Q'ing on Peace Bridge heading into the States
I 95 North Carolina
The above 3 are in a rest area in North Carolina
Times Gone By
Monday, July 11, 2011
Back again
Hi there how you all doing. Sorry it's been a while, but weather is picking up at home so when i get back my time is filled with jobs round the garden, the truck(of coarse), walks(to TBR's) and most of all spending quality time with Sharen. I usually get home and reset my hours and get back on the road again. Though saying that i spend the best part of two days at home at a time. Clarke don't mind how much time you take off, they're good at that. Ask them to make sure your home on a certain day and they'll sort it for you. The other week i took 4 days off as Sharen's mum and dad came to see us. We had a awesome time with them but by the 4th day I was crawling the walls, itching to get back on the road. Still loving the job and have no regrets on coming out here. Most of all I love living in Canada. The area we live is fantastic, the folks here have really made us feel at home. I got back on Friday night, it was Canada Day, and Sharen said our friends, neighbours actually, had invited us to a Canada Day party at their house. Oh what a night. Sat on a log, round a log fire, down by the lake, watching fireworks and drinking cold beer with good friends. It was awesome. Anyway work wise keeping really busy. Couple of times have done 2 trips down to the States in one week. Your always asked if you want to do it or go home. No "YOUR ARE DOING TI". You hear so many bad stories about companies that seem to forget that drivers do have families and homes. There's one, and their coming to the UK to do their yearly recruiting, that has a real bad reputation for treating the drivers badly. Their attitude is if you don't like it F off back to where you come from. I was so lucky to get a job at Clarke and would recommend this company to anyone thinking of moving out here. Just make sure you and your family have done your home work and really talked it through. Lot don't last because they miss UK and family too much. Thank god for Skype. Keeps me in touch with the ones i love. Anyway your not here for this mush you want diesel.
So buckle up, sit back and lets roll.
The trip I'm on at present started last Monday. Just had a awesome weekend at home, as Sharen's brother Andrew came to stay with his family for the weekend. What with him visiting and Canada Day at friends on the Friday night I needed to get back to work to have a rest. Rang dispatch at 8 on Monday morning and got told to come straight in. Ron gave me a trl to take from our yard to North Sydney docks (261 miles away). Driving up to Cape Breton on a nice day is aways a lovely drive. It's really beautiful up there. I would say it's the prettiest part Nova Scotia. Dropped the loaded trl there and hooked up to an mt and took it to the papermill in Port Hawkesbury (93miles back down the road). Once there did a simple trl swap and then took the loaded one to our trl yard in Moncton. That was it for the Monday, well not really they asked if i could do them a favour, so i did, which earnt me 6 hrs pay for an hour and halfs work. Nod nod wink wink. Mick knows what the job is, i've done it before. Anyway Tuesday morning Ron sent me message to hook up to an mt Tridem in our Moncton yard and take it to Prince Edward Island to load up. Ouch that was going to hurt the wallet. That bridge we have'nt a Tag for so it'll cost me 70 bucks to cross. We get the money back off Clarke, but it still a lot to hand out. The collection was'nt far, once off the bridge, so was soon on a bay and starting to load. The load was bales of waste paper and the guy had asked how much weight he could put on. Now the tridem i'd got on could have carried 70,000 lb but told him only 60,000lb as there were no scales there and he only had a rough idea on what each bale weighed. Turned out in the end there was 65,000lb on there, so if i'd told him i could take 70,000lb I more than likely would have been overloaded. Anyway loaded, pulled off the bay and checked the weight on the pin(we have a dial in the cab). She was over weight at the front so the trl axles needed sliding forward. Thats when the problems started. Went to pull the handle to release the pins so I could slide her and the handle moved with tooo much ease. Why, becacause the bars connecting to the release pins were broke. Quick call to Glen in maintenance and he found me a shop on the Island to take it to, only 8 miles down the road. It was out in the middle of no where, but once there these guys did'nt mess about, within 2 hours the pins were as could as new, and they adjusted the brakes up for me as well. Axles slid into place and i was off to Napanee, Ontario. First scale was just before the bridge on the Island, green light and i was off. That night I made it as far as Riviere du Loup. Next day was a simple run down to Napanee, put on the way dispatch sent me a message asking if I could do a load for them down to South Carolina. Bloody right i could, well that was'nt the exact reply i sent, but close. They sent the pre plan through and it was a simple job. Pick up a loaded trl from our terminal in Concord, Ontario and deliver to a