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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 when we are under load. Entries are updated to include location information after we leave the area. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Montana's Crazy Mountains • North Dakota winter storm • Feeling good today, on a long run
• I learned today a bit about the Crazy Mountains in Montana. Learned by seeing them as we drove by and later reading about them online.
• We are on a cross-country run, driving and sleeping in shifts. The route would normally take us west through North Dakota but winter storms there threatened to closed the roads. After discussing it with dispatch, dispatch approved a 102 mile addition to the run. That enabled us to take I-80 west instead of I-94 and entirely avoid the winter storms. The delivery time does not need to be bumped. We will arrive late tonight, hours before the consignee opens for business in the morning.
• It has been a while since we have been on a long run like this. It feels good to keep the truck rolling for more than a day at a time. It is also nice to see this part of the country again. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topic: Driving and sleeping in shifts
I learned today nothing new. It happens sometimes.
• We delivered a load in Spokane, Washington this morning that has been on the truck since Monday. It picked up in New Hampshire and was the kind of freight that required at least one of us to be awake with the freight at all times.
Driving and sleeping in shifts is nothing new to us. So too with the truck parked and one of us staying awake with the freight while the other sleeps. Having been doing drive/sleep shifts since Monday, it would have been great to receive another long run and continue the routine. We were in the groove! Sadly, no acceptable offers were received today. After the morning delivery, we treated ourselves to a nice breakfast at IHOP, found a place to park and went to sleep.
Resting up after a long run, I did just that; rest. The desire to learn something new every day gave way to the desire to impersonate a potato. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Spokane truck wash • Passing time today • Advantages of our full-featured truck
• I learned today the location of a well-hidden truck wash and detailing shop in Spokane, Washington. Learned by finding and using it.
We woke up this morning at the Flying J truck stop near Spokane, Washington (I-90, Idaho Exit 2), after delivering freight yesterday in the area. With the weather clearing and the truck filthy, a truck wash was needed.
It has been a while since we were here. Last time, we saw a sign near the Petro truck stop (I-90, Washington Exit 272) that advertised a truck wash coming soon. I called the Petro to see if the truck wash had been built yet. It had not, but the person answering the phone told me of another truck wash at the Broadway exit. I searched the web and found it.
Every city has what Diane and I call a truck ghetto. It is the industrial part of town where the new and used truck dealers tend to be located, along with a host of heavy equipment suppliers, trailer shops, reefer dealers, etc. Sometimes it is on the edge of town, sometimes in the center. Sometimes the areas are new and modern. More often, they are old, dirty, run down and beat up from heavy truck traffic. Spokane's truck ghetto is of the latter variety.
As often as not, the people you meet in the truck ghettos are very good. They include the business owners, managers, sales reps, technicians, clerks and laborers that help make the world of trucking go around. We paid $67 for a truck wash today, which is on the high side but lower than the $80 wanted by the rotten place we rejected yesterday.
• Other than the truck wash, today was filled with time at the local Barnes and Nobel bookstore, two long telephone conversations — one with a business friend, one with a trucking friend — a short telephone chat with an expediter friend, and some house cleaning in the back of the truck.
We are in service and available to haul freight, but you can't haul what they don't offer, and no offers were received today. That's OK. We have received good offers out of this area and we expect to score some good freight soon.
• It is in times like these when running a full-featured, White Glove equipped truck like ours pays off. Loads other trucks are not eligible to haul sometimes "reach out" to our truck. It may mean a long deadhead to pick up the freight, but when an offer is received and accepted, we know we are deadheading in the right direction, for a good reason and acceptable pay. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Learning about Twitter • Qualcomm status checks • Likely weekend layover in Spokane
• I learned today about Twitter. Learned by setting up an account and my Twitter home page.
My interest was sparked by a Business Week article I read about Twitter. I have looked at various social networking sites before but nothing clicked. The popular notion of making friends on Facebook or MySpace held little appeal, especially after seeing the endless stream of meaningless gibberish people put up. Twitter is not without the same, but it also offers serious business and real friends networking possibilities. Or so it seems. I'll give it a try to find out.
We woke up this morning in Spokane, Washington, where we are waiting for a load offer. The Qualcomm unit was quiet yesterday. Other than responses to status checks we did, it was a no-beep day (beeps signal incoming messages).
• When a status check is requested, information comes back telling you what your status is, what other trucks are in the area, and what loads have been dispatched out of your current express center. Status checks are done mostly to verify that dispatch knows you are in service and available. When dispatch tells you that you are in service and available, you know that they know. That makes it easier to wait through long no-beep periods. Status checks also reassure you that the Qualcomm unit is working.
• While a load offer can come in anytime, we don't expect much action over the weekend. Today will be a good day for studying, truck maintenance and exploring Twitter. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Adult internet users • Online friends • My network • Social networking • Activities today
• I learned today that one-third of adult internet users have a profile on a social networking site, up from 8% in 2005. Learned by reading about social networking.
One of the best and most respected sources for information about what internet users are doing is the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The above statistic comes from them. Yesterday I joined the one-third mentioned above and set up a profile of my own on Twitter, a micro-blog social networking site.
• On some social networking sites you make "friends." On Twitter you follow others and are followed. Following the posts of others and having others follow mine makes more sense to me. Making friends with people you have never met and that can dump you with a mouse click stretches the notion of friendship beyond my comfort zone. It seems that millions of people are using these social networking sites to generate and maintain an acceptance buzz. That is of no interest to me.
