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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
Saturday, May 1 , 2010 I learned today about the town of Terrell, Texas. Learned by visiting the Terrell Heritage Museum and walking the town's main street (Moore Street, also known as U.S. 80).
Terrell hosts a truck stop that drew us into the area. Having no freight to haul, we spent the night. With no Barnes and Nobel bookstore nearby, we went to the local library to pass time and save generator hours. If the weather got too hot, we could avoid running the truck air conditioner and pass time in the library as easily as in the truck.
As we approached the city library, we noticed an old Carnegie Library building that now houses a museum. We visited the museum this afternoon. With the truck safely parked on a quiet street, it was easy to walk to the museum and around town.
As it has done in hundreds of communities, Walmart put a store on the highway outside of town. That gives rise to additional chain stores that we see around Walmarts nationwide. Diane and I call these areas Anytown, USA, because they are all the same. It matters not what state we are in, if we are in Anytown, we know exactly where to find the groceries, supplies, water fountains, bathrooms and garbage cans. We know menus of most of the restaurants. We know the store hours and where not to park a truck.
The museum visit got me thinking about history. With many old buildings still standing, it was easy to imagine how this Texas town looked before the automobile came onto the scene. Eliminate the electronic devices, imagine a dirt street and wooden sidewalks in place of today's asphalt and concrete, substitute a steam whistle for today's train air horn, hear horses and wagons instead of cars and trucks, and you have the original Terrell.
In the present day, the town looks back on better times. One of the original drug stores is now a run down building that houses tanning studio. The movie theater is a theater no more. A number of buildings were locked and vacant. The gun store was open and seemed like it may have been there from the early days. I don't know. I do know that thousands of people today drive right through Terrell to do their shopping at the stores in nearby Anytown, USA.
Technology (railroad) helped Terrell get started, technology (automobile) helped Anytown get started next door, and technology, of a type now unimagined will likely motivate people to leave both business districts behind for something else.
A hundred years ago I would not be a trucker but might have been a wagoner. I would not be sitting today in Terrell with a laptop and a direct link for trading on international currency exchange markets, but I might have had an active interest in the cotton markets as this town was a busy cotton center in its day. The Levi Strauss pants Diane and I wore today have not changed much from those worn a hundred years ago. I'm not sure that people have changed all that much either.
• One load offer was received today but at $0.80 a mile it was declined as quick as it came. Our other economic activity consisted of studying for the Series 3 National Commodities Futures exam (explained here), donating $5.00 to the museum, and spending online $2.00 for two Redbox movies vended from a machine at Walmart.
The truck aged one day and declined in value by that amount. Our fixed costs continued as they do every day. With no earned income today, our fixed costs were offset some by interest earned on funds in the bank but the day's financial growth is negative. While seeing Terrell today, we were looking for freight haul. We are eager to begin a positive cash flow in this new month of May.
Update: Not long after I posted the above, we got dispatched on a good paying load that gets us out of Texas. It picks up tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon and will keep us running overnight.
Expediting is a funny business. When you have freight on the truck, you want to get to the delivery and get it off. When you have no freight on the truck, you want to get some on. And wherever you happen to be, you want to be someplace else. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, May 2, 2010 I learned today my first impressions of a major food distribution company. Learned by forming my first impressions when Diane and I picked up a load at one of the company's facilities.
But first, this breaking news: The Kansas City cheese crisis has been averted. The volcano is grounding planes in Europe. The oil spill is threatening life as we know it on the Gulf Coast. The nation of Greece is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. The number of earthquakes in Southern California have increased. Torrential rains led to lost lives and extensive property damage in Tennessee. A car bomb was found in Times Square. Yet in the midst of all this, the people of Kansas City got their cheese. They got it because Diane and I delivered it to them in the nick of time.
That's part of what expediters do. We are called in when things go wrong, to make them right by getting stuff to people fast. Today it was 3,700 lbs. of cheese. Tomorrow it might be an electric motor that powers an assembly line or a special operating table that is urgently needed by a hospital.
Today's pick up was near Dallas, Texas. We arrived at 1:00 p.m. on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The sky was blue, winds calm, temperature just-right warm and the humidity low.
When the electronically controlled gate was opened by someone on the other side of the intercom, we drove into a huge facility where over a hundred reefer trailers were parked and a lone yard dog was moving them about. For non-truckers, yard dog is the name given to both a semi tractor and the person driving it. If you have this job, you're the yard dog. The tractor is specially designed for use at freight terminals and large warehouses to move semi trailers around in the yard. The yard dog here was moving empty trailers to the building to be loaded and full trailers to a parking area.)
The driver entrance was locked as this was not normal business hours. Other doors I tried were also locked. The yard dog responded to my wave and drove to me. He directed me to another door which was also locked. Hanging around in his truck and keeping his eye on me, the yard dog then directed me to the employee entrance which I was able to enter.
I like that name, yard dog. When people ask what you do for a living, I think it would be fun to say "yard dog." Not "I'm a yard dog." Not "I drive a yard tractor." Not "I work for..." Just "yard dog." I'd say it in a special way with a lowered voice, slow speech and extend vowels: y a a a r d d a a a w g.
Anyway, I was positively impressed by this yard dog's helpfulness and the yard itself. The yard was clean and well organized. There was a place for everything and everything was in its place. The equipment in the yard was clean and obviously well maintained and kept. There was a place for everything and everything was in its place.
The door I entered took me straight into the employee break room. It was one of the nicest break rooms I have seen in a factory or warehouse, and I have seen a lot of them. It was every bit as nice as any white-collar break room I have been in. As with the yard, the room was clean.
So were the employees that filled the room; clean and surprisingly well groomed for warehouse workers. Break time was just ending as I entered and these people were quick and seemingly happy to get up and back to work.
The racial mix was about one-third black, one-third Hispanic and one-third white. I interacted with several people as I found my way first to the person who knew what dock door to bump, then to the person who knew about the freight, then to the one who would do the paperwork and finally to the operator who would load the truck.
No one acted their race. They did not group together by race in the break room. No one wore colors or talked with turned-up accents. The people were just people, helpful every one, each focused on their jobs. They worked not like they had to, but like they were actually happy in their work. They interacted with each other as respectfully and gracefully as they did with me.
Safety protocols were not just observed but happily observed. It was a long walk from the door I entered to the dock door where the truck was parked. As I walked, I saw many fork lift operators loading many truck trailers. Every worker was staying between the lines and doing everything else the safety posters say to do.
The more I saw of this company, the more favorable my impression grew. Diane and I see this company's trucks on the road every day but never gave them a second thought. I view them now with the feelings of respect and admiration.
The developing warm glow of respect and admiration for this company came to a sudden halt when I passed through the pedestrian door into the cold storage docks. All of sudden I was the one guy dressed in a polo shirt (our carrier's uniform shirt), among men in snow suits, caps and gloves. I should have known what was coming. Our reefer set point was 0 °F but I had not thought to bring a jacket.
