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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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Blog entries are made so as not to reveal customer specifics or the current location of the truck. After the truck is gone from the area, entries are updated to include location information. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, August 1, 2008. I learned today that prices for the Garmin Nuvi 750 vary a lot among the stores and web sites that sell them. Learned by researching the prices. I also learned that North Carolina is running a sales tax holiday this weekend (Friday through Sunday). Learned from Diane who read it in the newspaper.
We have two GPS navigation programs on our laptops that have been very useful over the years. We would not want to be without GPS. By far, it is most appreciated when we go into New York City. That experience has been made better by GPS. (Going into New York City with a truck gets better but it never gets good. Going in as a tourist is fantastic!)
Every driver we have talked to who has a Garmin Nuvi in his or her truck raves about it. Online, drivers rave about it too. I'm getting closer to caving in and buying one for our truck. But it is easy to hold out because our laptop GPS programs get the job done. The difference is the Nuvi mounts on your dashboard or windshield. It is easy to view while driving and you do not need to boot up the laptop to use it.
I have decided on a 750 model or higher because of the "Where Am I?" feature it includes. With a push of a button, you can instantly know your exact location. That can be important in an emergency. Prices have come down on this model but still remain over $300 from trusted outlets. I may hold out a little longer.
We made yesterday's delivery a couple hours ahead of schedule. Dispatch and the consignee were thrilled and we received high praise for completing the delivery. Something was up with this load, we don't know what.
When we picked it up, the scheduled delivery time was 15:30, about a half-hour after the consignee closed. At the pickup and along the way, we received several inquiries from dispatch about the possibility of getting there before 15:00. We said it would be no problem at all. This was a long run. Runs are planned assuming a 50 mph average speed. With speed limits higher than that most of the way, we could easily and safely arrive ahead of schedule.
Whatever was going on, it was about more than arriving before the consignee closes. It is unusual to receive repeated inquiries about our anticipated delivery time and we were well-ahead of schedule when most of the inquiries came in. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, it concerned dispatch and the consignee more than it did us. All we know was they were delighted with our reports and performance. It's nice to be appreciated, even if we don't know the reason why.
I have said it before. Don't ask questions. Just haul the freight. We did our part and that was enough. There is no extra pay in trying to figure out the high drama behind the load. Don't ask questions. Just haul the freight.
We drove past a Wal-Mart on the way to the Raleigh, North Carolina-area delivery. Not being pre-dispatched, we went back to that Wal-Mart to park, resupply the truck and go to sleep. If an offer for an immediate pickup and/or an overnight run came in, we wanted to be ready to drive.
About 15 minutes after we went to sleep, the phone rang with an offer that we accepted. Unlike before, our carrier's new dispatch system now offers loads to more than one truck at a time. The system remains fair as the rank order of trucks waiting for freight is preserved. The advantage is our carrier can more-quickly put trucks on loads by offering them to multiple trucks at once. If the first truck in line declines the load, others have already seen the offer and responded to it too. Time is saved. The customer is less likely to call other carriers.
A few minutes after accepting the offer, we received a second call saying it had already been dispatched to another truck. We went back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later, the phone rang again with another offer that we accepted. This time, we got it. It picks up on Monday, which gives us the weekend off.
No longer needing to bank sleep for a possible overnight run, we drove to a truck stop for fuel and showers. Once there, and finding a parking space we considered safe, we decided to spend the night. By safe, I mean our truck is relatively safe from being hit by other trucks.
As things turned out, it was not safe from having our sleep interrupted by a lot lizard (truck stop prostitute) knocking on our door. I hate it when that happens, mostly because I do not want what she is offering and it interrupts our sleep. But I hate it on another level too. The knock on the door triggers several questions that race through my mind.
Do I answer the door, receive her offer, and call the police to report the event? Do I answer the door with anger and threats to run her off? That has risks as some of these folks defend the truck stop parking lot as their space and may respond with threats, vandalism or violence of their own. Do I answer the door and politely decline? Or do I not answer the door, thereby keeping the window and door shut and stay safe from a possible hijacking, robbery or truck invasion that may come from unseen people waiting for me to open the window or door?
Maybe I'm wrong about her being a lot-lizard. Maybe she is not a junkie-whore but instead someone in desperate straights needing food or other help. Who is it really knocking on my door, a junkie-whore, someone needing help, or maybe even an angel in disguise sent by God to test my heart?
When people come knocking, I am haunted by the Bible verse, Hebrews 13:2. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (King James version). Is she a lot lizard? Is she an angel? Is she one of God's special children needing help?
We are asleep in the truck late at night.
Knock, knock, knock.
Who is she? Who am I? What should I do? Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, August 2, 2008. I learned today about the iPod Classic and the life-changing features it includes. Learned by buying one and setting it up for use in the truck.
Wow! The iPod, what a device! I know I am way behind the times in being a first-time iPod buyer. That's fine. I have grown tired of discarding devices that are state-of-the art when purchased and obsolete when the next state-of-the art device comes out a year or two later. Being reasonably certain the iPod will be around for a while, we bought one today.
We also bought a new digital camera. I hated to see our old camera go. The Olympus camera has been with us in the truck since we hit the road and has performed flawlessly. Sadly, it has been dropped one-too-many times and no longer works. We looked at getting it repaired. Buying a new camera cost less. Given the performance of the old Olympus, we did not even consider other brands.
We spent most of today hanging out near the store where we bought the items and a Dairy Queen. Diane figured out the camera. I spent time with the iPod. What more can a man ask for? In the same day I got two new toys and an ice cream cone!
I mentioned above the life-changing features the iPod includes. Soon to be gone from the truck are all music CD's, all books-on-tape CD's, our two Palm Pilots and a small basket-full of Palm Pilot docks and accessories. I will soon hard-wire the iPod into the truck radio so we can listen to iPod files on the truck's sound system.
