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Phil Madsen's BlogLearning Something New Every Day |
Truck drivers Phil and Diane Madsen live, work and play on the road; transporting expedited and critical-shipment freight in their custom-built truck. Phil's blog is a blend of travelogue, brain dump and commentary on road-inspired topics.
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Jul 2007 Aug 2007 Sep 2007 Oct 2007 Nov 2007 Dec 2007 Jan 2008 Feb 2008 Mar 2008 Apr 2008 May 2008 Jun 2008 Jul 2008 Aug 2008 Sep 2008 Oct 2008 Nov 2008 Dec 2008 Jan 2009 Feb 2009 Mar 2009 Apr 2009 May 2009 Jun 2009 Jul 2009 Aug 2009 Sep 2009 Oct 2009 Nov 2009 Dec 2009 Jan 2010 Feb 2010 This Month
Friday, February 1, 2008. I learned today the 2008 due dates for the articles I write for Expedite NOW magazine. Learned by receiving them from the publisher.
We woke up this morning in Albany, New York, in service and waiting for a load offer. Not being in a hurry, we were casually going through our morning routine. When I checked the weather on the internet, we immediately stepped up the pace and got rolling.
A sleet storm was on the way in. We had planned to work our way down to Newburgh, New York for fuel and to better position ourselves for a load. With bad weather on the way, it was time to move.
Newburgh is about 90 miles south of Albany. Our first hour of driving was OK but we were in sleet for the last 30 minutes.
By the time we got to the Pilot truck stop in Newburgh, the roads were a mess. Soon after we parked, I overheard drivers talking about wrecks they had seen. There were news reports of overturned semi trucks on I-84. This was no day to drive, so we went back out of service to wait out the storm.
We showered, did laundry and hung out in the truck. Later on, a load offer came in. We were out of service but if our carrier needs a truck, they will often call anyway. The offer was not great, but not bad either. It picked up Monday. There was no reason to turn it down, so we accepted it.
There are drivers out there that would turn down a so-so load in hopes of getting a better load later. We are not among them. Still, things are beginning to feel slow. It has been a while since we have had a nice string of runs. That is not the freight's fault. It is our own, because of the time off we have been taking. With no breaks expected for at least five weeks, we are eager to get running again.
Financially, January was below goal. For the days we were in service and hauling freight, our daily and weekly averages held up. But we were out of service ten days in January and finished the month below goal. February is off to a slow start too. We won't haul our first load until Monday the 4th. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, February 2, 2008. I learned today what an iPhone looks and feels like close up. Learned by checking one out at an ATT store in a shopping mall in Milford, Connecticut.
We drove there from Newburgh, New York, where we waited out a sleet storm yesterday. Most of the ice and snow was melted this morning and we headed out. There have been some nasty, truck-stranding snow storms around the country this winter. We are glad to have avoided them so far. Yesterday's sleet storm was minor compared to what some truckers have gone through.
Milford is closer to our Monday pickup. Today, we took the day off to spend some time together. It was nice to have Diane back in the truck with some time to spare. We walked around the mall, went to a movie and just puttered away the day.
About that iPhone, we won't be buying one soon. We really like our current cell phone service provider. Until they can offer the iPhone, it is not even an option. Even then, we may not want it. Technology will change several times between now and then. the phones and devices we have now do the job. Also, the last thing we want is a telephone that can track our location, profile our activities and feed ads to us based on the businesses we are near. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, February 3, 2008. I learned today that Wal-Mart stores, at least the one we were at, accept waste oil. Learned by asking people in the automotive shop. I also learned what a truck air compressor governor looks like. Learned from a driver who showed me his.
We are passing time in and around Milford Connecticut as we wait for our Monday pickup. The generator was due for an oil change. We parked at the Pilot truck stop and I did the oil change there. There are no truck repair shops at this truck stop so I needed to find another way to get rid of the oil. It was fitting that Wal-Mart would take it off my hands as that is where I buy oil and most of our other truck supplies.
While I worked on the generator, a driver from a couple parking spaces down came over to borrow a tool. He was replacing an old air compressor governor with a new one. I lent him the tool but felt bad for him when the repair did not work. He remained stuck at the truck stop while we went on our merry way.
After the sun went down, we watched DVD's in the truck. It was nice to spend some quiet time together. We are almost never apart for more than a few hours when we are on the road. With Diane having been gone for a couple days and now back, we are enjoying each other's company more than usual. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, February 4, 2008. I learned today how to adjust a dental device. Learned by doing it. Diane is getting braces. The device expands the jaw as part of the process. It needs to be adjusted every so often.
