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Phil Madsen's Blog Learning 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 our truck. Entries are updated to include location information after we leave the area.. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Wednesday, October 1, 2008.  I learned today of free podcasts that provide an introduction to the Spanish language. Learned by browsing the iTunes store.

See the Coffee Break Spanish web site for info on these podcasts. Learning a bit of Spanish can't hurt. Diane and I run into Spanish-speaking people all the time in our work. I'll give these podcasts a try.

Today was mostly work. We woke up early this morning at a rest area in New Jersey, a few miles outside Philadelphia. To beat the rush hour, we headed to our pickup early. It was a two-stop pickup; one stop for paperwork and one for the freight. This is not unusual for freight that will be going onto a plane to be shipped overseas.

We delivered the load to a warehouse near JFK International Airport in New York City. Service there was terrible. Expediters do not often have to wait in line for the hot freight they usually carry. No one here seemed to care if the freight moved or not. Cumulative hours of truck drivers' time was wasted waiting in line for this half-dead warehouse crew. This company is a big name in shipping. It is also sustaining major losses. Seeing how they run their warehouses (at least this one), it is not hard to understand why the company is struggling.

We did not mind the wait. Our next load picks up tomorrow morning and we will have to pass time somewhere. But because the place was a zoo, we were glad to finally get out. Trucks were stacked up. Drivers were restless. Tension was high. As traffic stacked up, horns began to honk. Trucks sped at full throttle moving just a few feet. Driver courtesy declined. Hand gestures grew less friendly and more frequent.

Our next stop was a rutted mud hole between a truck terminal driveway and a chain link fence that is topped with barbed wire. It is where we will spend the night. We learned of this place from friends and are actually pleased to be here. Parking in this city is tough. This place is safe and relatively quiet.

Having a self-contained truck, we can stay put and relax. If we need to eat or use the bathroom, there is no need to dodge street crime, fight traffic or find a parking place somewhere else. The next time we will burn fuel will be when we roll on paid miles to pick up tomorrow's freight.

I started last month's blog with an entry about a book I bought and am now reading; A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Continuing my reading with Beethoven playing in the background, I am tonight sitting in a mud hole reading about black holes.

I mentioned to Diane that two of the greatest devices known to science were built in our lifetime; the Hubble Telescope and the Large Hadron Collider. One looks out to deep space. One looks in to the collisions of tiny particles. Both seek to enhance our understanding of the universe and may end up discovering the same truths about how the universe came to be.

Diane pointed out that, at the moment, both devices have malfunctioned and do not work. She makes a good point. We ought not get too confident in what we think we know. Several scientific theories about the origin of the universe have been advanced in the last 100 years. Except for the most recent, each of them have been modified or displaced by others.

Whatever period of human history you examine, you can always find wise people of one type or another claiming to know the truth. They enjoyed the confidence of the masses as much as today's wise men and women do today. But a few generations or centuries later, the wise people of the past are upstaged by those of the present. So too will it be with the wise people we listen to today.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Thursday, October 2, 2008.  I learned today about GARVEE bonds. Learned by reading about them in The Trucker newspaper.

Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles are bonds issued by states to start highway projects, without having to fund them with cash on hand or increased taxes. They were widely issued on the assumption that money to pay for them will come from federal grants.

Guess what? The source of these grants is now questionable. The federal highway trust fund recently received an emergency infusion of $8 billion because its source of funds —  fuel taxes — is down. High fuel prices motivate people to drive less. Reduced fuel consumption means reduced fuel tax revenue. With the federal government now bailing out Wall Street firms at will, money for emergency infusions of funds like the federal highway trust fund will become scarce.

It leaves me wondering, what in the world were state leaders thinking (or not thinking) when they started highway projects with no money? It's not just Wall Street that has gone nuts. State governments, your neighborhood real estate speculator, people who used their home equity to buy toys, and many others all partied with easy credit.

On Wall Street, Main Street, Elm Street and State Capitol Drive, the phenomenon was the same. People bought stuff without thinking about actually paying for it. And now we are in the fix we are in.

At the moment, we are hauling a load that we picked up in Manhattan (New York City) this morning. Diane is driving. I'm in the sleeper reading cheery news of the deepening economic crisis.

Whether the House of Representatives passes the $700 billion bailout bill or not, I think our country is still in for hard times. America's buy-now-pay-never mentality ran too deep for too long to be quickly fixed. One way or another, the chickens will come home to roost.

Diane and I were smart to get debt free and save money soon after we got into trucking. But that will not stop the freight from slowing down as the economy slows.

The load we are hauling right now is shipped by a non-profit organization. Grant money or endowment money is paying for its transport. As the economy slows and wealth evaporates, grant money and endowment wealth slows and evaporates too. Less money means less freight from this customer. This is just one example. The freight we are hauling today may not be as easily found tomorrow.

If we have to, we can survive for a long time in a slow-freight environment. But who want's to do that? We don't want to just get by. We want to prosper. 

Enough worry. We have much to be thankful for and it is more uplifting to focus on that. We are in for a peaceful night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow we go in for reefer (refrigeration unit) maintenance.  While things around us don't look as rosy as they did when we started five years ago, we still love this job and are still having fun.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Friday, October 3, 2008. I learned today about a new-to-us Carrier dealer in Toledo, Ohio. Learned by going there for service.

We woke up this morning at a service plaza on I-80 in Ohio. After yesterday's delivery in Cleveland, we went out of service to take the truck in for reefer maintenance. There is nothing wrong with the reefer. Our carrier requires preventative maintenance and certain equipment certifications every six months. We are due.

Not all Carrier dealers are equipped to do the certification our carrier requires. There is one closer to us than Toledo, but we avoid it because it has a bad reputation among drivers. The Toledo dealer was great. We were in and out in a few hours without incident. After leaving $495 behind, we were on our way.

When we went out of service, we set the time for going back into service at 3:00 p.m., figuring that was when the reefer service would be complete. It went a bit longer and we forgot that we would automatically be put back in service at 3:00. At 3:01 a load offer came in which we accepted. It picks up Sunday evening and takes us to a good freight area. That gave us Friday night, Saturday and most of Sunday off.

Last Sunday a reader of this blog surfaced on the ExpeditersOnline web site saying he learned of that site by reading these pages. He went on to say he is in Northwest Ohio. Being in that area ourselves, I contacted him. As things turn out, the route to our Sunday pickup takes us through his town. We will be joining him and his wife at his church on Sunday morning and lunch after.

After getting groceries, we went to a nearby Wal-Mart to do additional shopping and spend the night. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Saturday, October 4, 2008.  I learned today about an investment vehicle I have never used before. Learned by studying online resources about it.

We woke up this morning in a Wal-Mart parking lot near Toledo, Ohio. Sleeping weather is great these days, but autumn weather also means winter driving is not far away.

Our next pickup is about three hours from here on Sunday night. Sunday morning, we will be attending church with people we only know as blog readers. Today we have to ourselves.

Diane walked to a library that is a few blocks away. I spent the day in the truck studying certain investment products.

When I worked as a securities broker and financial planner, I never recommended stock options to a client and have never used them myself. They are complex and high-risk vehicles. I don't want to give anyone any ideas about investing in them. To obtain my securities license years ago, I was required to learn a bit about these investment vehicles. But that was a long time ago and I am in no position to discuss them now.

I am looking into them because at the moment our invested assets are earning essentially nothing. While we successfully preserved our capital and avoided the stock market plunge, cash is not fun to hold right now as interest rates are very low.

It bothers me that our money is sitting idle. But expecting the stock market to continue its slide, stocks are not a good place to be either. So, I am researching alternatives. I am not sure I will try stock options. If I do, it will be with a small amount to see how things go. More study is needed before I will feel ready to do anything, if I do anything at all.

Still, it was a great day for me; studying something with positive potential (and negative) for several quiet and uninterrupted hours.

Diane returned to the truck when the library closed and we drove toward the town where we will go to church in the morning. We found a nice rest area on the way and parked there to spend the night. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Sunday, October 5, 2008.  I learned today the ancient Greek word for dog dung, a bit about the work of an Ohio charter school IT administrator, and a bit about the work of an IT guy that works on voting machines used in Ohio. Learned by attending church with Jim and Judy and visiting with these men over lunch.

