Here we sit again. We could not find an empty trailer at the Stansfield OR Wal-Mart to take to Potlatch in Lewiston ID. That load was heading to Las Vegas. Gordon took that load away from us, told us to go back to Wal-Mart and wait for an empty. Once you get the empty, take it to the Portland yard, were there is a load that need to go to Halsey OR, about a 190 mile drive. Once at Georgia Pacific in Halsey, your load is waiting and ready. It is a 2 dropper for Costco on Tuesday morning. We team drove, non stop to Rancho Cucamonga, so that we could get out of dealing with Costco. We got to LA this morning @ 10am. When we checked on the load this morning, we found out that our next load had been overloaded and was too heavy to run down the road. A local Gordon driver took it back to the Wal-Mart DC to have it reworked. We got an empty trailer and headed over to Wal-Mart to get the reworked load to find out that there closed. Gordon tells us to wait until the morning to get the load. Almost a 24 hours sitting. We were originally camped out at our new, under construction yard in Rancho Cucamonga. After I got up from a nap, Joy informed me that the toilets are over flowing in the portable trailer and there are no porta-potties. So I jumped in the seat and drove us over to one of the only truck stops in this area. Remember Land of the Lost, this TA is land of the lost lot lizards. We found an awesome parking spot that was easy to maneuver into and decided to go find some fresh veggies and fruit @ the buffet in the truck stop. Walked into the restaurant, and were hit by a wall of hot air, no AC.... 100+ but the food was good. So we are back in the nice cool truck, Joy is asleep and I though that I would add this journal entry to our lives as truckers. We are nearing are 2 year anniversary of truck driving almost 600,000 miles. It is amazing to think back to some of the most extreme situations that have confronted us while over the road. There is a new reality show on about tough jobs. Tonight they had the contestants’ drive trucks. I really hope that most of America was paying attentions to the degree of difficulty that we have to adhere to on a daily basis.

One Year

This is a short and sweet note. I will try and be more proactive in writing. We have logged over 275,000 miles with GTI. We are beginning to see the light and the end of our debt snowball. We do enjoy what we are doing, but are sure that we can not be life long committed truck drivers. It is a very tough and demanding lifestyle. We are now entering the Holiday Season, and dodging drunks at night is a full time gig. I had a drunk in LA that wanted to commit suicide by trying to get me to run him over. That is for another blog when I have more time.

Merry Christmas.

Happy Anniversary

It is late night of July 24.
We are on are way to make an early delivery in Bensenville IL .

I pull over in Clearwater MN ., for coffee and do my safeties check on the truck. As I 'm cleaning off the bugs, I notice that Joy has awaken after being asleep for about 5 hours. I say "Hey! You got to go pee?" she looks at me dazed and confused. I tell her were we are and do you want me to escort you to the bathroom. She wobbles her head back and forth no, OK!

I was walking around the truck, checking the tiers and overall appearance of the tractor and trailer. I came around the back side of the trailer and starter my inspection of the passenger's side trailer tiers. As I leaned into the inside of the wheel well I herd a muffled "Brrreeetttt!" I shot a look to that direction, and what I saw sent me into panic mode. Joys crumpled motionless body laid at the foot of the passenger side fuel tank. I ran to her aid, my mind went through a hundred scenarios of medical aid. I crouched to her side; she looked up at me, to my relief. ”Are you OK!!?" I asked. " I have got to go pee!" I lifted her into my arms and took her into the truck stop. After potty, the staff got her some water and Advil. We got her shoe off and inspected the swollen foot. Ouch!

I called Gordon Trucking and explained the situation. I was given instruction to get her to a clinic to be checked out, after the morning delivery that is. Do they have truck parking, yes... OK.. So we got over to the doctors office check in desk, and said that are company made an appointment for us. She looked at her computer monitor, and said "ah yes, can you pee now?" oh, drug test. OK, after that we got a small walking splint and we were set off to make are next delivery.

This evening we are sitting in Jackson TN. Got showered and fed. I was making my way through all of the e-mail junk and got to one that said Happy Anniversary one. I looked over at my wife and said "What is today?" She said Thursday, the 26Th...
I'm sure you can imagine the rest.

Finally a New Post

Blog Violation

I guess I knew that my blog would be read by others and that I had set myself up for on-line scrutiny when I posted it. I created this as an on-line journal, and a way that friends and family could read about our adventures on the road. After I posted my last piece about GPS, I got up early the next day to update some other thoughts. Upon returning to the site, I noticed that it had been violated. Some very troubling and hateful comments had been posted throughout the entire blog. So now I had to add some security to the site and try to clear my head from the hate and discontent that was directed in my general direction.

180,000 Miles
We drove the wheels off truck number one and have been issued a brand new, 2006 Columbia series Freightliner. The new car smell was a little overwhelming. It took almost 2 days to get the new truck back in order. We just took it in to have a 58,000 mile service done. That is just a bit over 2 months of driving.