When I got to the back of the truck I radioed Diane and asked her to come to the back of the truck and slip me a jacket through the crack of the dock door. She did and I worked to secure the load. 
I was out of the plant and back in the cab a few minutes later, and Diane and I were soon on our way to keep the good people of Kansas City in their cheese.
Notice this happened on a Sunday afternoon. Men in snow suits were working to fill trucks that will head out Sunday night, driven by other men and women who will carry boxes from their trucks into stores, restaurants and cafeterias. They do this to earn a living and so you and others will have food to eat Monday morning and every part of every other day.
When you next have lunch or dinner with one or more people, invite him, her or them to raise a glass to the yard dogs and people who wear snow suits on warm days to get the food to you that you are about to eat. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, May 3, 2010 I learned today about a new (to me) stretch of U.S. highway in Kansas. Learned by driving it.
The above-mentioned load of cheese was delivered at 5:00 a.m. this morning in the Kansas City area. We next went to a nearby Walmart to resupply the truck and sleep. We got in a good morning nap but that was it. A load offer came that would work if we could leave immediately, so we did. The load picks up in rural Kansas. It will keep us running overnight.
As Diane and I drove to the pickup, we talked about how our established priority of work served us well today. We always try to arrive at the delivery with full or nearly full fuel tanks. If it is needed, sleep is the next priority. After that comes things like truck resupply, truck maintenance, business paperwork, Operation Streamline and trading. Because we went straight to sleep after this morning's delivery, we are able to safely roll on the current run. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, May 4, 2010 I learned today that the green tea diet that Diane and I are on is having an effect. Learned when I had to take my belt in a notch to keep my pants up while I walked from a truck stop fuel island to the fuel desk.
We learned about this diet here. It's simple. Eat what you want, when you want, in the amount you want; only drink green tea before meals and in between. Make the tea as strong as you can stand it.
Because our eating and sleeping schedule varies so, we modified the rule to say drink green tea before you eat anything and in between. I'll talk more about this diet after we are on it longer. The short-term result is one belt notch to the good. As the tea suppresses our appetites, we are also spending less money on food and soft drinks.
• We delivered in Louisiana this morning the load we picked up yesterday in Kansas. We then followed our usual priority of work and went to sleep. It sounds funny to call sleep work, but if you are a trucker that drives an irregular schedule, sleep management is one of the most important things you do.
We woke up from our nap in the early afternoon and went to a retail area to resupply the truck and pass time while we wait for freight. We will move toward Shreveport, Louisiana later today if we are not dispatched. There is no special reason to move except the internet. We found today one of the few places in the country where our wireless internet service is agonizingly slow. If we are going to be waiting for freight long, I want faster online access.
• Now, we are in Louisiana. That's one of the Gulf Coast states that is threatened by the big oil spill. I have been watching the news on this for days, wondering how expediters might be called in to serve. Disaster relief is something our carrier regularly gets involved in when disaster strikes.
So far I have seen no way for expediters to get involved. This is not like Katrina where people were displaced, services were interrupted and the power failed for extended periods. The spill threatens people's livelihoods but not their mobility. Even though we are in an involved state, I think it will be expediting as usual for Diane and me.
Update: Yep! Expediting as usual. We are now dispatched to deadhead 170 miles across Louisiana to pick up a load at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. The load gives a full night's sleep in a non-moving truck and takes us north. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 I learned today that Dracula was a Baptist. Learned by seeing the Transylvania Baptist Church as we drove today.
Transylvania was one of two unusual town names we saw today while driving through Northern Louisiana. The other was Waterproof. Curiosity compelled me to look. Wikipedia explains how Waterproof got its name. Local newspaper headlines are likely to create second looks: "Transylvania man weds Waterproof woman." "Waterproof man drowns in river." "Superintendent: Waterproof school needs roof repair."
It was a peaceful drive on a clear day, much of which was on U.S. highways instead of the interstates. We picked up today's load in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and headed north. If you look at a map, you will see no interstate highways there. As I drove and took in the sights, I concluded that Northern Louisiana is the land of small churches, big cotton and chain gangs.
• This is a low-paying load that we accepted to get out of Louisiana and as part of the load acceptance experiment we are running. The experiment is being run to help us find the sweet spot between running too cheap and sitting too long.
Our overall pay per mile has been good this month, until this load, which lowers the the average to an uncomfortable level. Had we declined the load, we may have ended up sitting for a day or two until a good-paying load came along. So what do you do, haul cheap freight to avoid zero-revenue days, or decline cheap freight to avoid wearing out your truck with low-profit miles?
We normally decline cheap freight but are now running a multi-month experiment to test the wisdom of that strategy. I'm writing an article on this subject as I think this through. We are generating personal experience with cheap freight in the experiment. I am talking in depth with other expediters and fleet owners about this. I am also sending a spreadsheet to a CPA who specializes in trucking and discussing this with him.
It is early in the experiment and I am finding there is a lot to think about. I am keeping an open mind but it is beginning to appear that there is no single best answer to the question asked above.
Diane and I did not worry about this before the recession because an abundance of profitable freight was available and we kept busy. In the depths of the recession freight slowed and the cheap freight was so obviously cheap that only a fool or someone desperate for cash would haul it. We sat, sometimes for days at a time, knowing that was the right thing to do because there was no better choice.
Now, as the economy picks up a little, we see good-paying, marginally-paying and low-paying freight offered to the truck. Where is the sweet spot in this mix? What is the best load acceptance strategy? We are running an experiment to find out.
Note the importance of keeping an open mind. A number of expediters we know have clear ideas about this. They follow load acceptance strategies that they consider to be time honored. The problem with that is a strategy formed in one phase of the economic cycle may not be optimal in another. More on this as the experiment continues. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, May 6, 2010 I learned today more about trading. Learned by studying for the Series 3 National Commodities Futures exam (reasons here).
We delivered this morning near Kansas City, Missouri, the load we picked up yesterday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was a "stay-awake" load, meaning that security protocols required one of us to be awake in the cab of the truck while the freight was on board. We reached the delivery location several hours before it opened for business. I used some of my time in the cab to study for the Series 3 exam.
On the way to Kansas City we were pre-dispatched on another load. It picked up at 4:00 p.m. today and pays much better than the load we delivered this morning. It too is a security load that requires us to stay up with it.
Knowing about today's pick up, we went to sleep immediately after this morning's delivery. That was the day: deliver a load in the morning, sleep, pick up a load in the afternoon, drive to the delivery in another state and settle in to stay awake with the freight until the consignee is ready to receive it at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, May 7, 2010 I learned today more about trading. Learned by studying for the Series 3 National Commodities Futures exam (reasons here).
It is 2:30 a.m. on Friday as I write this. We are near our delivery but the consignee will not be ready to take it until 11:00 a.m. I'm awake in the cab of the truck as required by the security protocols attached to this load.
