My story of trucking in North America: Christmas Day over and done with.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas Day over and done with.

Hi all, well xmas has been and gone.
Spent Xmas eve at the "J" Cheyenne and woke up this morning to snow, how much did you people at home wish for that? Its great when you can get the sledge from the garage but not so great when you have 600 miles to drive.
Woke up about 6am and got straight into making phone calls which I thoroughly enjoyed and it was good to hear that everyone had a good day and had full bellies.
I didnt bother with breakfast but set off into the ice and snow which was ok as the roads were empty. The stereo in the truck automatically broadcasts severe weather warnings and just as Chris Moyles started his xmas show I was told that my breakfast stop - Denver Colorado was getting badly hit by snow and high winds.
Hungry as hell I pulled in and went for an all u can eat breakfast and caught up with a few calls that I had missed earlier. The snow was forecast to fall at a rate of 4-5" per hour so I set off in a bid to beat the worst. Luckily I outran it in about 1hr and pointed 3929 towards Texas.
Did I mention I am going to Laredo Texas which is right on the mexican border. The load of beef I have is destined for Mexico and can only transit the USA. When I arrive the load is transhipped to a Mexican and we go our own ways after that.
Hopefully by now my Dad will have is Xmas gift of a Roadmap so he can follow my travels. This is for you Dad, the route I have to take on this trip.
Canada,Alberta (Calgary,High River,Lethbridge,Sweetgrass) USA Montana (Shelby,Great Falls,Billings) Wyoming (Sheridan,Casper,Cheyenne) Colorado (Denver,Limon,Lamar) Oklahoma (Boise City) Texas (Amarillo,Lubbock.Abilene,San Antonio,Laredo) Then the toll road to the customer.
Ok, thats enough for today, at the minute I am at lubbock so a good shift tomorrow will get me to Laredo. Speak soon

2 comments:

paul and alison said...: Hi, My name is Paul Conroy we used to work together at Autocarriers. I just discovered your blog which is amazing as i have been offered a with H&R. Be pleased to hear from you. Paul; December 27, 2007 at 10:25 AM
Montedarlo said...: Hi Paul, I remember you. Think the last time we spoke was on Portrack Lane at the cash and carry place. Hows things, good I hope.
Its really good to hear from you, its a small world.
There is a few lads from Darlo work here and plenty more from the North East.
Do you have any idea of timescales regarding coming over here ?
I see that you will be bringing your family, have you looked at Lyndons Blog yet as its very family orientated and has loads of info regarding houses and such like as well as being a very good read.http://lyndon001.blogspot.com/
Anyway, if I can help out in any way just drop me an email to montedarlo@hotmail.co.uk.
Best wishes, Phil; December 27, 2007 at 10:53 AM

Your bank, its your choice.

I have already covered a bit about credit here but something has come to light.
When you arrive in Canada you will be taken to a bank and an account will be opened for you.
You are no way obliged to open an account at a branch you dont want.
I have had a few hiccups lately with ATB, the latest being having to wait 2.5hrs to have it authorised for me to be able to but my new laptop as I was going over my daily withdrawl limit.
If you are not happy with your bank then you can always change it, just as I am about to do

Rubbish pic but I have seen it

The Salton Sea is an inland saline lake, occupying the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink, part of the larger Colorado Desert in Southern California, north of the Imperial Valley. The lake covers a surface area of approximately 376 square miles (974 km²), the largest in California. While it varies in dimensions and area due to changes in agricultural runoff and rain, it averages 15 by 35 miles (24 by 56 km), with a maximum depth of 51 feet (15½ m), giving a total volume of about 7.5 million acre-feet (9.3 km³). Sea inflow averages 1.36 million acre-feet per year (53.2 m³/s).

Facts about Canada

Canada invented the baseball glove in 1883
Canada does not own the North Pole.
Santa Claus does !!
Its population equates to 3 people per square Km
Canadians rank 6th in the worlds standard of living
Canada has almost 2 million lakes
Cigarettes and Alcohol are cheaper in the UK
Hockey is the national sport
The word Canada translates as "Village"
it has the longest highway,7604km long
Canada has 42 National parks
25% of the worlds fresh water is in Canada
Second largest country in the world
There are 3 oceans on 3 sides
Canada hs the worlds longest coastline
population is roughly 33 million
6 million of those speak french
It has six time zones

Winter is coming and its serious

A few weeks ago my night heater packed in through the night. I woke at 2am and the temp in the cab was -2. I was freezing in my pants and summer quilt. I told a canadian lad about it and received the biggest bollocking. How was I to survive if I got stuck somewhere for a few days in temps as low as -30 ? Basically I would die so the need for proper winter clothing is essential and needs to be in the front of the mind of lads coming over in the winter time. I have added a list of what I consider essentials and a rough guide to the prices.

Bank accounts and Credit

When you arrive in Canada you will be taken to open a bank account which is easy enough. Unless you can prove your credit worthyness from the UK its unlikely you will be offered a credit card. You will need one in the USA unless you pay cash for everything. The answer is to put cash up front. Mastercard/visa will give you a card if you put say $500 up front so in theory you are spending your own money but it will build you a credit history in Canada. Its worth budgeting for this before you arrive over here.