"keep rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin'..." Limp Bizkit, Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)
I've been doing this Iowa route now for about a year, year and a half. It's hard to remember.
They've changed things around on me quite a bit; adding stores, pickups, now we're losing a
customer, which means they're changing it around again, making it a two instead of three-day
run. My first day will be basically the same: six company-owned pizza stores out in the west-northwest burbs, ending up in Rockford. I can usually get 'em all done in 12 hours or so, sometimes more or less, depending on the volume of product ordered. These managers at the company stores, I wonder about them sometimes. I'll walk in, and they have stuff (flour, for example) stacked to the ceiling, yet they've ordered 35 or 40 more. WTF? But I try not to ask too many questions. Once, though, I delivered 140 bales of flour to this one store - they really pissed me off that week. And see, some of the stores get 2 deliveries a week, so, I dunno, just
idiotic behavior, I guess. The company stores (unlike the franchises) don't care, because they're not paying for anything, so they just order as much as they want, and nobody even raises an eyebrow.
Anyway, I'm shut down in Rockford for quite a while. See, if I start Monday night at 11:00 or so,
I'm done and at the truckstop by 10:30-11:00 Tuesday morning. Shit, I don't have to be in Dubuque till 8:00 Wednesday morning. So, it's about 17 hours or so in the sleeper. My bosses
were giving me a hard time about all the "idle time" (they're constantly worrying about "truck utilization"). But there's nothing I can do about it; these stores (most of which are in strip malls, etc.) have to be delivered in the middle of the night, otherwise you can't get to them. Hell, I wouldn't mind starting at 7:30 Tuesday morning, but there's all kinds of problems associated with that, not the least of which is the traffic on 294. Besides, I'd rather get in and out, without these $10/hour pizza store managers telling me what to do - I don't play that game. We're given the keys/alarm codes (if applicable) and bam! we do our thing and go. No problem. So, I get to the truckstop and eat, maybe take a nap, wake up, read, listen to tunes, whatever, then get ready for my "real sleep" about 7:30-8:00 Tuesday night. I take a "daddy's little helper" then
try to sleep (it's difficult for me to sleep in these damn trucks, especially when you have a loud reefer unit going off every 10-15 minutes) But the alternative is a motel room; well, they don't reimburse you as much as they used to, first off. Secondly, finding a place with truck parking ain't always easy. Third, there's no guarantee I'm gonna sleep any better anyway, and last, if there's a problem with the truck/trailer, I don't find out about it till the next morning. I remember going to a motel in Waterloo in the middle of winter one time, came back out, and the truck barely started. So I stay with the truck; I figure it's the lesser of two evils, plus, even though I rail at truckers, I feel like I belong.
I'm off to Dubuque about 5:00am Wed. - it's only a couple hours drive from Rockford, but I like to allow extra time, just in case. The twisting, turning, rising, falling trip on US20 can do some funny things to your load, so I'm always aware of how sharp my turns are (especially lefts). If the warehouse idiots haven't bothered to strap down the load properly, you have to figure out a way to secure the load (borrow a strap, lash two pallets together, etc.). I usually don't
go too much faster than 55 on my way out there (maybe 60). The traffic all seems to be coming the other direction anyway. So I usually get to Galena about 6:30 or so. There's a McDonald's there with truck parking. It's a good place to stop, check the load, grab a cup of Joe, etc. Then, having timed it out over the past year or so, I take off for Dubuque about 7:20 - that get's me to Charlie's (not his real name) parking lot about 7:45. Charlie is a franchisee, and because he knows people in the corporate office, he is treated with a LOT of respect. You must be there before 8:00 when he opens his back door; if not, a phone call to corporate. If his stuff is really f'ed up, a phone call to corporate. If you are not polite, etc., a phone call to corporate. He is actually a very nice guy, but he's a businessman, so his deliveries need to be on time and in decent shape, ya know? His delivery takes 45min -an hour, then I have a smaller delivery in Dubuque, then I'm off to the Hinterlands of Iowa (Bumble-whaa?).
Actually, from Dubuque, I go to either Cedar Rapids or Waterloo (frozen yogurt stores, they alternate weeks), then Marshalltown, then Des Moines, and I'm done. Of course, they would throw in these "specials," so that would foul things up as far as my schedule goes (I'll tell you what those are some day, as this blog nears it's end). It wasn't always that way: I used to have to go pick up pepperoni/frozen meats out there at a frozen storage warehouse (I won't mention the name of the company, but it's pretty much a household name).
