Lincoln, NE

I started out on my own Sunday night at 8:30 pm from Red Wing. I took a load down to Cedar Rapids to be delivered at 11:00 am Monday morning (216 mi). After that I was sent to another company in CR to pick up a load of paper rolls (7 @ 6,000 lbs each) and they had me take that back up to Red Wing and drop it at the terminal there. I arrived at 5:30 pm.

My next assignment was to pick up a load in Mpls at 7:00 am this morning, so since I was in Red Wing I headed home for the night. That was a pleasant surprise. I'm guessing it won't happen very often.

I've picked up the load and am now heading south on I-35. It's 395 miles to Lincoln, NE. I'll be there sometime later this afternoon.

Where as with Schneider everything was done on computer, here at Monson I need to make phone calls to Dispatch to get my load and other information. They usually only tell you one thing at a time. For example, they say go to this location and when you are loaded call. When you call again they tell you where to take the load and possibly to call back in a couple of hours for the delivery time.

My truck is nice. It has 9 speeds instead of 10. It has 675,000 miles on it. It is not as deep as the Schneider trucks. The bed is right behind the seat. There are places for storage above the bed at either end of it. I've got my XM radio setup, a couple of books and my computer. I don't need much else. Oh, I forgot, and my Blackberry.

I'm guessing they'll send me right back to MN after I deliver in Lincoln. It is strange to think I'll be home as soon as this Friday. So far, it is working out well.

I noticed in CR that they call themselves the City of 5 Seasons. I'm curious what the 5th Season is. Do they have two winters? Does anyone know?

I hope you have a great week. I'll let you know where I'm headed next. - James (Jibs - Dad/Papa )