Life In The Fast Lane

Back to work yesterday.

Joe has a set of trucks in Blue Mound, Texas from an auction going to Omaha, Nebraska. I had a set of trucks in Muskogee, Oklahoma going to Fremont, Nebraska.

We picked up Joe's trucks yesterday and spent the night at home. We left this morning to head for Muskogee for my trucks then later found out there was only one of seven trucks available so we were told to just forget it. Things always change in this business. Have to be flexible or you will go nuts and agitate an ulcer.

Yesterday was so hot and humid in Blue Mound, which is a suburb of Ft. Worth. We got rained on for about three minutes during the hook up process. It felt pretty good, cool rain on our hot backs. The temperatures remained fairly cool after the rain so it wasn't too bad doing our work.

On our way to Blue Mound we stopped at Cabela's to replace rain coats the jerks stole from us. Hey, who knows, maybe they knew someone who needed a rain coat, or just a jacket to keep warm. Who ever has those jackets now will strut their stuff with black splotches all over from the fifth wheel grease that had gotten ground in and permanently stained.

Today we had to replace a three prong lighter plug. If you don't know what this is, it is a device that plugs in the cigarette lighter and has three plugs hanging from it to plug in devices. They took both Joe's and my 10' extension cords for the cigarette lighters. There are a lot of trucks with sleepers that have a cigarette lighter plug in the bunk are for the TVs and such. Sometimes the plugs in the cab don't work so we have to hook into the one in the bunk areas. Need lots of cord to do that, thus the 10' extension cord. With the price of copper being what it is I am sure the jerks only wanted the copper out of the cords. Hey, $.40 will at least get them something to drink, that is if the price of copper is $2.00 a pound like I've heard.

I'm trying to be philosophical about this. I mean what can we do, really, about the theft. Cussing, whining, moaning, and complaining are not going to bring the stuff back. Yes it is frustrating that jerks can't keep their fingers out of other people's things. Just pure disrespect on their part.

Anyway. Today we are on our way to Omaha in Joe's trucks since my trucks evaporated. We will be in Omaha around 7 pm. Probably stay at the Super 8 in Council Bluffs, Iowa tonight then deliver in the morning.

Tomorrow we will drop by one of our dispatchers in Fremont, Nebraska. They have offered a different kind of job for us. We would be able to stay in the same truck all the time, the job would be shuttling trailers around the country. We have been offered $.48 a mile loaded and unloaded. All fuel paid so we would not have to bear that expense. Sounds so good, no more hooking up and unhooking out in the weather. A three to four hour job we currently do in hooking up will be replaced with a 20 minute walk around the trailer then drive off. We could get 500 miles a day, or a little more, doing this new thing unless we have to wait to have a trailer unloaded. The job is supposed to be transporting empty trailers, just drop and hook which takes about 10 minutes total. There are some trailers that have stuff in them. Not sure how that is going to work out. That is one of our concerns. Another concern is the tolls and permits, who pays those. If we have to pay them the per mile fee would have to be increased for those loads. My biggest concern is where we park the pickup and trailer while we are off in this endeavor. How long will our pickup be parked near a field or whatever - housing for mice and spiders. Not what I'm looking forward to finding when we decide to go home.

We have been told wee can work for three weeks, as we do now, then go home for a week. What do we do for transportation once we get home, use the trucks to go grocery shopping and doctor visits? Do we have to go back to Fremont, Nebraska and leave the trucks and get our pickup to go home?

My biggest concern is would we be making the kind of money we do now? I sure don't want a cut in pay just for the convenience of being in the same truck all the time. This bothers me more than where the pickup is stored.

It is raining pretty good now. The sky has been overcast most of the morning and sprinkled on and off. Not enough to warrant the use of the wipers, but now it is really getting with it. We will probably have rain most of the way to Omaha.

Last night, on the way home, it was full dark at 8:30 pm. Summer is about over. Cooler weather is on the way. I am looking forward to the cooler weather, not the cold cold cold of full winter, just cooler.

Next time I pack clothing the shorts and light weight shirts will be left behind, maybe a pair or two for the warmer states. Long pants and heavier weight shirts will be the order of the day. I'm going to have to search the closets and bins for our winter coats and the polar fleece jackets. Socks and shoes will replace sandals.

I can think about that later.