One Trip That Did Not Pan Out As Planned
Jan 17, 2018, 12:21 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Let me check my Logbook
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards; AAdvantage; Alaska Mileage Plan; Wyndham Rewards; Choice Hotels
Posts: 2,350
One Trip That Did Not Pan Out As Planned
Tour of Duty 6th December 2017 to 7th December 2017
I got word about a trip within California and after some negotiation with Dispatch, I accepted the dispatch and made plans. Wednesday the 6th I awoke at a much too early hour and got ready and got transport to LGB. I checked in after a short queue and my bags weighed 44.5 and 44.0lbs. I cleared security and was given TSA Precheck so I did not have to opt out. Notwithstanding the fact that my briefcase was given a brief search it took all of 12 minutes from when I got in queue for check in to when I was clear of security.
Southwest #4712 LGB-SMF B-737-700 Boarding Pass A49
Seat 23A Cruising altitude 40,000 feet Estimated flying time 1:08, actual 0:58
Depart: Gate 1 Scheduled departure 07h00, actual 06h58 Taxi: 8 minutes
Arrive: Gate B18 Scheduled arrival 08h30, actual 08h08 Taxi: 3 minutes
Reclaim checked bags < 18-19 minutes after arrival
We boarded via outside ramp only via the front door. The plane was not very full with a load of 57/143. I had a whole row to myself. Pushback was 2 minutes early and takeoff was to the northwest. I saw Signal Hill and downtown Long Beach followed by San Pedro and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I got a glimpse of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign out of the right side window. I saw Redondo Beach at 0:03 as we went overwater. We made landfall at 0:06 over the Malibu area. We crossed US101 over Thousand Oaks at 0:07 and crossed California 118 over Simi Valley at 0:09. I saw smoke from the Thomas Fire in Ventura County but did not see any flames. I saw Oxnard but the smoke blocked the view of Ventura. We went over the south San Joaquin Valley at 0:15.
We reached cruise at 0:17. I saw Buttonwillow, CA at 0:19 and I saw Wasco, CA at 0:21. Lost Hills was farther to the west. I also got cup of soda at 0:21 and seatbelt sign went off at the same time. I got bag of pretzels at 0:24 and I saw Lemoore, CA at 0:28. I got a glimpse of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains out the right side at 0:29. I felt descent begin at 0:33. Seatbelt sign went on at 0:36 and descent was announced just past Chowchila. It was announced it was 32F at SMF. I saw Merced and California 99 at 0:37 and I saw Turlock and Modesto at 0:41. I saw Stockton and Mt. Diablo at 0:46 and I saw Lodi at 0:48. We crossed Interstate 5 and I saw the Sacramento River at 0:52. We crossed Interstate 80 at 0:55 and I saw Davis, CA and wetlands. I got a glimpse of downtown Sacramento in the haze out the right side. We landed south to north and we arrived at the gate 22 minutes early. We deplaned via jetway. I stopped to use the washroom and my bags beat me to baggage reclaim.
I got transport to the shipper. Upon arrival at the shipper I was told someone would get the truck and a satellite communications system had to be removed first. I waited two hours in a drivers lounge. Finally I was told the truck was ready. I loaded my gear and did the safety inspection and alas, I discovered that the truck did not have any mudflaps. At first the shipper said they would take care of it but then they said they were unable to fix the problem.
Trip: Pickup at Lathrop, CA Intended Destination of Riverside, CA Intended Paid Miles: 384
Truck Broke Down in Merced, CA Actual Paid Miles: 61 Truck Towed to Riverside, CA
Make: 2014 Freightliner Cascadia
Model: Road Tractor
Transmission: Standard Straight 10-speed
Route: Interstate 5 to California 120 to California 99
Maximum elevation: unknown but 171 feet listed at Merced, CA
Diesel price USA: 3.599$ per gallon at Flying J Ripon, CA
I headed to a Freightliner dealership that was located just up the street. To make a long story short a temporary set of mudflaps was found. That spared the customer from ultimately paying big bucks for a new set of mudflaps to be installed at the dealership. I took a compulsory off-duty break and took a nap as I already had a long day. Then I headed to Ripon where I took on fuel. Afterward I stopped for a safety check in Livingston, CA and ended up burning up time trying to find a hotel that had suitable truck parking that I could reach before my 14-hour workday came to an end and I had to shut down. Numerous places in Fresno were full. Had I not had the problem with the mudflaps I originally intended to get to Bakersfield. Finally I settled on a place in Merced and shut down there and ordered pizza to be delivered for late evening rations. I spent the night in Merced, CA.
