Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Price per gallon - answer is.........!!!!

$3.82!!!  Very good!!  You guys are pretty good!  When I was in 4th grade, Diesel cost $0.73 cents!!  Just last year, it was around $2.49.  It's the biggest expense in the trucking business.  So, if you can do anything to your truck to make it use less fuel - the better!!  Not only is it better to create less emissions (good for the environment) and use less fuel resources, it will save you money. 

I got an email from Mrs. Hnizdo today!!  It's always great to hear from you guys!!  So, to answer a few questions....

1.  I do not have to pay for fuel out of my pocket.  We have a fuel card (picture soon!) that we use to get fuel.  Before they turn the pumps on, we have to give information like our mileage, truck number, and driver ID before we can get fuel.  My boss/company pays the fuel bill. 

2.  I do have a walkie-talkie of sorts.  It's a CB radio.  CB stands for Citizen's Band.  Most all truckers have them in their trucks, you can tell by the big long antenna sticking up near the mirrors.  We use them to let other drivers know about accidents coming up, bad weather, road conditions/hazzards, or anything else that is good to pass along.  Some drivers get silly on there & use some bad language so I usually turn it off when I'm in the city.  When we get to certain places, we have to use a certain channel.  Channel 3 for the steel mill in Midlothian, TX, Channel 34 for the mill in Waco, TX, and Channel 22 for our yards to talk to our other drivers.  If we follow each other, we usually turn to Channel 22 to talk.  Normally, everyone is on Channel 19, it's the public channel.  Channel 9 is monitored all the time and can be used to get in touch with people in case of an emergency. 

3.  I do not have a handle on the radio, really.  Back in the 1980s and 1970s, it was common for everybody to have a handle.  My dad had one, it was "saddle king".  Today, some of the radio repair guys have handles like "troubleshooter" in Abilene, TX, "hard drive" in Arizona, and "radio rash" in Dallas, TX.  Most other drivers call me "scrap hauler" or "scrap bucket" or "Mon-Star" (that's the brand name on the back of my trailer) when they see me and want to talk to me on the radio. 

4.  I fill up on diesel fuel every day.  I have two 100 gallon tanks, one on each side of the truck.  I will put in anywhere from 90 to 120 gallons in each day depending on how far I go that day.  I always fuel up at the same place, Wes-T-Go in Tye, TX.  They, like all other truckstops (TA, Petro, Pilot, Flying J), have a frequent fueler card they put points on.  I get $0.01 for every gallon that I pump.  So, if I pump 100 gallons each day, that's $1 per day on my card.  Right now, I think I have $90 on that card.  We can use the card to get stuff in the store like food, maps, drinks, anything you can find in a convenience store. 

Today's fill up.  Notice anything different?  Check that bottom number!  The price went down!  Yaaay!
5.  Snacking.  I don't really snack much in my truck.  I'm not a big snacker, and that drives my wife (Kasey) crazy!  She likes to snack when we take a trip somewhere.  I do pack my lunch each day.  Most of the time it's a sandwich.  Lately, a pastrami and cheddar sandwich with Chipotle Mayo (that I make myself), spicy mustard and a pickle.  I'll try to eat an apple, too.  Sometimes I'll bring chips.  I pack THREE 24 ounce water bottles to drink (and I drink them all!).  I get a free drink when I fuel up, but I usually just get ice water.  I do occassionally take sunflower seeds, but those are soooo salty that I almost can't stand it.  I will indulge in a soda every now & then.  But I'm trying to stop drinking them altogether!  It was one of my new year's resolutions!  I will have probably 2 per week. 

6.  I will try my best to get to your school and visit you guys!!  I have talked to my boss about taking an early Friday load to Midlothian's mill and going to your school after I unload.  I will need to find out Mrs. Hnizdo's schedule and find a time when we will both be able to get that done!!  I'm sure we can pull something off!!  You guys will be allowed to check out my truck, even on the inside.  But I'm sorry - it's strictly prohibited to give anybody a ride in my truck.  Trucker Buddy rules and our insurance would probably frown upon that as well. 

Today, I took another load of shred to Waco.  I guess that's going to be my standard run for a while.  My boss spoke briefly to me on Tuesday and said things were changing, so I might go back to hauling to Midlothian, but at this time I am not sure.  I'm just happy to be working! 

I saw lots of smoke today.  There was an East-SouthEast breeze today that was carrying smoke from that wildfire in Bastrop, TX that's been on the news so much lately. 

Those hills in the hill country were tough to see with all that smoke.  Oh, and yes - I was following one of our trucks back from Waco today.  He was having tire trouble so I had to follow to make sure everything went okay.  It's actually truck #7, the truck I had been driving for quite a while!  Anyways, back to the fire...

http://www.statesman.com/news/central-texas-fires-crisis-response-map-1824020.html

There's a lot of them going on, lately.  It has been so dry in our state.  My farm has had less than 1/2 inch of rain since October 2010!!!  That's almost no rain for nearly a year.  It's very bad for livestock, wildlife and can cause fires quickly.  Even water is getting hard to find with so many lakes drying up. 

This is a grass fire I saw today in Trent, TX.  I see fires along the roadside about once or twice a week.  That's soooooo bad!!  So, what can we do?  Make sure we are careful when near any dry grass, remind people that smoke not to be careless with their cigarettes, and hope we get some rain very soon!! 
If you guys have any questions, let Mrs. Hnizdo know!  I love hearing from my class!!  Hope you guys are having a great short school week!  Happy September 8!  International Literacy Day, Anniversary of the unveailing of Michaelangelo's David, and Galveston Hurricane (biggest natural disaster in Texas).  --Robbie

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