BRISTOL, NH to SHELBYVILLE, IN and back to BRISTOL, NH: 2,519 miles (2,134 loaded + 385 deadhead)
This was a unique trip to say the least. The few roundtrip assignments I have done in the past have to take a load from a shipper to a consignee and then bring back a shipment from that consignee to the original shipper. I had done the first leg many times before but the second part was weird. On the way back I would be partially loaded at the consignee then I had to stop in Pennsylvania to pick up more material. What made it even more cumbersome is that the first leg ended on Friday and the last pickup was on Monday so it forced me to be idle on the weekend at a random truck stop in route.
Wednesday May 27th, I started my day at 10:00am and did the pre-trip inspection of the truck and then fueled. I had requested Tuesday afternoon off as I had a book event to attend. Therefore I drove 150 miles of the deadhead that day. I still had 235 miles to drive which took five hours to drive and I arrived at the shipper at 3:00pm. It was a live-load which took two hours. My plan was to drive around four hours to the I-84 Diner in Fishkill, NY, for dinner and stay overnight. I was hungry and needed to use the bathroom so I stopped at a New Hampshire Travel Plaza but the parking was a nightmare as the lot mixes truck and car parking side by side instead of the customary separation between them. What should have been a simple maneuver became a half hour ordeal with several truckers spotting me. I was so frustrated that I decided to shut there for the night. I had about 1,000 miles left but figured I would have time as I had a day and a half to get to the consignee. The food at the Travel Plaza was pretty good.
Thursday May 28th, I started my day at 8:30am with the pre-trip inspection of the truck and drove a total of 10 hours and fifty minutes out of the maximum eleven hours allowed by DOT Regulations. I stopped at the I-84 Diner for lunch and shut it down for the night at 9:30pm.
Friday May 29th, I started my day at 7:30am after the minimum ten-hour DOT Regulation break truckers need to have everyday. I drove seven hours and arrived at the consignee at 3:30pm with a quick break for fuel along the way. The delivery consisted on stops at two of their facilities that are close to each other. The unload at both was relatively quick but the loading took a little longer so I was there for two hours. Fortunately, there was a Love’s truck stop nearby with a McDonalds so I drove there and decided to do a 34-hour DOT Regulation reset. After a reset all the trucker’s clocks go back to their original settings, so I had a new 70-hour workweek.
Saturday May 30th, I hung out at the truck stop and took a shower since I had a voucher for a free one.
Sunday May 31st, I woke up whenever my body indicated I had enough rest and drove eight hours to the Allentown, PA, Travel Plaza where I arrived at 9:00pm.
Monday June 1st, I started my day at 8:00am with the mandatory pre-trip inspection and drove just under two hours to pick up the remaining portion of this assignment arriving at 10:00am. It was a small facility and lining up the truck to the loading dock a pain but I managed. I’m starting to get the hang of it. It only took four years trying. I left the facility and drove eight hours to a New Hampshire Travel Plaza where I arrived at 9:30pm. I stopped at the I-84 Diner for an early dinner. Fortunately, I found a spot that required a minimum of maneuvering and shut it down for the night. Unfortunately, the food court was closed so I made due with whatever snacks I had in the truck.
Tuesday June 2nd, I got up again at 8:00am did the pre-trip inspection and left at 8:30am. I drove thirty-minutes to the consignee which is where this assignment started. The loading dock is fairly straightforward to get into but I had never delivered here and it was a nightmare. I was told that the delivery had to be done at three different dock doors among the many buildings of the facility and each one had a greater degree of difficulty than the previous one. I was not a happy camper but that’s part of the job.
I listened to several books on this assignment but will only review one on this blog. The others are individual reels on Instagram and reviews are also on Goodreads. They include: Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan, The Perfect Nanny by D.L. Fisher and The Anniversary by Alex Finlay.
BOOK REVIEW: Storm Warning by James Byrne (2026), THRILLER – RATING (*****)
The fourth book featuring the charismatic Dez Limerick. This time the US State Department is asking for his help as a Gatekeeper to open the door in a super secret research facility in snowy Canada. They have lost contact with the scientist on the fifth underground floor of this high tech facility. The other problem is that the area is unreachable because of blizzard conditions.
As the other three books there is adrenaline filled action scenes, Dez’s nonchalant humor and charm with the ladies. There are a slew of secondary characters that keep the pace fast. Ash, who Dez is not sure is she is who she claims to be or a highly trained assassin. Trisha Jean Jackson, Assistant Secretary of State that is part of the team trying to reach the scientist. Her Southern charm and skills as a diplomat are essential to negotiate with Russian paratroopers barricaded in the facility as well. A billionaire couple that own the mining rights but seem to have a hidden agenda and both are psychopaths. The Mayor of the town and his security troops also trapped in the bunker. A deadly force of mercenaries trying to get into the facility.
Overall very entertaining.