That could wind up taking hours: the order might not be ready, no open door, shift change, any number of things could delay you. Once you were given a "hole", you backed in, dropped the trailer, and set the reefer at whatever temp they told you. In summer, we were told to "pre-cool" the trailer, just like when picking up cheese in WI. Then you waited. Those who had CB's tuned in to channel whatever; me, I just looked for the green light. Back in, hook up, go get your paperwork, stop at the guardhouse, then you were gone. I almost always had prepass, so I didn't worry too much about scaling the load. One of the senior drivers once told me that, on a 45-foot trailer, if you set the tandems 7 holes from the front (by the tires), you'd scale out perfect every time. So, I'd try to do that once I was empty, and you know what? It worked!
Anyway, they changed meat suppliers several months back, so I haven't had to pick that stuff up for a while, now. I remember I'd try to make it to the World's Largest Truckstop in Walcott, IA on my way back (before I ran out of time - I really liked the place). Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. Of course, I had my favorite waitress I'd always see over there. What a cutie!
There's been another one I've been "perving on" lately, but she's another chapter. I'll write more about Iowa next time...
More soon,
Steve
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Tidbits
"If you have the space, take it!" - old truck driver's axiom
The above saying was relayed to be by one of our veteran drivers, who had heard it from an
old-timer, I guess. But isn't it true? Not a working day goes by when I don't think about this
simple phrase. I mean, it could be just pulling onto the shoulder a little to let an oversized load pass as your driving down the road, or using that empty left-turn lane as you make your right
turn in the city. Anyway, the following post (maybe more than one) are just bits & pieces that
don't fall into any particular category.
Here are some words/phrases/sayings I think to myself, or even say out loud while I'm driving:
"Any big dogs in the chute?" - Any big trucks coming down the entrance ramp (always look out for that)
"Put some giddyup on it!" - Usually I'm hollering this out to some four-wheeler I'm stuck behind (tip of the hat to Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, White Sox announcer). A related phrase is "Don't make me run this truck up yer ass!"
If I get behind someone, and I'm close, I'll say "I ain't gonna hit ya, I might cuss ya out a little, but..." or, "Not in your wildest dreams..." (Although I did almost hit some guy the other day, who couldn't decide whether or not to make a right turn)
Another one is "Kick it in the ass!" - speed up
"Break it down!" - step on the brakes
"Neighbor" - trucks next to/around me at the truckstop ("Howdy neighbor!")
"Guy wants to 'grow a pair'" - when you're trying to pass someone, and he/she all of a sudden speeds up so you can't pass, and have to duck in behind 'em.
Here's one I say as I'm backing into a spot: "Easy there, Stevie square..." it rhymes, ya know?
I always say this one as I see big trucks coming up fast from behind to pass me "Bring it on, muthafucka!"
There are some generic cuss words/names I holler at people(idiot drivers-I don't know how you can even refer to them as "people" sometimes, 4-wheelers and truckers alike) when they're doing something stupid:
"ass-wipe"
"Shit-for-brains" (my personal fave)
"shitwit"
"numbnuts"
"fucknuts"
"dumbass"
"fuckin' moron"
"fucking idiot"
"bitch-ass motherfucker" (tip of the hat to Xzibit, on Limp Bizkit's Getcha Groove On)
Those are the main ones I use, and I must say I'm using them more and more often, so you people must be driving worse and worse these days (tisk, tisk).
There are a few descriptions
of drivers from certain areas that I'll also use:
Wisconsin drivers: "Cheese-dicks"
Southern drivers: besides the obvious "redneck," "hillbilly," etc., I also like "shit-kicker," it's a
good, all-around descriptive phrase.
Farmers: "Shit-Farmers," or "Dirt-Farmers". Hey, I give farmers a hard time, but I realize what they do is not easy, so I really do appreciate them.
Of course, I've already mentioned "Fuckin' Hoosiers"
Here's another one I holler out at 4-wheelers who are obviously starved for attention:
"I'm scared of you!" (NOT!)
Anyway, those are just a few that I can come up with off the top of my head. I'll have more "Tidbits" in future postings. If you have any favorite sayings, please share them in the "Comments" section of this blog.
