Palestine, TX

Go Cubs! They almost blew it, but they're in the playoffs, thanks to the Padres. (Thanks Pat!) Now I have a breather before I get anxious again. What would I do without anxiety.

I'm currently in LaGrange, GA. I'll taking a load of store merchandise to a WalMart Dist Ctr in Palestine, TX (700 miles). I'll get there tomorrow morning and then hopefully, they'll send me north. I'll be driving most of the time on I-20, and I'll be listening to ESPN on the radio. Not a bad way to spend a day.

Kathy and Jim are on their way to Cincy to watch the Cubs play this afternoon. Jim got some tickets on the internet. I'll be emailing them throughout the day. It's my way of keeping them awake while driving.

I hope your weekend will be a good one. I'll let you know tomorrow where I'll be headed next. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Dublin, GA

Currently I'm in Georgetown, KY. I slept in this morning because I can only drive 6 hours today. I'm heading down to Dublin, GA with a load of electronics for a Best Buy Dist Ctr. (666 miles). I need to be there by 7:00 am tomorrow morning. This load is light, only 9,000 lbs. So, I can fly like the wind. I'm heading straight south on I-75 through Lexington, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Atlanta.

Being a Cubs fan sure isn't the most pleasant experience in the world. I found myself with a sympathetic response to them yesterday. I was choking throughout the day. But as Kara said, the Brewers only need to lose 3 more games. You have to be masochistic to like the Cubs.

Grandma and Grandpa's Wedding Anniversary is tomorrow (9/28). They'll have been married 67 years.

Well, I'm going to drive my 6 hours and then listen to the Cubs lose. Hope your day goes well. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Reynoldsburg, OH

I'm waiting to pick up a load in Hodgkin, IL, a south suburb of Chicago. I'll be taking it to Reynoldsburg, OH which is just east of Columbus, OH. If I get the load soon I should be able to make it there tonight.

I spent the night at the Gary Operating Center. It is probably the busiest OC Schneider has. Lots of trucks come and go during a day.

I'm getting close to my 70 hours in 7 days. I'll probably need to take a 34 hour break soon. I'll have driven 3,000 miles this first week which is my goal.

I hope your week is going well. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Sturgis, MI

I'm at a dock in Sturgis, MI just north of the border between IN and MI. I'm waiting to be partially unloaded. I'll take the remainder of the load to Alsip, IL tomorrow morning.

It's already been a long day for me. 7 1/2 hours of driving. I started out from Nitro, WV (nice name) this morning at 4:00 am.

Yesterday I arrived at Buena Vista at 12:00, but my load wasn't ready until 1:30 pm. I then had to drive thru the mountains of WV hauling 43,000 lbs of Paper rolls. Three were inclines where I was only going 25 mph. As I mentioned to Tristan however, I drove right by Marshall U in Charleston, WV. I had watched the DVD 'We Are Marshall' with him last week. It is about Marshall's football team back in the early '70's.

I'm tired. Getting up at 3:30 am is getting harder each day. I went to sleep at 8:00 pm last night and missed most of the Bear's game, which turned out to be a good thing. They got killed by the Cowboys.

I'm not going to mention anything about the Cubs being in first by 3 1/2 games with 6 games remaining.

I hope you all had a good weekend! I'll let you know tomorrow where I'm headed. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

South Boston, VA

Short Note - I've been having strange hours lately. Getting up at 3:30 am. Driving until 6:00 pm and asleep by 8:00 am. I'm on my way to South Boston, VA which is close to the border between NC and VA. After unloading there I'll head to Buena Vista, VA and pick up a load and take part of it to Sturgis, MI and the other part to Alsip, IL.

I've had more runs this time and shorter ones. It's different, but ok.

I've been following the Cubs. My hopes are starting to rise, but I imagine the baseball gods are just toying with me.

I'll let you know how the day goes. I hope your weekend is going well. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Knoxville, TN

I just finished for the night. I'm just outside of Knoxville. This morning I delivered my load to the post office in downtown Indianapolis. I was close to a new football stadium being constructed and Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers. Indianapolis is a nice city. After dropping part of the load there I went to Plainfield, IN southeast of Indy. I dropped the rest of the load there. I was then sent to Dick's Sporting Goods and picked up a trailer filled with hangers. (30,000 lbs of hangers). I was to take the hangers to Knoxville, TN and someone else would take them to Atlanta, GA on Monday. I finished that at 6:00 pm this evening.

Along the way I followed the Cubs game. I can't listen to it. I get too anxious. They won 13-8, thankfully.

