The Caldwell's in Canada

2012-01-22T17:09:00.003-06:00

MISSING

Buster has been missing since January 16th. He was out with our other dog, his sister Jasmine, when they both roamed off. That is not very unusual, they often go hunting together but what was unusual was when Jasmine came home an hour later on her own.

There has not been any sightings since then and we now fear the worst. It is possible he has been caught in a trap or maybe picked up by someone.

We still hope for his safe return but in our heart of hearts feel it may be too late. Jasmine has been very timid without him, it is the first time they have been apart from birth.

We have always accepted that something like this may happen, we do live in the country and hunting and trapping is a big way of life out here.

We will continue to hope that one day he may show up.

2012-01-14T12:32:00.000-06:00

Left to right. Sue, me, Neal, Samantha, Tiffany, Clarence, Bryn, Majka, Annette, Martyn.

We had a really special night out last week. Martyn and Annette were over on a visit and it was there last night in Canada before catching the flight back home.
A limo was booked and paid for, thank you very much you know who you are, and took us all to Tony Roma's in Winnipeg. The food was excellent as was the company, what a great night.

2012-01-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

3227 miles, 5 days.

Wishing our family and friends all the very best for 2012. I ended 2011 with a trip out to Watertown, NY with a reload out of Rotterdam Junction, NY going back to Steinbach. It was the perfect trip to fit in between Christmas and new year, giving me good miles and letting me spend time at home.

2011-12-21T19:14:00.001-06:00

1915 miles, 4 days.

This short trip would have been 3 days and I would have got another trip done before Christmas but the shipper in Chicago didn't want to play. I waited 4 hours for them to load my trailer and start my journey home. That meant I didn't get out of Illinois before running out of time Saturday night and as a result didn't get home till 8.00 Monday morning.
Not to worry it has given me a nice break before Christmas.

2011-12-21T11:32:00.004-06:00

Howhave GPS Trackers changed trucking?

Satellite controlled devices are quicklybecoming a standard piece of kit in trucks all over the world, if you work forone of the larger trucking companies the chances are they are using satellitesto keep an eye on you and keep you safe, even if you work for yourself usingsatellites for navigation can make a days work a lot easier. RAM GPS Trackers are a British company thatinstall a lot of these fleetmanagement devices and have written a brief explanation on how thesedevices work.

Theorigins of GPS

Like a lot of modern technology GPS hasit’s origins in the U.S. Military the satellites that are used to help navigateand track your truck were originally designed to guide missiles and smartbombs. Using satellites has completelychanged the nature of warfare; during WWII bombs dropped from a high altitudecould land over a half a mile away from their target and still be counted as ahit. Now however missiles and bombs areguided by satellites and are expected to land within meters of the desiredtarget. This means it’s not onlypossible to hit individual buildings but sometimes isolated rooms ofbuildings. The result is that civiliancasualties can be minimised and fighting can be a lot cleaner.

As with a lot of technologies as GPS hasdeveloped domestic and business uses have been found for it prices have fallenand satnavs have become available not just to professional drivers but also toindividuals.

Howdoes it work?

There are two kinds of tracking systems,‘active’ and ‘passive’ trackers. If yourtrucks location can be monitored by your company or even your family onlineyour system will be using active tracking, if you just have a satnav devicethat helps you determine your location it will most likely be using passivetracking.

The technology behind the two trackingsystems is essentially the same. Thedevice in your vehicle searches the skies for signals being broadcast fromnavigational satellites orbiting the earth. Your devices are able to work out exactly how far away it is from thesatellite by calculating the time taken for the signal to reach you. As long as the device has been able to readthree or more signals it is able to triangulate your position and give anaccurate reading of where you are. Ifthe device monitors how quickly your position changes it is also able tocalculate the direction and velocity that you are travelling at.

There are twenty seven navigationalsatellite currently orbiting the earth (each weighing between three and fourthousand pounds!), twenty four of these need to be operational at all times toensure that the whole planet has satellite coverage, the remaining three are onstandby ready to activate instantly if something should happen to the others ensuringthat the whole planet can always be covered.

Passivetracking

Passive tracking devices are most commonlyused for navigation, after calculating your position the device can compare itto internally stored maps and tell you exactly where you are. It can then use its software to work out thebest route to get to a selected location and give you directions. Other uses of passive tracking include geotagging photos, or offering you location based advertising on your cell phone.

Activetracking

Active tracking is where your position isthen uploaded to the internet using a GPRS connection. This is the same connection that mobilephones use, so it will only work if there is network reception. Once your position is uploaded to theinternet anyone who has permission to access this information can see exactlywhere you are and exactly what speed you’re travelling at. This is useful for large trucking companieswho want to see exactly where there assets are allowing them to check they aresafe. Some delivery companies use thisinformation to quickly find out who their closest asset is to a pick up. Families of truck drivers away from home forprolonged periods of time are often also able to access this information tokeep track of their loved ones progress and check they are ok easily. Outside of the trucking industry thistechnology is also very useful to the emergency services that can quickly sendthe closest response team to an incident and easily track their progress.

Thefuture of GPS trackers

The price and sophistication of thistechnology are constantly improving, and new innovations seem to always bearound the corner. The latest cellphones can already use GPS trackers to completely change their behaviour dependingon where you are but what are the next changes likely to be for truckers? Well Google have just patented technologythat allows a vehicle to drive its self using satellite navigation, the selfdrive car has been a fantasy for years but GPS trackers means it might not betoo far from reality. What could thismean for the trucking industry?

