Picked up a windmill generator in Pipestone, MN.
Picked up second generator in Fort Bridger, WY, then headed for Portland, OR.
We deliver the generators to Suzlon Wind in Portland. Got there about 6:00am. Very nice people, who were happy we made it there. As one of them said: " Look Ma, work!"
Seemed a little ironic that we drove all that way to deliver generators for environmentally friendly projects. Go figure.
Then we drove to Pacific Wood Preservers in Sheridan, OR to pick up lumber bound for United Pacific in Stockton, CA for American International Forest Products.
We had a little time to stop by the house and take showers and do a little laundry.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Maine
Got to Scott's Co in Medway, Maine at about 8am local time, and got in line to pick up a load of fertilizer bound for Syracuse, New York.
We were back in the snow, and got snowed on a little while strapping down the load. Once back on the road, we stopped at Dysart's Truck Stop, where the locals said there was a good restaurant. We were looking for a trailer shop to have them check out our trailer to make sure we don't have any damage from that heavy load that got put in the center of the trailer that had it wagging like a dog's butt. None of the shops had time for us, though, so we decided to have lunch. Collin had a fish chowder that he enjoyed, and I had a real shepherd's pie that was delicious.
Then we headed out, with a plan to avoid some of the toll roads by taking Hwy 2 out of the Boston area. Managed to catch a glimpse of the Atlantic while driving through Portsmouth.
We started out following the plan, but we were both very tired, and Hwy 2 is a very winding road, and it was getting dark. We ended up picking up the I-91 at Greenfield and taking that on down to the I-80, where we were promptly in the wrong lane in the toll ticket plaza, so we didn't get a ticket, and then we ended up going the wrong way on I-80 for about 6 miles before we could get turned around.
We debated taking the Hwy 20 between Albany and Syracuse, but decided against it in favor of the tollway, and the easier speed we could make. We made it to Schuyler NY before we stopped - about 56 miles from our destination in Syracuse.
We were back in the snow, and got snowed on a little while strapping down the load. Once back on the road, we stopped at Dysart's Truck Stop, where the locals said there was a good restaurant. We were looking for a trailer shop to have them check out our trailer to make sure we don't have any damage from that heavy load that got put in the center of the trailer that had it wagging like a dog's butt. None of the shops had time for us, though, so we decided to have lunch. Collin had a fish chowder that he enjoyed, and I had a real shepherd's pie that was delicious.
Then we headed out, with a plan to avoid some of the toll roads by taking Hwy 2 out of the Boston area. Managed to catch a glimpse of the Atlantic while driving through Portsmouth.
We started out following the plan, but we were both very tired, and Hwy 2 is a very winding road, and it was getting dark. We ended up picking up the I-91 at Greenfield and taking that on down to the I-80, where we were promptly in the wrong lane in the toll ticket plaza, so we didn't get a ticket, and then we ended up going the wrong way on I-80 for about 6 miles before we could get turned around.
We debated taking the Hwy 20 between Albany and Syracuse, but decided against it in favor of the tollway, and the easier speed we could make. We made it to Schuyler NY before we stopped - about 56 miles from our destination in Syracuse.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Long and Winding Road
Delivered "Line Tamer" equipment to Q3 Contracting in Des Moines, IA. Thankfully Q3 has lots of heavy equipment, and they were able to use a couple bucket loaders to lift it, and I drove the trailer out from under it. What a pain.
Collin spent the better part of the day searching for loads out; finally got a load out from ColorBiotics in Ames, Iowa. We had Cathy call, and she got us a better rate. Load of dye going to Maine.
This place ships dye all over the country, and we got set up as a direct carrier - no broker - so we will probably haul for them again if we get stuck in Iowa.
Ran our asses off all night to try to deliver the load next day, at Oldcastle Lawn & Garden in Poland Springs, Maine. We got out of Ames around 3:30pm, and were told the receiver may unload us as late as 9:00pm, so we gave it our best go. We were pretty heavy, though, and that made for slow going in the mountains - and we were going across the Appalachians. Our ETA kept getting later and later, and when we called again, we were told that it was possible to get unloaded as late as 11:00pm, because of what we were hauling. So we kept coming.