The dog dung information was in the sermon. It had to do with a word the Apostle Paul used in something he wrote to make a point. The point was him counting as "rubbish" certain credentials he had and focusing on Christ instead. In the original Greek, a word stronger than "rubbish" is used.

I had a brief moment of terror soon after being seated in the church. Our hosts Jim and Judy introduced us to people seated nearby. One of the men was the husband of the pastor. My mind ran. Male spouse of a pastor means female pastor. My first ex-wife is a female pastor. I have not communicated with her in many years and do not know where she is. There are not a lot of female pastors out there. Am I sitting in my ex-wife's church?

Not that it would be a bad thing. It was just something I was totally unprepared for.

You're wife is the pastor? I asked. What is her name? I relaxed when her name turned out to be different than my ex's. When I explained my alarm, everyone laughed, as did I.

Jim is a blog reader who made that known last week. Judy is his wife. They live in Ohio, are thinking ahead, and are curious about expediting. It happened that Diane and I would be near their home so we arranged to meet.

After church, we gave them a truck tour in the church parking lot. Others gathered and received a tour too. Then we went with them to lunch at a family restaurant. A table for nine had been reserved for Jim and Judy, their kids, some of their relatives and us.

It was a delightful visit with new friends. I hope the information we shared about expediting was helpful to them.

After lunch, we headed toward our pickup. We are sitting near the plant as I write this. In an hour or so, we will pick up the freight, drive overnight and deliver it in the morning. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Monday, October 6, 2008
and
Tuesday, October 7, 2008. I learned on Monday and Tuesday that global credit remains frozen, some European banks are being nationalized, Iceland was driven into the arms of Russia for a huge loan Iceland needed to rescue its banks and could not obtain elsewhere, and global stock markets plunged to multi-year lows.

On Friday, the U.S. Congress passed and President Bush signed a $700 billion bailout bill that was intended to unfreeze credit and restore confidence to the markets.

That went well, didn't it?

Other than transfer $700 billion public dollars to the private financial interests that caused much of the financial crisis in the first place, it did not do a damn thing. Special greetings are sent to the elected officials who voted for the bailout. Can you feel the love?

On Sunday, we picked up a load in Ohio and dove overnight to eastern Pennsylvania to deliver it Monday morning. On Tuesday, we picked up a load in New Jersey and drove overnight to deliver it near Little Rock, Arkansas. Both runs were routine.

As time permitted, I continued to study certain investment vehicles. We don't like the idea of our money sitting in cash where it earns little. But it is safe there, which counts for something in these volatile markets.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008.  I learned today where not to park in Memphis, Tennessee. Learned by getting run out a parking lot there.

We were on our way to a pickup in Memphis and pulled into a strip mall parking lot to stop for about 30 minutes and fix lunch. The plan was to eat and go next to the pickup. A few minutes into lunch, a store clerk knocked on the door and said we had to leave or be towed away. And, no, it did not matter that we would be gone in 20 minutes. We had to leave now.

It is private property and the mall manager is within his or her rights. It did not matter that there were all of three cars parked in the lot of this large mall that had more vacant space than stores. We had to leave now.

It was sad the manager sent the clerk out to do the dirty work. The clerk was sorry we had to leave. But fearing consequences from management, she could do nothing but immediately run us off.

When parking the truck, we try to stay out of peoples' way. We pick places that seem OK and, almost always, they are. But sometimes there is no way to know. Signs are not always posted. Today was one of those times.

I hate getting run out of parking lots. First, it is embarrassing to find yourself where you think you are welcome but it turns out you are not. Second, I don't like being told to do something by someone who is grinding an ax more than seeking a solution.

The solution seekers ask first why you are there and when you will be leaving. They may recommend an alternative place to park or give you time to complete your task. The ax grinders just order you out and seem to take some pleasure in exercising their power over you.

When confronted by them, I bite my tongue and leave. Again, they are within their rights. Just leaving is the best thing to do. Making a fuss would only cause more problems. But ohhhhh how I would like to make a fuss!

We made a fuss once and probably got an ax grinder fired. We were shopping at a grocery store near Chicago and had been i0n the lot 90 minutes. A particularly angry and mean manager hammered (not knocked) on our door and ordered us out. There is more to the story but the short story is we left (angry) and wrote a letter to the president of the grocery store chain.

A few weeks later, we received a reply from a high-level manager at the chain. She apologized sincerely and profusely for the treatment we received. She had grown up in a trucking family and left no doubt that the manager in question was in deep doo-doo for the way he treated us. Also included was $30 in gift cards to make the point that we were always welcome at Meijer grocery stores.

If you are considering a move into the trucking industry, understand that there are people out there that look down on truckers, consider them to be low-class people, and take liberties they would not if they thought they were talking to white-collar professionals. In other words, there will be times when you will be falsely judged and discriminated against because you are, in some people's eyes, a dirty, scum-bag, low-life trucker.

Diane and I were white, successful suburbanites before we got into trucking. We are not accustomed to being discriminated against. Being discriminated against has opened our eyes to the experiences of others in ways they were not open before. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Thursday, October 9, 2008.  I learned today more about stock options. Learned by further studying them (see blog posts above).

We woke up this morning in a consignee's (the person or business to which freight is delivered) parking lot in Kentucky. The freight needed to be counted before delivery was accepted and it took them a couple hours to do that. Then we were on our way to the next pickup.

We feel like we are back in the groove. The last few loads have come one after another, and some pickups have happened the same day we delivered the previous load.

Today's load was a pile of computers, printers and components. It took a couple hours to load and secure them for safe transport. They came out of an office in a strip mall. The office was closing down. It is not necessarily a sign of the times. Branch offices in strip malls like this open and close all the time and we have moved a few.

Today's stock market was a shocker. When I went in to start loading the freight, the market was floating around morning-open levels. When I got back in the truck, the market was just closing; down 678.91 (-7.33%) for the day. I have been looking at some stocks, thinking they are now selling at bargain-basement prices. Yesterday would not have been the time to buy! Today's commentators and analysts on the radio see no light at the end of the tunnel (which might be a sign that it is time to buy).

I sometimes envy those Wall Street people. They have MBA degrees in investments and finance. They office on or near Wall Street where the action is. They have like-minded colleagues with whom to mix thoughts. They have many years of experience in their field. Whatever question is asked, they always have an answer.

However, these days, some of them might envy Diane and me. We have three things many of them don't; (1) a job, (2) invested capital that is worth as much now as it was earlier in the year, and (3) customers we can look in the eye.

Overnight, we will be taking turns sleeping and staying awake with the freight. The run itself is only a few hundred miles. But the customer is paying us to stay awake and attend the freight until the consignee can accept delivery in the morning.

At the moment, Diane is driving. She will get us to the delivery. I am going to bed as soon as I post this blog entry. Later tonight, I will set up in the cab and have plenty of time to study and read.

After the morning delivery, we will probably go out of service to buy tires. With 315,000 miles on the rear tires and winter coming, it is time to buy. There is enough tread depth on the current tires to get us legally through the winter if we wanted to push it. We prefer to stay safe and will have new tires on the truck before the snow flies.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Friday, October, 10, 2008. I learned today how to trade stock options. Learned by doing it.

After staying up with the freight overnight, we delivered it this morning near Columbus, Ohio. The night was spent in the warehouse parking lot where we delivered. This load required most of our furniture pads, load bars, straps and other gear to secure it. I spent an hour folding pads and putting the gear back together after the delivery. Having no freight to haul, we stayed put and took a nap.

The tire store we thought about going to did not have in stock the tires and new wheels we wanted. We like the people at this store and will go out of our way to do business with them. We will try to stop in next time we are in the area.

Readers of previous blog posts know I have been studying stock options. Today I gave them a shot, placing a small amount of money at risk. Soon after taking a position, we received and accepted a load offer. It was a short and easy run, moving medical equipment from a clinic to a hospital in the Columbus area. The freight was in shipping cases and the cases had wheels. Nice!

