Nothing like a railroader badmouthing the trucking industry

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to educate people on what it takes to be truck driver and the issues these men and women deal with everyday. So when we settled in to read our morning paper and this attached letter to the editor got our blood boiling. I knew I needed to share this example of yet another misconception regarding truckers. The letter's author, who is associated with the railroad, claims trucks don't pay for road repairs, etc.  Well with out boring you with too many statistics let me tell you that according to the USDOT Commercial Motor Vehicle Facts sheet published in December 2010 there were:

• 9,006,738 registered large trucks in 2008
• that traveled 227,458,000 miles

From those statistics let me add that a:

• highway usage tax is paid annually in the amount $550 for each registered vehicle  
• federal fuel tax of .24 is paid on every gallon of fuel purchased 
• fuel tax is also levied by states for every gallon - Ohio's is .28

So using that information you can see that Owner Operators and trucking companies paid:

• 4.9+ billion dollars under the FHUT in 2008 (9 B x $550)
• 9.2 + billion in federal fuel tax (using average mpg of 6 per truck gives us 4.9+ billion / 6)
• a portion of the 1.82 billion in motor fuel tax collected by Ohio in 2006 (best stats I could find) (Also found that in 2006 Ohio was fourth highest in motor fuel tax in 2006 behind PA,RI and NC.)

Let me also add that over the last four years Vince as an Owner Operator has paid an average of $1718 annually in tolls to states all over the country.  Remember when you pay $2-$10 for a toll he is pays anywhere from $10-$50 for the same miles covered and those tolls are also suppose to go to maintaining the roads.

I think it is clear that truckers aren't getting a free ride on the roads and are paying a fair share considering there were over 255,917,664 registered vehicles on the roads in 2008 who didn't pay the additional FHUT or extra for tolls. (Doing additional math also shows that large trucks made up only 3.52 percent of the total number of vehicle on the road in 2008).  There were also misleading statements in the letter like the trucks weighing 100,000 lbs, (average is under 80,000 lbs and over 80,000 are usually wide loads, that yes pay additional costs for permits) that I would like to address but I have other things to do today.

So I will just say I really wish that all these negative Nellies would PLEASE QUIT SAYING THAT THE TRUCKS ARE TAKING OVER AND RUINING THE ROADS!  Especially since they, like everyone else, enjoy eating, being clothed, having vehicles to drive (how do they think cars get to dealerships with no miles) etc. What the federal and state governments choose to do with the money collected is up to the politicians and government officials. If they aren't maintaining the roads it is up to people like this author to hold them accountable, not blame the truck drivers while not so subtly trying to promote the railroads.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2011/02/26/bigger-heavier-trucks-wrecking-our-roads-not-paying-fair-share.html?sid=101

Found Rain, Ice, Sleet and Snow on Our Way to Toledo

Just like everyone in the Ohio Valley, we saw every type of precipitation known to man on the way to Toledo.  As we went around 270 in Columbus at 7:00 pm last night, we saw over a dozen cars on both sides of the road.  Some were even pointing at us, which trust me will get your heart raising when you fear someone is traveling the wrong way on the freeway.  We were shocked by the number of cars on the roads in such terrible road conditions.  Where could they all have been going on a Monday night in a ice/sleet/snow storm?

We never made it above 35 mph on Rtes 23 or 15 and conditions weren't that much better on 75 or the Ohio Turnpike..  We saw seven plows pass us on the southbound side of 23 but not a one on the northbound lanes.  The winds were so strong that the road was down to one snowy lane several times.

However, I wasn't scared at all.  I believe my three winters on the road have taught me a great deal about speed and caution on slippery roads and even more importantly my confidence in Vince's driving keeps me calm.  I trust him in every situation, especially after he avoided T-boning the drunk driver that went out of control in front of us last year on our way from Raleigh to NJ. Then he got us far enough out of the way that when the guy came off the wall and back at us, the car only went under the very back corner of the trailer. He saved us and the drunk driver who was over 3+ times the legal limit that night, because if that car would have gone directly under the trailer that night at that speed, that guy would have probably died.

Needless to say we are less than thrilled with our rude welcome back to winter.  Tonight we are in Toledo then head for Columbus tomorrow night, where the show will be for the weekend.  I head back to home life Sunday night, while Vince and the boys head out for Peoria.  I am hoping to get Vince and Jim to be guest bloggers for me while I am home so stay tuned, because you never know what these guys will come up with on their travels.

