It just keeps getting better!

It DOES keep getting better!!
But the first two weeks at Spirit Express weren't that great... I mean.. the company was great... but we (both of us) got sooo sick... it was terrible.

Monday thru Wed, we did orientation. We got assigned our truck in Wed and moved in. Our first load assignment was that nite at midnight.

Since we had all afternoon, we decided to get something to eat with a local driver. We went to a local diner to eat lunch. Then I drove over to the pickup place to wait, while Leroy tried to sleep.
Within a few hours... Leroy got sooo sick. Throwing up several times... all over. It was gross.

Here we are... newly hired, and wanting to impress our new company...
and we have to CANCEL our FIRST load. Not good... but they were great about it.

I drove back to the yard, Leroy took a shower... (well he stood there), I had to wash ALL the bedding. Yuck! WE finally got a load the next night,... and off we went.

A week later, I got the "stomach flu". Tried to drive for a few days thinking it would get better. It didn't. Just got worse. Finally had to be taken to the Emergency Room at Kaiser in Fontana. Got meds for pain, diarrhea, nausea, etc... Then took a couple of days off to recover.

Then.... we finally started "running" good.

I have to say.... This company is very good!!
We are getting 40 cpm, and around 5000 miles a week. Pretty consistently.

Since we have "Doubles & Hazmat" endorsements, they keep us running pretty good!

Way to Go Spirit Express Trucking!

Bad to Better!

It has been a LONG time since I have blogged on this page. I mostly do Twitter.

July 2009:
We went on vacation in Indiana with our daughter and some of the rest of our family that flew out to Indiana. We had a great time visiting Chicago!

After our vacation... Sam Kholi Transport notified us that our wages had been cut (by 6 cents a mile) to only 30 cents per mile, and that they were reducing their fleet from 75 trucks to 25 trucks. Since we had been only getting about 2500 miles a week -for a team- we knew we could not live on these wages.
We told them that we would be looking for other employment.

August 2009. Still getting only 4000 - 4300 miles every two weeks.
Started applying at other companies.

On Aug. 27, (Thursday). Spirit Express Trucking Inc. called us and said they would like to hire us. We immediately rented a car in Ontario, CA, unloaded our Sam Kholi truck, and drove to Fontana to return their truck.
We jumped into our rental car and drove to Denver where Spirit Express Trucking is based, and where they hold their orientation.

Aug. 28th (Friday) was our 10th Wedding Anniversary... and we spent it "road tripping" from Fontana, CA to Denver, CO. along the way we stayed at Circus Circus in Las Vegas... only $29. and in Green River, UT at the Motel 6... only $45.

Made it to Denver on Sat. Aug. 29th. Spirit Express set us up in their contracted hotel "Hotel 3737". Nice place. We returned our rental car, and took the shuttle back to the hotel. There are good eating places nearby.

We started orientation on Monday, Aug. 31.
Spirit Express Trucking is really a nice place to work. Nice people, and... they are paying us 40 cents per mile!

God's Plan

Ephesians 3:6 (New Living Translation)

6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

Amen & Amen

Trucking and Diabetes

I have been over weight for a while now. Within the last 9 months I have been told that I have Pre-Diabetes.

That scared me. And it started me thinking...

So... I figured I had better do something NOW so that it doesn't become full blown diabetes. I have just started reading up on how my lifestyle has to change.. eating habits, exercise, everything...

Eating healthier and exercising has always been an obstacle for me. But something inside me "knows" that I need to eat healthier and start exercising NOW. Before it's too late.

Here is a really good video (about 6 mins), that shows the trucking industry with its unique challenges to overcome in order to eat right and exercise, and live with diabetes if necessary. Watch...

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1078599942/bclid992358456/bctid1119240850
I am hoping that some day I can meet with the doctor in the video, Dr. John McElligott.
At the PD-MD clinic at the Petro near Knoxville, TN.

So for right now I am learning... what I need to eat, balancing my carbs, and trying to incorporate exercise into my daily lifestyle while being "on the road".

Here is too your Health!!!

January 2009

Here are some loads we have taken..

Batavia, IL (near Chicago) to Tampa, FL : Insulated copper wiring on huge spools
Sanford, FL (near Orlando) to Albuquerque, NM : Large rolls of paper
.. We got to Albu. a day early.... Couldn't unload. waited... finally got unloaded the next day, late in the afternoon.
I was going to try to put our "down time" to good use... but the Loves nearby was only a fuel island. No showers, No laundry, No parking. bummer.
Ended up at the Albuquerque TA.

Next...
deadheaded over 300 miles (that's a lot). They usually like to find something within 100 miles or so... up to
Center, CO to Albany, GA, and Atlanta, GA : Potatoes, in bags like you see at the grocery store. 10 lbs. 25 lbs. Stacked on pallets about 4ft. tall.
We got another heater (the other one we had broke.)

This run has been weird. Lots of delays... so because of that... it really messed up our delivery schedule.

