Friday, September 19, 2003

20030919

What a day. I drove in to the Fontana OC (Operating Center) around 0330 eastern. This is usually around the time Lori and I switch out driving.
Since our delivery appointment wasn't until 1030, I put 123 gallons of #2 diesel into 35902's thirsty tanks, found a parking spot (not an easy task) and shut down. I got to go to sleep without the truck moving, which was a very strange feeling. I slept solid for seven hours!
Lori took the down time opportunity to do laundry at the OC. The OC provides free washers & dryers.
Then she signed out the company car (another benefit), a relatively new Dodge Intrepid, and drove to our consignee (the place we were to deliver at 1030) to scope out the place so she would not have to worry about missing a turn in the big truck..
At around 1230 eastern, 0930 California (cal-ee-FOR-nee-ya) time, we drove over in the big truck, were assigned a dock, and backed in.
Since unloading was to take 3 hours or so, we decided to drop the trailer, put on the kingpin lock so nobody would take it, and bobtail over to Wal-Mart.
I don't know why California builds everything so teeny tiney small, especially with all this open desert around them, but they do. I couldn't figure out how the Wal-Mart took deliveries, 'cuz I sure wouldn't want to drive a semi in there!
Once we were unloaded, Schneider told us to drop the empty trailer (MT) at the OC.
Then, they told us to bobtail up to Fresno to pick up a different MT. That's where I am now.
Trailer number A430893. I think we pulled this one from Cincinatti to Washington state somewhere.
I remember this because the tandem sliders are broken in exactly the same way.
I had to hammer in the right rear retaining pin in order to re-attach it to the retracting arm.
That was the load from JMSmucker... vegetable oil, I think it was. 45,000 pounds of it. We had to weigh & reweigh seven times to get the axle weights legal (even then, we had to keep less

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