January 9th, 2013, I finished the Lease, and somehow fell into a state of Limbo. All the plans to look at this milestone was uncertain. I knew what I wanted to do up until that point. I think it was a period of needing it to be real. I worked, struggled, starved, and most importantly, learned with each day in the leasing period, and stayed so involved, that when it was done, my mind went blank. It took a couple of days of staying up with the basic truck related paperwork, until I would roll for another load, and typically, the practices of the past now challenge to plan rom past experiences. With plans to pick up in Crossett, Arkansas, the weather took center focus. It had to. From past experience, I have been “stuck” with a load, once for four days, because of ice and snow.

The load was picked up as the weather went from snowfall, to ice rain. The typical run of the storm was northeast, and the path strays slowly eastward. It is the only predictable pattern of the weather. So, instead f rolling with that path, I chose to run out of route, and go directly east, before seeking the corrected course northeast again, Simply put, I traveled just east of the storms path all the way to my destination. There was no time to enjoy getting another job done.  Weather forecasters were already pointing out another storm to follow. And again, a mix of snow and ice. I don’t worry of the snow, that slows me. It is the ice to shuts me down, and keeps me down.  it would take about three days to be where I was, so I as able to focus on the loads in the area or region, before looking for a load to take me south again.

Plans to take home time in January was postponed, and from January 14th, for the next four and a half weeks, it was seek a path south before the next series of storms, pick a load back north, roll with loads in the area, while focusing west to see the time frame for the next storm. Then repeat the cycle again.  It was a successful plan that derived from past years, and it does need more practice. I mean it was not perfectly planned all the time, causing me to fumble with the rules of approach I have set for myself, but the loads never froze, and they made it on time. I am till working on my spreadsheets to see if this type of winter operation is worth making my own policy to keep for winter runs. Playfully, I dub it “operation snowbird”.  Not once down with a load, and a 34 hour break planned as the reason for sitting, and not the forecasted 4-6 inches that fell in Columbus, Ohio.

In between the multiple storms, there were times I came close to the storm rolling in, and one notable storm track was the one that involved an 80 vehicle collision in the Cincinnati Interstate, and another 50+ vehicles 20 miles north. I had left a truck stop there, after a 10 hour break, just under an hour before mother nature made the white out conditions that was a factor in that mess. And now, February 24th, 2013, I get one chance to plan a rest period for the 55th Daytona 500, before tomorrows delivery to one location, pick up less that 20 miles away, and roll south before the next forecasted snow storm, with an icy mix in the middle. The plan is to be south of the ice, and settle for the band of rain that fuels the storm as it strays east.

I made it sound simple. There are a few other factors in this plan that I need to review, such as my logs, mapping of each trip, and the way the expenses could have been better handled.  I am good with “rolling recaps” when it comes to managing my log hours, but I did have issues with running over my 14 hour, once due to concerns to prevent the load from freezing, and the next, for breaking my own personal rule of using the last working or driving hour to find a place to take a break. Yeah, my own last hour safe haven rule broken. My bad.

With the Daytona already in the first 8eight laps, my time down may include laundry, paperwork catch up. It is 37°, mostly sunny, just north of Perrysburg, Ohio, and I will enjoy the race. Afterwards, its back to focusing on my projects and plans, and watch the weather, for another four straight weeks.

There is one other thing to work out this year, and that is this blog. Every attempt to keep things going has these empty periods, due to weather or work load. Somehow I have to get beyond that shortcoming, since the blog has taken on a growth of its own. More downtime thoughts, return to the spreadsheet and word projects, build up to more projects that includes maps, logs, and even some craft projects (or course, computer themed), and return to building study periods to know fuel tax rules, and other obligations, before making the truck full operated under my own Authority.

Come On, Spring!