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Ah well the girl went into to Penske for her service Monday, taken to Freightliner on the Tuesday for a recall and me hoping to roll Wednesday morning. Oh no. Wednesday morning still in the shop. Got her back in the afternoon (still with a list of jobs undone). Got dispatched, bobtail to Moncton, pickup mt, then go to Lake Utopia NB to load for Chester PA. Nice steady run. Stayed in Stamford Connecticut on the Thursday night and woke to another white world. The conditions of the roads between there and New York were pretty poor. But once across the George Washington Bridge the roads improved. Load delivered by 10 I was off to Hazleton PA to pick up my reload. The trl I was picking up had 5 deliveries on, St John NB, Fredericton NB, Moncton nb, Charlottestown PEI and then New Mina NS. Trouble is the 1st delivery didn't have to be made till 7am Monday morning. Another weekend sat in the truck, never mind. The time flew by, especially the Sunday as I was busy Skype'ing. It's fantastic now because Micks got Skype, love you bro. Thanks Dave for sorting it. The temperature really fell on the Monday, it was down to -40. The store deliveries went quite well and I was making good time. I was looking forward to the delivery on Prince Edward Island as I'd never been there, and the drive there was going to be different, as to get to PEI you drive across a bridge crossing the sea. The bridge itself is just under 9 miles long. Look forward to doing that drive in summer. Downside to this bridge is the slightest winds and it closes. As I found out. Made the store delivery but when I returned to the bridge I was greeted with a line of trucks parked on the side of the road and the signs flashing "Bridge Closed". So only thing to do was sit and wait and let mother nature do her thing. The bridge didn't reopen till 2am, so I set off for New Mina, I'd be early but hey ho. Luckily when I arrived at the store they unloaded me straight away, another result was i only had to travel a mile down the road to pick up my next loaded trl. 43,000lb potato starch bound for Berwick PA. Another nice steady run. It's regular now to hear on the radio of snow coming in, they call anything under 3inches a light dusting. I arrived at the delivery point early Thursday morning but then sat till 130 waiting for my reload instructions. When they came through another short drive to Hazleton to pick up 40,000lb of food wrap. Didn't get loaded and out of there till 730 so a quick drive down the road to Blue Ridge Truck Stop. The load was going to Burlington ON so again no pressure, it's only about six and half hours away. Delivery made in Burlington I headed for Brampton to pick up a load going back to Halifax. Sorted Sunday at home. The journey back was straight forward, oh except the bracket on the air compressor broke and I had to strap it up to get home. Dropped the trl in Lakeside Sunday morning then home. Always so good to get home. My neighbours must think I'm mad, washing my truck in -12 conditions. Truck washed, breakfast eaten, change of clothes and off to TBR's. Going to take a couple of days off, hopefully back on the road Wednesday. So until next time, keep it safe

Last picture is a beutiful sunset in Quebec. Will I ever tire of this country. I think not

