Thursday, March 5, 2020

Another worthless Oklahoma run over.
Attempting to get it set up to go to Austin next week.  They just think I can run over there on a day off, lmao.  4 hours away, the test is only given between 8 am and noon.  So, it's either get up really early to get over there in the morning or go the night before, stay at a hotel and not have to get up at - 3 am.  That's my likely course of action with this - whether they pay for the hotel or not is not going to stop me from doing it that way.

Meanwhile, I learned that all of those properties that were not sold will, later on this year, be put back up at drastically reduced prices.  Last year they did in October.  Some properties go as low as $30.  My focus on this has changed from finding land with a home to live on - tho that's still in the works hopefully, eventually - to buying small lots in town and putting mobile homes on them and either renting them out or selling the property at a profit.  There were mobile homes put up at that auction - with the definer that it was the home only.

Well I'll be.  I just got back from OK, now they just called me and asked if I would haul a trailer to Memphis, fill it up with LNG and haul it back.  Like, tonight lol.  Hmm,well I agreed to it tho I dunno about driving all night long stuff.  It's 192 miles south just to get the trailer and then clear over to Memphis.  But, I was complaining how slow work is, so here it is.  1,266 miles of driving. And then "work on Sunday" I was informed.

Welp, I guess I"ll take a long nap this afternoon and try to get a bit rested.  It's money badly needed and if I get sent out the next day after getting back from this, even all the better.  This is hauling LNG - but I was informed since I'm only hauling it and not actually delivering it, I don't need a railroad card for it.

Yikes, except they are telling me I have to load the liquid gas into the trailer myself. Flat out told the lady: I've never loaded any trailer. It doesn't look that hard, really, but one should have some idea of how the process goes with opening which valves - first.  So, the lady - it's yet another terminal manager out of Amarillo - called one of her local drivers in Memphis who told her that they require you to load your own trailer - but if you're up front with them when you get there and tell them you don't know how to do it and just a fill in driver to do any emergency load, they "should" help you.  Lmao, this reminds me of when I was hauling LNG from PA to Amhurst college 3 winters ago and was required to offload the product myself - something at the time I had never done.

Well, you'll figure it out!  I'm assuming hook up the vapor and fill lines, then open my valves, then open the plant valves and let-er rip. You load on a scale so you know exactly how much weight you have on it.  I've watched them loading at the plant I go to.  It's the plant side valves I have no idea which ones to open and close? There are usually lots of them and a bit of instruction is definitely necessary.  I'm not too proud to tell them I have no clue how to do it, please show me, I'm a fast learner.  But, apparently they are sending another driver up as well who has loaded LNG trailers before.  I should have known, he's been doing it for almost 30 years.  It helps if you cross learn other divisions, then you get to do more work.

The only thing I'm not really interested in is driving all night long. Yuck.  Last time I did that, I was in driving hell trying to stay awake.  It gets around 3 am and you are fighting sleep. Smack your face, pour water over your head, open the windows, turn the AC on full blast, all kinds of things you can do to make yourself uncomfortable. 

_______________

Many hours later and sitting in a plant for the night in Willis, Texas.  Another driver followed me down here, we are going together to Memphis.  He was almost out of hours when he got here, I had 2 hours left but what the heck, I didn't want to run ahead of him - he has loaded these trailers before, I have not.  We're going to run together tomorrow to the plant in Memphis.  Like, get up at 5 am and take off out of here, get there, get the trucks loaded, get to a truckstop, another 10 hour break and get these trailers back to this yard no later than Saturday evening.  They want them here to deliver to a local customer - we don't have to deliver the product. 

This plant - is shut down, that's what's making this an emergency.  Customers want/need their product.  We aren't even hauling for our own division, it's actually this company I"m at the requested our company to send some drivers to go get this stuff and get it back ASAP.  I was wondering what the big emergency was about.  I dunno what happened at this plant, but it gave us an opportunity to make some money.  I'm hoping we do, indeed making it back Saturday, for there are loads going out on Sunday she wants us to cover and if we get back late enough, she will be forced to give us the Brownsville loads that are loading in the afternoon.  Otherwise, it will be another useless Oklahoma trip. 

I spend a couple of hours on the phone with this other driver.  He's - not really technically savvy - he was relying on me to find our way over here lol. I just rely on GPS. 

Whatever the case, I had started this post earlier today, just wanted to finish it up .... and pay bills that were due today. Late fees are no fun and I strive to make sure all of my bills are paid on time.  We are getting up early, 4:45 am. We are both already hooked to these rather odd looking trailers, lol. Cryogenics trailers are sometimes some pretty crazy looking things. 

Dunno when I'll be back on here, but g'nite. 












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