• I don't have or want thousands of "friends." I have thousands of readers, a smaller number of online business contacts, an even smaller number of business colleagues and vendors, a still smaller number of real friends, a gaggle of relatives and one wife. My readers read this blog, my posts on the ExpeditersOnline.com Open Forum, and my articles in Expedite NOW, which is distributed online and in print.
• As I think about social networking, it seems best to distinguish between the communications the internet makes possible, the relationships you create and invest your time and emotions in, and the reasons why.
It makes good business sense to chatter online with industry contacts and fellow truck drivers. It is also a fact of life that no online contact you make will visit you in the hospital or attend your funeral. If you are an approval suck, a social networking buzz can fill the needs of the moment (OMG! I can't believe you said that! OMG! I love that pic! Hey peeps! I'm naked in the shower!). But filing the emotional needs of the moment can also distract you and even protect you from doing the hard and perhaps painful work of resolving inner conflicts and finding your peace.
That is not to say it is all bad. Watching TV alone in a room when you could and probably should be doing something else is equally distracting and unproductive. But be it TV, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or whatever else, the entertainment value is there and sometimes an entertainment break is exactly what one needs.
There is a lot of commentary these days about how people are meeting online and sorting themselves into tribes that are defined by politics, sports interests or whatever. This is of great interest to people who have something to sell. It creates new possibilities for those who are into affinity group marketing. As a substitute for emotional well being, real friends and meaningful family relationships, it is hogwash.
• We woke up this morning at a truck stop in Spokane, Washington. As expected, no load offers were received, so we are still waiting for some freight to haul. We expect today to be pretty much the same as yesterday.
My only gripe at the moment is the weather. The Spokane locals are delighted with their good weather. I learned that from Twitter yesterday, and the old fashioned way too; by talking to people in person (imagine that!). It is April and we have to run the generator to keep warm in the truck. A run south would be nice. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Professional networking with Twitter • How Twitter makes me a better writer • Activities today
I learned today more about Twitter. Learned by exploring Twitter features and using this resource.
• The more I get to know about Twitter, the better I like it. Twitter is a great news feed and phenomenal professional networking tool — phenomenal for its efficiency and ease. By making it easy to tap into the tweets (short online posts) of the people and news feeds you select, Twitter makes it easy to follow your personal news interests. More importantly, Twitter enables you to follow the thinking of people you select.
For example, in Twitter I recently became a follower of Tom Nightingale, the chief marketing officer of Con-way, a major trucking company. In Twitter, you are a follower of other people's tweets and other people are followers of yours. A tweet is a short message posted on Twitter. Twitter is serious about short. The limit is 140 characters per tweet.
Nightingale, recently tweeted about the best description of the transportation recession he has ever read. He also provided a link to the five-page document, which is a sample from a professional newsletter that subscribers pay $850 a year to receive. Nightingale is correct, it is a very good description of the transportation recession.
This kind of executive-level reading is not something I am likely to come across while driving a truck out on the road. Because I make my money as a truck driver, publications that target truck drivers tend to come my way. But as a business person too, I would love to know what high-ranking industry executives are reading and believe to be valuable. With no effort greater than reading a stream of tweets from the people I follow, I can tap into their minds in ways I never before could.
• Twitter is also making me a better writer. Seeing how millions of people are flocking to Twitter and making great use of short tweets showed me how to better organize my thoughts and words in this blog. Regular readers will notice something new. Each day's blog entry now starts with a list of the day's topics and links to them in the blog text.
New readers coming here from Twitter and other search engine sites can quickly zero in on topics that interest them. Bullets (•) mark the topics. Regular readers who enjoy reading the full narrative have it as before. By the way, notice the maroon background on this page. It is now textured! Woo-hoo!
• It is Monday morning in Spokane, Washington, where we continue to wait for freight. We decided over the weekend to stay here at least through close of business tonight. We have been dispatched out of here on good loads before. The next best express center is San Jose, California, which is a full day's drive away. We will see if we blew it by not using slow-freight weekend time to deadhead there.
Update: We accepted a load offer late in the day. The pay is good but the miles are short. We headed toward Portland, Oregon to spend the night. We will do a short run there tomorrow.
The drive to Portland takes us through the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, one of the most scenic drives in the country. Lewis and Clark sailed on this river. We have crossed paths with their paths many times in our travels. They are like old friends. We saw the gorge this time under a clear sky as the sun set ahead. That made the lighting bad for photos. I'll try to get pictures for the blog next time.
That's one of the great things about hauling expedited freight nationwide like we do. If we miss a good photo or tourist opportunity, it's no big deal. We'll be back. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Murdered truck driver • Wind turbines in transit • Activities today • About expediting
• I learned today that a FedEx Custom Critical White Glove Services® driver was robbed murdered this weekend. Learned from people who e-mailed and called me about it.
This news shook Diane and me because we too are FedEx Custom Critical White Glove Services® drivers (contractors, actually). We did not know the victim or his co-driver wife, Helen. Details are sketchy and what few news reports there are say little. The victim's name was Scott Massom, 40. The murder occurred in South Carolina. If you are interested, a Google News search of the name will bring up the reports.
We can't begin to imagine what it is like for a family to go through something like this. While we did not know the Massoms, our hearts and prayers go out to them.
• While laid over in Spokane last weekend, I took some photos of oversize-load trucks carrying wind turbine blades. These are an increasingly common sight on the road as wind power seems to be catching on and wind farms are built.