First delivery Chambly QC

1st Trip 2011

Well we left Monday dinner time (we, because Sharen came with me) heading for our first delivery in Chambley QC. The booking was for 8am (Eastern Time),but because of the late dispatch I was going to be an hour late.No problems with anyone on that one, your never asked to work "on the darkside of the law" by Clarke. It was a straight forward run up to there, no great shakes, just never get bored with the scenery. After delivering to Chambley the remainder of the load was to be delivered to St Laurant QC, only an hour away. The job turned out better when I found out it was just leave the trl in a drop yard and not wait. While we waited for reload details (though I had a good idea what they'd be) we bobtailed off to find a restaurant to get some dinner (no iffy caravans in laybys here).Well after demolishing a lovely dinner of BBQ ribs and chicken I gave Dispatch a quick call. Easy pick up an mt from just down the road, leave it at our terminal then wait for the "poolcar" that night. The "poolcar" is made of goods collected around QC by our city trucks then loaded on to trls bound for different areas in the Maritimes. Trl ready at 130am we had a nice early start for home (well some of us had an early start, while SOMEONE stayed in bed). You can easily get from St Laurent to Dartmouth in a days drive so we were dropping the trl off at 430pm that day. Hours used up it was Wednesday night at home. The original plan Thursday morning was for me to take a trl up to Port Hawkesbury,  pick up a loaded 1 take it back to Halifax then they'd have a plan worked out. Well their plans came together faster than i thought. A message came through, leave the mt at Port Hawkesbury, bobtail to our trl yard in Truro then pick up my trl bound for Standish, Michigan. Booking date was for Monday morning 7am. Oh so simple, plan was forming in my head. Get into Michigan Saturday and take 36 hours off to reset my hours, then i'd be good Monday for another 70 hours work. Stayed in Salisbury NB that night, then Napenee ON the following night. When I left Napenee Saturday morning the weather was ok, but a few miles down the road I hit one mother of a snow storm. Travelling through Toronto was pretty poor. Got out  as far as London ON and the weather changed again, it was a lovely day and stayed  like that all the way to michigan. I crossed over to the US at Detroit. Now there's a place you keep your doors locked and keep moving as much as you can. It's a shame, a once prosperous city now reduced to what it is. Well we've seen it in the UK though, Dagenham, Ryton, no car industry any more. I got to a truck stop in Standish MI Saturday afternoon and stayed there for the weekend. My delivery point was only 45 mins away. By the time I set off Monday morning the cab had had it's 1st real Buster clean. Love lay overs. The delivery was straight forward on the Monday and by 10 I'd got my reload details. Pick up from North Lima Ohio. Thank the lord Clarke pay for empty miles, believe me a lot of companies don't. The parts of Michigan and Ohio I travelled through were not that spectacular. Mind you a sign on the side of the interstate in Michigan did tickle my fancy. It read "Prison area, do not pick up hitchikers" . Gives you confidence in their security. Got to the shipper and was loaded by 6. As i was loading I was listening to the weather forecast and it sounded quit dim. Snow storm moving in Tuesday morning. So i set off early Tues morning to keep ahead of the storm. The forecast got worse as the day went on. 2 storms converging over NY Wednesday afternoon and moving up the Eastern Seaboard. They predicted up to 18 inches of snow. So the plan was still the same, push on as much as possible to try and keep in front of it. Tuesday night saw me in Kittery ME. Now during the night I kept peeking out of the curtains to see what the weather was doing. Midnight, looking good, 2am, looking good. 430am, where the F' had all that snow come from. I set of from there at 5, there was a good 4 inches and still snowing. But by the time I'd travelled about 50 miles I started running out of the storm. So plan "A" was back in place, push on as quick as possible to keep in front of the snow. Crossed back into Canada and was at my delivery point at Boutuche NB by 330. The weather was good but Sharen had told me that Halifax was getting it bad. The forecast for New Brunswick was that the storm was going to hit that night. I left Boutuche at 5 and everything was rosie. Iwas meant to be heading back to Halifax, but with in 10 miles the weather changed so quickly. No way was I going to attempt to run back home in these condititons with an empty truck, so Moncton was going to be home for the night. With in minutes though a message came over the computer from Clarke telling all Trucks between Maine and Halifax to stop and wait for roads to be cleared. They don't like taking unneccessary risks, the load can get there later rather than never. Safety first, what a great firm, no "it's got to be there". Well when I kicked off from Moncton Thursday morning the roads were still pretty bad. At one stage I thought about turning back for Moncton, but then decided to push on(I'm a man). Again with in 15 miles the conditions changed, the roads cleared and I was able to bat on a bit. Now my young lady was due for a service(the truck not Sharen) and I'd got her booked into the shop for Monday morning. My worry was when I got back to Halifax they would'nt be able to give me any work to fill the 4 days. I was wrong thankfully. We've got some top people in our Dispatch. Plan was head for Oromocto to load Friday at 1030am, then onto Montreal. I could either set off in that afternoon or in the morning. A plan formed in my head(hurts sometimes when I think), home for a couple of hours and see if Sharen wanted to come with me. With in a couple of hours i was back on the road with my gorgeous wife. We stayed at Salisbury NB that night, no need to rush it as we'd got plenty of time. Poor Sharen did'nt like the driving conditions too much as we ran into another snow storm. She said to me after she was quit worried, but thought I was quit confident in the bad conditions(if only she knew). Loaded at Oromocto by 11 the next day, we were in St Laurent (Clarke Terminal) by 9 that night. We were also picking the poolcar up from there that night. Sorted, jobs a good un. We left there at 6 the next morning and was dropping the trl off at Moncton by 5 that afternoon. From there we bobtailed home. How many companies in the UK would have a truck bobtail 160 miles. So home by 8. Always so nice, that first cold beer, sat in front of the tv, in my beautiful home, with my beautiful wife.  Nice relaxing Sunday, couple of beers at the bar, chat with Mick on the phone(love you bro) and a chat with one of my best mates Dave over Skpe. Always good to speak to you and dad Dave. Well thats about it, 6680 miles tucked under my belt for this trip, my girl goe's into the shop in the morning, then back on the road again Wednesday with luck. So until the next time stay safe, miss you all

