On My Way through the Big Sky Country!!

Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Broadus, Montana

Tomo left Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 16:30 MST on Sunday and drove to Broadus, Montana and stopped there for the night (early morning) 3:30 am Monday morning MST.  

Definitely the Big Sky Country!!

Clear Roads make driving very enjoyable!

At that point he slept for his required 10 hours off duty and started back up again at 13:30 pm MST Monday afternoon.  

He enjoyed clear roads and the Beautiful Big Blue Skies of Montana!!

Great to be a trucker with roads like this!!

No worries about rogue wipers here in this beautiful weather.  

Vantage Windmills

Not much snow at the Vantage Windmills.

Great to have clear, clean roads to drive on!

Not as pretty as the blue skies of Montana but a clear familiar road always makes one happy!!

The final leg of this run is from Missoula, Montana to Burnaby, BC Canada

Tomo's comments when he finally reached the border: 

'What do ya know!!! Canada didn't let me in hahaha. So I gotta wait till morning and then try again. Due to a lack of paper work on the trailer I am pulling. ' 

Great Challenge at the end of a run!

Quite the tight spot!

This is the drop location in burnaby BC. There was no place to turn around at this site so ... Tomo had to back in from the entrance all the way to the back,  going around a corner, missing trailers and walls. He said it was fun and he was not being sarcastic.

Tomo is back at the border again, coming back into the States.  He is suppose to drop his trailer and pick up a different one in Puyallup, WA and the next adventure begins. 

The Trucker Tomo's Travels Continue!

Janesville to Madison, WI to Albert Lea, MN to Sioux Falls, SD

Tomo left Janesville, WI Saturday morning and went up to Madison, WI and got his wiper fixed.  Then hit the road towards Sioux falls. On the way, where I-90 and I-35 intersect at Albert Lea, Minnesota I met up with Larry Pendell.  Larry was traveling south on I-35 towards Iowa and we decide have our Xmas dinner together at junction the truck stop.  We didn't have anything fancy but was good to visit. Tomo just had a breakfast platter of Hash Browns and 2 eggs and a ground beef patty and a English muffin. It was actual his first meal of the day so it disappeared pretty quickly. After that, Tomo headed to Sioux falls SD and got to a truck stop right off of I-90 and I-29.  With help from friends and workers he had a meeting figured out for Sunday.  So on Sunday, he had a shower in the morning and drove up to the meeting place. The family said that they have had truckers come by for meeting before and that I wasn't the first.  So it was pretty easy for them to give me instructions for coming in to their neighborhood and where to park. It worked out very nicely. The meeting was from 10:00 and there were 20 people including me, 2 babies and 2 little children. It was my first fellowship meeting since I started driving  and it was really nice. (When I started driving, I seemed to be following the Special Meeting routes with Castle Rock, CO, then Salt Lake, Utah, and then again in Yakima, WA)  In South Dakota, they don't stand up to give their testimonies, and so that brought back memories from being back home in Japan.

After meeting, Tomo noticed that his truck wasn't charging the battery.  His guess was ... that this meant either the alternator is shot or the belts are loose.  Also, he was having some problems with his  air lines freezing up and not getting his air tanks charged. He did some work on the air lines by putting air brake antifreeze in the lines but not sure how well he got it in. So he headed to a repair shop to wait his turn to get looked at and find out what was going on with his alternator/belts and see if they could put some antifreeze through out the whole air systems.

In The Shop, Checking the alternator and the air lines.

Since the truck was not charging the battery, that meant my fridge is off duty right now and my computer was not charging either, so with low power, he didn't have a whole lot to do.

Oh well... just rest as much as he can for he will be on the road before too long.  He is suppose to be in Burnaby, BC Canada by Wednesday.  He still got time.

The Tale of the Rogue Wiper!!

Tomo was able to deliver his load to Lowe's in Mishawaka at 7:30 am and hit the road to the nearest Truck Stop in South Bend, Indiana to wait 90 minutes for the office in Mountain Time Zone to open and receive his new assignment.