2011-12-15T07:45:00.000-06:00

2740 miles, 5 days

My new iphone

Just a quick visit home to reset my hours and then get another trip in before Christmas. Christmas won't be the same for us this year, Gary and Craig both have their own place, the other side of their family to visit so this year we are planning Christmas dinner on the 23rd, it's the only time we could all manage to get together with work and family gatherings.
Sue goes back to work on 26th so I have decided I may as well do the same.
After a few weeks deliberating about which phone I should get I eventually decided on the iphone, once I work out how to use it I think I will be very happy with it ;-))

2011-12-06T06:52:00.001-06:00

5113 miles, 10 days

Free ride

Hunting with Gary and Craig

My ride for 1 trip

No need to move house, take it with you.

In Laredo, Tx with Chris Arborn

Too much snow in 1 night.

Once again I have fallen behind with this blog so I have left a couple of trips out and brought you right up to date.
I am home for a few days and have our Christmas party on Thursday, once again Andy and Donna are taking us to Winnipeg for the evening for food and entertainment at "Celebrations".
I only managed to get hunting for 1 day this year and didn't have much luck, well didn't have any luck.
Work is still good and I had to do a short trip in Andy's truck while I had a new radiator fitted in mine.
My last trip took me out of the frozen north down to Laredo, Tx on the Mexican border. I arrived there on Sunday afternoon and soon discovered on Monday that I was unable to deliver until 9.00am Tuesday.
There was a few of us down there with loads from the same place, one of which was fellow Brit, blogger and author Chris Arborn so lots of coffee consumed that day.
One advantage of not being able to deliver until Tuesday was I had now reset my hours and was ready to go anywhere again.
As it happened I got a load out of La Porte, Tx going to Calgary, Ab. as I couldn't load until Wednesday morning there was no rush but that would only get me to Calgary for Saturday with the delivery on Monday.
The advantage we have at Penners is having multiple terminals and I was instructed to just switch trailers on arrival in Calgary and take the other load on to Winnipeg.
So all in all a very nice 5113 miles in 10 days which includes the waiting time in Laredo.

2011-11-10T14:40:00.001-06:00

3395 miles, 6 days

First fall of snow 9th November 2011

A quick round trip this week leaving on Friday to deliver Ephrata, Pennsylvania Monday morning. Once empty it was a short hop north to switch trailers and take loaded one to Brampton, Ontario.
On arrival at Brampton there was a load ready to deliver in Winnipeg Wednesday afternoon.
Job completed by 4pm Wednesday just in time for the snow to start.

2011-10-28T21:56:00.001-05:00

Craig sighting in his rifle.

Gary, Craig and I went and sighted in our rifles today ready for deer hunting season which opens in just over 2 weeks.

2011-10-28T13:05:00.000-05:00

3137 Miles, 5 days

It's a dogs life.

A Spyder

Winter on its way.

143 Scania

V8 500

A proper truck

Home sweet home once again. I got to see this beautiful 143 in Ontario on the way home Tuesday morning.
The 143 I drove across Europe was by far the best truck I have ever driven, was really sorry to see that go.
Was talking to the driver of the truck and he runs 4 of them.
I had asked to get home before Tuesday as I had bought tickets to see Roger Daltrey in Winnipeg but didn't need to bother, he has cancelled the shows in Saskatoon and Winnipeg, nice one Roger!!!
No need to stay at home then so back to work tomorrow. All the wood has been cut now, got some help today from Neal to finish it off.

2011-10-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

6531 miles, 11 days

The snow capped Rockies.

Bad time for my air con to give up.

My tour of the western States and Provinces started out with a delivery south of Portland Oregon on the Tuesday morning so leaving on Saturday gave me plenty of time. An uneventful trip across the mountains seen me at my delivery Monday early evening and by late afternoon I was reloaded in Kent, Washington and on my way to Calgary.
A different route across The Rockies this time seen me dropping my trailer in Calgary Wednesday evening and with no reload yet it was time to have a break and reset my hours.
Leaving early Friday morning I was on my way to Medicine hat with an empty to switch trailers and deliver in Lawton, Oklahoma Monday morning.
I arrived in Lawton Sunday evening and as I already had my reload details thought I would try my hand and get unloaded early......it worked, so on my way to Houston, Texas to load Monday morning.
Just before noon I was at the plant in Houston loading and left at 3pm with a load going back to Medicine Hat.
After a chat with dispatch about my available hours it was decided I should just bring it back to Steinbach so back home again by Wednesday evening for a couple of days off.

2011-10-13T12:19:00.001-05:00

3433 miles, 6 days

The bush fire near Pansy.

Sorry I didn't get this blog up to date last time I was home but we were put on stand by for evacuation due to a bush fire that was out of control.
If you look at the map of the fire we live close to where the bend is on Hwy 12 and Craig lives near where Hwy 12 meets the road marked in red running North-South.
Craig and Jacey decided to leave home and stay with family as everyone else in their street had already evacuated. We stayed put, keeping an eye on the wind direction.
We watched as the flames passed us by and left us unscathed but it was a scary time. We had our bags packed ready to leave.
The fires, 3 nearby, passed by about 3 miles to the west and 4 or 5 miles to the east of our house.
Everything was brought under control during the night, people were allowed to return to their homes, if they were still there and I left home next morning on my next trip which so far has taken me to Oregon, reloaded in Washington and now empty in Calgary.

2011-09-27T13:17:00.000-05:00

"Does anyone know if this thing bites?"

"mmm it tastes ok"

"I can't eat it all, I will hide some for later."

2011-09-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

1564 miles, 3 days.

Sunset on I94, Minnesota.

Still struggling to keep it in a straight line on clear, dry, empty roads.