Thursday I fired up and turned left onto the street heading toward California 99. Within seconds the yellow "check engine" light came on and a couple seconds later the red "stop engine" light came on and I knew I had seconds before the engine would shut down. Fortunately there was safe and legal parking along the side of the street so I pulled over and shut down after I parked safely and legally. I phoned dispatch to notify the company of the problem. Later I got a call from another department within the company informing me a tow truck was on the way to tow the truck all the way to Riverside. I was given the choice of riding with the tow truck driver or leaving once the driver arrived and seeking my own transport home. After about 4 hours 30 minutes from when I first notified the company, the tow truck driver showed up. I opted to ride with the driver. About 30 minutes later we headed south. We stopped in Fresno so the driver could fuel his tow truck then we stopped in Tulare for evening rations. Afterward the driver dropped the truck off in Riverside. I got transport home and ended this short tour of duty.
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Sunrise at LGB during Taxi
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Redondo Beach, California
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Smoke from Thomas Fire Ventura County
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Service
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 On Approach Crossing Interstate 80
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Sacramento River
SMF Sacramento International Airport
Truck that broke down in Merced, California
Merced, California out the window of the tow truck I was riding in
Sunset 7th December 2017 Merced, California out the window of the tow truck I was riding in
I got word about a trip within California and after some negotiation with Dispatch, I accepted the dispatch and made plans. Wednesday the 6th I awoke at a much too early hour and got ready and got transport to LGB. I checked in after a short queue and my bags weighed 44.5 and 44.0lbs. I cleared security and was given TSA Precheck so I did not have to opt out. Notwithstanding the fact that my briefcase was given a brief search it took all of 12 minutes from when I got in queue for check in to when I was clear of security.
Southwest #4712 LGB-SMF B-737-700 Boarding Pass A49
Seat 23A Cruising altitude 40,000 feet Estimated flying time 1:08, actual 0:58
Depart: Gate 1 Scheduled departure 07h00, actual 06h58 Taxi: 8 minutes
Arrive: Gate B18 Scheduled arrival 08h30, actual 08h08 Taxi: 3 minutes
Reclaim checked bags < 18-19 minutes after arrival
We boarded via outside ramp only via the front door. The plane was not very full with a load of 57/143. I had a whole row to myself. Pushback was 2 minutes early and takeoff was to the northwest. I saw Signal Hill and downtown Long Beach followed by San Pedro and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I got a glimpse of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign out of the right side window. I saw Redondo Beach at 0:03 as we went overwater. We made landfall at 0:06 over the Malibu area. We crossed US101 over Thousand Oaks at 0:07 and crossed California 118 over Simi Valley at 0:09. I saw smoke from the Thomas Fire in Ventura County but did not see any flames. I saw Oxnard but the smoke blocked the view of Ventura. We went over the south San Joaquin Valley at 0:15.
We reached cruise at 0:17. I saw Buttonwillow, CA at 0:19 and I saw Wasco, CA at 0:21. Lost Hills was farther to the west. I also got cup of soda at 0:21 and seatbelt sign went off at the same time. I got bag of pretzels at 0:24 and I saw Lemoore, CA at 0:28. I got a glimpse of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains out the right side at 0:29. I felt descent begin at 0:33. Seatbelt sign went on at 0:36 and descent was announced just past Chowchila. It was announced it was 32F at SMF. I saw Merced and California 99 at 0:37 and I saw Turlock and Modesto at 0:41. I saw Stockton and Mt. Diablo at 0:46 and I saw Lodi at 0:48. We crossed Interstate 5 and I saw the Sacramento River at 0:52. We crossed Interstate 80 at 0:55 and I saw Davis, CA and wetlands. I got a glimpse of downtown Sacramento in the haze out the right side. We landed south to north and we arrived at the gate 22 minutes early. We deplaned via jetway. I stopped to use the washroom and my bags beat me to baggage reclaim.
