Hey clint....

be careful out there and we will meet up soon!! 8) 8)

I am really glad you are HAPPY!! That makes a big difference in your frame of mind.

Talk to ya soon

tootie

Yes, dear. Very happy. And yes again; it makes all the difference in the world.

Snug as a bug. Some nice surprises today. I got up and made Daimler Chrysler in Ladson, SC this morning at 0845. Low and behold, 5 or 6 other Swiftys waiting to get loaded with Sprinter vans too. most of them were flatbedders and a couple of door-slammers also. We all hung out, shared stories and generally had fun while waiting our turns at the ramps. I had a great time chatting it up with one couple who leases a one year old T-2000 from Swift.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few lease-ops who are doing very nicely with their leased trucks. I ask at every chance I get about their numbers, are they pleased, is the deal meeting their needs and expectations, etc. So far, it sounds like a positive thing. I sure wouldn't mind having a pretty blue W-900 to go zooming around in. And with no other tax shelters currently in place, the write-off is looking mighty attractive.

I must add here the importance, to me, of having other "trucker friends" to speak with while I am out on the road. I have a friend at W/S who I went to driving school with back in San Diego who I speak with all the time. Tootie and Bo have also become good friends to me. I spoke with CB JR for the first time the other day. CrackAces is also a good friend of mine.

It's not so much about being lonely. I am a loner by nature. Where it matters is that I can discuss my thinking, which seems to get back-logged during long periods of not talking to anyone else. In speaking with my fellow truckers, I find it to be much easier to keep moving mentally, which in turn, makes it much easier to keep moving, physically. The friendships help me hear myself think and further, help me stay focused and relaxed while I work. This was lacking during my earlier newbie days and I think it was, in part, due to a lack of connectivity which led to the melt-down I had a year ago. Coupled with my health issues, it was a bit too much.

So it feels appropriate to express my gratitude to those who have availed themselves to me through this board. You folks help make me feel connected.

Back at the farm: My original routing got updated to include a quick delivery of two additional Sprinters to Morrow, GA where I am now parked for the evening. After I make the drop tomorrow morning, I head back down to Ladson to pick up two more, then it's off to Oklahoma City as originally dispatched. That adds another 630-ish miles to an already nice finish to the week. Again, I don't know how it works on the van side, but in flatbed, there seems to be no end to the number of miles you can get, if you run smart and hard.

I landed in a Home Depot parking lot, just a few blocks from the drop site. There's plenty of room here, which is a good thing. Lots of restaurants too. Dinner was easy and so will be getting breakfast. Nice. It's east coast drizzle tonight. The gentle pitter-patter of rain falls on Betty's head as I write this post. I like the humidity and the coolness of spring. Everything across Texas and further east is blooming colors and lots of green; a far cry from wintry Gary, IN.

Pocket another 330 miles in the morning, get loaded again and it's back out west, yet again.

Days off. Hmm. This will conclude my 4th week of solo since being turned loose. I'll be hitting up my DM for a few mental-health days toward the end of next week. I certainly hit the pavement running and I have earned a little r and r. These guys..... Just like the Energizer bunny.

Tried giving you a hollar back... mainly wanted to brag about laying on Waikiki Beach all of this week. heh heh. Good to see things are going well.

samael9 sent you a pm a few days ago

Hey clint

where are you?? We will be leaving the house tomorrow (sat) going to charlotte. We will be on I 40.

tootie

Ohhhh..... Poo poo. Gee; sorry I missed your call tan man. :shock: That's OK. I'm gonna charter a 45-ish foot sloop out of either St. Maarten or Tortola this winter. I'll be sure to give you a jingle while snorkeling off the coast of St. Barts. Nyaah.....

:oops:

Hi Tootie.

Camped out in the Days Inn in Bamberg, SC along I-26. We will cross paths. I am loaded and heading for O-homa City. I-40. Our best friend.... I'll be picking up the 40 west out of Memphis.

Have your people call my people. We'll do lunch.... 8)

So yes. Loaded and moving westward.

I made my drop at the Dodge dealer this morning amidst the drizzle. Piece of cake. The roll-back guy showed up within an hour of making the wrecker call.

The thought of doing I-20 to I-26 east to Ladson again just seemed to be too much after just having done it the day before. So I took US 278 to US 78 down towards Ladson. Slow going, due to all the small towns. But the shorter line kinda balanced out the time.

But what a beautiful ride. It seems like much of what I saw has withstood the test of time. Quaint little towns, beautiful old homes and remnants of the plantation era. It was well worth the trip off the highway.

I made Ladson at 1600 CST. It was me and one other Swifty when I got there. No loading crew though. No worries; I can do this on my own.

The site manager was talking to the other driver and was concerned because the other guy had never loaded the Sprinter vans un-assisted. I told him that I would be happy to help.

Chuck the driver was a cool person. He was afraid of loading the vans, but by the time I got done speaking with him about how we do it, he relaxed and said that he was OK with it. The site manager was also glad, because it just meant that the freight was moving the way it's supposed to.

I backed my rig to the ramps and Chuck helped me set up. Once he saw how everything worked, he saw that it was no big deal after all. I will admit, it is a little spooky at first, driving these things up the skinny little ramps and on to the deck of a skate, but you get used to it.

Once we were both loaded, we moved out to the staging area to tie down. I have tire lasso's, but he was using chains and binders. I helped him place the chains properly and had him set his ratchets while I belted my vans down. After checking his work a couple of times and having him fix a couple of errors, we both felt good about his securement. He was very appreciative of the help and glad that he didn't have to sit until the loading crew showed up for work in the morning.

A box-hauler showed up while we were working, and because of the way they load these things in a dry van, he had to wait until the crew came. The site manager wouldn't let him do it alone. Oh well.

I left PHX last Saturday around 1400. By the time I hit Ladson today, I had 3000 miles for the week. When I make my drop in Oklahoma, I will have racked up 4300 miles in 9 days. Busy-busy..... :lol:

Roll'n...roll'n...roll'n, git them doggies roll'n....... :P

Got that sh&t right, buddy. 'Cept them doggies ain't gittin' rollin' too Swiftly dis mo'nin'...... Slept 'til 0830 CST. Still in bed and sipping coffee. The king-sized bed in my room at the Days Inn has nine pillows and I think I musta made love to each and every one of them at least twice throughout the night. None of them want me to go.... But go I will.

620 from here to Memphis. Joe Jackson once did a song called Where the Hell is Memphis. Can't get it out of my head.... I guess I will find out when Emily, my GPS starts barking at me in a bunch of hours from now.

Oh yes. I picked up a Terk satellite antenna from Love's the other day for $69.95 + tax. Seems that reception in the South was not so great with the standard antenna which came with my Roady XT. It is worth the bux. While the signal still drops out once in a while, it is certainly improved.

Next run past Best Buy, and Betty will have a new iPod too. My old gen-3 20 gig model died after all these years. It was a bit clumsy to use, but it gave me hours and hours of good service. Oh the decisions, though. Nano vs. iPod. Eighty gigs on the new iPod!!!! My music library is 42 gigs. I can put everything in my iTunes on it and still have room to spare. So when the XM get spotty, we can switch gizmos and The Dead, Floyd and all the rest can come blaring out of the Companion 3's in 3D.

The more I continue to look at what I've found, in terms of the "perfect match" with regards to work, the more I find myself falling in love with my job. Swift? Who'd a thunk it?!?!?!?

OK, Geo. I better feed the do-ggies and boot 'em out the door.... YeeHaa

Friggin' Rawhide.... Are we old or what? Better watch out; here comes Rifleman :roll: