Home so soon

Home once again, but this time a little sooner than planned. At the beginning of October, Emma was told her Nan only had a couple of weeks to live, so I warned Ayr that I could have to go home at anytime at the last minute to look after the kids while Emma could go back for the funeral. So when I took Scott out again on the 12th, Ayr very kindly kept us local, well at the most thirteen hours away. We basically was the Woodstock to Toronto express, we would take trailers going west and drop them at our Toronto yard and switch for trailers going east and drop them at Woodstock. One thing, it was great miles, as we was running 24/7, except a few times, we would have a collection at 1am in Toronto and we would arrive a few hours too early, so that slowed us down a little. We still managed to average over one thousand miles a day though.

Emma’ s Nan lasted a little longer than expected, but Emma had to fly out early hours Friday morning, so we got back Wednesday afternoon, so I could become house husband till Emma got back. It was Nan’s funeral today. Rest in peace Nan, you will be missed.

Emma would always joke that I had the easy side to our relationship just driving a truck, while she took care of our three lovely kids. I would always say, I would do her a swap anytime, and now that im here looking after our lovely kids, I have told Emma when she gets back, Im staying at home and Emma is going to drive the truck You housewives have it easy Been ex military and having excellent organisation skills, makes looking after the kids as easy as a walk in the park  What make it better though is most of Emma’s friends have offered to cook meals for me. Even the ones I’ve not really met yet

With it been Halloween coming up. The kids helped me decorate the pumpkins.

Canadians and Americans really go to town at this time of year, so Emma has decorated the house to join in. We could not do it last year, as we moved into this house on Halloween night. Even the adults get dressed up for Halloween, having parties etc Emma and the kids will be going to one on Saturday. I’m back to doing some proper work again that day, so no fun for me

Parts of Canada have already had Snow. Last year been my first winter, I was looking forward to it, just to know what its like. This year..... please keep me down anywhere south of South Carolina, Texas etc where they don’t get snow I wish

Anyway its time for bed or my eldest will never make the school bus in the morning, but if I am late, I have everything already laid out for him. I don’t want to break Fridays record, waking up ten minutes before the bus arrived and still got him on it with time to spare, having had some breakfast too. Well I did only get back into bed an hour before, after taking Emma the two and half hour round trip to the airport. So I did have an excuse.

Not much colour left in the trees now at the bottom of the garden

 Still a little colour here before the snow hit it this week.

Training

Here I am Back again.
Well what a couple of long weeks I have just had. Remember I said in the last post, one of the new English dudes was been trained in my truck while I was off. Well they asked me once I got back in the truck if I would continue with his training. In the past when they have asked me to train people, I have reluctantly said yes but managed to get out of it. Im a non smoker, and most people smoke here so I never want to ever train a smoker. It would be a nightmare. I prefer to be on my own anyway, but this time I said yes as I had gotten to know the driver over the time he had been waiting to come over, which was a long time. Luckily Scott knew driving these trucks are nothing like what he was used to. It does not matter whether you have one year or thirty years experience of European driving, only a little of that is going to help you drive these American trucks. It is a total different style of driving. Personally I think the less experience you have the better, as there is nothing worse than trying to teach an old dog new tricks. It just does not wash with some people. Firstly the trucks are one and half times longer than a European truck. They have drum breaks so you have to use your gears more to slow you down, but the worst part is the gearbox is a crash box, so that makes things more difficult. You have to double clutch and time the speed of the truck to the right revs of the engine to time it just right to select each gear without grinding the gears. If you really miss time it, the gearbox will just not let you select that gear then the truck is not under control. Even North American truck drivers get it wrong sometimes. It really does take some doing to learn it. Another problem is we all have an autopilot, a bit like walking, we just do it automatic without thinking about it. Well most of us drive like that too. So sometimes if you are not fully concentrating on what you are doing, you drift back into that old autopilot and next thing you know, you have not turned wide enough to allow for the extra 25 feet of truck, and you are dragging your trailer up onto the curb and over someones toes. Remember when you was learning to drive for the first time? That was bad enough. Now add driving on the other side of the road, in another country in something bigger than you have ever driven before, with lack of road signs and technology that went out of fashion 40 years ago in Europe. It does not make it an easy task.

The worst part about been a trainer at first is the lack of sleep. Ayr don’t know the difference between training and teaming. Training you have to sit with the driver to teach them everything, but Ayr just see two names in the truck which means they give you loads that have to keep the truck running day and night to get them there on time. They are greedy like that, an opportunity to get a lot more loads done in half the time. The first week was the hardest. I would sit with him for as long as I was satisfied he would be ok for a couple of hours while I got some sleep, then I would take over to drive all night. I would do the night shift because he had enough to concentrate on as it was, never mind adding avoiding the wild life on the roads at night. We did great miles the first six days though. To say Scott was only learning, We did 6400 miles running across Canada. We ran from Woodstock as far as Calgary, Alberta, and back. Just to give you an idea of Ayr forgetting I am suppose to be training Scott. When we got to Winnipeg they gave us a reload to Nashville, Tennessee, now because Scott as not taken his driving test yet, he is not allowed to drive in the States, so I had to kindly remind dispatch that fact. The second week we went out as far as Edmonton, Alberta, but this time we was getting a lot of delays like 12 hours in the shop finally getting the truck totally back to A1 plus getting to places too early in the night before they opened in the morning. By the second week, Scott was not grinding the gears as much, but I think that was down to not having much teeth left to grind. All together over the 13 days we managed to do 12600 miles, which was not bad at all considering all the delays we had. We are off for three days now, then I have offered to take Scott with me again so he gets student, trainer continuation. I must be mad
anything to get him through his test fast so I can get rid of him