I got transport to the shipper. Upon arrival at the shipper I was told someone would get the truck and a satellite communications system had to be removed first. I waited two hours in a drivers lounge. Finally I was told the truck was ready. I loaded my gear and did the safety inspection and alas, I discovered that the truck did not have any mudflaps. At first the shipper said they would take care of it but then they said they were unable to fix the problem.
Trip: Pickup at Lathrop, CA Intended Destination of Riverside, CA Intended Paid Miles: 384
Truck Broke Down in Merced, CA Actual Paid Miles: 61 Truck Towed to Riverside, CA
Make: 2014 Freightliner Cascadia
Model: Road Tractor
Transmission: Standard Straight 10-speed
Route: Interstate 5 to California 120 to California 99
Maximum elevation: unknown but 171 feet listed at Merced, CA
Diesel price USA: 3.599$ per gallon at Flying J Ripon, CA
I headed to a Freightliner dealership that was located just up the street. To make a long story short a temporary set of mudflaps was found. That spared the customer from ultimately paying big bucks for a new set of mudflaps to be installed at the dealership. I took a compulsory off-duty break and took a nap as I already had a long day. Then I headed to Ripon where I took on fuel. Afterward I stopped for a safety check in Livingston, CA and ended up burning up time trying to find a hotel that had suitable truck parking that I could reach before my 14-hour workday came to an end and I had to shut down. Numerous places in Fresno were full. Had I not had the problem with the mudflaps I originally intended to get to Bakersfield. Finally I settled on a place in Merced and shut down there and ordered pizza to be delivered for late evening rations. I spent the night in Merced, CA.
Thursday I fired up and turned left onto the street heading toward California 99. Within seconds the yellow "check engine" light came on and a couple seconds later the red "stop engine" light came on and I knew I had seconds before the engine would shut down. Fortunately there was safe and legal parking along the side of the street so I pulled over and shut down after I parked safely and legally. I phoned dispatch to notify the company of the problem. Later I got a call from another department within the company informing me a tow truck was on the way to tow the truck all the way to Riverside. I was given the choice of riding with the tow truck driver or leaving once the driver arrived and seeking my own transport home. After about 4 hours 30 minutes from when I first notified the company, the tow truck driver showed up. I opted to ride with the driver. About 30 minutes later we headed south. We stopped in Fresno so the driver could fuel his tow truck then we stopped in Tulare for evening rations. Afterward the driver dropped the truck off in Riverside. I got transport home and ended this short tour of duty.
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Sunrise at LGB during Taxi
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Redondo Beach, California
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Smoke from Thomas Fire Ventura County
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Service
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 On Approach Crossing Interstate 80
WN4712 LGB-SMF 6th December 2017 Sacramento River
SMF Sacramento International Airport
Truck that broke down in Merced, California
Merced, California out the window of the tow truck I was riding in
Sunset 7th December 2017 Merced, California out the window of the tow truck I was riding in
Jan 25, 2018, 11:40 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Let me check my Logbook
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards; AAdvantage; Alaska Mileage Plan; Wyndham Rewards; Choice Hotels
Posts: 2,350
Haven't been on the road since the 19th of December. After the Christmas Holiday I had a bout with the Shingles and some of the medication I was taking caused drowsiness so for a time I did not even drive my personal car let alone a truck. I finally got cleared to go back to work earlier today.
Jan 25, 2018, 11:46 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, Hyatt something
Posts: 33,539
Haven't been on the road since the 19th of December. After the Christmas Holiday I had a bout with the Shingles and some of the medication I was taking caused drowsiness so for a time I did not even drive my personal car let alone a truck. I finally got cleared to go back to work earlier today.
Jan 26, 2018, 1:05 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Let me check my Logbook
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards; AAdvantage; Alaska Mileage Plan; Wyndham Rewards; Choice Hotels
Posts: 2,350