Mitchelin plant in Sandy Springs South Carolina Friday night at 8. Easy run with plenty of time to get there. So once I unloaded at Napanee i headed for Concord to do my swap. Pretty straight forward job, got them to do my faxing to the custom broker while i was there, then set off for the 5th Wheel truckstop in Grimsby ON. The border at Buffalo NY was only an hour away from there so would cross into the States in the morning. Now the weather was looking promising, so the 1st job I did was put my girl into the truck wash at the 5th Wheel. Nice sparkling clean truck and we headed for the border. Buffalo is a busy place to cross at and even a 630 in the morning we were q'ing on Piece Bridge to get into America. Once there though quick check of the p'work and my passport and were in the good old US of A. The route i was taking was a new one to me, West on the I 90 towards Erie, Pennsyvania, then pick up the I 79 south heading for Pittsburgh, then cross into West Virginia, then follow the 79 down to Sutton WVA then cut across the 19 towards Becklley to pick up the I 77 South. Now I could write for ever more on the beauty of the journey along this route, but I'd never do it justice, it has to be seen to be believed. Blue skies, sun shining brightly, temps up as far as 44c, air con blowing away, Eagles cd playing away, open Interstate, beautiful veiws, rig sparkling in the sun, I had to pinch myself to check I was'nt dreaming, (excuse the language) but it's fucking AWESOME. I crossed over the state line into Virginia and stayed at a TA truckstop in Wytheville, VA, for the night. I was in no rush the next day as Sandy Springs was only 4 hrs away and with a 8pm booking as nice lie in bed was called for. Must have needed the sleep more than i thought as i did'nt get up till gone 9. Still did'nt have to move yet so got the polish out and cleaned the alloys. I was going to do the diesel tanks but the heat beat me. So at 12 I fueled up and set off for South Carolina. Glad I gave myself plenty of time as there were to big wrecks on the I 85. One in North Carolina and one in Sth Carolina. Thats were the cb comes in, knowledgeable old hands are always ready to come up and tell you of good alternative routes. So with their advice and the added aid of a good gps, the 2 diversions i took added only 20 minutes onto my journey. A consideral saving as the one wreck was'nt cleared for 2 hrs it was apparently a fatal one. Now time was getting on and there was no pre plan for a reload and sales finish at 5. So I sent a message asking if there was a plan. "We're working on it for you" was the reply. Then they must have read my mind, as an hour later i was about ot send them a reminder, when they sent me a message "we have'nt forgot you Buster, still working on a plan". I think their getting to know me and that i don't like sitting round. There a good bunch in Dispatch. Few minutes later a pre plan came through, reload Mitchelin in Lexington SC and deliver to Bridgewater Nova Scotia. Mmm now while i waited to unload i worked out my journey back, there was no way round it, I would have to stop and reset my hours on the way back. So notified dispatch, no problem. So Friday night I stayed in Sandy Springs and headed for Lexington the next morning, only a couple of hours away. It was a quick load there so I'd soon got my old girl (actually she's not old, poetic licence) heading North. Take the I 20 as far as Florence SC then pickup the I 95 and head North. It was a good journey up until i reached the out skirts of Washington DC , traffic slowed down a bit but we were soon clear of it. Made it to the TA truckstop just outside Baltimore, Maryland. That was home for the night. I set off from there at 430 the next morning as I wanted to miss the traffic on the GW bridge in New York. Bloody hell 730 on a Sunday morning is the best time to cross there I've now found out. Only slowed down for the toll plazas. Never had such a good drive through there and I've been across there at different times of day and night. It was another beautiful day weather wise, but the scenary up the Eastern Seaboard en't nothing to write home about. Perhaps I'd been spoilt with PA, VA, NC and SC. My final destination for Sunday was a Irving truckstop in Newport, Maine. Thats where you find me now. I'll leave here in the early hours of Tueasday morning and should be in Bridgewater NS Tuesday afternoon. They've already asked what my plans are when I'm back inthe Maritimes, I've told them I'll go home Tuesday night then set off again Wednesday morning. Got to keep them wheels rolling. At the end of this trip I'd have clocked up 4379 miles, not bad. They would'nt of minded me staying at home for a couple of days if i'd wanted, but whats the point, Sharen would be at work anyway. Got to tell them I have to be back home last weekend of this month, it's Sharen's and my wedding annerversary. 17 years together, love her to bits, she a great supporting wife. Love you darling. Anyway thats all for now, hope I have'nt board you too much. I'll try and not leave it so long next time. Got to go, got to pop to Wal Mart and buy a new kettle for home, things are a lot cheaper down here than back in Canada. Catch you all soon, stay safe.