Remember me picking up a new English driver in Toronto in February? Well he has been teaming since he has been here with a few team mates in there assigned trucks. Then last week, he was given his own assigned truck, and made a full time trainer now, so he his really doing well also. I would not want his job when the snow comes

Anyway till next time, Have a nice day, im going to catch up on sleep now

North Battleford, Saskatchewan

A little tight in this yard

Welcome to the Prairies (Boringgggg)

Hay people

So whats going on? Well I made my two deliveries in South Carolina, then made my collection in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for St Laurent, Quebec. I dropped the trailer at the customer, then had to collect an empty from the yard in Dorval so I could load in Joliette, Quebec. I had to take that load to Woodstock where I switched for a trailer going to the same place in St John, New Brunswick, but was more urgent than the one I had. I dropped that at the customer and collected an empty from one of our customers to load at one of their other plants in Utopia, New Brunswick. That load was going to the docks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nightmare.

 By the time I was loaded and faxed the paperwork to get customs clearance to cross the border, I had done sixteen hours, so had to wait till the morning before I could cross the border. My hours allowed me to get one hour from the customer, parked up on one of the service plazas on the New Jersey turnpike. I managed to time it right, down to Manhattan and crossed the George Washington Bridge with no delays, so was pleased about that. While on the road, I only get internet when I stop at any of the Flying J truck stops, but at the moment they are not offering the best discount on fuel, so I have to go to where we do get the best price and make do with no internet. I did not realise the MegaBus buses that are here like the ones in the UK have internet on them, so passengers can log on. I found out while parked in that service plaza, two park near by for a short while, so I borrowed their internet till they drove off again.

When I got to the docks the following morning. As I did not have a dockside pass, I had to pay a $50 escort fee just to be escorted to the loading bay 100yrds directly in front of me and back out once unloaded. Im in the wrong job
My reload was from Hanover, Pennsylvania which I was taking back to Woodstock. I recently discovered an Aldi round the corner from that collection, so I call there for some shopping each time I go there now. Have to stock up on Haribo’s
only place you can get them I think. When I got back to Woodstock on Thursday afternoon. I had done 6400 miles over twelve days, so it was home time again. First thing I did was get a great big steak on the BBQ when I got home. Some drivers carry a BBQ round with them in the trucks. Ill stick with the microwave while on the road.

We are still getting temps of 20 degrees in Woodstock, but is cool over night. Im still in shorts all the time, but back to trainers instead of flip flops now. Parts of Northern Canada have had some snow though, so its on its way again. Not looking forward to it.

Anyways im off till Monday when I go back out. Hopefully with my transmission in tacked, as one of the English trainees is been trained in my truck while im off
so till next time, laters people.

Leaves are changing now

10mins before this was took, it was sunny and 34 degrees in Hanover, PA

This is a place called Paradise, PA

Trenton, New Jersey

St John New Brunswick

Just some of the reasons why New Brunswick is one of the most attractive Province’s in Canada

If you guys ever want to tour North America, rent one of these

Remember those properties on the 1000 Islands?

This dude was sailing straight through them.

Party Time

Hay thought I would give you a quick update.

Because I had had to go abit mad with my hours, by the Sunday I had no more US hours left, so they kept me in Canada for four days going back and forth to Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. I did 2600 miles in four days then I got back early on the Wednesday. Thursday as usual, even though I had a million and one things to do round the house, I did not get dresses and just relaxed. Garden can wait.
on the Friday we went away for a couple of days down to Moncton with four other couples that have become close friends. We stayed in a nice hotel and had a party in our room that night. The guests below us was not happy. Management had to tell us off three times.
I blame all the kids running around between the rooms
the weather was pants the two days, but that did not stop the fun, we just went to places in side.

Then Sunday it was back on the road for me. First to Atglen, Pennsylvania, reloaded in Hanover, Pennsylvania back to Woodstock, then a two drop in South Carolina which is where I am now sat in 30 degrees, an hour from my first drop which I will do in the morning. So there you go, like I said a very quick update, so till next time, Laters peeps.

Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia

One of the many 60's Diners you see about

Going through Pennsylvania

There was alot of Amish peeps on scooters round here

The Cranes here are not slow.

I was doing 65mph and this dude came passed me