Yesterday, I was emailed an Excel document that had my pay information for the past year and raises I'll be getting in October. What was most interesting is that the document also contained a list of about 600 drivers in this region. It had a bunch of info about each driver. (I don't think they meant to send that along). What I discovered is that about 85% of the drivers started since I began (Dec 2006). That was pretty amazing to me.

I just got my next assignment. I need to go to Diffield, VA (115 miles away) and then bring it back to Knoxville and drop it off at the same place I dropped this evening's load. Interesting!

I hope you all have a good weekend! I'll keep you informed about where I go. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Now It's Indy, Not Cincy

Correction - I went to pickup the load in Rogers and found out Schneider had made a mistake. After waiting on hold for over 30 minutes I am being sent to Indianapolis, IN instead of Cincinnati, OH. The delivery will still be Friday morning.

I'm currently waiting for Erika and the girls to pick me up. It's time for a Big Mac and a shake. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Cincy/Grove City, OH

Good Morning! I'm back on the road. I'm picking up a load in Rogers at noon and then delivering it to 3 different locations. Two of them are in Cincinnati and the third is in Grove City, OH which is a suburb of Columbus. The first is at 8:00 am on Friday. The second is at 10:00 and the third is at 1:00 pm. I will have a load of catalogues.

I'm hoping to get to Madison by tonight so I can have dinner with Erika and the girls. We will have to go to McDonald's for milk shakes.

During my week off I made an offer on a condo in Red Wing. It was quite a but lower than the asking price, but they accepted it. So I'm going to be a trucker with a condo. The closing is Oct 31 st. I'll move in between Nov 14th and 21st. I have to be out of my apt by Dec 1st. The Condo is across the street from my apt, so it won't be a big move. It has a similar floor plan to my apt, but is just a bit bigger. The sellers are also throwing in a nice sectional couch which has two recliners as part of it. It will be great for watching Dvd's.

I also went down to Madison with Tristan and visiting Erika and family. It was wonderful seeing my three grandchildren playing together. There's nothing better.

I hope you all had a good week. I'll let you know how this trip goes. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Blaine, MN

I'm on my way home and should be in Blaine at 7:30 and Red Wing at 9:00 pm. This morning I drove from just east of Gary, IN to Brookfield, WI. I arrived in Brookfield at 10:15 am just 15 minute later than planned. I'm pleased with that considering I had to have two tires replaced at 6:00 this morning. That took 45 minutes. Also driving thru Chicago took longer than I had hoped.

After Brookfield I went to Neenah, WI and just picked up a trailer that I'll drop off in Blaine. It's final destination is Wa.

My final mileage will be around 6250 miles.

The task for my week off is to decide on whether to buy a condo or a house. I have 3 that I'm considering. It should be an interesting time. I also plan on visiting Erika and the girls for part of the weekend.

I hope you all have a good week and weekend. I'll get back to you next week. James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Brookfield, WI

I'm in OH heading toward WI. I started out this morning from Scranton, PA and hope to get as far as Gary, IN tonight. I've been driving in hills and mountains since ME. It is leveling out now. With such a heavy load my speed varies greatly. (between 35 - 70 mph).

I should be done with this load by noon tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be sent to Mpls after that.

Another birthday. Tomorrow, Melinda celebrates her birthday. If you want to extend a birthday greeting her email is mhaas9@gmail.com.

I will surpass 6,000 miles again during these 2 weeks. I've been pretty consistent with that the last few times out. On the 15th I will have been driving on my own for 8 months. My training started back in the beginning of Dec 2006. It has been a fascinating experience so far.

I hope your week is starting out well. I'll let you know where I'm heading tomorrow. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Rumford, ME

Short Email - I just picked up a load in Rumford, ME. Rolls of paper weighing 45,000 lbs. It's beautiful up here. Even nicer than MN. Nice and cool. Hilly, Trees and green. Houses nicely taken care of. Now I'm heading back to Brookfield, WI. (1200 miles). Del at 10:00 9/11. More later! - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Perryville, MD

I'm in Perryville with no load, waiting for an assignment. I arrived here last night to pick up a preloaded trailer and take it to Westfield, MA. The trailer had not been loaded because they didn't have a trailer. So I backed up my empty trailer to the dock and they said it would be ready in the morning. When I arrived this morning it still had not been loaded and the only person at the business was the guard at the guard shack. So, I'm sitting here waiting for a message on my truck computer.

Yesterday, I arrived in Charles Town, WV at noon and was unloaded quickly, but had to wait until 2:30 to be assigned another load. It took me 4 hours to drive 100 miles to Perryville because Baltimore was in between the two and it was rush hour.

