We drove from the US/Canadian border at Toronto and Buffalo to the US/Mexican border at Laredo, Texas in about 36 hours. We were so happy to be headed closer to home that we hardly stopped on the way other than to shower and fuel up. We got there a good 5 hours ahead of schedule. We were scheduled to unload at 6am, but found out that the plant only receives shipments between 9am and 2pm, so we got in line with a lot of other trucks that were apparently planning to unload earlier, too. Once they unloaded the truck, we headed over to a large Flying J to take a shower and log ourselves “out of service” so we could head to San Antonio to see Jonathan and Douglas. We decided to get in line for a truck wash while we were there. We were in a line with about 4 trucks in front of us and 4 behind us when we got a call from Panther saying that I had been selected for a random drug screening – a requirement for all CDL drivers from time to time – and that I had two hours to get to the clinic in Laredo for the test (if you don’t submit and comply within the time frame, you lose your job!) I told her that we were stuck in line at the truck wash with no way to get out, and the line was moving really slowly. She told me it didn’t matter, I would just have to call a cab, and they would reimburse me for the expense. Soooooo I took a cab ride into Laredo with a nice Mexican lady who barely spoke English. She drove 75 mph through heavy traffic to get me there. It was an, um, adventure, but I suppose I passed the test because I still have a job!
Once we got out of there, we got to go on to New Braunfels to meet Jonathan, Ashley, Doug, and Bethany for dinner at the Olive Garden. It was great to see them and spend a little bit of time with them . . . just not enough time. We also got to see Josh, Heather, Jason, and Tamara and to go through and see Mom and Ronnie on our way to relocate in Dallas. It’s really hard to go so long without seeing them all and was well worth the drive to get to see them.
We ended up spending a day and a half waiting for our next offer in Dallas – that’s probably the worst part of the job because you just have to wait until they call or send you a message with an offer. Then, we got an offer for a run from Denton, TX to Flint, Michigan, so that was a really good load to get. From there, we took a load from Millbury, Ohio to Chatham, Ontario, about 50 miles northeast of Windsor. We spent the weekend in the New Baltimore, Michigan area before taking a load from there to Syracuse, New York. The shortest route was through Canada, so we are learning about our 4th way to cross the border. This is called an “In transit Manifest” since you’re passing through Canada taking goods from one U.S. city to another. You give them you paperwork at the Canadian border, and they put a seal on your truck that can’t be broken until you leave Canada on the other side and go back into the United States.
A little while ago, we passed through Hamilton, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Huron. You certainly do see the American cultural influence in the Canadian provinces. There are all sorts of places with unfamiliar names, many with French derivatives, but you seldom travel a block without seeing a Wendy’s, Subway, KFC, Holiday Inn, Home Depot, WalMart, and even the good ol’ Texas Stop Signs (a.k.a. Dairy Queens). We read a book last year called “Here” about the North American Free Trade Agreement that was passed in 1999 when Clinton was in office. It was written by a New York Times reporter who was an American, but had lived in several cities in Canada and also in Mexico City while researching his book. He talks a lot about the Canadian resistance to American culture and the way that we “export” a globalized view of American Commerce. Of course, you have to be careful using the work “American” since technically both Canadians and Mexicans are part of North America. I think they prefer that you use U.S. instead. It feels weird to be on the North side of a sign that says “Bridge to U.S.A. “ Then, you deal with the Canadian customs people who are generally speaking pretty friendly and welcome you to Canada, and the U.S. customs officers who look you over, tell you to remove your sunglasses, scrutinize your paperwork, and toss a handful of questions at you to see if you’re who you say you are and if you know what it is that you’re hauling, where you came from, where you’re going, and how often you travel to Canada. That’s ok with me, though, considering the horrors of 9-11 and the subsequent attempts of terrorists to enter our country uninvited. One of the guys who conducted out orientation with Panther works closely with the customs officials and anti-terrorism division of the US government. He told us about several unsuccessful attempts that have been made by Islamic groups post 9-11. One involved a plot to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge. U.S. customs agents were suspicious of the truck, which was transporting plastic chairs like WalMart sells. The strange thing was that the chairs were just sitting in the trailer loose, not tied down or anything. When they inspected the truck, they found a false bottom in the center where the terrorists had placed a nuclear warhead. Thank God they caught the guys, but you wonder what else is going on out there. We joke about telling the inquisitive U.S. customs agents that we’re hauling blocks of cheese, D-Cell batteries, and duct tape, but it’s really scary what these people are trying to get by the detectors! The guy at Panther also told us about two men who went through the same kind of orientation with them that we were going through, got a job with Panther, and had been driving for them about a year when 9-11 occurred. He said that when they heard the news about the planes hitting the World Trade Center, these two trucks were headed in the direction of New York. Panther sent them messages on the truck’s QualComm system telling them to turn around and head back to Ohio. When they didn’t respond, they called them repeatedly on their cell phones (a requirement for all drivers), but they wouldn’t answer and just kept on driving. Panther tracked the trucks via the GPS system onboard. They found the trucks empty and abandoned in downtown Manhattan. The load they were on wasn’t even scheduled to go through New York, so they still don’t know what the men were up to, and they never showed back up! No coincidence that these guys were of Middle Eastern descent.
Anyway, as I write this, we’re sitting at the entrance to the customs office at the Peace Bridge outside Buffalo. We passed within a few miles of Niagara Falls again a few minutes ago, but we didn’t stop this time. We’re headed to Syracuse, New York to deliver this load, so I hope to take some good pics of upstate New York, which I’ve heard is really pretty. It’s a little rainy, so we’ll see.
Well, this blog entry is getting really long winded, so I’ll go for now and write more later. Please let us hear from you. We miss everyone a lot!!