plus side, there is only one rear axle to chain up on the trucks we will be towing. There are no fairings to strap and secure. Our length is quite a bit shorter than normal so turning radius will be better. Hook and unhook will be less of a chore.

On the down side, these trucks are the roughest to ride in. Every bump in the road is felt, and every pothole or rut causes these trucks to skitter in the lane like a spooked horse. The work it takes to keep these *#%& trucks in our lane is constant.

These trucks are Internationals. I absolutely, positively, without a doubt, HATE to drive an International. They were built for off road use in the 1930's and have not changed much. Stiff, rough, and bone jarring.

These trucks are going to Crestwood, Illinois about 430 miles away. They are automatic transmission with no clutch so I don't have to figure out how I'm going to keep my butt in the seat while I bounce around pushing the clutch in to shift from a dead stop or a panic stop.

There seemed to be a problem with one of the trucks I had previously delivered. It seems the place that had bought the trucks had found damage on the underside. The oil pan had been dented quite badly, causing the oil plug to be crimped in the dent. Also, one of the tie rods had been extremely bent. I was blamed for the "Decking Damage". We don't deck so I don't understand how I could have done the damage that was found.

This trip we are going right on the delivery site all set up. In the past we had got there on Sunday evening and unhooked in their driveway. Leaving the trucks parked overnight in their driveway to return Monday morning with the keys and ready to be checked in. This time we showed up so they could see how we deliver the trucks. I sent Joe off to do the explaining how our boom and trailer works and to show these people the front end of the trucks don't leave the ground when we have them. I guess he did his job, the manager there could see that we did not "Deck" the trucks. We'll see what transpires from this. I'll either lose some pay in the future with our dispatcher because of this mess or I'll never hear a thing about it again.

At noon on Wednesday, August 13, we drove into the delivery site, creating quite a stir as usual with gawkers. The manager came out and watched us unhook for about 15 minutes then he and Joe disappeared into the building for the next 10 minutes to discuss the previous damage.

When we got unhooked the manager went to each truck and looked at what I had written up for damage. I had to leave on the pretense of changing from my greasy clothes to my street clothes. He was not happy with the condition of the trucks he had received. We had not done the damage, but he had been guaranteed these trucks would be in excellent condition and ready to go to work. The A/C went out of Joe's truck about an hour into our trip. Upon hearing this the manager got a look on his face that sent me off looking for a bathroom and leaving Joe to deal with him. Yes, I know. "Bawk, bawk, bawk" (chicken clucking sound).

Once we got delivered it was back to Omaha, Nebraska for us to get some trucks we had, originally, been dispatched on by another one of our dispatch offices.

This business is competitive by nature. Several Driveaway companies doing the same job. Their customers are not different than other customers, they jump ship and go to the next available Driveaway company for one reason or another. Sometimes the reasons are known only to the customers themselves.

That said, on Tuesday we were considering trucks out of Pennsylvania going to Rhode Island. We had not confirmed we would take the trucks. The main consideration was how far would we have to deadhead to get trucks once we delivered in Rhode Island. This same dispatch office called us on Tuesday and told us of trucks out of Omaha, Nebraska going to Clint, Texas - a suburb of El Paso. Yes we would take those.

About two hours later we got a call from the dispatch office that these trucks were pulled because we would not be able to get them in time and they wanted to go with someone else. That trip was off and the Pennsylvania to Rhode Island were still on.

Later Tuesday afternoon we were called by one of our other dispatch offices. We were asked if we wanted to go back to Omaha, Nebraska to get four trucks. Joe says "Let me guess, they are going to El Paso?" This surprised the dispatcher "How do you know?" he asked. Joe told him how he knew. Needless to say, we did commit to these trucks.

So once unhooked in Crestwood, Illinois Wednesday afternoon we headed for Omaha - again. Joe called our first dispatcher and told him we were going to Omaha. Joe was asked "Where are you going?" Joe's response was "You don't want to know". With shock and some frustration our dispatcher said "You going to El Paso I take it?" When Joe said yes, I guess there were some "#$%*!" words from our dispatcher upon hearing this bit of news.

Come Thursday our bodies are going to remind us of having taken the single axle daycabs. We will be stiff and sore. I have bruises up and down my legs and on my shoulders from those trucks.

Rolling Hills Of Iowa

Monday, August 11, leaving Walcott and driving the remainder of our deadhead I watched corn and soybean fields as we passed.

