Sweet home Alabama

Hay guys, so I guess you have been wondering what I have been up to. Well I made it to Houston on time luckily. I had to drive from midnight the last couple of nights to get there on time. I dropped my trailer and picked up one of our empties. I then had to go to Silsbee, Texas which was just over 100 miles east of Houston. When I got there. I backed onto the bay. A few mins later, one of the loaders came and knocked on the truck door and told me they could not load the trailer because they could see a tiny little bit of daylight coming through one of the top front corners. They said I was not allowed to fix it as they wanted a receipt to show it was properly done. I was gutted as I had a choice of two trailers where I got this one from, and trust me to pick the one with a little hole in. anyway my place arranged for me to go 20 miles down the road, to have it repaired. It took them 2mins as it was just one rivet that had popped out. They even knew the company that I was picking up from, as they do it all the time. Anyway I then went back and got loaded, then went to the truck stop down the road as I was then out of hours that day. The following day, instead of taking the load to Ontario where it was destine. I had to take it back to Houston, drop it outside the place I had dropped the day before and pick up the other empty. One of our other drivers was making another delivery there later that day so he was going to take that load to Ontario. I then took that empty to Orange, Texas to collect there. That load was going to Nova Scotia, but I was just taking it to Woodstock. Because I had run hard down to Houston. I was running out of hours too fast so after my collection I decided to have the rest of the day off. Well it was 27 degrees. At midnight it was still 20 degrees. Just like been on holiday in Florida, walking around in T shirt and things. The following morning I gets three messages, two from dispatch wanting to know why I’m still in Orange and one from Joe asking me to call him. They are all just way to busy to just look at my hours to see why I had not moved. They would have realised then, but I had to explain it to Joe anyway. He was ok about it just said lets get a move on then now. So off I went, my hours back inline again so I would not run out before getting back to Woodstock. Then on the Saturday, my second day on the return journey, Seth, Joe’s son sent me a message asking me if I would switch trailers in Pennsylvania on the Sunday for one going to Moody, Alabama. Wicked, I get to stay south in the sun. To me that’s the way it should always be if you are a US driver. I’m sure I have mentioned before, but you can drive for more hours in Canada. So we can do 3500miles in the US a week and get paid the same as doing 4000miles in Canada. Your daily average hours should be 8.75hrs in the US and 10hrs in Canada so you never run out of hours. To me if you are a US driver, It is unfair in the middle of your two weeks out, they give you a load going across Canada. Because you would then probably be going into the US after, so you really have to stick to the 8.75 hours or you will run out of hours early, which makes you short on your daily pay with you getting paid per mile, as that would mean I would be about 80miles less a day while I’m doing loads in Canada. That’s a really long way of saying a US drivers should just do US loads all the time. You take a reload back to Canada then just pick another US load up and go straight back down again. It does not always work out like that though, but you know what I mean. I explained it a bit more this time, as some of you that have applied to come and work for us will not be long before your on your way. So you need to know these things. Anyway I made the switch yesterday and I’m currently sat in Knoxville, Tennessee waiting to set off again in the morning to make my delivery tomorrow. My reload is picking up at the same place. I just need to swap trailers for one going back to Ontario. From there I’m sure I will be going to Woodstock and going home for some time off. I should be home Friday privided there is no delays. That will mean over the 13 days I will have covered 6900miles which is average for me in the US. so have a great week and I will update you when I’m back on the road.

These roads our raised due to the fact for 28 miles we are driving through Marsh land.

Bikes and trikes out and about

Thats not suppose to happen

Best Cab over i have seen so far, and its from Canada

Thats the most RV's I have seen in one truck stop

The Amish people on their way back to their farms after church

Its not fair, His condo is bigger than mine.

I want that jacked up car. I used to own the standard version back in the UK as you can see below in the next picture.

These was both my cars in the UK. One of the reasons why I like living here as I love American Cars

A convertible Sebring and Ford Excursion