When they put it in, they showed Diane how to adjust it but when she got back in the truck, it was not easily done. I tried and had trouble too. This morning, we called the dentist office for coaching. It helped and we are now able to adjust the device. She will have it in for a few weeks and then have the braces installed.
This means flying Diane home numerous times over the next 18 months. The down time, transportation costs and cost of the braces will not be cheap, but it makes sense to do the work. Problems fixed now will prevent more serious problems from developing later in life. We feel blessed to be able to afford this and adjust our work schedule to accommodate it.
Today, we got started on an ordinary load; finally, an ordinary load! It was a 3,000 lbs. electric motor going from the company that services it to one of their customers. It was nice to haul something that did not have a tricky pickup or delivery, or require special handling, or have a bunch of other accessorial services attached to the load. The runs we have been doing lately have not been easy. This one was. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, February 5, 2008. I learned today that our truck is 117 inches wide from mirror edge to mirror edge. Learned by measuring the distance.
The question came up because we were scheduled for a delivery to a place we have been before. It has an indoor loading dock with a very narrow door. In the fleet owner's truck we delivered with before, we had to pull in the mirrors to get in the door. Our truck has fixed mirrors. They cannot be pulled in.
We asked dispatch to call the shipper for the door width. It turned out we can make it, with three inches to spare. That is 1.5 inches on each side; tight but doable.
We carry a 100 foot tape measure in the truck, just in case we need to settle an argument with a scale cop that might say the truck is too long. It is not too long. We made sure of that when we built it. The tape measure is a just-in-case item.
As I was digging out the tape measure, I was thinking about how to measure the mirrors. In my mind, I was putting together the idea of hanging a plumb bob off each mirror, marking the spot on the ground where they hit and measuring the distance between them. As I started to explain that to Diane, she said, "Why don't you just roll down the windows and measure from mirror to mirror." After kicking myself six times for not seeing the easy way, that is what we did.
We arrived five hours early at this morning's delivery and went to sleep until the shipping and receiving dock opened. At the delivery, the electric pallet jack there had forks just a little too thick to fit fully under the pallet onto which the 3,000 lbs. motor was bolted. The operator got a partial grip and started to drag the skid out of the truck. I stopped him before he moved, telling him to not scratch the floor. I got my pallet jack under the other side of the pallet so it had wheels under two sides and could be lifted fully off the floor before moving it. A few moments later, he was happy to have his freight and I was happy to have no new scratches in the floor.
We then drove to Rochester, New York to wait for our next load. We did not wait long. An offer came in and we were on our way to Baltimore to pick up the next load. It would pick up on Wednesday and deliver the same day in Philadelphia. That is the delivery with the narrow door.
After driving to Baltimore, we found a Wal-Mart to park at and spend the night. On the way, we stopped at a Pilot truck stop for showers. It was located in Bath, New York. Diane got a kick out of the word play, showers in Bath.
Soon after parking at Wal-Mart, a Schneider driver pulled in with a Wal-Mart trailer. He was curious about our truck and came over to chat. It was an interesting visit that lasted about thirty minutes. I wanted to learn everything I could from him about what it is like to be dedicated to Wal-Mart loads and how store managers view truck parking. This very professional driver was happy to share. I was surprised to learn that even he has been run out of Wal-Mart lots after delivering his Wal-Mart loads. He said other managers are happy to have trucks. We shared a mutual disgust for the drivers that behave like pigs and ruin it for the rest of us. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, February 6, 2008. I learned today that there is a statue of the movie character Rocky on the grounds of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Learned by seeing it as we drove by, on our way out of town after a delivery in the city.
There is a famous scene in the 1976 movie Rocky. The lead character, Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, runs up the steps of the museum and does a victory dance. Apparently, the scene is culturally significant enough for the museum to commemorate it with a statue on the grounds. This pop culture item looks out of place on the grounds of this classical architecture building. But art is art, right? I should not be too glib. The script was written by Stallone himself and the film won an Academy Award for best picture.
It is funny how things come around. I remember seeing that movie when it first hit the theaters. Thirty-two years later, I have an "Ah-Hah!" moment and smile when I see this statue and the museum steps, and remember the scene like I had just seen it yesterday.
Part of me wanted to run up the steps myself and reenact the scene. I am certain thousands of people have done so over the years. But there was no easy place to park the truck, so no scene was reenacted and no statue photos were taken.
