Trip Reports - Tour of Duty 24th June to 19th July

Part I

Got word from the company that some trucks needed to be moved from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The company booked me on a Southwest nonstop from Los Angeles to Nashville.

I got to LAX on a Friday morning and the check in line was very long and I spent 25 min in line. Finally checked in and got an "A" boarding pass and was a bit surprised to see SSSS as this has never happened to me before at LAX.
Instead of being wanded as is standard at other locations I got to experience the Puffer Machine which is supposed to detect explosives. I would go for the Puffer Machine over a wanding any day.

Southwest #110 LAX-BNA B-737-700 Seat 21A Cruising altitude 39,000' Estimated flying time 3:29, actual 3:34

The plane arrived late from its previous city and the flight was full or nearly full with maybe one seat empty. Pushback was 42 minutes late. Taxi was 11 minutes followed by takeoff to the west then a turn south around the Palos Verdes Peninsula then a turn east. I saw Long Beach, Disneyland, Anaheim Stadium, Irvine Lake, Lake Mathews, Hemet, 29 Palms and Parker Dam while crossing the Colorado River. Later in the flight I saw Albuquerque, Tucumcari, NM, Adrian, Vega and Amarillo, TX and Oklahoma City. Seat belt sign went off 0:49 into the flight and went on again 1:17 into the flight and stayed on for just over an hour. FA's came by with a snack pack consisting of Oreo cookies, Honey Graham Crackers and Cheese Nips and later a drink run and before landing water or coffee was offered. Descent started at 3:06 into the flight. After landing, taxi took maybe 2 minutes and we arrived 40 minutes late. Wait for bags was a bit longer than usual.

I took the shuttle to Chattanooga, TN and picked up the truck.

Trip: Chattanooga, TN to Irving, TX 797 miles Routes: Interstate 75 to Interstate 24 to Interstate 59 to Interstate 20 to Loop 408 to Loop 12

Had a few raindrops in Alabama and the weather in the Southeast was warm but not hot. I attended Sunday morning service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Jackson, MS then Sunday evening service at Longview Baptist Temple in Longview, TX. It was hot in Texas and the temperature reached 100 degrees Farenheit in parts of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I delivered the truck and ended up spending the night in Irving. The company wanted to fly me out of DAL on Southwest back to BNA but because of the Wright Amendment schedules and fares were unfavourable so I ended up on another major carrier that operates in the Metroplex.

I made reservation and the next day took a cab to DFW. On the flight I was taking First Class was only $35 more than Coach so I paid the difference (the company reimbursed me for the rest) as deals like that are quite uncommon. Usually First Class is a whole lot more than Coach.

Upon arrival at DFW the skycap took my bags but was unable to check them in outside. I waited in line briefly then checked in and took the checked bags to the TSA and had to be present until the bags were cleared. Then I experienced the standard secondary screening.

American #1868 DFW-ATL MD-80 Seat 6A Cruising altitude 33,000' Estimated flying time 1:39, actual 1:46

Pushback was on time. A pre-takeoff beverage was served. Taxi/hold was 35 minutes due to traffic flow into ATL. Another pre-takeoff beverage was served during the hold then takeoff was to the south. Seat belt sign stayed on almost all of the flight. Warm mixed nuts were served with drink. There was a choice between two meals: Oriental Salmon or Mushroom Pizza. I chose the salmon as I don't like mushrooms. With the salmon came green beans, a small salad, something else that looked very unappetising and a small bag of lemon cookies. This meal is not much better than what used to be served in coach! There was the threat of bumpy weather (but few actual bumps) so the service ended and the cabin was prepared early for landing. Descent started 1:24 into the flight and there were some bumps during descent. Landing was west to east and taxi was 8 miutes. We arrived at gate T12 23 minutes late. American has a separate baggage claim at ATL and the wait for bags was maybe 20 minutes not great but maybe half as long as my experiences with other airlines when arriving at ATL.

I took the Express Shuttle to Chattanooga and got a truck going to Clinton, MD a suburb of Washington, DC.