I am eager to dive into the world of podcasts and audio books. Many classic books are free. I have always enjoyed the long, open-road hours of nighttime driving our work involves. I can't wait to try it with uninterrupted hours of iPod listening. The content list is endless.
Free items include public affairs programming from PBS and NPR, the Bible, classics like Plato's Republic and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, biographies about historical greats, vintage radio shows like The Lone Ranger and The War of the Worlds, books by Mark Twain, Jack London and many others.
The list goes on and on. I feel like a kid in a candy store! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, August 3, 2008. I learned today more about the iPod we recently purchased. Learned by working with it.
Diane is doing the pretrip inspection, driving, grocery shopping and truck washing today. I am back in the sleeper, totally immersed in my new toy. I've been here since I woke up with the sun this morning, and will likely be here until the sun goes down.
We spent last night in a freeway rest area. We will sleep tonight in a parking lot near our Monday pickup in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. iPod rules! (Diane rules too!) Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, August 4, 2008. I learned today more about the iPod we recently purchased. Learned by working with it.
Sunday, I spent all day with the thing. We went to a movie Sunday night and then to bed. This morning I woke with the iPod in mind and went right back to it.
I have it mostly figured out and learned we need to buy a harness to make it work with the Delphi radio we have in the truck. It took a while to track down the part number and a dealer that sells the harness. It is not an in-stock item. We will have it in a couple weeks.
We completed the Knoxville, Tennessee pickup in routine fashion and headed out on this overnight run. We are pre-dispatched on another load. Immediately after delivering this load, we will head out to pick up another one.
Last week was good. This week is off to a strong start. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, August 5, 2008. I learned today (early today) that manufacturers of plastic pallets are pitching their benefits over wooden pallets (less weight, better fuel economy). Learned by reading the Wall Street Journal web site.
The item was interesting because we work with pallets all the time and have seen various types. It's funny. Six years ago, when we began researching the industry, I did not know what a pallet was.
We drove late into the night to reach our delivery location in Allentown, Pennsylvania at 0-dark-hundred this morning. This is a load where one codriver needs to stay awake and in attendance of the load. Diane drove until 2 a.m. I drove after that and am now sitting up with the freight, in the consignee's parking lot, waiting for the sun to rise and people to come to work. Our delivery time is 11:00 a.m., but I expect we will be unloaded sooner than that.
Diane is sleeping soundly in a nice warm bed. I'm sitting happily up front with my laptop open to the internet and my iPod in my ears. Happy, yes, but I'd be happier if I could be in bed too. That won't happen on this load. It's part of the work we do.
Whether we get unloaded early or at 11:00 a.m. the result will be the same. We will depart immediately and head to Maryland for our next pickup. The idea is to get there as early as we can and work in a nap before we hit the road with that load.
With that in mind, we fueled the truck near this delivery so the tanks are near full. We resupplied the truck on Sunday (groceries and a couple of rolls of Scotch tape) and serviced the toilet Monday morning. I also changed the generator oil over the weekend. We call it being "run ready." When we are hauling freight, the fewer errands we have, the better.
We won't nap on this end after the delivery because we want to preserve the cushion of time we have between this delivery and our next pickup. If something goes wrong between here and there, or if we run into serious traffic delays, we will have time to deal with it and still make the pickup on time. The more-likely scenario is we will arrive at pickup with time to spare that will be used for an afternoon snooze. Being run ready enables us to work naps like that in and keep hauling freight when it is available to haul.
People researching the expedite opportunity often ask (wisely), how do you sleep in a moving truck and how do you manage irregular hours? Each team does it in their own way. It took us about a month to learn our way and make the adjustment. In that first month, we went out of service several times to get needed blocks of sleep. Gradually, we learned how to manage our sleep time and got accustomed to sleeping in a moving truck and during the day. See: Five Challenges of Expediting.
If you are new in the business or about to jump in, I'll tell you the same thing people told us when we were new. The absolute best and safest thing you can do for yourself and others while you are adjusting to your new life, is get the sleep you need. It is better to go out of service to sleep than it is to try to haul freight when you are too tired to drive.
The smart drivers do it all the time. If you are too tired to drive, go out of service and get the sleep you need. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, August 5, 2008. I learned today about an RF device of some sort used in a warehouse. Learned by seeing it in use and asking workers about it.
We drove overnight from Maryland to our Paducah, Kentucky delivery. We fueled the truck just before delivering and got quickly in and out of the early-morning delivery. Quiet street parking was available next to the consignee's plant. We parked there and went to sleep.
In the plant, most workers wore electronic devices on their forearms and a scanner that fit on their index finger. A coiled black cord connected the two. They carried large rolls of bar-code labels. At a rapid pace, they peeled labels off the rolls, put them on boxes and scanned them with their finger tip. Every so often, they would enter something on the small keyboard on their forearm.
I joked with one of them that he looked like he was part of Star Trek's Borg Collective. He didn't get the joke and just looked at me with a blank stare as he tried to figure out what I meant. I asked him about the device. He said it is an IR device. With it, his employer can track his every movement and exact location in the warehouse. I joked that you don't dare spend a lot of time on the pot. He answered seriously, "No sir!" and went on his way.
We sometimes read how technology improves productivity. They seem to have accomplished that in this plant. Thousands of small boxes move in and out of this place every day. Each one is instantly accounted for and logged each time it moves. Clerical steps are eliminated. No paper is used. The scanners instantly transmit information each time a box or employee moves.
Regarding employee productivity, I can imagine what a performance review must look like. "Hello, Joe. Reviewing your stats, we see you moved 210 boxes per hour over this time period. That is slightly above average but we'd like to see you do better. When moving from station A to station B, you average 2.4 minutes, which is about the same as you did in the last review period. You showed improvement coming off break. From the time break ends until you move your next box, your time improved by 10 seconds."
