Springtime!

It's the first week of Spring, and we have been blessed with good weather, save for some rain.  We started out picking up titanium dioxide, used in making paint, from Ashtabula OH. We took that down to Laredo TX where a Mexican driver will take it to Mexico City.  We took a load of refrigerators out of Laredo destined for a Circuit City store in Alabama, but were taken off that load when I was in Sulpher Springs TX.  They had me drop relay the load in Dallas and sent us up to Haslet TX for a time sensitive JC Penney load that had to be in Sumner WA ASAP. Then, I deadheaded up to Everett WA to pick up a promotional load of Scott paper towels bound for Black Mountain NC. We are going to drop it in Charlotte.  We are now in Indianapolis awaiting a PM on the tractor. We are on our way to Charlotte NC.

We are close to closing on a house in Bloomsburg PA, so that I might be closer to my daughters and possibly even obtain custody of them! :-)  If anyone in that area would like to offer me a job there, by all means, please email me.

Spyware

Had to include a warning about downloading junk programs off the internet.  Read this: http://download.com.com/1200-2023-958495.html

Back on the road

Our load out of Salt Lake area was from the Freeport Center in Clearfield.  We picked up a loaded trailer full of flour: 37,000 pounds of white, and 5,000 pounds of wheat.  It was destined for Garden Fresh Foods in Kennesaw GA, but Lori wasn't feeling well and did not get as far as expected, so we ended up relaying it at the West Memphis OC. 

From there, we picked up a Kimberly-Clark load from Conway AR to Neenah WI, then deadheaded down to Cudahy WI (near where former comrade Lili LLanas lives) to pick up a RoadRunner load going to Selma TX, near San Antonio.

I dropped the trailer at Selma, and we bobtailed down to Laredo to pick up a load of shoes bound for Parker Oasis Food in Hillside NJ.  We relayed that load in Hilliard OH, near Columbus, and deadheaded back to Seville for our TAH (Time At Home). In northern KY, we ran into snow!  We haven't seen snow in awhile.

So, we did eventually make it to Laredo.

un-broke down

Wednesday night, March 10: Smith Detroit Diesel of Salt Lake City got us going again.  They said the oil filter seal had blown.  I told them of our Feb 23 PM we had done at the Gary OC...

I had shown the mechanic at Gary the leak around the filter.  He said it was from "excess idling".  I told him he was full of ... er, I informed him that we ran team, and did not idle very much, but he insisted.  So, I guess when the seal blew out at 65 MPH, it was because we weren't idling fast enough??  The Gary OC mechanic's error cost Schneider over $750 in towing, parts, & labor, all because he wouldn't replace a $20 part.

Also at Gary, they had replaced a driveline seal at the forward differential.  In replacing the drive shaft, they had stripped the U-joint bolt so the towing guy in Salt Lake had a difficult time removing it.  Smith Detroit Diesel said if we had not blown the oil filter seal, that the drive shaft would have eventually vibrated loose and would have torn up itself and the truck.

Lesson learned: no more PMs at Gary.

Still broke down

Well, we are still waiting for our truck to get fixed here at Smith Detroit Diesel here in Salt Lake.
We stayed at Days Inn, where I had to reprogram the TV for cable.
We ordered Papa Johns (mmmm... garlic sauce) and I bought a Diet Coke from the vending machine. The Coke can had a discount coupon associated with it, good for free admission to the PGA tournament... in 2001!
I called the 1-800 number to report an abandonded vending machine :-) They took my info and mailed me a coupon for a free six-pack. That's good, 'cuz my belly was getting out of shape... what's that? Oh. A six-pack of Coca-Cola, eh? OK, I understand now.
The company ended up relaying our load to another team here, so we are no longer going to Laredo.

Breakdown on the ID/UT border

We blew an oil seal or something. Are now in Snowville UT awaiting a wrecker to come up from Salt Lake City to tow us to Detroit Diesel repair place. More later when we get to motel. BTW, posting this via our Verizon Wireless connection card in the Ranch House Diner in Snowville UT.

Oregon

We are sitting in the Tigard OR operating center awaiting our load.
We arrived hereby way of Laredo TX, E. St. Louis IL, and St. Charles MO. We took Rubbermaid items to Laredo from Mogadore OH. In Laredo, we picked up a relay load of engine parts & dropped it off in E. St. Louis. Then, we were "live loaded" in St. Charles and delivered the plastic rolls to Nike in Beaverton, just north of Tigard.
Now, we await a load of parts from Freightliner
We will be taking the Freightliner parts to... Laredo TX!
This morning, we switched driving in Baker City at the Truck Corral.
You can see it here: http://www.sinclairoil.com/baker-truck-corral/
Click here to see the route we will be taking.
The hills & mountains of Idaho and Utah were beautifull under the full moon last night. The moonlight reflected off the snow covered peaks...
You just cannot beat the view out my office window