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