We sometimes feel closely watched in this truck. Our carrier can ping the truck at any time for our location. We keep them advised of our status. It is a helpful customer service activity and we generally don't mind. I might mind, though, if I was a warehouse worker like the guys I saw this morning. My carrier does not know when I am in the bathroom. At this plant, the employer would.
I wonder how long it will be before office workers start wearing RF devices when they come to work so their employers can better track their desk time, phone time, keyboard time, water-cooler time, etc.
The phone woke us up about an hour after we went to sleep. It was a load offer that we accepted, but a few minutes later we received word the load went to another truck. That's part of how our new automated dispatch system works. The same load is offered to multiple trucks at the same time. There is a rank order among trucks that decide which one gets the load if more than one truck accepts it. It is a fair system that helps dispatch serve customers faster. It also takes some getting used to.
We went back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later another offer came in by telephone. We declined that one and went back to sleep. About an hour later, a human being called from dispatch with a "situation" to discuss.
A truck was on its way toward Indiana to pick up a load but had broken down. It was unknown if it could be repaired quickly enough to make its pickup time. The dispatcher wanted to know if we could help. He wanted us to start rolling on the load in case the other truck was unable to make it. He offered standard deadhead pay plus fuel surcharge.
We told him that is not enough money. It costs more per mile to run our truck than what he was offering. In a rescue situation like this, we are always happy to help save the load. Doing so keeps the other truck from getting a service failure charged to it and keeps the customer pleased. But our carrier is not a charitable organization and we will not donate our money to the cause. We said we would roll on the load at a break-even price and he agreed.
The load stayed with the other truck. At that point, we were rolling only as a backup in case a true rescue was needed. We had wheels rolling a few minutes after the call. About a half-hour into the trip, dispatch called again and said the other truck could not be repaired in time and the load was ours. Full pay was given and we continued on our way.
We arrived at the central-Indiana pickup just before closing time, which delighted the shipper. But once loaded, they did not want us to leave until 10:00 p.m. There would be no one to receive the freight at the other end until the next morning. They preferred to keep the freight safe at home, so to speak, and minimize its time on the road. If we left at 10:00 p.m. and drove straight through, we would arrive when the consignee opened up in the morning.
That suited us just fine. You guessed it. We went back to sleep. That is how it is when freight is moving; drive, sleep; drive, sleep; drive, sleep. Of course, we can go out of service any time to take a break. As long as we are not too tired to drive, we prefer to make hay when the sun (and moon) shines. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, August 7, 2008. I learned today about a part of northern Wisconsin I did not know about before. Learned by driving to a delivery there and seeing the area as we did.
We arrived in a small Wisconsin town about an hour north of Green Bay at the scheduled delivery time. About a half-dozen folks needed to be on hand for this delivery. While we waited for them to arrive, I spotted a garden hose on the building and asked our contact if I could use it to fill our truck water tanks. I just finished as the others arrived.
This was a liftgate load, meaning we used the liftgate to move the freight from the truck down to the driveway. The group unpacked and inspected it there, agreed it was all OK, signed the bill of lading and sent us on our way. While they worked, the consignee and shipper spoke by telephone. The shipper asked about the truck service. "It is perfect" the consignee answered. It is always nice to hear customers talk like that.
The weather was fantastic. This is the first time in a while where we were able to park without running the generator and air conditioner. We went to a nearby Wal-Mart to restock our supply of Diet Pepsi and get some sleep. But we did not sleep long. We got good sleep before and during this run and did not need much more.
A load offer came in later in the morning. We turned it down. The pay was too low. That turned out to be the only offer we received today. This is great country up here and great weather. It would be nice to hang out for a couple of days and explore the area. But with Friday coming, we would rather be closer to an express center (our carrier's term for a metro area from which freight often originates). Our hope is to snag something that will keep us running over the weekend, so off to Milwaukee we go.
Friday, August 8, 2008. I learned today a bit about Minnesota's Dean Barkley for U.S. Senate campaign. Learned by talking to him.
Some know him as Senator Barkley. Diane and I know him as Dean. He and I go way back to the days when I founded the Independence Party of Minnesota. See my biography for details. Diane and I are out of politics now. Dean is still in the game, currently as a U.S. Senate candidate.
Barkley has served as a U.S. Senator before. He was appointed by Governor Jesse Ventura (also a friend) to complete Senator Paul Wellstone's term after Wellstone died in a plane crash. Barkley would make a great U.S. Senator, and I'm not just saying that because he is my friend. His politics are middle of the road, like most citizens' are, and he can get along well with people on the right and left ends of the political spectrum. He has the heart of a reformer, and we desperately need heart like that in the U.S. Senate.
It was nice to visit with Dean by telephone. One of the very few regrets we have about becoming expediters and taking up life on the road is losing touch with the friends we left behind. Maybe someday, we will go home, rent a banquet hall and throw a party so we can reconnect with the folks we miss.
We contributed some money to the Barkley campaign and promised him our votes. Then we got back to doing our job, which today is waiting for freight.
We are quite surprised to be still sitting without freight. We are in a good express center (Milwaukee) and have been ready to roll all day. But no load offers worth accepting have been received. So here we sit.
The inside of the truck needs a good cleaning and we have been doing that. The seats, floor mats, carpet and dinette cushions are meticulously vacuumed. Diane oiled the woodwork. The dashboard has been washed and gone over with Q-tips. We are continuing to pick away at the cracks and crevasses as the sun gets lower in the sky and the Qualcomm unit remains silent.
So goes the day. My friend is running for U.S. Senate and I'm vacuuming a truck. HA! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, August 9, 2008. I learned today how to get wireless headphones working with an iPod. Learned by buying them, a Bluetooth iPod adapter, and reading the instructions.
