IN-OH HOME

Left Indy at 1500 Friday after no loads materialized to OH. Arrived around 1900 at the storage lot and 2000 at the house.

Haven't decided yet when to go back out. Probably Thursday or Friday depending on how fast I get things done. Truck and generator need serviced and I need to decide if I will actually move the International to another carrier.

Right now, I'm just kicking back and trying not to think about anything at all.

Sprinter #1 at home, in transit for a Monday delivery in NC

Sprinter #2 at home.

PA-IN

Left the truck stop in Danville, PA and drove 146 miles to another truck stop in DuBois, PA. for the first leg of my trip home. I had only been there for maybe 30 minutes when dispatch called with a load from Emporium, PA to Indianapolis, IN

I accepted the load and when I got to the pick up it was only one skid at 919 lbs. A van load. I wondered at the time if T/S was trying to appease me or if there actually weren't any vans in the area.

Drop was scheduled for 0700 on the 24th, and it was a 501 mile trip. I kept it legal by split logging so I didn't run out of hours until around 0900. I stopped in Sunbury, OH (about 25 miles from the house) to get something to eat and sleep a few hours. Left there around 0330 and arrived at the dock at 0657. Unloaded and arrived at the truck stop where I am now at 0845. Fifteen minutes to spare.

Now it gets weird. I sent a QC message advising dispatch that I was out of hours until 1800 Thursday, and that I planned to go home and to get me an OH run if available. Went into the diner and took advantage of the breakfast buffet, came back out to the truck made a couple of calls and laid down around 1030.

Dispatch woke me up at 1500 with a load offer to TEXAS. The spelling for OHIO must have changed while I was asleep. This load picked up today at 0600 for Monday delivery in Hildalgo, TX southeast of Laredo right on the Tex/Mex border. It paid well but when you consider that I would have to deadhead out of TX, probably into AR or MS, whatever profit I made would be dented by the fuel costs to deadhead, and the time involved to do that. Turned it down restating that I wanted a load to OHIO.

It wasn't five minutes later when another dispatcher called with a load from Cincinnati to WI. There we go with that pesky spelling of OHIO again. She said that it picked up at 1830 for direct delivery. I laughed and pointed out that my DOT break wasn't up until 1815 and that I was fresh out of rocket fuel so an 1830 pick up wasn't going to happen and that I wanted to go to OHIO not pick up from there.

So after sitting with no load for a week, they throw two at me in the space of five minutes. I'm sure it's a reaction to the conversation I had with them the other day, but come on, a loser load and one I couldn't do even if I wanted to.

It looks more and more like I'll have to change the signs on this truck.

Sprinter #1 got a great load from WI to NC that delivers Monday.

Sprinter #2 is at home.

Still in PA UGH!!!!!!!!!

Still sitting in Danville, PA.

I'm going to move tomorrow whether I get a load or not. I had planned to be home this weekend anyway, so I just might call it and come back out earlier than scheduled.

This week has been disturbing given what the fleet coordinator told me yesterday. I still get phone calls from recruiters and FedEx called again today. I plan on spending some time to evaluate what to do with the International. The Sprinters are ok, but T/S is not getting me enough work to cover expenses on the International much less make a profit. I may have to make a move with it.

Sprinter #1 No Load Still in Davenport, IA

Sprinter #2 Transfer load from Evansville, IN to Nitro, WV

MA-PA

Left Plainville, MA around 1500 Friday since it was obvious I wasn't getting a load. Deadheaded to Danville, PA to spend the weekend with my daughter. Parked the truck behind her vet clinic.

Got in the truck yesterday morning at 0800 and it was deader than a doornail. Put jumper cables from her truck to mine and got the generator running figuring it would charge up the batteries. Wrong.

Long story short, I had one battery that was shorted, and it took the other one with it. Had to call in for a service call and they showed up at 1115. The truck started immediately when he hooked up his cable, so I followed him back to his shop to get the batteries replaced.

Left there around 1300 and as luck would have it, I passed Dr.Zebra from PD.com as he was getting on I80. I stared at his truck looking for it's number, but couldn't see it. He called me on my cell before I had a chance to yell at him on the CB. We stopped at the Petro at the next exit and had breakfast and a really nice chat, and it salvaged a really bad day.

Left there and went back to Danville. Thankfully, this Monday ended without any further problems.

No load today, but I called the fleet coordinator at T/S and found out that business is really bad. So much so that other owners are parking their trucks or getting out all together. He also told me that T/S has laid off some office personnel as well. All this due to fuel costs. Not a promising picture overall. This repair bill is a kick in the shorts, but that's part of the game.

Sprinter #1 No load, bonused from Lincoln, NE to Davenport, IA

Sprinter #2 No load, bonused from Memphis, TN to Evansville, IN

MA Day 2

Made a corporate decision today. No more loads to New England unless there is a load back out waiting for me.

Woke up this morning and went inside the "truck stop" building. Emenities included one vending machine for candy, one for soda, and an ATM. The lot was a joke. I've seen firebases after a mortar attack that looked better.

Waited until 1500 without getting a load and decided to drive 50 miles southeast to a Citgo Travel Center in Plainville, MA. This one is fairly clean and at least has a store and diner. Had to pay $6.00 to park, and diesel is $4.60 a gallon. This is starting to become insane.

If I don't get a load out tomorrow, I'm biting the bullet and heading west to PA and visit my daughter. At least she won't charge me to park the truck.

Sprinter #1 didn't get a load either.

Sprinter #2 load from Peoria, IL to Iron Mountain, MI

PA-MA

Got a load from Bridgewater, NJ to Chelmsford, MA. Dropped it at 2355 yesterday. I can truthfully say that I do not like this part of the country.

When the dispatcher said that she was going to include $25 to cover the tolls, I figured I was in big trouble. Not to worry, my map program has this little button that says "Avoid Toll Roads". It doesn't always give me roads I would go on, but in this case it gave me interstates all the way. I thought all is good. Then I cross the Hudson river and have to pay $13.50 for the privilege.

Then I get up here and there is no place to park for the night. I mean no DECENT place to park. I wound up at a hole in the wall truck stop in Peabody, MA Couldn't even find a Wally World. Nope, you can have New England.

Sprinter #1 is doing a transfer load to IL

Sprinter #2 didn't get a load today.

Still in PA

Still stuck in PA hell. No load offers today, but both Sprinters moved.

Sprinter #1 got a Hazmat load from Columbus to Cleveland and another load from Ravenna, OH to Dayton, OH. Not huge, but it still made money.

Sprinter #2 loaded in Columbus to Champaign, IL. Decent paying one, and he's in a good area for today.

If nothing happens here for me by 1500, I'm going to shoot north 90 miles and visit my daughter.