Hope they haven't lost Grandma!!!

Having a few days at home now after a very quick trip. Won't be leaving again till Friday.

2011-09-23T09:04:00.000-05:00

3361 miles, 9 days.

This was a very slow trip taking almost 3 days longer complete than a trip like this normally would. As mentioned in the previous post Pa has suffered some terrible flooding recently and as a result of this a lot of the railroads are closed and under repair. This in turn means an unusually high number of deliveries by road.
Penners had 8 or 9 trucks (?) making deliveries to the same place which meant us all looking for reloads from the same area. What made it worse was we were all delivering Friday afternoon/evening.
A couple of trucks were sent back to Toronto empty and a few of us had to wait till Monday to pick up in Hazleton, Pa and take that load to Brampton, On.
I arrived in Brampton Monday afternoon, reloaded Monday evening and was home empty Thursday morning after making my delivery in Winnipeg.

2011-09-18T12:33:00.000-05:00

Due to the recent flooding in Pennsylvania the federal government has declared it a national disaster area. The previously empty warehouse next to my pick up in Hazleton is currently one of the places being used by The Red Cross to co-ordinate the relief. The top picture shows some Red Cross vans going in to load and the bottom shows some of the huge numbers of volunteers camping on site.

2011-09-18T12:22:00.000-05:00

A common sight any where in the world.

But only in good old USA lol

No I haven't used it but there is truck parking there too.

Is that what I think it is?

but it's only 13th September.

If you look closely at his rear axles you will spot the smoke from his brakes.

All modern facilities here.

I remembered my camera this time so have added a few pics from this trip. I am currently sitting in Hazleton, Pa and can't pick up my trailer till tomorrow morning so just borrowing some wifi from someone!!!

2011-09-12T13:50:00.001-05:00

2915 miles, 6 days.

This trip was back to normal with nothing unusual happening. I even forgot my camera so no pictures to put up here this time.

2011-09-05T21:47:00.001-05:00

A good day on the boat today. Not too many fish caught but still was worth the journey. 5 fish, lots of weed and a large stick was the total for the day.

2011-09-05T19:37:00.000-05:00

3762 miles, 7 days.

Hwy 17 road closure.

Close to Toronto Airport

This has to go down as one of the hardest trips I have had for a long time. Nothing went right from the very beginning. I soon found out a nice steady drive to Gloversville, NY after loading in Portage La Prairie was going to be a hard run as the load was clearing customs at Buffalo. That meant a 2 day drive across Northern Ontario, a road I know extremely well and travel regularly but the same amount of miles takes at least half a day longer. Add on top of that 2 separate road closures due to crashes and now I am pushed for time.
The load got delivered at the planned time and it all turned out ok, my reload was only that afternoon from Hazleton, Pa going back to Brampton, On.
I really feared that my return to Steinbach was going to be via Hwy 17 again but due the the holiday weekend loads were scarce and they sent me empty to Chicago to pick a load and return to Steinbach.
Apart from the fierce thunderstorms the return was fairly uneventful.
Two nights at home then leaving Tuesday to load in Dryden and deliver somewhere in Wisconsin.

2011-08-28T17:15:00.000-05:00

2879 miles, 5 days

A nice little trip that got me home Saturday lunch with enough time to make it to our friends house for a bbq. It was a late night, getting home at 1.30am so just a lazy day today before leaving tomorrow morning for New York, if it's still there when hurricane Irene is finished with it!!

2011-08-22T13:45:00.000-05:00

6 Days 3550 miles

It wasn't easy getting back into at work after 2 1/2 weeks off but a good trip with nice miles made it a little easier.
Left home Tuesday morning and got back Sunday. Only having a reset and will leave again Tuesday morning.

2011-08-22T13:25:00.000-05:00

Jason & Jenn came up with a novel way of picking the family up from the airport, a School Bus!!!
It worked out great, it kept us all together for the journey home after a stop off at Tim Hortons ;-))
Too many pictures and good times to give it justice on here so a couple of pictures of the highlights.

2011-08-22T12:54:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Caldwell

6th August 2011

Wow, what a month!! I have been so busy that I have not had time to even keep this blog up to date.

As you can see we had a wedding in the family and that also meant a family visit at the same time. My family arrived on 31st July, all 10 of them staying at our house, and the wedding took place on 6th August.

We had a great time with family and friends for the two weeks they were here. Lots of great memories but the day of the wedding was one of the best days. We were so proud to be there and be a part of the day and to have the family there with us made it extra special.

2011-07-20T21:37:00.000-05:00

3281 miles, 6 days.

It got a little hot on this trip, felt like 48c with humidity.

This turned out to be a very nice trip. Left on Friday with an empty to switch at Dryden, Ontario and deliver the loaded one to Pennington, Alabama on Monday.
I got the load there on Sunday afternoon, delivered and got my reload details, Memphis Monday morning and bring it back to Steinbach, very nice.
I got home Wednesday morning and will leave again Friday.

2011-07-14T08:49:00.001-05:00

2158 Miles, 4 days.

Uncle Kracker

Billy Currington

Kenny Chesney

I had to be home Wednesday for the Kenny Chesney concert at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg so I asked for a short run to get me back. Dispatch came up with the goods once again and I got home Tuesday evening.
Sue, Craig, Jacey and I had a great night at the concert and all 3 artists were very good.
Leave again Friday and only have 2 weeks left to work before I take 2 weeks off.

