Times Gone By

Times Gone By

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Shortest US visit

Don't believe the lyrics of some songs, best one is "call me Mr Flinstone cus I'll make your bed rock" . Mind you sounds like a chat up line from Mr Rich P....
Anyway, buckle up and lets roll...
Rang dispatch Sunday morning to be told they'd got a load for me to take to Charlettown, Prince Edward Island, delivery Monday morning. Well I had to make a decision, either leave Sunday afternoon or early Monday morning. PEI is only 4 hrs away. Trouble is to get there you have to cross an eight mile bridge across the sea and the slightest breeze and it's shut to trucks. Now Sunday was a nice day but mixed weather was coming in Monday. So decided to head out Sunday afternoon. Easy day, left home at 3pm, feet up in PEI by 730pm. Now this was the 2nd time i'd been to PEI, the first was at the beginning of the year when it was flipping cold(-40 + chill factor) the truck was'nt turned off for 48 hrs or so because of the temp. The APU could'nt put out enough heat to keep the cab warm yet alone keep the engine from freezing. When I crossed the bridge then the sea was frozen. Looking down at the blue sea this crossing with the sun shinining, those cold times seemed a life time away. 7am the next morning booked in and backed on a door. A short while later another Clarke truck pulled up, it was my old mucker Jozsef. Well it was a lovely sunny morning, so on a morning like that when you have a clean truck and lots of time what do you do? Get the polish out.. Okay sad to some of you, but hell I don't care. Now The Canadian way of life is so layed back it's nearly horizontal some times. Thats okay unless your an ex Draycote driver who don't like sitting round. Okay I was being paid waiting time but I like moving. So by 1130 I'd had enough, rang dispatch and advised of situation and was told to leave my trl on the door and head for Truro. Moving again, sun still shining and so was my truck, was I a happy bunny or what(yes, sad I know). Got to Truro and picked a loaded a trl and took it to the docks at Nth Sydney (202miles away), dropped it, picked an mt up and headed back down to Port Hawkesbury(93miles). I was to drop the mt hook up to a load heading for Midland, Michigan. Sod it, pulled up at the papermill that night, cooked some tea and went to bed, swap trls in the morning. Chris sent a message to say once on my way when did I want the load booking in for????? If I'd said Friday they may have done it. But it was an easy 2 day run so I told them I'd be there by 9am Thursday morning. It was only 1626 miles away (ONLY). It's hard to believe but that is an easy 2 day run, no pressure and pays well. Got parked up at Bridgeport, Michigan Wednesday night, and Midland was only 30 mins down the road. Now "early bird catches the worm" next morning on the door at 730, unloaded and waiting for reload by 8. Did'nt take long, head for Clarkston MI (87miles away) load then take it to Niagara, Ontario. Now the one question Canadian Border Control always ask is "how long were you in the USA". The shortest was 3 days, but this trip trumped that one, 25 hrs thats all I spent in the States this time. Again no pressure run for Niagara so headed for the TA truckstop in Woodstock, Ontario. One hold up on the way was a truck fire. Poor bugger all he had left was a chassis. Then when I came down the exit ramp for the truckstop there was a shout on the CB "shit he's rolled it on the ramp". On the west bound exit ramp for the truckstop a guy had rolled his rig. Now there was a lot of concern for the driver, people asking over the CB if the driver was alright. But then someone said that they'd seen him out of the cab and he was a rag head... Oh boy sympathy soon disappeared. I totally agree, out in Ontario is a large Indian and Pakistani community and there driving is poor, no it's not it's bloody shit. They call Brampton, Ontario, Bramledesh. Okay lets get off the soap box. Short trip next morning down to Niagara and a quick unload. Now Niagara Falls(the city) is one of the most cleanest places I've ever passed through. Nothing seems out of place. Even got a glimpse of the falls. Next time I deliver there I'm dropping the trl and going sight seeing. Anyway back to the plot. Head for Toronto load and take it to our terminal in Concord ON. Hell when I dropped that trl in Concord the Qualcomm went wild. 3 pre plans. Hook up to a trl where I was, take it into Toronto, tip it, bring the mt back to Concord, bobtail to Hamilton pick up a loaded trl and take it to Mitchelin Drop Yard in Saint Laurent (Montreal), bobtail to our yard in St Laurent pick another loaded trl up and head back to the Maritimes. Sounds worse than it is. Saturday morning saw me dropping in St Laurent and by Saturday night i was parked up just outside Oremocto (Waasis to be precise) New Brunswick. Sunday morning, drop that trl in our trl yard at Moncton, grab an MT, take that to our trl yard at Truro and leave it then bobtail back home. Now by 10 am Sunday morning I was having a home cooked breakfast with my beautiful wife. Now with this little run I've clocked up 3942 miles so I think it's time for a beer. Back on the road Tuesday.. Be safe... ctch you soon..

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