The size of these things is amazing. Shown here are three specialized trailers, each carrying two turbine blades. They were parked at the Petro truck stop just west of Spokane. The towers were not parked with the blades. A similar truck is used to carry one tower. Other trucks carry additional wind turbine components, some of which are also oversize loads.
Pilot cars provide visual warnings to motorists about nearby oversize loads and maintain radio contact with the truck drivers. 
It is interesting to listen in on the CB radio as the pilot car and truck drivers work their loads safely under bridges, through traffic, around corners and into parking places. These guys get paid a high rate per mile and earn every penny.
I chatted briefly with one of the pilot car drivers. He said the blades had been manufactured in Spain, transported by ship to a port in Washington (state) and loaded on trucks there. The trucks were taking them to a wind farm that is being built somewhere in Montana.
They call Montana the Big Sky Country. They are going to need a big sky in which to place these massive turbines. Building wind farms may be what all the kids are doing these days, and going green may be all the rage, but these turbines are not without negative consequence. They destroy the natural and remote skyline for miles around, and degrade the view for everyone who might otherwise enjoy it. I don't care how green these turbines are supposed to be. Big Sky Country trumps Big Turbine Country every time.
The pilot car driver sensed my upcoming question about why wind turbines are not purchased from U.S. manufacturers. Apparently accustomed to hearing the same question from others, the pilot car driver offered that turbines are also manufactured in the U.S. You would think U.S. wind turbine manufacturers would have a competitive advantage in supplying U.S. wind farms, wouldn't you? It can't be cheap to move those things from a plant in Spain onto trucks, then onto a ship, then to a U.S. port, then onto trucks again and finally to a wind farm somewhere in the U.S.
With everything going green in the U.S. and that trend having been visible for several years, how is it that U.S. wind turbine manufacturers are being outdone by those overseas? Why not build them in the U.S., put them on trucks one time, and haul them not from the coasts, but from inland locations that are probably closer to the delivery sites? We're not talking about T-shirts or shoes that can be mass-produced by unskilled overseas labor and shipped by the ton. These wind turbines are quite something to build and move around.
I'm sure there are some very smart people who can explain why it makes perfect sense to purchase and import wind turbine components from overseas manufacturers. It's just that to an untrained and unsophisticated wind turbine observer like me (Ooh, honey! Look at those!), it makes no sense at all.
• We drove from Spokane to Portland, Oregon last night and spent the night at the Jubitz truck stop in Portland. We got up with the sun, completed a little ten-mile run and returned to Jubitz to wait for our next load. Jubitz is one of the nicest truck stops in the country. We enjoy hanging out here.
The short run gave us less-than-75 status, which puts us ahead of other trucks that may also be waiting for freight in the area. That's a good thing. Portland is not a busy area for expedited freight.
• Last week we did a run from New Hampshire to Washington state. Today we did one from one part of town to another. That's the way it is for expediter teams. Some loads will take you across the country. Others will take you across town, and even across the street in some cases. See Introduction to Expediting for more information. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Our first-quarter numbers • Still happy in our work • A short run in Portland • New steer tires
• I learned today our numbers for the first quarter, 2009, compared to 2008. Learned by looking at them.
We did 32 runs in the first quarter of 2008 (January 1-March 31) and 24 in 2009. That is a 25 percent decline. Gross revenue also declined 25 percent. Our 2008 full-year gross revenue declined 20 percent from 2007.
In other words, the freight slowdown is not only continuing, but the decline is accelerating. Last year's 20 percent decline has given way to this quarter's 25 percent decline.
Looking around to see what else is going on, the news is not encouraging. Container ships are stacking up on ports around the world because there is not enough freight for many of them to haul. Airlines are mothballing planes in record numbers. North American rail freight is down 16.6 percent in the first three months of this year. Unemployment remains high, etc., etc., etc.
• So, where does that leave us in our one-truck owner-operator business? It leaves us as grateful as ever to be healthy and happy on the road. While we would of course prefer to be making more money, we continue to believe this is the best job we have ever had. If we were back in our old white-collar carrers, we might not have jobs at all.
Driving the truck under load is better than sitting in it waiting for freight, but even when sitting, we are on the job, doing what expedited freight haulers do.
Financially, our ace in the hole is that we made hay when the sun shined. Business was very good when we bought our truck, so much so that we paid it off in less than two years. We believed then that debt-free was the way to be. We know it as a fact now. Our property-free lifestyle also helps because expenses are so much lower.
It is an attitude challenge to find ourselves eight days into a new month with less than $800 grossed in that time; and to look at numbers that say we are doing worse in 2009 than in 2008, which was worse than 2007. I wish there was good economic news to zero in on, but find none.
Yet — and perhaps strangely — life on the road is good and there is no job we would rather have.
• We woke up this morning at the Jubitz truck stop in Portland, Oregon. A short load offer came in that we declined, declined again after they raised the pay, reconsidered 30 minutes later and finally accepted.
This is a really small run. It goes just ten miles and pays just $200. Two-hundred dollars may sound like good money for a ten mile run but the load does not deliver until tomorrow morning. That means we tie the truck up all day today and all night tonight for $200. If another good load is offered for a pickup today or tonight, we will miss it because we are on this little run.
Considering the slow freight and the fact that true good runs are usually dispatched a day or more ahead of the pickup, we took the short run. That may turn out to be a big mistake. If so, the mistake is made and there is not much use in dwelling on it.
