Tour of Duty 13th April 2016 to 28th May 2016
Part IV: 16th May to 24th May

On Monday the 16th of May I had a late checkout in Akron, Ohio. The company rented me a car from Akron, OH to Logansport, IN as the next trip was from Winamac, IN to Albany, NY. I hired a taxi to the car rental place then I took several dozen pictures of downtown Akron before heading west. I headed west on Interstate 76 to Interstate 71 and took some pictures of downtown Ashland, OH before continuing and then heading west on US30. I took pictures of downtown Bucyrus, OH before darkness fell. I continued into Indiana and spent the night in Huntington, IN.

Tuesday I headed into Logansport and the rental car company extended my time without charge as there was another driver coming in who needed to be taken to the same shipper where I was to get the truck so I took some pictures of downtown Logansport and got midday rations. The temperature was in the 50'sF with light sprinkles at times. Finally I turned the car in and the other driver arrived and away we went to the shipper.

Trip: Winamac, IN to Albany, NY 800 miles
Make: 2016 Mack
Model: Roll Off (Garbage Truck without body)
Transmission: Standard 9-speed
Route: US35 to Indiana 10 to Indiana 17 to US30 to Interstate 69 to Interstate 469 to US30 to Interstate 71 to Interstate 271 to Interstate 90 to Interstate 787 to New York 378 to New York 32
Highest Diesel price USA: 2.839$ per gallon at Pilot Erie, PA
Lowest Diesel price USA: 2.19$ per gallon at BP Winamac, IN

This truck was a garbage truck without the body. I took on some fuel in Winamac, IN and it is good that I did as it became apparent that the fuel gauge was inaccurate and showed higher than it should. I took some new roads to get to US30 and thus I avoided the Indiana Toll Road and later the Ohio Turnpike. The rain quit and I spent the night in Warsaw, IN.

Wednesday it was clear and I continued on US30 to Interstate 71 to the 271 to Interstate 90. I spent the night in Erie, PA.

Thursday I took on fuel in Erie and had the highest USA diesel price for the entire tour of duty. I stopped in North East, PA for midday rations then continued into New York and onto the Thruway. I ended up spending the night in Amsterdam, NY.

Friday I finished up the trip and after a wait the rental car company came to get me. I got into the rental car bound for Rockaway, NJ and ate before heading south on the Thruway. I had late evening rations at the Empire Diner in Parsippany, NJ. The food was good but not so much for the service, in my opinion. I spent the night in Parsippany, NJ.

Saturday I swung by the shipper and loaded my gear into the truck and did inspection. Then I went to a filling station to fill the fuel tank of the car and turned in the car and was taken back to the truck.

Trip: Wharton, NJ to Artemas, PA 290 miles
Make: 2014 Western Star
Model: Vacuum Truck
Transmission: Automatic
Route: New Jersey 15 to Interstate 80 to Pennsylvania 33 to Interstate 78 to Interstate 81 to Interstate 70 to Interstate 68 to ALT US40 to Orleans Road to Pennsylvania 26 to Pennsylvania 2003
Maximum elevation: 1,269 feet Sideling Hill Interstate 68 about 8 miles west of Hancock, MD
Highest diesel price USA: 2.459$ per gallon at Pilot Ledgewood, NJ
Lowest diesel price USA: 2.299$ per gallon at Exxon Little Orleans, MD

This truck did not have a radio or tape or CD player. During the safety inspection, I found out the front and rear left flashers were not working so I took on fuel in Ledgewood, NJ then I headed to the TA in Columbia, NJ where there was a shop where repairs could be made. I had a long wait before I was told to pull the truck into the repair bay. During that wait I ate and there was rain off and on. Finally repairs were made and the 95$ or so for the repair would have been cheaper than a traffic citation would have been for failing to use the left blinker had I been intercepted by a police officer. I spent the night in Bartonsville, PA.

Sunday morning a friend picked me up and took me to Sunday School and morning church service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Marshall's Creek, PA (near Stroudsburg) This was the beginning of a Biblical Origins & Design Seminar. Afterward I took some pictures of Stroudsburg and treated my friend and his family to midday rations at Dickey's BBQ (where kids ate free that day) before being taken back to the truck.
I proceeded south on Route 33 then west on the 78 and there were some raindrops starting in Kutztown but the road stayed dry until the rain intensified around Harrisburg. I had evening rations at Sheetz in Greencastle, PA then spent the night in Hagerstown, MD.

Monday I headed west on the 70 before catching the 68 and I stopped at a truckstop in Little Orleans, MD and the receiver came to me and escorted me to a lift station in the middle of nowhere which was considered to be Artemas, PA where I switched my gear into the other truck and completed delivery. There was no cellphone service where I was and I tried to text dispatch but the text failed.

Trip: Artemas, PA to Wharton, NJ 290 miles
Make: 2015 Western Star
Model: Vacuum Truck
Transmission: Automatic
Route: Pennsylvania 2003 to Pennsylvania 26 to Orleans Road to ALT US40 to Interstate 68 to Interstate 70 to Interstate 81 to Interstate 78 to Pennsylvania 33 to Interstate 80 to New Jersey 15
Maximum elevation: 1,269 feet Sideling Hill Interstate 68 8 miles west of Hancock, MD
Diesel price USA: 2.499$ per gallon at Pilot Hagerstown, MD

Unlike the other truck this truck did have a radio and CD player but the air conditioning was not working. I basically did the same route in reverse. The customer escorted me back to the truckstop in Little Orleans, MD and rain started falling before I left Pennsylvania. At the truckstop I bade farewell to the customer and had midday rations before proceeding. There was rain off and on and I took on fuel in Hagerstown, MD before crossing the Mason-Dixon Line back into Pennsylvania for the final time. I saw the sunset in Newville, PA and near the end of the day got caught in a huge traffic jam and lost well over an hour as Interstate 78 was totally closed at the exit I intended to take so everyone had to exit and through traffic was put back on the Interstate. This was due to a bridge being replaced. I exited and turned right and spent the night in Kutztown, PA.

Tuesday I stopped in Columbia, NJ for midday rations then continued and once I exited onto New Jersey 15 another driver from the same company followed me and we dropped off our trucks at the same time in Wharton, NJ. We were picked up and taken to Rockaway, NJ where I got the rental car and I took the other driver to New Brunswick, NJ before I headed toward Connecticut. I was told the next truck would be at a casino where a trade show was going on. I stopped in Newton, CT for evening rations then proceeded to New Haven, CT where I spent the night.