Trip Reports - Tour of Duty (17 Feb to 14 March) Part I

I thought I was going to Baton Rouge to get a truck for Tampa but there was a change in plans and I was told to travel to Concord, CA to get an old concrete pumper truck going to Odessa, FL. It turns out that Odessa, FL is not too far north of Tampa. I was excited about the prospect of doing a run from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Tampa Bay Area 2,902 miles. So, I made a reservation for Jet Blue #244 LGB-OAK.

The next morning the 17th of Feb I got to LGB early and check in was no problem. I got an exit row window seat and proceeded to the observation deck upstairs to look around. I saw two B-737-200s with markings "SIERRA PACIFIC". I did not know such an airline exists could anyone else help me out on that one? The boarding pass did NOT have the dreaded SSSS and I went through security quickly and without hassle.

Jet Blue #244 LGB-OAK A-320 Seat 12A Exit Row Cruise at 26,000' Estimated flying time 0:53, actual 0:58

Pushback was 5 minutes early but taxi and hold time was 23 minutes. Most of that 23 minutes was spent at the end of the runway. Takeoff was NW-SE, opposite of the usual SE-NW pattern and we climbed over Seal Beach before heading out over the Pacific and turning north. We headed due north and there the climb was bumpy as there was a storm moving in. Instead of hugging the coast we essentially followed Interstate 5 once we reached the Central Valley.

Beverage service was express service with a limited choice, no soda available; I chose bottled water. I chose the Terra Blue chips for the snack and ate a sandwich I fixed and chilled earlier. Descent started about 0:30 into the flight and we flew over the Livermore area and I saw downtown Oakland on final approach. Landing was north to south, opposite of the usual south to north pattern. Skies were cloudy but no rain was falling. Arrived at gate in OAK on time. After short wait I claimed my bags, took AirBart to the BART station and took BART to Concord then took a cab to the location of the truck.

Will you be getting to the good stuff soon.

I enjoy reading your road trips.

When I got the the location of the truck in Concord, CA there was another person from the same company who was there to pick up a truck like the one I was picking up to take to the same location in FL that I was to deliver. Both our trucks had over 600,000 miles. This was an overweight concrete pumper truck and I needed overweight permits for each state I operated in.

Trip: Concord, CA to Odessa, FL 2,902 paid miles Routes: CA4 to CA242 to Interstate 680 to Interstate 580 to Interstate 5 to CA58 to US395 to Interstate 15 to Interstate 215 to CA30 to Interstate 10 to Anderson Loop 1604 to Interstate 10 to Interstate 610 to Interstate 10 to Interstate 12 back to Interstate 10 to Interstate 65 to Interstate 165 to Bay Bridge Blvd to US90 to Interstate 10 to US90ALT to US29 to FL4 to FL87 to FL89 to US90 to Interstate 10 to Interstate 75 to FL54

We started out together and promptly got lost as the lady at the shipper gave us bad directions on how to get to the correct highway. We ended up in a "no truck" zone and pulled over and I rang another person at the shipper and got better directions and after going around the block in a residential area we got pointed in the right direction. Rain started to fall and that combined with Bay Area traffic made for a slow ride. I did not get far the first evening.
I experienced off and on rain in California and there was a thunderstorm in Bakersfield. Portions of US395 in the high desert were completely underwater but vehicles were getting through very slowly. I did not see anyone get stuck due to floodwaters.

I had problems finding a room in the Palm Springs area and ended up paying $66 for a room in Indio, CA. The elevation of Indio is 13 feet below sea level. I went to Sunday morning service at Grace Chapel in Indio then headed east. Weather in the low desert was fine though it was raining in Los Angeles.

At a fuel stop in Willcox, AZ I discovered the drivers side steer tyre (very front tyre) picked up a very large screw or bolt. I mentioned that to the company during the check call and was told it needed to be fixed. I asked the shop at the truck stop about getting a tyre patched and was told they would not do it as it was unlawful to patch a steer tyre...the steer tyre had to be replaced. It turned out that truck stop did not have the correct size tyre. The tyre was called a super single and was exceptionally large as it was designed to hold extra weight.
I drove 38 miles to a truck stop that did have the correct size tyre, got a price quote for replacement and rang the company and was told to wait until morning as the company would need customer approval for the amount quoted for the repair. I got a ride back to Willcox, the nearest town with lodging then the next morning got a ride back to the truckstop where I left the truck. The customer would not approve the repair as the shop wanted $1,397.24 to replace the tyre. So I took a risk and drove to El Paso where there was another shop that had the correct size tyre and quoted a lower price. Because of the situation I limited my speed to 45mph. Otherwise the truck would go a maximum of 55-60mph. I got to Deming, NM and had to stop as my NM permit said daylight travel only. The next day I had to hold short in Las Cruces, NM while waiting for the TX permit to come through and while I was waiting a hailstorm hit and blanketed the parking lot with hailstones and it looked like snow. The TX permit finally came through and off to El Paso I went. I arrived in El Paso too late for the customer to give approval so I got a room and the next morning the bad tyre was replaced for $803.20. That money did NOT come out of my pocket.
I suffered my 43rd birthday in Texas and had a rainy day going around San Antonio. I had to hold short in TX over a weekend because my LA permit had expired. I attended Sunday morning church at Columbus Bible Church Columbus, TX and evening church at Victory Bible Baptist Church in Vidor, TX. Monday morning the LA permit came through and I made it most of the way through that state before shutting down. I was to be faxed the MS, AL and FL permits but the company's fax ate one of the permits so more delay. After finally receiving the last of the permits I got rolling and took a detour around a tunnel in Mobile and had problems getting a room in Pensacola as many people were still displaced thanks to Hurricane Ivan. But I finally got a room. The next morning a friend of mine took me to breakfast and took me to the Bible Baptist Bookstore in Pensacola for a quick look then back to the truck. I had to take a detour around Escambia Bay since one of the bridges is still out. I attended Wednesday evening service at Fernwood Baptist Church in Tallahassee, FL and the following day was cool and rainy. I finally made delivery Friday 4th of March in Odessa, FL. This was a long trip made even longer by multiple problems en route.
The receiver was very happy to see me. I asked about the other truck and was told it never arrived due to a major breakdown. The receiver drove me to Tampa International Airport where I rented a car. I took the rest of the day and part of the next off and saw some of the Tampa Bay area. I saw a stupendous sunset over the Gulf of Mexico at Tarpon Springs, FL and the next day I saw a little of St. Petersburg and then it was time to return the rental car and catch a flight for the next part of this tour of duty. To be continued.

Thanks again.

I am looking forward to more.

Happy Easter!

Cobberjoe