We finally arrived at 10:30 local time, and did indeed get unloaded.
Collin spent the better part of the day searching for loads out; finally got a load out from ColorBiotics in Ames, Iowa. We had Cathy call, and she got us a better rate. Load of dye going to Maine.
This place ships dye all over the country, and we got set up as a direct carrier - no broker - so we will probably haul for them again if we get stuck in Iowa.
Ran our asses off all night to try to deliver the load next day, at Oldcastle Lawn & Garden in Poland Springs, Maine. We got out of Ames around 3:30pm, and were told the receiver may unload us as late as 9:00pm, so we gave it our best go. We were pretty heavy, though, and that made for slow going in the mountains - and we were going across the Appalachians. Our ETA kept getting later and later, and when we called again, we were told that it was possible to get unloaded as late as 11:00pm, because of what we were hauling. So we kept coming.
We finally arrived at 10:30 local time, and did indeed get unloaded.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Okie Antics
Got four new tires on front axle of trailer at Les Schwab, then hit the road bound for Tulsa. Didn't get out as early as I would have liked. I also was having trouble sleeping on the truck. Don't know if it was watching Third Watch that got me riled up, or I was just too well rested after being home so much. We didn't get as far as I would have liked before Collin stopped for a rest, and I wasn't rested enough to feel good about driving, yet.
I started driving at 5:00am, and we drove all day and night, with bare minimum of stops. Uneventful day.
Delivered pipe to Inserve (Integrated Services) in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Then searched for a load. Collin found a Landstar load going from Emerald Falls Golf Course in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to Des Moines, Iowa.
It was supposed to be an easy, short, quick load, taking a trailer 400 miles.
The catch? There was no way to load the trailer - a piece of equipment called a Line Tamer - onto our trailer. Collin thought he would be able to come up with a plan to load it, though, so we took the job.
The equipment was basically a metal framework on wheels, with rollers and some kind of motorized thing, that apparently helped the golf course lay irrigation lines, or something. It had flat tires, and was weighted heavier on one side so it was lopsided when lifted.
We spent 2 hours assessing the location, looking for something to use as a makeshift loading dock, then driving around to neighboring businesses trying to find a place we could go to load it, but we struck out. The dispatcher then decided to call a tow truck to the scene to pull it onto his flatbed, and then we could push it onto our trailer from there, having disconnected from the truck, and 'kneeling' our trailer by lowering the landing gear as far as possible.
It started out okay, until during the process of moving it from the tow truck to our trailer, it started to roll, and almost fell off the side of the trailer - only it's axles kept it from tipping all the way.
It then took an hour or more to get it back up on the flatbed, using the tow truck to push it from the side, then pulling it from the other side. Then we had to move it back toward the center of the trailer in increments, trying to prevent another incident of it rolling and falling.
All in all, we were at the site for about 6 hours. So much for easy and quick. We also found out that they had had another truck there the week before, but couldn't find a way to load it. The tow truck driver said he had come out then, too, but the driver wouldn't have anything to do with it. That driver was there from 9 in the morning until 3pm, and was pitching a fit at missing out of loads from all the time he was burning.
We got it on 'well enough', chained and strapped the snot out of it, and headed out, keeping our fingers crossed that the delivery site would have a way to unload it.
Neither of us got much sleep that day - we were glad it was a relatively short (8 hour) trip.
I started driving at 5:00am, and we drove all day and night, with bare minimum of stops. Uneventful day.
Delivered pipe to Inserve (Integrated Services) in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Then searched for a load. Collin found a Landstar load going from Emerald Falls Golf Course in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to Des Moines, Iowa.
It was supposed to be an easy, short, quick load, taking a trailer 400 miles.
The catch? There was no way to load the trailer - a piece of equipment called a Line Tamer - onto our trailer. Collin thought he would be able to come up with a plan to load it, though, so we took the job.