That gives me time to study for the Series 3 exam and pass time in other ways. I wish I could concentrate fully on exam study from now to 11:00 a.m. but that is a bit much. As the night goes on, studying becomes counterproductive and activities requiring less mental energy like solitaire and amusing YouTube videos fill the time.
I sometimes enjoy nights like this, putting them to good use. Other times, the nights get long and time moves slow. This is one of those times, influenced mostly by the fact that yesterday's load was just like this.
• This load takes us to a not-so-good express center and delivers on a Friday. We accepted the load with the following thoughts in mind: (1) The pay is good. (2) Revenue for the week is within a few dollars of what we consider to be a very good week. (3) This normally dead express center will likely give us a relaxed weekend, which we would enjoy. (4) We are betting on our truck's "reach" to get us out of here, most likely for a Monday pickup some distance away.
Truck reach is not something I have named until recently but it is a factor now identified in our load acceptance strategy. On this load, the freight takes us to a dead area, but we took it partly because of our truck's reach.
Look at our April, 2010 trip map for an example of reach. We were sitting near Oakland, California, waiting for freight and were next dispatched to drive to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to pick up a load. We got that load because we were qualified to haul it (Canada, reefer, security clearances), and because no other trucks similarly qualified were closer or willing.
We are sitting in a dead express center now but with it being Friday, we will have Friday afternoon and evening, and all day Saturday and Sunday to drive a long way to Monday pick ups that may be available (assuming the money makes the loads worth accepting).
Our truck's reach is enhanced by being equipped and qualified to haul almost anything our carrier can fit on our truck. In the FedEx Custom Critical White Glove Services® work we do, we don't do a lot of anything. We do a little of many things. There are security loads like the one we are on now. Then there are lift gate loads, reefer loads, airport loads and other kinds of loads, many of which require special clearances, training, credentials, ID cards, pet-free trucks, non-smoking drivers, various equipment, and more.
Each of these items, combined with our willingness to do what some other teams are not, distinguishes our truck from many others out there, thereby extending our truck's reach. We are counting on that reach to get us out of the dead area we chose to enter because of the good-paying freight that brought us in.
It's a gamble, of course. We could easily find ourselves sitting here on Monday with no freight to haul. That's expediting!
Update: Now that we have made the delivery, I can post today's blog entry and tell you that we are in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is going as expected. We are not pre-dispatched and now have some time to ourselves as we wait for load offers. It is a welcome development as we have been driving and sleeping for the last few days.
Update to the Update: Not more than a minute after I wrote the above, the reach card we played played off. We are now dispatched to pick up a load tomorrow noon, 600 miles from Oklahoma City. It is a reefer load that will keep us busy until Monday morning.
When I talked above about welcoming a couple days off, it was not because we are tired, it was because we are tired of moving. We'd like to sit free of freight for a day or two, just to sit. But this load pays well and turns an already good week into an exceptionally good week.
One of the reasons we were able to pay our truck off in 23 months was we made hay when the sun shined. When opportunities like these come along, we generally act on them, and this is one such time. The sun is shining and hay we're making. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, May 8, 2010 I learned today that you can either feel crappy about all the stuff you are not doing or feel perfect about the one thing you are. Learned by listening to this radio program as I drove today.
It was an interview of David Allen, an author, lecturer, and founder of a management consulting, coaching, and training company. He talked about focus, which is something readers of this blog know I have been focusing on myself.
As I listened, I was reminded that Diane and I are far less distracted than most people who have "real" jobs and family situations. Our little one-truck, owner-operator business is one of the simplest businesses there is to run. Our carrier takes care of sales, marketing and building the customer base. We just operate a truck and haul the freight.
There is more to it, of course, but we are free of so much that other self-employed business owners are not. We don't own a building. We don't have to maintain a parking lot or store inventory. We don't have employees. We are not anchored to a fixed location. We can take time off whenever we want without fear of losing an important account or returning to work to find the people left in charge messed things up.
As I drove on the open road, I felt good about the one thing I was then doing and felt crappy about nothing at all. That's the benefit of having goals. Goals provide the reference points with which you can organize your thinking and actions. Having goals and being focused on them, I happily drove a truck today. You don't have to achieve your goals to be happy. You just need to know where you are going and be on the way.
• After getting a good night's sleep in a non-moving truck, we woke up this morning in the parking lot of a roadside cafe on I-35 in Texas, and then drove two hours south to Laredo to pick up the freight. The 600 mile deadhead trip I mentioned yesterday took us from Oklahoma City to Laredo. With the freight now on board, we are driving 1,808 miles to the delivery, which is set for Monday morning. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, May 9, 2010 I learned today more about the plot of Rudyard Kipling's novel Captains Courageous. Learned by listening to that e-book as I drove.
I listened to a Mark Twain book not long ago. The experience is the same. It is interesting at first but becomes quickly boring. These books were written for people who had time to read them and in their day regarded conversation as an art form. Born in a different era and having goals other than appreciating classic literature, these books don't float my boat.
The audio book technology is fantastic. I love being able to download great content, much of it free, onto our iPod to listen to it as I drive. I'll keep experimenting with the books to find an entertainment genre I like. I use the iPod all the time for business content but sometimes entertainment is the order of the day.
Today is one of those days. We are on a long run and the drive/sleep mode is beginning to get old. I'm not in the mood to think deeply about the economy or personal growth. The sleeper has been blacked out for too long. We are ready for a break and will take one after we deliver Monday morning. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, May 10, 2010 I learned today that I am one of them now. Learned when the security guard gave me the ID he made and said with measured seriousness, "You're one of us now."
We woke up at 3:00 a.m. in a rest area on I-94, north of Detroit, Michigan, and south of the U.S./Canada border. Because our load was HAZMAT (hazardous material), we were directed to cross into Ontario at the Port Huron/Sarnia crossing.
That added some good-paying miles to the long run from Laredo, Texas. The delivery was in Windsor, Ontario, just a mile or two from the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor and Detroit. Crossing at Detroit would have been the most direct route but with the regulations being what they are, we crossed at Port Huron.
The delivery was to a chemical plant that we had never been to before. I pulled onto the property and stopped at the guard shack as we have done a hundred times before at other plants. A fat security guard (most are fat) greeted me without rising from his chair and instructed me to sign in.
The usual steps followed for a chemical plant entry. I confirmed that I had my own safety glasses and hard hat, read and initialed the safety brochure (no smoking, speed limit, where to run if the place blows up, etc.), recovered the two IDs the guard took from me and got directions to the receiving docks. As I began to open the door to leave, the guard surprised me by handing me a freshly laminated ID with my name and the company logo on it. "You're one of us now." he said with a strong Canadian accent. Not knowing what to say I said thank you and returned to the truck.
I drove the short distance to the receiving dock and backed up to it. I then donned my stylish chemical plant safety gear and stepped out of the truck. Before I entered the building door I stopped at the top of the steps, faced the grounds, peered out from under my hard hard and through my safety glasses to take it all in. I'm one of them now. This is my turf. Those men also wearing hard hats and safety glasses — they're my brothers. I'm one of them now.