We hauled freight today from downtown Baltimore to downtown Philadelphia. I learned that Baltimore is not a fun town to drive a truck through. Truck restrictions are everywhere and truck-legal routes are poorly marked, if they are marked at all. We were glad to get out of town and onto I-95. I-95 is not exactly the open road, but it beat the heck out of Baltimore's rough streets and seemingly endless red lights.
I would like to hope that it will be a long time before we see Baltimore again, but I can't. We are dispatched to go back there tomorrow to pick up freight headed to the Midwest. On the positive side, the people we met at today's pickup were nice and very helpful. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, February 7, 2008. I learned today that Mega Millions lottery tickets are not available at the Maryland House rest area on I-95. Learned by trying to buy one there.
This surprised me. In many states, lottery tickets are available at the state operated rest areas along interstate highways. Not so in this case. We are not serious lottery players. Like a lot of folks, we dabble in it when the prize is huge. If it is over $50 million, we buy one ticket; thinking that if it is meant to be, one ticket will get it done.
We parked at the rest area last night to sleep and drove into Baltimore in the morning to pick up our freight. We picked up at the same place we picked up yesterday. The pickup was routine. The drive in and out of Baltimore was easier than yesterday now that we knew what to expect, but still included lots of red lights. Once we got on the open road, we cruised easily toward our Minneapolis delivery.
Minneapolis is our home express center, and this time, the last place we want to be. We have been home more than usual in the last few weeks. It is funny how it works sometimes. When we have no need or desire to be home, the freight takes us there. Our delivery is scheduled early on Friday morning. We are hoping to get dispatched out of Minneapolis on Friday so we can keep running. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, February 8, 2008. I learned today about the experiences of a newbie team that had recently gotten into the expedite business. Learned by receiving a telephone call from one of the team members.
He said he had talked to me before when he was researching the expedite opportunity. I was embarrassed to not remember the call. Some time had passed since the call and I regularly receive such calls, so not remembering is understandable. But this team got into the business partly based on information I shared. Very few expediter wannabees I talk to actually make the leap. This team did. I felt bad not remembering them.
I was not sure how to feel as I listened to their story. At the time of the call, they were in Toronto. They had some time to spare and asked me for ideas on how to spend their layover time there. Diane and I have been to Toronto several times, but have always been quickly dispatched out, so I had no good answers to share.
This team seemed happy with their first couple months in the business but the money could have been better. Driving a fleet owner's truck, they have had some down time for truck qualification and driver qualification.
They have also been caught up in the bad snow storms out west. He said he has chained up the truck tires four times. That amazed me. We have been in the business over four years and have never had to chain up.
Down time for truck and driver qualification, trips out west, chaining up, and a trip into Canada. This new team is dealing with challenges some teams try to avoid. The good news is they are successfully doing so and their attitude is good. It sounded to me like they are well on their way to quickly becoming a strong and profitable team.
The Friday dispatch out of Minneapolis that we hoped for did not come. We are instead dispatched to pick up a load on Monday, not far from home. After our Friday morning delivery, we ran an errand to a store in Minneapolis and then went home to spend the weekend. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, February 9, 2008. I learned today that, while our truck was parked in the driveway at home, DOT inspector drove onto the property and photographed the truck. Learned from my brother-in-law who told me so.
I did not see it happen and the report shocked me. Why in the world would a DOT inspector photograph the truck, and did he even have the right to do so since the truck was parked on private property? All sorts of thoughts raced through my mind. I calmed down when my brother-in-law told me the rest of the story.
When Diane and I say "home," we usually mean the residential and garage space that we rent from a relative. It is part of what used to be the family farm. Other relatives have other things going on there too. My brother-in-law had some wood to get rid of. The DOT inspector and his girlfriend came by to pick it up. They were not there for the truck. They were there for the wood. But favorably impressed with the truck, they took photos of it.
We are home today and tomorrow, waiting to pick up freight on Monday. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, February 10, 2008. I learned today that the roof unit on our truck will heat the sleeper and keep up with the cold to a point, but needs help in sub-zero weather. Learned by monitoring its performance in sub-zero weather.
We are home for the weekend, waiting to pick up freight on Monday. It is cold. Temperatures of -10F and strong winds are producing wind chill temperatures of -45F. Wind chill does not affect the actual temperature of mechanical objects, but the wind will carry heat quickly away.
With the truck parked in the driveway, and running on shore power, we are keeping a close eye on the sleeper temperature. We do not want the water tanks and sleeper contents to freeze. The truck is our home on the road. Things that should not freeze include hand lotion, laundry detergent, and food in containers that might burst.