Stories From The Way Side
We haul all kinds of stuff. Some of it is absolutely bizarre in its relevance to the load before it. We picked up a load of Starbucks Coffee, and the next load was coffee makers for Wal-Mart. We took toilet paper to the east coast and brought back to the west coast porta potties. Of course, some of it can just be silly. Like the 4 loads a day of toilet paper that GTI hauls to Los Angeles, must be for all the B.S. that goes on down there. The Maraschinos Cherries is just a bizarre load, an entire semi trailer filled with them, how many cherries is that and who really needs that many cherries. It might have made more sense if the cherries went to Las Vegas. More toilet paper, this time it went out to the mid-west, and we brought back fertilizer. I guess we haul allot of crap.

This is a short blog. I just wanted to get some of the creative juices running though my veins again. I will leave you with one last load.

Hot Load of Cherries
Joy and I have a reputation in dispatch as a team that will get the load there on time without much crying. Yes crying, boo hoo. So we were on our way back up I-5 (boo hoo), again, and we got a message on the Qualcomm “call dispatch ASAP!” Our driver manager wanted to know if we had any experience with hauling refrigerated good’s. Joy said that Brett does. Ok, great like that was 7 months ago when I was just a baby trucker (boo hoo). So why the reefer load. Well it seems that in Yakima, Washington, the rare and succulent plum size cherry is grown. This special little luscious morsel is loved and coveted by the Japanese. The load was relayed to us in Portland, we drove the little tasty snacks non-stop to San Francisco international airport to catch there flights. The air cargo area is not refrigerated, so we waited until the jet’s were ready to fly, (8 hours later...boo hoo)so the cherries went from the cold trailer to the cargo handlers at 3 different terminals, and loaded to fly non-stop to Japan. I can only speculate that those sweet little cherries could pay for 4 new cherry semi trucks and refrigerated trailers. $$$ Nice Load.

The Winter That Made History

Winter is a time of the year, that as humans we have grown to adapt, and can always expect it to happen. Some humans unlike others tend to forget how to prepare for winter, and you usually read about them; see them on TV, and here about them on the radio. I love the weather, I love extreme weather. What I have observed in the most extreme weather is that the most folks also seem to love it too. People seem to get a feeling of invincibility when they get behind the wheel of there 4000 pound, traction controlled, power everything SUV. I see them in the ditch, down the gully, and smashed in to very unrecognizable shapes every day. Wake up America and slow down. God does not care what you do, nor do Mother Nature and Old Man Winter.

The great part about trucking is, if you don’t like they weather that you are currently driving in, drive for about 500 miles, it will change. This has not been the case for Joy and I, or should I say, this has not been the case for America. This winter has blanked the entire USA. All of those silver haired snow birds that migrated to Arizona woke up to a dusting of the very thing that they dislike. Last week we dove over to North Carolina to deliver a load of paper for Procter & Gamble. 200 miles into the state our outside temperature gauge is reading 57 degrees. Wow, could this be true, as I rolled down my window, the heavy musty air poured into the cab of the truck. It reminded me of being in Hawaii. Once we arrived at the RDC (regional distribution center) we were greeted by a very happy security guard. He was dressed in full winter garb. Everything but ear muffs, I think that if he had them he would have had them on. It must have been and interesting site, scrawny white boy in tee shirt next to big over dressed security man. I can only imagine what he must have thought 3 days later when it snowed there.

De Moines Iowa gets snowed in.

Joy and I feel that it is our responsibility to check road conditions of the state that we are currently passing thought. We consult the NOAA web site frequently. Every chance you get, you ask other truckers, listen to the CB and take 5 to watch the weather channel at truck stops. So it was no surprise to us to see snow and adverse driving conditions in the heartland of America. News Flash Iowa, really nasty cold air from Canada is pushing its way into your back yard. The part that makes it really fun is that simultaneously a massive tropical depression from the Gulf of Mexico is going to run into the cold air. Six inches of this wonderfully fluffy snow blanked De Moines that night, and the city had no snow plows. Well none that we saw any ways. The temperature on the dash was reading 14 degrees. This makes for the type of snow that you can not make a snow ball out of. Really Fluffy! Now here is the amazing part, folks that have never seen this stuff were out driving in it, and driving at the posted speed limits, on the freeway.

Smash Boom Bam!

Over the next 24 hours we counted more that 50 vehicle’s off the road. At least one every 5 to 10 miles. Lots and lots of SUV’s too. The best “E” ticket ride that we saw was a Dodge Durango that was traveling a very high rate of speed, lost control, went off the freeway, down into the drainage ditch, up the other side, went airborne, cleared the farmers barbed wire fence and landed on its feet out in the field, at least 75 yards from the road. The most amazing impact that we saw was a band new Ford F-350 Super Duty 4X4 that hit the guard rail with such a violent impact that it removed the entire rear end from the truck. I was driving slow enough to look to see were did the rear end go, no clue.

From high winds in Wyoming, to sub zero temperatures in Texas, this is a winter for not only the record books, but the history books as well. I can’t help but think that secretly Al Gore is pumping his fist in the air in his TV room, chanting “Global Warming is real!” You might have something there, Al.