The equipment was basically a metal framework on wheels, with rollers and some kind of motorized thing, that apparently helped the golf course lay irrigation lines, or something. It had flat tires, and was weighted heavier on one side so it was lopsided when lifted.
We spent 2 hours assessing the location, looking for something to use as a makeshift loading dock, then driving around to neighboring businesses trying to find a place we could go to load it, but we struck out. The dispatcher then decided to call a tow truck to the scene to pull it onto his flatbed, and then we could push it onto our trailer from there, having disconnected from the truck, and 'kneeling' our trailer by lowering the landing gear as far as possible.
It started out okay, until during the process of moving it from the tow truck to our trailer, it started to roll, and almost fell off the side of the trailer - only it's axles kept it from tipping all the way.
It then took an hour or more to get it back up on the flatbed, using the tow truck to push it from the side, then pulling it from the other side. Then we had to move it back toward the center of the trailer in increments, trying to prevent another incident of it rolling and falling.
All in all, we were at the site for about 6 hours. So much for easy and quick. We also found out that they had had another truck there the week before, but couldn't find a way to load it. The tow truck driver said he had come out then, too, but the driver wouldn't have anything to do with it. That driver was there from 9 in the morning until 3pm, and was pitching a fit at missing out of loads from all the time he was burning.
We got it on 'well enough', chained and strapped the snot out of it, and headed out, keeping our fingers crossed that the delivery site would have a way to unload it.
Neither of us got much sleep that day - we were glad it was a relatively short (8 hour) trip.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Almost Idle Time
After we delivered some scaffolding to Paramount Scaffolding in Carson, CA, we had planned to pick up an oversize load from Fontana bound for North Dakota, but after several attempts, we couldn't seem to meet the shipper's requirements for entry to their site.
So we found a load through SPI (Colette) going from Metal Coaters of California in Rancho Cucamonga to All Weather Insulation in Vacaville, CA, then reloading there with some panels going to Alaska Marine Lines in Seattle, WA.
Pay is not quite as good, but much less hassle.
Delivered panels to Alaska Marine Lines, in Seattle, WA, drove to Terminal 5 to find our how to register the truck with the Port of Seattle, and drove over to the office to do that. Process took all of 15 minutes.
Our reload wasn't ready until Thursday, so we had some work done on the truck. Got the fuel tank fixed, and discovered we needed to have two wheel seals and brakes replaced. after the tank was reinstalled, we promised to come back after we got loaded to have them work on the wheel seals and brakes. Very trusting people - they told us we didn't have to pay until all the work was done. Very reasonable, too. All that work, including welding the tank, and it only came to $1200.
Picked up load of Pipe from Terminal 5 (Port of Seattle) for ConocoPhillips, bound for Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since we couldn't make delivery by Friday, AND I had accidentally left my wallet at home when we stopped by the house Tuesday, we took our time, got the wheel seals done, and went home for Friday.
So we found a load through SPI (Colette) going from Metal Coaters of California in Rancho Cucamonga to All Weather Insulation in Vacaville, CA, then reloading there with some panels going to Alaska Marine Lines in Seattle, WA.
Pay is not quite as good, but much less hassle.
Delivered panels to Alaska Marine Lines, in Seattle, WA, drove to Terminal 5 to find our how to register the truck with the Port of Seattle, and drove over to the office to do that. Process took all of 15 minutes.
Our reload wasn't ready until Thursday, so we had some work done on the truck. Got the fuel tank fixed, and discovered we needed to have two wheel seals and brakes replaced. after the tank was reinstalled, we promised to come back after we got loaded to have them work on the wheel seals and brakes. Very trusting people - they told us we didn't have to pay until all the work was done. Very reasonable, too. All that work, including welding the tank, and it only came to $1200.
Picked up load of Pipe from Terminal 5 (Port of Seattle) for ConocoPhillips, bound for Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since we couldn't make delivery by Friday, AND I had accidentally left my wallet at home when we stopped by the house Tuesday, we took our time, got the wheel seals done, and went home for Friday.
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