On Friday and Saturday, temperatures were below freezing but above zero. The roof unit (actually a heat pump) performed well, keeping the sleeper toasty warm. Today, the temperature dropped to -10F and the winds grew strong. Overnight Saturday and through the course of the day on Sunday, the roof unit slowly lost ground. By midday Sunday, it was +40F in the sleeper. A small space heater solved the problem and returned the sleeper to room temperature.
If we were stopped somewhere on the road, we would have the generator to power the roof unit. If it got really cold, we would probably keep the truck engine running to keep the fuel from gelling and to avoid the risk of the truck not starting in sub-zero conditions. The engine would also provide all the heat we would need for a comfortable sleeper stay. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, February 11, 2008. I learned today that Chicken McNuggets can be purchased four for a dollar at McDonald's. Learned by seeing the price advertised on a McDonald's sign.
That is not exactly big news or an item of great learning. But it was interesting to me because of a conversation I had in Alabama a year or so ago. A truck stop worker there told me all about the huge chicken farms they have there. Talking about the millions of chickens that are raised there, he said, "That's a lot of nuggets."
When I saw the McDonald's sign, I thought of him and wondered what he would think seeing millions of nuggets being made and knowing they now sell for a twenty-five cents a piece. As McDonald's sees it, those are not nuggets flowing on the conveyor belt. They are quarters. I wonder, how long will it be before we are paying a quarter a piece for french fries?
As we drove toward our Iowa pickup today, weather conditions deteriorated. Snow and blowing snow reduced visibility to about a half mile. There was little accumulation and we were able to proceed at the speed limit.
But worse weather lies ahead. This overnight run takes us through Saint Louis, where freezing rain and sleet is forecast. As we leave Iowa and proceed toward our Memphis delivery, we are not sure what we are in for overnight. Satellite radio traffic reports from Saint Louis say it is a real mess. We are hoping the weather improves and things will be cleared up before we pass through. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, February 12, 2008. I learned today a little about the life and times of a solo driver who leases his truck to Panther Expedited Services, Inc. Learned by meeting and visiting with him at the Pilot truck stop in Memphis. His truck is shown here. 
Last night, I slept like a baby in a warm, cozy bed while Diane drove through rotten weather. She drove at slow speeds for several hours through rain, freezing rain, sleet and packed snow. When my turn to drive came, the bad weather was behind us. I had only rain to deal with in warmer temperatures. She was happy to give up the wheel. I was grateful for her work.
Valentine's Day is coming soon. As usual, that presents a special occasion gift challenge for us. We live and work together in a truck and, except for the truck, live a mostly property-free life. Any material gift we buy each other would go into storage if we kept it at all. On the road, we go out to eat at nice restaurants more than we ever did at home. We could take time off on special days to do things like maybe a day spa or a stay in a fancy hotel. But we like it in the truck.
Staying elsewhere takes us away from our stuff and the comforts we enjoy. Taking time off takes us away from the money we would otherwise earn. Already together 24/7, we don't really need to take time off to spend with each other. We got into this work partly to spend more time together. That we have absolutely achieved.
So what do we do to celebrate special days? It depends on the day, but by most people's standards, it is not much. Our giving and celebrating tends to be more of an ongoing event, like Diane's gift to me last night.
Despite the bad weather, she put up with it and kept the truck rolling at safe speeds. While doing so, she derived some satisfaction from giving me a great chunk of uninterrupted sleep. When I say I was grateful for the work she did, I am not kidding. I appreciate this routine gift as much as any special gift she has ever given.
When I return the favor by doing something she would rather not do, like changing the oil in the generator in bad weather, or fueling the truck while she stays in bed, I derive the same kind of satisfaction.
By contributing equally to our team truck-driving business, we are doing more than making money and keeping the truck rolling. We are giving each other the lifestyle we both love, one we could not have alone.
After making our Memphis delivery, we went to the truck stop for showers and for me to repair some wiring on the truck. The wiring for the chicken lights we added to the truck a while back is not holding up. I am keeping it working for now but it needs to be redone to better resist corrosion.
I hate the way winter is eating away at the truck. I want two days off in warm weather to go over it end-to-end and top-to-bottom to bring it back up to snuff.
Items needing attention include rust spots on the lift gate, developing corrosion on battery cables and other connections, corners under the hood that are missed by truck washes and need to be cleaned, wheels that need a good scrubbing, tool boxes that need emptying and cleaning inside and out, etc. Also, everything in the back needs to be taken out and cleaned. The box interior walls, ceiling and floor all need a good scrubbing. All of our freight handling equipment needs to be wiped down.
We normally keep up with this. But this winter, we have not been in warm weather for more than a day, and only then to pick up or deliver freight. Send us south! We want to get someplace where we can work in shirt sleeves for a couple days and use buckets of hot, soapy water.
