Winter Driving OTR ~

 Butch's last few dispatches kept him out of the snow & most of the bad weather.  He was in OR, UT & ID.  He drove out of OR on Monday & made a delivery in UT that evening.  The snow moving down the face of the mountains, gave a fair warning of the day to come.

2-21 Bear River Valley, Corrine, UT

Tuesday, he was dispatched to pick up two loads of potatoes at two different locations in - you guessed it - Idaho!  From the first pickup in Newdale, he then dropped south again.  His final load was in American Falls.  

2-21 - Walters Produce, Newdale, ID

From the above photo, you can see the snow was piling up in Newdale!  By 7 p.m. last night when he stopped for the night, he'd traveled just over 450-miles.  He said in the last few miles he counted at least 18 cars off the road.

7:00 p.m. - Flying J, Willard, UT

Both of us were more than happy when he was done for the day.  He & Nika had parked here before & she had always enjoyed the walk to see the cattle pastured nearby.  We both still feel her loss every day & will for a very, very, long time to come... 

2-22 7 a.m.  Scary view~ 

This morning, Butch texted me with the photo above & said he wasn't going to be able to leave until the truck in front of him got moved.  He'd been just ready to get out of Traveler & go in for a cup of coffee when he saw the white truck come sliding at Traveler! 

Where Butch was parked~

He took instant evasive action & put Traveler in reverse!  Thankfully, he had room to do that!  You can see from the bare spot in the snow, where he had been parked & the tire marks of where the white truck would have hit him.  The flat bed trailer the white semi was pulling, narrowly clipped the front of the black semi on the far right.  No chains, no load & going too fast to stop...

2-22 I-15 Southbound, near Salt Lake City, UT

I was relieved when he texted he had left the Flying J & was out on the road - until he sent the photo above!  The storm was moving fast & dumping lots of snow all the way down I-15.  He had decided on I-70 rather than I-80, which has been closed for days now.

2-22 Chains required for the pass, nowhere for the drivers to chain-up!

By noon today he'd reached Spanish Fork, UT - south of Provo where a large sign told the truck drivers to chain-up.  That would have been fine, but there was no place to chain up!  Trucks were lined up for miles along the edge of the interstate with nowhere to go.  Eventually there were so many, the interstate was completely blocked.  (Butch had taken a detour through part of town to try to find a safe spot, but nothing large enough had been plowed out.)

The State Patrol appeared & told Butch & the other drivers to go ahead & chain up right where they were.  Far from a safe place, but the pass was ahead of them & another semi was jack-knifed up on top.  Drivers coming from the south said they were able to get around it.  

1:50 p.m. southbound~

Our last conversation, he was moving again, about 15-mph, everyone chained up...  Miles of partly dry road & chains, before the climb up the pass...  

Fifth & Sixth Days~

 Butch returned to Joplin Monday morning!  The tractor & trailer went through inspection.  The next dispatch has been delayed several times.  Originally set for 10 p.m. on Monday, it's supposed to come in late this afternoon. Butch is still waiting. If & when the load does arrive, he will be on his way north. 

In his first week, he's been able to drive 2.5 days.  The other three plus days have been spent waiting, either for a repair, or loads.  All since he left Joplin the evening of Friday the 25th. Once Butch gets on the road again & arrives at the drop, there's still a question as to whether he will get his home time quite yet.

Truck in the bay of a really Big Shop!

The weather has recovered from the snow & ice of Butch's last visit.  Now, CFI is a busy place.  Butch picked up my completed Passenger Pass, a requirement if I'm to ride along.

Flags flying at CFI headquarters~

Monday, the tractor went into the shop, it needed a new (front) steer tire.  Butch said it was the biggest, most organized place of its kind he'd ever seen.  Row upon row of tires, some already on rims & ready to be mounted.

Next stop - the truck wash!

In the truck wash!

The finished product!  Big Red ready to get back on the road!

Big Red is all Clean & Ready to Roll!

Our friend Doris had an unexpected change to her plans this month & is unable to take care of Nika.  Tuesday, after I told Butch, he filled out more paperwork & was charged a very large non-refundable pet fee.  Nika is now officially a CFI traveling Pet :-) How she will take to this, we have no idea, but I'm sure we'll find out!  For the amount we were charged, I think the sticker should be personalized with her name :-)

The little diamond; "Pet on Board"

Butch has seen & spoken with a few of the other guys he was in training with.  The Finisher's training techniques are varied, without a specific format.  It seems no two trainee drivers get the same instruction.  They are all having issues getting squared away with the many intricacies the job entails. Many of the office staff are still working from home, making it difficult to get questions answered.

I was getting excited, thinking Butch would be home soon...  After our phone conversation today, I'll wait until I see Big Red coming down our street!  (He's looking forward to racking up miles, but getting the truck outfitted with a refrigerator etc., would be nice first.)  I'm still not fully on-board with the idea of leaving home.  Butch has said something about it being more like six-weeks than four...  This will involve plenty of discussion - I'm sure. :-)

OTR - Second & Third Day~

Butch left Troy, IL & arrived at Home Depot in Monroe, OH on the 26th.  All the docks were full of trucks.  All around the perimeter, at least a couple hundred more, were waiting.  After making a third circuit - Butch notified personnel inside - the trailer was getting dropped.  Next, a short drive to another yard, to pick up an empty trailer.  By now, it was dark & the lights weren't working on the trailer.  No turn signals etc.  A call to Dispatch & Butch was routed to the nearest Love's in Dayton for repairs.  He spent the night there.  Route on the second day's drive~

Truck in the repair bay

First in line Sunday morning the 27th.  Once the mechanic arrived, they found problem wasn't with the trailer, but the pig tail on the tractor.  A stress crack had appeared & separated.  After several calls, the part needed was found half an hour away.  By 10 a.m. the repair was made & Butch was back on the board, waiting...  

Cracked & separated~

Just to come up against another issue.  The computer system in Joplin didn't recognize the trailer was in Dayton, rather than Monroe.  Butch had to send in the license plate number on the trailer.  He spent the wait cleaning the mud from the previous night - off the inside & outside of the truck.  

Love's, Dayton

By 6 p.m. Sunday, the issue was resolved & the day was gone.   He received a dispatch directing him where to pick up a load this morning.  A second night was spent at Love's~

A Beautiful Sunset & Butch's truck~

Soon we hope, things will smooth out. In our years of riding Endurance (with horses) we learned a consistent pace was key to finishing &/or winning a race.  I think this has to be true in the trucking industry too!  

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.