other dog

This week didn't start out too good either. I had to take a load of steel to Arlington, Va.-not a good part of the world to be in. I went to Petersburg to load Monday evening, but I couldn't load until after midnight. I got there around 7. So I went over to the fuel stop and got a bite to eat and tried to take a nap. Time I got to sleep good it was time to go. I already knew the jobsite was tight, with nowhere to park, so I went up to the rest area at the scales on 95 and tried to take a nap. Got there about 3:30 and woke up at 6:30- I said "no way i'm getting out there on 95 this time of day". I waited until about 8:30 to leave, thinking maybe some of the other trucks would be unloaded and gone by the time I got to the job...but they weren't. I pulled in and had to pull up and backup periodically to let trucks in and out. Finally got empty and headed back to Petersburg to get a load going to Ambridge, Pa. It was just 40' beams, about 45,000 lbs, and when I was going through Richmond the @#%&ing engine light came on again. Thought we had that problem fixed the last 3 times, but apparently not. Had to go to Ambridge with it on, getting passed like I was tied to a stump by Swifts, Knights, Werners, and everybody else that came along. I finally made it to Ambridge, a little late, then had to go to Sugar Creek, Oh. and picked up a 48,000lb. load of bricks going to Lynchburg. I dropped them at the shop this morning and took the truck straight to Carter Cat. I took a picture of the jobsite in Arlington-tried to take a picture of the stop sign in one, but some girl on a bicycle rode by and ruined it.

Gee, makes my sorry ass week sound not-too-bad! I hope you stole enough onions to last yourself, your friends, and all your extended family a month or so.

Absolutely not-it seems to work like browning or searing the meat on the outside, sealing the juices in. The first time I made one of those smokers I cooked a whole hind quarter of venison in it, kind of just testing it out. I was expecting it to be really tough and was very surprised when I went to slice it when it was done and the juices just started running out of it. It was very tender and i've been a smoker oven fan ever since. A chicken on a can comes out the same way. I always smoke a whole turkey at Thanksgiving and they don't even get dry.

I would think it would have a lot more flavor. I usually cook boston butts in the smoker oven (low and slow) with just the rub on them, but I don't see why your plan wouldn't be good. That's kind of how they make the barbecue at the Toga benefit-they cook the whole boston butts on a big grill, but they don't cook them until they're completly done. Then they take them off the grill and pull the meat off and put it in these big stainless steel pans with the sauce and let it simmer in the sauce until it's done. Everybody seems to like it.

I remember the R models with the 318's well. They ran rt. 35 in Ohio a lot, and when they keyed the mike to talk on the CB all you could hear was the engine.

Short week, long weekend. Had the kids over-all grown, but still the kids. Jo's son Billy got here Friday and left Saturday afternoon-he's 38. My son T.J, 32, and his wife and 2 children came yesterday, and my youngest son Morgan and his girlfriend got here soon after. Then Karla and Daniel came, and Jeffrey Moore rode over too. I fixed them up with grilled ribs, chicken, hot wings, and a squash-gotta have your vegetables! Actually, the grilled squash went over pretty good. I sliced it and marinated it in teriaki sauce before I grilled it. I took 2 packs of ribs out of the freezer, but I threw one away. The best looking ones, baby back ribs. The other was spare ribs. Both good of course, the baby back ribs are just cut different, with less bone. Easier to cook, slice, tear apart, and to eat. They looked fine, but when I cut the plastic open they smelled a little...funny. So I called Jo- "give these a sniff, see what you think." She said "I don't know ya know, they smell kinda...funny-not ha-ha funny, funny stinkin". So out the door they went, to cook in the trash barrel. Now i'm waiting to see if I get a load today.They serviced the truck Friday, and ordered a spring for the cluth linkage. I've been having to pull the pedal back up to the top with my foot for the engine brake to work. Figured a spring was loose or broken. Jimmy said he could put a rubber strap on it until the spring comes in, but it's got to be a genuine Peterbilt rubber strap.

Amen Brother! (Bulldogman)- couldn't be said any better.

I've only got the one, and it's a tremendous financial scrain.

Like Mackdaddy said, i've always had to take a DOT physical every 2 years. I thought it was nationwide. I know at a DOT inspection you'd better have that physical card.

