A bunch of useless crap
Published on July 15, 2006 By MasonM In Blogging
I am sitting here at the yard awaiting the 9:00am arrival of the mechanic who will be servicing my truck this morning, connected through someone's nearby unsecured wireless router.

By the time the routine servicing of my truck is completed, which usually takes a couple of hours or so, and I get my load secured and ready to roll it will likely be aorund noon or so. Most states don't allow an oversized load to run on Sunday so whatever progress I make towards Memphis today will be halted until Monday morning.

I also don't yet know whether we have yet received the permits for the load. I'll find that out when dispatch arrives this morning. I am wondering if I wouldn't be better off to just hang around in the hotel until Monday morning and get a good start then. There are pros and cons either way. I suppose I'll discuss it with dispatch and find out if there's a pressing need to get this fire truck delivered ASAP. I'll let that guide my decision.

Of course if the permits haven't arrived that will make the decision for me as they won't be coming until Monday anyway. No matter, I can get on down the road a good part of the way today if need be, or I can relax in the hotel until Monday morning. I'm flexible at this point. As I just left the house a few days ago I'm not really tired, but an extra day or two of relaxation wouldn't hurt.

It would also allow me to spend some time shopping for road groceries and get my truck stocked up for the next couple of weeks. That's a big plus. I guess I'm really leaning towards the hotel at this point more than anything, but dispatch will of course have some input here. They're pretty easy to get along with and usually leave these sorts of things up to us, but they may know something about the scheduling that I don't so I can't make a decision until I speak with them.

I seem to rambling here as I sit parked in front of the garage, so I'll leave things at that for now.

Comments
on Jul 15, 2006
Just spoke with Rodney in dispatch. Missing one permit, so as soon as my truck is finished being serviced I'll be checking back in at the hotel.
on Jul 15, 2006
#2 by little-whip
Sat, July 15, 2006 11:35 AM



[little-whip]
Well, at least they aren't playing the old 'hurry up and wait' game with ya, Mason.

I used to get soooo mad, we'd drive until we were ready to drop dead with exhaustion because certain customers just HAD to have delivery by such and such a date, and then when we'd make it on time we'd end up sitting there for a couple of days waiting to get unloaded.

Enjoy your weekend!

That's one of the big reasons I work for this outfit. We don't play that game. Specialized hauling is far different from just about any other type of trucking. When I spoke with Rodney this morning I said "Well there's a permit missing, then there's the Sunday curfew, so I may as well just stay at the hotel until Monday morning". His reply "Sounds like a plan."
on Jul 15, 2006
Was this the stuff from the accident you had a couple of weeks back?  This appears to be the first chance you have had to get it serviced.
on Jul 15, 2006

I'm sure glad you got air conditioning in that rig!  it's so hot all over the U.S.! 

Glad you can kick back and rest up a bit more too  

on Jul 15, 2006
#4 by Dr. Guy
Sat, July 15, 2006 4:47 PM



[Dr. Guy]
Was this the stuff from the accident you had a couple of weeks back? This appears to be the first chance you have had to get it serviced.


He did straighten out the bumper but it's really just the regular routine service. Oil change, grease, all that jazz. Has to be serviced every 13,000 miles. Roughly once a month.
on Jul 15, 2006
#5 by Trudygolightly
Sat, July 15, 2006 5:42 PM



[Trudygolightly]

I'm sure glad you got air conditioning in that rig! it's so hot all over the U.S.!

Glad you can kick back and rest up a bit more too


Yeah, the ac is a blessing this time of year. I'm enjoying the break.
on Jul 16, 2006

He did straighten out the bumper but it's really just the regular routine service. Oil change, grease, all that jazz. Has to be serviced every 13,000 miles. Roughly once a month.

A month for you , a year for me.... DAMN!

What kind of mileage do you get.  Sounds liks a years salary in Gas in a few months.

on Jul 16, 2006
#8 by Dr. Guy
Sun, July 16, 2006 0:39 PM



[Dr. Guy]

He did straighten out the bumper but it's really just the regular routine service. Oil change, grease, all that jazz. Has to be serviced every 13,000 miles. Roughly once a month.

A month for you , a year for me.... DAMN!

What kind of mileage do you get. Sounds liks a years salary in Gas in a few months.


The truck averages between 5.5 and 6.5 mpg, and it now costs well over $500 every fill up. On a run I normally have to fill up every day.