More soon,
Steve
The above saying was relayed to be by one of our veteran drivers, who had heard it from an
old-timer, I guess. But isn't it true? Not a working day goes by when I don't think about this
simple phrase. I mean, it could be just pulling onto the shoulder a little to let an oversized load pass as your driving down the road, or using that empty left-turn lane as you make your right
turn in the city. Anyway, the following post (maybe more than one) are just bits & pieces that
don't fall into any particular category.
Here are some words/phrases/sayings I think to myself, or even say out loud while I'm driving:
"Any big dogs in the chute?" - Any big trucks coming down the entrance ramp (always look out for that)
"Put some giddyup on it!" - Usually I'm hollering this out to some four-wheeler I'm stuck behind (tip of the hat to Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, White Sox announcer). A related phrase is "Don't make me run this truck up yer ass!"
If I get behind someone, and I'm close, I'll say "I ain't gonna hit ya, I might cuss ya out a little, but..." or, "Not in your wildest dreams..." (Although I did almost hit some guy the other day, who couldn't decide whether or not to make a right turn)
Another one is "Kick it in the ass!" - speed up
"Break it down!" - step on the brakes
"Neighbor" - trucks next to/around me at the truckstop ("Howdy neighbor!")
"Guy wants to 'grow a pair'" - when you're trying to pass someone, and he/she all of a sudden speeds up so you can't pass, and have to duck in behind 'em.
Here's one I say as I'm backing into a spot: "Easy there, Stevie square..." it rhymes, ya know?
I always say this one as I see big trucks coming up fast from behind to pass me "Bring it on, muthafucka!"
There are some generic cuss words/names I holler at people(idiot drivers-I don't know how you can even refer to them as "people" sometimes, 4-wheelers and truckers alike) when they're doing something stupid:
"ass-wipe"
"Shit-for-brains" (my personal fave)
"shitwit"
"numbnuts"
"fucknuts"
"dumbass"
"fuckin' moron"
"fucking idiot"
"bitch-ass motherfucker" (tip of the hat to Xzibit, on Limp Bizkit's Getcha Groove On)
Those are the main ones I use, and I must say I'm using them more and more often, so you people must be driving worse and worse these days (tisk, tisk).
There are a few descriptions
of drivers from certain areas that I'll also use:
Wisconsin drivers: "Cheese-dicks"
Southern drivers: besides the obvious "redneck," "hillbilly," etc., I also like "shit-kicker," it's a
good, all-around descriptive phrase.
Farmers: "Shit-Farmers," or "Dirt-Farmers". Hey, I give farmers a hard time, but I realize what they do is not easy, so I really do appreciate them.
Of course, I've already mentioned "Fuckin' Hoosiers"
Here's another one I holler out at 4-wheelers who are obviously starved for attention:
"I'm scared of you!" (NOT!)
Anyway, those are just a few that I can come up with off the top of my head. I'll have more "Tidbits" in future postings. If you have any favorite sayings, please share them in the "Comments" section of this blog.
More soon,
Steve
Monday, March 5, 2007
Tuneage
"I'm just a crazy motherfucker, livin' it up, not giving a fuck, livin' life in the fast lane..."
Limp Bizkit - "Livin' it Up"
As you can probably guess, Limp Bizkit is my favorite band. I've really been into them for the last year, year and a half or so (new album in '07?). I'm the kind of guy who needs his music when he rides, ya know? And now, with the newer trucks (moving into the 21st century) that have CD players instead of just cassette players, I can bring my favorite CD's with and play them when I want. Some drivers prefer to drive in silence, or have their CB radios on so they can chatter (about nothing most of the time), others are content to listen to the regular radio (you can tell who's had the truck before you by turning on the radio - if it's an R&B station, chances are a black guy had it, etc.- not always). Still others, the lucky ones, have satellite radios
(maybe they're not so lucky, since they probably had to pay for it). But me, when I climb into my truck at midnite or 2:00 in the morning, I need something that's going to kick me right in the nuts, really get me going.