OK, I'll take a look at 'em.

Just got a bill today to renew the insurance on that cement mixer truck. It actually went down, only $301 for a year. Not too bad!

Here's the Jifflox manual, comic book style http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/jifflox.htm

This is true Mike. I know the feeling. I have to be nice to customers even when they treat me like an a-hole because I drive a truck, and it can be tough to do. Regardless of how they treat me, if i'm not nice to them they might call and complain, we might lose a haul, I might be looking for a new job.

Well said!

I think you hit the nail on the head with the "just another money grab". At least that's the impression I got. I've been cleared to enter nuclear power plants, but couldn't enter the Port of Wilmington with a load of piling? Sounds like b.s. to me too.

photos of a couple of Mack posters Old Bill sent me

from 700WLW's website...wonder if this is payback? and then there's this other one-

Or as Paul would say "I thought i'd try this blog thing too". Kind of a short week. I thought things were picking up- were for a while anyway. Last Friday I motored down to Petersburg and picked up a load of beams going to Neville Island, Pa. I delivered there Monday and went to Sugar Creek, Ohio and got a load of bricks going to Williamsburg, Va. Then I went back to Petersburg and got a load of piling going to Wilmington, N.C, but I couldn't go into the port because I don't have a card that says I can go into the port. I am certified to haul steel coils in Alabama though. The last time I went to the state port at Wilmington you didn't need a card. Now you've got to have the card, which costs 130-some dollars, or pay an escort to take you in. I talked to one of the escorts that was hanging around outside the gate and asked what he charged-he said $20 at the gate, plus $20 an hour for however long you're in there. That could get expensive too. We had 5 or 6 trucks there, and one of the other drivers that had the proper card took my truck in and unloaded it after he got unloaded. He only charged me $10. That was OK-I sat in his truck with the AC on while he was unloading mine (it was miserably hot!) and stole 2 CD's, a pair of gloves, a flashlight, roll of tape, some tools, ate all his snacks, and drank 2 of his Pepsi colas. (kidding) I was the last truck to leave of course, being the only one without proper credentials, but I got a return load of lumber in Dudley, N.C. going to Moneta, Va. A whole load of 8' 4x4's. Left Dudley 120 lbs. over gross. I was afraid they'd make me take a pack off, but they didn't. Dispatcher Neal called me yesterday morning while I was sitting at the truckstop south of Lynchburg-had to park there Wednesday night because the store lot 2 miles from here was full of chip trailers. He wanted to know if I was en-route to Moneta. I said "almost", which sorta meant the same thing as "no". He said there was a load in Moneta going to Fredericksburg that I could deliver that evening, then head to Petersburg and pick up something at the mill. By the time I got to Moneta and unstrapped the 32 packs of lumber and got unloaded and reloaded it was almost 11:30, and I had to be in Fredericksburg by 3:30 to get unloaded, or i'd sit there all night. I didn't stop anywhere and pulled in at 3 o'clock. Got unloaded OK, but there was nothing at the mill to load and dispatcher Randy said we'd try it again Monday so I came on to Concord. I wasn't real enthused about going to Wilmington, but it was all they had, and I wasn't enthused about going to Fredericksburg yesterday. I was afraid I wouldn't get there in time to get unloaded and have to wait until this morning. I wanted to get to the mill in Petersburg yesterday and get another trip in this week, a little longer, like a Birmingham or another Pittsburgh. But, since there was nothing i'm glad I made those short runs or I wouldn't have made enough money to keep the lights burning another month. Insurance on the mixer is due August 31st. too. That's about $400 dollars, and they don't give you the option to pay on the installment plan. Always something.

That's an excellent idea.

Paul gives a very good description of his restorations in his blog.

yes, it's getting hard to come up with new blog entry titles, so now there's more to steal from

I stopped at the Iowa 80 once on the way to South Dakota. Well worth stopping at, if just to see all the antique trucks and models, and toys, and chrome stuff, and- well, you get the idea. You could spend all day there just looking around.

nobody lets me use power tools.

1500' deep?..geez-and I wear a life jacket in the shower! I went to Puyallup once.

I do not know. I'll ax Paul. If there's anything Rob don't know, he do. Oh..hey Rob...never mind.