So buckle up, sit back and lets roll.
The trip I'm on at present started last Monday. Just had a awesome weekend at home, as Sharen's brother Andrew came to stay with his family for the weekend. What with him visiting and Canada Day at friends on the Friday night I needed to get back to work to have a rest. Rang dispatch at 8 on Monday morning and got told to come straight in. Ron gave me a trl to take from our yard to North Sydney docks (261 miles away). Driving up to Cape Breton on a nice day is aways a lovely drive. It's really beautiful up there. I would say it's the prettiest part Nova Scotia. Dropped the loaded trl there and hooked up to an mt and took it to the papermill in Port Hawkesbury (93miles back down the road). Once there did a simple trl swap and then took the loaded one to our trl yard in Moncton. That was it for the Monday, well not really they asked if i could do them a favour, so i did, which earnt me 6 hrs pay for an hour and halfs work. Nod nod wink wink. Mick knows what the job is, i've done it before. Anyway Tuesday morning Ron sent me message to hook up to an mt Tridem in our Moncton yard and take it to Prince Edward Island to load up. Ouch that was going to hurt the wallet. That bridge we have'nt a Tag for so it'll cost me 70 bucks to cross. We get the money back off Clarke, but it still a lot to hand out. The collection was'nt far, once off the bridge, so was soon on a bay and starting to load. The load was bales of waste paper and the guy had asked how much weight he could put on. Now the tridem i'd got on could have carried 70,000 lb but told him only 60,000lb as there were no scales there and he only had a rough idea on what each bale weighed. Turned out in the end there was 65,000lb on there, so if i'd told him i could take 70,000lb I more than likely would have been overloaded. Anyway loaded, pulled off the bay and checked the weight on the pin(we have a dial in the cab). She was over weight at the front so the trl axles needed sliding forward. Thats when the problems started. Went to pull the handle to release the pins so I could slide her and the handle moved with tooo much ease. Why, becacause the bars connecting to the release pins were broke. Quick call to Glen in maintenance and he found me a shop on the Island to take it to, only 8 miles down the road. It was out in the middle of no where, but once there these guys did'nt mess about, within 2 hours the pins were as could as new, and they adjusted the brakes up for me as well. Axles slid into place and i was off to Napanee, Ontario. First scale was just before the bridge on the Island, green light and i was off. That night I made it as far as Riviere du Loup. Next day was a simple run down to Napanee, put on the way dispatch sent me a message asking if I could do a load for them down to South Carolina. Bloody right i could, well that was'nt the exact reply i sent, but close. They sent the pre plan through and it was a simple job. Pick up a loaded trl from our terminal in Concord, Ontario and deliver to a Mitchelin plant in Sandy Springs South Carolina Friday night at 8. Easy run with plenty of time to get there. So once I unloaded at Napanee i headed for Concord to do my swap. Pretty straight forward job, got them to do my faxing to the custom broker while i was there, then set off for the 5th Wheel truckstop in Grimsby ON. The border at Buffalo NY was only an hour away from there so would cross into the States in the morning. Now the weather was looking promising, so the 1st job I did was put my girl into the truck wash at the 5th Wheel. Nice sparkling clean truck and we headed for the border. Buffalo is a busy place to cross at and even a 630 in the morning we were q'ing on Piece Bridge to get into America. Once there though quick check of the p'work and my passport and were in the good old US of A. The route i was taking was a new one to me, West on the I 90 towards Erie, Pennsyvania, then pick up the I 79 south heading for Pittsburgh, then cross into West Virginia, then follow the 79 down to Sutton WVA then cut across the 19 towards Becklley to pick up the I 77 South. Now I could write for ever more on the beauty