Along the way we have had...
--two DOT inspections : one we passed, the other Leroy got a citation for expired Reg on the truck...
--a New Mexico DOT stop for expired permit... the permit just expired at the end of the year and our company hadn't renewed it yet... apparently.. there is no grace period in New Mexico....
--and a wheel seal that burst, and wheel barings that got ruined and both (seal & barings) had to be replaced.

We were suppose to delivery like this:
Albany, GA (drop #1) by 2pm local time on Friday 1/9, because they are not open over the weekends.
Atlanta, GA (drop #2) later Friday, or Sat morning, 1/10
Atlanta, GA (drop #3) Sat morning. 1/10

Because we were late with all the delays....
We delivered to Atlanta, GA (drop #2) on Friday afternoon. 1/9
Atlanta, GA (drop #3) on Saturday morning. 1/10
Albany, GA (drop #1) first thing Monday morning. 1/12

Hopefully..... We are currently sitting a block away from the Atlanta, GA (drop #3) for delivery tomorrow morning. Sat. 1/10 , 6am local time... which is 3am California time.

Then we'll drive south - closer to Albany and find a good truck stop.
Sunday, we'll do showers & laundry. then head to drop.

Lord willing, and the creek don't rise...
Love you all
Keep On Truckin...

Christmas in Valpo & a roll-over car accident

It was great seeing Desiree!!! The next day after arriving, we took her out shopping....
bought a tree, and all the trimmings. I got a new cell phone, because my had broke, got her groceries and stuff, and stopped in at Starbucks for coffee and to see Christie -a friend of Desiree's. Then we decorated. and visited. So fun.

We had presents from San Diego in our truck so that we could instantly put them under the tree.

The next day was Christmas! We slept in, Des came and got us at our truck. We ate, opened presents, and watched Christmas movies. Very Nice.

In the afternoon we went over to Christie's house where we visited, ... then Desiree & Christie delivered a bunch of jackets, blankets, scarves, gloves, etc, to a random needy family. Very cool.

It is nice to see the next generation being so generous with their time and talents. The family was very appreciative.

That evening.. we three went to a movie "Quantum of Solace", James Bond. It was... OK.

ROLL OVER ACCIDENT.
The day AFTER Christmas... Desiree had to work, she came and got us at our truck, and we drove her to her work at Best Buy about 2 miles away, and proceeded to drive (her car) to Wal-mart.

We went up the on-ramp onto the IN-49 south and immediately started going off the off-ramp to the next exit onto the US-30. We knew it was icey, and we were going slow, about 30. But at the top of the off-ramp we hit a patch of ice, and the car slowly slid out of control... off to the right side and down the enbancement.

We rolled over 1 and 1/2 times. Landing on the passenger side, Leroy's side. The roof was crushed, the windshield and windows were all smashed,... but we were OK. I was hanging by my seatbelt - sideways.

Immediately, Leroy started calling 911. Within a minute, some nice citizens stopped to check on us. We still had our lights on and engine running. They said Turn off the engine. OK.
They got up on the side of the car, opened the door up to the sky, and cut my seatbelt off of me, then lifted me out and down onto the ground. Next they got Leroy to stand up in the sideways car, and lifted him out and onto the ground. We were shocked, dazed, and sore.

The fire department and ambulance arrived within minutes. I was alright, and refused treatment. Leroy was very sore, complaining of a sore shoulder, back, and head. We took an ambulance to the nearby hospital. The Ambulance slid twice on the way. Leroy had a CT scan and Xrays. Everything came back negitive, Good!

I texted Desiree, ... she couldn't believe it..... Neither could we.
Very scary.....

Hers was the only car we (all) had. While waiting at the hospital, I tried to rent a car... but because there had been A LOT of accidents due to the ice... there were no cars to rent.

After we got done at the hospital, Christie's mom came and got us. Took us to the tow lot that the car had been towed to... so we could get our stuff, then took us to a pharmacy to get some prescriptions, and then to our truck/home.
Christie got Desiree after work and took her home.

Because we were so sore... we took a couple of extra days off. visited some with Desiree, but mostly laid around. too sore to move.

We are sooo thankful we were not in our truck. We are also thankful that we were going so slow... no broken bones, we are both alive. God was watching over us.

Cars can be replaced... people can not.

We spent the next couple of days recooperating, and taking a taxi everywhere.... We tried to limit our trips.

Even after we were ready to go... it took 2 days to find us a load.
OK. On the road again... and happy to be alive.

Nov 08 to 12-22-08

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Nov. !!! and it's now Jan. 2009. Wow.

Well here are some of the loads we have done since then...

Baltimore, MD to Fairbury, NE carrying: Boric Acid

Omaha, NE to Ogden, UT : Donuts/Twinkies

Jerome, ID to Oakland, CA : Dairy Whey

Benicia, CA (near Oakland) to Elberta, AL and Ocala, FL. : Wine

Warner-Robbins, GA to Dayton, TX : Concentrated Cleaning Solution (Non Haz)

La Porte, TX (near Houston) to Sante Fe Springs, CA (LA basin) : small plastic pellets
(They are easily melted down to be used for other things.)

