ROUTE: Luckey, OH to Anderson, SC: 693 miles (673 loaded + 20 deadhead)
This load weighed 43,500lbs and the total weight of the truck was 76,720lbs with half a tank of fuel. The maximum allowed by DOT Regulations is 80,000lbs. The heaviness will set back the trip by an hour when going through hilly terrain, which this was. Going uphill the truck travels around 30mph and downhills require to be in low gear at 2000rpms.
This shipper is notoriously slow and I was there for three hours. Since I was Off-Duty for two hours or more is triggers a Split. This allows the trucker to legally surpass the DOT Requirement of a 14-hour workday, but the body is not as generous. I started my day at 07:00 and shut it down at 21:30 for a total of 14.5 hours. After getting loaded I stopped at a Love’s in New Baltimore, OH to scale the load, then went across the street to Sheetz for a chicken sandwich since the food is better there. I shut down the day at 49er Truck Stop in London, KY that has ample parking and a 24hr diner where I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries at 22:00 then watched a movie to relax.
I started my day at 07:30 after the minimum DOT Required 10 hour break with a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on toast that was deliciious. It was a six hour drive to make the delivery and waited for my next assignment.
BOOK REVIEW: Days of Wonder by Caroline Leavitt, (2025) – FICTION (*****)
A beautifully intertwined four heartfelt stories where parenthood is the core topic. The pace flows well and the main characters and the relationship among them are well defined. Ella and her mom are very likable and easy to relate with. Jude is the only that shows contradictions in his personality but hard to get everyone right. The side characters are well defined too.
Ella figures in all four stories, as should be. She falls in love as a teenager and seems meant to be but the father of her boyfriend is the villain. Her life falls apart afterwards being wrongfully convicted of attempted murder. She gets her life together but not after a bunch of turmoil that some feels contrived, but its a work of fiction so acceptable.
Ella’s mom was a teenage mother and wants to avoid the same for her daughter. She is loving and will go beyond to protect her.
Ella’s teen boyfriend has a tumultuous relationship with his father. A wealthy and powerful District Judge. He also hides a secret from his childhood.
Ella once relocated to Ann Arbor, MI, has a relationship with a protective mother of her adopted daughter and her once happy marriage is falling apart by a jealous abusive husband.
The author addresses many issues with class: teenage pregnancies, love, relationships, difficulties felons have adapting to civilian life, injustices of the legal system, domestic violence, Hasidic Jewish lifestyle and of course parenting.
Overall entertaining and suspenseful. It has to have a Hollywood happy ending and it does.
Realistics descriptions of NYC, its suburbs and Ann Arbor.