• We completed the pickup mid-afternoon. It was an easy pickup which left us time to get to a nearby tire dealer and buy new steer tires. For non-truckers, the steers are the front tires on a truck. The legal tread-depth limit is 4/32 of an inch. Ours were between 5/32 and 6/32. We could have gotten more miles out of them but as usual, we erred on the side of caution. Also, they do not charge sales tax in Oregon. Since we are here, we took advantage of that.
The tire shop people got right to us when we pulled in. We called ahead and they had our tires sitting out for us. It did not take long to get the job done.
As usual, the tire dealer expressed amazement and complained when he saw the price he had to charge us for the tires. Our carrier has a discount program with the tire manufacturer that we can use. It is more than healthy. The dealer said that at this price, he should be buying tires from us. Through the discount program, we pay less than dealer cost. Even so, the tires are not cheap. We left almost as much money with the tire dealer as we have made so far this month. It has been a slow month so far.
Seeing the dealer's yard, we gathered that the dealer has some heavy-duty customers. It provided a fun photo opportunity.
We will have freight on the truck overnight. After tomorrow's early-morning delivery, we will be looking for more. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Columbia River Gorge • The Obama Chia Pet • Heading home
• I learned today a bit about the geologic history of the Columbia River Gorge. Learned by reading about it online shortly after driving through it.
We came through the gorge last Tuesday. We were then westbound on I-84 in Oregon, heading to Portland. The sun was setting ahead of us, which meant bad light for picture taking. Today we went eastbound through the gorge with the afternoon sun behind us. The skies ranged from overcast to mostly cloudy. The sun peeked out a few times. Conditions were not ideal for photos but not bad either.
We have been up and down this gorge several times but never get tired of it. It is one of the most scenic drives in the country. If you have a normal job with scheduled vacation time, and are looking for a fun place to go, the Columbia River Gorge area is worth considering.
As truck drivers, we get to see places like this again and again. It is both interesting and fun to see these attractions at different times of the year in different light. Today, with the trees just beginning to leaf out and the grass in its spring green shade, Oregon and Washington across the river made me think of giant Chia Pets.
• Actually, it was the Obama Chia Pet that brought chia to mind. I read a news item about Walgreens pulling the Obama Chia Pet off its shelves. The Obama Chia Pet; I've been chuckling about that for three days, especially what Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass wrote (link includes photo).
He was sad to see Walgreens pull the item, saying, "It pained me deeply, because I really, really wanted a tasteful Obama head for my desk. It was soothing to think of Obama's clay cranium just a few feet away, watching while I typed my columns.
"I dreamed of watering him gently, patiently waiting for him to sprout a lush green 'fro.
"Then I'd clip his presidential shrubbery with scissors, dry it and roll it.
"Then smoke it.
"At long last, I thought I'd found a renewable source of primo Hopium, the stuff that Washington pundits use to make themselves feel all right with Barack."
• But I digress. Do you remember that short-run load we picked up yesterday to deliver this morning? We did just that, which put us in a familiar spot — waiting for our next load and asking the familiar expediter question, what do we do now?
We drove to the TA truck stop in Troutdale to top off the fuel, take showers and do some minor truck maintenance. As morning turned to afternoon and we thought ahead to Diane's April 15 dental appointment at home, we concluded that of the several ways we had to position the truck and get Diane home, the best was to drive home now.
That's where we are headed as I write this. The Columbia River Gorge is in our rear view mirror. About 1,600 miles of open-road driving lie ahead. We will be in our home church on Easter Sunday and at the table with family for dinner. The weather will be good and I can't wait to get under the truck with a steel brush and several cans of spray paint. It's Spring; time for the winter rust to go and for the truck look new again.
We won't make any money between now and the 15th but life is good. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: The plunging value of used trucks • Driving under a Montana moon.
• I learned today that the value of used trucks is plunging. Learned by researching the value of our truck in today's market.
It is not news to me that used truck values have plunged during the freight recession. What is new are specific numbers that relate to full-featured expedting trucks in general and our truck in particular. This specific awareness came as I researched other expediter trucks, and talked to a number of truck owners and dealers. The research was done to determine the appropriate level at which to insure our truck.
Companies that insure trucks do not offer replacement cost insurance. If they did, drivers would regularly torch or otherwise total their trucks to get brand new ones courtesy of the insurance company. Instead, insurance companies insure trucks at their market value.
While they are happy to accept premiums based on an owner-declared value of say $200,000, if the true market value of the truck is $100,000, that is all the insurance company will pay if the truck is totaled. Therefore, it is wise for truck owners to insure their trucks for their market value and no more. Doing so will reduce the premiums one pays.
Buying a truck is not like buying a house. You expect a truck to decline in value over the years. It is called depreciation and wise business people build that cost into their business plans and include it when they determine the cost per mile and cost per day of running a truck.
Diane and I do exactly that. Unscheduled attention was given to this when we learned that the truck pictured here was recently repossessed, auctioned off at wholesale and will likely resell at retail for about $100,000. Given what a truck like that sold new for just two years ago, $100,000 is a shockingly low number.
While we did not like having to do so, we made some calls, made some judgments and instructed our insurance company to lower the insured value of our truck to a number less than what was originally and reasonably forecast when the truck was new. We expect used truck values to rise when freight levels also rise. Until then, we will accept the fact that the recession has eroded our truck's value faster than projected and improve our cash flow by reducing our insurance premiums.