Pacific(PST)  Mountain (MST)  Central (CST)   Eastern (EST)    

The Rogue Wiper!!

Tomo had to wait until 11:30 am to get his trailer loaded and on the road.  Unfortunately, the weather in that area turned bad and there was snow and sleet with strong winds. Add to that a rogue wiper that decided to do 'its own thing' until finally the wind grabbed it and pushed it to the far left, where it gave up the ghost.  Since this occurred on the driver's side of the windshield and Tomo was driving through some mountains where it was not possible to pull over, it was more than tense!  Tomo very carefully and slowly made his way and finally pulled into a truckstop near Janesville, Wisconsin at 8:30pm.  This drive in normal conditions takes about 5 to 6 hours for a loaded truck but it took around 9 hours.  Tomo was mentally and physically exhausted and just wanted to relax. 

So how does THIS TRUCKER relax?  Tomo spent the evening in the Trucker's Lounge doing laundry for a little over two hours!!  (probably talking to other drivers as well, gleaning all the tricks of the trade he can!) We are just glad he made it safely.  


The next morning, depending on the weather, he would have to wait around to  fix the wiper, or if the weather was clear he would be able to go on to the next area??  Must wait for the next episode of the Traveling Trucker. 

Gourmet in the CAB!!!

Eagleville, MO to Mishawaka, I

Tomo left Eagleville, Missouri at 7 am (CST) in the morning on Dec 23rd and rolled into Mishawaka, Indiana at 5:30 pm (CST).  












The roads were just great.  NO SNOW OR ICE TO BE SEEN!! Only struggle was trying to avoid toll roads in Harvey, Illinois!   This place was a little bit of a hassle.  It seems that the City's roads (ALL?) were under construction and Tomo's clever GPS kept shouting at him to go straight on one particular road!!! 

The Jersey Barrier

However, that wonderful road was all blocked off with lovely jersey barriers.  
So needless to say, with the commanding GPS and his own lack of knowledge of the area, he got mixed up and found himself traveling down some small roads with narrow intersections.  



All of this causing quite a stir amongst the local people as he rolled over corner curbs while trying to negotiate these narrow turns.  Thus making the locals terrified as they saw him coming at them.

Then due to the Christmas holidays, the roads in and around Mishawaka, Indiana driving was another nightmare!!  The combination of narrow roads, Christmas traffic, tight corners and a semi trucker with full loaded trailer traversing roads without a clue as to where he was going makes for an interesting sight!!  The drivers that had the misfortune to be following this meandering semi truck ...... were more than likely a bit hot under the collar!  (ha ha ha!)

At last, the destination was located and Tomo pulled into the Lowe's parking area, only to find out that this part of INDIANA is on Eastern Standard Time (EST), not the previously thought Central Standard Time (CST).  So..... the unloading would have to wait until morning!  Tomo then proceeded into Lowe's to locate the Store Manager.  He requested and obtained permission to park the truck and trailer in the parking lot overnight.  (Apparently, the Store manager was a bit surprised by Tomo's request, as most other drivers had never asked permission before!! Always pays to be courteous!)

The Cobb Salad

After parking and unhooking his trailer in the lot, Tomo then Bobtailed it over to Wally World (Walmart) a block away and did some shopping for the Gourmet in the CAB dinner.  On the menu in the CAB tonight was 'Cobb Salad' and steaming hot 'Clam Chowder via his newly acquired Slow Cooker. 

(A big thanks  to  B & L and the kids.)

Clam Chowder

Dinner in the POT!!

Tomo will drop his load at 7 am or so Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 24th and then on to the next adventure!  With the help of the Routing Manager.....

A DREAM of a GIFT and a clear road for hauling!!

Healthy Trucker's Friend

The trucker's dream gift!!  Tomo's stop over in Windsor, CO was more than wonderful!!  Besides great fellowship with a loving family, he was presented his idea of a trucker's dream gift .... A slow cooker for the road!!  Now once he gets his rice cooker, he will be enjoying the road more than ever.  A heartfelt thanks to those lovely people in Windsor!! They are stuck with him stopping in as the travels permit!!  

