DFW to ATL to RDU to CMH to DFW and back to CMH Tomorrow

We did get out of Dallas on time. The load was ready at 2300 and we were hooked to the loaded trailer, had the pre-trip inspection performed, and out the gate by 2330. We traveled out tx114 to I-30 to U.S. 80 and on to I-20.

We had to make a quick stop in Terrell TX for a splash of fuel and then again in Greenwood LA to fill up with fuel. We arrived, uneventfully, in Atlanta at about 1300 and figured that since it was Easter Sunday, we would likely be there all day.

We were enjoying the Rick Warren special from Angel Stadium in Anaheim CA when the phone rang and it was dispatch. They had some short runs that they didn’t have enough solo trucks to cover and asked if we would take a load to Raleigh NC and then run empty back to Charlotte NC. Again, we accepted the load.

The load was actually ready when they called so we hurriedly headed to dispatch for our manifest and hooked to our loaded trailer. I performed the pre-trip inspection and again, we were off and running.

The load wasn’t scheduled to deliver until 0500 on Monday so we decided to find a place for dinner. We stopped in Commerce GA at a T/A truck stop. Now that was a mistake. The service was pretty good, but they had very little food. The restaurant manager had apparently forgotten to plan for Easter Sunday and they were out of many entrées and even condiments on the salad bar.

We had dinner and relaxed for about an hour and we were off again for Raleigh. We arrived at our terminal at about 2230 or so and I unhooked from the trailer so that I could install a kingpin lock and go find a parking place to go to bed. Not so fast, they had plenty of king pin locks but there were no keys available to install them. I had to stay hooked to the trailer until someone from the warehouse arrived to keep watch of the freight.

The warehouse supervisor arrived about 0130, woke me up so that I could pull away from the dock and open the trailer doors and bump the dock again and then I dropped the trailer and went to bed for the rest of the evening.

We were supposed to go to Charlotte with an empty but that plan changed as well. We were asked to stay put and they’d let us know in a bit where we would be going.

In the mean time, I decided to make contact with an internet friend, Karen Allen, the amazingly talented young lady who done the header for this blog site and is also the purveyor of Annieoakley.org. Karen told us if we were ever in the area, she and her kids would love to see the truck. We made arrangements, I gave her directions to where we were parked and she and her wonderful kids came and visited, signed the truck, and took some pictures.

Just before Karen and family arrived, dispatch called and asked us to hook to an empty trailer and go to Reynoldsburg OH (North Columbus area). After our visit, we did as they asked and were headed for our next load by about 1445. Again, the load we were going to pull from Reynoldsburg wasn’t going to be ready until about 1000 the next morning, Tuesday.

We stopped in Wytheville VA for dinner and to kill some time. About an hour and a half later we were gone again. We traveled up I-77 to U.S. 33 and arrived in Reynoldsburg about 0100. Went to bed and this morning, before we could hook to the loaded trailer, dispatch called and asked if we would pull a load to Dallas rather than the Miami that we had been assigned to earlier. That was a great call.

It seems that every time we go into Florida, we get stuck there for 2-3 days and we just really didn’t want to be there at this point. We headed back to the terminal in Columbus, about 18 miles or so south and dropped our empty, filled up with fuel, and hooked to the loaded trailer. We were hooked, fueled and rolling by about 0945.

We are now south of Cincinnati OH between there and Louisville KY. We will be traveling I-71 to I-65 south, to Nashville TN. In Nashville we will access I-40 west and run that to Little Rock AR. From there we will exit to I-30 west and run that the rest of the way into Dallas.

As I sit writing this entry, dispatch just called and asked, when we get to Dallas, whether we might want to turn around back to Columbus OH. Since we aren’t out here for our health, but rather to make money, we accepted the load. Our trip back should be ready when we arrive in Dallas, so it should be a pretty quick turn. I’m guessing that we should be back in Columbus by about midnight Wednesday night. We shall see.

In God I Trust
Have a Great Day and a Better Tomorrow
ADW

Waiting in Dallas for Load Going to Columbus, OH

We were on vacation, well, actually just some time off for doctors appointments, the week of the 20th of March. We had some good off time. We attended a rally on the 20th for a Congressional candidate in our district in Florida. His name is Jason Sager and seems to be quite the win for conservative voters.

On the 27th we went to Orlando to Glenn Beck's "American Revival" event at the UCF Arena. What an amazing event. Glenn really went all out to get the best speakers, the most knowledgeable individuals and to provide the best literature sources source available. I cannot speak highly enough about the quality of information in this event. Truly, if you love America, want to get the Real America back, and care to learn how the experts say to do that, please attend his next event in Phoenix, AZ on the 10th of April at the Jobing Arena. Really, it is in Glendale, AZ but close enough.

The rest of the week was spent going to different doctors offices, rescheduling canceled appointments, having some rather unpleasant tests performed and working on the truck. I had to replace the no lube 5th wheel anti friction plates. I had to replac3e the radiator, stemming from a couple months ago when the fan clutch failed, and then the normal bypass filter and oil filter replacements. Cummins has a new extended drain oil filter out and I wanted to get the latest technology available for the best protection. The new oil filter is the LF9080 and replaces the LF9001. The exterior looks about the same but the inside of the filter is supposed to be a better material and made to last for longer durations and heavier soot produced by the new engines, and make extending oil and filter changes safer for those of us who care to use a bypass filter.

Now that we are back to work, and have been for a week, we are focused on the job at hand. Waking Up America!!! We took a call on Monday afternoon, the 29th of March, from dispatch and received a dispatch to Los Angeles that was to be ready at about 0500 on Tuesday. What a great way to start a new week after a week off. A good long run, in nice weather, on a very familiar road, that we really like to run. WRONG...At about 0200, dispatch called again, and the load to LAX had canceled but not to worry, we have a great load to Newark NJ. Oh well, we needed to get moving, so we accepted the change, without too much moaning. I just despise the east coast, north of Richmond VA but I digress. The load was ready at about 0315 and we spent the next 4 days, did I say four days, on the east coast, north of Richmond VA. Did I mention that I despise the East Coast anywhere north of Richmond VA? I'm just sayin'.

Two canceled loads later, a whole lot of griping, to Tina, and many traffic delays, we made it to Columbus OH, then to Houston TX. We had a dispatch to Orlando last night, it too canceled and now we're sitting in DFW waiting for a load to Columbus OH. We really didn't want to go to Orlando anyway. It seems that when they get us to Florida, we sit an extended period of time. We try to only go there when it is time to go to the house for time off.

We had some great visits with folks looking at the truck in Columbus, and the3n coming south on I-71 towards Cincinnati. Ohio still seems to hold the candle for the rest of conservative America. I've added some Pictures to the photobucket page so be sure to have a look. There are a couple of folks at our Columbus OH terminal and the amazing Angela (twitter ID @dimplesang) that we met in Tallahassee on our way home. She and her two boys(twins) came to the truck stop to see and sign the truck. We also encountered another driver at the truck stop and he wanted to sign the truck as well. His name was James Boyd form Tallahassee.

The movement seems to be growing across America and seems to be increasing in vigor. America, Real America, the "flyover" portion of America that seems to be ignored, has truly come to life. I told my father 12 years ago that America was about to revolt then, I told my wife 10 years ago the same thing. They have finally pushed us into the corner tight enough that we are coming out fighting. We have awakened and now they think that they can re-administer the sleeping against...Money, Credit, and any other entitlement program they can use as a detraction. Not this time. I will scream at the top of my lungs until we extract all the dirt bag miscreants from D.C..

Thanks for Reading
In God I Trust
Have a Great Day and a Better Tomorrow
ADW