Other than that, it is a quiet day as we sit waiting for freight. An offer came in this morning but the pay was too low to profitably run the load, so we declined. Now we sit.
For the area we are in, we are a bit surprised to be not dispatched. But we aren't, so here we sit. Such is the world of expedited freight transport. Sometimes you run day and night. Sometimes you sit. Did I mention that we are sitting? Yep. Here we sit.
Sitting under dispatch is different. Then, we know we have a load and when and where we will pick it up. If we are dispatched on Friday for a Monday pickup, we essentially have the weekend off and can relax a bit. But now, we are not under dispatch. A load offer could come any time that we may accept and roll on. When waiting for freight like this, it is wise to stay close to the truck and be ready to roll on a moment's notice.
We are in a Barnes and Nobel parking lot in the Milwaukee area. Diane is inside reading. I'm in the truck playing with my new toys. I think it is going to be nice having iPod-supplied music and wireless headphones. It will help the time go by a bit easier when doing tedious things like business paperwork and data entry.
I'm turning to that now. Yes, we are sitting, but the time can still be put to productive use. For the next couple hours, it will be me, Enya and our spreadsheet. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, August 10, 2008. I learned today that I have 10,991 photos stored on my laptop computer, that take up 10.3 gigabytes of space on the hard drive. Learned by observing the count when backing them up to our iPod.
Some photos were shot at family events. Most were shot on the road. One might think 11,000 photos (rounded number) in five years are enough. I wish I had twice that. I fear that when Diane and I retire and come off the road, we will forget what it is like being out here.
We love it out here. There is nothing we would rather do. When we get too old to drive and health issues force us out of the truck, we will have only our memories of the road to enjoy. I want to be able to remember and, to the extent possible, savor every moment we experienced on the road.
To that end, I keep a journal and we take a lot of photos. Most of them lack artistic quality and intent. They are ordinary shots out the windshield taken to help us remember what a certain stretch of ordinary driving is like; I-95 northbound at the New York/Connecticut border, I-70 westbound through Kansas with the rising sun behind, a logging road in an Oregon forest, or an obscure goat path in West Virginia that seems unworthy of its U.S. highway designation. There are thousands and thousands of memories to retain, and I don't want to lose a single one.
Psycho? Perhaps. But with the technology available today, it is easy to capture, retain and share the sights and experiences of the road. As I write these words, the iPod is backing up 11,000 photos at full resolution. Any changes I make to the photos on the computer will be automatically changed in the iPod. It could not be easier and I feel good having the photos backed up.
I don't have any freight to talk about today, but it is morning and there is still hope. We have been waiting for a load since Thursday morning. We are in a good location but still have no freight. The good news is the three loads we hauled last week paid very well. Notwithstanding the waiting we have done, August is off to a strong start.
We have had some offers since Thursday but turned them down because they were priced too low. They were not money-losing loads, but they were not money-makers either. A lot of drivers would have taken them just to stay busy. We don't do that. Running at or near break-even just puts fruitless miles on the truck. We are not in this business to keep busy. We are in it to make money. So, we sit, waiting for profitable freight to haul.
Driving a paid-for truck and being debt-free gives us more freedom to do that than many drivers have. Many live hand-to-mouth. They have to keep the cash flowing in to make their next truck payment and service other debts. So they run freight at break-even levels or worse.
That works in the short run but dooms you to have nothing when it comes time to buy your next truck or retire. You will not drive a new truck unless your creditors say you can. Your retirement lifestyle will be dictated by government policy at the time.
America, land of the free? It may be for some, but it won't be for you if debt rules your life.
If your load-acceptance choices are driven by a need to keep your creditors happy, you are not in business for yourself. You are in business for them. It won't be your kids that go to college on the money you make, it will be theirs. You will be paying for a retirement dream home, but it will be someone else's to enjoy.
Debt is evil. Clever people use it to transfer the fruits of your labor into their basket.
If you are in debt and no longer want to be, there are ways to get out. Go to Google and enter the question, "How do I get out of debt?" Then start reading and take action to purge the demon of debt from your life. Dave Ramsey resources will come up in the search results. Pay special attention to those. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, August 11, 2008. I leaned today what a Starbucks menu looks like. Learned by looking at one.
I have only been a Starbucks restaurant once in my life. A friend invited me in and brought two drinks to the table he left me at while he went to the counter. I was not impressed with the place. Today, I entered another Starbucks, and this time looked at the menu. Starbucks struck me as uppity and overpriced the first time I visited one. It still does.
A college classmate who I have not seen in over 30 years found me on the internet and made contact. As luck would have it, he lives and works near the place we will pick up freight later today. We will meet this afternoon. We drove down here last night in hopes of meeting on short notice. It worked.
I went into Starbucks because we will need a place to sit and visit. Starbucks is one of several restaurants I scouted in the area. When my friend arrives, we will show him the truck and give him a choice of places to sit and visit.
He is a human resources professional and book author. Maybe he likes uppity. I don't know. I haven't seen or talked to him in 30 years. We'll see. He and I grew up in Lutheran families and attended a Lutheran college. Lutherans know how to make coffee. Starbucks doesn't have a clue.
Have my friend's tastes expanded and become more cosmopolitan to include Starbucks uppity? I don't know. I do know I am absolutely thrilled that he found me and made contact. We had some fantastic days together at college. Thinking of him and those days brings a smile to my face. Those days were great beyond words.
I have written about the social aspect of the expediting business before. It gives us the ability to connect with people we would otherwise miss. Today is a bonus day in that regard.
Regarding freight, we are back in business after a few days of waiting (see blog entries above). We are dispatched to pick up a good load in the Chicago suburbs later today and pre-dispatched to pick up a good load on Tuesday. We will be running strong through Wednesday, and will likely keep rolling then, as we are delivering Wednesday to a good express center. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, August 12, 2008. I learned today that, with the fuel card our carrier uses, it is possible to purchase fuel, at one truck stop chain, at $0.60 per gallon below the price posted on the pump. Learned by doing it.
