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Phil Madsen's BlogLearning Something New Every Day |
Truck drivers Phil and Diane Madsen live, work and play on the road; transporting expedited and critical-shipment freight in their custom-built truck. Phil's blog is a blend of travelogue, brain dump and commentary on road-inspired topics.
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Blog entries are made so as not to reveal customer specifics or the current location of the truck when we are under load. Entries are updated to include location information after we leave the area. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, January 1, 2010 I learned today about a blog reader who read my post about stranded Arrow truck drivers and helped get one of them home. Learned by reading his e-mail message about it. Here's what he said:
"Phil: I read your blog about Arrow trucking. I went to the links you entered. I ended up on Trucker Desiree's site ( I follow her as well) that then led me to a Facebook page. I joined the Stranded Arrow Trucker group on FaceBook and offered any assistance I could in the [Saint Louis] area. I just arranged for a driver to be picked up in Kansas City and taken to Saint Louis. I am sure there are several stories like this but it demonstrates how technology can make great things happen when great folks like you leverage that technology and are committed to helping humanity. You are the "root cause" that this driver is getting home with my assistance. This is one of the most gratifying Christmas' I have had...."
The reader is Frank who has been mentioned in this blog before. While it is nice of him to name me as a root cause, he is the one who deserves the praise. It is one thing to post something on the internet. It is quite another to actually help a stranded truck driver get home. Frank deserves the praise, not me. He helped get the driver home.
Frank's heartwarming story could not have come at a better time. His message was the highlight of our day.
While Diane and I are far from despondent, we would feel better if our truck was running. We are still sitting in a broke down truck in a New Jersey parking lot. See my previous blog posts for details. I spent most of today working on it and here we still sit.
The day was not a total loss by any means. The dealerships are closed for the holiday weekend. Little is lost by trying to fix the truck myself. While the truck is still not running, I ruled out one of the potential causes by replacing a part that had a visible leak. That clears the way for further troubleshooting tomorrow.
As a trucker friend joked, we are "living the dream!" Our circumstances may not be ideal at the moment but we are fine. Diane and I are together, healthy, safe, warm in our sleeper, and tomorrow is a new day.
Come to think of it, today starts a new decade. This is a heck of a way to start it, eh? Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, January 2, 2010 I learned today the cause of our truck failure. Learned by figuring it out.
While I am not afraid of things mechanical and have experience as an auto mechanic, it took me a while to make a diagnosis because I am not a trained truck mechanic. This truck failure took me into unfamiliar territory in which I had to learn as I went. On top of that, the holiday weekend made usually-available parts and services unavailable. Working in a parking lot while using only hand tools and being thickly bundled up for cold weather slowed things down too.
I am now reasonably confident that the level control valve is the defective component. I verified proper operation of the chassis solenoids this morning. Air is being supplied to the valve. By manually manipulating the air lines and valve, I can get the air bags to reinflate, but the valve does not function properly on its own.
The next step is to replace the valve, which is something I can do in the parking lot we have been sitting in since Wednesday night. Diane or I will be at the parts store early Monday morning to buy the valve.
There is nothing more I can do without the part, which means I will not have to go back under the truck until Monday. My over-stretched muscles and aching joints will appreciate that. Having spent some time doing what they do, it is easy to understand why you don't see many fat truck mechanics.
Until Monday we will relax and try to use a good chunk of the time for productive purposes. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, January 3, 2010 I learned today more about database design and trading. Learned by working on both.
We are passing time in a parking lot in New Jersey as we wait for the parts stores to open after the long holiday weekend. Once I have the needed part, I can repair the truck and get us back on the road. That should happen tomorrow morning.
Diane used the rental car to go do laundry. When she returned, she did some business paperwork and read. I spent most of the day working on my trading database and doing some practice trading to flesh it out. It has been a long time since I developed a database and I am a bit rusty. What I learned about it today was probably re-learned because I have forgotten some of what I once knew.
It is another cold day in New Jersey and it will be even colder in Iowa next weekend. That matters because we are going there for a long-planned family event. We will be in a hotel but to keep the water tanks and truck contents from freezing, we will have to run the generator to heat the truck. The generator has been running well but I would dearly love to give it a break. The poor thing has been running non-stop since the truck broke down last Wednesday night. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, January 4, 2010 I learned today how to modify the air lines on our truck to accommodate the new-style leveling valve that replaces the old. Learned by doing it.
The instructions that came with the new valve were almost helpful. Eventually, after spending still more hours under the truck, I got it fixed. We will go back in service tomorrow morning after we return the rental car.
Being proud of the deeds, I usually feel good after repairing the truck or doing scheduled maintenance. Not this time. It took forever to do and we suffered several days of down time.
It helped when Diane reminded me that if we would have had the truck towed in and repaired at a shop, the absolute earliest it would have been done was today with tomorrow or Wednesday being more likely. The valve failed at an inopportune time, just before a long holiday weekend.
In that sense, we lost no time by making the repair myself. We saved the money we would have spent on a tow and repair by a shop. The savings was offset some by what we spent on a rental car. I care little about any of that at the moment. I just want to get back in service and haul some freight. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 I learned today that I am a better truck mechanic than I was a week ago. Learned by making a quick fix on what would have taken longer before.
The truck repair I did on Monday was not quite perfect. I knew it then but was too cold and tired of truck work to deal with it. When completing the repair, I reversed a couple of lines such that when the interlock switch was thrown, the air dump would activate and vice versa. The mistake showed up when we tested the switches. No big deal. Just reverse the lines. The big difference was that this time I knew what I was doing. Now knowing how quick-release connectors work and what lines are supposed to go where, the mistake was fixed in less than five minutes.
