All ’round the mulberry bush – 0009hrs

Wow…what a day! We started in Olney, IL early this morning with an empty trailer and no game plan… got our load while we were bedded down last night… Pick-up in Schaumberg, IL just outside of Chicago. So we boot-scooted up there to drop our trailer (after our first truck and trailer wash (inside AND out!)… a mere $86 and change, but the inside of the trailer needed to be done for the next load.

We arrived in Schaumberg, IL and the shipper had a black-light to inspect the inside for any blood or contaminants. Once that trailer was cleared, we could drop it in their yard and pick up our pre-loaded one. 22,000 pounds of frozen pizza going to Gaffney, SC!

I drove since noon (central time) and we’re just now bedding down at a rest area just outside of Cincinnati, OH… one BIG-ASS circle via different highways! We ran into a bitch of a storm around Chicago… to the point that one exit ramp we had to go around took us through about 6″ of water! I’ve seen at least three rain-related wrecks today on the highway… people going too fast when it’s raining too hard…and sure enough, around they go into oncoming traffic and the wall!

So the big news of the day? My instructor and I finally figured out what the hell my damn problem was with my shifting… and at about the same time too… something so stupid simple we laughed… I had to slide the seat BACK by one notch so that I wasn’t “up on” the clutch so much!!! I was pressing the clutch in WAAAY too far, hence causing me to grind gears like and SOB and miss them altogether. Once I slid the seat back a bit…holy shit what a difference!! Now I hardly grind at all and usually slid the gear right in with maybe only a slight growl!

WHOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!

There’s hope for me yet!!

Okay.. almost 500 miles I drove today.. another 400 some odd miles to go tomorrow…but the load’s not due until 0300 Monday so there’s plenty o’ time to get it there (it’s another drop and hook) and move on from there.

It’s late, I’m tired… I’m off to bed! One more time… WHOOO HOOOOO!!! Here’s to no more grinding gears (crossing fingers!)