Driver Dave Trucking in Canada: March 2011

Sunday 20 March 2011

Spring?

Hey people. So what a great couple of weeks I have had with going to South Carolina a couple of times. On my last time off, we just did our usual shopping in the states and snow removal, which turned out I didn’t need to do as the Saturday and Sunday it rained constantly, slowly washing some of the snow away. This was the snow bank in front of our house at the side of the road, before it started to rain. Emma posing to give you an idea of size

I went back out on the Sunday. It rained all the way to the truck stop I normally stay at 572 miles away in Maybrook, New York. When I got there, they had had so much rain, combined with the melting of the snow, that it flooded the bathrooms and showers. I guess through the drains.

At first they would not let me use the bathroom, as they was still cleaning them up, but I had not stopped the full 9hr drive, so he let me, otherwise he would have had another flood on his hands.

My family that read my blog moaned at me, because I go into all the details of where I have been, but to them, without having a North American map in front of them are no wiser

so I have said I will put maps up with my routes on that I have covered on each trip.

This was the map for my last Post 5900 miles

This was my first week on this trip 3600 miles

And this was my second, 3100 miles getting back early Friday morning

It has rained most of the two weeks, but I don’t care, its much better than the snow, which I did get at the end of my first week. I had parked up the night before at the customer in London Ontario, ready to off load in the morning. When I got up at 6am to back onto the bay, the truck was covered with several inches of snow. They was just trying to clear the yard too. It never stopped the four hour it took to off load me, then my reload was in St Mary Ontario, but that meant taking back roads, with very high winds as well as the snow.

As for driving on snow covered roads. I have been really lucky this year, as this was the first time snow really affected driving conditions for me since New Years Day. I have either been in front of snow storms, or arrived after the clean up. I guess I had to have one last taste of bad weather before spring really kicks in. Well I hope thats the last

The wind was that strong, my trailer was been pushed sideways as im driving down the road. I couldn’t believe it. I had never had that before. It was not fun, just an extra gush of wind could have pushed my trailer into the ditch, and all I could think about is Joe wont believe me if the wind pushed the trailer in the ditch.

I got to the road I wanted to find it blocked off by police. Apparently there was fifteen trucks and a bus all jack knifed further up the road, so I could not get to my reload. I was only due to take that to the yard then get a load for not my favourite place, Winnipeg, but luckily for me, I had been in intense pain all week with swollen gums,

so I asked if it was ok to switch for a load going back to Woodstock so I could pop to the dentist and in minutes, my reload was changed. wicked, it was well worth the pain to not have to go to Winnipeg.

I didn’t get back in time for the dentist, so A&E was good enough. Then it was straight back on the road, back to South Carolina, not so sunny this time. It rained most days this trip with plus temperatures, but I didn’t mind. Loads better than snowing and minus temps.

Anyways its back on the road on Monday, so till next time, Have a nice dayyyy

See how the trees shine?

This was the Morning after leaving the flooded truck stop

That was ice on the trees from the Ice Rain the night before

See how the trees bend over with the weight of the ice

One way of taking your Smart Car on Vacation

Pimp my Ride

Tennessee weather

This is Rural Hill, Tennessee, where none of the houses are small

This is Sonic, the new American Drive-ins that are popping up everywhere

you pull into a bay, order your food and get it delivered to your car

by people on Roller Skates like the olden days. Cool Hey

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Had my Truck one year now

Hay Nowww, as Howard Stern would say. Well I have had this truck one year now. Time does fly.

My truck came in on the Sunday night. The workshop shuts on a Sunday evening so I got my truck back late Monday morning. Eleven other trucks came in over night, so the workshop had a back log. My first load was down to Blanchester, Ohio. A couple of days drive. I arrived Tuesday night for Wednesday morning appointment. Once off loaded, I thought great dry floor in the trailer. Then I looked at the walls and roof. Lots of ice. My reload needed the trailer to be bone dry, so it was off to some truck place down a back street to try and get it thawed out. it’s a pain, because the hours it takes me sat there waiting, im not getting paid. I will be so glad for the spring to come. Once dried my reload was round the corner in Dayton, Ohio which I took to Toronto. I had to cross the border at Detroit, which is not the best crossing to go to. Once at Toronto, I went straight to my reload to be told there was no load. We was picking it up on behalf of one of our big customers and was taking it back to them in the states. I let dispatch know and they ask me to sit tight they would sort it. So I go and park in the corner of the yard and watched a bit of TV. Three hours later, a while after I remind them im still there, I get a message, ‘are they loading you yet’ so I throw fits because I knew nothing about this load. I go back in to find out the load is not ready till the next day. It turned out our customer was telling us there was a load, and the pick up place was telling us there wasn’t. six hours later, im loaded with a different US load, that a team was taking. I just needed to take it down to our yard. Then I was expected to take a load to Montreal. I could not stop as I needed to drop that in our yard then collect at midnight, for Winnipeg, again the one route I hate going, so I had another moan about sitting me all day then expecting me to drive all night, but I just got on with it and got to my collection in Montreal 30mins early. Hooked up, drove to the truck stop down the road, and stayed there till the morning. I think I have said before, but the main reason I don’t like going to Winnipeg is for 22hrs of the 24hrs of driving. You are on a single country road with a speed of 90kmph or less as you drive through many towns, so getting paid by the mile means im on less an hour, but the main reason is you have to take this northern road which goes through the coldest parts of Canada and quit often really bad weather to top it off. I would rather go to New Jersey ten times than one Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the coldest part of southern Canada and for the longest too. The journey turned out to be not bad really, with clear roads and sunny skies, but was still really cold. Not has bad as my last trip over there though. I parked in Kapuskasing, Ontario one of the nights and this Ghost came through

It was a London bus. I couldn’t believe how small it looked against our trucks. In the UK, they look big, but not here.

I got to Winnipeg 12hrs early so I dropped it at our yard. I went to get my paperwork for my reload, to find a load going to Arizona. I was gutted. Normally I wait till I get to Winnipeg before I let Ayr know when I won't to be home, just in case there is a great load like that I can take, but this time I had already told them I wanted to be back Friday. I told them as I thought I would never get an excellent load out west. I have never been to any of the eleven States west of North Dakota, or Texas. Ive been to all the rest, so it would be a great change to finally go out west. I would have gladly postponed my time off just for a load out West no problem. Emma would have understood. Its been a year since I last went to Texas so I keep hoping for one of those too, as we go there prob most days, but I wont hold my breath.

Anyway my reload took me to Farmington, Ohio. I then had to take my trailer again, to have it dried out so I could reload in Owatonna, Ohio. That load I have brought to Sherbrooke, Quebec. Which is where I am now, borrowing someone internet signal

while I wait till the morning to off load. My reload is in Brossard, Quebec. Which I will be taking back to Woodstock, getting me back tomorrow night. I will then go back out either Sunday or Monday. Im not sure yet. Woodstock is expecting a bad snow storm Monday again. They have just had another two over last weekend, so I may go back out Sunday, to try and avoid it. So till next time. Have a great day.

Ski slops in the back ground