We went back into service this morning and got dispatched soon after. It is a short run that picks up tomorrow morning. We went to the familiar Petro truck stop in Bordentown New Jersey to spend the night. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 I learned today about the hotel/resort we will be staying at this weekend. Learned by reviewing its web site.
Our plans are firming up for the family event Diane and I will attend this weekend. This time it is with relatives from my side of the family. After making tomorrow's delivery, we will head toward Iowa for the event. None of us connected at Christmas so all of us are going to a central location to meet.
After completing a short run in New Jersey this morning, we were immediately dispatched on a longer run that takes us to a southern state. The delivery location is 1,000 miles from our Iowa destination. So is New Jersey. The run gives us the chance to make some money before heading to Iowa. There is a slim chance that we might get a load that takes us north but we are not counting on it. Instead of getting paid to haul freight north, we expect to make the trip empty and on our own dime.
A southern delivery would normally be a welcome event this time of year but it seems to be cold almost everywhere in the country right now. They are worried about frost in Florida. Temps are below normal almost everywhere else. Diane and I have not had a break from winter this year and it does not look like we will get one soon. Burrrrr! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, January 7, 2010 I learned today that no freeways lead to Dubuque Iowa. Learned when Diane and I planned our route.
That surprised me. I guess I thought Dubuque was a larger city than it actually is (population 57,000). No matter, we are Dubuque bound to attend a family reunion at a hotel and water park there.
We drove overnight from New Jersey to this morning's delivery in Alabama, not far from the Florida border. Immediately after making the delivery, we went out of service and headed north.
It was 40°F and sunny when we delivered. That is cold for Alabama but much better than the winter weather we have been in since mid December.
Hey, Diane! I have a great idea! Let's leave this warm place, drive at our own expense 1,000 miles north, where the temperatures are to be below zero, so we can go swimming in a water park that I could care less about using!
With that thought in mind, we were on our way. Actually, Alabama had little to offer by way of good weather. As forecast, the Alabama weather quickly deteriorated. A blast of snow and cold air streamed out of Canada that is being felt even this far south. Many truckers will recognize this Alabama landmark on I-65. More remarkable than the rocket is the snow on the ground in this deep-south state.
The weather ahead is not the best for driving, but we feel better about this route to Iowa than the one we would have taken from New Jersey if we had not gotten this Alabama run. The storm is moving west to east. From New Jersey we would have been driving head-on into it the whole trip. Approaching Iowa from the south is better. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, January 8, 2010 I learned today who not to get a haircut from in Bloomington Illinois. Learned by having my hair cut by her.
We spent last night on the road while making our way from Alabama to Dubuque Iowa. Winter weather made it less than a a pleasant journey. We were in no hurry as our hotel room was prepaid. We could check in anytime we wished.
I took advantage of that fact when I saw a dozen or so trucks and more cars spun out on the roads and jackknifed in the jersey barriers (concrete walls that line the road). Around 2:00 a.m. this morning, I said enough is enough and worked my way into a rest area to sleep until daylight.
I say worked my way into a rest area because that's what it took to get into the one available truck parking place. The rest area was not plowed and snow had built up. Trucks parked anywhere they could, including behind the row of trucks.
You see that sometimes where truck parking is scarce and drivers have no other option. When all angle-parking places are full, a driver will parallel park his or her big rig tight up behind the row of parked trucks. That usually leaves just enough room for other trucks to get by. It also blocks several open parking places when the angle-parked trucks vacate their precious real estate.
With our straight truck I was able to make a tight S maneuver that no big rig could ever make and work my way into the one open spot in the rest area. I was glad to do so. This was no night to be out driving a truck, especially when we had the luxury of waiting for the sun to rise and the weather to improve.
We resumed our journey after sunrise, stopping in Bloomington to re-supply the truck and get haircuts. Diane's turned out great. Mine was a disaster, as in one of the worst haircuts ever received on the road. Getting a haircut on the road is always a gamble because you almost never see the same stylist twice. I gambled today and lost.
We had a win also. While in Bloomington, we received a call from dispatch wanting to know if we could double back 30 miles to pick up a load going to Milwaukee and delivering on Monday. This load had no security protocols attached. Dispatch assured us that it would be OK to leave the freight on the truck while we attended our family reunion in Dubuque on Saturday.
The money was less than what we normally accept to haul freight but this load got us out of a slow-freight area and put us in Milwaukee on Monday morning. So with freight on board and a Monday delivery appointment we arrived at our Dubuque hotel about 6:00 p.m. to clean up and rest up for tomorrow's family event. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, January 9, 2010 I learned today what it is like to slide down a big tube in a water park. Learned by doing it.
They didn't have water parks when I was a kid. I visited one for the first time in my life today. The occasion was a family reunion at a hotel and water park in Dubuque Iowa. That location was chosen because it was central to everyone who attended. With lots of kids in the group of 23, it was deemed a good venue.
We all wore swim wear into the water park because the temperature is kept at 80°F. Whether we wanted to swim or not, we would need to be dressed for comfort just to sit with the adults at the tables to visit.
I was among the adults who were not especially eager to play in a water park, but for all of us, resistance crumbled as we spent time in the park and watched other adults (including some unashamed porkers) partake. I grabbed a nearby nephew and asked him to show me how to do it right. With him as my guide, down the tubes I went. I then fetched Diane and we made a few runs together.
