Ugh - crappy couple days are ahead of me

[Malaki86]

I remember why I hate the north-east...

Delivered a load in Taunton, MA this morning @ 6am. Finally got a preplan @ noon. I have a 2 stop pickup, with the first in Randolph, MA, which is just south of Boston. I then have a pickup in Brooklyn. The load delivers in Statesville, NC.

What really sucks (besides the area, going into Brooklyn, the traffic, etc) is that my first stop picks up @ 11am tomorrow. The stop in Brooklyn picks up the following day @ 9am. Doesn't that sound like fun? Going into Brooklyn for a rush-hour pickup?

Bah - I hate this stupid job sometimes.

[Malaki86]

It keeps getting better - just did a quick look at the tolls (no EZPass in the truck):
Throgs Neck - $35
Verrazano - $70

Plus whatever it is over to I78 in NJ, plus the NJ/PA bridge

This blows a big fat hard one...

I swear, this is why I want my own truck, just so I can say no to crap like this.

[Orangetxguy]

I remember why I hate the north-east...

Delivered a load in Taunton, MA this morning @ 6am. Finally got a preplan @ noon. I have a 2 stop pickup, with the first in Randolph, MA, which is just south of Boston. I then have a pickup in Brooklyn. The load delivers in Statesville, NC.

What really sucks (besides the area, going into Brooklyn, the traffic, etc) is that my first stop picks up @ 11am tomorrow. The stop in Brooklyn picks up the following day @ 9am. Doesn't that sound like fun? Going into Brooklyn for a rush-hour pickup?

Bah - I hate this stupid job sometimes.

Ya chudda took a load to Laredo last week!!

[Malaki86]

I did. Well, took a load to Corpus Christi, then to McAllen, then to Laredo. Once in Laredo, I picked up a load coming to Boston. Hence the pickle I'm in.

[robertt]

It keeps getting better - just did a quick look at the tolls (no EZPass in the truck):
Throgs Neck - $35
Verrazano - $70

Plus whatever it is over to I78 in NJ, plus the NJ/PA bridge

This blows a big fat hard one...

I swear, this is why I want my own truck, just so I can say no to crap like this.

Don't quote me on this cause it's been a while since I was there, but I was "there" alot. Use to, you didn't have to pay the Verazano going out, it was just going in and I am assuming you are going in on the Throgsneck and going out the Verazano. It may have changed since I have been there but that will save you $70 if it is still that way. Maybe somebody on here who knows for sure will correct me if I'm wrong. Don't know if you've been in there before, but don't let it depress you, getting to places is OK if you have a good city map, it's the sitting in traffic that is the hard part.

Don't take any wooden nickles!

[Malaki86]

The plan is to stay at the last southbound service plaza in CT until around 3am and try to get into the pickup location before the traffic gets horrible. But ya, Throgs Neck in, Verazono out is the route.

[Orangetxguy]

I did. Well, took a load to Corpus Christi, then to McAllen, then to Laredo. Once in Laredo, I picked up a load coming to Boston. Hence the pickle I'm in.

DANG! Last week I saw a Celadon Prostar unit on I-37......by the refineries in Corpus....and I wondered "What are the chances that Mal is driving that truck"!!

[Malaki86]

Hmmm - could've been me. I was there on the 19th, at around 8am local time.

[Orangetxguy]

Hmmm - could've been me. I was there on the 19th, at around 8am local time.

Nope....I saw the Celadon unit at around 1430. At 0800 I was halfway to San Antonio.

[Malaki86]

hehe - out of the 3,000 or so Celadon trucks, with most of our freight in the south, it'll be tough to pick mine out of the bunch.

[repete]

The plan is to stay at the last southbound service plaza in CT until around 3am and try to get into the pickup location before the traffic gets horrible. But ya, Throgs Neck in, Verazono out is the route.

Good plan but get there early and have a back up plan. IIRC there's not a lot of truck parking there and it's full most of the time.

