Frozen Seafood & Taxes

Our next load we picked up in Newport News, VA.
(I just like the sound of that name... Newport News.)

At first I didn't want to take this load because there was going to be 6 stops... but it was going to get us home.... so we said OK. However, at the pick up and looking at the BOL (Bill of Lading) there turned out to be 7 stops. Three in the Salt Lake City area, three in the Las Vegas area, and the final in Riverside, CA. (Close enough to get us home.) So we took it.

We were routed from Virginia on the I-64, then across the I-80 through Nebraska and Wyoming, into Utah.

I don't much care for Virginia. Too many up/down - up/down of little to medium size hills, and hardly any truck stops. (We ended up stopping in a Mall that had a McDonalds in it.)

And we hit another Snow Storm in Wyoming. I stopped in Little America, WY because visibility was getting very poor. It was a good thing I did... because just 30 miles ahead.... they were requiring "Chains", for all of 9 miles. Mile marker 30 to 39. Also, the 511 road condition phone line said there was Black Ice on the road, so we stopped for the night. We would have been in Salt Lake City a day early, but because of this delay we ended up being 7 hours late.

I would still rather be safe than sorry.

It's better to get there, than be in a ditch.

But that meant that all of the stops had to be rescheduled. Bummer. And it meant getting home a day later, and missing seeing Desiree before she left. Double Bummer.

We finally made all the stops, and ended in Riverside, CA, when we get a message.
"Go to the Terminal in Rancho Cucamungo, and call the Safety Dept before you go home". Oh no. that doesn't sound good.
I messaged back... "Are we being fired?" Dispatch says: NO!!!
OK. Anything else can be fixed/corrected.

Come to find out... my name had been randomly chosen for a random drug screen test. Oh boy.
OK. Get it done, then head home. Finally!

We took 6 days off. It was more of a working vacation for me. Doctor visits, pharmacy med refills, eye doc appts, and three days of paperwork getting taxes done. But Finally - Done!!!
And we are getting a Refund!! First time in the last three years! yeah!!! This is our first tax year that we were in Trucking. At LCT, they pay part of our pay in "Per Diem" pay... we'll see how that plays out next year for taxes.???

Back on the Road 3/6/08. Took a Fedex load from Anaheim, CA to Orlando, FL in just under 3 days. (11pm on the 6th to 9pm on the 10th). I know some teams could have done it faster, but I am still having issues with not being able to sleep while the truck is moving, so we had to stop a couple of times for me to sleep a couple of hours every now and then.

Now... 3/10, we are at our yard in Okahumpka, FL for some minor repairs, then we are hoping to catch a load going out tomorrow. It is getting late... so, TTFN. Ta Ta For Now.

Good Night and God Bless,
Laurie

February - flower loads then Winter Snow Storms

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I blogged anything. February was busy! We would pick up a flower load (usually somewhere in Texas) and deliver it to somewhere in Southern Calif. Then get a load (any load) out of the Los Angeles basin, heading east... get as far as Texas and back we go to Calif.

Our first load went to Carlsbad, CA which is only about 40 miles from home, but we didn't have time to actually GO home... so my Mom and daughter, Desiree, came north to Carlsbad and had lunch with us at TGI-Fridays. Boy, was it good to see them!!! A little taste of home.

We ended up on Feb. 15th in Portland, OR and expected to go straight home (since we hadn't taken our hometime during the flower rush). ... but they couldn't get us a load heading south. So we went East. (This practically broke my my heart).

We did three "pick-ups" in Washington (Union Gap, Yakima, and Prescott) of very cold fruit (35 degrees), mostly apples and pears, ...and headed toward North Carolina.

They (LCT) "route" us, meaning that they assign us Fuel Stops and the roads we are suppose to take to get to the fuel stops and our final destination.

This particular routing took us way north... across the I-90 then the I-94 across Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. However, as we were leaving Washington to go across Idaho on the US-12... it was closed from Lewiston, to Missoula due to recent avalanches a week earlier. (Sign of things to come...)

So we had to detour (about 7 hours worth) and head north on the US-95 to Coeur d' Alene (that is pronounced Core de Lane), then catch the I-90 East from there.

On our way heading north on the US-95.... I was driving, and climbing a bit of a hill/mountain. First it started to rain... Ok, I can handle rain. Go slower.
Then the rain turned to slush. (half rain, half snow.) OK, I can handle slush. Go Slower.
Then it started Snowing! and visibility went from bad to worse so I started Praying.
"Lord, what should I do? I was hoping to make it to Coeur d' Alene tonight but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. What should I do?"
Just at that very moment - a sign popped up that said "Rest Area 1/2 mile". And the Rest Area is not even in the map book. Thank you God!!!

Rest Area. Idaho. US-95.

The Rest Area was on the left side and the snow was "banked" HIGH on each side of the street. As I pulled into the rest area, there was another truck in there, so I just pulled in behind him. When I first got there, you could see the parking lot, but within 5 mins... it was covered in 2" of snow. I have never been so happy to stop. Leroy was already sleeping. I just watched it snowing for a couple of mins, then went to sleep. The next morning... the plow-guy had been by and the streets were clear, and so was the weather. Thank you, God! And Thank God for Plow Guys!!! If they weren't doing their job, I couldn't do mine.

Rest Area. Idaho. US-95.

We got as far as North Dakota before we had to stop for another Snow Storm.... and wait out a really bad accident (actually several accidents) on the I-94 having to be cleared up.

We did go to a great place to eat in Huxton, WI ( or was it Hixton?). Good food, and great staff.
I'm a big Packer Fan... as we were going through Wisconsin, you could just feel the Packer energy everywhere. You could see the snow, but feel the energy.

Then we headed south on the I-39 toward Bloomington, IL.

In Bloomington, we had to have an Alternator replaced, which made us late to our final stop. Wal-Mart.... and they are very picky about their appointment times and everything.

This was the first load Ever, that we didn't get empty. Meaning... they rejected 42 cases of fruit because of "bruising". Not our fault, but... none the less.... we have cases of fruit on board, so can't take another load! Help... what are we suppose to do with 42 cases of apples/pears?? Luckily, our CSR's (Customer Service Reps) know who to call in situations like this.... and they found a local produce warehouse in Raleigh, NC that would take the rejects.

All Right.

After some sleep and showers.... Ready to roll again!