flyingcheesehead
Taxi to Parking
I managed a whopping 171 miles today - in 10 hours - due to the snow.
Up at 9 AM in Melrose Park, IL, backed into a door and went back to sleep while they loaded my trailer full of appliances bound for the Sears store at Mayfair Mall near Milwaukee. They finished loading me about 11:15.
It took three hours to make the 64 miles to Franksville, WI where I fueled and replaced my wiper blades, then hit the road again.
On 894 near Milwaukee, I called for directions. The Sears store manager said "Well, we're going to close early and I sent everyone home except for one person, so we can't unload you today." So, I called dispatch and they let me drop it at our Waukesha drop lot instead... Someone else will deliver it tomorrow.
So, I get to Waukesha, park, and drop the trailer... But I can't get out from under it. I try to rock the truck back and forth, but it only moves a couple of inches. Ugh.
Out come the chains (which normally are never used except in mountain passes out west - glad I kept 'em after my last trip out there instead of turning them back in!). I put a pair of chains on my rear drive axle, and got out from under the trailer.
20 feet later, I'm stuck again, where I'm trying to back under another trailer. Out comes another pair of chains to do the front drive axle. Still no dice. One of the yard trucks that isn't stuck brings out a chain and gives me enough of a tug to get out. I tighten the chains and back under the trailer, then head out. It's been two hours since I arrived at the drop lot.
An hour and a whopping 35 miles later I stop at Lake Mills to grab some food, and head back out. I'm on my way to De Forest, near Madison, where I'm supposed to pick up a trailer that was jackknifed this morning and take it to one of my old trainees, who'll then take it to Florida (lucky bastard) and give me his load headed back to Eau Claire, WI.
I get to where the truck is located - He screwed it up pretty good, wonder how fast he was going. This is also why a Wisconsin company shouldn't be hiring so many drivers from Georgia... Anyway, after swapping trailers, I head south. 15 miles later, I see a bunch of brake lights and get on the CB to ask what's going on. A twenty-one mile backup, that's what. So I say "F this, I'm heading home" and turn around.
Parts of WI (more importantly, parts I was in!) got over 20" of snow today... I guess someone had to drive in it.
Pix to come later...
Up at 9 AM in Melrose Park, IL, backed into a door and went back to sleep while they loaded my trailer full of appliances bound for the Sears store at Mayfair Mall near Milwaukee. They finished loading me about 11:15.
It took three hours to make the 64 miles to Franksville, WI where I fueled and replaced my wiper blades, then hit the road again.
On 894 near Milwaukee, I called for directions. The Sears store manager said "Well, we're going to close early and I sent everyone home except for one person, so we can't unload you today." So, I called dispatch and they let me drop it at our Waukesha drop lot instead... Someone else will deliver it tomorrow.
So, I get to Waukesha, park, and drop the trailer... But I can't get out from under it. I try to rock the truck back and forth, but it only moves a couple of inches. Ugh.
Out come the chains (which normally are never used except in mountain passes out west - glad I kept 'em after my last trip out there instead of turning them back in!). I put a pair of chains on my rear drive axle, and got out from under the trailer.
20 feet later, I'm stuck again, where I'm trying to back under another trailer. Out comes another pair of chains to do the front drive axle. Still no dice. One of the yard trucks that isn't stuck brings out a chain and gives me enough of a tug to get out. I tighten the chains and back under the trailer, then head out. It's been two hours since I arrived at the drop lot.
An hour and a whopping 35 miles later I stop at Lake Mills to grab some food, and head back out. I'm on my way to De Forest, near Madison, where I'm supposed to pick up a trailer that was jackknifed this morning and take it to one of my old trainees, who'll then take it to Florida (lucky bastard) and give me his load headed back to Eau Claire, WI.
I get to where the truck is located - He screwed it up pretty good, wonder how fast he was going. This is also why a Wisconsin company shouldn't be hiring so many drivers from Georgia... Anyway, after swapping trailers, I head south. 15 miles later, I see a bunch of brake lights and get on the CB to ask what's going on. A twenty-one mile backup, that's what. So I say "F this, I'm heading home" and turn around.
Parts of WI (more importantly, parts I was in!) got over 20" of snow today... I guess someone had to drive in it.
Pix to come later...