Tomo's trailer ready for loading.

Here is his truck backed up to the dock ready for his load in Lyons, KS. 

Loaded with Road Salt!!

The trailer is loaded with bags if salt. Not the food kind ... The one that you spray on pavement and what not. 
17 pallets, weighing in at  42,500 lb. 
My total weight is 77,500 lb.  His truck will be huffing and puffing up the hills all the way!!  (Luckily the midwest is relatively flat!)

Right out side of Lyons on Hwy 56.

This is just outside of Lyons, Kansas as I head out for Mishawaka, Indiana. 

He is parked for the night in Eagleville, MO, just a few miles south of the Missouri Iowa border.  

Tomo should roll into Mishawaka IN tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully make it in time for receiving at Lowe's in the late afternoon.

Stopped just south of the Iowa/Missouri border

From Utah to Colorado to Kansas to Indiana!!

The next adventure!!

Tomo just picked up a trailer in Colorado Springs, CO and is waiting for the office to tell him where to go.  The office called and he is bound for Lyons, Kansas.  

This is about 517 mi, about 8 hours 55 mins  in good weather.  Since it is winter and weather has been interesting to say the least .... not sure how long it took. 

Tomo has rolled in to Lyons KS.  He is going to  pick up a load here,  that has to do with salt. Salt pellets or something and going to head to IN with it. Don't know what's after that.  It has been a weary day so he is going to bed now, he said that 'I am dead'.

The Next Leg of the Adventure!

Tomo dropped his trailer off in Tooele, UT this morning and bobtailed(no trailer) to CO.  From Salt Lake City, UT to Fort Collins, CO is about 8 hours but it took me 10 1/2 hours due to the icy roads and a snow storm on I 80. When Bobtailing, he doesn't have any weight on the back to balance, so the tractor just wants to go everywhere. Bobtailing in the icy & snowy weather is one of the last things he wants to do. It did scared the guts out of him couple times. Few truck were in the ditch in WY and couple cars too.

Tomo is now at some friend's place again for the night in Fort Collins/Windsor area. They live 5 minutes away from the freeway. His 10 hour off duty will be up at 9 tomorrow morning so he'll take off again. This time heading to Colorado Springs.  Then after that ... who knows.

Great Day in Salt Lake and Specials!!

Tomo managed to slip into Specials in Salt Lake with the help of friends far and near (Thanks to Nancy and Kevin in High Prairie, AB, and Nancy's Mom in Salt Lake) to get him to the right place.  Managed to have a wonderful meeting and then needed to scoot to drop off the trailer he is pulling.  However, due to communication errors..... the distribution terminal is closed on Sunday and not able to drop off the trailer.  Waiting for the alternative plan ... most likely Monday morning ... then on to his next pick up.  Might be the famous Christmas Tree Costco from the beginning of the month, where they finally have an empty trailer waiting.  Then he may be on to Muscatine, Iowa for another pick up.  There seems to be a lot of maybes in the trucking business.  I guess, flexibility is a asset for truckers!!  

Will keep you all posted as more news comes in.  Tomo is happy with this blog and especially since he isn't the one typing it.  (excuse the errors in advance!!)

The Trucking Adventure Begins!!

Home Yard in Anaconda, MT

Snow on the first time out

Well, we now have a REAL 'Trucker' in our family!! Tomo made his first run and boy was it full of experiences!!! From starting his first run alone with his trainer/supervisor driving another truck on the group of five trucks to be followed by a white out in Montana in the first two hours to Portland to pick up his delivery.  

 

 Truck stop in Cheney, WA and a lovely sister worker sent Mom this photo!! 

 

 

 

Rest Stop on the way to Portland, OR

 

 

Traffic Back up due to a jack-knifed semi.

 

 

 

 

 

First load, 520 Christmas Trees headed for Colorado!

Then heading out only to be backed up in traffic on I-84 for 2 & half hours due to snow/ice and a Jack-knifed semi blocking all lanes to windy weather in Wyoming to 'Thanksgiving dinner in a truck stop dinner, that he said was pretty good!!  