I thought about the phrase " Rolling Hills" and the Iowa landscape, how it looked to me. All 290+ miles on Interstate 80 is uphill and down hill. The landscape undulates like ocean waves. The crops and fields on both sides of the highway resemble a heavy sea with waves cresting 20 to 30 feet. Troughs between the waves, or the lower parts of the fields, look in some places like whirlpool eddies. There are some fields high on the crest with other waves breaking below the surface. Joe tells me these are known as "Terrace" farming. The slope of the hill is not leveled out to one long curve. For rain runoff and snow melt the terraces keep the water from eroding the soil and being washed to the bottom of the hill. Corn fields are high on the hill at the crest, the terrace is below the highest level then another stretch of land has corn with a terrace at the end then soybean fields continue the contour down the rest of the hill and up the next one. The crops continue to alternate between corn and soybeans broken up only by small towns and hamlets.

In a month or more all the verdant green of these crops will be replaced by yellows and browns as the crops mature and are harvested. Come late fall and early winter this landscape will look forlorn and almost naked.

The swells, undulations, and eddies will not be as noticeable. The fields will look like dirt and weeds. Not as fanciful as they look now covered in lush greens.

Everything changes.

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Summer Is On The Wane

100 degrees and stifling humidity is giving way to cooler temperatures. At least in the high 80's and mid 90's. In about two months I'll be whining about how cold it is becoming.

Saturday night we got into Monroeville, IN at dusk. We were on farm roads in an unfamiliar area and didn't want to traverse them in full dark. Leaving the trucks behind at the delivery site we took our pickup down, cleared our personal stuff from the trucks and headed 39 miles to Ft. Wayne and the Baymont Inn.

Sunday morning, fairly early, we went back to Monroeville and unhooked our trucks. The weather was refreshingly cool with not a rain cloud in the sky. Got that finished and now a 700 mile deadhead to Omaha, NE.

I have laundry to do. About five loads. Being tired from all the driving and the thought of laundry for three hours is making me testy. Ideally we would get to a hotel around 3 pm to do the wash and get rested. I did say "ideally", however it was not to be. Around 7:30 pm we got to the Comfort Inn in Walcott, IA. Yes, they have a guest laundry. One washer and one dryer. $1.25 for each load. 30 minute wash and 45 minute dry. This is going to be a long night. And it proved to be, nearly 11 pm by the time I finally finished. I was so put out at Joe, when he sat beside me on the bed, during one of my waiting cycles, I almost shoved him off the bed and onto the floor. He caught himself before he went too far. I nearly laughed out loud when I saw the surprised look on his face as he tried to keep from falling.

Monday morning, leaving Walcott, I was in a better mood.

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18 Years Together

Yesterday, August 11, 2008 was our 18th Anniversary.

Joe will tell a story on me of how nasty I was on our first anniversary because I thought he had forgotten it. Then he will tell you of the next six years we both forgot it. As much as two months passed before we thought about our anniversary. We managed to remember it closer after the date, getting to two weeks past, by the sixth year. This year we remembered it about four days before and we each put it on our phone calendars to remind us.

Each of us had been married previously and we each had children from our previous marriages. When we got together we had a bunch of kids and maximum noise. Our lives were so busy with getting ourselves sorted out, blending the children, our work and just life in general. It was not an easy thing by any stretch of the imagination. Frankly, I figured it would be over by year five.

My youngest daughter and Joe's youngest daughter got us together. I thank God every day that those two girls had more sense than I did and could make better "Man" choices than I could. My husband is so patient and loving. It has, truly, been his patience and love that has held us together and allowed me to grow into this relationship. We now have a fantastic family. The "Function" has replaced "Dysfunction" in our family.

All but about one year Joe and I have been together 24/7. We have worked side by side every day except the times that he had worked far from home while I stayed behind. My personal growth has been because of Joe and his constant love and patience with me. Like I said, the first five years were really hard and I drove a lot of people away during that time, but Joe stuck with me and helped me through. Yes, we had counseling through those years but I owe all of my growth to Joe.

Back to our Anniversary. We celebrated by stopping early on the road in Council Bluffs, IA, taking a few hours to do something not work related and just enjoying ourselves.

As I had mentioned earlier, our youngest daughters got us together. Joe's youngest daughter and my youngest daughter were best friends in grade school in 1988 and 1989. At that time a book series geared for preteens and teens was "The Babysitter's Club". One book dealt with two best friends who wanted to be sisters. These girls conspired to get their parents together to reach their goal. Our daughters thought this would be the best idea for them so they took matters in their hands with Joe and I.

At the time I thought men were lower than snakes bellies and Joe had enough of women always wanting to know why he had custody of his children. We both were not the least bit interested in getting married again. Our two girls saw a way to be sisters and they cranked up the propaganda program and worked at both of us. The end effect was they became sisters in August of 2000.

Thank you girls for getting us together.

The Democratic National Convention Is At Fault

Planning a SPUR OF THE MOMENT family reunion can be filled with drama, suspense, and pathos.