Meeting with family members, several of which I have not seen in a long time, was the highlight for me. I must also confess to having fun in the water park.
As explained yesterday, we are under load today and have freight on the truck right now. We will spend tonight at the hotel and deliver our load tomorrow.
Being in a hotel does not mean the truck is out of mind. It is very cold outside and we have to keep the generator running to keep the water tanks and sleeper contents from freezing up. We can see the truck from our fifth-floor room window. With binoculars we check it every so often to see if smoke is coming out of the generator's exhaust pipe. We have walked out a few times to check it close up too.
It has been fine every time we checked but that does not keep us from worrying about it. If the generator or sleeper heater were to fail in these temps, we'd have a big mess on our hands real fast. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, January 10, 2010 I learned today that Diane and I are going to spend 10 days in Hawaii next winter. Learned when we found out about the Pride of America cruise ship and its deeply discounted rates.
After yesterday's family event in Dubuque, Iowa, we woke up in that hotel this morning, said our goodbyes and drove toward Milwaukee, Wisconsin to watch the Green Bay Packers football game. We deliver near Milwaukee tomorrow morning and have relatives nearby. It was from them that we learned about this cruise. They took the cruise some time back and raved about it.
I have been reading about how the recession has deeply depressed the tourist industry in Hawaii. I was amazed to see this cruise package offered for less money per person per day for a room with a private balcony on the ship than a mid-range hotel charges for a room in the states. Air fare is extra. According to our relatives, it is a trip to take. We will be booking the trip soon, while the rates are low. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, January 11, 2010 I learned today that the number of people who are voluntarily defaulting on their mortgages is on the rise. Learned by reading this New York Times article.
Diane and I woke up this morning less than an hour west of Milwaukee, in the parking lot of the factory where we delivered freight to at 6:00 a.m. We were immediately dispatched on our next load. The pay is OK but it keeps us in winter states. I am more than ready for a run south.
I read the above article as Diane drove toward home in Minnesota. Tomorrow's pickup is near there. We have no need or desire to be home but the freight is taking us there once again. Again and again, we are finding ourselves at home. That's OK once in a while but it is not good over the long run. What's good over the long run are long runs, and we have seen few of those since the recession hit.
• About the mortgages, I used to be troubled by people who voluntarily default on mortgages they can afford to pay. They are defaulting because they owe more on the mortgage than their homes are worth after the real estate market crashed. They can afford to pay but are defaulting because they deem it in their financial interests to take the credit rating hit for a few years and pass the home value loss onto the lenders that financed the house.
It does not trouble me any more. The more I read about the irresponsible bank behavior that led to a financial panic, ill-advised bailouts and continuing cover-ups and bank-serving use of public funds, the less it bothers me that people are walking away from mortgages they could afford to pay.
It is outrageous to see big-bonus bankers arguing that people should do the right thing and pay their debts when they have done the wrong thing for years by extending credit to people who do not deserve it, leveraging their assets beyond responsible levels and turning to the government (that is, you and me the taxpayer) to bail them out from the consequences of their sins. While most community banks have been ethical and sensible, big banks lack totally the moral authority to tell people they should pay their debts because it is the moral thing to do. Shame on them for even making the suggestion. Doing so is the height of hypocrisy.
Back when the financial panic was in full force and bailouts were being contemplated, I argued against them saying that the economy is more powerful than the government. Attempts to cause or prevent something from happening result in unintended consequences that manifest themselves elsewhere.
Well, the bailouts occurred. Public funds were used to protect big banks from the consequences of their irresponsible lending and leveraging practices. A message was sent loud and clear. These same banks and same executives can act irresponsibly in the future and expect to be bailed out again.
An unintended consequence is the rising social acceptability of strategic mortgage defaults by individual homeowners who feel little or no moral regret in passing their losses (decline in home values) on to the lenders that financed the homes.
When bailouts were being contemplated, many people pointed out the moral hazard bailouts could create. Guess what? Not only are banks continuing in their irresponsible ways, an increasing number of homeowners now manage debt the very same way the bailed out banks manage theirs.
Finding themselves with the power to pass their obligations on to the banks by strategically defaulting on their mortgages, and seeing little moral hazard in doing so, clever homeowners are forcing the banks to bail them out of their money-losing investment, just as banks (seeing little moral hazard themselves) forced taxpayers to bail them out of theirs. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 I learned today, much to my disappointment, that the free Bloomberg podcasts I listen to are no longer free. Learned by hearing the announcement.
It was a no-brainer to pay the money to subscribe. I often listen to these podcasts when driving long distances on the open road. The podcasts are a productive use of my time. The strategic economic information these podcasts provide from leading thinkers is very good. I have many times read a book or article or web site that was referenced in one of these podcasts.
• We woke up this morning at home, but in the truck parked in the driveway. By sleeping in the truck, it is easier to begin an early day than it would be to begin by moving our stuff out of the house and into the truck.
We drove about an hour north to the Twin Cities metro area and picked up our freight. The load delivered this afternoon in Green Bay Wisconsin. That is about two hours north of our Milwaukee-area relatives. Not having any freight to haul and not expecting to get any out of Green Bay, we called them and invited ourselves for supper.
An hour later we called back and uninvited ourselves. They know enough about our business to understand that a load offer can come in at any time. The load picks up in the Chicago area as soon as we can get there and delivers in Florida (!). Finally, for the first time this winter, we may be out of below-freezing temperatures for more than a few hours. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 I learned today how truck wash workers are trained. Learned by watching them being trained.