When we finished, I looked at my investment (experiment) and saw enough of a profit to sell. The stock market jumped all over the place today. That volatility moved my options enough to create a small profit. While the contracts were good until November, I took an immediate profit and plan to study this trade over the weekend. I felt I knew what I was doing while I was doing it, but now that the trade is real-life history, I can look at the numbers and better understand what happened.

While I established another position before the market closed today, I still do not know if I will do much with stock options. Having now done one trade to satisfy my curiosity, I understand better than ever why we never offered these things to our clients when I was working as a securities broker and financial planner. The risk is high.

The people who work in and teach these markets strike me as half-crazed, day-trading adrenaline junkies. Their education is questionable. They butcher the English language when they speak. These young people seem to be in it as much for the rush as for making money.

There is no need for a rush here. Making money provides satisfaction enough. Losing money provides neither a rush nor satisfaction.

A modest (less than $200) profit my first time in and out means nothing. A quick loss would have been just as easy. The U.S. options markets are closed over the weekend, which will give me time for more study. The load we are on this weekend will leave plenty of time for that.

Beyond the money, the options trading provided two rewards. First, it is something new and interesting to study that has immediate and real-life applications. (So is learning Spanish, and the risks are lower.) Second, it felt good to be doing something pro-active with money. Most of our investment activity this year has been to run for cover and hide in safe places.

It makes sense to run and hide when it makes sense to run and hide. But being pro-active with an eye on the future is our preferred way of being.

In addition to this weekend's run, we are dispatched on a load that picks up on Monday and delivers Tuesday. The money for that one was OK but not great. We took the load because it delivers within reach of the tire shop. If we get a good run offer on Tuesday, we will take it. Otherwise, to the tire shop we will go. 

We have had a busy week and have been enjoying the weather. In the autumn, the colors present a nice change of scenery. The soon to be harvested crops provide a sense of bounty and gratitude. The rain is infrequent and the wind is mild. Moderate temperatures provide good sleeping weather. You can work without putting on a jacket or breaking a sweat. The air is clear and the sun shines bright. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Saturday, October 11, 2008.  I learned today that the truck driver shortage that has challenged the trucking industry for many years may see some relief. Learned from Diane who put the thought together as she read the news.

Thousands of Americans who planned to retire soon will not be able to do so because the value of their 401(k) and other such retirement savings has declined with the stock market. Many of those will not have the option of keeping their jobs because the economy is in recession. Diane reasons, and I agree, that a number of people who wanted to retire will instead find their way into truck driving and make the best of it.

If you don't want to be a truck driver but are one, the job can totally suck. It keeps you away from home. It takes you to truck stops that can be dirty and dangerous. The food tastes the same wherever you go (if you are in a hard-to-park big-rig, truck stop food is the easy option). If you don't want to be out here, traffic makes driving no fun. The risk of getting hurt or killed is higher than in most lines of work. The cops are seemingly out to get you. The hours of service rules (log books) restrict your freedom. Many employers and dispatchers do not understand or care about the challenges truck drivers face. Employer-provided truck sleepers provide few creature comforts. The pay in many truck driving jobs is no better than what can be found in other lines of work. People give you the finger because you are in their way. Truck stop parking places smell like piss because some of your truck-driving colleagues are too self-centered and lazy to walk inside and use the bathroom.

These are some of the reasons why many trucking companies have driver turnover rates of over 100% a year. That's right, over 100% a year! Volunteer armies that send soldiers to combat have better retention rates than that. Still, we believe a number of people who never considered truck driving before will find their way into it.

It is not all bad out here. New readers of my blog and stories from the road will see Diane and I love what we do and make good money. It works well for us because we were not forced into the job. We chose this work, and only then after doing a ton of research to find the right fit. Big-rig line-haul driving is not for us. Straight-truck expediting is great!

This weekend we are under load but not driving. I am not at liberty to talk about it until the job is complete.   Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Sunday, October 12, 2008.  I learned today that 90% of the people who invest in options lose money. Learned by reading it on an options education web page and confirming it with an options broker I visited with by telephone.

Diane and I spent most of today sitting on the above-mentioned load. That gave me plenty of time to study my latest hot interest; stock options. We took turns sleeping and doing our duty on the load. Except for the occasional "nature hike" to the rest room, I spent every waking moment studying options.

The options broker I visited with has been at it for three decades and knew her stuff. She looked at my first-ever options trade, expressed some surprise at my success and then said, "If you make money on your first options trade, it is the kiss of death." She was warning me about over-confidence and I did not disagree.

If you let it, options trading can be governed by your emotions, which leads to losing money. As I read a range of options trading advice by a number of writers, I was pleased to learn that, without knowing it, I had avoided most of the mistakes rookie traders make. But one good trade does not a successful trader make. And even the most successful traders lose money at times. They are successful because they make money more often.

As I prepare to make more trades tomorrow, the new-toy enthusiasm is giving way to real-world realities, including the fact that only 10% of options traders make money. Notice the language shift. It is not 90% of options traders lose money. It is 10% of options traders make money.

The 90% fact discourages me no more than the 100% driver turnover rate that is seen in some parts of the trucking industry. When Diane and I researched a career change into trucking, a bunch of drivers (some well-meaning, some mean spirited) tried to talk us out of it. They cited the turnover fact to prove their point. As with trucking, so too with options. I pay very little attention to the people that don't make it, and a great deal of attention to those who succeed.

Since I want to do what the successful people are doing, theirs are the actions I want to follow. Theirs is the thinking I want to think. Theirs is the vision I want to have. Theirs are the beliefs I want to hold. Theirs are the insights I want to gain.

Some truckers told me I could learn a lot by looking at the failures. I disagreed then, and now with five successful years on the road, I still do. Learning what not to do does not move you forward. It keeps you stuck where you are.

In a previous career, I saw this in my financial planning clients. A married couple would come see me for the first time. Sitting with them at a small round table in my office, and with my notebook open and pen ready to write, I would ask, "What do you want to accomplish financially?" It was amazing how often the same answer came fourth.

Usually the husband would answer, "I don't want to take a lot of risk, I don't want to lose any money, and I don't want to pay a commission." I would then point out that they have already accomplished all three of their goals. In fact, they did so before coming to see me, and if that is what they really wanted to do, they did not need to come in at all. That cleared the way to talk about what they wanted to do and develop a plan to do it.

It would be easy to write a piece "Ten Trucker Mistakes to Avoid" or list "One Hundred Ways to Fail as a Truck Driver." But what good would that do anyone? Even if someone memorized the list, doing so puts him or her no closer to turning the key and actually driving the truck. Pieces like "Ten Characteristics of Successful Truck Drivers" and "One Hundred Best Truck Driving Practices" would be more uplifting and actually helpful.

Who is going to be the better driver (or better anything), someone who seeks to avoid mistakes, or someone who seeks to be good at what he or she sets out to do?  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Monday, October, 13, 2008.  I learned today about software that is available free from our securities broker. Learned by talking to people there about it.

Yesterday, I spoke with a broker who mentioned the software. Today I talked with the folks that knew about it. My recent blog posts have gone on and on about options trading, a new-found interest. Today I cooled a bit when I watched an option do something I did not expect.

It happened before I took new positions so I was not hurt. The surprise backed me away from putting more money into options. I am using small amounts of money to learn how to trade. Even that "play money" is on the sidelines now. More study is planned before more trades will be made.

The load we had over the weekend was not a load at all but compensation to keep an eye on another truck. That truck was loaded and its team was out of hours to legally drive. We watched their truck while they took a 34 hour break to reset their log books. We parked next to their truck at an off-brand truck stop in Kentucky and spent the weekend there.

Other than read, study and sleep in shifts, there was not much else we could do. Our duty was to keep an eye on the truck 24 hours a day, and we did. I am not complaining. It was easy money, easy work and required no fuel except that used to get to the truck stop. As she sometimes does, Diane deployed the lift gate and used it as a platform on which to grill steaks. A sucker for root beer floats, I made use of the nearby A&W (twice).

