First Solo Run!

 After a couple days of waiting, Butch was able to snag a load going northeast!  He texted me yesterday just before five p.m. - he was heading out of Joplin!

Having arrived there with Steve on Tue., then testing out on Wed. in the sleet storm, he was assigned his truck.  Thursday, the roads were a mess & major interstate highways closed.  With no loads coming into Joplin, none were going out.  Butch moved his things into his truck.  Friday, he made two trips in the shuttle to Wal-Mart.  Items purchased included a foam pad for the mattress, microwave & small grill.  He also picked up a few grocery items.  Without a refrigerator, he was limited to soups, peanut butter, oatmeal, fruits etc.  

Roxi's advice was to take any load, as long as it was going out!  After all, he's there to drive, not to sit.  As he returned from his second shopping trip, he stopped by dispatch to ask if there were any loads?  One had just come in, going to Ohio & he got it!  A load of insulation going to Home Depot.

By time to stop, last night, he arrived in Troy, IL, about halfway to his first drop in Monroe, OH.

On the edge!

This morning he called to let me know how things were going.  The traffic on I-44 last night was awful.  Slow, with tow trucks out removing all the cars & semi's that had slid off the road in the storm.  The slowdown was so slow, the truck computer showed "off duty".  3-mph wasn't fast enough to register the truck as moving!  

Getting close to time to stop for the night, Butch checked four different truck stops & had to drive over seven miles to find a place to park.  He stopped just east of St. Louis. As you can see from the photo above, it was tight!  He said he can understand why Steve drove at night & finished the scheduled drive, in time to find a spot to park for the off hours.

In the cab~

The little microwave fit perfectly in its cubby.  The mattress is far from comfortable, so we'll be replacing it, or buying a thicker foam pad!  Once he's home, the upper bunk mattress will go out & that area will hold the refrigerator & act as additional storage.

Closet~

The closet is convenient, but the shelf doesn't give enough room to hang clothes from the rod.  Maybe that's been changed in the newer trucks.  The desktop below swivels out so it can be used while sitting at the foot of the bed.

Workspace behind the passenger seat~

His credit card was declined this morning when he tried to buy water.  A few minutes & email verification later, the transaction was approved.  BOA no longer require being notified when you travel but said they will still randomly check to verify a purchase.  (Some merchants have more fraud reports than others.)

Dispatch is supposed to be working to schedule home time.  But from the direction Butch is driving now, that might be a while.  Parking here at home for the truck has been approved, a Good thing!  He did say it was nice not being watched all the time :-) Also listening to his own taste in music!  

P.S.  For safety reasons I'll only publish information on Butch's whereabouts after he has completed that route & gone on to the next.  The same is true for information on what the load is or where it will be dropped.