Soon after I fixed the wiring, we received and accepted a load offer. You guessed it. The freight takes us north. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, February 13, 2008. I learned today that I-72 exists. Learned by driving by it in Hannibal, Missouri, on our way from Memphis, Tennessee to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
When I saw the interstate highway sign, it surprised me that I-72 did not ring any bells. I could not remember a time when we drove on that road. I asked Diane and she did not remember either. She looked it up on the map and confirmed that we have never been on this stretch of interstate highway.
A while ago, we thought it through and discovered that, with very few exceptions, we have driven the full length of every single-digit (e.g. I-5, I-8) and double-digit (e.g. I-65, I-94) interstate highway in the U.S.; not in a single trip, but over time, every mile of these roads. We have also covered a good number of three-digit interstate highways (e.g. I-494, I-695). Those are less significant as they are usually just bypasses around cities or spurs into them.
The exceptions are the last few miles at the very ends of some interstate highways, like the last few miles on I-95 in Maine before the road ends at the Canadian border. Otherwise, we have covered most of America's interstate highway system.
We got into this business partly to see the country. It's working. We are seeing the countryside as we drive and stopping at tourist attractions too. Some truck drivers say they get bored on the road. Not us. We have been running for over four years now and do not want to be doing anything else. We enjoy driving the truck and still sometimes quibble over who gets to drive next. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, February 14, 2008. I learned today about custom made wiring harnesses that are used in street rods. Learned by researching the web sites of the companies that build these made-to-order items.
I am not happy with the lighting failures we are having with the chicken lights (clearance lights) on our truck. When they happen, the failures along the light string are easy to identify and fix. I just don't like having to do it over and over again. The vendor that installed them is willing to make it right but we need to get there for that to happen. And I am not sure the solution they have in mind will be satisfactory. So, I am looking at alternatives. One way or another, we will get it right.
We spent last night at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop in Walcott, Iowa. We deadheaded there from our Cedar Rapids, Iowa delivery. Normally, we would have waited in Cedar Rapids. But with "The World's Largest Truck Stop" just 70 miles away, and me wanting to check out wiring harness options, we made the trip.
After breakfast this morning, we deadheaded to Chicago to better position ourselves for freight, but received no offers worth accepting. Diane spent some time in a book store. I spent time online researching automotive wiring.
When day turned to night, we found a place to park and bed down for the night, and went to bed wondering if (1) an offer would wake us up and get us immediately rolling, (2) an offer would wake us up, allow us to go back to sleep and roll on a load tomorrow, or (3) no offer would be received and we would wake up in the morning with no freight to haul. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, February 15, 2008. I learned today where we can park at a certain shopping mall in the Chicago area and where we cannot. Learned by parking where we cannot and being told by a security officer where we can.
We are always careful about parking in OK places when we park and respecting people's property rights. I hate it when we get run off by someone. That is one of the very few times in this business that I feel like a second class citizen. Today, we were waiting for freight and parked in the far end of a movie theater parking lot. I planned to see a movie if freight did not dispatch us out sooner.
A security officer showed up in a few minutes and told us to move to another lot in the shopping mall complex. I felt bad being run off but felt good learning about a good place to park next time we are in the area.
I did not see a movie. We took a short run from a western Chicago suburb to a downtown office building, and then picked up a load in a western suburb that is going to Houston, Texas. That run will keep us rolling overnight. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, February 16, 2008. I learned today that relatives we normally visit in Texas, when we are in the area, are sick with the flu. Learned by calling them when we were in the area. We were going to go visit but changed our mind when we heard they were ill.
We drove overnight from Chicago, Illinois to Houston, Texas, and delivered this morning. The freight was a 300 lbs. electric motor used to power a conveyer belt in a grocery distribution center. The order for the shipment was created yesterday, just 12 minutes before it was dispatched to our truck and our wheels were rolling. Such is expedited freight. An emergency develops and expediter trucks are called to meet customer needs.
On the way to Houston, we received and accepted an offer that picks up in Dallas, Texas on Monday and takes us back to Chicago. With no relatives to visit, we are just poking our way along toward Dallas.
Along the way to Dallas, we stopped at Big Daddy's in Brenham, Texas for some of the best food we have found on the road. See my blog entry for September 25, 2007 for more about Big Daddy's. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, February 17, 2008. Today, we just poked along as we worked our way toward Fort Worth, Texas for tomorrow's pickup. It was a lazy day and I learned nothing new, unless you count a new overnight parking place in Fort Worth.