Yeah, I realize that my phone or my Nextel could be ringing, someone trying to reach me (why anyone would be calling in the middle of the night is beyond me), but I guess they'll just have to wait till the song is done. I remember when I used to drive to Grand Rapids in the old Volvos,
they only had cassette players, so I would bring my old classic rock tapes, which I had taped from the albums years ago. You know, Geneseis, Yes, Led Zeppelin, etc. I also had (and still have) several mix tapes, with some of my favorite tunes on them. It's funny, just within the past couple of years, I've moved away from the "classic rock" genre. Sure, I'll always stop and listen to a great Led Zeppelin song, or Pink Floyd, but I can't listen to those radio stations any more; I mean there's only so much Boston, or AC/DC that I can handle, no offense to anyone. So, I've
started getting more into "alternative" music, from the late '80's on. Bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, STP, Soundgarden, et al. And I like some of the newer bands as well, like Nickleback, Crossfade, Three Doors Down, Blue October, etc.
Actually, my musical tastes run the whole gambit: my dad was really into classical, so I became a nut for Mozart during the mid '80's, around the time the movie Amadeus was released.
Because I played trombone in high school and college, I got into jazz and it's offshoots early on
as well. So I'll bend my ear when a tune from Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, or Earth, Wind & Fire comes on the radio. I also really enjoy blues, R&B, even some country (although I prefer artists who are on the fringes of country, like Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Smith, even Shania Twain and
Faith Hill). I can handle just bits and pieces of rap (Cypress Hill, some Snoop Dogg, some Ice Cube, etc), but can't get into the really intense "gangsta" stuff.
I guess that's why I dig Limp Bizkit so much; they are multi-dimensional: mainly hard, "in your face" rock, but with some rap, some really sweet ballads, etc. thrown in there. I know other bands claim to be in the same genre (Korn, Linkin Park, etc.), but I think LB does it best - just my opinion. I'm no music critic, but I know what I like. To me, music falls into one of two categories: good or bad. But I remember my high school English teacher saying this: "All art is subjective." In other words, you can't say something is "good" or "bad" only that you like or don't like it. Some may not care for Mozart Symphonies, or Picasso paintings (they're morons),
while most of us love them. So "one man's trash is another man's treasure," I suppose.
It's funny - what's a 44 year-old doing listening to this kind of music? Am I trying to re-capture
my youth? Mid-age crisis? Maybe, I dunno. I just recently took my daughter to a concert in
Chicago, where the headlining band was Jack's Mannequin, with 3 (yes, I said three) opening
bands. I must have been one of about three people there over the age of, say 25. And we stood for 5 hours and, while all the bands were good (Jack's Mannequin is excellent), I was really feeling my age that night and a couple of days afterward. I mean, when there's a mosh pit going on twenty feet away from you, at my age, you know something just ain't right. My ears are still ringing, I think.
Despite all my other tastes, when it comes down "to it," I'm a rocker at heart. In fact, I love pulling into the truckstop, especially during the warmer months, so I can have my windows rolled down, just blasting "Gimme the Mic," or "Rollin" by Limp Bizkit, or some other kick-ass
tune, and watching the reaction I get from all the hillbillies ("That ain't no Hank Williams song!"
from The Blues Brothers) I laugh my ass off.
My other favorite CD these days is "Everything is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour"
Awesome CD, awesome band - Vernon Reid is a fucking incredible guitar player. Being a frustrated guitarist myself, I really appreciate good guitarists, guys like Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Alex Lifeson, the aforementioned Mr. Reid, et al. There are too many of them to list here, but I think you know what I mean. Jimi Hendrix probably influenced all of them, ya know? So, I'll bring my Limp Bizkit, Stain'd, Living Colour, Pearl Jam, etc. all with me on the road, and I play them usually at the same points in my route every week - I'm a strange cookie. Then I have to have my mellow stuff for the end of the day, when I need to relax (Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Smith, Blue October, etc.) Heck, I'll even listen to my Beatles (still my favorite band of all time) CD's when I'm in the mood. There you have it - a reformed classic rocker!
More soon,
Steve
Limp Bizkit - "Livin' it Up"
As you can probably guess, Limp Bizkit is my favorite band. I've really been into them for the last year, year and a half or so (new album in '07?). I'm the kind of guy who needs his music when he rides, ya know? And now, with the newer trucks (moving into the 21st century) that have CD players instead of just cassette players, I can bring my favorite CD's with and play them when I want. Some drivers prefer to drive in silence, or have their CB radios on so they can chatter (about nothing most of the time), others are content to listen to the regular radio (you can tell who's had the truck before you by turning on the radio - if it's an R&B station, chances are a black guy had it, etc.- not always). Still others, the lucky ones, have satellite radios
(maybe they're not so lucky, since they probably had to pay for it). But me, when I climb into my truck at midnite or 2:00 in the morning, I need something that's going to kick me right in the nuts, really get me going.