Wow! A $0.60 per gallon discount! We bought 100+ gallons of fuel yesterday and saved over $60.00 on the purchase. We like that! While it has not been one of our favorites, we will be visiting that truck stop chain more.
I am not stating the name of the truck stop chain or fuel card because I do not know how widely available the discount is. It has not been advertised through our carrier. We heard about it from friends and have been telling our friends. I don't know how long this may last or if it will spread to other fuel outlets. It seems almost too good to be true and I don't trust it to last. I do know we will be taking full advantage while the opportunity exists.
The load we picked up near Chicago yesterday brought us to Maryland, near Washington, D.C., where we delivered in the morning. After getting some sleep, we drove 50 miles north to Baltimore and picked up a load that will take us right back to the Chicago suburbs. Like last week, we are stringing together one overnight run after another.
Monday's visit with my college friend from years ago was delightful. He came to us in the truck, climbed inside, took a seat in the sleeper and did not move until our time was up. There is a lot to talk about when you have not seen someone in thirty years. It felt great to see him again. The time went fast. We will meet again when we get the chance.
One of the may interesting items he shared was news of my freshman-year college roommate. He is now a medical doctor living and working in Wisconsin who runs in ultramarathons. I had never heard of an ultramarathon before. It is a long-distance foot race, longer than the traditional 26 mile marathon, and sometimes longer than 100 miles. It seems that young man (now 50+ years old) can run!
This visit felt like I had last seen my friend just yesterday. We look a little different than we did in college but easily picked up from the moment we last saw each other thirty years ago. Thinking about things after our visit, it occurred to me that there was a bunch of us in college who had great fun together truly cared about each other. From the visit, it is clear we still do.
While contact has been lost with most of my college friends, the care persists. I am going to start reaching out to my old college friends as my friend reached out to me. If you happen to be one of those and are reading my blog, please get in touch. (contact us). Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, August 13, 2008. I learned today that a 1.25 acre parcel of vacant land in an industrial area in Chicago's northwest suburbs can be purchased for $650,000. Learned by parking next to it and calling the realtor listed on the for sale sign.
As we prepare for retirement, we keep an eye open for investment opportunities. This piece will not be a portfolio addition. $650,000 is well out of our range and the land is held by a developer who has high hopes. I don't know if his hopes are realistic or not as we have not researched this market. I was just curious about the price and made the call.
We delivered in this area before sunrise this morning, parked on the street, went out of service until noon and went to sleep. On the quiet street and with the blackouts in the sleeper windows, we slept longer than expected.
At noon, just as we were waking up, the Qualcomm unit beeped with a load offer that we accepted; another overnight run that we are rolling on now. We deliver this load tomorrow (Thursday) around noon. With it, we will have a good week in the bag. If we can get a Friday run or, better yet, a long run over the weekend, it will be a spectacular week. August is shaping up to be one of our stronger months in 2008. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, August 14, 2006. I learned today more about the iPod podcasts that are available from the iTunes store. Learned by exploring the store.
The list of free and interesting programming is long. The harness we ordered that will make our iPod work with the truck radio is in. We just need to have it shipped to us overnight via FedEx Express when we know we will be at a particular location for more than 24 hours. I will be listening to random radio less and planned, downloaded programming more.
Ninety minutes into last night's overnight run, dispatch told us to return to the shipper. A mix up happened at the dock and the wrong freight was on our truck. We turned around, returned to the shipper, exchanged the freight, and started over. They paid for the extra miles and an extra stop, which suited us just fine.
The run took us from a Chicago suburb to Indiana and then south through the entire state on I-65. It was an easy stretch of light traffic and a mostly-smooth road. Diane was asleep and I cruised happily along. With the radio off and the truck humming along, I enjoyed feelings of contentment and well-being. It felt just plain good to drive.
It's not like driving is a new experience. We have nearly 300,000 miles on our truck and more on fleet owner trucks we drove before. Still, I love driving as much now as I ever have.
When we were researching trucking as a career opportunity, a number of drivers predicted that we would get bored with driving and quit the business. I suppose it could still happen, but with nearly five years on the road, there is no sign of it yet.
We delivered our freight this afternoon in Dothan, Alabama; refueled, showered and slept. Now we sit waiting for freight. Last week was the same as this week is so far. We ran three good loads early in the week and that is it. We still have tonight and tomorrow to get dispatched on a Friday or weekend run. We will see what happens.
As I am writing this, we are sitting at the Dothan, Alabama Flying J truck stop. Another similarly-equipped, FedEx Custom Critical truck just parked along side of us. I chatted briefly with the team. They delivered nearby this morning, which gives them more dwell time than we have. That gives them priority over us when load offers are made. We may be here over the weekend after all. Again, we'll see what happens. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, August 15, 2008. I learned today a bit about the solar energy industry and publicly traded companies in it. Learned by researching the companies.
Like last week, we did well enough early in the week to book a good week, and the freight seemed to die off late in the week. We delivered Thursday morning, and then waited overnight and all day Friday for freight. Nothing. Two offers were received but the pay was insufficient to run them at a profit. So, here we sit.
Diane spent most of the day reading in a Barnes and Nobel store. I spent it in the truck, on line, researching solar power. There is another truck here, ahead of us in the dispatch order. We talked to that team. They are doing the same thing as us; staying put, waiting for freight.
As the solar power industry makes great strides, it is becoming interesting to us on three levels. We believe the house we plan to build in the future will be solar powered. We believe the next truck we buy will be solar powered to an extent; perhaps enough to replace the diesel-powered generator. And there are some interesting investment opportunities in the solar energy sector.