We're in this together,
them and me.
Better living through chemistry!
The notion amused me for a few minutes but more than I wanted to be one of them, I wanted to by free of the freight and out of service. Diane and I have had a long, lucrative week and it was time to stop.
One of them I was happy to be,
but more I wanted to be free.
The delivery went well. We left the plant and found a place to park near the bridge to make sure our border crossing paperwork was in order and we were clear to cross. We put ourselves out of service for truck maintenance and crossed back into the U.S. thirty minutes later.
That left just one last thing before we could relax; a visit with a U.S. Customs officer. We pulled up to his booth, turned off the truck engine and did not set the air brake, just as the sign says (it hurts their ears). This officer was decent. He cleared us after asking just a few familiar questions.
We got out of there, got out of Detroit and headed to an urban sprawl area (Anytown, U.S.A.) to get sleep, groceries, a truck wash, fuel and showers. We also completed the run paperwork and dropped off TripPaks from the last couple runs. TripPaks contain our log book sheets and run paperwork. We get paid once they are in and found to be in good order.
Then we headed toward Fort Wayne, Indiana, where we will be for the next couple of days. We bought our truck from the Volvo dealer there and have come to trust that shop as one of the best in the country. With our truck odometer approaching 500,000 miles, we want to get the truck in for a thorough going over. The extended warranty we purchased with the truck expires at 500,000. The shop is expecting us at 7:00 a.m.
What Little Putt Putt Needs, Little Put Put Gets. This truck has served us well in the time we have owned it. We are rewarding it tomorrow with a trip to the day spa. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 
I learned today about meetings market regulators are having and actions they are taking to protect investors. Learned from news reports.
The meetings and actions are in response to last week's instantaneous, 1,000 point intra-day plunge in the Dow Jones Industrials Average. The problem is, and this is a real problem, these people are at a loss to explain the cause of the plunge. They know it happened, they don't know why, and they are changing trading rules to keep it from happening again. Does that make sense to you? It does not to me.
What does make sense is to prepare for more market plunges and more financial crises. Markets are more powerful than the people who regulate them. The economy is more powerful than the government. Officials have some power that they may apply but it is like sticking your finger into a balloon. The change in shape you intentionally create produces unintentional pressure and shape changes elsewhere in the sphere, with consequences that may follow immediately or later.
Last week's market plunge is a case in point. Rules already existed to protect traders from such plunges. They are called go slow rules and circuit breakers. Regulators operated under the illusion of control when those rules were made in the past. Did they work? No. In the age of electronic and global trading, traders simply moved to other exchanges and proxy products where the trades could be made and the rules were not in effect.
I'm sure the current batch of regulators will produce new rules and fine speeches in the coming days. I am also sure that we will see more financial crises and inexplicable market plunges and spikes in the future.
• More sensible are the actions Diane and I are taking today. We woke up this morning on the street outside the Volvo dealer near Fort Wayne, Indiana. The extended warranty we bought with our truck in 2006 expires at 500,000 miles and we are getting close. We trust this shop and drove to Fort Wayne from Detroit to have them take a good look at the truck.
We expect to get a million miles out of this truck and are trying for a million-and-a-half. This half-million point is a time to PM (preventative maintenance) the truck bumper to bumper.
The truck is not new, of course, but we are taking the time and spending the money to make the truck as much like new as it can be. The truck has served us well. We are as happy with it now as we were the day we first put it in service. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 I learned today what the world looks like through a brand new windshield. Learned by looking through our brand new windshield.
The difference is profound. After close to 500,000 miles of driving, the original windshield in our truck had become peppered with tiny pits. Friends who have gotten new windshields told me it would be like getting a new truck. They were right. If our new windshield does not get broken by a rock strike sooner, we might change the windshield again at 300,000 instead of waiting for 500,000. Now knowing how big the difference can be, I think it is worth the extra expense. We spend a fair amount of time looking through it, after all.
The windshield was one of several things we had done to the truck yesterday in the shop. A slightly sticky door handle was replaced. The cooling system was flushed and filled. A lube, oil, filter was done. The transmission fluid was changed, as were the power steering fluid and differential fluid. An engine tune up was done (adjust valves). The truck was inspected bumper to bumper.
Mechanically, the truck is in near-perfect condition, as far as we know. Cosmetically, there is some minor paint touch-up work to be done and we are going to a body and paint shop today to see about that.
Black paint work also needs doing. Diane and I do that ourselves each spring. It is touching up the rust spots that develop each winter on the frame, deck extension, reefer carriage and side boxes. Oh yeah, a new set of mud flaps wouldn't hurt, and one chicken light needs to be replaced. I have the replacement light in the truck and will do that myself when time and weather permit.
We're feeling great about the truck right now. If we had it to do over again, we would spec our truck almost exactly the way we spec'ed this one. It is for us the perfect truck. It has been our home, office, RV and money-making machine for nearly four years and 500,000 miles.
Little Putt Putt has served us well. We are looking forward to more good times and miles ahead. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, May 13, 2010 I learned today about the new building Stoops Freightliner has in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Learned by receiving a tour of it. I also learned that Johnny Appleseed is buried in Fort Wayne and more about the aftermarket sleeper industry. Learned by talking to various people.
I said yesterday that our truck was in perfect mechanical condition as far as we know. While that is true, it is also true that more work will need to be done in the future, like brakes sometime in the next six months, serpentine belts sometime down the road and shock absorbers in a couple months.
After sleeping on it, I decided to get all of that done today since we are at a shop we trust. We put ourselves out of service for another day and put the truck back in the shop.
• I wrote a story for ExpeditersOnline a while ago, "The Downfall of Bentz Transport Products, Inc." It details the exit of an aftermarket truck sleeper manufacturer. On April 19, truck services company Koester's announced that it had purchased some of the Bentz assets and planned to go into the sleeper business. Previously, reports has surfaced saying that a company named Bolt was also entering the sleeper business.
With all three companies being in Fort Wayne, me being in Fort Wayne and with my curiosity triggered, I went on the hunt. No sleeper company I know has seen a meaningful increase in business. What is prompting two new companies to get into the business behind one that had just failed?
There is no news story here since no one is putting new products on the street now. It was nevertheless interesting to talk to some of the people involved, by phone or in person. The short story is that the people and products once associated with Bentz have scattered. Some of the people want to bring some of the products back to life and will try to do so a their resources and the economy permits.
Most of my time was spent with Jeff Jones, a sales representative with Stoops Freightliner. He was Bentz's biggest dealer when Bentz was in business and is working with Bolt to bring one of the Bentz products, the SST-100 integrated sleeper, back to life.
It was easy to meet with Jones. He works in the new Stoops building which is just across the street from our Volvo dealer. He gave me the tour and told me about Johnny Appleseed. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, May 14, 2010 I learned today that Diane and I own a house in Florida. Learned when we received surprise news from a realtor that the low-ball offer we put in on a house was accepted.