Surrounded by it’s all about me people in Durham!

This mascot played a role in what famous baseball movie?

No that car isn't in the way!

PAC Docks

I bet you didn’t know that in Durham you can park on the street for free for 6 days.  Well at least that appears to be the case as you can see from the orange tag that we found on the back of a car parked in front of a fire hydrant in the lane we park in to stage for the docks in Durham.  Security at the PAC told Vince the car had been there for a few days (February 14 is the date on the notice, not sure how long it was there before the notice) and that they had called to get it towed but the city had refused to do so.  When we read the notice it states that this individual has 7 days before the city will tow it.  If you want it towed sooner you have to call the watch commander to request a hearing. Also there was no citation on the car either.  I don’t believe at home that a car sits for more than 72 hours before being towed and sitting in front of a hydrant or in a fire lane will get you towed even faster.  That means when we return for the load out Sunday, you guessed it, that car will still be in the way.  So if you ever find yourself in Durham and don’t want to pay for parking just leave it on the street.

Notice on the back of car

See hydrant - Park in front of Hydrant - Really!

 When we arrived at the truck stop after load in, Vince parked in the farthest corner of the very empty truck stop.  He does this so we get a good walk in any time we go into the truck stop and it puts us away from the noise of the trucks coming and going.  Don’t you know that two hours after we arrived a driver pulled in right next to us. Now I am talking there are 75+ empty spots in the truck stop and he pulls in right next to us.  I told Vince I felt like I was at the movies, because it never fails that there will be empty seats every where in the theater and I will get the seat kicker or talker directly behind or in front of me.  Vince’s theory was that this guy was too lazy to walk into the truck stop to go the bathroom.  That just grossed me out on so many levels and while most drivers are not like this, like any industry they have bad apples too.  Now while we don’t know this to be true, thank God I didn’t find out with my own eyes. I will say we never saw him go in or out of the truck stop. 

But what I really didn’t appreciate, between 1:00-2:00 am this morning, was his waking me when he left.  He had pulled in ,while we were backed in, and since he had one of those trucks that has the alarm that goes off as he is backing up, it rang the whole time he was backing out.  Seriously, you know:

(a)    you are going to leave in the middle of the night

(b)    there are multiple open parking spots all over the truck stop

(c)    you are either incapable or too lazy to back into a parking spot

but you go ahead and park next to someone anyways. As Vince stated it “not even right next to them but right on top of them”.  Unbelievable!  In this situation I would love to quote my buddy, Jim who has a great name for these types of people but since I am trying to keep this blog in the PG rating category, I will just let you insert your own name for these types of individuals.

Durham PAC

Vince took the pics for me before load in, because yes, I was still asleep.  Love the stadium which is right next to the PAC, it reminds me of one of my favorite movies. Tomorrow we load out of Durham, next stop Toledo.  We have been spoiled by the nice temperatures and with the prediction of icy conditions in the northern part of Ohio for Monday. We plan to just relax and enjoy the next two days.  

Having grown up Reds fans Vince and I appreciated this brick

Roll Tide!

Statute next to Alabama Sports Hall of Fame

     

We made it to Birmingham at about 1:00 am Tuesday morning after a day of catching up on laundry and getting the truck washed.  Always want to keep up on those truck washes with all the salt on the roads this time of year.  I will say when Greg started banging around working on the tandems on his trailer at 2:00 am; I actually shared my homicidal thought about him out loud with Vince. Fortunately he stopped a short time later and we were able to go back to sleep.

Heading under BJCC

Tunnel leading to docks - BJCC

As the photos show the loading area for the BJCC –Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center is underground.  Always love finding a new dock set up and the challenges these set ups provide for the drivers.  I know these areas always seem like a good idea when they are designed but I am never sure the architects really thought them through on a functional level.  But the guys always make these set ups work.

Linn Park

Linn Park - Couple on the right are getting married!

Linn Park

We explored a little bit of downtown Birmingham this afternoon.  The BJCC is right next to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Art Museum was only a couple blocks down the street.  While strolling through Linn Park we saw a couple getting married in front of the fountain.  It was a beautiful day to get married outside and we hope that couple has many years of happiness together.  My biggest disappointment was that there were no restaurants within a mile to a mile and a half of the civic center.  I always like trying out new area restaurants but other than a little diner and a Subway there wasn’t any place for us to visit nearby.  