We visited only briefly with the other team. They were nice folks and pleased with the success they are having in the business. They happened to be close to home. Relatives transported them from their truck to their house. The team wanted to know if they could bring us anything like groceries or anything else we might need picked up.

Amazing! We were getting paid to give them a much-needed break from their truck. They wanted to use some of their unpaid free time to do us favors. Being self-contained in the truck and prepared for a weekend sit, we had no needs.

I can't let this team's generosity and hospitality go unmentioned. It touched our hearts. We added their names to our contact list and look forward to meeting them one day on the road. Maybe then we can have a proper visit over dinner.

We pick up freight in Knoxville, Tennessee, this afternoon that will keep us running overnight.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Tuesday, October 14, 2008. I learned today more about securities trading software made available by our broker. Learned by studying it.

As I write this, I am staying awake with freight we picked up yesterday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee. Diane is in bed, sound asleep. The delivery location will not open until 7:00 a.m. local time and the freight on this load must be attended by someone who is awake and in the truck cab. We arrived after midnight. That gives me several uninterrupted hours to be online and study. The focus is investments.

Years ago I worked as a securities broker and financial planner. Then, and for decades after, I followed the advice I gave my clients; buy high-quality mutual funds and hold them for the long term. But recent events of historic proportions prompted our move to all cash. I am not as young now as I was then. Buy-and-hold works if you have the time to hold. As you age, capital preservation becomes important.

Our move to cash was made several months ago and we avoided much of this year's stock market plunge. But with most if not all of the plunge now behind us, we are thinking about putting our money to work again.

To that end, I have looked anew at investing. Computers were new when I was a young securities broker and most people had never heard of the internet. I remember buying my first computer. It had a 486 processor, a two-color screen (amber and black) and a whole megabyte of random access memory!

That machine drew crowds when we set it up on my desk. With it, you could set up a primitive spreadsheet and manage numerical information. Word processing was also possible. You had to buy a printer but a typewriter was no longer needed.

How times have changed! As technology advances sent one next big thing after another to the landfills, our tried-and-true investment strategy served us well enough. But now that we are in an all-cash position and technology has advanced to the point where you can do research and make trades from inside a truck (even a moving truck!), it is time to look anew at investing principles and techniques.

I am in no hurry to abandon the old ways and will not do so with most of our money. Fundamental principles of wealth building and management remain as valid today as they have always been. But modern investment technology provides resources to me in the truck today that were not available even in brokerage offices back then.

As we move through the current financial crisis and hopefully on to more stable markets, I expect to put some of this technology to use. But I have much to learn before doing so. The little bit of dabbling I have done in recent days has driven that point home.

Today's trading tools have the lure of potential profits. But there is more on the downside than potential losses. When it is just you, your computer screen, and an overwhelming amount of live streaming data and news, it is easy to get distracted, confused and caught up in an emotional rush. Unlike working with a securities firm, there is no supervision; no one to whom you must justify your actions; no one tap you on the shoulder and suggest that you may be drifting off track.

It is not the trades that lose money when you use these tools. It is the trader. Until I figure out what the successful traders are doing, I will be using these tools only to dabble and learn. Having explored this area over the last few days, I now believe it will take several months of study and a number of tiny trades to get a good feel for it.

In other words, I'm not quitting my day job. And even if options trading turned into a fantastically lucrative, easy-money endeavor (not expected), I don't see us coming off the road. Why would we? We love what we are doing now. A computer screen in a truck looks the same as one in a home office. Technology puts the best of both worlds within reach.

The sun will rise soon and we are not predispatched on another load. We are in a good express center and expect to receive load offers soon after our morning delivery. Until then, I will continue studying and enjoy the uninterrupted time. We are parked at a loading dock in a quiet suburban office park.

It would be quieter still if our reefer was not running. This is a refrigerated load so we get to listen to the reefer while the freight is on board. Non-truckers can gain a similar experience by parking a loud riding lawn mower under their bedroom window and letting it run non-stop for a day or two or three. We tell ourselves it is the sound of money, and it is. But we are always happy to turn the reefer off when the freight is delivered.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Wednesday, October 15, 2008. I learned today that a bit about the politics and development plans in Northeast Minneapolis (or "Nord East") as many there say. Learned from a Nord East resident who told me about it when we visited.

Sometimes the things we do for freight still amaze us, even after hauling the stuff for five years. We delivered a load early Tuesday morning in a Chicago suburb. When we sent in the proof of delivery (POD, the message that tells our carrier we are done with the load and who has signed for it), the automated report came back telling us about the other trucks in the area.

The number was unusually high. As busy as Chicago-area freight generally is, with all the trucks in line for freight, we thought we would be waiting at least a day for a load. But a few minutes later, an offer came in that we accepted. The load picked up yesterday in Minneapolis and delivered this afternoon in Chicago. So we spent yesterday driving empty to Minneapolis and today driving loaded to Chicago.

It seemed strange that with so many trucks in Chicago, and with some in Minneapolis (we presumed), we got the load. Some drivers don't like to drive empty, even when it makes financial sense to do so. That would have screened some out. Others do not have the credentials and equipment we have, which would have screened them out for this particular load. But it still seemed strange that we got the load so soon after checking in to the Elk Grove Village (Chicago area) freight center. Oh well, as we often say to ourselves, don't ask questions, just haul the freight.

Our home is near Minneapolis. We the run left just enough time for us to stop in to take a shower, do laundry, and eat a meal at the table. With the pickup at 5:00 a.m. local time, we spent the night not at home but at the shipper's loading dock. Bright and early, we were on our way with the freight.

We got out of town before rush hour started and enjoyed a scenic drive through Wisconsin. The sky was overcast which created some spectacular effects as the bright autumn colors contrasted with the gray sky, brown crops and green grass.

Three people were waiting to do their thing with the freight at the delivery. One of them became aware that we were independent voters and we had just mailed in our absentee ballots. She was eager to know how we voted. I declined to say. Knowing of my previous involvement as an independent activist (See: my bio), she pressed me for an answer and I again declined.

She explained that she was "obsessed with Obama" and really wanted to know if independent voters would break for Obama or McCain. Apparently, I was going to be her survey of the day. I could tell from her language that she was a politically sophisticated citizen.  Listening to her would have been interesting, though I still would have kept my vote to myself.

She is a customer. I am not going to mix politics with business. When you are politically involved, people fall naturally into groups that are for or against you. When you are in business there is only one group; customers to serve. 

The conversation did not happen because someone showed up to move the freight. Her job was to follow it, which she did. I returned to the truck and Diane and I continued our day. 

We drove a few blocks to an abandoned warehouse that we know and parked there to take a nap.  No load offers were received and we ended up staying there overnight.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Thursday, October 16, 2008.  I learned today that of the hundreds of people we have said it to, no one has ever disagreed with the statement that there is not enough good programming on TV to make it worth buying a TV. Learned from Diane who shared the fact in conversation.

We woke up this morning in a parking lot near O'hare Airport in Chicago. Not being dispatched, we moved to a shopping mall to pass time there while waiting for freight. Once there, we planned to restock our Pepsi supply and get flu shots at a grocery store, and for me to get a haircut. Diane got the Pepsi but the rest would have to wait. A load offer came in before the nurses and stylist arrived for work. We were off to pick up a load nearby and deliver it in rural Indiana.

It happens almost every day that people we meet on the road start conversations about our truck, saying things like, "What do you haul in that thing?" "Is that truck yours?" "I've never seen a truck like that before?" "How often do you get home?" How much does a truck like that cost?" and "Your sleeper is bigger than your box!"

Today was no different. We drove the truck into a huge industrial building to deliver some large computer cabinets and control panels. Fork lifts large enough to lift our truck drove around inside as did pickup trucks and other large specialty vehicles.

Everyone there wore hard hats and steel-toe boots. The building was modern but the floor was dirt covered from vehicles tracking mud into the building. If it had ever been cleaned, it was months or years ago. Lights were on but not needed as natural lighting from windows in the roof brightened the inside. No fat men were seen working here. The work they did kept them in shape.