Last rtip of 2010

Happy New Year everyone.
Got back News Years Day at 4am. I left on the Monday for a trip to New Oxford PA. The previous night I'd been talking to my friend Jeff (he also drives for Clarke and was my mentor when i started) he'd set out Sunday afternoon and was parked at Salisbury NB. He warned me there was a bad snow storm coming in for the Eastern Seaboard and Maritimes and that I may not get out. It did snow in Halifax during the night, about4 inches, but within an hour it started to rain heavy and continuously for hours. Well the next morning my only problem was digging the snow away, from in front of the truck, that the snow plough had deposited there earlier that morning.Rang dispatch for pre plan. Call at terminal pickup a container, take it to the rail port in Moncton, then go to our trailer yard(also in Moncton), pickup a trl loaded with waste paper going to the mill in St George NB where I'd also load with rolls of paper bound for New Oxford. Simple. New Brunswick had had a lot of snow, like we had, but without the rain, so there was plenty about.
Tipped the waste paper and loaded and headed to Pennfield truck stop (not far from the mill) for the night. No point in going any further as I knew my paperwork for customs would'nt be ready till morning. Gave Sharen a ring and she told me Jeff had been in touch to see how I was getting on, as he'd only managed to get to Newport ME before having to give in to the snow. Must have been bad because Jef is one hell of a driver, did't get Driver of the Year 2010 for nothing and thats not a company award its a regional thing. Congrats again mate, your "The Boss". Anyway next morning I peeked out the curtains to see if anymore snow had been deposited, and was relieved to see there had'nt, it was ruddy cold though. The roads were kind of ok going to Calais, it was after the border crossing it got really bad. Compact snow and ice. There was 1 thought in my head, and that was "what the hell The Airline was going to be like". Well it was, how can i put it, a little hairy. One joker shouted out on the cb "ye ha Ice Road Trucking highway 9 style". He was'nt far wrong.Maine had had it bad, but the snow plough crews had done a great job in opening the interstates, if only 1 lane in places. I got down to New Oxford about 11am Wedsnesday morning, with no incidents except for a blown headlight bulb. When I was sat waiting for details of my reload I managed to talk to my mate Dave  back in England over Skype. If you en't tried it you've got to, it was good to see and speak to him again. Pre plan through, reload Lancaster PA (only 45 mile away from me), then up to Concord ON with it. Sorted, that meant I'd be back New Years day. Dropped the trl off Thursday morning, did a small collection & Del round Toronto, then went off to Missassauga to wait for my trl bound for the Maritimes. I left Missassauga midnight, got as far as Woodstock NB, then set off again that night for Moncton. Trl dropped off and bobtail home. Jobs a gud un. I got home at 4 am. Couple of hours sleep, wash the truck, breakfast, then of to the Tavern for Levee day celebrations. Great day had. Well that's it for 2010. Lets see whats in stall for us in 2011. Again Happy New Year all. Catch you guys later