This was a slow run, so that let us go home for Thanksgiving for a few days, then deliver the load on Monday.

November 2008
Then Home in San Diego, CA for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Very Nice, but Mom got sick... we thought is was the flu... it turned out to be a ruptured Appendix!!! Surgery happened just after Thanksgiving. As she was recovering... THAT is when she happened to get a cold.... she is totally recovered now and back at work. Thank You God.

Also while home... Leroy got hit (side rear) by another car while in my Mom/Dad's car. No one was hurt. (Thank You God) But the car was totalled by the Insurance company... so they (Mom & Dad) were able to get a nicer, newer car. Very Cool.

Then delivered load in LA basin to Sante Fe Springs.
Had tires and brakes done in our Fontana yard.... then on the road again.

Next Load:
Chino, CA (in the LA basin) to Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA : Plastic Film
3 drops.. after this, we thought we were going to be doing Christmas tree runs North and South on the West coast, but they said it takes too long to load the trees so they decided to send us cross country.

In Portland, OR... They sent us to get our trailer "vented" so we could haul produce.
So what do we get to haul next? Produce....

Next stop:
Prosser, WA to St. Louis, MO : (you guessed it) ONIONS
We had to get a small heater to heat the onions so they wouldn't freeze in these cold temps.
Below freezing and dipping to 5.

Along the way... (12-7-08) we got to stop for an evening in Salina, KS for the LAY family Christmas pot luck. Very Fun!!!

Dec. 8th, 2009

Terre Haute, IN to Hollis, Maine : plastic sheeting
This was not a good run (or a good week) for me. I was... 'off''. I don't know.
We were told to pick up a load in Terre Haute, IN. which was I-70 east from where we were. Well... somewhere along the way I took a wrong turn and ended up on the I-55 north, and ended up 80 miles out of route.

By the time I got over to the Pick up place... I was 3 hours late. Not good. This was a HOT team load that had to be in Hollis, Maine overnight.
To make up some time... I started SPEEDING. Not good. Got a Speeding ticket in OHIO.
Doing 66 in a 55. $175. Ouch. I learned my lesson. NO speeding!

It was suppose to be there by 5pm. We got there at 11pm.
The receiver didn't seem to mind... it's always the Broker that gets cranky.

I really don't like the New England states.
Very cramped.
No truck stops, and toll roads everywhere!

We were taking plastic sheeting to a Water Bottling company about 25 miles off the main highway 95..... Way back on small country roads, at night, and icey. very bad.
We stayed at the Bottling Company yard over night, then moved to a Wal-Mart closer to the I-95. And waited two days to get a load out.


Next:
Sterling, MA (west of Boston) to Channelview, TX (near Houston) : Medical Railings
Leroy got the flu during this run... we delivered a day late. Then spent the weekend recovering.

Houston, TX to Topeka, KS : old used USPS mail equipment to their warehouse

12-17-08
Atchison, KS to Clinton, MA : Corn - in large 4ft by 4ft bags. very heavy.
(I can't believe we're going back to MASS!)

I told our dispatcher that the only way I was going to go to MASS was if we had a pre-planned load coming out of there --because we are suppose to be in Indiana for Christmas (actually BEFORE Christmas) with our daughter, Desiree. (and the last time we went up in that area we didn't get a load out for 2 days.)

He found us a load that picked up immediately after we dropped,... going to Indianapolis IN.... OK.

12-19-08
Townsend, MA to Indianapolis, IN : Cleaning supplies, like scrub spounges
As we were leaving Townsend, MA... it started SNOWING. Everyone in the area knew this storm was coming and they were closing up shop and battening down the hatches. We were hoping to be able to drive out in front of it. That didn't happen. Instead... We drove about 15 miles, the snow got progressively worse, so we got the last spot at a "service area" on the Toll I-90 in Charlton, MA. Since we had time... it was OK.

Woke up in the am... snow covering everything, and our truck wouldn't start. (Oooo NO). Had to get a jump for a very nice Flatbedder (Thank you again... You are a God send).... then got the batteries checked and replaced in NY.... on our way out of there.

Arrived in Indianapolis - early for our delivery. Sometimes they let you deliver early. Sometimes not. I was hoping for Yes. This time is was NO.
So we waited ALL day in their parking lot for our "appointed" time... 1600 4pm. bummer.
We FINALLY got unloaded. It is now 7pm. By the time I drive 3 hours up to Valpo it will be 10pm.

I had told our dispatcher that I wanted to be in Valparaiso, IN by Sunday 12/21. It was now Monday, 12/22.. and this day was almost all gone! So now I'm essentially 2 days late.
and he had the nerve to try and book me a load for the next day going to 20 miles near Valparaiso. I said NO. I am driving there TONIGHT. I was suppose to be there yesterday. So we drove.

We met Desiree for a very late dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant, and got to see the second half the Green Bay Packer game. (they lost in OT... bummer).

But it was really great to see Desiree!!