It is located in a gated community that I wrote about on January 15. We are as surprised as anyone to now own a house there. We won't officially own it until the deal closes but that is a formality. As a practical matter, the house is ours.
Friends told us that prices continue to decline in the community, especially with the seasonal buying season now coming to a close. I looked at the list and spotted a house, the price of which had been reduced to $40,000 from $46,000. Before the real estate bubble burst, houses like this were going for $80,000 and more.
Diane and I have talked off and on about buying a house there but were never sure enough about it to make a serious move. Thinking it to be more of a warm-up run than a deal maker, and not expecting our low offer to be accepted, we offered $30,000 for the fully furnished house. Just hours later, we were surprised (shocked) to learn that the offer was accepted.
"They accepted? Oops! We own a house! Now what do we do?" The offer was made in good faith and we will hold up our end, but still, it shocked our sox off when the offer was accepted. We fully expected the offer to be declined because it was so low.
We bought the house sight unseen. Our friend who lives in the community looked it over for us and gave a good report. The offer is contingent on us being satisfied with inspection results and professional inspectors will be hired to report on the house.
We did not expect to own a house when we woke up this morning. It will take a few days to think this through and adjust to the change.
We'll pay cash for it so our debt-free status will be maintained. It adds a monthly budget expense. It ends the property-free status I have often written about. It gives us a place to go when I get sick and tired of winter driving.
The deal is very good according to people we talk to in the community. That gives us the option of selling the house, perhaps at a profit, when the buying season begins next fall. It also gives us the option of selling the house quickly at a lower price but not at a loss if we want to get out of it for any reason.
Like all other homeowners in Florida, we are at risk for continuing declines in property values. It is hard to imagine a 50% drop that would reduce the value of our house (it feels unnatural to say "our house") to $15,000, but that is exactly what people said when houses were selling for $80,000 and fell to $40,000. And it's what people said who reduced their sale price to $40,000 and then accepted an offer for 25 percent less.
Those are our initial thoughts. Beyond that, we are just looking at each other and laughing about the fact that we now own a house. It is not a place we will call home anytime soon. It is better to look at this as a vacation cottage that will be used to take a break from the road in the winter.
• We woke up this morning in the parking lot of Koester's in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Koester's is a truck body shop. We had them do some minor touch up paint work on the truck today. While the truck was in the shop, we rented a car and drove to Napanee, Indiana, where Newmar motorhomes are made. We took their factory tour and returned to pick up the truck. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, May 15, 2010 I learned today more about how I feel about the house we agreed to purchase yesterday. Learned by listening to the thoughts I woke up with this morning.
The pros and cons are the same as I stated yesterday. What's different is they are real now. When we were just thinking about buying a house, the pros and cons were hypothetical. Now we are paying real money for the monthly lot rent and we have a real house in Florida to go to in the winter. (You get more of what you think about.)
New in the mix is the desire to go see the house that is now ours, and to make it our own by actually staying in it for a while. We know the house is fully furnished but don't know if there is silverware in the kitchen. The inspectors will assure us that the roof, electrical and such are in good shape, but we don't know that the deepest corner in the second bedroom closet has been thoroughly vacuumed. For that matter, we don't know if there is a vacuum cleaner in the house at all. Seeing the house with our own eyes will answer all such questions.
We are not going to make a special trip. We will go when the freight takes us close. If we owned a first home, this would be our second home, used like snow birds use their winter homes. We don't own a first home so it is best to look on this house as a vacation cottage in which we have no strong emotional investment.
The arrangement is common in Florida but not typical for people who own "real" homes. This is a manufactured home set on a lot for which we pay monthly rent. It is in a community in which snow birds keep their winter homes, and to which many people move when they wish to retire in Florida. The retirees get older and eventually die, leaving their kids or estate to dispose of the house and goods. For that reason, furnished homes are commonly offered for sale in these parts.
We are told that there is an active used furniture market in the area. Once we see the furnishings, we will be able to load what we don't like onto the truck (nice to own a truck sometimes), take it to the used furniture store and work out a trade on furniture that we like better. For a vacation cottage, we do not expect to buy new furniture. The exception is setting up a trading desk for me. For that I will buy office furniture and perhaps a computer monitor or two.
The house has a TV. We will have to think long and hard about keeping it. We do not have one in the truck. Keeping a TV in the house could seriously degrade the quality and results of the time we spend there.
I could go on and on with the details now going through our minds but in the interest of brevity I won't. I am looking forward to getting all of this nailed down.
This house purchase illustrates well the benefits of the property free life we led before. You have energy on everything you own and property has a way of owning you. I could be thinking about trading right now but am thinking instead about silverware and vacuum cleaners.
One of the best benefits of this house arrangement is that the community provides security and maintenance services. Once we get the silverware and vacuum cleaner questions answered and the monthly expenses set for automated payments, we will be able to run freight with little thought or worry given to the house.
We will of course keep it in good shape but there is nothing in the house that we care about and the house will not be insured (Florida house insurance is unbelievably expensive). The worst case scenario is that the house burns to the ground or a hurricane blows or floods it away (the house is one-tenth of a mile from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, just six feet above sea level).
If that happens, it happens. It could cost us some money but would not otherwise alter our lifestyle in any important way. The plus side is having a two bedroom, two bath, 1,300 square foot vacation cottage in Florida that gives us a place to go when winter driving becomes more than we care to bear. Year-round, it gives us a place to park and work on the truck, and an air conditioned place to sleep and shower when we are waiting for freight in Florida where truck stops are scarce.
• We woke up this morning in the same place we woke up yesterday morning, in Koester's parking lot. Koester's finished the touch up painting we had them do yesterday. With their permission, we spent the night here.
We are back in service and dispatched now. We will be deadheading 200 miles over the weekend to pick up freight on Monday morning. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, May 16, 2010 I learned today that the brain book I have been reading (The Winner's Brain by Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske) and some personal growth CDs that Diane and I recently purchased are having a positive effect. Learned by noticing the difference when I woke up this morning.
My ability to focus on the task at hand has improved. It was an important breakthrough to learn from the book that there are different types of focus appropriate to different tasks. "Focus on the task at hand" is a small insight that is making a big difference.
We bought a house two days ago, which could be a big deal and ongoing distraction if I let it. After giving myself a couple of days to adjust to the change, I woke up this morning thinking again about our goals and the things I need to do today to help achieve them.
The adjustment included processing the details of the purchase (writing checks, signing papers, etc.) and learning more about the community and area in which the house is located. I spent a fair amount of time on Google Maps figuring out how far the house is from the place we call home in Minnesota, and how far it is from the Orlando and Atlanta express centers, and from Florida's popular tourist attractions. I took time to learn the streets around the house, what library is nearby, what the city council meeting minutes say about the city the house is in, who provides lawn care services, etc.
The moment then came when I was curious no more and the interest I had in the house faded. The house is in Florida. We are in Indiana today. We have done everything we can do at this point to deal with the house. We have gotten over the shock that we actually own the thing and are now settled into the fact that we own it and are happy that we do.