Trip: Chattanooga, TN to Clinton, MD 612 miles Routes: Interstate 75 to Interstate 40 to Interstate 81 to Interstate 66 to Interstate 495 to MD5

This truck did not have air conditioning so the trip was unpleasant. There was some rain around Athens, TN. I saw lightning but did not get much rain in Front Royal, VA. Traffic was jammed coming up to the Beltway around Washington DC and there was more delay due to construction on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The pavement condition on Interstate 495 (the Beltway) in Maryland was awful. I made delivery in Clinton, MD. The company was going to fly me to Toronto but nixed that idea after finding out what the air ticket would have costed. As a result I was told to take a room in the area and the company would fly me out the next day from BWI to BNA on Southwest. I had major difficulty getting a room as it was Friday afternoon on the beginning of the Fourth of July holiday weekend but finally got a room near BWI for a total of $144.48. I took a cab to the nearest Metro station and for $3.90 took the Metro to the Greenbelt station and then took a bus for $3.00 where I got a free shuttle to the hotel where I spent the night.

To be continued.

Traffic was jammed coming up to the Beltway around Washington DC and there was more delay due to construction on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
You are lucky it was not this last weekend.A lot of closed HWAYand driving was a nightmare :td:

Next morning I took the shuttle back to BWI. There were long lines for check in and security but those lines moved fairly quickly. I checked in and checked bags and underwent secondary screening. The Southwest flight to Nashville was scheduled to depart at 10h00 and I presented myself at the gate area 12-15 minutes before that time. According to policy you need to be present at least 10 minutes prior or your seat is subject to being released. However the flight was overbooked so I was IDB'd and told that the earliest flight they could confirm me on was scheduled to leave at 18h45. I asked about being routed thru another city such as Chicago but was told all other options were sold out but I was welcome to standby on an earlier flight. I noticed that the earlier flights were oversold so I accepted a boarding pass on the flight leaving at 18h45 and a $200 voucher good for one year.

Rather than wait eight hours at the airport I elected to exit the secure area and took the bus to the Greenbelt Metro Station and from there I took the Metro into Washington DC and walked around some and took some photographs of various parts of the city. Then I returned to BWI and underwent secondary security again and had some dinner at Phillips Seafood. The crabcake was good but the service was poor. Then I got in line for the flight. This flight was oversold by two but I got on.

Southwest #2651 BWI-BNA B-737-700 Seat 20F Cruising altitude 36,000' Estimated flying time 1:22, actual 1:26

Plane was completely full. Pushback was about 6 minutes late. Taxi was 12 minutes followed by takeoff and there were a few bumps during climb and early in the cruise. Ritz sticks and peanuts were offered followed by a drink run. Descent started 0:47 into flight and seat belt sign came on later. Landed south to north and taxi took 5 minutes and arrival was basically on time. I retrieved my luggage from Southwest's baggage service and rented a car for a low price to get around. After considerable difficulty I got a room for the night. This was the Fourth of July weekend.

Next day I attended morning service at Franklin Road Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, TN then returned the car to the airport and took the Express Shuttle to Chattanooga. Then I picked up the truck, fueled it and got a place for the night.

Trip: Chattanooga, TN to Romulus, MI 661 miles Routes: Interstate 75 to Interstate 275 to Interstate 94

Weather was warm and humid in Tennessee and also to some degree in Kentucky. Had a little rain north side of Cincinnati and a brief heavy shower in Lebanon, OH then no more rain and the weather was much more pleasant. Along Interstate 75 in Perrysburg, OH just south of Toledo I noticed a large brand new mosque. I made delivery in Romulus and was taken to Detroit Metro Airport where the company rented me a car to Bradford, PA

I drove from DTW to Bradford, PA and saw Cleveland along the way and then saw the sunset and spent a night in Erie, PA before proceeding the next day. I dropped off the car at the Bradford Regional Airport a small airport serviced only by US Airways prop jobs going to and coming from PIT. Then I took a cab to Lewis Run where I picked up a truck from a garage.