2011-07-08T20:03:00.000-05:00

2895 miles 7 days

The Rockies

Hwy 1 across The Rockies

The Rockies

Camping in style

Not one of my better trips. This one took a couple of days longer than it normally would. I arrived in Vancouver Sunday afternoon ready for my delivery first thing Monday morning, the truck had coughed and spluttered a couple of times coming over the mountains, I had a heavy load but noticed a slight loss in power.
It took an hour to unload and I already had received my reload details, only 1km away and going to Calgary.
It took the rest of the day until 3.30pm local time to get loaded which really messed up my day. I drove that night till 9.00pm and gave up for the night ready to tackle the mountains again the next day but with only half the weight on this time.
The truck got progressively worse and it was decided by Andy and I to get it booked into a shop in Calgary.
Not much luck on that score either, no one could look at it till around lunch time on Wednesday. It eventually came out the shop at 9.00pm with a new wiring harness fitted, hopefully that has done the trick.
The week ended with a load out of Calgary the next morning with deliveries in Brandon and Winnipeg then bob tail home.
Got home this afternoon and leave again tomorrow morning going to DeKalb, Illinois.

2011-07-01T05:55:00.000-05:00

A regular sight on the interstates is the prison guards looking after the chain gang. These were out cleaning the ditches and had 4 armed guards for company.

2011-07-01T05:50:00.000-05:00

4661 miles 10 days.

Not Port Talbot or Redcar but Hamilton, Ontario.

Come on, lets ride!

Straight from the field to the table.

This trip took a couple of days longer than it normally would because of delivery and pick up times but still good miles. Now at home for a day or two, it's Canada Day today and Independence Day south of the border on Monday so no loads due to leave Steinbach till Saturday at the earliest.

2011-06-23T15:02:00.002-05:00

2011-06-23T13:28:00.002-05:00

5215 Miles, 11 days

View from a bridge on I80 Pennsylvania.

View on I80 Pennsylvania.

On Blue Water Bridge that links Sarina, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan.

Lake Superior.

Only 36 hours off at home this week and back on the road. Left on Monday and delivered in Secaucus, New Jersey this morning. Tomorrow afternoon I will switch trailers in Hazleton, Pennsylvania and take that one to Brampton, Ontario for Friday night.

2011-06-12T07:04:00.001-05:00

This trip so far 3153 miles when I get to Brampton.

The corn down south is way ahead of up north.

Quality accommodation.

Tornado ravaged Alabama.

Someones house destroyed by a tornado.

Sorry about picture quality but it reads "Hurricane evacuation route."

Looking for a new house.

Part way through a very nice trip in a very beautiful part of the country. My trip has taken me through Mississippi, a State I hadn't been to, and into Alabama, one of my favourite States.
My reload from Orangeburg, South Carolina will take me back through The Carolina's, West Virginia, Pennsylvania which is a beautiful drive if not too heavy.
Due to load this afternoon and deliver Tuesday 10.00am.

2011-06-07T14:57:00.000-05:00

Gary & Amber

Congratulations on your Engagement.

In all the commotion the last couple of weeks with Craig & Jacey's social and moving into their house I forgot to congratulate Gary and Amber on this blog.

2011-06-07T09:36:00.001-05:00

2527 miles, 5 days

Ground Hog day

Hotel Volvo

The good, the bad and the ugly.

What other drivers get up to is their business.

True love never runs smooth.

Met a couple of friends when I was on my way home this week. I met Bryn and George in Lebanon, Indiana on Friday night and then we all met up with Neal in Wisconsin Dells Saturday night.

2011-05-29T21:45:00.001-05:00

9 days 4627 miles and a visit to New York City

Empire State Building

Times Square

George Cohan, Times Square

Father Duffy, Times Square

Times Square

Broadway

Central Park

View from Times Square

Ground Zero

I left last Friday with a delivery in Secaucus, New Jersey. My delivery was within view of the New York skyline. After talking to drivers from other companies who had been here I decided to push hard, get there early Sunday and take the Park and Ride into New York city for a bit of sight seeing.

I was so disappointed when I arrived there to find the park and ride closed on a Sunday so after a little drive round to find parking I decided to go and park outside my delivery ready for the next morning. It turned out better than I could have hoped for, my delivery was within 500yds of Secaucus Junction, the mainline train station and only 1 stop from Penn Station in New York.

$8 return and a $10 subway ticket for 24hrs got me to most of the things I wanted to see. It was a fantastic day and will definitely repeat next time I have the chance.

2011-05-11T08:19:00.000-05:00

Sue has cleaned the pond and got it all set up again for summer.

Our latest pet.

2011-05-10T19:15:00.001-05:00

Got back home yesterday and went out quadding today with Neal. It is Craig and Jacey's wedding social on Saturday so trying to get another short trip in before then but it's looking doubtful so could be at home now till Monday.

2011-05-01T11:21:00.006-05:00

Friday we were sorting the garden and was 22c and this morning we woke to yet more snow.

Had a short 2500 mile trip to Ohio and back which included the close to 90 mile detour around Morris, Mb because of the floods. This has been a reasonable month, I have had a lot of time at home because of parties and socials that we had been invited to. The next couple of months are much the same too.

I had 4 days at home last week and another 3 this week but still managed to get decent miles for the month.

Penners had a reorganisation of their business last week and sold the LTL (less than truck load) sector to another Canadian carrier. This now allows them to concentrate on the core business of full truck load deliveries. There were some job losses but it has not noticeably affected the rest of the business. http://www.steinbachonline.com/local_news/penner_international_cuts_jobs/itemid_232

2011-04-23T16:55:00.002-05:00

I had planned a ride out on my quad if I got home at the weekend and this time I was able to make it happen by having a few days at home. We had a great day out and rode from around 9.00am till 5.00pm. We made a few stops and in the middle of the day lit a fire and cooked some hot dogs over the open fire.