It occurred to me today that since we are already following solar power with interest, but in a haphazard fashion, it makes sense to be more deliberate in our research. Time spent doing solar research will simultaneously address our house, truck and investment interests. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, August 16, 2008. I learned today about the underground Iron Mountain Iron Mine in Michigan that is large enough to house the Empire State Building. Learned from chatting with another expediter we met on the road, who has toured the mine. 
We are still in Dothan, Alabama, passing time, waiting for freight. We went to a movie (The Dark Knight) and saw a Panther B-unit cube van parked next to us when we returned.
Before we left, I put a "sorry we missed you" note on the other truck. The driver, standing outside a different theater on the other side of the parking lot, saw me placing the note and came back to see what was up. We visited for a bit.
His name is Pat. He is from Michigan and drives cargo vans for a fleet owner. He is under load and will deliver in this area on Monday. While he waits to deliver on Monday, he is passing time watching movies. When we parted, he returned to the theater to watch the animated Star Wars movie that is now out. It is his third movie of the day.
We won't worry much about competition from him. He expects to be empty moved to Atlanta as soon as he delivers. The other truck from our carrier that was here yesterday has left, which leaves us number one in line for this express center. No freight on Friday; none on Saturday. Maybe something will pop on Sunday. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, August 17, 2008. I learned today how to talk like a pirate. Learned by spending time at a talk like a pirate web site.
Other than that, I have nothing much to report. We are still in Dothan Alabama, still waiting for freight. Arrrgh! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, August 18, 2008. I learned today that it probably would have been better to deadhead to Atlanta instead of waiting in Dothan, Alabama for freight. Learned by reviewing our decisions of the last few days.
We woke up this morning still in Dothan, Alabama, still waiting for freight. Surprised to receive no offers by the close of business on a Monday, we deadheaded north to Atlanta in hopes of getting a load out of there on Tuesday.
That's about 200 miles of driving on our own dime. On a drive like that, you examine and re-examine the decisions you made and did not make. Should we have deadheaded out of Dothan on Friday instead of waiting until Monday? There was a time when the answer would have been yes. But with fuel now priced at over $4.00 a gallon, that "yes" is not so clear.
On the other hand, historically, Dothan is a good area for us. We have gotten several good loads out of there over the years. But this time, we got skunked.
Is it because of the recession? Is it because of competition from other carriers? What wrong thinking got into our heads that kept us sitting in Dothan? Had we gone to Atlanta, which is not a great distance away, would we have done any better? There were a bunch of trucks up there and only one in Dothan.
If you are not careful, you can drive yourself nuts second guessing things like this. More than once, we have seen people talk themselves out of the business doing exactly that. We spent a few minutes talking things over as we drove to Atlanta and then put Dothan out of our minds. We will wake up in Atlanta tomorrow, and tomorrow is a new day. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, August 19, 2008. I learned today how solar power can be used on an expedite cargo van. Learned by receiving a van tour from the van's innovative owner. 
We woke up this morning in a parking lot near Atlanta, having no idea what the day would bring. Having been waiting for freight since Thursday, we were eager for something to pop.
Something did. At about 9:00 a.m., we accepted a load offer. The run was about 100 miles and lasted less than three hours from pickup to delivery, but it paid over $500 and delivered early afternoon. Still being in the Atlanta area, we would be well-positioned to snag a second load today.
Sure enough, a second offer came that we accepted. It picks up tomorrow, not today, and requires some deadhead driving to get to the Knoxville, Tennessee pickup. But the money for the run is good, over $5,000.
The $5,500+ we will book today and tomorrow, puts us back on track. The lucrative August we hoped to have is again within reach. We were not feeling so confident as we passed time in Dothan, Alabama, waiting for freight that did not come.
My solar-power van tour came later in the day. After deadheading to Knoxville, I connected with Bill, the van owner. He happened to be in the area. An inspirational and cheerful man, Bill gave me a fascinating tour. I will be writing a story about him and his van for the next edition of Expedite NOW. If you do not already subscribe (free), click here to do so. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, August, 20, 2008. I learned today a new technique for securing freight in our truck. Learned from a shipper who shared the tip.
Technically, I already knew the technique, since I had used it before. But seldom using it, I forgot. Given enough time to solve this freight securement puzzle on my own, the technique probably would have come to mind. But the shipper showed me first and I was quickly on my way.
We are on a long run now that will keep the truck rolling about 50 hours, except for fuel stops. It has been a while since we had one like this. It feels good. We are hauling freight from Knoxville, Tennessee to Sacramento, California.
While Diane drove, I also learned more about solar power. Learned while researching it for the story I am writing about a solar powered Sprinter van (see my 8/19 blog entry). Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, August 21, 2008. I learned today about an ancient concept newly applied. Learned while listening to a radio show, NPR's Forum with Michael Kransey.
The concept is, keep the sabbath. On the show, the guests talked about taking one day a week away from e-mail, the internet and/or other electronic devices. It makes good sense. On our June camping trip, I was without electronic devices, and did some of the best thinking I have done in a long time.
I might give it a try. The computer stays so I can write as I rest, read and think. But the internet, e-mail and cell phones can all be shut down.
We continue today on our 50 hour run. The weather is good. The truck is running great. All is well; especially in light of news we received from home today.
One of our brother-in-laws and his son were at a little league baseball game. The boy plays. His dad coaches. Suddenly, a small airplane crashed on the field. The pilot and passenger were injured. No players or parents were hurt.
There you go. One minute you are happily involved in a small-town baseball game. The next, you are a few yards away from meeting your maker. Such is life. And that is why it is important to live and work in a way you like.
I heard a radio commercial today. The announcer began, "I know what you are doing. You are driving to a job you don't like." Sadly, the words are appropriate for a large number — perhaps a majority — of the listeners.
"He died doing what he wanted to do" is sometimes said of someone who died before his time. It communicates an important truth. There is a difference between living your life and living the life you want to live. Diane and I feel richly blessed to be doing the latter.