• We are deadheading 1,700 miles home. That is a bit of a hike but it is done for good reason. I drew the night shift last night and it was spectacular. The moon was full and I had eastbound I-90 in Montana mostly to myself. The moon lit snow-capped peaks atop the dark mountain shapes. The air was crisp and clear, making it possible to see a mile ahead when the high beams were on.
Except for the road, the landscape is the same today as it was 10,000 years ago. I don't know what it is but being in pristine settings like that puts me at peace.
Ten thousand years from now, someone else will be eastbound in Montana under April's full moon. Montana the state will probably be long gone. April the month may be a meaningless concept too. But the moon and mountains will still be there. I wonder if my year-12009 traveling colleague will enjoy the experience as much as me? Heck, by that time, he might live on the moon and come to Montana for lunch. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: iTunesU • Home today
I learned today about iTunesU mobile learning. Learned by reading about it in a Twitter post (tweet) and checking it out.
We have been to the online iTunes store several times but did not notice iTunesU. If it is new, it is a great addition. If not, we are glad to find it. Good stuff here. Be sure to view the video when you click the link above.
We arrived at home about 1:00 a.m. this morning. Relatives started showing up soon after we woke up and started our errands and truck work. Not much got done today. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Social Networking Invades our Family Easter Sunday at Home
I learned today more about Facebook. Learned when young relatives showed me their Facebook pages when we gathered on Easter Sunday.
One older relative said, "It seems pretty pointless." A younger relative was texting friends pretty-much non-stop throughout the day. Others checked their e-mail, Facebook and other accounts throughout the day. Some sent or received a few text messages during the day. One, who recently became the president of the company he has been with for many years, moved his Blackberry with him as he moved from the table to the living room and various seats throughout the day. The device was quiet but never out of reach. I checked my e-mail and Twitter accounts several times. The house land-line phone was used one time when a distant relative called to visit with those here for Easter.
A suggestion or order that all devices be put down and all accounts be left unchecked on Easter Sunday would have been strongly resisted. Each electronic communications event was no more distracting than if someone excused himself or herself to the bathroom and returned to the group a few minutes later. Yet it was clear that when family members were in the room, most of them had more on their mind and were actively communicating with people outside the family and elsewhere in the world.
With many family members now linked to a variety of devices and accounts, this level of texting and account checking during a face-to-face family event was a new development. We will have some time to think about this before Christmas. A device-free family day might be something to consider. Or, thinking about the other extreme, maybe we can all start texting and link up through Facebook and Twitter. Family events can be canceled since we would all be caught up on the visiting in real time all the time. It is a green solution too since driving would be saved.
One relative came home from college and brought three friends with her who could not make it to their more-distant homes for Easter. All of them had cell phones and checked messages from time to time. Thinking it to be a good opportunity to learn more about how these smart, young people are communicating these days, I asked them about it. Their answers were disappointing and lent credibility to the "...seems pretty pointless" opinion offered above.
Each of them had Facebook pages but none of them could explain why. They could explain what they do on Facebook, but not why. At present, my Twittering is best viewed as a discovery process.
Having recently hopped on the Twitter train and seeing the power of social networking, I too am at a loss to explain why I Twitter. I am learning more about it and thinking it through, but have no good answer yet.
An online search about social networking will produce an endless stream of articles about how to build an audience and make money with social networking. But what if you don't want to build an audience and make money by selling things to your audience of friends and followers?
There is more to think about and more research to do. Before finding the answers, it is best to know the question. Two questions on my mind today are: (1) Why do I go online? and (2) Is face-to-face family time enhanced, degraded or unaffected by social networking? (Note that a cell phone photo taken at the dinner table and sent to a distant relative can be meaningful and fun.)
We came home for Diane's dental appointment on Wednesday but happen to be here for Easter too. Today was a non-trucking day; filled mostly with church, Easter dinner and visiting with relatives. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Diane earns continuing legal education (CLE) credits.
I learned today what it is like to take the commuter train to downtown Minneapolis. Learned from Diane doing it for the first time and telling about it.
We deadheaded home from Portland, Oregon and arrived on Saturday. Diane has a dental appointment on Wednesday. Getting home on Saturday got us here for Easter too.
As an attorney, Diane is required to complete a number of continuing education hours to keep her law license current. We had been planning a trip home in June so she could complete all 45 hours then. Finding ourselves home now, we decided to take a week off the road and send her to school. She is there as I write this. Today's class is about reading business financial statements.
I envy the opportunity to attend a course like that but not the cost. CLE credits are expensive. Parking in downtown Minneapolis, where the course is offered, is expensive too. To save that money, Diane did something neither one of us had done before. She took the commuter train. This Minneapolis light rail transit line was just being completed when we took up life on the road. Being on the road most of the time, we had no occasion to take the train, until now.
Diane's being in class leaves me behind at the house, where I am free to write and putter with the truck. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: My social networking needs and uses defined • Activities today
I learned today my social networking needs and uses. Learned by waking up with the answers in mind.
Regular readers know I have been experimenting with and thinking about social networking in recent days, and sleeping on it for a few nights. It is now clear to me that social networking is great for some but of only limited value to me.
If I had something to sell, a job to find, an agenda to push, or an organization to support or a business to build, social networking would be of great use. So too if I had the desire to build a large audience with the idea of making money off it, or if I had the emotional need to be cool or to belong to and be a player in a large network of friends.
None of that fits me. As a contractor with an expedited freight carrier, I have only the carrier as my customer. I sometimes refer to the shippers and consignees we serve as customers, but technically, they are our carrier's customers. And even then, Diane and I serve only one shipper and consignee at a time. Once that load is off the truck, it may be the last time we ever interact with that customer. Running a one-truck owner-operator business as we do, we simply have no need to build an audience or network of friends.