Back at work tomorrow and leave to go to Shelby, Ohio.

2011-04-05T20:17:00.002-05:00

My last trip. 3300 miles in six days.

2011-04-04T07:43:00.000-05:00

2011-04-04T07:33:00.002-05:00

The tax system in Canada works a little different than back in UK. Nights out are not paid and every tax payer is responsible for filing a tax return. A tax allowance is given for the nights away from home and this year I had overpaid my taxes a little and my tax rebate allowed us to buy a newer vehicle. Very nice too.

I still have the old Explorer but will probably get rid of it soon.

2011-04-04T07:24:00.005-05:00

Ice Road Trucker, ok quadding lol

Once again I have left it too long before updating this blog. Things are still busy at work and even busier at home.

The pictures above were taken on Whitemouth Lake when Craig and I went ice fishing, it was a lovely afternoon till the sun started to go down and a breeze got up, then it was time to pack everything away and head for home.

2011-03-03T10:27:00.003-06:00

Back home again but just a short visit this time, I had 4 days off last week.

Went to Shelby, Ohio then across to Mount Hope for my reload and straight back home.

When I got out of bed Monday morning there had been lots of overnight flooding in Ohio caused by a sudden rise in temperature melting all the snow and it had also rained heavily all night. A lot of roads had been close and a 60 mile journey usually taking 1 hour took me almost 2 1/2 hours and 100 miles to get there.

2011-02-17T12:43:00.003-06:00

Having to reset my hours today so catching up with the blog. I done a quick trip to Lebanon, Indiana and back home then left on this trip to Los Angeles.

I unloaded and reloaded in LA for Toronto.

I am currently in York, Nebraska and hope to drop this trailer in Brampton Saturday afternoon.

2011-02-04T09:49:00.003-06:00

Getting short of space to pile the snow, still got lots more to come according to the forecast.

2011-02-03T08:56:00.003-06:00

I am back home and here is the map of my last trip. 12 days and 6200 miles with 2 days off during the trip to reset my hours.

2011-01-31T12:02:00.002-06:00

Sorry it has been a while again. January has been a really busy month with just short of 13,000 miles. I have covered 43 of the lower 48 states in the USA with Louisiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Florida and Delaware the only ones I have not driven a truck in.

Things are still going really well for us in Canada, Sue still working in home care for the local health authority, Gary and Craig working in separate hog barns, Gary with a regular girlfriend (Amber), Craig getting married to Jacey in August this year and me, lol, almost 2 years in the same job and still very happy. While I was busy worrying about everyone else emigrating here it took me longer to settle than the others.

I am in the middle of a long trip right now and will post the map of it when I get home.

2011-01-01T19:22:00.003-06:00

Andy and Donna took us to"Celebrations" http://www.celebrations.ca/celebrations/whatis.html
for our Christmas party.

We think it is a fantastic night of music and fun with good food and made even better with good company.

2011-01-01T18:45:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

So ends another year, and a good year for work. The last 12 months working for Andy on lease to Penners has just flown by and it has been a great year for me.

I covered a total of 145,112 miles with 263 nights away from home, 174 of them in USA and 89 in Canada.

The last couple of trips took me right up to 6.30pm Christmas eve which allowed me to take some time off at home till 2nd January.

2010-12-14T13:41:00.003-06:00

2010-12-04T15:22:00.003-06:00

Sues van was written off by the insurers so we bought this one, it's a 2005 Buick Rendezvous.

2010-12-04T15:10:00.003-06:00

Sorry, but time is flying by and I seem to have fallen behind with this blog. I am weekended here at the TA Truckstop, Livingston, California. Donner Pass on I80 in California was closed Thursday night for a while and when it reopened snow chains were required. My philosophy is that if conditions are bad enough that snow chains are required then I have no business being out there in it, so I got myself comfy at the TA in Sparks, Nevada prepared to wait it out.

When the restrictions were lifted next day at noon I had already missed my delivery appointment, 10am, and was still 4 1/2 hrs away with my reload to Richmond BC to be loaded before 2 pm, no chance.

I got my delivery done by 5pm but I am now stuck here till Monday for a reload. I can think of worse places, it's a pleasant 18c and warm sunshine compared to the -10c and snow back home, sorry Sue.

The top pic is the trip before this one.

2010-11-26T14:47:00.001-06:00

2010-11-17T07:40:00.002-06:00

Hunting went really well. I got home from work around 3.30 on Monday, got changed and went out with Gary and by 5.15 I had got my first buck.

Freezer will be getting full of venison this year.

2010-11-17T06:56:00.003-06:00

Started this trip with a delivery in Lethbridge Ab and the the rest of the load taken to Vancouver BC and dropped there. Before reaching my delivery on Friday morning I was sent instructions to switch trailers in Medicine Hat and take that loaded one to Victorville, Ca.

It turned out to be a much nicer trip with more miles, I got down to San Diego, Ca, right on the Mexican border, for my reload back to Vancouver.

Winter is now well on its way and driving back over "The Coquihalla Highway" in BC was a little challenging but it will get a lot worse than this before we see summer again.

Having a few days at home now to do some hunting.

2010-11-11T18:04:00.001-06:00

This is the guilty party, the one that was stupid enough to run onto the road when Sue was driving.

2010-11-07T18:07:00.005-06:00

Sorry about the length of time between postings, my laptop finally gave up on me and I forgot my camera on the last trip, hopefully normal service will resume.

Sue was unlucky enough to hit a deer this week, she has more luck than I do hunting them lol.

It has caused quite a lot of damage to the car, not sure if they will write it off now!!