We know that truck driving is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. More people get hurt or killed in our line of work than most other occupations. When one of us will be driving and the other sleeping, we make sure the last thing we say to each other is "I love you." While we love this job, we know it could end in an instant. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, August 22, 2008. I learned today about the soon-to-be-opened Cascade Sierra Solutions store at the 49er Travel Plaza (truck stop) in Sacramento, California. Learned by walking into the store and visiting with the manager.
While the store is not yet open, I called ahead and arranged to meet with the manager. I wanted to see the Paddock Solar display that was there. With the freight taking us to Sacramento, I took advantage of the opportunity.
When it opens, this is going to be an interesting store. It will feature most every truck-fuel saving device known to man. Several makes of generators will be on display, as will a host of other devices. It will be interesting to see how the store is received by truck drivers.
Set in the parking lot just yards from where some of the most expensive fuel in the nation is dispensed, they have the location. Whether the interest will be there remains to be seen. I like the concept. It provides an easy, one-stop shop where fuel-saving products can be not only researched but also seen and touched.
After delivering our freight this morning, we went to a FedEx facility to pick up our mail. It had been FedEx'ed from home and was being held for pickup. We next parked in a nearby retail area and went to sleep. Three hours later, a great load offer came in that we accepted. An hour after that, the load canceled and we were back waiting for freight. A few minutes later, another offer came in that we accepted. It was a good offer, not as good as the load that canceled, but good enough to take.
We have to deadhead east for the Monday pickup. We drove to the rest area at Donner Summit to spend the night. At 7,200 feet above sea level, the overnight temperatures will be in the 40's. That is good sleeping weather and we will not have to run the generator to remain comfortable. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, August 23, 2008. I learned today where historic downtown Truckee, California isn't. Learned by walking to town and discovering that Diane and I went the wrong way.
We woke up this morning at the rest area on Donner Summit on I-80 in California, west of Sacramento. 
As expected, the sleeping weather was great at that altitude. After cleaning up and eating breakfast in the truck, we drove east, toward our Monday pickup in Reno. To pass the weekend, we stopped and checked into the Coachland RV park in Truckee.
Later in the day we walked from the RV park to downtown Truckee, that is, after we figured out the right way to go. Truckee is an interesting and historic mountain town. It is smaller, but has the same feel to it as other mountain towns we have toured, like Flagstaff, Arizona and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Truckee featured many of the same kind of shops; galleries, ice cream stores and a variety of restaurants. If you are looking for a way to pass an afternoon and are in the area, Truckee might be the ticket.
What impressed us most was how the economic downturn is evident in Truckee. On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we saw empty parking places in this tourist town and vacant retail space in prime locations. Big letters across ads posted in realty office windows shouted out "PRICE REDUCED!" and the reductions were substantial. The restaurant where we ate surprisingly closed as we sat at our table. The sun was still in the sky and the dinner hour had just begun, we thought. As we continued our walk, we saw other restaurants also closing early.
I am trying to be careful about seeing both the good news and bad in today's economy, but am increasingly convinced that we will see worse times before we see better; significantly worse. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, August 24, 2008. I learned today more details about the solar-powered Sprinter van I mentioned on August 19. Learned by calling the owner several times to fact check the article I am writing about it.
We woke up this morning in the Coachland RV park in Truckee, California. We are enjoying fantastic sleeping weather here and passing time until we pick up our next load. The pickup is set for late afternoon on Monday in Reno, Nevada. It is an overnight run that delivers on Tuesday.
Today, I will be doing a lot of writing today as my deadlines for the next issue of Expedite NOW are approaching. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, August 25, 2008. I learned today about the big barbeque festival they have in Reno, Nevada this time of year. Learned by hearing about it from Diane, who read of it in the newspaper; and by seeing people setting it up as we drove by the location. It looks like a big deal indeed.
Our pickup today is not until late afternoon. We slept in this morning, waking up at the RV park we stayed at over the weekend. Before leaving the park, we did some minor truck maintenance.
I also installed the harness we ordered that makes it possible to play our iPod over the truck's radio and speaker system. That's going to be nice; having an unlimited array of books, music and programming to listen to while we drive long hours overnight, under the moon and on roads we have mostly to ourselves. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, August 26, 2008. I learned today about a safe way to store and use hydrogen fuel in motor vehicles. Learned by reading about it on the internet.
With great interest, I have been reading about solar power and fuel cells. I am looking for ways to eliminate the need for a diesel-powered generator on our truck, or the next truck we will one day buy. Don't get me wrong. I love — absolutely love — the Onan generator that is on the truck now. But with technology and regulations changing as they are, it is good to think ahead.
We bought this large, custom-built sleeper to be comfortable on the road. The Onan provides all the energy we need for that purpose. To be acceptable, any solar/hydrogen/fuel cell solution would also have to provide all the energy we need.
On Sunday, I wrote an article about the owner of a Sprinter van who hauls expedited freight and uses solar power to keep comfortable in his sleeper. The remarkable thing is he does it with no generator or other power source. With our big sleeper, we need more power than his system generates, but it is very exciting to see what the man has achieved, and a lot of fun to write about it.
This morning, we delivered the load in Los Angeles, California, that we picked up yesterday in Reno, Nevada. We were pre-dispatched to haul a great load after that, one that paid over $6,000. But it canceled. The shipper would not have the freight ready today. The $6,000 we were looking forward to earning turned into $11.61 of dry run pay. Bummer!
That left us sitting and waiting for freight. We had it in a couple of hours but the pickup is not until tomorrow. When the big load canceled, not only did we lose the big pay, we also lost a day. Such is life in the world of expedited freight transport. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, August 27, 2008. I learned today that the five-day forecast shows Tropical Storm Gustav growing into a category three hurricane and heading straight toward New Orleans. Learned by following the storm on the Weather Underground web site (a site we frequently use).