We are not in business to make friends. We are in business to make money, and we make our money by hauling one load of freight at a time for one carrier and one shipper and one consignee at a time. Our carrier already knows we exist and what our capabilities are. We are already networked there.
I have also been exploring day trading as a money-making activity. Financially, the potential there is far greater than anything social networking could produce. Trading is a highly-individualized activity that requires intense concentration and a knowledge of one's self and one's flaws that is threatening to many. Spending time in a social network interacting with other traders is not a way to develop the discipline and clarity of thought successful traders have.
It has been an interesting excursion, this exploration of social networking, but to make money and continue to succeed as an expediter, my focus needs to be on things other than developing Facebook friends and Twitter followers. The acceptance buzz that social networking offers can be seductive but in our present circumstances and goals, there are better ways for Diane and me to spend our time.
I will continue with Twitter, not to build an audience, but because it is a very efficient way to tap into the minds of important people and pick up good ideas and information without getting drawn into the noise other networking services have. If I can figure out a way to do the same with LinkedIn, a social networking site for business professionals, I will. Beyond that, the focus will be on expediting and day trading.
• Today will be mostly the same as yesterday. Diane is in school all day at a continuing legal education class. I am at home writing and puttering with the truck. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Truck Maintenance • Susan Boyle • Activities today
• I learned today that changing truck shock absorbers is not a do it yourself job. Learned by watching a mechanic struggle through it.
Trying to save some money on truck maintenance costs, I had Diane stop by our local Volvo truck dealer to pick up some shock absorbers for our truck. It is time to change them and I figured this was a job straightforward enough to do myself.
My attempt failed. The fasteners that hold the shocks on the truck were too tight for me to get off. A nephew who is stronger than me and no stranger to heavy equipment mechanical work could not bust them loose either. The air impact wrench we used was not powerful enough. Brute force was inadequate. So off to the dealer I went to have the shocks done there.
I had a ringside seat watching the mechanic do his work. His air tools were more powerful than ours. Five of the six shocks came off reasonably easy. The sixth was a pain. The rear wheels had to removed to provide a better work angle. An air hammer had to be used to bust the bolt loose.
The shocks cost about $80 each. Three hours of labor at $108 was more than I expected to pay. I thought the job would be an hour at most but the three hours was legitimate. I watched the man do everything he could to triumph over that sixth shock. Shocks are not complicated. Had I known it would be that much work, I would have shopped around for a better labor rate. Live and learn.
• Parting with that kind of money can get you down but with Susan Boyle now in my life my spirits are good. I heard about her on the TV news last night and have watched the You Tube video six times since. Spectacular! Uplifting! Wonderful! If you have not yet seen the video, take a look now. You will see. When I watched it last night, the video has been viewed over 3 million times. As I write this, that number has grown to 6.8 million. Bravo! Bravo! Susan Boyle!
• Diane completed her dental appointment today. I was in the shop with the truck. She has more continuing legal education classes tomorrow and Friday. We plan to go back in service Friday night, as soon as Diane gets home from school. We are eager to get back out there and make some money. This has been a zero-revenue, maintenance-costly week. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, April 16, 2009. No blog entry today. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, April 17, 2009. No blog entry today. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
I learned today more about Twitter and social networking. Learned by reading about it on various web sites.
I did not blog on Thursday and Friday because there was nothing to say. Those days were the same as Monday and Tuesday.
We are home. Diane was taking continuing legal education classes to keep her law license up. She went to the dentist to have her braces adjusted on Wednesday. I have been splitting my time between truck maintenance (cleanup mostly), writing for Expedite NOW and random web surfing with an emphasis on Twitter and social networking.
The weather has been great all week. It has been wonderful working outside. With winter over, it is nice to get to our truck spring cleaning. While there is more truck cleaning to do, the inside of the truck body (the box in which freight is hauled) feels fresh and new again. A film of grime had built up over everything, including the equipment and even the ceiling.
It's gone now, making it much more pleasant to work back there. This is the part of the truck our customers see most. We like to keep it up.
We went back in service this morning and are ready to roll. All we need now is a load offer. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, April 19, 2009. No blog entry today. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
I learned today how to update the software on our GPS device. Learned by doing it.
We are running again! It feels good to be back at work.
We woke up at home this morning, having been there for over a week. In that week, Diane completed a dental appointment and half of the required continuing legal education hours she needs to keep her law license up. Today began quietly but a load offer was received and accepted mid-morning. We picked up the freight at 2:30 p.m. and are running now. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Trucking Trumps Twitter • Running Pre-dispatched
• I learned (relearned) today that the trucking life is the life for me. Learned by rethinking the decision Diane and I made to get into this business in 2003.
Recently discovering Twitter, and through it, some old friends from my politically-active days (see this), got me to wondering. I thought about the decision I made in 1998 to pass on getting deeply and professionally involved in the opportunities that then presented themselves. Those were some grand days.
Seeing how things have changed and grown in the field of digital democracy, online activism, e-democracy, cyber citizenship, or whatever else you want to call it, brought back many fond memories and stirred my heart. With trucking revenue not as good as it used to be, I wondered, is there something from that past that might work now?