2010-10-24T09:06:00.002-05:00

Finally left on Friday with a load from Winnipeg to Frederick, Oklahoma for delivery on Monday. Got my reload message on Sunday, a loaded trailer in Lawton, Oklahoma to go to Medicine Hat, Alberta.

After dropping my trailer in Medicine Hat I had to take an empty from there to Calgary and next day a load from Calgary to Saskatoon and then home from there empty. 4100 miles and gone for a week.

Lots of cotton in the fields waiting for harvesting down in Texas and Oklahoma.

I think I should sell my guns and take up hunting with the truck, I have more luck. Got a nice grouse this week that wanted a ride to Canada, stayed on my windscreen for about 10 miles.

Went to see Mike Blair in Lockport last night, /http://rafterb.wordpress.com/.

Met Mike when we moved house last year and have kept in touch with him, we like his music and the show that the band put on, some good live music if you like country.

A little quadding today with Jason and Jenn then work again tomorrow.

2010-10-14T12:38:00.002-05:00

My 1 day at home has stretched out a bit. The "small" jobs on the truck turned into big ones. We discovered the turbo had gone and had to be replaced. Truck is now ready to go all I need is a load now, be leaving this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

2010-10-12T09:08:00.002-05:00

Back at home now but only for today. A couple of jobs getting done on the truck before I leave again tomorrow morning.

My family have booked flights to come and visit us next year, all 10 of them staying with us in our house, can't wait it will be a great time.

2010-10-04T20:27:00.003-05:00

2010-10-04T19:47:00.003-05:00

I eventually got to Las Vegas!!! I don't gamble but it is still one place that I always wanted to go and see and this trip to Los Angeles got me there. In fact it got me there early Saturday afternoon and I wasn't due in Los Angeles till Monday morning, about 5 hours away.

I walked up and down "The Strip", in and out the casino's till my feet and legs ached.

It is an amazing place and well worth a visit just to see the size of these hotels. It is very easy to get lost in them, one often leads to another without going back out onto the street and there are many entrances/exits. I did have to go back out onto the street at one point just to get my bearings again.

It was back to work late Sunday morning and a trip into LA, only about 9 mile south of Hollywood and Beverly Hills and almost right on the seafront at Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica Beach.

I didn't really see anything as I passed after unloading, it was misty and raining, typical after recording record temperatures last week.

2010-09-26T07:44:00.002-05:00

Crossed Montreal 4 times in 2 days on this trip because of the order I had to do my collections in.

After my delivery Monday morning in Quebec I had 4 pick ups all going to Brooklyn Park Mn.

2 picks in Quebec and 2 in Ontario to deliver Friday morning so I had a reasonably easy few days, apart from the Montreal and Toronto traffic.

Delivered Friday morning and reloaded in Benson Mn back to Steinbach on Saturday morning.

8 days, 3988 miles with 1 trailer swap 3 drops, 6 picks, 4 border crossings and drop the loaded trailer when I got back.

2010-09-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

Lock up your children

2010-09-16T12:16:00.002-05:00

After dropping my trailer in Medicine Hat Sunday night I got a call Monday morning to see if I could turn around and go straight back to Laredo but unfortunately I could not get it there on time so the load was given to a team (2 drivers running 24hrs a day) to get it there.

I was sent empty to Calgary to pick up a loaded trailer going to Fort Qu' Appelle, Sk. I delivered Tuesday morning and was brought back to Steinbach empty from there.

A 12 day trip 6430 miles and a days reset on the road.

Going back to work for a rest tomorrow after I have finished my "Honey Do" list!!!

2010-09-08T15:05:00.003-05:00

It's hot down here today. Started this trip last Friday and went out to Medicine Hat, Ab where I switched trailers and got a load going to Laredo Tx. I dropped the trailer in Laredo as it was bound for Mexico, and so was I.

I took a trip in a cab across the border into Mexico Tuesday night, that was a real eye opener. A tank sitting at the side of the road as you enter Mexico, police and army are armed not with side arms but with automatic rifles and machine guns.

Due to the security threat we were only allowed to visit a secure area which was just a whole bunch of bars.

Tomorrow I am loading in Beaumont, Tx and that load is going back to Medicine Hat, great miles yet again.

2010-09-03T13:42:00.002-05:00

Lies, Lies and more Lies from recruiting staff at Big Freight.

You will not earn 52c per mile, not even the 41c shown in the table. The funniest part about this sad recruitment campaign is that this was sent to an ex driver who left Big Freight because he could not get the miles or earn what they had promised him, oh by the way he was earning 36c per mile but to be fair they have had a pay rise recently. The drivers got an increase in the base pay (mileage) and lost money on the picks, drops, tarps, untarps. I have talked to some drivers who are losing money, be interested to hear from any drivers still there to give a balanced discussion.
Nice recruitment campaign don't you think lol.

2010-09-01T15:05:00.007-05:00

Had a wonderful day at the lake last week. Sue and I got home from our trip on Wednesday and went to the lake with Jason and Jenn on Thursday. The weather was perfect, which is more than can be said for the fishing.

The water levels are still high due to the wet weather this year but we still made it through the second tunnel into Northcross lake.

2010-09-01T09:16:00.002-05:00

Just a nice short trip to end a very good month. Only 3 nights away from home 1800 miles and discovered I have been given a raise when I got home, backdated to the beginning of the month.

Thank you Andy & Donna.