It was a scene repeated in millions of industrial settings worldwide. Hard-working people show up at plants and get dirty, building infrastructure components like massive pipes, bridge trusses, railroad rails, massive electric motors, iron beams for buildings, fire hydrants, sewer pipes, and more. Look around. Anything you see that is big and heavy was probably built in a factory somewhere and transported to you by truck.

A welder and two helpers were working on large metal tubes near our parking spot. As we were finishing up the delivery, they stopped work and took a smoke break. There was no concern about smoking in this building. With vehicles running around and welding going on, just about everything that breathed or moved smoked in one way or another. The indoor air quality was fine. Numerous doors to the outside and a three-story-high indoor ceiling kept the air fresh.

One of the men asked me the usual questions. Another asked if we had a big-screen TV in the truck. I gave my usual reply; we have no TV by choice. There is not enough on to make it worth having one. Then one of the men asked something we have never been asked before. "If you have no TV, what do you do with your unfettered mind?"

Blog readers know the answer to that question.

I shared the unusual question with Diane as we drove to our next pickup. That is when she pointed out that no one has ever risen to defend the value of TV when we say we don't own one. I had not realized that before but she was right. No one has ever defended the value of watching TV when we say we don't have one.

A lot of people defend the value of having a home when we say we don't own one. Sometimes the defense is enthusiastic. The simple suggestion that owning a house may not be necessary stirs some people up. But no one has ever gotten stirred up about not owning a TV.

I wondered about two things as we enjoyed on a magnificent autumn drive on narrow Indiana back roads. I wondered why so many people spend so much time watching TV when no one sees much value in it. And I wondered about the brain located under a hard hat and behind a cigarette that asked, "What do you do with your unfettered mind?"

"Unfettered mind" is an interesting and cerebral concept. I would have liked to visit with this man further, but he was a union worker. When quitting time came he, like everyone else in the plant, instantly vanished. The plant fell silent, leaving us alone in the building to finish the paperwork and find our way out. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Friday, October 17, 2008.  I learned today what an MRI machine sounds like when it is running. Learned by hearing one.

After yesterday's delivery, we drove 120 miles through rural Indiana to get close to today's freight. We spent the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot and went from there to our 8:00 a.m. pickup. It was medical equipment to be moved from one hospital to another.

This was an inside pickup and liftgate load. The freight was seven shipping cases on wheels. It was waiting for us in a room deep inside the building. The delivery was 170 miles away and the drive was routine.

When we arrived, a man sitting under a white tent roof at the end of the driveway rose and motioned us to stop. "Do you know where you are going?" he asked. We did and could see the sign for the hospital department from where we were stopped. He said OK and motioned us to continue.

I was curious about him and his setup. The tent had four fancy chairs in it; the kind that are found in hospital offices and waiting rooms. He had a propane heater trained on his seat. There were no signs or identification.

I asked him, "What are you doing here, what is this setup for?" He said, "I am the entertainment?" Thinking a carnival or festival was in the works I asked, "What is the show?" He then said, "I'm just here to make sure no one comes through who is not supposed to." "You are security?" I asked. "You don't look like security." He then pulled a police badge out from under his clothes and let it hang from his neck. "Maybe I should display this." he said.

Finding him to be good natured, I continued. "You don't look intimidating enough to be security. I mean, look at this ... cozy chairs, propane heaters, a roof overhead. You don't look like security. You look like you are out here taking a break."

"Well, maybe I could...." His voice trailed off as he was at a loss for words. "A machine gun! You could carry a machine gun! That would do it!" I said. He laughed, agreed and waved us through as cars were lining up behind.

The hospital had a new wing under construction and temporary buildings were everywhere, including a temporary kitchen that kept the hospital people fed and a temporary MRI clinic consisting of several temporary buildings and truck trailers. That is where I heard the MRI machine working. A nurse told me what the sound was.

The equipment we were carrying was to be delivered through the emergency entrance. We parked nearby but not blocking the drive. Diane stayed with the truck while a hospital worker and me moved the equipment. Had multiple ambulances needed to move at once, she could have gotten the truck even further out of the way. Things stayed quiet while we were there.

When we wheeled the equipment through the emergency room, I saw an ambulance crew standing by, ready to roll on a moment's notice. Also standing by were half a dozen people waiting for something to do. There were no patients in the emergency room. Had one or more showed up, these people were ready to do their thing.

I walked out feeling great. What a great country, I thought. These people and thousands like them in every community stand ready to give emergency medical aid when needed. Someday Diane and I may need their help. It was comforting to lay eyes on these total strangers who may one day save our lives.

During the delivery we received a load offer that we accepted. The money is OK but it does not pick up until Monday. That suited us just fine. We have been running one load after another for a while now. It will feel good to sit still for more than a few hours. 

We drove from the hospital to a truck wash, then to an A&W store for a root beer float, and then to a library. Diane is inside now reading a novel. I will soon join her and read about stock options. We have a weekend to ourselves and our next pickup is not far away. 

Nice. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Saturday, October 18, 2008.  I learned today a new word; hysteresis. Learned by reading a trucking magazine.

I also learned that most women pictured on the covers of cookbooks have wide, toothy grins and perfect dental work; and most men pictured on cookbook covers present only half smiles with their mouths closed. Learned by viewing cookbook covers in a bookstore.

As you may have gathered, Diane and I are reading today. We are dispatched to pick up a load near Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday, which gives us this weekend off.

We woke up this morning in the retail area where we parked to sleep last night. Sirens of multiple emergency vehicles heading toward the freeway woke us up before sunrise. Then more sirens came, and then still more. Something serious was going on. I got up and turned on the CB radio to see what the truckers were saying. They were talking about a big wreck that closed or slowed the freeway in both directions.

Saddened to know some peoples' lives had changed not for the better and grateful that it was not us, I returned to bed. I don't know who was hurt or killed. I do know that living on the road as we do, it could just as easily been us. It's a morbid thought, I know. It also motivates us to get the rest we need and keep safety always in mind.

A few hours later we were out of bed and on the move. Diane started her day with a brisk walk around the area. I stayed in the truck. We then drove an hour south to a truck stop where we refueled and took showers. Before my shower, I worked out in the sleeper using small free weights. Don't ask me why. That inspired effort surprised me too. Maybe it's Obama. If he wins the election, fat white men will no longer be cool.

Seeing a Cracker Barrel restaurant across the freeway from the truck stop, we decided to eat breakfast there. That was at 11:00 a.m. We are taking the day at a leisurely pace, which is a nice change from the week we completed.

At breakfast I read an article about truck tires. Since we spend most of our days and nights on top of ten of them, it is a topic of some interest. Hysteresis was described in the article. A more common term is rolling resistance, which varies among tire types and brands, and affects fuel economy. It is something to be considered when making a tire purchase, which we will soon do.

After a relaxed and enjoyable breakfast, we went to a Barnes and Nobel bookstore. Most Barnes and Nobel stores feature big cushy chairs for customers to use while previewing books. We were pleased to find two empty chairs side by side and staked our claim. Most of today was spent in those chairs.

Diane read an entire novel and previewed home design books. I pulled together a stack of books on stock options and day trading, and ended up buying two of them.

Our chairs were next to the cookbook display. It was when I took a break from reading and paused to think that I noticed the cookbook covers. Deep in thought and looking at nothing in particular, the wall full of smiling women — all looking at me —  came into view; then the smiling men.

There are exceptions to the observation I shared above. One of the men showed teeth in his smile and one of the women did not. He was at his outdoor grill. She was a vegetarian.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Sunday, October 19, 2008.  I learned today who the traitor is in the Los Angeles Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU). Learned by watching the final episode of season one of the TV series "24."

We do not have a TV in the truck but will watch the occasional DVD on a laptop computer. I recently purchased seasons one through five of "24" for less than $0.50 per episode (used DVD's purchased on eBay).

Today is a day in the office, so to speak. We are doing business paperwork, spending most of the time at the table in the truck. I took a break from the monotonous paperwork by watching "24." Diane took her break at a nearby bookstore.

