yeah dry and freaking HOT. I think that the Phoenix area is close to hell :lol:. I know where I'll NEVER move to......

 

Well thanks for the reply Skywalker!!

 

I stayed at the Loves in Chandler and then moved to the Pilot in Avondale since I was going to be loading in Goodyear. Both places were O.K.

 

As I mentioned in a reply, I moved from the Loves in Chandler to the Pilot in Avondale as I was to load the following morning (Friday the 8th) down the road in Goodyear and head to Memphis,TN.

I called the shipper and they said they open at 7:30am. Since this was another tarped load (4'ers this time) and knowing how hot it gets, I arrived there just before they opened. I got in and loaded some aircraft parts.

By 8:30 I was all done and ready to roll and once again soaked with sweat. I look at the temp gage and it was 102. How in the hell can it be 102 at 8:30 in the morning???

As I was leaving, I get to chatting with the gate guard about the heat. He laughs and says its nothing until it gets over 120 out. He also mentions that by next month it should be in the triple digits as the low at night! more power to those that live down there and put up with the weather :bow:

Anyways, I get to rolling down the road and by the time I get to the west side of Albuquerque, NM I am plum wore out, guess that heat really kicked my butt. So I stop at the "Route 66" truck stop/casino/hotel there on I-40 exit 140. not sure if I mentioned it before, but it is a very decent place to stop along that route. They have a huge parking lot, clean facilities, and good food. It's the 2nd time I have stayed there and is now at the top of my list if I need to stop in the Albuquerque area.

Even though I have plenty of time to get to Memphis, I was not pleased with myself stopping so short. So the next morning I decided I needed to get more miles in and went to Webbers Falls, OK before shutting down for the day. It was a decent 700 mile day and left me with only about 350 more miles to my customer in Memphis.

Sunday I lazily got up and ran to the Pilot on hwy 78 just south of I-240 and shut down. This left me with a whopping 3 1/2 miles to go Monday morning. I have never been a big fan of staying in Memphis, no offense to anyone but IMO it is just one of many arm pits in this country. Anyways, I back into a hole and no sooner than I pop the brake, I get one guy trying to sell me a gold chain, one begging for money, and one wanting to polish my wheels (it had been raining on and off all day) :roll:. All this and it's only noonish here. Fortunately no one else bothered me for the rest of the day/evening.

I got up and ran the whole 3 1/2 miles to my customer and got unloaded in no time. I headed back to that same $h!t hole, I mean Pilot and shut down as I look for another load. There are at least 187 flatbed loads within a 200 mile radius of here but unfortunately they don't pay crap and the ones that do are going to places like NY or MA which I have zero desire to go. I did have a load alert call on one going from here to Trim Island, CA that was paying pretty good but I was not fast enough on the draw so to speak as it got covered just as was speaking to the agent.

On the bright side, the weather here is 100x better than AZ. It's overcast but only 85 out with a nice cool breeze!!

Oh, one last thing......I got my truck and trailer washed in Avondale at a placed called "Dales". It is located right behind the Pilot at exit 133a. It cost slightly more than say a streaking beacon, but was worth every penny! These guys hand washed everything, and I mean with a mitt not a brush. I watched them actually wash the UNDER side of my drop visor and my trailer frame even behind my tires :eek2:. When they finished, they used an air gun and towels to dry everything off, including the frames. Not a single water streak could be found. If you're ever in the area and need a wash I would highly recommend these guys as it was THE best wash job this truck has ever had. I gave them a generous tip and intent to email their head office to express my pleasure with the quality of work performed.

 

I call Phoenix the "hinges of hell" and Yuma the "depths of Hell" we are in Phoenix right now....SUCKS!! will be going NORTH fri or sat for 4-6 months...thank God.

Believe it or not you DO get used to the heat...Bo works out in it all day.... he is drained when he gets home, but he says he is used to it....

I hate Memphis....armpit is putting it mildly....

tootie

 

Dales? I thought it was Danny's?? Since I've never been there then I can claim not sure. I have heard them on the CB saying you can get free showers with a truck wash.

I try to stay at TA in Tonopah at exit 103 before getting into PHX.

Or at the Small truck stop at exit 19 in Quartzite, AZ... I like to chat with "Hardrive" in his CB shop about different things, he's an ex driver. The lot is small but its nice an quiet, dark and people don't idle here. Pretty cool to hear the coyotes yapping in the distance and look up at all the stars.

That indian casino place on 40 is pretty nice too.

 

It is Danny's A Big Rig Resort. I stayed over at the Flying J, but in the morning I found I had a flat. I went over to Danny's to get it fixed which was real quick. I had to go into the c-store to pay the cashier for the repair and saw that the driver lounge was very nice. Also, I walked by the truck wash bays and they were very busy.

It was a good thing that the tire repair was fast because I had a load to pick over in Morenci, AZ. It was a 220 miles thru Superior, Miami, Globe, and Thatcher and had to be there by 3pm. It was good going until Superior where there was an wide load coming down thru the canyon with police escort, road construction to Miami, and slow traffic in Globe. I made it to Morenci at 2:30pm.

The mine at Morenci requires a safety card which to get you have to watch a video. Then they check that you have work boots, helmet, safety glasses, and reflective vest. Thanks goodness Davis Transport made me get all this when I was working there. I loaded 45,000 lbs of copper sheeting, but the forklift driver got wrong(5,000 over on my trailer!). But, I did get out of there by 5:30pm. I am headed to Norwich, CT for a delivery on Monday.

This evening I stopped at the Flying J in Effingham, IL to get a shower. I was just going to stay long enough for the shower, but when I came out to my truck the wind had kicked up. The radio was reporting severe weather warnings. By that time the rain started coming down with plenty of thunder and lightning. I plan to go another 100 miles, but decided otherwise.

Okay, DD, I turn your thread back over to you. BTW, with your truck have 10 speed and 3.55 rears, how many rpms are you turning at 65mph? What tire size are you running on the tractor?

 

Hey Danske...

Yea I thought it was Danny's but wasn't sure...

I agree Its a nice drive out to Morenci, not much for us drivers though.

It all comes back to Davis... They were so nice.... I spoke to Pat the other day she was asking if I was ready to come back yet. Nope....

Well off to JB Hunt now.

 

I untarpped friday, it was a nice 109 degrees

 

dewercs2

anouther reason im thinkin about buyin a van!!!