2010-09-01T08:16:00.003-05:00

Had a brilliant trip with Sue. We covered over 5700 miles and ran as far as east coast USA to Calgary Having a reset in Fargo along the way. We were even able to run all the way to Virginia with Neal from Flying Eagle. Who would believe that Neal and I were delivering within 30 mile of each other and Bryn was in the same area the very next day, couldn't have planned that if we had wanted to.

2010-08-20T12:21:00.003-05:00

Steinbach got a new Rugby team for this season, http://http//www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=117815934916798, The southeast Thistles.
Gary and Craig both play for them, Gary as hooker and Craig on the wing. I have only been able to get to one game but hope to get to more before the end of the season.
The top photo of Gary was taken from the local paper, Craig made it into the paper too but you could only see the back of his head.

2010-08-20T12:09:00.001-05:00

2010-08-12T18:18:00.001-05:00

Got a nice short trip as requested, 2 days and 1 night out. I got back home Tuesday night and leave for Rice, Virginia with Sue on Friday morning, be nice to have someone along for a change.

2010-08-07T06:31:00.002-05:00

This trip has been a fantastic start to the month. I left on Sunday and will get home again tomorrow (Sunday) after resetting my hours today and will have covered 4200 miles, 4 border crossings 2 picks, 3 drops and 2 trailer swaps.

Sue is coming on a trip with me so I have made myself available to leave again Monday on a short trip getting home Wednesday, then I can have Thursday at home and leave on Friday with Sue.

2010-07-30T17:59:00.003-05:00

This is a warning to other drivers using toll roads. I was using the toll road around Houston, Texas. This road has 4 or 5 collection points around it. At one of the toll booths I was charged $6, handed over the correct amount and carried on my way. That evening whilst doing my paperwork I discovered that I had only been given a receipt for $1.50, the cost for a car not a truck. I told this story to a couple of drivers and have since discovered that the practice is common. The collector can supplement their income from truck drivers who don't check the receipt before leaving the toll booth.
I have contacted the company who operate this toll road and they are willing to send me a receipt for the correct amount but refuse to acknowledge that there is a problem or that this happens regularly.
Fortunately we have ez pass so this cuts down on cash payments on the longer and more expensive turnpikes but ez pass is not accepted here.
I have only lost $4.50 so it's not the money but the principle. At least I have learned a lesson on a small payment.

2010-07-30T07:21:00.003-05:00

Wow that was a hot one, temperatures got as high as 41c Sunday afternoon in Texas.

I delivered in Houston Monday morning and got my reload from Lawton, Oklahoma. I arrived in Oklahoma Tuesday morning to discover my load would not be ready until that night at the earliest so off to find something to eat and chill for the day. At 5.45 that night I got a message to say my load had been cancelled and to await further instructions.

Next morning, before I was even out of bed I had another reload from Topeka, Kansas coming back to Steinbach.

A trip of 3200 miles in 6 days, 1 of them sitting and 808 miles empty.

Today is the annual Pioneer Day Parade in Steinbach and it is the first time I will have seen this since arriving in Canada, weather not looking good though, having thunderstorms right now.

Leaving again tomorrow on my next adventure.

2010-07-22T17:13:00.002-05:00

Went out on the atv again today and found some lovely trails. Things were going great till the drive belt on Chris' quad snapped after he had pulled me out of a bog.

Back to work tomorrow and going to Houston, Tx.

2010-07-21T21:37:00.003-05:00

A real quick trip, left on Monday and home again Wednesday afternoon for 1374 miles. Leaving again Friday.

Time for more quadding 0-))

2010-07-16T11:37:00.003-05:00

Got back home this morning after a two week trip and 5700 miles. I even managed to watch the world cup final in Toronto last week.
Got a busy weekend planned which includes quadding and a birthday party for a friend on Sunday.

2010-07-08T21:35:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post I have left my camera at home this trip. Well that came back to bite me because I was travelling through Illinois yesterday when I heard that "The Truckers Jamboree" was on at Iowa 80 truck stop, the largest truckstop in the world.
As I had time to spare I decided to stop on my way through and have a look. Really missed not having my camera. Took a few snaps on my phone and when I work out how to transfer them onto my laptop I will post them on here.

2010-07-05T18:02:00.003-05:00

Won't be many pictures from this trip, my camera is still at home in the quad.
Delivered Ottawa Monday morning and loading Drummondville, Quebec tomorrow afternoon, so sitting getting paid for doing nothing lol.
Will be heading for Vermillion with this load tomorrow for delivery Friday morning.

2010-06-30T15:56:00.002-05:00

A 4870 mile trip in 9 days. This was a nice trip with decent miles again. Just spending a couple of nights at home before leaving again.

2010-06-27T22:09:00.002-05:00

Seen two bull moose, a brown bear and a black bear on this run across The Rockies. I did not manage to photograph the bears, nowhere to stop, but caught this moose.

2010-06-25T23:18:00.004-05:00

I am currently waiting to deliver here in sunny BC and I got an internet connection so took the opportunity to post some snaps of my recent trip across the mountains.

Also using this time to catch some sun and re-arrange a few things in my cab.

Tomorrow I am taking the empty trailer to our drop yard in Surrey BC and switching with a loaded one with a delivery in Sherwood Park, Ab and Grande Prairie, Ab, both on Monday.

2010-06-25T22:57:00.002-05:00

2010-06-25T22:41:00.000-05:00

2010-06-25T22:26:00.001-05:00

2010-06-24T21:36:00.002-05:00

Parked in The Husky in Calgary tonight on my way to deliver in Vernon, British Columbia, tomorrow evening. This trip has seen me leave home Monday afternoon and deliver Thunder Bay, Ontario on Tuesday morning. I went for fuel in Thunder Bay and was lucky enough to bump into Driver Dave. http://driverdaves.blogspot.com/. Nice to meet you Dave.