We are dispatched to pick up freight near Louisville, Kentucky, tomorrow afternoon. Before the pickup we plan to get flu shots at a grocery store. It felt good to stop driving for a couple days. While the sit was good, we are ready to roll again. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Monday, October 20, 2008. I learned today more about stock options. Learned by reading about them and back testing data.

As planned, we picked up our load near Louisville, Kentucky, late this afternoon and headed out on an overnight run. It is overnight not because of the distance but because the load requires one driver to attend to it at all times. It delivers tomorrow morning.

Diane did all the work today. After getting a haircut, I buried myself in the books. The people there offered me a welcome package because I was a first-time customer. I declined saying it would probably be both my first and last visit to the shop. After reassuring them that I was happy with the service, I explained what Diane and I do for a living, and that except at home, we almost never get our haircuts at the same place twice.

On the way to tomorrow's delivery, we received and accepted a pre-dispatch load offer (meaning you are dispatched on the next load while still under your current load). It picks up on Wednesday.

There is some deadheading (driving empty) to do to get to Wednesday's pickup.  That is not a problem. As long as the load pays enough to be profitable on all miles driven (deadhead and loaded), we are pleased to haul the freight.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Tuesday, October 21, 2008.  I learned today that thrift is cool. Learned by listening to a podcast from Business Week magazine.

In the free Business Week podcasts, editors discuss the stories in each week's printed edition. I came across them a while ago and downloaded some to try. In this podcast, an editor was suggesting that the financial crisis is shifting people off their free-spending ways and that, perhaps, people are beginning to consider that being debt-free is more cool than taking vacations paid for with credit.

There is no end to the things you can do in a truck these days. They include podcasts, online courses, satellite radio programs, talking with friends on cell phones, web surfing, satellite TV, movies on DVD or downloaded files; and the time-honored, old-fashioned books.

Diane and I are more connected now than we ever were at home. While the same technology is available at home, we have more time to tap into the programs, entertainment and education in the truck than we ever had in previous jobs. In the old jobs, we did work that got in the way of other activities. Now our work involves a lot of driving which can be done while taking in the scenery and listening to podcasts, music and satellite radio.

This job provides the opportunity to listen to and learn the things we want while seeing the country at the same time. It is an opportunity we fully embrace.

We delivered a load in Memphis, Tennessee early this morning and then spent a few hours at a truck stop. Then we drove to Jackson, Mississippi for our next pickup. Jackson is about three hours from Memphis. That load picks up tomorrow morning. We will get a good night's sleep tonight and be ready to roll tomorrow morning. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Wednesday, October 22, 2008.  I learned today that everything the writers are telling me about stock options is true; especially the part that says 90% of the people who invest in options lose money. Learned by joining the ranks of the 90%.

My first-ever options trade, made a week or so ago, produced a profit. My second trade produced a loss larger than the profit, leaving me with a net loss. The amounts are small and my research continues. Before going back into the market with real money, I am doing paper trades for now (simulated trades using pretend money that produces hypothetical results).

This is similar to learning how to ride a bicycle or run an expediting business. You can read and understand everything about it, but you have to actually do it to put your knowledge into perspective.

There is the game and there is the player. Until you come out of the spectator seats and put yourself in the game, you will never know how you will perform. On the field, the information about the game remains the same. What changes is the way you see, react to and use the information. New information is gained about you as a player, and it can only be gained by putting yourself in the game.

It is easy to learn what is true (or what you come to believe is true) about any game (options trading, football, poker, work, marriage). Learning what is true about you can only happen when you enter the game as a participant.

Having now been on the options trading field for two plays, I understand myself as a player better than before. Having kicked butt and gotten my butt kicked, I am now back in the spectator seats, continuing to study the game.

Changing the subject, Diane and I had a pleasant visit with another expediting team today. At this morning's pickup, another truck pulled in. It was driven by a team we met a few months ago at a refresher training course we completed at our carrier's headquarters.

Back then, few people imagined that major banks were about to fail, the stock market would tank, the housing price decline would continue, governments would nationalize major businesses, and the federal government would pass a pork-laden $700 billion bailout bill that heaps massive new debt onto an already debt-laden public treasury.

I asked the team how they were doing in today's economy. They were concerned about people they knew at home but were doing fine themselves. Not long ago, they purchased a used truck for $80,000 and set a goal to pay it off in a year. They are on track. The truck looked great and has been running well. They bought it from a fleet owner who is known for keeping his equipment in good condition.

They just came off a 10 day break at home, where they went to attend a class reunion. A major business in their community closed a while ago, reducing the wages and opportunities for people who lived and worked there. The team was grateful to have the job they have.

We talked briefly about how expediting is a great opportunity if you are willing to leave home to make it work. They said they would not have gone home for 10 days if they had not been on track to achieve their financial goals. Smart players, those two.

Last Monday I wrote that Diane did all the work while I spent the day studying. Today I did all the work, giving Diane time to spend the day as she pleased. Today's run took us from Jackson, Mississippi to Atlanta, Georgia.

These one-day, daytime runs are OK. The pay per mile is good and the work is easy. You get to get up in the morning, do your work and go to bed at night, just like real people.

The pay might be $5.00, $10.00 or even $20.00 per mile, but the number of miles is small. In addition to having a dollar-per-mile minimum to haul freight, we have a dollar-per-day income average we like to maintain.

A run could pay $50.00 a mile but if it only went three miles, we may or may not accept it. If the offer came in the morning and the run could be immediately completed, we would take it and pick up the easy $150. If the offer came in the afternoon and the load picked up late the next day, we would probably decline the $50.00 per mile load.

Rather than tie the truck up for 24 hours for $150, we would forgo the $150 and take the chance that a better load offer would come. If we are wrong, we have lost $150. If we are right, we would gain a load that pays more, and perhaps much more.

We have had months where all we did was daytime and one-night runs and the months turn out financially OK. But the great months happen when we get long runs too (cross-country runs that pay $5,000 to $7,000 or more).

We have not had a long run in a while. The team we chatted with said the same thing. But other teams we have talked to by telephone say they have been getting long runs in the usual amount. We don't have great months every month. This business has its ebbs and flows. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Thursday, October 24, 2008.  I learned today that the Fastenal company was begun in Winona, Minnesota. Learned from a Fastenal clerk in Georgia.

I made my first-ever visit to a Fastenal store today to purchase some graffiti wipes. Readers will remember that our truck got tagged in August. Then searching for solutions, I learned of graffiti wipes sold by Fastenal. Until then, I had never heard of Fastenal. Since then, I have learned that Fastenal is a large, nationwide industrial supply company with over 2,000 stores.

Winona, Minnesota, is not far from home. I was shocked to learn that Fastenal got started there. Actually, I was shocked to learn that I did not know that. How could a company that large have roots so close to home without me knowing about it? It reminds me that there may be 100 elephants walking nearby that I am totally blind to. Some of those elephants are hazards, some are opportunities, and I may not see any of them.

The graffiti wipes were not in stock but are now ordered and will arrive at our local Fastenal store. Yes, we have one, and I cannot believe I did not know even that! Oh well.

We completed a short run today that left us in Atlanta, Georgia with less-than-75 status. That means we will be first in the dispatch order for loads going out later today or Friday. We feel well positioned for a long run. Being first in line helps, as does being in an eastern state (long runs do not originate from the center of the country) late in the week (long runs are often booked over weekends).

We enjoyed a delicious supper at Cracker Barrel and went to sleep soon after. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Friday, October 24, 2008.  I learned today of a wreck that shows a good driving record does not make you immune from the hazards of the road. Learned by reading an accident report.

A truck driver, industry spokesperson and safety advocate who had 2,000,000 safe driving miles to his credit was recently killed in a wreck. The poor man was trapped in his cab and perished in flames. His co-driver got out but was badly burned and later died.

In the industry press, Diane and I regularly read truck accident reports. We sometimes discuss them and talk about our safety practices. I won't go into the details about this accident but it stands out because it is so easy to envision.

We have good driving records and believe our safe practices reduce our chances of getting hurt or killed out here. But as illustrated by the story above, there are no guarantees.