Diane and I are on a run from Chicago to Florida. We drove overnight last night and will do so again tonight to deliver south of Miami tomorrow morning. We stopped in Jackson Georgia for a much needed truck wash. That is where I saw the workers being trained. They learn how to use the wands by practicing on the wall. Without a doubt, that is one of the cleanest concrete walls in Georgia.
I am so very ready for a break from winter weather. Temperatures stayed below freezing until we got to Chattanooga Tennessee. By the time we reached Jackson, it was shirt-sleeve weather. As I waited in the long line for a truck wash, it was wonderful to feel the breeze blow through open windows. Better still, it will be sunny and in the 70s tomorrow in Miami.
While I think about the weather and my personal comfort, the world is responding to the disastrous earthquake that hit Haiti. I don't see us getting involved in the international relief effort with our truck. It's not like Katrina that hit the U.S. We are listening to the news with interest and mindful of the large numbers of Haitians who live in the Miami area. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, January 14, 2010 I learned today that FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security own a bunch of brand new SUVs and big-rigs. Learned by seeing them.
We delivered this morning in Homestead Florida. There is a big Air Force base here that is involved in providing disaster relief to Haiti. While driving nearby, Diane and I saw a large convoy of brand new FEMA and Homeland Security trucks streaming into the base. The FEMA trucks were big-rigs pulling 53-foot reefer trailers. I did not know FEMA owned such trucks in such numbers.
Having been involved in disaster-relief work in the past, Diane and I are curious to know if government ownership of reefer trucks is something new or just something we are only now learning about. One thing for sure, the federal government's disaster relief response time has improved by an order of magnitude over what it was during Katrina.
(Update: I learned later today by talking to other expediters that FEMA has had reefer trailers for some time. My expediting friends have seen them used as temporary morgues in disaster-affected areas.)
Also on our mind today is the magnificent Florida weather. Having been in below-freezing temperatures since early December, this Florida weather seems unnatural.
After driving overnight for two nights to make this morning delivery, we followed our usual routine and took a morning nap. Today's photo shows what we saw out the windshield after we rose and opened the window curtains. It is quite the different sight from the lifeless trees and snow we have been viewing for the last several weeks. We remain in service but it would suit me just fine if we do not get dispatched until Monday. I LIKE Florida in the winter! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, January 15, 2010 I learned today more about a manufactured-home, gated community in Florida. Learned by touring it.
I say learned more because Diane and I are already somewhat familiar with the community. We have visited friends there several times. This time we visited with an eye on buying a house.
Having received no load offers yesterday and knowing Miami to be a slow freight area, we drove north and spent the night in a rest area on I-95. That put us in the Orlando express center, which has been a better express center for us than Miami. Our real reason for going north was to meet with a realtor and tour the community.
Freight-wise, the move north paid off. While the realtor was taking us around in his golf cart, dispatch called with a load offer that we accepted. We might not have seen it had we stayed in Miami. The load picks up Monday afternoon, which gives us a long weekend in Florida weather. Sadly, the load takes us back into the thick of winter, which I would prefer to avoid.
That would be the reason to buy a home in Florida, avoid the winter weather. We toured six houses in this 700-home community and found one we liked that listed at $32,000. That sounds cheap for a house but keep in mind that you are buying a vehicle, not a house. "Manufactured home" is a fancy term for trailer house or double-wide and you do not own the land on which it sits. You pay lot rent.
The term trailer trash comes to mind but some of the multi-millionaires who live in the community might take exception to that. The house prices ranged from $27,000 to $200,000 plus. The residents' incomes range from high to low. The grounds are well kept and the club houses, common areas and water access more than meet any needs Diane and I might have.
The timing would be right. Home values in this community, as in the rest of Florida, have plunged. We can purchase one of these homes for far less than they were asking a year or two ago. The realtor said prices are likely to be higher this time next year and we believe him.
The main objection is the monthly expense which ranges from $500 to $700 depending on the lot. Lot rent, utilities, maintenance fees, property tax, association dues and such are charged whether you are in the house or not. The arrangement is ideal for us because security and maintenance would be provided while we were out on the road, but it must be paid for.
The other objection is, as expediters, we make our money on the road. We make nothing when sitting at home. That's where my day-trading comes in. When our trading revenue grows to the point where it can replace the expediting revenue we would lose by spending winters in Florida, a house purchase is a done deal.
We could spring for the house now and it would not break the bank. It would increase our expenses and reduce our expediting revenue. That puts our financial goals in conflict with our avoid-winter goal. For now, the financial goals win. We will drive a truck in the North American winter instead of lounging about in a warm and sunny Florida community.
I can't believe I just said that! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, January 16, 2010 I learned today the Missouri saying, "That's no hill for a stepper." Learned by hearing it for the first time from the Missouri native who used it.
Diane and I woke up this morning in an RV park in Florida. We are staying here and enjoying the break from winter weather until Monday when we pick up freight.
It often happens when we set up in an RV park that people stop by to visit and ask questions about our truck and life on the road. Our Missouri friend was one of those.
Friends who live nearby will come to the park tonight to take us out to dinner. From now to Monday we will be enjoying a quiet weekend in Florida while working in the usual mix of light truck maintenance, business paperwork and trading. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, January 17, 2010 I learned today that "FedEx Corp. will hike rates 5.9 percent at its less-than-truckload subsidiaries, FedEx Freight and FedEx National LTL, effective Feb. 1." Learned by reading this report in The Business Journal.