Load out began about two hours ago. Since neither the generator nor the truck can be running while we are under the building.  I am sitting in darkness so that I don’t drain too much of our batteries. The plan for tonight is to only go a few hours up the road since we have all day tomorrow to go 532 miles. We are loving the warmer temperatures and the forecast for a clear path all the way to Durham.

If you look carefully you will see that Bo Bo also has an All Access Pass for the Show!

Houston – 1362 miles, an Aquarium, NBA game and 60 degree temps

 

The Hobby Center

 1362 miles is what the boys covered from Wednesday to Friday.  I am happy to say that I was awake and cheering Vince every mile.  It is amazing to see these guys at work. Matt who is first out of the dock, shared that he went through white out conditions in Georgia, but thankfully none of the rest of us did. I must admit when we had 8 hours + to go and over 450 miles to cover, I did share my feelings that we were never going to get there.  That’s when Vince got to play cheerleader and tell me we would get there.  It was a long trip and while I have covered more miles then that in the past, it was never in that short period of time.

Despite all the driving, on Friday night as we were preparing our grocery list, Vince actually suggested that we go to the grocery that night.  I was all for it, because it would open up Saturday and Sunday for us to relax. So off we went to the Kroger about 15 miles from the Hobby Center.  While there we noticed that they are really not into healthy eating in that area.  We were only able to find one type of 100% whole wheat bread; the produce section was half the size of ours at home; there was no healthy granola cereals or Simply Jiff peanut butter.  We were laughing all the way through the store about what we wouldn’t be able to find next.  I just love discovering those subtle differences in the regions.

Houston's Downtown Aquarium

Ferris Wheel next to Aquarium

 Since this was the first time I had been to Houston for any length of time, I was excited about the opportunity to explore the downtown area.  In the past we have just shown up for load out then we were off to the next city.  The Hobby Center is on the north end of downtown Houston. The downtown Aquarium was only about two blocks from us so we decided to visit it.  While it is very small it was fun and once again Vince could identify the fish in the tank and then tell me something unique about it at every tank.  Katie, Patrick and I still talk about the time he answered every question correctly at the Gecko exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium and was able to give the explanation for the answer exactly as it was on the display.  He amazes me with his wealth of knowledge.

Tranquility Park

Tranquility Park

 After the aquarium which I recommend you buy your tickets on-line before going, we went to lunch at the Hard Rock.  After lunch we sat for a while in Tranquility Park which is across the street from the Hobby Center.  It was funny because as we sat there we made the observation that there was not a cloud in the sky at the same time.  Tranquility park was just that, very tranquil so it was nice to just sit in the sunshine  Next we headed several blocks over to a mall, only to arrive at 2:45 pm and learn they closed at 3:00 pm.  However, on the walk back there was no complaining, because with the temperatures in the 60s, trust me it was wonderful stroll.

Toyota Center - Pregame

Mavs v. Rockets

In the evening we joined Jim in a 12 block hike to the Toyota Center for the Dallas Mavericks versus the Houston Rockets NBA game.  We got great seats at center court in the 22^nd row.  Jim is a big Mavericks fan so I was glad he had the opportunity to see them play in person.  We went to a Timber Wolves game in Memphis last year which was fun, but for Jim to get to see his team win, in person, was great.  We had planned to cab it back after the game, but the walk to the game hadn’t been that bad so we walked back instead.  Needless to say Vince and I got our exercise in on Saturday.

This evening we will load out of Houston and head to Birmingham for a Tuesday morning load in. I am glad to only be traveling 660 miles. Also this will be my first trip to Birmingham so I can’t wait to share it with you.

Norfolk – the thermostat, a museum and beggars

They got all five trucks on the pad in Norfolk - Vic is attached to the trailer facing the other way

Currently Chrysler Hall - We are parked directly behind this sign

Norfolk Police and Fire Museum - Only take donations - Great Museum

We made it to Norfolk by Monday night well in time for the 5:00 am yesterday.  But since I was finally getting my first good sleep since getting back in the truck, I slept right through it.  I did however make it up in time to visit with the boys as they ate breakfast.