I am reminded of a line a driver shared in the movie Big Rig. She said the most dangerous mile you will ever drive is the next mile. That is a good thing to keep in mind when driving down the road.

The long run we were hoping for came this morning. We were dispatched to pick up freight in Georgia this afternoon and haul it to California. (Yes!)

As we drove toward the pickup, and just 20 miles from it, we got word that the run canceled. (Bummer!)

So, instead of earning several thousand dollars on the run, we got paid about $1.00 a mile to drive two hours out into the country where we now sit waiting for freight. The $1.00 a mile does not cover our operating costs.

In other words, we drove out into the boondocks and lost money too. Not only that, we lost important time as well. Loads are often dispatched during the time of day we were driving to the pickup that would cancel. Being on one load kept us from seeing any others.

Canceled loads happen every now and then. There is not much you can do about it. It is part of the game we expediters play.

We stayed put for a while to see what would happen. A couple of offers came in but did not pay well enough to accept. The third offer was OK and we said yes. It is a short run but will keep us rolling and productive on Saturday.   Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Saturday, October 25, 2008.  I learned today why toilet seats in public bathrooms have an opening in the front that residential toilet seats do not. Learned by reading the Toilet Museum web site.

Seated on one this morning, I got to wondering. When I returned to the truck and did a Google search on the question, the Toilet Museum web site came up. I was pleased to learn that I am not the only one to wonder. The question is the most frequently asked question the museum receives. Click the link above for the answer.

If you are thinking about getting into the expediting business, know that public bathrooms will become very familiar. You will see and use just about every type of toilet, sink, towel dispenser, hand dryer and door handle known to man. If you cannot get comfortable using public bathrooms, this business is not for you.

A good test would be to use public bathrooms 100% of the time for a week. Even at home, if you need to go, get in your car and drive to a public bathroom. Most trucks do not have bathrooms in them. If you take up this life and work, searching out and using public bathrooms will become part of your life.

Serious. It is now second nature for us to note where the bathrooms are when we enter a building. A social worker once told me that street people do the same thing.

While we have options, are not indigent and do not suffer from a mental illness, on the road we have more than a few things in common with street people. One of them is finding a safe place to sleep each night where the police, security guards or property owners will not run you off. Another is finding a public bathroom that is safe and fit to use.

Truckers successfully do this all the time. It's not that it can't be done. It's that life on the road is different than life at home and adjustments must be made.

We woke up at a rest area this morning and headed toward today's pickup. On the way we stopped at a truck stop for showers, where we are sitting now. Today's run is short. We will pick freight (two boxes, 25 lbs.) up at 3:00 p.m. and deliver it at 8:00 p.m.

It is a reefer load with a temperature setting lower than usual. That means we will run the reefer a couple hours longer than usual to bring the temp down to the sub-zero set point. The outside temperature is about 50F, which makes reaching the sub-zero set point easy. If the outside temp was 110F, like we sometimes see in the Mojave desert, the reefer would work harder and burn more fuel to get to the set point.

When it was first installed, the reefer had a couple of performance issues that were fixed soon after they were discovered. Since then, the reefer has been running great (flawless!). It has more than paid for itself with the additional and higher-paying loads we get because we are in a reefer-equipped truck.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Sunday, October 26, 2008. I learned today about the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site and museum in Tuskeegee, Alabama. Learned by reading about it on the web.

We delivered a load about midnight last night in rural Alabama. The consignee allowed us to spend the night in the parking lot. When we woke in the morning, I got online to try to find a church to go to but too much of the morning was gone to make it. In the Tuskegee appeared in the Google search results. I clicked a random and happened upon the above web site.

I have always enjoyed the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. Visiting the nearby museum would be a real treat and we seemed to have time. But the visit did not happen.

I have been putting off writing for the next edition of Expedite NOW. I knew my deadline was approaching and checked it before we headed to the museum. It's a good thing I did.

The museum visit was nixed. We drove to Montgomery instead where I dumped Diane in a Barnes and Nobel bookstore. With the truck to myself, I set up the computer and commenced to writing. She spent the day reading. I spent it writing. And it still bums me out that we missed this chance to visit the museum and learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen.

Driving through Montgomery, I noticed Rosa Parks Avenue. Then it clicked about George Washington Carver and the Tuskegee Institute, and then about the Alabama civil rights events we read about in history books. A while back, we spent a few hours in a local library in Anniston, Alabama where I scanned some of the local history books. That town has a great story of its own. This area is rich with history, but I had no time to think about it. I had magazine writing to do instead. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Monday, October 27, 2008.  I learned today about some fuel saving devices that another expediting team uses. Learned by reviewing the devices online.

One of the pieces I wrote on Sunday for Expedite NOW was about a team that improved their truck's fuel economy by a full three miles per gallon. I read online today about some of the devices they use.

We woke up this morning in the same place we parked yesterday to do the reading and writing we did. After delivering freight late Saturday night, we stayed in the area hoping to snag the nice long run that canceled on Friday.

No joy. Friday's run did not re-appear. We accepted instead an offer that deadheads us to Knoxville, Tennessee, today to pick up freight tomorrow. Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Tuesday, October 28, 2008.  I learned today that house prices are falling in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) area, but only a little compared to the national average. Learned from Diane who read the news item and shared it with me.

That's an item of slight interest to us as we intend to invest in more vacant land as funds become available. Real estate news tends to catch our eye.

Stock market news does not catch my eye. It makes my blood boil. "Echo chamber! Echo Chamber!" is what Diane has heard me say several times back to people speaking on the radio. Echo chamber — the empty space between the ears of most (but not all) financial commentators babbling on the air these days.

I am so tired of hearing them talk about how consumers will have more money to spend because fuel prices have declined, and how market sentiment will improve if the Federal Reserve Bank cuts interest rates, and how the VIX is indicating that the market is at or near a bottom, and how deleveraging is going on, and how emerging economies are not isolated in the world, and how we are experiencing asset deflation, and how trading volume needs to increase just a bit more for capitulation to occur.

Did you get that? C-A-P-I-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N. All together, now ... CAPITULATION. Once more, and this time with feeling ... CAPITULATION!

Capitulation: a five-syllable word that sounds good on the radio or TV and is used to make the speaker appear more knowledgeable than he or she really is. Ask the speaker to explain the word and many would be at a loss.

Echo chamber!  These people DO NOT know what they are talking about. Only a handful of them accurately warned that a financial crisis of the current magnitude was coming. The rest are just spewing out market lingo that they heard from others but do not understand. They keep the words bouncing around inside their echo-chamber heads until someone asks, and then open their mouths and let the sounds escape.

Nothing like the current financial crisis has happened in our lifetime. Technology is new. The global economy is new. We are literally groping our way through uncharted economic territory. A few weeks ago, shareholders owned corporate entities. Now governments are nationalizing them left and right. Houses used to go up in value. Not any more. Surprises come more often than fulfilled market predictions these days. We did not used to talk about the stock market relative to what happened several generations ago. Now we do. There are fewer and fewer reference points that can be relied on.

One of the reasons a financial crisis is upon us is people operated under the illusion of competency and control. They came up with myths like quantitative analysis and financial engineering, and then got people to believe them. Greed motivated people to put their money into groundless myths until the groundless myths collapsed into the rubble we see today.

While reliable reference points are hard to find, the time-honored principles of prosperity and wealth management shine as bright as always. Examples include: save some of the money you make, and live within your means. People who were grounded not in myth but in such truths are in good shape, even today.

When I was a boy, I would sometimes hear my parents, relatives and teachers talking about so-and-so who burned their mortgage. Back then, this was a social event and cause for celebration. After making their final payment on their house, people would gather with family and friends and burn the home loan document that has been satisfied. People used to be proud to be out of debt. Perhaps those days will return.

We woke up this morning in Knoxville, Tennessee. We arrived in town around midnight last night and spent most of the day waiting to pick up a load that ships late in the day. We showered at a truck stop. Diane read. I spent 15 minutes repairing a tool box door handle that was coming loose. And that's the day — lots of time to relax and read, an easy pickup later on, and now rolling on an overnight run.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Wednesday, October 29, 2008.  I learned today more about stock index options trading. Learned by doing it.