This all came about last Monday when our son in Kansas said he and his wife were taking a couple weeks vacation and wanted to go to Colorado to see siblings. An innocent question, such as, "Do you think you will be anywhere near?" started the sequence.

A father's rich memories of him and his children traipsing around Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, and the Sangre de Christo mountains of Labor Day weekends past fueled the upcoming events. The subsequent trip down memory lane and the reminder of Labor Day Weekend brought long ago to the here and now. See what Manitou Springs has to offer a visitor at http://www.manitousprings.org

His grown children, some with families of their own, were magically made young again in his heart and mind.

Telephone calls followed and plans were made to reclaim those long ago days of a loving father spending time with the children of his heart.

A daughter in Denver with her family and a new child on the way says "Yes". The son and his wife from Kansas say "Yes". A daughter in Parker says "Yes". A son in Denver says "Yes". A son temporarily in Platteville, and lives in Kansas, says "Yes". A daughter and her husband in Chandler, AZ says "Yes. A daughter in Los Angeles, CA says "Yes".

This father, Joe, had a spring in his step, a smile on his face, and a song in his heart. His life couldn't be any better. He counted himself rich beyond any means. He was going to have his children with him again for a family outing over Labor Day Weekend. Just like long ago.

Joe called the Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs and reserved a whole table section for Saturday, August 30, 2008. More telephone calls were made informing the children of the date and time for the Flying W Ranch. These calls included a lot of " Do you remember when we...". This man was feeling young again. Check out Flying W Ranch here http://www.flyingw.com

The next round of telephone calls brought him crashing down in a tail spin. Not one hotel room would be available on August 28th from Castle Rock, CO in the south to Cheyenne, WY in the north. Not one. He was devastated. The last hotel he called and was turned down he asked why there were no rooms available.

The Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, CO this year and every hotel is booked.

The Democratic National Convention had ruined all his plans. He was hurt and really bummed.

Text messages flew then. Stop, we can't have our reunion. We'll have to do it another time. Maybe the following weekend. The children were disheartened by this news but reluctantly agreed to the change of plans.

Two days later a clearer head prevailed. We are still having our family reunion as originally planned. We will be leaving for Colorado a couple days later.

AFTER the Democratic National Convention.

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My Hero!

We almost made 350 miles yesterday. From Florence, SC to Dandridge, TN where we stayed at an EconoLodge that used to be Tennessee Mountain Inn. Right across the street is a restaurant called Captain's Galley we go to. The food is good, the Hush Puppies are excellent and the service is great. Joe likes it because of the seafood they serve. He likes fish, I find it yucky.

When we were leaving this morning I had a yellow Check Engine light on after I started the truck. Within a minute or two an accompanying red flashing Engine Shut Down light came on and the truck died. What now?!

Joe checked the oil for me while I climbed the engine compartment to remove the radiator cap. I didn't see any water. Joe went in search of a pail or bucket and water. He came back with a, in his estimation, four gallon bucket full of water.

After five trips for water, including the first, I had enough water in the radiator that I could see it. Let me see; 20 gallons brought out, about 10 gallons escaped between the mouth of the bucket and the radiator spout and hit the ground, so 10 gallons were put in the radiator. How did I get nearly 350 miles??!!

After I put the cap back on and got the lid fastened, I started the truck again. The yellow light came back on and I waited, expectantly, for the red light. The yellow light went out and no red light. I was now good to go.

My Hero saved me again. I am a very lucky (make that Blessed) woman to have the husband I have.

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Fuel Filter Change

I am sitting at Bay 3 at Petro Truck Stop in Florence, SC getting a fuel filter changed. It is so plugged up the filter sight glass is full of fuel instead of only showing about two inches.

Yesterday we went to West Union, SC to get Joe's truck. His other one and my two are in Florence, a little over 200 miles away. In West Union the people at Johnson Controls didn't know where the truck was and didn't want to sign it out when we were ready to leave. Once Joe found the truck it didn't start. He put jumper cables from our pickup to the truck and we listened to a book for about an hour while the batteries charged enough to start.

On the way to Florence it was so hot and humid the air conditioning in the pickup struggled to keep up. One time I checked the outside temperature and it was 101. About two hours later I saw a clearly distinguished line of sunlight and rain. The closer I got to the rain I saw how hard it was falling. Once we entered the rain it lasted for more than 20 miles. When I checked the outside temperature again it had dropped to 75. A little while later and out of the rain the temperature went back up to 84.

The rain had not quite finished when we got to Florence. Joe decided we had done enough for the day and we went to the Holiday Inn.

Today we finished the hooking up and we will be leaving for Monroeville in a little bit.

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