We are home now, resting up and getting ready to see what February holds for us. Driving a 80,000 pound sled around is stressing enough, but trying to avoid SUV’s and Mini vans filled with children playing games, and giving you the traditional blow your Semi Truck horn, will drive you insane. So the next time you are all out on the highways and byways of our nations roads, remember to leave lots of room between you and those big trucks, please don’t tailgated or cut us off, remember that it takes 90 feet a second to stop in 800 feet going 60 mph.

12 Loads of Christmas

We have just returned after running 30 states in 30 days. On our last tour out we drove 18,000 miles in 21 days. We believe the reason for so many miles in a short about of time is the Christmas Holiday rush. That and we are the newbie’s, covering loads that would normally be ran by local and regional drivers. So I thought that it would be appropriate to tell you about the 12 loads of Christmas.

You can sing if you like.

On the first load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees.

On the second load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the third load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the fourth load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the fifth load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
5 thousand pounds of Toy Apparel
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the sixth load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
6 Century Gun Safes
5 thousand pounds of Toy Apparel
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the seventh load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
7000 Coffee Makers
6 Century Gun Safes
5 thousand pounds of Toy Apparel
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the eighth load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
18 tons of Soap
7000 Coffee Makers
6 Century Gun Safes
5 thousand pounds of Toy Apparel
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the ninth load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
9000 Camouflage Hunting Vests
18 tons of Soap
7000 Coffee Makers
6 Century Gun Safes
5 thousand pounds of Toy Apparel
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the tenth load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
256 Kegs of Beer
9000 Camouflage Hunting Vests
18 tons of Soap
7000 Coffee Makers
6 Century Gun Safes
5 thousand pounds of Toy Apparel
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the eleventh load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
11,000 rolls of Toilet Paper
256 Kegs of Beer
9000 Camouflage Hunting Vests
18 tons of Soap
7000 Coffee Makers
6 Century Gun Safes
5 thousand pounds of Toy Apparel
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees

On the twelfth load of Christmas Gordon Trucking had us haul
$12,000 dollars worth of Appliances & chaining up over Cabbage Pass
11,000 rolls of Toilet Paper
256 Kegs of Beer
9000 Camouflage Hunting Vests
18 tons of Soap
7000 Coffee Makers
6 Century Gun Safes
5 thousand pounds of Toy Apparel
44 thousand pounds of Starbucks coffee
30,000 pounds of Paper Towels
200,000 pars of Levi's
And 1 giant Roll of Paper made from trees!

Trucking is a Scavenger Hunt

You are beamed
instructions from space

They need to be translated to the best of your ability. You look for clues based on your translation in hope to find your load. Wow! Joy and I have been using Google Map to cross reference information from the QUALCOMM. We are also using Rand McNally for the basics on getting around America. Trip planning is of the utmost importance, it can make or break your time line. On this last load we are running as a team with the truck only shut down for about 4 hours. We managed to run from Reno to Nashville in under 50 hours. That was a rough run, we feel about as ragged as the roads in Tennessee. We still have allot to learn. The hardest part is sleeping in the truck while on those crappy ass roads.

Here is a recap of the last 15 days. We ran a run from Pacific WA to Tobyhanna PA to Syracuse NY to Webster NY to Bloomfield NY to Bath NY. Over to Columbus OH, than up to Sheboygan WI, from Sheboygan WI to Mt. Crawford VA, from Mt. Crawford VA to Greenbay WI to Neelys Landing MO from Neelys Landing to Granit City IL, from Granit City IL to Reno NV, from Reno NV to Nashville TN, from Nashville TN to Memphis TN from Memphis to Coldwater MI, from Coldwater to Columbus OH, From Columbus OH we are finally going to land back in the Pacific Northwest on December 1st for a well deserved 4 days off.

Experiences that we though would never happen
We had to drop are empty trailer in a mud pit that dam near swallowed the front steer excel. Joy did a tier check and we had a flat on are trailer, and damaged freight that no one knew what to do with. Things that happened that we were told by the recruiter would almost never happen. Un-loading 1600 cases of cereal by hand, more power loads than drop and hooks and hooks, lots of detention, and thank the trucking gods that we get paid for deadhead miles

Crazy weather
When we left Seattle it was raining like mad, and forecasted a serious snow storm that was coming. We out ran that, but never the less had to pull over in Montana because of high wind gusts. Than we drove through the rest of Montana and North Dakota in a blizzard. Once on the East coast, we found ourselves in a monsoon that claimed the lives on 9. Tornado warnings and more sideways rain that Joy and I have ever witnessed. Next we found ourselves in the south with sunny skies and a very balmy 75 degrees. We have not had to chain up yet, but after looking at what has been going on at are home base, we have added time to are schedule for that.

Driving around that USA for that last fifteen days has been a challenge. If any one else is considering this, I would strongly recommend a GPS unit. All the maps, and instructions, even Google, can not tell you when you need to turn left. Allot of the road on the east coast are very confusing. We are definitely looking at a few different GPS options.

In short, we are having a blast. Are bank account is starting to reflect the 13,000 miles that we have put on. Are spirits are high, and we are truly reveling in this experience.

Happy Holidays…