BLUE MOUNTAIN, MS to ABINGDON, VA: 600 miles + DETENTION (507 loaded + 93 deadhead + $287.50)
Thursday July 2nd, I arrived at the shipper at 2:00pm. The delivery was scheduled for the next day at noon and they closed at 2:00pm. Fairly straightforward. I had started my day at 7:00am and driven a little over four hours so I had enough hours on my clocks to make the delivery on time. However, things don’t always work out as planned. The trucking industry assumes a two-hour window for loading or unloading but this time around it took six-and-half hours to load the truck which threw a monkey wrench on the entire timetable. To make matters worse this occurred on a Thursday afternoon before the July 4th weekend. Finally loaded I drove three hours to the Pilot at Hurricane Mills for fuel and to scale the load. I shut it down for the night at 11:30pm.
Friday July 3rd, I started my day with a free shower as I had a voucher for fueling the night before. I departed the truck stop at 10:00am, a little over the ten-hour minimum DOT Regulations break. I still had six hours to drive to the consignee. They closed at 2:00pm and there was a slim change that they would still unload until 4:00pm. Unfortunately, I hit traffic so at 4:15pm I shut it down at a TA truck stop an hour away from the consignee.
Saturday July 4th & Sunday July 5th, I picked this truck stop because I had been here before and knew there was an IHOP on the premisses and a Driver’s Lounge with a large TV. Since I was going to be idle for two days might as well catch some of the World Cup matches and get laundry done. I managed to see some fireworks on Saturday from the parking lot.
Monday July 6th, I started my day at 9:00am with the pre-trip inspection of the truck and drove the hour left to the consignee. The unload process took five hours. This load was jinxed but I did get paid some money for the delays at the shipper and consignee.
BOOK REVIEW: Lies in the Snow by Jenifer Ruff (2025), THRILLER – RATING (*****)
This is the tenth book in the Agent Victoria Heslin series but the first I had read. Fortunately it can be read as a standalone though there are mentions of the previous books of the series.
FBI Special Agent Victoria Heslin is on vacation with her fiancé, Dr. Ned, at the Black Ridge Ski Resort in Colorado. They are visiting her brother, Alex, who runs the ski patrols. The area is hit with a historic blizzard which leads to an avalanche that cuts off the resort from civilization as the only road leading to them is blocked by the fallen snow. The next day Alex and another ski patrol, Jordan, find a woman’s body off one of the trails but she’s in plain clothes with an empty champagne bottle. It makes little sense so the death seems suspicious but the local police cannot reach them so they ask for Agent Heslin’s assistance. The woman has not been reported missing nor does she have any identification complicating the investigation.
There are many twists-and-turns and the beautiful setting of a Colorado ski resort make the narrative even more enjoyable.
Overall very entertaining.