You see I kept having trouble breathing at night and was always too hot, until I finally figured out what the problem was. While Vince will freeze me out of the cab area sometimes while he is driving. Which don’t get me wrong he needs to, since heat can make him sleepy while driving.  He prefers his living area to be like short sleeve weather.  I on the other hand, hate giving the utility companies any more of our money than I have to at home, so I keep our home around 65-68 degrees and just wear long sleeves and cover up with a blanket.  Well it hit me the other night why I wasn’t sleeping, it was too hot.  So after I startled Vince awake while blowing my nose, I decided to ask him what he had the thermostat set on. Well he took the hint just like any good husband would and asked if I wanted him to turn it down.  Of course I wanted it turned down. Now, after he got back into bed I must admit I did worry that maybe he would have trouble getting back to sleep and when we are on a schedule I hate to bother his sleep. But about three minutes later it was evident that it was not a problem and my guilt for waking him was gone.  Not sure how crazy he is about the colder room at night, but we are both sleeping so it must not be that big a deal. So thankfully there is no homicidal thought moment to report, just a bump along the way.

Today, we visited the Norfolk Police and Fire Museum, along with going to the mall about a block from the theatre.  Always nice to go to different restaurants and get some much needed walks in.  Jim and Matt went to the Popeye down the street last night and found it to be a beggar’s hang out.  We did not experience a problem with beggars last year when we went there for lunch after load in, so we aren’t sure if that is a new thing or an evening thing.  Last year we did have a guy knock on the doors of our trucks in the middle of the night last year, which always puts me on edge because you don’t know who it is or what they want.  He was so pushy about not leaving that Jim ended up having to calling the police. Thankfully both nights were uneventful this year.

We load out this evening then need to be in Houston by Friday.  They are predicting snow for here tonight, which is part of a storm coming from the south that we will run into along the way and with a short time to get Houston who knows how this will go.  But you can be sure I will let you know.

Flying J - Ruther Glen - My husbands quip while fueling, "guess those birds aren't afraid of a cat"

Scope Arena

Chrysler Hall - Where Madagascar Live is appearing

My Boys and the Load Out in Steeler Nation!

(From L to R) Matt, Jim, Vic, Greg, Vince

 It is always nice to have faces to go with names. So last night I got these pictures of the drivers that you will be hearing about over the next six months.  Matt is a sweet guy from Kentucky who is a great mechanic.  He is the strong silent type who is really funny when he does pipe in with a comment.  Jim is our wisecracking Texan who keeps me in stitches.   He is always up for exploring the cities and finding new restaurants with us.  Jim and his second seat Bo Bo love their sports and have a satellite so they can keep up on all of them.  Vic our elder statesman since he has been moving the show the longest is from Pennsylvania. He taught Vince the ropes when he started with Clark in 2003. Vic also called to check in with Vince during his dad’s illness and when Vince was recovering from surgery in 2007 which I greatly appreciated.  Greg also from Pennsylvania is always asking questions and I do mean always, many times the same questions.  He is the self appointed inspector of all the trucks and trailers.   

Since Vince is the only married guy of the group, that makes me the only “skirt” (One of Jim’s references to me on last year’s tour) on the tour.  I love it because at times they treat me like one of the boys and at others because these gentlemen have great manners like a lady.  Bet the trucker stereotype might have prevented some of you from seeing that coming.  So these are “my boys” who keep me in stitches with their stories and who I know would protect me should danger strike. 

Bo Bo ready to drive should Jim need him

Vince and Jim in the cold at Pittsburgh - That's the reflective tape on his jacket not Jim's aura

Happy to report the load out in Pittsburgh went smoothly.  Load out started at 3:30 pm.  Matt and Jim were gone by 5:30 p.m. and by that time the grumbling of the local crew started to became apparent.  The theatre people were also definitely in a hurry to get us out of there as well. Vince and I were out of the alley behind the theatre by 7:30 pm and Greg and Vic weren’t too far behind us.  The downtown area was not busy when we arrived at around 1:00 p.m. and became a ghost town by kickoff.  Our trip across the PA turnpike also reflected the loyalty to the Steelers because we mainly shared the road with only truck drivers.

Right after I took this photo the load on the forklift took out a light at the top of Jim's trailer.

 We are now on our way to Norfolk for a 5:00 am call time on Tuesday morning.  Hopefully we will find warmer weather there. Stay tuned. 

Matt's Old School Cabover

Jim's Peterbilt

I will get close up pics of Vic and Greg's trucks in Norfolk since I didn't in Pittsburgh

The show is getting rave reviews while we pass the time outside Pittsburgh.