Trip: Lewis Run, PA to Watertown, MA 484 miles. Routes: US219 to Interstate 86 to New York 17 to Interstate 81 to Interstate 88 to Interstate 90

The first day of this run was dry but I had a date with the remains of Tropical Storm Cindy the following day and it rained all day and the rain got worse as I approached the Boston area. Following day (Saturday) when I delivered the truck it was not raining.

After a wait another driver driving another truck picked me up and drove me to the Pocono Maintenance Yard in White Haven, PA where I picked up a truck going to Paterson, NJ.

Trip: White Haven, PA to Paterson, NJ 98 miles Direct Route: Interstate 80

I attended Sunday morning service at Calvary Baptist in Stroudsburg, PA and then met with the other driver and he followed me to Paterson where I dropped off the truck and then he drove me back to Lewis Run where I got a second truck going to the same location in Paterson.

Trip: White Haven, PA to Paterson, NJ 98 miles Route: Interstate 80

I got a room for the night while the other driver proceeded to Paterson then I made delivery in Paterson the following day. That was a very warm day with temperatures hitting 95 degrees F (35 degrees C) some places in the NYC area. After a considerable wait the company told me to proceed to Newark Airport where they were going to rent me a car to drive to Hamilton, Ontario in order to get a truck in that area.

I took a $40 cab ride to EWR and when I got to the counter at Hertz I was shocked to find the car was going to Pittsfield, MA. I rang the company and found out plans were changed and I was to take a truck from Pittsfield, MA to Repentigny, QC (near Montreal).

I got stuck in traffic on the Garden State Pkwy in NJ and after the toll booth on the NY Thruway it was off to the races as the flow of traffic was considerably higher than the 65mph posted speed limit. I spent a night in Kingston, NY and proceeded to Pittsfield the next day and turned the car in after difficulty finding the place to do so. Then I was taken to where I picked the truck up.

Trip: Pittsfield, MA to Repentigny, QC 274 miles Later diverted to Dorval, QC Got truck as far as St. Catherines, QC Routes: US7 to US20 to Interstate 90 to Interstate 787 to New York 7 to Interstate 87 to Quebec 15 to Quebec 132

I picked up the truck and this one ran on unleaded instead of diesel so I got to the nearest filling station and fueled up. I noticed the volt meter read very low but thought it would charge up as I drove, but it didn't so I parked in downtown Pittsfield where street parking was allowed to call the company and the truck wouldn't restart when I was going to pull forward a little as the battery was dead.

I rang the company was told to get a service truck so after trouble finding a phone book a service truck came out and a few minutes and $45 later the truck was running again. But the voltage still showed low and I asked the service truck driver where lodging was located where I could spend the night as it was getting late. The service truck driver told me to follow him so I did and just shy of the lodging the truck conked out. After a second jump start at no additional charge I got the truck into the parking lot and it died again as I was parking.

Next day I rang the company and the customer and after a long wait the customer came out with his mechanic and replaced the alternator and the truck ran. I went thru the Adirondack region and the day was warm and hazy but there was still some scenery and got as far as Plattsburgh where I saw Lake Champlain and after attending Wednesday evening service at Bible Baptist I spent the night.

Following day I proceeded to the border and it took three hours to clear customs as someone faxed the paperwork to the wrong place. The truck was inspected then I was free to go. This was my first time driving in Quebec and my first time on an Autoroute. It was different seeing the signs in French. I spent the night in Naperville, QC. Company told me to take truck to their yard in Dorval so I headed that way and on Route 132 I noticed the voltage meter was low again and the truck started to lose power so I pulled into a restaraunt where truck parking was available and as I was parking the truck died again. I rang the company and a couple of people came in a pickup truck and gave me a jump start and told me to follow them but that did not last long as the voltage went into the red zone again so I rang them on my cell phone and we pulled off and the truck died for the last time. I was told to get my stuff and they would take me to Dorval and would have a tow truck get the truck later.

Plans were changed and instead of going to the Toronto area I was assigned a truck to Newark, NJ. After a long wait for paperwork I got started.