For the last week or so, we have been feeling like we have head colds coming on, but the colds never came. Symptoms remained borderline and have pretty much gone away now. We are healthier than we used to be in our old jobs. We miss work less often due to colds and flu. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, February 18, 2008. I learned today how to troubleshoot and repair the electrical connection to a chassis solenoid valve on our truck. Learned by tracking down the bad connection and fixing it.
At this morning's freight pickup, as with many, we dumped the air out of the truck's rear air bags. Doing so lowers the truck a few inches. At this loading dock, dumping the air brought the truck floor more level with the loading dock floor. The air is dumped by flipping a switch on the dash board.
When it came time to leave, I flipped the switch back to reinflate the air bags, and after a moment, started to drive. But the truck did not feel right. I could tell the bags did not reinflate. I stopped and flipped the switch again. Nothing.
After a couple more unsuccessful tries, we parked and I got out to try to figure out what was up. I was immediately grateful for the mild temperatures and relatively clean concrete street surface I had to work on. I would probably have to crawl under the truck and was glad we were not in a snow storm some place.
I next called my friend Glen Rice for advice. He is my mentor in such things. He told me to check the rod that goes to the leveling valve. That was something I already knew. What I was really hoping to hear from Glen was something that would not require me to crawl under the truck. No luck there. Under I went, where I found the rod to be intact.
I caught Glen at a busy time so we got off the phone and I continued on my own. When you flip the switch in the cab, you can hear a click and quick air hiss coming from under the truck. With the leveling valve seemingly OK, I decided to head next toward the click and hiss.
Now realizing I would be under the truck for a while, I put safety cones out and turned on the four way flashers to let people know the truck was disabled. I wanted drivers to give me room while I was under the truck.
I had Diane repeatedly flip the switch so I could locate whatever the clicking and hissing thing was that the switch activated. Laying on my back, I slithered along the concrete, under the center of the truck, from the rear wheels up to the cab where I found the click and hiss to be coming from.
A fat truck driver would not be able to do this. I do not consider myself to be skinny but there was enough room for my belly to clear the truck's axles, drive shaft, exhaust system and other components as I worked my way forward.
Near the back of the cab, I saw a valve bank of some sort that had electrical wires and air lines going in and out of it. As I disconnected and reconnected the wires going into the valves, I found one was loose. Reconnecting it solved the problem. The air bags reinflated with the next flip of the switch.
Looking at the truck maintenance information I have on my computer (we bought the shop parts and service manual when we bought the truck), I learned these valves are called chassis solenoid valves.
After getting back into the truck and into some clean clothes, we were on our way. The time delay was insignificant. The ego boost I got from fixing the truck in the street and thereby staying on this good run was significant. I felt darn proud keeping the truck running and avoiding a road service call. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, February 19, 2008. I learned today that a total lunar eclipse will occur tomorrow night. Learned by reading about it in the news. Often driving overnight like we do, Diane and I pay closer attention to the moon than we used to in our white collar careers. There is nothing like driving on the open road under a full moon. We enjoy it.
We hit the full moon jackpot today. After making our delivery in Chicago, Illinois (from Fort Worth, Texas), we got some sleep and were later dispatched on an ASAP pickup just 9 miles away from where we were parked. The freight is going to San Diego, which means some great desert driving under a full moon.
It also means we may finally get a dose of warm weather. After our San Diego delivery, I hope we will get a couple weeks of short runs in Southern California.
That is a false hope. While we have spent entire months running in California, the runs take us north and south. There are some California mountain ranges that are best avoided this time of year. Winter storms can be brutal. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, February 20, 2008. I learned today that a friend of ours fell on ice on her doorstep at home and broke her wrist; and that another friend of ours hauled a piece of art made out of jelly beans; and that other friends of ours (a team) is not happy with our carrier and is looking into other carriers to lease their truck to. Learned by talking to these folks on the telephone as we drove from Chicago, Illinois to San Diego, California.
We have made many good friends in the expedite business. It is common for drivers to chat with each other, sometimes daily, on the phone to talk shop and stay in touch. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, February 21, 2008. I learned today that our truck passed a level one DOT exam in California. Learned when Diane got stopped at a scale and inspected.
That is good news. The inspector put a current CVSA sticker on our window, which means they will leave us alone for a while. It also means we will not have to pay a truck shop to do a DOT inspection on the truck. Our carrier requires such inspections twice a year. It is nice to get a freebie, courtesy of the great state of California.