We woke up this morning in a consignee's parking lot in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Having picked up freight in Knoxville, Tennessee, we drove overnight to the delivery and arrived several hours early. The delivery was not until 10:00 a.m., which was a treat.

Usually, on overnight runs, you arrive a few hours early, go to sleep (if it is not a load requiring one driver to stay up with the freight), wake up for the delivery when the consignees arrive for work, find someplace else to park, and go back to sleep. This time, with a 10:00 a.m. delivery, we arrived several hours early and got to sleep in. We woke up on our own, before the alarms went off, and felt fresh and ready to go. (To protect against human error and oversleeping, we each set alarms on our cell phones.)

After the delivery, we found a parking place and settled in to wait for freight. I was glad for the time as we have decided to re-enter the options market, not with practice trades, but with real money.

As regular readers know, I have taken an interest in this and have been doing my homework. One of the books I am reading is Trading Rules that Work by Jason Alan Jankovsky. He talks about developing a set of trading rules that works for your trading style, risk tolerance and emotional makeup.

I like that approach. An essential truth I quickly grasped while researching trading is that trading is more about the trader than the markets. There are hundreds of ways to approach a market. What is true about selecting an expediting carrier is also true about trading. There is no single carrier or trading method that is better than all the others. There is only the carrier or trading method that is best for you.

I have developed a trading approach that seems to work for me. It has worked well in paper (practice) trades. Today it worked well in real life ... sort of.

Soon after the delivery, we parked and I got online to begin my trading day. I took a position and watched as the market moved in my favor and made up the cost of the trading commission in a few minutes. So far, so good.

Then a load offer came in. Diane read it off as I sat with my eyes fixed on the computer screen. Bummer! It was a good offer and if we were going to take it, we would need to leave immediately. The market moved slightly against me in the next instant. I closed out the trade with a gain on the options but a loss of $5.00 when commissions were factored in.

This was actually a very good test. Because of our unpredictable expediting schedule, any trading I do has to be something that can be quickly turned on and off.

We will not try to do trading and expediting at the same time. When we are working a load, that and that alone needs to be our focus. Nor will we trade when the truck is moving. Loss of an internet signal could be a real problem if the market moved while we were offline, even for a moment.

Following the rules we set, we accepted the offer. I closed the trade, and we were on our way. While I am talking about rules "we" set, I am the one actually doing the trading. Diane does not share my interest in this. But for me to feel comfortable doing this, she needs to be comfortable too. She is as much involved in the rule making as I am.

We drove through Philadelphia, crossed the Delaware River and picked up the freight in New Jersey. It was one box weighing 50 lbs. We delivered it in Maryland this afternoon. On the way, we got dispatched to pick up a load tomorrow afternoon. We pick it up from the same place we delivered to today. That is sweeeeet! Zero deadhead! That is a rare event. It is nice when it happens.

One last thing about options trading, and it will be the last thing I say about it in this blog, except perhaps to say how I spent part of a day.

I received an e-mail from a blog reader saying she was following my options activity with interest. That troubles me. While she is not one to enter into this high-risk activity, I worry others may think about it because of what they read here.

I am no trader and no role model in options trading. So far, I am no different than 90% of all other options traders. I have lost money doing it. One thing I have figured out is that trading is more about the trader than the market. In other words, what works for me or someone else probably will not work for you; because your emotional makeup, risk tolerance, and market perceptions are different than anyone else's.

If you, like me, take a strange new interest in this strange new world, it falls to you to do your homework. Get online, go to bookstores, talk to people. Take in as much information as you can and start digesting it. Perceptive readers will notice that I have not quit my day job.

Have you noticed the days are getting shorter? Don't get me wrong. I like winter. I just don't like the after-dark driving in rush hour traffic, the cold weather, snow, having to wear extra clothes, driving in more-hazardous conditions, fueling the truck in sub-zero winds, spending money on more-frequent truck washes, walking through dirt and slush and tracking it into the truck. Yep, I like winter. I even wrote a poem about it. See: A Trucker's Poem.

I never figured this out until I became a trucker. The reason Christmas is in December is so Santa Claus can be off work and enjoy every minute of summer there is to enjoy. Ho! Ho! Ho!  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Thursday, October 30, 2008.  Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another episode of Dental Drama, where getting to the dentist is its own reward! (audience applause, music)

Today's contestants, Phil and Diane Madsen, are on the East Coast and need to get Diane into a dentist's chair in Minnesota next Wednesday morning. The object of the game is to complete this task with as little expense and time out of service as possible.

There are no prizes. Remember, in this game ... (audience joins announcer and cheers) "Getting to the dentist is its own reward!"

Contestants do not win trips. When you enter this game, you are immediately penalized with a trip that puts you far away from home. From there, you must make your way back to the dentist's chair.

After your penalty trip is awarded, another trip may or may not come. Each trip includes the pay the trip involves. A trip may be offered at any time. It may take you further from home, closer to home, or, no trip may be offered at all.

If a trip is offered, it may pay a little money or a lot. With each offer, contestants must choose. Will the trip get you closer to the dentist's chair or not? If it is a high-paying load, do you take it to maximize your income or decline it to get to the dentist's chair on time and win the game? Remember, getting to the dentist is its own reward!

Phil and Diane, are you ready to play? (Phil, looking at the wrong camera, giggles nervously and nods. Diane raises her hands in the air and shouts "Bring it on!")

The Madsen's are on a load now that will keep them busy until Friday morning. They know where they will be then but do not know where the freight will take them next. Friday's are days when lucrative long runs are sometimes offered. Friday's are also days that sometimes mark the beginning of a weekend layover at one's present location.

Will Phil and Diane go out of service and drive home? If they do, how much time will they need, how far must they drive and how much fuel will they use? Will Phil stay with the truck while Diane takes a plane? If so, how much will the airfare be, will the flight be booked early to gain cost savings or at the last minute to gain time, how will she get to the airport, which airport will it be, where will Phil stay while he waits for her return, and how long will it take Diane to get back to the truck?

In this game there are penalties for every move. The more time you spend out of service and unavailable to haul freight, the more revenue opportunities you lose. The more money you spend on truck fuel or air fare to get home, the more money you lose. If a high-paying load is offered that conflicts with the dental appointment, you must either turn the load down so you can win the game, or lose the game to do the load. But if you choose to lose, you must play the game again very soon, but you may do so only if your dentist is kind and agrees to work you in.

Our contestants are ready to play! Tune in tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, for the next episode of Dental Drama, where (audience joins announcer and cheers) "getting to the dentist is its own reward!" (music, applause, cut to break). Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Friday, October 31, 2008.  I learned today a bit more about about quarks. Learned by reading more of a book I started a few weeks ago, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.

Not mentioning it yesterday but wanting to keep up the learn something new theme of this blog, I learned yesterday a winter driving tip about lowering your sun visors to keep windshield defroster heat on the windshield. Learned by reading the tip on the ExpeditersOnline.com Open Forum.

The amazing thing about the tip is that with both of us grew up in winter states and had not heard that tip before. It came to us by someone from Missouri. Sometimes the simplest and most-obvious things are missed for a long, long time.

Yesterday's "Dental Drama" came to an end today when we learned where the freight will take us. We are in a New England state now, waiting for a Monday pickup. That freight will take us to a southern state from which Diane will fly home to the dentist and then back to the truck. It means we will haul only one load between now and Thursday, maybe Friday.

Diane's braces cost a fair amount by themselves. When we add in the transportation and business down time, they are getting downright expensive. It is a choice we made and I am not complaining, just noting the impact.

While there will be cosmetic benefits, that is not why we are doing this. The dentist gave Diane a choice; braces now or surgery later. We are grateful to have a job that provides the income and flexibility to make the good choice.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

Blog entries are made so as not to reveal customer specifics or the current location of our truck. Entries are updated to include location information after we leave the area.  Blog author  Top of page  Bottom of page

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