The answer is yes and no. Yes, I could probably apply myself and find a way to make money in that field today. Doing so may even provide a strong measure of personal satisfaction as I would once again became active for political reform. But no, it is not a career I want to pursue. Been there, done that. Even in these recession-affected, slow-freight times, trucking trumps Twitter.
We are now back on the road after a week at home. How do we know the road is for us? We find out every time we go home and stay more than a few days. Simply, it feels better to be out on the road than it does to be at home. Another plus is trucking is something Diane and I can do together. Working side-by side on computers in a home office and traveling by train, plane and automobile has less appeal. Life is good in this truck. Life is good on the road. Out here, we are free. In a consulting business where we have a client base to service, we would be captive to them and to the never-ending need to keep growing the base.
• About trucking (expediting, actually), we are surprised to find busy freight. Soon after being dispatched on yesterday's load, we got pre-dispatched on today's. After delivering this morning in Indianapolis, Indiana, we picked up a load not far away and are hauling it now. Soon after picking it up, we got predispatched on another load that we will pick up tomorrow.
Back-to-back loads were common before the recession affected our business. It is a pleasant surprise to be hauling one load after another again. Three runs do not a trend make. We half-expect to revert to slow freight later this week. Still, it is nice to move from one load to the next without having to wait a day or two or even more in between. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Citizen Journalism Academy • We're Hauling Freight!
• I learned today about the Society of Professional Journalists' Citizen Journalism Academy. Learned by reading a Tweet (Twitter post) about it and then the web page.
Diane will be home for a June dental appointment when this one-day workshop will be held in Minneapolis. I plan to attend. While I serve as the editor of Expedite NOW and publish this blog, I do not consider myself a journalist. I still won't after attending this workshop but hope to pick up a few pointers.
• We are hauling freight as I write this. Diane is driving, I'm in the sleeper. This is our third run this week, which is a pleasant change of pace from previous weeks. We will arrive at our delivery around 10:00 p.m. On the way, we will stop for fuel and showers. It is a reefer load and detention time will be paid overnight. The pay per mile offered on all three loads has been very good. Things are looking up! We will enjoy it while it lasts. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Greased the truck • Day trading
• I learned today how to grease our truck. Learned by doing it.
Greasing our truck was not something totally new to me. Having worked as an automobile mechanic before, I know how to find zerks (the tiny fittings onto which the grease gun is attached and into which grease is pumped) and use a grease gun. Yet it was interesting and fun to spend some quality time with the underside of our truck today.
The weather was beautiful. We ran the truck up on some wooden blocks to provide more room to work. I put on a set of coveralls and proceeded to get dirty from head to toe as I cleaned off fist-size gobs of old grease that had built up over the life of the truck. In addition to pumping in new grease, I spent time viewing, wiggling and jiggling various truck components to make sure they were all OK. They were. I crawled out from under with increased confidence in our ride.
The only setback came from the grease gun itself. The tip failed before the job was complete. Running to a store to get a new one meant cleaning up first. The dirty coveralls went into a plastic bag and then into the laundry bag. I went into a truck stop shower. We will go to an auto parts store tomorrow to get a new grease gun tip. If we are not dispatched, I will finish the lube job then.
This is the first time I have greased the truck myself. A lube job at a truck stop is usually quick and inexpensive. Still, I think I will continue to grease the truck myself, at least when the weather is good. It is very satisfying to know every zerk was found and to see new grease displacing the old.
This will become part of a trucker's blessing I will one day write. May all your on-ramps be downhill, and may all your zerks be found.
• Regular readers know of my interest in day trading. This is a high-risk activity to be done only with money you are willing to lose. We have arranged our finances such that a meaningful day-trading grubstake is now established. A dedicated trading account, one that is separate from every other financial thing we do, must also be opened. I will open that tomorrow.
My day-trading dabbling in recent months has been educational but not profitable. This dedicated account will make more tools available and practice trading easier to do. I'm still not ready to jump in with real money, but having the money now set aside in a dedicated account gets me closer to where I want to be. The immediate difference is the additional resources my brokerage company will provide. Before, I was using limited freebies. Now, my practice trading will be closer to real-world trading and I will have a full-fledged trading platform to learn and use.
• As you probably guessed, we were not dispatched to haul freight today. It would have been great if we had. The week started out strong. We will see what happens tomorrow. Yesterday's delivery brought us to Columbus, Ohio. We remain in area waiting for freight. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Day Trading • This weekend's layover
• I learned today more about dealing with futures and options brokers. Learned by dealing with them.
• We woke up this morning in a retail area near Columbus, Ohio. After turning down several unprofitable load offers, and sensing the offer flow was about over, I went to work on the truck, finishing the lube job I started yesterday. An offer came while I was in the middle of it. We will be picking up freight in this area Monday afternoon and spending the weekend here. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, April 25, 2009. I learned today what the inside of our kitchen faucet handles look like and how they work (truck kitchen that is, a/k/a galley). Learned by taking them apart and looking.
Our kitchen sink has developed a drip. It's fixed now. Other than that, we are having a quiet day in the Columbus, Ohio area.
We are dispatched to pick up freight on Monday. It is a nice, summer-like day. The windows are open. No air conditioning is needed. Tomorrow we will get out of the truck for the day. Today has been filled with a little of this, a little of that (business paperwork, maintenance, morning walk, reading, web surfing, study, etc.) and a lot of doing nothing. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: Digital sabbath • Columbus Museum of Art • Swine Flu countermeasures • Waiting to pick up freight
• I learned today that a digital sabbath is only half a sabbath. Learned by taking a digital sabbath today.