Actually, a lot of truckers hate California for its burdensome truck regulations. Hate is a strong word, but Diane and I don't care much for California's regulatory environment either. I could write several pages worth of complaints about how badly California treats trucks and truckers. I won't do that today.
California has its good points. An abundance of high-end expedited freight is one of them. But still, when we think of California, a lot of negative items come to mind.
We got caught in a serious snow squall last night in Arizona, near Flagstaff. The moon disappeared under clouds and a few inches of heavy snow came out of the sky. Dry, open roads became clogged with a few inches of snow and jackknifed big rigs. Traffic was stopped dead for a couple hours while the mess was cleared. There was nothing we could do but sit, and keep the truck idling so the defroster could keep the windshield clear.
Soon after the snow stopped, the skies cleared and we were treated to a sight we have never seen before and may never see again. The air was clear and crisp. The mountain trees and landscape were covered with fresh snow. Stars twinkled brilliantly in the sky. The full moon bathed the land in light that made the scene look like something you would see on a Christmas card.
It was a beautiful sight that I write about here to remind us of it in later years. There are lots of beautiful sights to remember, and many more to come. Beautiful sights are part of why we love this life and work. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, February, 22, 2008. I learned today of a man who has a computer equipment moving service, and is located just a few miles from our home. Learned by talking to him as he coordinated an equipment move that involved our carrier and truck. The move was from California to Colorado. It was just by chance that both he and us were from Minnesota.
Interested to learn more about his business, and seeing a business networking opportunity, I suggested that he and I get together for coffee next time we are home. He agreed.
I won't be posting new blog entries until late next week. We are pre-dispatched on a series of runs that will take us from close to the Mexican border, to close to Canada, and from the West Coast to East Coast states. A good portion of the driving will be in the Rocky Mountains, where snow, tire chain laws and such will be issues. For the next week, it will be sleep management during some long runs, keeping a close eye on the weather, and mostly work and no play.
Financially, this is good news for us. These runs put us above goal for not only February, but they help January's numbers too. By the end of February, our monthly averages for the first two months of the year will be above goal. In 2008, we are off to a better start than we were at this time in 2007. And 2007 was a very good year.
Finally, it feels really weird sitting under palm trees and going online to see what tire chain restrictions are currently in effect. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, February 23, 2008. I learned today what liquid rust looks like. 
Learned by seeing it applied to the road. Liquid rust is trucker slang for the current variety of chemicals used to deice highways. This stuff rusts trucks to pieces.
I was glad we did not have to follow the snow plow in the right lane. We were able to avoid the strong dose of liquid rust the driver was laying down. That is one small victory in a the ongoing battle against corrosion on the truck. Over time, it is a losing battle.
Consumers that wonder why food prices are going up can find part of the reason in this photo. Rust increases truck maintenance costs, which increase transportation costs, which increase food costs. As our operating costs increase, the price we charge for our services must also increase.
We drove overnight on a run from Los Angeles, California to Denver, Colorado. The drive went well until we reached the mountain pass near Vale, Colorado. Snow was blowing off the mountain peaks and settling onto the road, causing ice to form.
It was Saturday night and the Denver-bound ski crowd helped create a stop and go mess on the glazed road. We were stuck in that for a couple hours as wrecks were cleared and the tunnel further down the road was alternately opened and closed.
Several men were waiting for us at the delivery in Denver. These computer geeks were eager to unload their computer components and do whatever they were going to do with them.
Immediately after the delivery, we found a parking spot and went to sleep. We have 1,100 miles of deadhead driving to do before our Monday pickup. Sleep management is important when we string long runs together like this. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, February 24, 2008. I learned today a little about the Bozeman Trail in Montana. Learned by reading about it on a sign at a rest area in that state.
It would be fun to read more about the trails in America's Old West. Some of them eventually developed into the interstate highways we drive on today. The more you know about American history (including Native American history), the more interesting these cross country drives can be. Natural history is also a topic of interest. Knowing more about the mountains and plains, and how they came to be, makes them that more interesting to drive through.
Today, we drove most of the day, deadheading 1,100 miles from Denver, Colorado to Spokane, Washington to pick up freight in Spokane. We got caught in bad weather at Homestake Pass in Montana. This mountain pass, located near Butte, Montana, is where I-90 crosses the Continental Divide. Elevation there is about 6,300 feet above sea level.
We arrived there late in the evening. The road was covered with thick ice. The salt trucks had been through, so water was on top of the ice. For a couple hours, we were in stop and go traffic. When it was go, it was go slow as we wove our way through stopped big rigs that had lost traction going up the hill. After we made it over the pass and down the other side, we learned the freeway had been closed while we were in the middle of the mess.