The carrier Diane and I lease our truck to is FedEx Custom Critical. It is a subsidiary of FedEx Freight, which is an operating company within the FedEx group of companies. We have not heard anything about a FedEx Custom Critical rate increase but would certainly welcome one since part of that increase would pass through to us.
It is not unusual to see FedEx Custom Critical not mentioned with the other FedEx companies. Custom Critical is a tiny slice of FedEx Corporation; so much so that it merits only a footnote in the FedEx annual report.
No matter. Whether our rates increased or not, it is good to see LTL rates moving up. The recession drove freight rates into the basement. I don't know if we will ever see rates recover to previous levels but it is nice to see them move at least a little in the right direction.
• Today is the same as yesterday. We are in a Florida RV park, enjoying the warm sunny weather, laid over for the weekend, waiting to pick up freight on Monday. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Monday, January 18, 2010 I learned today what the cruise ship terminals look like at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Learned by seeing them for the first time.
We saw the sight on our way to today's pickup. I hate to leave Florida. The load takes us to Denver, though, the weather looks fine for the whole trip. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 No entry today. We are driving and sleeping in shifts on a straight-through run from Florida to Denver, Colorado. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 I learned today why so many expediters work hard all their lives and end up with little or no money to show for their efforts. Learned by emulating their behavior for part of this week.
There are the obvious reasons expediters haul fright all their lives and end up broke. They include poor money management, undisciplined spending and instead of working, taking time off when fat pay checks from previous weeks can pay expenses.
The behavior I am talking about is not as obvious. In fact, many drivers mistake it for meaningful revenue-producing activity. I call it donating your truck and time to the shippers you serve. Another way to put it is poor price discipline.
It is something Diane and I rarely do but we fell into the trap this week. We accepted a load at marginal pay that got us out of Florida. Our mistake was taking the freight to Denver, which is no better an express center than any city in Florida. After this morning's delivery, we discovered, to our dismay, that there were nine trucks in line of ahead of us waiting for freight. That's a lot for Denver.
Our decision was immediate. Get out of Dodge. Our carrier offered us deadhead pay (minimal amount that pays for fuel but not your other expenses) to go to Kansas City. We decided to take the hit and add those low-paying miles to the already marginal-paying miles we drove from Florida. It was better than waiting a day or two or four in Denver for the trucks to clear out.
On the way to Kansas City we received and accepted another marginal paying load. It picks up tomorrow, runs overnight and puts us in a good area on Friday.
We have been running at break-even or slightly better since Monday and will until Friday noon. Yet to look at us, a lot of drivers would think we were making good money and staying busy. They would be right about the busy part and wrong about the money part.
On the surface, the money looks good. We will gross well over $5,000 this week. Beneath the surface, where few drivers take the time and trouble to look, we are donating our truck and time to the shippers we serve. Our truck declines in value every day and must one day be replaced. If the replacement cost is not figured into your pay, you are absorbing the cost itself. So too with a host of often overlooked operating expenses.
Diane and I have done a really good job of maintaining price discipline through the recession, if I may say so myself. We slipped up this week and are running at breakeven. Our carrier and the shippers love that we are agreeing to their price. It troubles them not a bit that we put miles on our truck to haul their freight without putting money away to replace the truck and fund our present lifestyle and retirement (profits).
It bothers me plenty. I can tell you this. Had our pay per mile (all miles, including deadhead) been this way over the last months and years, we would not be thinking about staying in the business long. No way will we join the ranks of the millions of truck drivers who served their customers and carriers well but ended up broke themselves.
With the benefit of hindsight, we would have been better off waiting a day or two or three more in Florida for a good load out. We did not think the Denver load through before we accepted it. That's brain fart one, Phil and Diane zero. Shame on us.
We are running in winter weather for no good reason, putting miles on the truck that pay breakeven at best (maybe a little better), and putting ourselves on marginal loads that displace the opportunity to take take better loads if they come along. We've laid down a lot of miles and will see thousands of dollars of newly-earned revenue hit the bank account next week, but it is meaningless.
Expediting is not about making money. It's about making PROFITS! If you are only thinking about the money and miles, you will spend the next several decades working really hard to drive yourself to the poorhouse. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, January 21, 2010 I learned today that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations can contribute to political campaigns free of the restrictions that once bound them. Learned from news reports.
As a former grass-roots political activist of ten years (see my bio), I was saddened by the ruling which I see as something that will erode democracy in the U.S. I won't go into that in depth as Diane and I are on a long run and I need to get to sleep soon.
For trucking, to the extent that there is a tug-of-war between the American Trucking Associations and OOIDA, the Court handed a big advantage to ATA today. ATA is the American Trucking Associations. Its members are mostly motor carrier companies, some of them very large. OOIDA is the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association. Its members are mostly individual owner-operators, including Diane, me and over 100,000 others.
Both organizations have lobbyists in Washington. As a group of corporations with more money than OOIDA and a new freedom to entice or threaten lawmakers with large campaign contributions, ATA has the edge.
Senator, we have this desire to put speed limiters, not just on our trucks, but on all trucks that operate in the U.S., and we want to run heavier trucks on public roads, though many of the men and women who would have to drive them believe them to be unsafe. These issues are important enough to us to commit $1,000,000 in campaign contributions in your state. If you can find your way to vote for speed limiters and heavier trucks, we will see fit to keep our $,1,000,000 in our pocket. If you don't, we will have to use the $1,000,000 to support your opponent in the next election.
