1 vac truck to Bridgeton MO (delivered)

... spending the night at Cedar Rapids IA

Awaken by the alarm again. Breakfast was eggs and left over bacon from last night. Still too much, I will be taking one piece with me for later.

The GPS took us to the shipper on a route I will not be taking back with a truck. 10 or so miles there was no center line, very narrow, but black topped road.

I've been here a couple of times before, I remembered the building once I saw it. I go inside and someone at the desk needs to call to have my truck brought out as I had not called ahead. It looks like some have called ahead as there are a row of trucks outside the fence.

As long as they bring out the truck, I give them the paperwork instead of going back to the office.

??? The truck is full of fuel? They used to be on fumes. I'll take it.

Not sure what was going on with the electronics. When we were trying to do our pre-trip the lights didn't want to go on, the 4-ways didn't want to work. They all did at some point but not right away.

All's good and I should have enough fuel to get to the drop on their fuel. Once stop for a break. I call the drop and the number on my paperwork is for Kansas City, not Saint Louis. And I find out they close at 3 PM. Hmmm. Not an issue today, but that is kind of early.

Lots of fog this AM, sometimes we could only see three high line poles along side the road.

About an hour into the trip I get two back to back calls. I usually ignore them but with some info wrong on my paperwork I'm not taking chances. It is dispatch, the can see I will be in STL, they want to know if I can take a truck from the next town over to Kansas City ... NEXT THURSDAY. Sorry, when I drop this truck the wheels keep turning.

I had called on that trip from the hotel this AM because it was close to my drop. And it showed hot ... and a future date. Something did not add up. Both were right, they want it moved on that day.

Then I stop again when I get to the halfway point at a rest area near Springfield. When I am stopped I look at the load board and see trucks in KS coming back to MN. So I call and find out we can pick up 24/7.

I text BB and ask her to see if the trip makes sense. She calls back before I get back on the freeway in a panic ... what if she hadn't seen my text ... what if ... what if ...

If it needed to be done right away, I would have called. Calling twice means we need to talk right now. That is how our dispatchers do it.

I looked at a map this AM and didn't write down directions. We have almost been to this place before except coming from the other direction. I've dropped a trash truck or two across the street from todays drop and we dropped a tanker about a mile from this drop. Today I also see there is another trash company within a mile that we do work for, I just haven't been to this location yet.

I come into the drop with a half a tank of fuel and didn't add any. That makes these trips pay better. I find someone to sign off on the truck, they do one walk around and sign.

We are good to go. But where? I had called on the KS to MN trucks earlier so I knew where they were going. Even met the owner once. So I call to see if we can drop over the weekend, we can not. So that means we will have three hotels for a 600 mile trip. The math does not work.

So I don't call the dispatcher back. I was looking forward to moving one of those trucks. Maybe next time.

So we head home empty. RV dispatch does put a few RV's out today. Even a pair to PA but that trip hasn't worked for us in the past so BB blows it off. All other trips are solo trips. There were two RV's going to FL but both were CDL so that doesn't work for BB.

I haven't eaten lunch and it is after 2 PM so I have a piece of yesterdays banana bread before we leave the drop lot. Then BB decides she is hungry so we head to the Love's.

It is still in Bridgeton and only a couple of miles from the drop. We end up with Wendy's. I eat my last piece of bacon with my sandwich.

At New London we stop again, and gas up. Should have looked online, gas was quite a bit cheaper at our next stop.

At some point north of here, BB finally looks at hotels. Big bucks near Iowa City tonight. Mount Pleasant is too early and Cedar Rapids is kind of far. But Cedar Rapids it is.

So that we don't have to be eating too late, we stop again. This time at the Pilot/Arby's in Mount Pleasant. PJ Fresh would sell more food if the staff would stay at the counter. Saw a few people look at the food, look around for someone and then leave.

Arby's cheese stake is back. It is good. Not the easiest to eat in the car but no mess today.

It is dark when we get to the hotel. 12 hour day. No walk tonight. It was still 80 degrees at 7 PM tonight.

Comfort Inn in Cedar Rapids, been a month plus since we have been at this one.

Load board

US - 128

IA - 3/2

MN - 4

WI - 3

This is one trash truck going to Topeka from MN, not sure the math on that will be any better than having taken the trip from KS to MN. Don't know what we will do yet. Likely spend Saturday night at home, maybe Sunday night too.