It is going to be great to have a place to stay when we are laid over in the Southeast and better still to have a warm place to go when winter driving becomes more than we care to bear. It won't be down time when we are there. I will be trading full time.
What's very cool is that I woke up this morning thinking not about the house but about our expediting and trading goals. My mind was not wandering. It was focused on the task(s) at hand.
It is noteworthy how one step forward leads to another. Years ago we got into expediting partly to simplify our lives and increase our wealth. Months ago I started my Operation Streamline to streamline our expedting business. Progress in that freed my mind and emotional energy to focus on focus. Lessons learned about mental focus are making me more effective. Along the way an interest in trading developed and a Florida house found its way into our lives. And best of all, I woke up this morning focused on the task at hand.
• We woke up this morning in a retail area in Fort Wayne. We have been in this town since Monday night, having come here to get truck work done. It is great to know that the truck is in perfect mechanical condition. It feels good to drive it down the road. We will drive 200 miles today to get close to tomorrow's pickup. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, May 17, 2010 I learned today that we will see for the first time the Florida house we recently purchased. Learned when we accepted a load that will bring us close.
Sometimes it seems that things are just meant to be. Not expecting it to be accepted, we made a low-ball offer on a Florida house last Friday. Just hours later, we were shocked to learn that the offer was accepted. Then we said we would not make a special trip to see the house but instead wait for the freight to take us close. Well, this afternoon, a load came in that takes us close. We pick up the freight tomorrow and deliver it on Wednesday. From there we will go to the house. It is located in Volusia County, highlighted in red on the map shown.
As it happens, the inspector is scheduled to go through the house on Thursday. We will be there when that happens. Assuming all goes well with the inspection, we will close on the house on Friday and move in that day.
There won't be much to moving in. The house is already fully furnished. Moving in will be more of a process of discovering what we actually own and taking care of things like picking up the keys, getting rid of the old mattresses and replacing them with new, stocking the house with cleaning supplies, arranging for lawn care, meeting the neighbors, getting familiar with the gated community in which the house is located and finding a local church.
Truck parking will be a breeze. The gated community features a secure RV storage area. A spot is reserved for us there. It is a short walk from the house. I'll be able to work on the truck there if necessary.
We don't plan to stay long. We'll get done what we can this trip and do the rest later. The freight is running well. We plan to be back in service no later than Monday morning.
The load could cancel and this trip may not be made. As my regular readers know, we have been burned by canceled loads before. We will know for sure that we are going to the house when the freight is placed on our truck tomorrow afternoon.
• Today's load is going fine. We picked up this morning in a suburb north of Chicago. It will deliver this afternoon in another state, about 20 miles from the pickup that will take us to our Florida house. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 I learned today more about trading. Learned by studying for the Series 3 National Commodities Futures exam (reasons explained here).
We picked up the freight today that I talked about yesterday. It is a load that takes close to the Florida house we recently purchased. We will drive to the house tomorrow after delivering the freight. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 I learned today that we are in the middle of the alligator mating season. Learned from news reports.
That kind of news is more relevant to Diane and me now that we own a house in Florida. Alligators get restless this time of year and sometimes turn up where they are not wanted, like in the drainage pools in the community where we recently bought a house.
This morning's delivery went fine. It was a load that picked up yesterday in Cleveland, Ohio and delivered this morning in Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is about 250 miles from the Florida house we bought. Being that close, and wanting to see the house for the first time, we went out of service and headed toward it.
We are enjoying the anticipation and paying attention to Florida news and information like never before. It is fun to think about what goods we will stock the house with so it will be ready for us next time. It is fun to wonder, what exactly will this fully furnished house include? It is fun to think about the new people we will meet.
We will spend tonight in a rest area and proceed to the house tomorrow. The termite inspection was completed today. The house inspection will happen tomorrow and we will be there for it. The inspector is willing to let me follow him step by step through this three-hour inspection. I'm not doing so to supervise the inspector but to learn the house. Assuming a good inspection report, we will close on the house on Friday. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, May 20, 2010 I learned today the details of the Florida house on which we recently made an offer. Learned by touring it.
The offer was made and accepted last Friday. Amazingly, we got a load that delivered yesterday, just 250 miles from the house. We spent last night in a nearby rest area and started our house work at 11:00 this morning, spending time with the realtor, the neighbors and a professional home inspector — including time in coveralls, on my belly, crawling around under this manufactured home. Thorough we were. Our tour and visits ended around 5:30 p.m.
The offer was contingent on us being satisfied with the home inspection report. We are not satisfied at the moment and may or may not close on the house. It depends on what the seller is willing to repair or what other accommodations might be made.
It is a nice house with much to like but our hearts are not set on it. There are other houses in this community and we have no urgent need to buy a house at all. The realtor knows the issues. We will meet with him tomorrow morning to talk about the pros, cons and next steps. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, May 21, 2010 I learned today that we will not be closing on the Florida house we made an offer on last week but will close on a different house instead. 
Learned as events unfolded here in Florida.
The first house had more problems than we were comfortable dealing with. The offer we made was contingent on a satisfactory inspection report. The report was not satisfactory and the offer was therefore revoked. The earnest money was refunded with no trouble.
The realtor then showed us other homes in the community. We had a "this is it" experience the instant we entered one of them (pictured here). The owner is ready to move out and will do so on Monday. Assuming everything goes well, we will close on Monday and move in the same day. I'll share more information as time permits.
We will be spending the weekend in a house owned by friends who live in the community. It was through them that we learned of this community. Now they have us for neighbors. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, May 22, 2010 I learned today that air conditioning service and restaurants are the most advertised items in the New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Yellow Pages. Learned by reading the Yellow Pages.
Diane and I are passing time in the area, staying at a house owned by friends while we wait to close on a house of our own. Our friends are truckers too. We have their place to ourselves because they gave us full use of their house and car while they are out on the road.
Time is moving slow. We got here last Thursday, thinking we would close on a house that day, but that deal went bad. There are over 700 houses in this gated community with some always up for sale. We toured houses on Friday, made an offer on one and asked to close on the same day if the seller was agreeable. She was but it was too late in the day to get our money wired to our realtor's account. The paperwork got done. The deal will close Monday morning when the money hits and we will then own the house.
Reading the Yellow Pages is a good way to get to know a community and I spent some time doing so today. Lawyer advertising dominates the Yellow Pages in many cities, followed closely by escort services where such ads are allowed. Using the Yellow Pages as an indicator, people in the New Smyrna Beach area like to stay cool and eat out more than they like to hire lawyers and whores. I also noted with great satisfaction that there are no snow removal services advertised in this area. That's a good thing since we are buying this house to serve as a winter vacation cottage.
As I said, time is moving slow. When we arrived on Thursday, we hoped to be take possession of a new house and be back in service by the weekend. Now, we won't be going back in service until Tuesday morning at the earliest.