Trip: Dorval, QC to Newark, NJ 371 miles Routes: Quebec 20 to Quebec 138 to Quebec 132 to Quebec 15 to Interstate 87 to Interstate 287 to Interstate 80 to Interstate 280 to Interstate 95

This was an uncomfortable ride as the air conditioning was not working. I had to get some fuel in Montreal in order to make it to the first fuel stop in the States and fuel was 0.989 per liter which figured to US$3.06 or so per gallon after conversion to gallons and factoring in the exchange rate. When I pulled up at the booth at US Customs I handed the agent the four copies of the paperwork and paid the $5 border crossing fee. I was asked where I live and was I a US Citizen. The agent stamped each copy of the paperwork, scanned the bar codes, handed me back three copies and said "You're all set." That took all of maybe three minutes.

I attended Sunday morning service at Calvary Baptist in Albany, NY. and experienced a brief heavy downpour south of Kingston, NY and the next day delivered the truck at the Port of Newark. Most all of Monday was wasted as a dock receipt needed to be faxed then was rejected as some information was incorrect so I had to wait while the paperwork was redone then I dropped off the truck at Berth 9 then took paperwork to Customs then took a cab to Newark Airport.

Upon arrival at EWR I rang the company and was told to get a room and they would fly me home the next day. The weather was extremely humid and I experienced a high level of discomfort just being outside. I got a room and the next day the ATA/Southwest codeshare was sold out so I flew America West.

I got to the ticket counter and purchased a ticket for $332.90 including a $10 fee for purchasing the ticket at the airport. I was selected for and experienced secondary screening. Then I purchased a sandwich to eat on board the plane. Boarding started and I was in Group 3.

America West #73 EWR-PHX A-320 Seat 16F Cruising altitude 34,000' Estimated flying time 4:38, actual 4:34

Plane was packed with at most a couple of seats empty. Due to a problem with an indicator on the air conditioning system pushback was 16 minutes late. Taxi/hold was 15 minutes followed by takeoff to the south. The weather was so hazy visibility was poor. There were storms building in the vicinity on climb. There was a drink run where I got the whole can of soda and then In Flight Cafe where a choice of hot or cold sandwich was offered for $5. A couple of other items were also offered for sale. I saw Cleveland, Toledo, the Indiana Toll Road and the Chicago area. There was a movie entitled "Sahara". Later I saw the Quad Cities, Mississippi River, Missouri River and Omaha area and later the Alamosa area in Colorado and the Sangre de Christo mountains. There was another drink run and we dodged some thunderstorms so the seat belt sign went on then off again. Descent started at 4:08 into the flight and ther were a few bumps early in the descent and more bumps later as we dodged more storms. We went thru smoke from fires in the area and smelled smoke in the cabin. We landed east to west and taxi/hold was 13 minutes. There was a short hold as our gate was occupied and we arrived 11 minutes late.

The flight to LAX was delayed and I found that flight originated at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. That flight arrived about the time of scheduled departure. Boarding finally started and I boarded.

America West #32 PHX-LAX B-737-300 Seat 11A Exit Row Cruising altitude not announced. Estimated flying time 1:00, actual 0:52

This flight was mostly but not completely full. Through passengers from Mexico had to clear customs then reclear security so that added to the delay and pushback was exactly one hour late. Taxi was 10 minutes followed by takeoff to the west. There was one drink run and the seat belt sign was on the entire flight. Descent started at 0:33 into the flight. Weather was very hazy in the LA Basin and there was one big bump on descent. We landed east to west and taxi was 7 minutes and we arrived 49 minutes late. There was a short wait for bags and I took a shuttle and arrived home one hour after the flight pulled into the gate.

LC,

As always, good report. ^ Nice to see that you finally made it to my neck of the woods (junction of 87/287 in White Plains). I think the Community forum has a thread called where we all live . It's organized by airport location. Check to see who lives where

Ever since NY raised the speed limit to 65 from 55, things move pretty fast on the
Thruway (87). Sometimes, the New York State Police has multiple radar out over a multiple miles of the road. Just after everyone thinks it's safe... they get you. :D I do 72 and call it a day.

Give a shout next time you're up this way. We'll grab a bite.

Dan