Blog
Thoughts, stories, and reflections from the road and beyond. From personal insights to behind-the-scenes glimpses of writing and life, this is where experiences turn into words worth sharing.
Chapter 12: October 10-12, 2025 Reset Tampa, FL
I missed my pickup by two minutes, though I think they had closed earlier. The pickup was scheduled for earlier in the day but one-and-half of traffic on the Florida turnpike, two hours of unload and more traffic made it impossible to get there on time. That’s the nature of the beast. I arrived at…
Chapter 11: 10/09/25 Assignment & Book Review: The Outfit by Richard Stark
ROUTE: Stone Mountain, GA to Orlando, FL: 563 miles (446 loaded + 117 deadhead) Back-to-back 14+ hour work days and very heavy loads, that’s brutal on the body. I started my day at 07:30 after the minimum 10 hour required DOT break. I had a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich and a Red Bull, the…
Chapter 10 – 10/08/25 Assignment & Book Review: Days of Wonder by Caroline Leavitt
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,…
Chapter 9 – 10/06/25 Assignment and Book Review: We Shall Not All Sleep by Estep Nagy
ROUTE: East Hartford, CT to Bowling Green, OH: 723 miles (663 loaded + 60 deadhead) Originally I was assigned a load going from Windsor, CT to Newport, MI for 753 miles and my day would have started around 10:00. Unfortunately, the load was cancelled by the shipper at last minute, a nuisance of the trucking…
Chapter 8 – October 2-5, 2025: Home Leave
THURSDAY 10/02/25: I arrived at the Pilot in Milford, CT around 14:00. This is my home base. I was fortunate to find a free parking spot because I was going to be there for four nights, and the paid spots are $25 a night. My company will pay for one but the rest come out…
Chapter 7 – 09/30/25 Assignment & Book Review: Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
ROUTE: Newport, MI to Windsor, CT: 740 miles (693 loaded + 47 deadhead) I got an assignment that would enable me to be home on 10/02 in the afternoon. The delivery was scheduled for 10/01 at 16:30, but that was going to be tight because the pickup was at 17:00 and though the consignee receives…
Chapter 6 – 09/29/25 Assignment and Book Review: The Phoebe Variations by Jane Hamilton
ROUTE: McElhattan, PA to Wixom, MI. Total miles: 609 (433 loaded + 176 deadhead) I was in Auburn, NY which is upstate NY near Syracuse. The best route are smaller country highways going North to South. These were not too bad as some can be very narrow or go through many towns with traffic lights.…
Chapter 5 – 09/28/25 Assignment and Book Review: Without a Hitch by Portia MacIntosh
Route: Maumee, OH to Auburn, NY: 485 miles (423 loaded + 62 deadhead) 09/28/25: Picked up a load in Maumee, OH at 14:00 EST going to Auburn, NY. We don’t have many deliveries in upstate NY so not familiar with the truck stops on route. There’s a couple of truck stops near the consignee but…
Chapter 4 – 09/25/25 Assignment and Book Review: Truth in Advertising by John Kenney
ROUTE: Prichard, WV to Monroe, MI: 487 miles (301 loaded + 186 deadhead) 09/25/25: Picked up a load in Prichard, WV at 18:00 EST going to Monroe, MI. The route is on I-23 which has few truck stops, but there’s a Sheetz in New Baltimore, OH off I-75 that has ample parking and a 24hr…
Chapter 3 – 09/24/25 Assignment and Book Review: Finding Me, A Memoir by Viola Davis
ROUTE: Hendersonville, NC to Walton, KY: 421 miles (360 loaded + 61 deadhead) 09/24/25: Picked up a load in Hendersonville, NC at 16:00 EST. The town name rang a bell, but I couldn’t remember why. We go to so many places that it’s hard to keep track. Then I saw a TransTech Student Driver van…