[Malaki86]

I may start looking for parking at the 3rd to last coming south and go from there. I've done that most times. They're close enough where it won't affect my time by much.

Yesterday I got on the NYC website and was looking at the truck routes. I compared the routing to what CoPilot is showing and it matches up perfect. I just have to get the directions from the customer for when I come off of the 278 to go in for the pickup. Streets & Trips - that's a different story. It had me going right through the heart of everything. Before I head in, though, I'll have every road/exit #/turn written down.

[robertt]

It had me going right through the heart of everything. Before I head in, though, I'll have every road/exit #/turn written down.

I use to do the same thing until I got it down pat. Most of those rest stops/plaza's in Ct and the Jersey TP have really good street maps of NYC and it's buroughs and they come in REALLY handy, and they are VERY detailed.

Use to I'd be in mid-town Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Harlem, in the middle of the day with a "hood" and 48' reefer, parked right in the street unloading pallets of frozen/ice pack Perdue chicken with a chain and forklift right in front of the restaraunt, (mostly chinese).......piece of cake. I don't know if trucks can do that stuff anymore. I "heard" trucks have to be out of those area's by a certain time, or maybe it's just manhattan.

First time I went to NYC with the Co. I worked for I was scared to death, and then the "Boss" told me in all the years they had been going up there, he hadn't had to go get a driver yet, with a smile on his face of course. He said, your going to get lost, but eventually you'll get out, again, with a smile on his face. You just gotta watch the bridges when you get off of the "main" thourough fares.

Now that I've tried my best to sound like "Billy Big Rig", good luck. Look forward to hearing your "story", talk to you when you "get out".

[Malaki86]

I'll be looking for a city map when I stop at the Pilot in Milford for fuel/cash on the way down. If they don't have one, I'll be hitting the service plaza's to find one. Looked at the service plaza I'm sitting at south of Boston, but nothing here for NYC, only Boston/New England.

[robertt]

I'll be looking for a city map when I stop at the Pilot in Milford for fuel/cash on the way down. If they don't have one, I'll be hitting the service plaza's to find one. Looked at the service plaza I'm sitting at south of Boston, but nothing here for NYC, only Boston/New England.

Wish I was home, I would get the name of the map for you. It is in a "spiral" book and it just has the 5 buroughs in it. I never could find a "fold" out one that was worth a crap, but again, it's been a while so they may have one now.

[Malaki86]

Will they show designated truck routes? The map I downloaded from the city's website is very detailed, but I think it would print out to about 4feet square. You can zoom in/move around in the pdf viewer, but it's hard to keep your bearings on it.

[robertt]

Don't remember that, if it had desiganted routes. I just remember going wherever I needed to go to get to where I was going as long as their wasn't a low bridge. I'm home now, I'll see if I can find that map

[robertt]

Can't find it. I found all of my old driving stuff but not the map, sorry. I did find out I need to get in my attic more often

[Malaki86]

No problem. Just got off the phone with the pu in Brooklyn. The route I had figured up is exactly what I'm supposed to take. If the place I'm picking up at now will get in gear, I can pick the Brooklyn crap up today and get out of the city. That depends, on course, if I'm up to the challenge today or not - LOL

[Malaki86]

Anyone really familiar with Brooklyn? Here's my route plan to the P/U:

I-95s -> I-695/I-295 (Throgs Neck)
-> I-495 s (LIE)
-> I-278 S (BQE)
-> Prospect Expressway
-> T/L Church (northeast)
-> T/R Flatbush Ave (northeast)
-> T/L Flatlands
-> T/L East 89th St
-> 501 East 89th St - close to intersection of Foster

Flatlands is marked as a Local Truck route, East 89th St isn't marked period. All other routes are Truck Routes.

I haven't figured out my route to get out yet. I know I have to get back onto I-278 for the Verazano. It looks like if I go back the same way (basically), I can get onto the 278 south off of Prospect. Can anyone verify this?