1 Trash truck to Dodge Center MN
... spending the night at Lincoln NE
We sleep in, it is 7:30 (6:30 local) when I wake up.
Once I am fully awake I call dispatch about a truck in NE.
"Regrettable, I am willing to take one of the Gothenburg trucks." I say.
'What were reasons for not wanting it?' They ask.
"I've done my share of trash trucks over the years and am tired of driving them. Also, we are not able to drop a rental car in the state of NE which makes this kind of hard."
'Well, I am sorry. Call me again when you see something you do want.' They say.
???
... So I say again I DO want wan to the trucks.
They still think I am turning it down.
... finally in more words I say again that I DO want one of the trucks and I can pick it up today.
'... sorry, I'm not a morning person ... not sure what I was hearing you say.'
So we got a truck heading back to MN.
Then I look at the computer and see that if we rented a car today, that we could drop it almost anywhere in NE. So things are looking up. Now we have to wait to see if we will both fit in the cab plus our stuff.
Breakfast. We could have had nuke sandwiches but we both grab a yogurt.
No paperwork from dispatch yet when we want to leave at 8:30 so we head out. As usual I follow my nose as BB is trying to look up the 'correct' directions on the phone. We disagree so I pull over on the shoulder of the entrance ramp.
By the time we agree, my paperwork is in my email. I could back up the ramp and go back to the hotel, but I will pay to have them printed instead.
The truck is going to a repair shop that specialized in trash trucks ... maybe we will keep the car to follow me.
The map was correct when BB looked last night. 75 miles of nothing between the two freeways. No gas stations, no stores, no hotels. There was a town called 'Last Chance' but there was nothing still open. There also was a non-town with a PO and a church.
We stop at a new Loves in Brush. I do not remember it even being under construction last time we went this way. $.53 to print my two Bills of Lading. Some places charge $2 a page. In this case it would have been $8. I also try to call the shipping location but it goes right to voice mail.
Later as we are driving BB looks up the phone number. It looks like a couple, husband and wife, that are in the logistics business. Kind of like the guy I do the auction trucks for.
2nd stop is Ogallala at the Arby's for food. No double rueben for me today. From here I call the shipper again, this time they answer. And one of my questions they answer is why is it going 500 miles to a repair shop, what should I be watching for. Nope, the repair shop is now a re-seller/rep for this company. :) The truck is good.
3rd stop is the shipper. The Shipping / Receiving door was locked but I did find an open door and found my way into the building. One of the first people I saw was helpful and walked me to the front door and the front office where the person I needed had their desk. On the way I found out that this location only does the 'rear load' trash trucks. I like those, it is the cab over that are the rough rides. There was one large cabover sitting in the ready line but I asked about that and it was not built here.
No issue with the truck, we got the paperwork signed and then BB and I started stacking our things in. We had planned on doing that at the fuel station but no one was close by here so we moved everything into the cab here. It all fits and BB will too without riding on the running boards on the back of the truck :)
So BB calls to get the rental car dropped. :( No, nope.
She can not change the drop location online so she calls and they can not either. All Hertz rental locations in NE are franchised and will not accept one ways at this time. BB had seen that in peoples comments online when she was looking to see which location to drop it at. So we are stuck with the rental and the $150 a day cost for a 2nd day.
I have picked up trucks from this customer in IA and they can be pretty empty. One driver ran out of fuel in the six blocks to the fuel pumps. But this one has 1/8 of a tank so I am good.
But there isn't cheap fuel anywhere within that 1/8th of a tank so I stop at the Cenex and put in 10 gallons. That will get me to the first Pilot.
4th stop is at the Bosselman's in Grand Island. It is the only one left. Not sure what happened but for a while the whole Bosselman chain was co-branded Pilot. Then all but this location became Pilot's and Bosselman's took over all the company owned repair shops for both Flying J and Pilot. ???
My original plan was to fill here. Then as I was driving I realized that was way too much fuel so I was down planning on only putting in 35 gallons. BB did some math and came up with 40 gallons so that is what I put in. By the time I got to the hotel it looks like I will be leaving an extra 5-10 gallons (at $4 a gallon) in the tank. We'll see.
This Bosselman's has a good idea. Lots of room so there are marked spots for the drivers to pull into when they are done fueling. Those spots are far enough ahead that even a semi can get out of the fuel island even if the truck ahead of them is still there. Another plus of this location is that it has four fast food and a sit down diner inside the building and shares their parking lot with an Arby's and a Motel 6.
5th and final stop is the Quality Inn in Lincoln. It is still daylight be we can make it from there to the drop tomorrow. The drop called back after I left a message and said they are open until 4:30.
Once in the hotel BB orders food from the Cracker Barrel.
Load board
US - 507
IA - 282/280
WOW - We will have been on the road for four weeks by the time we get home tomorrow. That is why BB wants a couple of days off ... and then she looks at the weather and wants to leave again. Soon.
Tomorrow it should be a non-stop drive to the rental car drop in Des Moines the first leg. Then another 100 miles to pick up our car, then a second 100 miles to the drop, and a third 100 miles and we will be home. We have made pretty good money for being out four weeks and having to take at least a day off each 'round trip' for some reason.
Today there are four new trips out of Colorado Springs, 3 going to TX and 1 to CA plus there is a 2nd CO trip to CA. Plus the one to CA that had been there yesterday. Lots of work. Nothing new out of IA today but still lots to do.
We do not have a plan yet on when we will leave again. I'm guessing by Monday for sure.
LOG
8:30 - Limon CO - Comfort Inn - leave hotel
10:15 - Brush CO - Loves - print paperwork
11:45 - Ogallala NE - Arby's
1:15 - Gothenburg NE - shipper
1:45 - Gothenburg NE - Cenex - fuel
3:45 - Grand Island NE - Bosselman's / Pilot - fuel
5:30 - Lincoln NE - Quality Inn
6:15 - Lincoln NE - Cracker Barrel