 

 

Then a smooth last stretch to the store parking lot in Denver to sleep for the night before the Friday morning deliver of 520 Christmas trees. Loved every minute of it, though the white out was a bit nerve racking!! He is happy as can be!!

Blue skies of Colorado!

A smile speaks a 1,000 words!

 

 

Tomo & Larry met up with some nice people in Colorado and got a great special meeting. Tomo is now in Bozeman, MT and will be back at the yard in the morning to pick up his passport as he is to head to Canada with a load for Edmonton. First time to cross the border as a trucker and not sure what that all entails, kind of wish he was traveling with someone for the first time..... but his is got to make it on his own. 

 

This company seems to be good at letting the drivers learn on their own, but..... a bit more training might be better for a young buck like Tomo. However, he is good to ask if he isn't sure.

 

Just woke Tomo up. He had driven through the night and arrived in Calgary at 10 am. He is in Calgary and had to wait until 3 pm for them to unload his truck and finally finished at 6pm. Then he finally got some sleep. He thinks he is headed to Idaho for a pick up and then off and running again. More later as we hear. 

Tomo made it from Calgary to Idaho Falls, and now has a loaded trailer, that he is taking to a swap point, and exchanging trailers then bringing the second one back to BC. After that he hopes to have a few days to clean out his apartment and get his stuff into storage and then.... who knows. 

Never a dull moment when you have a trucker in the family!! 8 )

Tomo got to Idaho Falls, ID and then on to Tremonton, UT where he swapped trailers, only to find his new load had a flat tire. Had to stay put till it could be fixed and so now hopefully he is headed back up to Burnaby, BC with this load. Hopefully, the following load will take him to Everett/Seattle area. Then he may have some time off to get his things squared away!! Since this was suppose to be a 'TRIAL RUN' to test his skills and ability!! hahaha! a long evaluation, just short of a month! 

Yesterday I was on the phone with Tomo just outside of Pocatello, Idaho. He mentioned that he had a truck scale coming up in 2 miles. So we continued talking and all the the sudden, Tomo yells 'SHOOT!!' He passed a line of trucks, and then realized that it was the scales that they were getting off for!! So he pulled over, and walked back to the scales!! He grovelled and apologized and they gave him a warning. Thank goodness! $265 is the fine for failing to stop!! The moment he had passed, the DOT put out a call for the Patrol to stop him. The rescinded that and so all was well. I wonder if the GPS have a warning signal for all the Truck scales?? He didn't even see it until he was past the fork to exit.

Another learning experience. 

Home for the clean up, truck and apartment!

 

Tomo finally made it back to Granite Falls!! 30 miles away at a scale check, they shut him down due to a brake hose failure!! I am glad they caught it, but he was a bit miffed to be so close but not able to move till someone came out to fix it!! Safety first!! Thanks DOT!!

 

Tanner & Masaki's ride to school?

School Bus or Truck??

 Boys being as they are, the high school boys were comparing their trucks.  'My truck is bigger than yours, NO!! mine is bigger than yours!!' 

 

 

 

WELL, when the boys drove up in their 'truck'!!!  Guess who won the competition!!  Hahaha!!  Nice to have a trucker in the family!

 

 

 

Heard from Tomo today. He was able to get his truck cleaned out and loaded with his things this past week. Then headed out to Boise. He stopped off in Pendleton, Oregon only to be awakened at 2 am by another trucker, letting him know that he had a large lake of oil under his truck. He got up and checked and sure enough, their was ...a large lake. He shut down his truck and went back to bed. 

Blew a gasket in Pendleton, OR

 The following morning, the lake had grown even larger and the mechanic was called. He had been losing oil, but not sure exactly where. This time he blew a gasket and so had to be fixed. The mechanic worked for a few hours but had another appointment so had to leave and then come back later. So Tomo finally got back on the road at about 8 pm and finally arrived in Boise a bit before Midnight.

Tomo is now in Tooele, Utah for the night!  Waiting to pick up his load tomorrow and head on to .....  not sure where.