It's brilliant. Corporations don't even have to make the contributions. They only need the now-seated lawmakers to believe that if they don't vote the way the corporations want, money will be spent to defeat them in the next election. It matters because while 10,000,000 people might have voted for a senator in the last election, $1,000,000 spent by an opponent on advertising can change a lot of minds. Better, a senator might conclude, to keep that money out of his or her opponent's hands and vote the corporate line.
Fortunately, the Court's ruling is not the last word in campaign finance. Campaign finance reform is an ongoing conversation in Washington, coffee shops across the country, living rooms, and anywhere else politics is discussed. The U.S. is still a democracy in which new laws and even constitutional amendments can be passed if the people get riled enough. As uninvolved as the average citizen is in American politics, I don't see people sitting quietly by as corporations exercise their new-found power.
Also note that the current president will probably nominate a Supreme Court justice or two in the years ahead. This is the same president that raised millions and millions of campaign contributions online. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people contributed small amounts that added up to fund a major campaign. The president's ideas on campaign finance, and those of his Supreme Court nominees may be quite different than those of the justices that ruled in favor of corporations today.
• As I said, we are on a run. Delivery is tomorrow morning, after which we will have the weekend off. We are already dispatched on a long run that picks up Monday. Unlike the marginal runs we did this week, that run is great. It will keep us busy Monday through Thursday, cover less miles than those driven this week and pay more than all of last week's runs combined. With this run, we are not just keeping busy and making money, we are making profits too. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, January 22, 2010 I learned today what it is like to sit through a chick flick in a small theater filled with sobbing truck drivers. Learned by doing it.
We arrived at the Bordentown New Jersey Petro after delivering a load nearby this morning. Having laid down some serious miles this week it was time to rest. The weekend is ours. Our next pickup is on Monday.
This truck stop has a small theater in it. I like the movies and usually take them in when we are here. Unlike a full-fledged theater, the room has a low ceiling. If each of the well-worn theater seats was filled, the room might seat 50 truck drivers. There are no side aisles, only a center aisle. The room can be entered and exited by two doors, both on the left side of the room, one in front, one in back. The movies are played on a large flat-screen TV mounted on the front wall.
Truckers are a burly bunch. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some are fit and trim. Others tip the scales at 200 and even 300 lbs. Some keep themselves clean and well-groomed. Others do not. No one in this group dressed up to go to the movies. Many came in off their trucks still in their work clothes. Some had not shaved in a week. While their trucks cooled down in the lot, the drivers settled in to relax and enjoy a break from the road.
With the dark room about half full, the movie started. It was The Bucket List staring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. This change from the usual action, shoot-' em-up fare caught a bunch of truckers off-guard, myself included.
As the plot unfolded and the characters developed in this emotional movie, the truckers became quiet and still.
For most, the road is a lonely place. CB and telephone conversations are had but they are no substitute for the real thing. Truck stop conversations with fellow drivers help pass the time but they seldom touch on the feelings truckers keep deep in their hearts. Then along comes a movie like this that rips you apart like a can opener and there is no way to keep your feelings tucked neatly away.
As the movie progressed, grown men — macho truckers, heavy-haul drivers, self-reliant knights of the road — began to sniff quietly and shift positions so as to not give it away that they were crying. Fake coughs preceded real nose blows to disguise the tear-induced need. A hand raised to openly scratch one's head found a way to subtly wipe a tear on the way back down.
This night, for many truckers in the room, home was too far away and people were too close.
Diane and I are team drivers, blessed with each other's company. The road is not a lonely place for me but I cried too. Lonely trucker or not, it would take a cold-hearted person to watch this movie and not wipe a tear away. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Saturday, January 23, 2010 I learned today our fuel tax miles for 2009. Learned by working with Diane to enter them into our spreadsheet.
We are at the Petro truck stop in Bordentown, New Jersey for the weekend, waiting to pick up freight on Monday. Today was a productive business day. We got a good chunk of business admin work done. I took advantage of the 40 °F and sunny weather to work outside and fix two marker lights on the truck (easy fixes). As for the non-productive hours in the day, we were content to let them pass without trying to impose our will on their outcomes. In other words, we kicked back. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Sunday, January 24, 2010 I learned today how to write a particular line of code that makes my database do what I want it to do. Learned by studying various web sites that share database development information.
That's it. Several hours of study and trial-and-error to produce this 54-character line of code. I could buy programs that are designed to help truckers manage their businesses. I could rely on the online information that our carrier makes readily available to us. Instead, I pour hours of time into developing my own database; and because my programming skills are limited, it takes me hours to do what a professional programmer could do in fifteen minutes.
So, why do I do it? First, its fun. I like the challenge and problem solving that database development provides. Second, our carrier could change or stop providing the data it now provides, or we could leave our carrier and be then unable to access that information about our truck, loads, miles, etc. Third, the companies that offer business management products get bought and sold, go out of business, change their products and — in the effort to appeal to the largest possible audience — build all kinds of features into their products that Diane and I don't want or need. Fourth, these companies always seem to want more money for their latest and greatest updated products.
When I first launched my Operation Streamline it was about uncluttering our business administration practices, similar to cleaning out a garage that had filled up with way too much stuff for far too long. Having mostly completed that phase, I am now developing time-saving tools and practices. The purpose is to reduce the amount of time it takes to run our one-truck expedting business and use that time for trading.
Today was a great Operation Streamline day. I am making the transition from business spreadsheets to a business database. Completed today was the fuel tax portion of the database.