Expediters, especially reefer-equipped expediters, are often called upon to provide disaster relief supplies when hurricanes hit. We did some disaster relief work after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005. I don't care to see such a thing ever again. But it looks like we might.
Hopefully, this time, the government officials will be more on their toes and more responsive to people's needs. For Diane and me personally, we will be better prepared to do this work if called. Last time, we were in a fleet owner's truck that did not have the creature comforts our truck has.
With more space for food storage, a bathroom, a large water supply, cooking abilities (stove and convection microwave), air conditioning adequate to the task, and a good generator to power it all, we will be much better prepared to deal with the loss of services and supplies a hurricane creates. Fuel will remain a challenge if we have to go in. It will be with tanks full if we do.
We are picking up freight later this afternoon in Los Angeles that will keep us running overnight. The delivery puts us nowhere near New Orleans, but that does not matter. In an event like this, disaster relief supplies, office equipment, and other goods are shipped in from all over the country. We are half-expecting to be called into this.
After Katrina, we spent three weeks in the area and drove in and out of 15-20 affected communities in Louisiana and Mississippi (I don't recall the exact number). Gustav may bring us back for another extended stay. Whether they were there or not, everyone has their memories of Katrina and Rita. These photos show some of what we remember when we think back. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, August 28, 2008. I learned today about a number of graffiti-removal products and techniques. Learned by asking people for advice about graffiti removal.
Why would I be asking such a thing? You guessed it. Our truck got decorated with graffiti yesterday. Diane noticed it at the first fuel stop we made after our Los Angeles pickup. It was done during the two hours we were in the truck, waiting for the shipper to prepare the load.
We are on a two-night run now, to Chicago, and do not have time to clean it up. After we deliver tomorrow, and if we don't get dispatched on another run, we will go to work on it then.
It is not bad. It looks like it was done with a felt-tip pen. None of the writing got onto the graphics. It is all on painted surfaces. Once we get the right stuff to clean it off, it should come off with ease. It covers several feet on the truck body and sleeper, on the passenger side. Pictures are not posted because I do not want to assist the tagger getting his message out.
From the time I worked a computer gig in a prison, and received gang-activity recognition training there, I know this is gang graffiti, and not graffiti from a non-violent tagger. We have picked up freight at that location before and noticed no cause for concern. We will be more wary if we go there again.
I am surprised by my emotional response to this; actually the lack of an emotional response. The truck got tagged. We will clean it up. End of story. As much as we need and love this truck, I would have thought I would be upset. Happily, it's not a big deal. We are still hauling freight and the truck will be good as new in a day or two. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, August 29, 2008. I learned today that we will be hundreds of miles away when Hurricane Gustav makes landfall on Monday. Learned when we accepted a load offer that gives us our schedule through Wednesday.
This afternoon, in a Chicago suburb, we delivered the load we picked up in Los Angeles. We then went to a FedEx facility to pick up mail that had been FedEx'ed there from home, marked "hold for pickup." Next, we went out of service to get some sleep.
While we were sleeping, dispatch called to ask if we could take a load that picks up on Tuesday, after the Labor Day weekend. We said yes, not so much because of the load, though the load was OK, but because the run keeps us out of Louisiana, where Hurricane Gustav is expected to hit on Monday. We will pick up the load in downtown Chicago and run it overnight to Kansas City, Missouri.
So, we will be spending four days in the Chicago area, waiting for the pickup. The RV parks are all full because of the long weekend. The weather will be great, which means we won't have to run the generator much.
There are no truck stops nearby. It looks like we will be using the shower in the truck instead. The truck shower works great. We just don't use it much because when you are done with a truck-stop shower, you don't have to clean and dry it and replenish the water supply.
Back when we drove fleet owner trucks, if we were in circumstances like this, we probably would have spent the long weekend in a hotel. With the comforts of home in this truck, we have no need or desire for a hotel room. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, August 30, 2008. I learned today a number of graffiti removal techniques that did not work. Learned by trying them and having only limited success.
We spent most of today moving from store to store to find different graffiti removal products. When one did not work, we searched for the next, and then the next, and the next.
As the sun went down, we decided to drive 60 miles north to a Blue Beacon truck wash near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Blue Beacon uses brightener (acid) in their truck wash process, unless you ask them not to. We have always said no to the acid before. This time we asked for it to be used on the graffiti. Like everything else we tried today, it did not work.
One good thing came out of the trip. It put us close to a truck stop where we got showers. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, August 31, 2008. I learned today about a new TV series (new to me) called "The Unit." Learned by finding episodes of it on the internet and watching four of them.
By choice, we have no TV in the truck. If we want to watch a movie, we can do so on a laptop computer. Otherwise, we find TV to be so useless that it is not worth having one in the truck. But, every now and then, I enjoy viewing TV.
More and more TV programming is becoming available online. Yesterday, not being in a mood to do much of anything, I turned off my brain and turned on the TV, so to speak. I went to the Fancast web site, picked out a few shows, and watched them on the laptop computer. Diane spent most of the day reading in a bookstore. I sat in the truck watching TV.
This long weekend is shaping up to be a real prize winner, isn't it? We spent all day Saturday trying and failing to remove graffiti from the truck. We spent most of today doing not much of anything. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today is the last day of the month. Financially, it was one of our better months of the year. It was also the month in which we turned 300,000 miles on the odometer. That's about 11,500 miles for each month we have been in this truck. Our monthly average used to be higher than that, but with multiple trips to the dentist made this year, the effects are starting to show.
I am already looking forward to 2009. With few dental visits or other events planned, we can try to set new all-time revenue highs. 2009 will be fine! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Blog entries are made so as not to reveal customer specifics or the current location of the truck. After the truck is gone from the area, entries are updated to include location information. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page