March 6 – 10, 2021

Friday afternoon, March 5, 2021

The 150 mile drive was actually refreshing and relaxing! No load to protect, no traffic to block, no responsibilities! Just keep it between the lines! So I made some phone calls, listened to some worship and praise music turned up loud while singing along, tears running down my face! (But eyes wide open!) I was there in the blink of an eye!

I drove directly to the crane yard, because I knew they were loading today.

There is quite a back story on this one!

There are 4 generators sitting back there. You can’t see the last one on the right in the picture. But they were loaded about a month ago in Wisconsin. The first two were on two trucks that were just a few days behind the very first generator being sent to that location. The receiving contractor called two days after they had left WI saying a flaw had been discovered on the lifting lugs on that first generator, and they wanted that corrected before receiving another. So these two trucks had to stop and allow that change to be made to the generators.

They found this crane yard that would unload them with their cranes and allow them to be stored until they were ready. So they did that. Meamwhile, the manufacturing plant needed the next set of generators to be shipped out so they’d have room to keep working. So those two drivers went back to WI to get the next two.

Once again, they brought them to this same yard so they could have the upgraded lifting lugs installed. Then the site notified dispatch that someone got the covid virus, so now the site would be closed for 14 days. So all 4 generators have been sitting there for 2 more weeks.

Today the upgraded lugs were painted on that first set, and we are supposed to load both trucks and take them to Cheyenne to be unloaded Tuesday. Then drive back here and get the other two. Meanwhile, another 2 generators must be loaded in WI tomorrow,  but can’t deliver until all 4 sitting here are installed. LOL What a complicated logistics problem!

So our steerman backed us up under the crane,

but they had a mechanical problem with the crane, and it wouldn’t go onto lift mode. It is a brand new 1.6M dollar crane. . . . Yes, this one. . .

and it took them several hours to get it working. I arrived just before 2 PM and we loaded our first truck just after 5. Once we did, there was not enough daylight left to load the other.  So. . . we will load that one tomorrow, and both leave together Sunday. I stayed at the hotel where both crews were booked, and had supper in my room.

Saturday, March 6, 2021

The crane crew wanted to load early because they wanted the rest of their Saturday off, so we were all going to meet them at 6 AM.

I was there on time, along with the other driver and his steerman. But my driver, steerman, and their HP were nowhere to be found. I watched the front and guided the driver back, as the steerman drove the back end. We were loaded by 6:45 when their HP guy showed up. He had overslept. He helped us chain it down, and the driver bought us all breakfast at a local restaurant.

When we came back, my driver and steerman were there working on their trucks. I was no longer needed, so took a few shots

I left, found a truck wash, and got my van washed. Then I went out for a late lunch with the other driver, and we talked politics for several hours.

I made supper in my room again, and went to bed early, because I s,et the alarm for 4 AM.

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Today’s goal was to meet at 6, leave by about 6:30, drive the 560 miles, and park on site, with hopes of being unloaded Monday instead of Tuesday. Well, I was there at 5:55, and the other driver and his HP were there by 6:00. Everyone else overslept!

So we were not ready to pull out until about 7:30 when the other steerman came rolling in! Finally, we pulled out at close to 8:00 with me leading the parade.

Through the city, until we reached the interstate, I worked with the other HP to capture intersections so the trucks would not have to stop for red lights. It’s really fun to do, but I only get 4.3 mpg when I do that in my van. LOL I consider it like paying to go go-kart racing! You fly up to the intersection while it’s green or empty, sit in it to prevent side traffic from moving if the light changes, and then when the first truck reaches me, I hammer to the floor so he doesn’t have to slow down, and go do it again. And again. And again. . . .

Once we got on I-80 West, it was pretty low key. A head wind and constant uphill kept us just below 50 at top speed because my driver’s truck was on the verge of overheating. It will need service, but he hoped it would finish this trip first. Once we deliver, it is headed right to MN to go in the shop for service anyway. But just about 100 miles into our trip, the truck behind saw smoke pouring out. It appears he blew the rear end out. Brand new truck with just over 100,000 miles on it! So we had to stop at a truck stop, and unhook our truck.

My driver then drove back to pull the other trailer to that same truck stop, while the steerman and I sat at the longest parking space in the truck stop so no one else would snag it.

My driver arrived less than 3 hours later, and parked trailer #2 in the space we had saved.