of the journey along this route, but I'd never do it justice, it has to be seen to be believed. Blue skies, sun shining brightly, temps up as far as 44c, air con blowing away, Eagles cd playing away, open Interstate, beautiful veiws, rig sparkling in the sun, I had to pinch myself to check I was'nt dreaming, (excuse the language) but it's fucking AWESOME. I crossed over the state line into Virginia and stayed at a TA truckstop in Wytheville, VA, for the night. I was in no rush the next day as Sandy Springs was only 4 hrs away and with a 8pm booking as nice lie in bed was called for. Must have needed the sleep more than i thought as i did'nt get up till gone 9. Still did'nt have to move yet so got the polish out and cleaned the alloys. I was going to do the diesel tanks but the heat beat me. So at 12 I fueled up and set off for South Carolina. Glad I gave myself plenty of time as there were to big wrecks on the I 85. One in North Carolina and one in Sth Carolina. Thats were the cb comes in, knowledgeable old hands are always ready to come up and tell you of good alternative routes. So with their advice and the added aid of a good gps, the 2 diversions i took added only 20 minutes onto my journey. A consideral saving as the one wreck was'nt cleared for 2 hrs it was apparently a fatal one. Now time was getting on and there was no pre plan for a reload and sales finish at 5. So I sent a message asking if there was a plan. "We're working on it for you" was the reply. Then they must have read my mind, as an hour later i was about ot send them a reminder, when they sent me a message "we have'nt forgot you Buster, still working on a plan". I think their getting to know me and that i don't like sitting round. There a good bunch in Dispatch. Few minutes later a pre plan came through, reload Mitchelin in Lexington SC and deliver to Bridgewater Nova Scotia. Mmm now while i waited to unload i worked out my journey back, there was no way round it, I would have to stop and reset my hours on the way back. So notified dispatch, no problem. So Friday night I stayed in Sandy Springs and headed for Lexington the next morning, only a couple of hours away. It was a quick load there so I'd soon got my old girl (actually she's not old, poetic licence) heading North. Take the I 20 as far as Florence SC then pickup the I 95 and head North. It was a good journey up until i reached the out skirts of Washington DC , traffic slowed down a bit but we were soon clear of it. Made it to the TA truckstop just outside Baltimore, Maryland. That was home for the night. I set off from there at 430 the next morning as I wanted to miss the traffic on the GW bridge in New York. Bloody hell 730 on a Sunday morning is the best time to cross there I've now found out. Only slowed down for the toll plazas. Never had such a good drive through there and I've been across there at different times of day and night. It was another beautiful day weather wise, but the scenary up the Eastern Seaboard en't nothing to write home about. Perhaps I'd been spoilt with PA, VA, NC and SC. My final destination for Sunday was a Irving truckstop in Newport, Maine. Thats where you find me now. I'll leave here in the early hours of Tueasday morning and should be in Bridgewater NS Tuesday afternoon. They've already asked what my plans are when I'm back inthe Maritimes, I've told them I'll go home Tuesday night then set off again Wednesday morning. Got to keep them wheels rolling. At the end of this trip I'd have clocked up 4379 miles, not bad. They would'nt of minded me staying at home for a couple of days if i'd wanted, but whats the point, Sharen would be at work anyway. Got to tell them I have to be back home last weekend of this month, it's Sharen's and my wedding annerversary. 17 years together, love her to bits, she a great supporting wife. Love you darling. Anyway thats all for now, hope I have'nt board you too much. I'll try and not leave it so long next time. Got to go, got to pop to Wal Mart and buy a new kettle for home, things are a lot cheaper down here than back in Canada. Catch you all soon, stay safe.
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