I wish you the BOL and would love to hear about your training as you go through it


Thanks!!

 

I picked up a load of machinery (will explain what it is after I unload) in Gainesville, TX this morning and am sitting exactly 1.2 miles from my consignee in Laredo, TX. This is another light load that is paying me $2.20 a mile. I was hoping to unload it first thing in the morning, but the consignee said their receiving hours are 9-5 :hellno: WTF is up with that? sounds like bankers hours.

Usually 9am is not would not be a bad time, but I have a pre-planned OD load to pick up and hopefully deliver by 3pm in Fredericksburg, TX. I was told that if I can not make it there legally by 3pm then not to worry and they will reschedule it for Monday. The way I figure it is that I will have about 1 1/2 hours to unload, reload, get permit and have the wheels turning north no later than 10:30am in order to make it there by 3pm. That would also require zero delays or stops. I highly doubt all the moons and stars will be aligned for that to happen so more than likely I will take the load home for the weekend.

Now that I've cut my teeth on a 9' round OD load, tomorrow I move up to a 12' wide load :clap: and some day I'll even be able to hang out with the "big boys"......Anyways, this one will pay me $2.49 a mile. Not as good as that first OD load per say, but still easy money for little work. The best part is I will be home this weekend. I will either DH home after delivering it Friday afternoon, or I will take it home for the weekend and deliver on Monday.

 

I am gonna throw out another piece of advice. I made some flags that are just the flag with a magnet bolted to it so they just stick on the side of the load. They were not that expensive to make. Reason is some permits read that flag must be at "widest point of the load". The flags you have on your trailer are not at that point. Just a tip. Also I made a set of extendable mirrors that slide out so I can see down the sides of a load. Some permits also read "You must have rear vision" and regular side mirrors dont give it to you. I think my mirrors cost $40 to make and I can see down the side of a 14' wide load.

 

I asked a guy pulling one of those and he said his company required a tanker endorsement because they do transport full ones.

 

Both are EXCELLENT ideas.......I definitely could use the mirror extensions right now....but low and behold every TS I stopped at has nothing!! Go figure, I see the crap all the time when I don't need it and now that I need it I can't find them. I'll post pics of this load tomorrow after I get it off and you'll see why both items are needed. Live an learn I suppose

 

I made mine myself. Was easy enough. I will post some pictures so you can get an idea if you want. I dont have the patent back yet.

 

Well there was a slight change in plans. I was originally told that if the load could not be delivered by 3pm today (Friday) then it would be on Monday. As I am sitting at the shippers, I decide to call the consignee to let them know what was going on. The guy was surprised and pissed because someone along the line told him I would be there by noon :eek2: and he had a crane on the way.

I explained to him that my delivery in Laredo couldn't happen any earlier than 9am and I was there at 8:30 (early is on time and on time is late ) and therefore there it would have been impossible for me to be in Fredericksburg (230 miles away) by noon. To make a long story short, he rescheduled the crane for 1pm on Saturday as he really needed this load ASAP. No problem, I'll go home for the night, make the delivery on Saturday and then DH back home for the rest of the weekend.

By the time I got loaded, chained/strapped and permit in hand it was already 12:30pm. I start trucking down the road and as I calculated the time and distance to my next highway, I realize I will get there during restricted hours and will have to wait until after 6pm to roll again. I check the TS guide and there happens to be a TS right at the interchange where I'm going so that would be perfect.

I live about a mile off the route I will be traveling and the so called secure lot where I park (refer to previous post about my truck being broke into) is right on the route. This is going to work out just fine......so I thought.

As I am sitting at the TS waiting for the restricted hours to be up I get to thinking about the place I park my truck. It being Friday, I am sure all the other regulars that park there will be in for the weekend. With an OD load that could cause a problem. So I call my wife and ask her to go down there and tell me what the situation is. While I am waiting for her feedback, I am running over in my head how I will get in there if all is well. There will be no room to turn around with this load so I will have to blind side back through the gate from the street. Well just my luck she calls back and tells me there are 5 trucks there. This lot is small and can fit about 6 or 7. Because of the situation, I make the decision not to go home for the night, instead I will truck on. I look over the atlas and TS guide and just my luck there is absolutely nothing, not a TS or pickle park between where I am and the customer.:angryblue:

So, here I sit, about 30 miles from the house.....so close yet so far!! On the bright side, if you want to call it that, I can sleep in since I am only about 95 miles from the consignees front door......:lol:

And for those of you thinking why doesn't my wife just come pick me up and drop me off tomorrow since I am so close.......well first off she hates driving on the interstates unless its absolutely necessary (which this would be one of those cases where she would) and, she has to work tomorrow at 5am and frankly it just ain't worth getting up so dang early so she could drop me off before she needs to be at work when I will be home Saturday afternoon.

P.S. I will post pics tomorrow.

 

Would love to see them.....also, where did you find the magnets? I almost want to say I've seen them at a TS once, but damned if I know where.

 

I found the magnets at Menards(the Home Depot of the north) they were $4 apiece. they are about 3 inches across and stick really well. I can throw them on a tank and in California they are still in same spot.

 

I'll check the Home Depot this weekend......do you have a pic of what they look like? I think the ones I saw before were about 3 or 4" round