Many contractors rely on their carriers to provide fuel tax information. That works to a point but there are many good reasons to doing it yourself. One would be that you change carriers and six months later the state in which you registered your truck wants to audit you for fuel tax compliance. Some carriers might be willing to provide historic fuel tax information to former contractors. Ours would not. Better, we think, to maintain our own fuel tax miles records.
Diane and I have been through one fuel tax audit. It was no big deal because we had all the information the auditor wanted. It took a while to pull it together but we had it.
Now having the information in a database, it will take me less than a minute to answer the question, from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 (or any other time period, be it a week, 2.5 months or two years), in what states did you drive your truck and how many miles did you drive in each?
I will continue to develop the database as time permits. I can analyze our business spreadsheet data now but it takes time and effort. I am looking forward to having a database that will enable us to instantly answer questions like: In the last three years, how many reefer loads did you haul in or out of California in January and how did the pay per mile compare year over year? Or, In the six years you have been in the business, which month was the best revenue month in each year? Or, for each month in 2008, produce a chart that shows the percentage of deadhead miles you drove.
• Otherwise, today was a normal truck stop layover day. Diane and I had breakfast inside with four other expediters. Diane took a long walk in a nearby residential area. I talked shop with an expediter in the afternoon. We passed the rest of the time in the truck, waiting to pick up freight tomorrow. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
I received a Christmas gift card that can be used to purchase such things. I have never purchased an audio book before but took the plunge with the gift card.
Being interested in day trading, I have read a number of books on the topic. Nearly every one of them recommends Lefevre's book. Remarkably, the book was written over 70 years ago, long before computers and the internet were even imagined. Yet the book stands today as a timeless classic that is highly recommended by the best of today's traders.
• Diane and I woke up this morning at the Petro truck stop in Bordentown New Jersey where we spent the weekend. We will pick up a two-stop load this afternoon that will keep us rolling for 2,900 miles and keep us busy through Thursday. That means we will be driving and sleeping in shifts most of the week and there will be no time for trading. Listening to this audio book while I drive will help me learn more about trading and keep my mind in the game.
It is going to be a lucrative week as this run pays very well. I am troubled, though, because I cannot drive and trade at the same time. There may be time to trade on Friday before the market closes for the weekend. We will see. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 I learned today that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration acted today to prohibit truck drivers (commercial vehicle drivers) from texting while driving. Learned from a text message received on our Qualcomm unit.
Enough said about that. Actually, not, but I'm a bit busy now. We are on two-stop, 2,900 mile run that picked up yesterday afternoon. The final delivery is on Thursday. The weather is good. The truck is running well. We are driving and sleeping in shifts. Life is good! Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 I learned today that my audio book experiment is a success. Learned by listening to an audio book for the first time.
Diane and I are on a two-stop run that involves a lot of driving on the open road and some sitting awake with the freight. I gave an audio book a try and am loving the experience. See Monday's blog entry for book details.
We bought an iPod a while ago and then bought a harness that ties the iPod into the truck radio. That enables us to play the iPod on the truck speakers, just like we play the radio or a CD. Actually, the iPod replaced our CD's. Once they were loaded onto the iPod, there was no longer a need to carry the disks. With the iPod, we gained new space in the truck that the CDs used to take, and gave up no music to do it.
Having received a few, I am finding these iTunes gift cards to be the ideal trucker gift. Books, songs and podcasts can be enjoyed while driving. They take up no space in the truck. Gift wrapping and delivery is as easy as it gets. The card can be redeemed online. You don't even have to get out of the truck to select and download your gift. There is no packaging to dispose of (Oh! How very green!). You don't have to worry about giving a gift of the right size, color or style.
We had hopes of getting pre-dispatched on the way to tomorrow's delivery but it has not happened yet. At this point, we have no idea where the freight will next take us. We are in the groove and will be ready to roll immediately after tomorrow's delivery. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Thursday, January 28, 2010 I learned today what our total revenue numbers are for January 2010. Learned by completing our final run of the month and totaling up the numbers.
First, greetings from sunny Southern California where we are now. We picked up a two-stop load in Philadelphia on Monday, made the first delivery in Dallas Texas on Wednesday and the second in Los Angeles this afternoon. Shortly after the Los Angeles delivery, we got dispatched to pick up a load on Monday in the area. It is a good load that starts February off right.
To our surprise, the January numbers turned out good. The month started with a multi-day truck breakdown and was interrupted by a family event. Nevertheless, our gross revenue from expediting for January matched that of the good months in 2007 and 2008. If we do in subsequent months what we did this month, 2010 could be one of our best years in the business.
Of course, one month does not a trend make. Time will tell how we actually do. Still, we are delighted with our January production. Does this mean the recession is over in expedited freight? There is no way to know. We're just glad we did not sit the month out. The thought had crossed my mind.
Finding ourselves with some spare time between now and Monday, we reserved a place at an RV park we have stayed at before. The location and hosts then inspired a story that you can read if you wish. See my story from the road, The Pechanga People.
As I write this, we are parked in a grocery store lot. Diane is inside getting some steaks and such to cook on the grill. I am in the truck, putting away our parkas and breaking out our deck shoes. We are in for some good weather this weekend and have nothing to do but enjoy it.
Two weekends ago we were in an RV park in Florida. Now we are here. These warm-weather breaks from winter are good therapy. They help keep the blues away when lifeless snow covers the ground, the trees sleep, the days are gray and the nights are long. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Friday, January 29, 2010 I learned today another aspect of the ongoing battle to maintain one's mental focus. Learned by going through my e-mail and finding yet another stream of messages that would be distracting if I allow it.