Much to my surprise, driver #2 drove in behind him! Without pulling a load, the rear end didn’t get hot enough to ring the bells and whistles. BUT as he was pulling through an open parking space, it siesed up, and froze! So there it sits until it gets towed to the local Mack dealership!

Everyone went to the hotel, but it was a perfect temp for camping, (sunny, windy, 64°) so I found a nice parking spot in the shade, and relaxed on my couch! I had supper in the restaurant, and went to bed early. Not sure if we are leaving at all tomorrow, so I went to bed early at 8, and planned to sleep in!

Monday, March 8, 2021

I slept in until 7, and checked my phone for messages or voicemail. Seeing none, I went inside the truck top for some breakfast. Within a few minutes, the rest of the crew arrived from the hotel, and we all ate together. Truck #1 went into the truck stop shop this morning, and truck #2 was towed to the Mack dealer yesterday, and will be looked at today. I knew that it would be amazing if either truck rolled out today, so worked on a few maintenance projects in my van, made some calls, and caught up on finances. I had the only shady parking spot in the lot, so my plan was to use the shade all day, and once the sun was a bout to go down, I’d go shopping, because when I got back, and my spot was taken, I wouldn’t need the shade any more anyway.

Meanwhile both trailers sat in heir spots.

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At 4:30 I went shopping, and my spot was still empty when I got back!

I made up some tuna salad for lunches for the rest of the week, and made supper. I called my driver and found that two replacement trucks left the shop today, and will arrive by morning, so we plan to leave at sunrise. I looked forward to another quiet night I my van!

Tuesday, March 9, 2921

We got the replacement trucks hooked up, and were out of the truck stop as the sun came up. What a difference today! Vey little wind, and two strong trucks! The other truck ran in front today, so I was in the middle of the parade. We had mostly highway, but when we got off onto the small roads, I’d pass the front truck so both of us HPs would be up front together to deal with traffic. This HP and I have worked together many times (with Annalou as well) and we enjoy working together. On one of our detours, when we were back in our original order on a back road, we came to a RR crossing with gates. The front HP announced that the tracks were clear as he crossed, and the front truck started across the tracks. Just as he realized that the small hump was making him drag on the track, and stopped to back up slightly so his steerman could raise the towers – he saw a train coming from the right side. FAST! He said over the radio “A train is coming, so I’m going!” and he just dragged the trailer across the tracks! The gates came down as he pulled across, and his steerman had to wait as the train came roaring past at 50-60 mph. As I said before, the greatest fear is to get high centered on the tracks. He just dragged, which isn’t good for the trailer or the tracks, but he had no choice! That was a very close call!

We gained an hour, and pulled up to the site by 4:30 after a 411 mile day. We parked them both out on the street, and will unload in the morning. We all checked into a hotel because though it got up to 70*today, the forecast is rain by 10 PM turning to snow until 8 AM. We all went out for supper at a really good restaurant, and that driver told me several times how much that train scared him today!

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

When my alarm went off, I jumped to look out and see how much snow we got!

Just a dusting! I was the first to arrive at the trucks parked outside the site, but the others followed shortly after me.

It was an hour later that they told us they were ready for the first truck. They needed the generator on the other truck first, so he pulled up, backed in, and under the crane. We all helped get the chains off, and the crane unloaded him. He then pulled back out on the road, and we all helped him shrink up the trailer to just 12′ wide. That crew decided to wait and help us unload.

But we waited, and waited, and waited. And waited.

Finally, after several hours, that driver was called by the office with a new assignment, which meant he had to be back up in Wisconsin to load by Friday, so he better get rolling! So they left just before lunch, and we sat there waiting.

Another truck pulled up behind us,

. . . an after about 90 minutes, they called him in to unload while we continued to wait. Our hearts sank as we watched him drive off to get unloaded. . .

Finally, at 5 PM they called us, and we drove up under the crane. But where was the second crane? They still had to move it. That took them 90 minutes, so under the lights, we finally got our load lifted off!

They lifted it in the air, then backed another truck beside us, and set it on that trailer.

By the time we were free to back out, it was totally dark out from under the lights.  So the steerman was on his own in back, and the driver, who could see nothing followed my direction as I told him when to steer, which way, and how much. We backed it down the curved driveway, through the gate with 20″ on each side, and down the steep drive with a steep drop-off on either side. We only had to pull forward once on the sharp corner before the gate to adjust the front dolly. That was quite the challenge, and was fun for me!

We parked on the street, and I got my next assignment, which is to lead this truck back to MN by Friday, and then leave Sunday for Wisconsin with another driver.