The more time we spend in the community the better we like it and the more certain we are that this house purchase is a good decision for us. But the time it is taking to get the deal done illustrates the down side of property ownership. The more stuff we own, the more time and energy we have to put into it — time and energy that could be put into hauling freight instead, which is how we make our money.
When the deal is done and the follow-up details are addressed (lawn care, mail, meeting the neighbors, installing a humidistat, etc.), the house will be on automatic pilot. This is not a home for us but a vacation cottage. Because it is in a gated community with services readily available, the house will be easy to maintain while we are out on the road. The problem is that getting the house onto automatic pilot is taking more time and effort than we would like and time is going slow. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, May 23, 2010 I learned today more about the area in which our recently-purchased Florida house is located. Learned by visiting an area church and then going shopping.
We woke up this morning in the same friends' house we have been at since Thursday. The house we agreed to purchase on Friday will be ours tomorrow morning when the money is wired from our bank. Until then there is nothing we can do to move forward with the house except get to know the area better.
To do that we visited a local church and a thrift store. Later in the day we drove to Cocoa Beach, partly to pass time and do the tourist thing and partly to buy clothes. We have a house to furnish and we're gett'n our Florida on.
The thrift shop stop was productive in that we met the owner and learned a great deal in a short time about the used furniture market in the area. We won't need much furniture because the house is being sold mostly furnished.
I spent $2 on a clock that caught my eye. There were a couple of other items of interest there but we held off until we can occupy the house and find out exactly what furnishings we own and what we will need. The house is being sold mostly furnished.
The thrift shop people were very interested to learn that we will have two twin beds. A woman there has been looking for a twin bed for a month without success. It seems they are hard to find. She offered to make a deal for them but we held off until we actually own the beds. We also want to get a feel for the house so we will know what to trade or sell the beds for.
We have been to Cocoa Beach before and enjoy the city's attractions. Knowing the Ron Jon Surf Shop to be a retailer of quality clothing, we went there to shop. Having no clothes other than what we carry in the truck, we began building our Florida wardrobes today. These will be nice clothes that will be kept in the house, ready to wear when we arrive.
Trucker clothes are selected for their durability, comfort and ease of care. It was fun today to shop for clothes without having to worry about labels that said things like "hand wash separately" and "dry clean only." We won't be filling the closets and dresser drawers with new clothes, but are buying enough to get us through a couple of nicely dressed weeks without repetition. We have not shopped for clothes like this since leaving hour white-collar careers in 2003. It felt good.
Tomorrow will be a busy day as we help the seller move out of her house and then move ourselves in. We are looking forward to moving in and making the house our own. We are also feeling the itch to get back out on the road. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, May 24, 2010 No blog entry today.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 I learned today numerous details about the Florida house we recently purchased. Learned by living in it for the first time.
It's the kind of stuff you would expect someone moving into a house to deal with; wash out the kitchen cabinets, stock the bathroom with toilet paper, buy garbage bags, borrow a hedge clipper from a neighbor, etc.
We love the house and the community it is in. The neighbors love their houses and community too. From three people in three different conversations today I heard, "It's like Heaven here." "This place is paradise." and "It's wonderful here." I'm not ready to gush that glowingly about this community but it is very, very nice. The more time we spend here, the better we like it. We bought the house as a winter retreat and it will serve that purpose well.
This change in our lives is prompting many thoughts about property and possessions. I'm not ready to write about it yet because the thoughts continue to form.
I can say that we are setting the house up to be nothing to us if it is destroyed by a hurricane or fire. It came mostly furnished and most of the furniture here is nice. All of it is clean and usable. The house really was in move in condition. The additional items that are needed will be bought at estate sales or thrift stores. If our household goods are lost, nothing will be lost that cannot be easily and inexpensively replaced with another trip to the thrift store.
There is an amazing market in the area for used furniture and household goods. With the elderly population in this area, estate sales are common. Every day there are families moving their older relatives to assisted living centers, nursing homes, back home to live with the kids or to a cemetery.
We have been in three thrift stores so far. The people who run them hustle to scoop up the good stuff for free or at a very low price. While we were at one store, a man walked in and said the store could have everything in a house if they could come and take it now. The staff immediately sent a man and trailer.
Kids come down to Florida to deal with the stuff their parents leave behind or need to get rid of. To the parents, the goods are prized possessions with stories and emotions attached. To the kids, the goods are garage sale stuff at best that in many cases are more trouble to keep than to give or throw away.
I've never been in a place where the stages of life come into such clear view as they do here. It gets one to thinking. Having sold our house and most household goods to take up life on the road, Diane and I have no desire to get attached to another set. Everything in our Florida house will have been someone else's treasure in another day. It will be stuff to us, useful in its place, easily replaced if lost. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 I learned today the true condition of the Florida house we recently purchased. Learned by following a professional house inspector for three hours as he inspected the house. I also learned about some of the vendors that will be servicing the house when we are away. Learned by setting up accounts with them.
The inspector found minor house issues, which is normal for an inspector to find. One item was a water shutoff valve that had not been used was rusted in place. It will cost $50 to fix. The heat pump was leaking water from a place it shouldn't. A call to the air conditioning company and their near instant response cost a few bucks. The technician diagnosed and cleared a clogged drain pipe. Locksmiths showed up to re-key the locks. They found locks that were old and rusted from the salt air and installed new locks.
It's all minor stuff but these and other issues kept us busy the whole day and well into the night. Our desire to get back on the road could not have been better addressed when our carrier called with a load offer that picks up tomorrow. It was a long run paying over $2.00 a mile. Not having the house in shape, we reluctantly declined the load and continued our work.
This is the down side of property ownership. When you own it, it owns you. Our freedom is reduced because we must stay with the property until it is ready to let us go.
It is not quite as bad as all that. We bought and closed on and moved into a house in just a few days. We did not want to leave tomorrow because we knew we would be eager to get back to finish what was left undone. One more day is all that is needed. Then we will be ready to go.
We are working hard to get the house to be unused for the weeks or months we will be out on the road. Ironic, isn't it? We buy a house and then work to get it ready to be not used for weeks or months.
There is much to say about the house, community and the lifestyle change this house purchase means for Diane and me. I barely have time to think about it, let alone write it. The house has kept me busy. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, May 27, 2010 I learned today what it is like to see a rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center. Learned by seeing it.
We woke up this morning in the Florida house we recently purchased. We are still busy with it. The goal is to set up the house such that we can leave it on short notice and go back on the road for weeks or months at a time without returning, and without having to worry or think much about the house while we are gone. We're getting there and will be back in service tomorrow morning.
The only thing is, Memorial Day weekend is coming up. I'd have to check our records to be sure but I don't think we have ever hauled a load over Memorial Day weekend. We knew we were shooting ourselves in the feet when we declined that nice load yesterday but the house trumped the freight. This is the first and last time that will happen. Once we get the house set up for quick arrivals and departures, loads will be more readily accepted.