Neil sent some info about Charles Town which is below:

Charles Town was laid out in 1786 by Charles Washington, who donated the four corner lots at the intersection of George and Washington Streets for public buildings of the town and county. Charles died sometime between July and September, 1799, only a short while before the death of his brother, George.
Charles Washington, was born in Huntington Creek, now Fairfax County, Virginia, on May 2, 1738. He was the youngest full brother of General George Washington. He came to present Jefferson County between April and October, 1780.


What is particularly fascinating about this is that I drove through the intersection of George and Washington Streets on my way to the company. It's quite a nice downtown.

I was looking on my calendar this morning and noticed it is Grandparents Day tomorrow. So, those of you with grandparents, you may want to take note. It is also Neil's birthday tomorrow. I won't mention her age. Happy Birthday, Neil!

I'll let you know where I'm going if and when I find out. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

PS - I just found the paperwork for the guard. It was misfiled there. So I've got my load and I'm heading to Westfield, MA.

Charles Town, WV

Above is my destination. See if you can find it. I'll be delivering a load there tomorrow morning.

Waiting, IN

I'm waiting at the Indy operating center for my next load. I've just finished a 34 hour break at a hotel. I spent 2 nights there. One was paid for by Schneider and I paid for the other. It was really quite nice. I had room service, watched TV, slept and worked on the computer. What a 'slug' I was.

My truck needed a new starter and received its periodic maintenance. So, I should be good to go for the final 6 days of this 2 week period. I just hope I don't have to cross the US/Canadian border.

I watched a fair amount of the tennis on TV. I'm hoping Federer wins it all again. He's in the semi-finals.

The NFL season begins tonight. This is the year Da Bears win the Super Bowl. I probably cursed them by writing this.

I hope your week is going well. When I get my next driving orders I'll send a quick email. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

On The Road Again, IL

The Road Service started the truck at 7:45 pm and I'm on the road and will drive until 10:00 pm. Enjoy your evening! - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Breakdown, IL

I'm on I-57 about 30 miles from the southern border of IL. I stop at a rest area for a short break. When I tried to start the truck nothing happened. When I turn the key, nothing. The battery is fine. I believe it has to do with the starter. The same thing happened Friday night. After about 45 minutes it did start. This time however no such luck. The advice I've been given is to hit the starter with a hammer. I called Schneider maintenance and they are sending out a service vehicle from a nearby town. I hope it doesn't take long to get it started.

I have about 400 more miles to drive by 2:00 pm tomorrow. I should be able to make it.

I'll let you know how this turns out. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

Fremont, OH

Busy day and it's not quite over. I'm in Morrilton, AR once again, waiting to be loaded. I'm at the Green Bay Packaging Co picking up rolls of paper. I did the same thing two weeks ago. This time however I'm taking them to Fremont, OH. Fremont is in Northern Ohio a little east of Toledo.

This morning I dropped a load off at West Memphis, AR, took a shower and then picked up another load there and drove it west on I-40 to Clarksville, AR. I dropped it off at a WalMart Dist Ctr around 3:00 pm.

I have to stop at 7:00 pm tonight. The load to Fremont needs to be there by 2:00 pm on Tues. 9/04. It's about 800 miles from here.

I got up at 4:00 am this morning, so I'm tired now. I'm getting old, you know!

I hope your weekend is going well. One more day. Tristan and his step-brothers start school on Tuesday. He's entering 4th grade. He'll be 10 in October. I'm getting old, you know!

James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )

West Memphis, AR

I've just stopped for the night about 20 miles west of Nashville on I-40. I'm on my way with a load of clothing to West Memphis, AR. It is not to far from Memphis, TN Schneider has an operating center there. I'll be dropping this load off tomorrow morning and someone else will take it from there.

This morning I picked up this load in Eden, NC not to far from Browns Summit. It's a High Value load, which means someone would like to steal it. The trailer that the clothing is in isn't very good. It took me 45 minutes to raise the landing gear. The crank wasn't working properly. A bolt was sheared and I needed to find a replacement.

I was listening to ESPN on XM radio and heard them talking about Appalachian State's victory over Michigan. They're saying it might be one of the biggest upsets ever in College Football. App. State is in a lower division than the major colleges and Michigan was ranked no. 5 in the nation. I'm not going to mention how the Cubs did. I don't want to jinx them.

I will have driven 2,200 miles by the time I reach West Memphis tomorrow, so I'm on target for my 6,000 miles in 2 weeks.

I'm going to watch more episodes of 'Ice Road Truckers' tonight. I bought a T-shirt at this truck stop that is dark blue with the Chicago Bears logo on it, and above that it says in bold white letters 'DaBears'. What a find.

I'll let you know where I'm going next. I'm pretty sure it won't be out west. Probably back east. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )