I called into morning dispatch at 5:30 AM and talked to Mr. C. He said to call him back in an hour. More rest! At 6:30, he said to come on in as I had a load ready for me to take to 2-stops in Iowa (with all the time I'm spending in Iowa lately, I'm beginning to feel like a "Hawkeye"!)
The freight didn't have to be delivered until next morning so I had plenty of time to travel to Iowa. I debated briefly on whether to go back home for a few hours or start a leisurely pace towards Iowa. I decided on the latter. I've come to realize that I get more sleep when I'm away from home than when I'm at home. So, I'll get another good night's rest this evening so that I can have plenty of energy for Thursday and Friday.
I fueled up in Madison, WI and then picked up a spare low-beam headlamp bulb for the truck at one of the nearby Freightliner dealers (one of the drivers this week told me to get a spare right away as the model of truck I have tends to go through them rather rapidly).
Today was a great, sunny driving day. I traveled at 60 MPH when I was on the Interstate system as I was in no rush to reach my destination. In addition, it was one of those rare days when I started in daylight hours and there was still light when I finished driving at the end of the day. Most days I start in the dark and end close to dark or in darkness.
I'm still debating whether to get XM or Sirius satellite radio. I dislike Howard Stern's show (and character in general) so I'm leaning away from Sirius. However, it does have the NFL games. So for now, I still hunt for clear stations as I travel across the region I'm in. If I stay in the trucking industry long-term, I'll definitely have to get XM or Sirius. All the drivers I talk to who have satellite radio absolutely love it.
Well, it might snow a bit over night. It shouldn't be too much so the roads should be good for traveling tomorrow. If all goes well, I'll be back at home tomorrow evening.
miles driven = 372
PostScript: My first week of driving with the new company yielded 2,142 miles (total miles; not paid miles). Not bad for the first week. The company recruiters told me that I'd be averaging 2,300-2,500 miles-per-week. So, since this isn't the busiest time of the year for freight, if I average 2,000-2,100 miles-per-week, that should be on target for the yearly average of driving miles. (However, this week I'll probably be under 2,000 miles for the week. Stay tuned....)
5:00:09 PM
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