ROUTE: Denver, CO to Canton, MI: 1,246 miles (1,240 loaded + 6 deadhead)
Monday March 16th, this shipper was right around the corner from the previous consignee. The appointment was for 2:00pm and I arrived at 2:30pm as the unload took a little longer than expected. When I arrived the foreman told me that I was third in line and to pull into Dock #4 when the truck occupying the spot departed. I had to sweep the trailer as per the shipper’s requirement. The same individual then mentioned that it would take him “a minute” as he was the only person there on that day loading trucks. I was waiting for SEVEN hours until I was loaded and ready to go! This obviously would disrupt the assignment’s timetable. The delivery was scheduled for the 19th at 5:30am and the trip required at least twenty-one drive hours and two ten-hour breaks, so the delivery was changed to the 20th at 9:00am. The load was heavy so I needed to scale it to make sure I was legal. I stopped at a Love’s truck stop that was thirty-minutes away, scaled it and shut down for the night at 11:00pm EST. The total weight for the truck came in at 77,900lbs of the maximum 80,000lbs. I had an avocado cheeseburger at the Carl’s Jr establishment at the truck stop.
March 17th, St Patty’s Day, I started my day at 11:30am with a burrito at Carl’s Jr and drove just over three-hours to a Pilot truck stop to do at least a thirty-minute DOT Required break, fuel, shower and had a quick lunch of a slice of pepperoni pizza and pork grinds. I drove another five-hours and shut it down for the night at 11:30pm and a rest stop in Iowa. That day I drove mostly through Nebraska being distracted by the many cattle ranches along the road and listening to a book, The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose that my son’s girlfriend recommended while we were having lunch on Sunday.
March 18th, I started my day at 9:30am after the minimum required DOT Regulation ten-hour break as I was now pressed for time if I was going to make the delivery on time which was an appointment with little flexibility. There was an awesome view of a wind farm nearby. I drove six-hours straight and then took the minimum 30 minute break. Then I drove another four hours to a TA truck stop in Battle Creek, MI, which I arrived at 9:00pm. I have visited there before and it has a diner that closes at 10:00pm. I was hungry for a hot meal as I only had a cereal for breakfast in the truck. I was only ninety-minutes from the consignee and taking only the minimum ten-hour break again I could make it to the consignee on time by 9:00am.
March 19th, I started my day at 7:15am and did the 10-15 minute pre-trip check of the truck and drove just over ninety-minutes to the consignee and arrived puntually at 9:00am.
BOOK REVIEW (1): The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose (2024), FICTION – RATING (****)
An amusing narrative of a murder mystery from the POV of the legal team defending a murder suspect.
Sarah Morgan, the protagonist, is a succesful defense attorney. Her husband, Adam, is a one-hit wonder of a writer. They met at Duke and have been married ten-years. Sarah focused on her career neglecting her marriage and the husband has been having an affair while spending time on their vacation home in a small lake community a mere ninety-minutes from the permanent home. Adam’s mistress is brutally murdered at their lakeside home and Adam is the prime suspect. There’s a slew of secondary characters; Kelly, Adam’s mistress that is also married and has a dark past. Her husband, Scott, has a short temper and is a police officer in that quaint town. Also the people in Sarah’s law firm, the town’s sheriff and Adam’s overbearing mother.
Overall entertaining though the legal procedures are highly unusual. The ending is somewhat surprising.
BOOK REVIEW (2): Workhorse by Caroline Palmer (2025), FICTION – RATING (***)
Entertaining fictional life of a young assistant editor for a fashion magazine in New York City. Unfortunately the story starts dragging after a short while and hard to stay focus toward the end.
Clodagh “Clo” Harmon is in her mid-twenties when she lands a job at a fashion magazine in New York City though with the help of a friend that pads her CV. As Clo navigates the harsh lifestyle of a young professional in New York City more of her character flaws come to light. It’s a funny story at the start and seems like Clo’s train-wreck lifestyle will derail at any moment but somehow it doesn’t. After a while it’s hard to identify with Clo as these character flaws grow like a snowball rolling down a hill.
A slew of other characters add color to the story. Clearly the author is very well acquainted that industry and sheds light on it in an amusing manner.
Mildly entertaining but 100 pages too long with a disapointing ending.