I don't think I mentioned it here until now. At the end of last year, I resigned as the editor of Expedite NOW magazine. The publisher, Lawrence McCord, accepted my resignation and had some very nice things to say about the work I did. See his piece, Thank You, Phil.
As lavish as he was in his praise, I never felt I was doing the job as well as it could be done. As the quality of my work improved, I came to understand just how hard a magazine writer must work to put out good stuff each time. As your contact list, industry knowledge and writing skills grow, bigger and better projects come to mind that would require still more time to do them well. When trading came along and my interests shifted, something had to give. I stopped putting time into the magazine and invested that time in trading.
Left over from my editing work is a massive stream of trucking industry information that comes to me via e-mail, U.S. Mail, and other means. Useful at the time, it is distracting now. I have been gradually reducing the flow but it sometimes seems to have a life of its own.
So too with junk mail, advertising and everything else that competes for your attention. It can become an unproductive mess if you let it; one that will distract you from your goals. If you are not careful, your mind will shift from what you want to think about to what "they" want you to think about.
Starting the day by asking "What am I going to do today?" will be more productive than starting the day without asking that question. Starting the day by asking "What am I going to think about today?" will minimize your distractions and result in an even more productive day.
• Diane and I woke up this morning in an RV park in Southern California. We are laid over here, waiting to pick up freight on Monday. Maintaining mental discipline, I had one of the longest and most productive practice trading sessions I have ever had. Listening to the audio book about trading while we drove to California had the intended effect. After getting a good night's sleep, I woke with my mind in the game and ready to trade.
Next, Diane and I went for a long walk to get some exercise and enjoy the Southern California weather. We then showered and went to the casino to check it out and dine in the buffet restaurant.
As we wandered among the slot machines and gaming tables, I asked Diane if she felt like gambling. She did not. Neither did I. The restaurant provided a great meal in pleasant surroundings. After dinner we walked back to the truck to turn in for the night. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: The Wolf Moon • Today's Activities
• I learned today how the Wolf Moon differs from other moons. Learned by becoming aware of the Wolf Moon yesterday and viewing it early this morning.
The moon follows an elliptical orbit around the earth, bringing it sometimes closer to and sometimes further from the earth. The full moon that is setting as I write this is bigger and brighter than any others we will see in 2010 because it is close. It is the Wolf Moon.
• Diane and I woke up this morning in an RV park in Southern California where we are laid over for the weekend. We will pick up freight on Monday.
This is one of the best tourist opportunities we have had in this area. The freight usually takes us quickly in and out of Los Angeles. This time we have a few days to ourselves and a safe place to park the truck. The weather is perfect. Financially, we did OK in 2009 and great in January, 2010. Spending some money on tourist adventures would not be painful. We could easily rent a car and have some real tourist fun.
More than we want to do that, we want to master the games we chose to play (expediting and trading). Instead of tourist fun, we will relax and enjoy the weather here in the RV park, study trading (instead of trade as the markets are closed on the weekends) and complete some Operation Streamline tasks.
This weekend will not be as memorable and fun as it might have been had we hit the town, but the work we do will take us closer to where we want to be. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Today's Topics: January Travels • Free Audio Books • Calendars Schmalendars • Today's Activities
• I learned today what our month of January looks like on a map. Learned by viewing this map of our January trips.
I drew the map out of curiosity. Diane read off our pickup, delivery and layover locations. I plotted them on the map. It is one thing to say where we have been, it is quite another to see. I think I'll do this every month from now on, just for fun. I'll put them on this page.
• I also learned today a new (to me) source for free audio books. Learned from a friend from back home. He read in this blog about my first use of an audio book and e-mailed info about librevox.org. I'm happy to share it with you here.
You and I have some of the world's greatest books just a mouse click away and available at no charge. If you prefer to read the classics instead of listen to them, many free eBooks are available from Project Gutenberg. eBooks can be read on your computer, an eReader, iPod and other such devices.
It is so very tempting to go online and build a library of the great books that I would like to read or re-read. I choose instead to to stay focused on our business goals (Operation Streamline) and building my trading skills.
• I also learned today that Diane and I are totally weird when it comes to calendar use. Learned by previewing some consumer devices and realizing that we have no need for their built-in calendar functions, because we don't use calendars any more.
Back in our white-collar careers we toted our fancy calendars around, just like our colleagues. Too fancy to be ordinary calendars, they were dressed in fine leather cases and called Day Timers, Franklin Planners, time management systems or other such things.
When we were with a client, colleague or group and a meeting or event was to be scheduled, out came the fine leather and premium pens. We were so busy. Would there be room to squeeze in another appointment? We were so important. Look at how much we had to do!
When we took up life and work on the road, we did not think much about it as we stopped using calendars. When 2003 turned to 2004, it did not even enter our minds to buy new calendars as they were no longer used.
I know today every appointment we have in 2010. The first is tomorrow morning when we pick up freight. Our next appointment is the delivery later this week. We won't know the next appointment until we get dispatched on the next run. Diane has a dental appointment at home in February. We memorized that date when she set it. There will be two more dental appointments for her sometime in 2010 and we will be home for Christmas in December. That's it, as of today, every appointment we have from now to year end.
Calendars, schmalendars; who needs 'em?
• Today is the same as yesterday. We are in an RV park in Southern California, waiting to pick up freight on Monday. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Blog entries are made so as not to reveal customer specifics or the current location of the truck when we are under load. Entries are updated to include location information after we leave the area. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page