Well after three days of sitting at the Petro, I am happy to report the truck is definitely clean. After all there is not much to do but clean since there is nothing around the truck stop. Thankfully we at least have a computer signal since we have no television signal. The computers help us to see what is going on in the world and to track the weather.  We have lunch or dinner with Jim and Matt, two of the other drivers on the show and in the evenings watch movies that we keep in the truck.   

The down time did allow me the chance to catch up with my best friend/sister-in-law, Nancy on the telephone Thursday. It was great to have the time to talk, because when we are traveling and sleeping odd hours it is hard to do.  For those who may not know Vince is Nancy’s brother and we have all known each other since elementary school.  I also talk to my brother, John daily to find out how things are going with our mom.  Although I call her everyday, she is not happy that I leave and will not always answer the phone when I call. John’s updates help me keep up on things with her. Without John and Elaine, my sister-in-law, I would not be able to go on these trips. Vince and I are very grateful to them for taking care of Mom so we can be together.

Also let me just share that I love Skype!  Vince got me a camera for Christmas so Elizabeth and I could talk to each other via Skype.  Last night we used it for the first time and it was great being able to see Elizabeth’s facial reactions when I told her funny stories.  If you have family or friends that live out of town I strongly recommend connecting with them that way.

We will be ready to get out of here tomorrow and start heading to Norfolk.  Vince learned today that there are lane and parking restrictions in downtown Pittsburgh due to the Super bowl. We are to be at the theatre tomorrow at 2:30 pm and hope to be out of there before the game even starts.  Just so you know the crew from the show Vince was on last year, of which none of our current crew was a part of at the time, got thrown out of this theatre last year when the load out took too long. I remember walking to the back of our truck and seeing all this stuff in the alley and asking Vince what was going on.  He told me they were being thrown out because it was past the time they were scheduled to be there and the theatre people wanted to go home.  It was 12:30 am and you couldn’t blame the theatre people but it was really shocking to see it happen.  While we don’t expect those same problems this year, because this crew gets what it takes to move a show, it is still one of the first moves so who knows how long it will take

In the meantime we were happy to learn the show got a rave review from Thursday night’s show.  It is always good to see that the show is entertaining.  I have attached a link to the review if anyone is interested in seeing more about the show.  Be on the look out tomorrow night or Monday morning for the load out post.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/hayley/link/02-04-2011-madagascar-live 

Madagascar – We dodged a bullet – A clear path to Pittsburgh

Ice in the service plaza on the PA Turnpike Tues am

Marquee for Benedum Theatre

Across the street from the theatre

When we woke up on Tuesday I thought for sure it was going to be one of the longest days of our lives.  We had heard the sleet hitting the truck throughout the night and as you can see everything was iced over by morning.  However, as our relatives across the Midwest were dealing with ice and sleet that lead to power outages, icy sidewalks and dangerous roads, our temperatures continued to rise as the morning went on. So our travels throughout the morning were in light rain/mist on wet roads.  As we approached downtown Pittsburgh last night in a driving rain storm I kept thinking about what it would be like if it were sleet and ice instead of rain. It was not until we actually got stopped that I believed we had really dodged the bullet.  All day I kept worrying the temperatures would drop just enough to make our lives interesting, but thankfully they didn’t.  I can’t imagine how long yesterday was for all the truck drivers traveling through the middle part of the country yesterday. 

This morning the temperature was 40 degrees and as you can see two of the four trailers, were already in the docks for our 8:00 am load in.  I took the additional pictures of the area around the theatre to give you idea of what the Pittsburgh theatre area looks like and how the unload goes. 

In the dock ready to be unloaded and yes it is as tight as it looks

Trailers in the front and back

Fortunately we were unloaded by 10:30 am and are now at a Petro truck stop out side of Pittsburgh off I-70 until Sunday.  Currently the wind is rocking our 37,000+ lb tractor and empty trailer, the temperature is dropping and we are getting snow off and on. But the sun is out so things aren’t that bad because for some reason the sunshine always makes everything better.  Hope everyone in the Midwest is safe and warm and that those on the east coast are braced for yet another big storm.

Area around the theatre - there were people walking around this area at 11:00 pm last night in the pouring rain

 Approximately  85 % of the people I passed had a cigarette in their hand (young, old, middle aged didn't matter) Not something I usually pay attention to, but it was so noticeable that I started counting. I think I will open a smoke shop in Pittsburgh if I need a third career.

Our trailer - tractor and  trailer weighs 71,000 lbs fully loaded

The trucks are unloaded right onto the stage

Our trailer as it was being unloaded