Yeah, I realize that my phone or my Nextel could be ringing, someone trying to reach me (why anyone would be calling in the middle of the night is beyond me), but I guess they'll just have to wait till the song is done. I remember when I used to drive to Grand Rapids in the old Volvos,
they only had cassette players, so I would bring my old classic rock tapes, which I had taped from the albums years ago. You know, Geneseis, Yes, Led Zeppelin, etc. I also had (and still have) several mix tapes, with some of my favorite tunes on them. It's funny, just within the past couple of years, I've moved away from the "classic rock" genre. Sure, I'll always stop and listen to a great Led Zeppelin song, or Pink Floyd, but I can't listen to those radio stations any more; I mean there's only so much Boston, or AC/DC that I can handle, no offense to anyone. So, I've
started getting more into "alternative" music, from the late '80's on. Bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, STP, Soundgarden, et al. And I like some of the newer bands as well, like Nickleback, Crossfade, Three Doors Down, Blue October, etc.
Actually, my musical tastes run the whole gambit: my dad was really into classical, so I became a nut for Mozart during the mid '80's, around the time the movie Amadeus was released.
Because I played trombone in high school and college, I got into jazz and it's offshoots early on
as well. So I'll bend my ear when a tune from Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, or Earth, Wind & Fire comes on the radio. I also really enjoy blues, R&B, even some country (although I prefer artists who are on the fringes of country, like Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Smith, even Shania Twain and
Faith Hill). I can handle just bits and pieces of rap (Cypress Hill, some Snoop Dogg, some Ice Cube, etc), but can't get into the really intense "gangsta" stuff.
I guess that's why I dig Limp Bizkit so much; they are multi-dimensional: mainly hard, "in your face" rock, but with some rap, some really sweet ballads, etc. thrown in there. I know other bands claim to be in the same genre (Korn, Linkin Park, etc.), but I think LB does it best - just my opinion. I'm no music critic, but I know what I like. To me, music falls into one of two categories: good or bad. But I remember my high school English teacher saying this: "All art is subjective." In other words, you can't say something is "good" or "bad" only that you like or don't like it. Some may not care for Mozart Symphonies, or Picasso paintings (they're morons),
while most of us love them. So "one man's trash is another man's treasure," I suppose.
It's funny - what's a 44 year-old doing listening to this kind of music? Am I trying to re-capture
my youth? Mid-age crisis? Maybe, I dunno. I just recently took my daughter to a concert in
Chicago, where the headlining band was Jack's Mannequin, with 3 (yes, I said three) opening
bands. I must have been one of about three people there over the age of, say 25. And we stood for 5 hours and, while all the bands were good (Jack's Mannequin is excellent), I was really feeling my age that night and a couple of days afterward. I mean, when there's a mosh pit going on twenty feet away from you, at my age, you know something just ain't right. My ears are still ringing, I think.
Despite all my other tastes, when it comes down "to it," I'm a rocker at heart. In fact, I love pulling into the truckstop, especially during the warmer months, so I can have my windows rolled down, just blasting "Gimme the Mic," or "Rollin" by Limp Bizkit, or some other kick-ass
tune, and watching the reaction I get from all the hillbillies ("That ain't no Hank Williams song!"
from The Blues Brothers) I laugh my ass off.
My other favorite CD these days is "Everything is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour"
Awesome CD, awesome band - Vernon Reid is a fucking incredible guitar player. Being a frustrated guitarist myself, I really appreciate good guitarists, guys like Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Alex Lifeson, the aforementioned Mr. Reid, et al. There are too many of them to list here, but I think you know what I mean. Jimi Hendrix probably influenced all of them, ya know? So, I'll bring my Limp Bizkit, Stain'd, Living Colour, Pearl Jam, etc. all with me on the road, and I play them usually at the same points in my route every week - I'm a strange cookie. Then I have to have my mellow stuff for the end of the day, when I need to relax (Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Smith, Blue October, etc.) Heck, I'll even listen to my Beatles (still my favorite band of all time) CD's when I'm in the mood. There you have it - a reformed classic rocker!
More soon,
Steve
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