1 RV to Burlington WI (delivered)
... spending the night at Rockford IL
BB is up early so we are down for breakfast and back before 8 AM local. Our plan had been to move whichever RV to MI had the latest close time ... but dispatch didn't have any idea when the close times were. Luckily, I remembered to ask how much the trip paid before taking the trip.
Not enough. Not even half enough. Pay was on par with what my local company pays when they supply the shuttle driver to get me back. And fuel is reimbursed so no way to make money on the fuel either.
Pppppfffffffffff
That let the air out of that balloon.
So we are heading in the direction of home instead. Then it makes less difference how much it pays. We get the trip we wanted, the other two to WI can wait.
8:30 AM and we are pulling out.
There was supposed to be a stop at the oasis in Howe but BB and I were talking and both missed it. So now A restroom is the priority. We are kind of pushing it so BB says she can wait until we are in Elkhart. But only wait until we get to the first gas station, not wait for the nicer ones.
Because of the extra stop we get to the shipper/dispatch office a little after 10:30. Not sure who's who so I waited for the wrong person for a few minutes. Then get my paperwork and find the RV.
It's a shell. No insides.
It takes us an hour to do the inspection and call the drop. The drop does not know what time they close and can't find anyone who does know. So we leave without knowing ...
Different unit so just finding the oil dip stick took a while. And there was not a VIN plate anywhere, plus one of the marker lights was out. Just little things but they all add up.
I have enough fuel to get to the drop but with this dispatcher we need to leave the unit at the same fuel level as we pick it up at. Current mpg shows as '2.'
Next stop is the Pilot in South Bend to put in 15 gallons of fuel. That is a guess that we will get 10+ mpg. I can top it off before delivery, I have enough fuel to get there.
I mention to BB which route I plan on taking ... I'm guessing she didn't hear me (more on that later)
My I-pass works on the toll gates as long as I pull all the way up to the gate, but I always go through the cash lane just in case where I can.
Not really any traffic issues today ...
So I take I-80, I-294 and I-290 as I said I would ... then I see and remember that I-290 ends at I-90. No problem, it becomes a four lane IL state highway. Then that ends ... now that IS a problem. Instead of stopping, I guess as to which way to go.
Then after a couple of miles I starting thinking I picked the wrong way. My reasoning had been to get back to I-94, but that was quite a ways back and I am less than an hour from the customer. I am better off to now take the back roads directly to the drop.
So I look at a map and memorize about where I should turn. I did OK, no U-turns or re-directs once I looked at the map. But it was 45-35 mph roads.
And my fuel was not enough, so I stop and add 3+ gallons at the edge of town and then head out again.
I am less than a mile from the drop when I finally realize I have been here before. But came in from the opposite direction.
I get there right at 3:30. After I am inspected, I ask what time they do close ... 3:30. Whew. Good thing I didn't take any more wrong turns. Not knowing what time they closed meant I was not worrying about it :)
Nothing new on the load board today ... so we will likely do the Huntly to Des Moines tomorrow. But for tonight we head to Rockford.
Rockford? Nice hotel, good food. And centered between Janesville and Huntly.
1st we stop at Loves in East Troy for the restroom. Oh, I haven't eaten since breakfast but now it is too close to good food to eat anything to tide me over.
In Rockford we first go to Jason's Deli. Chicken Pot Pie for soup today instead of Potato. Good. Still had the chicken salad sandwich. Then we got strawberry shortcake to go.
We had waited until after 5 PM to make our hotel reservation, just in case something good showed up. It doesn't.
The hotel is the Sleep Inn.
Now we are looking at my hours. My 'cheat sheet' is on my other computer and I don't follow how the program it's self is doing my hours. So as of now, I know I can work 12 hours tomorrow but don't know about Thursday ... maybe it's BB's turn to work :)
))) Got paid for one of my trips. $55 instead of $5 for tolls. I called, they said it was more trouble to change it than it was worth ... Thanks (((
Load board
US - 134
IA - 3/2
MN - 4
WI - 3