We were in and out of snow through western Montana and Idaho. Not a fun drive. Live web cam view of Homestake Pass Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, February 25, 2008. I learned today that Socrates died in 399 B.C. Learned by listening to a Barnes and Noble Audio series, What Would Socrates Do; The History of Moral Thought and Ethics, taught by Peter Kreeft.
This is my second time through the series and the first time I firmly noted Socrates' date of death in my mind. I have enjoyed listening to these philosophy professor's lectures as I drive. It takes me back to my college days where Philosophy was one of my majors. History was the other.
We are now on a run from Spokane, Washington to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After yesterday's bad weather experiences, we were very relieved to make it back through Idaho, over Homestake Pass, and into clear weather.
As we continued east on I-90, day gave way to night, and Montana gave way to Wyoming. There is something about Wyoming. When we drive through its wide open spaces, I always get the feeling that we are closer to the sky; like there is less room overhead than when we are at lower elevations. The weather seems closer too. It is not logical, just a feeling I get. I also get more of a sense that we are driving across the surface of the earth, instead just driving on a road.This is the kind of driving I love; out in the wide open spaces, away from people, and having the road to myself.
The Socrates series went into the CD player and my mind went into deep thought. I thought about Socrates. I thought about Jesus. I thought about the dialogue between faith and reason that traces back to these two men, and continues to influence western thought to the present day. Driving west to east across the planet's surface in the middle of the night, I also wondered if my chin whiskers grow faster at high elevations than at sea level. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, February 26, 2008. I learned today that we made the right decision when we added 300 miles to our run to avoid bad weather. Learned by listening to news reports about it.
Heavy snow was forecasted for Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The shortest route from Spokane, Washington to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania would have taken us through that storm system. Tired of fighting bad winter weather, we diverted south. Instead of staying on I-90, we went south on I-25 to Denver and headed east on I-70. The roads were clear the whole way. It felt good to drive at the speed limit and on clear roads again.
We do not deliver until Thursday morning. That gives us plenty of time to not only take the longer route but to also sleep in a non-moving truck. We will be well rested and ready for another long run when we deliver this load. But we will also be out of log book hours. Even if a fantastic load is offered, we will have to turn it down. We need to stop driving for at least 36 hours to reset our log books.
That is fine with us. With runs from Chicago to Houston, Dallas to Chicago, Chicago to San Diego, Los Angeles to Denver, Denver to Spokane (deadhead), and Spokane to Philadelphia, we are ready to stop rolling for a while. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, February 27, 2008. I learned today of the Flying J at Exit 100 on I-95 in Maryland. That's not much new to learn but after 4.5 years on the road, we are running out of truck stops that are new to us.
We stopped there to use the dump station, fuel and catch some sleep before our Thursday morning delivery in Philadelphia. The load picked up in Spokane, Washington and we ran straight through. Overnight, we received four good load offers and turned them all down. We are running low on log book hours and plan to take some time off to rest and reset our logs. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, February 28, 2008. I learned today some about the life and times of Donna Sleasman. Learned by meeting and visiting briefly with her at the Petro truck stop in Bordentown, New Jersey. 
Donna is Bob Sleasman's wife, or "Blogger Bob" as Diane and I call him. Bob blogs right here at SuccessfulExpediters.com.
We completed a series of runs this morning with a delivery in Philadelphia. Our next stop was the truck stop, where we went out of service to rest. When we parked, I noticed a Western Star CR-unit parked two spaces down. It had a Thermo King UTS reefer on it. The truck looked familiar but I could not place it.
As we got ready to go to sleep, a woman approached and introduced herself. It was Donna Sleasman. Sadly, Bob was not there. Donna was running solo while Bob was home ill.
Still, it was delightful to visit with Donna for the few minutes she had before she ran off to a pickup. We went inside for breakfast, where Donna joined us for coffee and a chat. Until today, Diane and I had not met Donna or Bob. We liked Donna and are looking forward to meeting both Sleasmans together one day on the road. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, February 29, 2008. I learned today that for the first time in U.S. history, one out of every 100 Americans is in jail or prison. Learned by reading the report in the Baltimore Sun newspaper.
That is a troubling statistic. I am tempted to write more about it and share some of my views about prisons formed when I worked in one for a brief time, but I do not have the energy.
We have been running hard for the last several days and are now out of service to rest. A load offer came in that we accepted. The pay per mile is good but the run is short, and it does not pick up until Monday night. But we took it because it keeps us in service, which helps keep our in-service numbers up. Also, now that we know where we are going next, and when, we can relax more easily. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page