• Being more settled into the house, we had a fun day hitting the thrift stores to buy home furnishings. The house came mostly furnished but there is nothing on the walls. We're short a few waste baskets. Additional table lamps would be nice.
Our idea is to fully furnish our vacation property with used items. Having nothing in the house that we care about will help make the house worry free. A lamp purchased for $15 at a thrift shop can be easily replaced if broken. It is not something we will think much about while we are out on the road.
Speaking of lamps, I bought a monkey lamp today. When I took it to the counter I told the clerk that when she put it out she probably said "some fool will buy this." I then identified myself as the fool.
• We did not have to go far to see the rocket launch. The Kennedy Space Center is about 30 miles south of us. The development (or park, as the residents call it) in which our house is located sits on the main channel of the Intracoastal Waterway on Florida's East Coast. Our house is nine houses from one of the piers. Launch time was 11:00 p.m. At 10:55 we walked to the pier and watched the launch from there.
It's bed time now. Per our instructions, our carrier will put us back in service at 6:00 tomorrow morning. We will wake up in our Florida house, waiting for freight. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, May 28, 2010 I learned today our expediting schedule from today through Tuesday. Learned when we ran a load today and accepted a load that picks up and delivers on Tuesday.
We woke up this morning in service, waiting for load offers, in the Florida house we recently purchased. Adjusting to the house change threw us off our expediting game, not seriously but in a way we will work to fix. Our minds were on the house and the long to-do list the house generates. Remember, we have not owned a house for seven years and the truck continues to be our home.
To-do items include things like buy a scrub bucket, bring a supply cleaning rags from the truck to the house, learn how the sprinkler system works, , etc. Our expectation was to be dispatched for a Tuesday pickup but offers came in for immediate pickups. That threw us off.
Normally we would accept an offer, turn the key in the truck and go to work. Today we were a seven minute walk from the truck and our belongings were scattered between it and the house. The offers were short runs that picked up and delivered today, not far from the house. We said yes to a run mid-afternoon and headed out intending to return to the house after the delivery. Knowing we would return, we left our shower bags and other personal gear at the house.
Expediters and other regular readers have probably already figured out what comes next. Things did not work out as expected. This is expediting. Forming an expectation is often a mistake. Making an assumption is another. We expected to be dispatched on a Tuesday run. We assumed we would return to the house after the Friday run we accepted. We were wrong on both counts.
The consequences were not serious and the shipper and consignee were well served. There was a significant delay at the pickup. That forced a later delivery which meant that we would not return to the house until well after dark. We don't drive our truck through our new quiet neighborhood when most people are in bed. We ended up spending the night in a rest area and made due without our shower bags.
Part of setting up the house is setting it and ourselves up for rapid entries and exits. That means keeping separate sets of clothes, toiletries, tools, cleaning supplies and such both in the truck and the house. It means designating a place to keep anything and everything that would go from the house to the truck when we leave (log books, purse, wallet, etc.). It means setting up a routine that leaves the house and truck secure and keeps from leaving important items behind. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, May 29, 2010 I learned today more about the used furniture market in Volusia County, Florida. Learned by shopping it.
We woke up this morning in the truck, in the Florida welcome center on I-95, just across the Georgia/Florida state line. Having delivered a load nearby last night, and being dispatched to pick up our next load on Tuesday, and now owing a house in this area, we headed toward the house to spend the Memorial Day weekend there.
Being in the truck and in the market for household goods, we mapped a path to the house that includes stops at several thrift shops along the way. We are furnishing the house with used goods so as not to get too attached to them or tied to the property.
Notwithstanding this house purchase, we still believe that property-free is the way to be. Thrift store shopping is great in that regard. The stuff you buy is cheap and if something happens, it can be easily replaced with another round of thrift shop visits.
There is a vibrant used furniture market in this area because the population is older than the national average. People leave their furniture behind as they age and move. Relatives and executors often dispose of the household goods by donating them to thrift shops. Goods are constantly flowing and great buys on high quality items are easy to find if you are willing to work the circuit.
We started today in Daytona Beach and worked our way south. Now knowing the stores, this is a route we are likely to repeat when heading to our house from the north. The house was partially furnished when we moved in. We were able to immediately sleep in a bed, cook in the kitchen and sit in the living room and dine in the dining room, but a number of items are still needed.
Getting into the thrift shop scene, we sold some of the furniture that came with the house. Used furniture dealers came to the house to buy two twin beds and a large recliner. They took the items and left $175 behind. We then hit the stores and spent $200 to buy some art work, a leaf blower, a desk lamp, six tumblers and a very nice coffee table with two matching end tables.
Everything you see pictured here either came with the house or was purchased with the $200. We are pleasantly surprised to discover how well you can do by power shopping the used furniture market in this area.
It helps to own a truck. It was great to have it and all the straps and furniture pads we needed to immediately and safely move the goods. Few people are as well equipped as we are to work the thrift shop circuit.
Notice the empty corner in the photo. While it calls out for a corner piece, we're in no rush. We will run the thrift shop circuit the next time we are heading to the house in the truck. Until then we'll do without.
Now at the house, we will spend the long weekend here and leave Monday night to get close to Tuesday's pickup. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, May 30, 2010 I learned today more about our Florida house. Learned by living in and working on it.
We are dispatched to pick up freight tomorrow and do not plan to return to the house anytime soon. We have been here longer than anticipated when we first arrived on May 20. Ten days is a long time off the road and we are eager to get back in the revenue stream.
The house is intended to be a vacation site but has been a lot of work in this, our first stay in it. Much of that work is one-time-only stuff like setting up vendor relationships, moving a bed from one room to another, selling furniture that came with the house but that we did not want, researching flooring options, etc.
The goal is to spend more time enjoying the house than working on it. We will get there but are not there yet. Hitting the road tomorrow will be a test of our ability to put the house on automatic pilot and mostly out of mind. We will see what it is like to rely on vendors and neighbors to keep the place up while we stay on the road and focus on business.
I found time today to add house photos to my blog entries. Start on May 21 and scroll down to view them. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, May 31, 2010 I learned today that it feels better to be in our truck sleeper than in the Florida vacation house we recently purchased. Learned by spending our first days in the Florida house and then moving back into our truck.
The truck is our home, the nation is our back yard and the vacation house is just that, a vacation house. It feels good to be back in the truck. It feels right to be on the road.
Returning to the Florida house will be a totally different experience. We will know what house we are returning to, where we will park the truck, what items are on the house to-do list, who the neighbors are, what vendors to call to get work done, where to buy groceries, etc.
We knew none of that when we arrived in Florida on May 21. It has been ten days of discovery and first experiences. I'm glad to be back on the road where the surroundings are more familiar. It won't hurt to make some money either.
Diane is driving as I write this. We are deadheading tonight toward tomorrow's South Carolina pickup. It is a short run that delivers later in the day. Unlike the last short run we did, this one does not take us close to our Florida house. That suits us fine. Having no desire to get back to Florida, we are back in the expediting groove.
This month's trip map is shown below. View other trip maps here. 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