After fuelling I ran empty to Cloquet, Minnesota where I switched trailers and ran as far as Grand Forks, North Dakota that night. Next day got me to Saskatoon and Thursday seen me deliver and reload in Edmonton, Alberta.

Only about 6 1/2 hours from here to my delivery and they can't take it till 20.00 tomorrow at the earliest, even though it's only booked in for 23.30.

A nice steady drive across The Rockies tomorrow.

2010-06-20T21:32:00.006-05:00

I think this one was taken at Lokeren, the border between, Belgium and Holland.

The truck parked on the quayside in Denmark while they unloaded and reloaded trailers then set off for Gothenburg, Sweden.

The yard and house of Joe Burchall, Naas, Ireland. When things got tough at Peca Peter got me a job with Joe. Joe was the haulier for Reindear Shipping in Dublin and covered the whole of western Europe, real nice trucks at the time and by now long haul was in my blood.

Dennis Kinsella having a shave on a hot sunny morning in Gennevilliers, Paris. This was a common sight among European truck drivers, as well as bbq's and parties in the back of trailers.

A hot summer day in the south of Italy somewhere. Milan and Paris were our two most common destinations but backloads could come from anywhere.

I think this was in Modena, Italy

Gary came with me on a trip too.

I did go back and work for Peter for a while but I had a real hard decision to make when I got the chance of a job at P&O Roadtanks. I hated having to tell Peter I was leaving, he had looked after me and made sure Sue and Gary were ok while I was gone. "All part of the rich tapestry of life" was one of his favourite sayings and so I moved on.

Delivering oil to a cargo ship in Port Talbot steel works. It was a real dirty job hence the disposable coveralls. The ships delivered the iron ore for the production of steel. If you look closely you can see one of the huge cranes in the background about to lower a loading shovel into the cargo hold of the ship.

2010-06-20T11:54:00.004-05:00

This was my first Class 1 driving job after passing my HGV, I think it was around 1986/1987???

Since passing my test I had spent some time on rigids and working for agencies.

We started doing European work with the ERF in the photo's, mainly Holland, Belgium, Germany, France but I did get to Sweden, Norway and Denmark with them too. My first trip to Europe started when Peter, the boss man, asked if I had a passport. I had never been out the country so no I didn,t. I had to go to the Post Office and buy a 12 month passport over the counter, he even gave me the money to buy it, and a day or two later was on my way to Paris with 5 drops!!!

I had lost contact with Peter until just a few weeks ago when Ian, another ex Peca driver put us back in touch.

The job wasn't about the money then, it wasn't too bad, but we had some fun working there and there is lots of stories I could tell, but won't lol.

Peter was "old school" as were a couple of the drivers that worked there, the type of people that take you under their wing and teach you the job properly. I learned how to rope and sheet reels of paper that were tested for damp at the customer, chain and carry steel, long loads, wide loads we done it all, even collecting wine from the vineyards in France for delivery to the supermarket distribution centers back in England.

The top picture was taken in Norway and the second was loading dried flowers in Holland. The other two were in our yard in Widnes.

2010-06-20T11:26:00.002-05:00

A very quick trip to Edmonton and back this week. Left home Thursday morning and back Saturday afternoon.

It was a nice way to get to know the truck. 1900 miles, 2 nights out. Leaving again tomorrow.

2010-06-16T08:21:00.003-05:00

Old V New
Thats the older truck closest to the camera.

I have swapped most of my gear over into the new truck and brought all my bedding home to wash it before putting it back in. Will get some pictures of the interior later today. It has auto transmission and it will be a pleasure to drive an automatic truck again after having an Eaton Fuller crash box for so long.

The new truck has a number of advantages over the old one, the auto box is top of the list, but it also has a fridge and lots more shelving and storage space in the sleeper.

Will be leaving on my first trip in this truck tomorrow.

2010-06-16T07:17:00.003-05:00

This week was a tough week, still got my miles but had to work hard at getting them, they didn't come as easy as they normally do. My radio started acting up to and if anyone has tried doing 700 miles a day with no radio you will know what I am talking about.

Another reason that this was a tough trip was that it was my last one in this truck and I just couldn't wait to get back and swap trucks.

2010-06-06T21:37:00.003-05:00

WOW, what a weekend. Went on the "Richer Poker Derby" on Saturday then out with Jason & Jenn on Sunday, Scott joined us too. Both were fantastic days to go out and play. Craig was my passenger on Saturday and Sue on Sunday. Quad is now cleaned up and ready for next ride.

2010-06-04T20:38:00.001-05:00

Another nice recognition from senior management at Penner International

2010-06-04T17:41:00.002-05:00

Completed a couple of trips since I last posted, the top photo was my latest 2530 miles leaving Sunday and getting home again Thursday.

Andy has bought another truck and taken on a driver so after my next trip it will be a change of truck for me. I will post pics of the truck when I take over it but it looks very nice although almost exactly the same from the outside.

Mum look what we have found again "IRN BRU"

2010-05-26T20:21:00.001-05:00

It's A HARD LIFE

2010-05-22T20:54:00.001-05:00

Got this award from my company. Click on it to enlarge so you can read it.

2010-05-19T17:59:00.002-05:00

I am home in the "Automobile City" once again. I left home Sunday morning and got home at 9.30 Wednesday morning and covered 2816 miles.

Got to speak to my Mum & Dad on skype this morning too so it's been a good week.

Going back out Friday so not much time to play with my toys in this fantastic weather, 30c today. Fishing season has started too so getting the boat out tomorrow to run the engine and check it over.