From sunrise to sunset today, to observe a self-imposed digital sabbath, I turned off my computer and cell phone and let our iPod sit quiet. I have to tell you, there were moments when I really wanted to turn them back on, but I kept the commitment.
The effect was positive in that my day was more productive. When my mind drifted, I came back on task instead of checking out the web to see what is new. It was not restful like a true sabbath day would be. I spent a fair amount of time reading industry publications and a book on trading.
Maybe next Sunday, if we have no freight to haul, I will try a true sabbath observance in that I do nothing work related. I am reasonably confident that a true sabbath will be more restful, refreshing and better for the soul. Living and working in a truck as we do, it is easy to slip into something work related. Doing nothing work related for a full day will be a challenge. Making it a digital sabbath too will help clear the mind and heart. To that end, some iPod-provided music may be allowed.
I'm not out to be ultra-orthodox on this. When we move from place to place in the truck, we are legally required to do pre-trip inspections and update our log books. Some might consider driving the truck at all to be work, since truck driving is what we do for a living. I'm not being that strict. My focus is on creating a day of rest, a quiet time for contemplation of things not work.
• 
It was not all work and no play today. We started the day by going to church. We next drove to downtown Columbus, Ohio, parked on the street (free parking on Sunday) and visited the Columbus Museum of Art (free admission). I know little about art and art history but nevertheless enjoy the museums around the country as we are able. Most impressive to me this time were the Elijah Pierce and George Bellows exhibits. Both artists were home-grown, having direct connections to Columbus.
After an afternoon in the museum, we went to a retail area and spent the rest of the day in a bookstore. That is where read and ended up buying the trading book. Returning to the truck ahead of Diane, I finished off some trucking publications that have piled up.
• Swine flu is in the news and a case was reported in Ohio today. We made it a point to wash our hands immediately after church and were glad we did not stumble into a congregation of friendly huggers today. You never know what you are going to run into when you visit churches on the road like we do. It was also nice to see the communion wine served in small cups instead out of a common cup. Had it been a common-cup service, we might have sat communion out.
At the museum and bookstore, we were aware of the people around us and kept a safe distance. This flu is on people's minds. At the bookstore, a woman sitting in a chair coughed loudly with two hands over her mouth. Two moms, each with a baby were sitting nearby and reacted immediately to shield the babies from the cough. The woman who coughed apologized loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Our work can take us anywhere at any time. When the bird flu scare erupted a while back, we ordered high-quality masks and carry them in the truck. If people in the USA start wearing masks now and panic-buy them up, we are ready and can continue to work and mix with people. Though, I'm not enthusiastic about sitting in a bookstore or going to church while wearing a mask.
On the other hand, wearing a mask into a scale house when you are called in to present your papers might get you a friendly wave from the officer and instructions to return to the truck and continue on.
•We are dispatched on a load that we accepted on Friday. It picks up tomorrow. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, April 27, 2009. I learned today more about the flu in general and the swine flu in particular. Learned by listening to radio programs while I drove.
The flu is the topic of the day. At today's pickup in Columbus, Ohio, we were careful to use our pen when signing shipping papers and to make sure the shipper used hers. We will have minimal human contact from now through Thursday as we will be hauling freight on two long runs and spending most of our time in the truck.
People sometimes talk about things that will happen "when pigs fly." In the news today... the swine flu! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, April 28, 2009. I learned today that wild coyotes live in and around New York City. Learned by seeing one when we were there.
I had read that coyotes have moved into the cities and can be found in all 48 states. I learned first hand that was true when I was staying awake with freight just before sunrise this morning, in an office park parking lot, in a New York City suburb, and a coyote trotted by.
After our morning delivery, we immediately headed north to Albany, New York to pick up or next load. That one is going cross-country to Washington. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, April 29, 2009. No entry today. We are on a cross-country run, driving and sleeping in shifts. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: How Twitter is changing the way I surf the web • Laid over in Spokane, Washington
• I learned today how Twitter is changing the way I surf the web. Learned by noticing the behavior change.
I used to go onto the web via the Google News page. I'd open the page, scan it for stories of interest, right-click those links to open a new browser tab, and then read the stories one by one.
Now I go onto the web via Twitter. I open my Twitter profile page, log in, go to my Twitter home page and read the tweets of the people I follow. Many provide links to the stories or items they tweet about. As I used to do with Google News, I right-click those links to open a new tab and read the pages one by one.
Some of the people and companies I follow post news feeds on Twitter. Especially valuable are those from trade journals and specific industries that are of interest to me but do not show up on the Google News page without a specific search.
By following people and companies of interest to me, I can build a Twitter page (time line) that streams great stuff all day long; everything from the latest freight volume statistics to inspirational slogans to safe-driving reminders. Better still is the ability Twitter provides to tap into the thinking and activities of people I follow, in a way that is wonderfully efficient.
These people include truck drivers with whom I share the road, journalists that gather the news ("my" news), industry professionals, company executives I would not otherwise hear from, trade association leaders, thought leaders and religious leaders from whom I draw guidance and inspiration.
I have only been using Twitter for a short time but am finding it to be a fascinating, targeted, efficient and useful way to begin my online time. While I continue to visit a couple of favorite web sites, Twitter is transforming my online time to something less random, more productive and more fun.
• We delivered this afternoon in Washington (state) the load we picked up in New York on Monday. Now we are in Spokane waiting for our next load offer. 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 when we are under load. Entries are updated to include location information after we leave the area. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page