Friday, January 6, 2012

Start of a New Year...

Well after a wonderful home time for Christmas with the family Irene and I were excited to get back on the road and run...well not so fast. We got our planned load to pick up in Charlotte NC on the 28th, and deliver in Blythe Ca. on the 30th We dropped our trailer in Blythe and grabbed another load and headed to Atlanta GA. From there up to Gaffney SC. and then off to Calexico Ca....Wow we are on a roll and bouncing coast to coast...Chah Ching! Well, all good things must come to an end...we are sitting in El Centro CA. right now at a Hotel and our truck is in the shop. Halfway across Texas the check engine light came on so we called our service dept. and they advised us to finish the run and then take it to the International dealer close to our drop. A few hours later it’s ready and off we go…not so fast…2 miles down the road the light comes on so back to the shop we go. The company pays for our room so no big deal…unfortunately if the wheels aren’t turning that means the money is not flowing. However, hot showers, internet access, continental breakfast…we can get used to this!

Being on the road has been wonderful though. We have seen so much of this great country we live in…I just can’t get enough of it. Better yet, what other job can you work where you get paid to sight see every day, spend it with the woman you love, and pretty much be your own boss. We are loving this.

Of course traveling with Irene is the best part…lol…I remember our 1st trip into Canada crossing the border. Border Patrol asked Irene, Miss have you ever been to Canada before, Irene says, yes, no, wait…for work or pleasure? Border Patrol, Miss would you pull the truck around back to the dock so our officers can search it…what the heck Irene, couldn’t you just say yes? After an hour of them searching our truck they say you are free to go. Or I remember going thru a checkpoint in Arizona…border patrol, Miss where are you coming from…uhhhhh, Randy, where are we coming from…Charlotte NC sir…and what are you hauling Miss…uhhhhh Randy, what are we hauling…truck parts sir…thank you folks, have a safe trip. What the heck Irene…why can’t you just answer the questions…It has to be that “man in a uniform” thing. We occasionally haul a load of Hazmat material and we are required by law to stop at every scale house…I remember on a couple occasions while I was resting hearing a certain someone mumble…”dang” I was supposed to stop there…OMG…she is bound to get us thrown in jail…lol…seriously though…we laugh all day long. Don’t get me wrong, we do have our bad days and they have to be made good ones as quick as possible. The truck is only so big and there really is nowhere to go to get away from each other so you just fix things…”your right Irene…I’m sorry” works every time.

As much as she worries me every time we see a guy in uniform she does come in handy at some of our stops. We haul a lot of freight for UPS…and they pretty much treat us like crap when we stop at their terminals. I would always go in and handle the paperwork and all so Irene would not have to deal with their childlike behavior. So one day, while in Ohio she decided to go in, b/c my fuse was getting shorter each stop with these people…well…they could not do enough for her…what the heck…so now every UPS stop…you got it…I hide and Irene handles the rest…we are in and out in minutes…(which usually took an hour) We joke about it at every UPS stop…time to “Pimp” you out Irene…put something sexy on and some lipstick to…we are in a hurry to get out of here…LOL…we pulled into an Orlando terminal a couple weeks back and before she could stop the truck some guy pulls up and says “just drop the trailer there miss and I will take care of it” what the heck…it was usually a ½ hr. before I could even get someone to talk to me. Hey works for me…

All kidding aside though we are enjoying life and each other every minute of the day. We miss home and the kids very much and this is the hardest part of it all. With the girls in college though we would not get to see them a lot anyhow but it’s nice to know you are only 150 miles away from them when home instead of 2300 when on the road. And with Justin going to school and working we never saw him much either so it does make it a little easier being gone. We miss them all and love them very much though, and are very proud of all they are accomplishing.

Well…enough for now…gotta check on the truck to see if it will be ready before the weekend…if not…time to rent a car and sight see…maybe San Diego...I love this life…stay tuned!

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