1 box truck to Colorado Springs CO

... spending the night at Dumas TX

Breakfast was the usual, eggs, sausage and potatoes. Today we had a few more minutes to get out of the hotel as we are only a few miles from the shipper and we can't be there until 8 AM.

The room they switched us to last night had a jacuzzi. That seems to help both of us sleep better. Not there just being one, but using it.

1st stop is the shipper. I find the office, a portable office in their lot and walk in. Small one room with four people in it. After a few minutes one person who is checking their J D Edwards accounts finally says 'Hi' but that is all. When the other's start talking, I realize that the 'boss' is trying to get paperwork done for one of the drivers, but no 'just a minute' or anything.

When he does finally ask for my info, my truck is not ready. And then says that the other driver still there has already been waiting a half hour. So I say I will check back in a half hour.

It ends up being just about two hours before I get my truck and paperwork. And I do get to hear one of their stories of the shipper. The shipper crashed their computer a month ago. They just found out now that one of their trucks got wiped from the system. They found a record that the chassis had been dropped but couldn't find the chassis. My contact finally found it this AM. Done. Others were looking for just the chassis but it had been completed and just parked.

They bring the truck out and we check it over. Not sure what all the 'beeps' are for. But the truck was beeping when we were trying to check it over. I just ignored it.

Good news is there is enough fuel to get to the closest Loves. The truck has a 100 gallon tank so I didn't want to fill it. Dash shows I am getting 10+ mpg and I have less than 800 miles to go. So I only put in 60 gallons and it is full. Must be a lot of 'un-usable' fuel in this tank.

This is not going to be a fun trip. The radar is set long on this truck and it is gutless. I had the cruise off more than on today and spent most of the time with the cruise off and my foot all the way to the floor.

The truck will go 70 mph or more. But on little hills like going over an over pass or train tracks it will drop to 50 mph and then won't pick up speed until I am on the downhill side. I passed lots of trucks only to have them pass me again when my speed dropped for a hill that I couldn't even see was there.

I didn't count the cars, but there were dozens. First I saw a squad without it's lights on, then in the distance I could see two more with their lights on. Because of the hills I lost them and then when I saw them again I realized that there were dozens ... and a hearse. Before that I had noticed one firetruck parked on an overpass. Didn't realize until the hearse, why they were there. I looked on line but didn't find any local stories.

2nd stop was for food at Pilot / Wendy's in Wichita Falls. And I had to make phone calls so it was over a half hour break. BB and I had planned on running together but when we got delayed two hours we decided to go our own speeds. Here BB pulled in behind me before I got out of the truck.

3rd stop was a rest area in Hadley. From here BB made the hotel reservation. We will run until 7 PM to keep tomorrows miles at about six hours. Earlier I had called the name on my paperwork. I doesn't match the location or the name so now I call the drop address. They are open until 6 PM tomorrow and until 4 PM on Saturday so no worries.

4th and final stop is the Quality Inn in Dumas. We walk across the street to the 287 Roadhouse. Great food. I had a Philly, I was surprised when it came on flatbread.

Local dispatch did call today. They know I said I was NA this month but they keep trying. We should have time to do a couple of moves when we are home for a couple of weeks.

Load board

US - 138

IA - 1/0

MN - 2

WI - 3

CO -0-

We may call in the AM on a truck from KS to IL. No trucks left out of CO.

We do have about six hours drive to get to the drop. I'll need fuel but not sure how much yet. Once we drop we should get a few miles before shutting down. Then most of Saturday will be deadheading to the next shipper, then picking up. And Sunday will be less than a full day to get to that drop. Monday we should be able to get home from IL.