On the Road with Henry Albert

Hello,

Over the Christmas holiday I received letters from all of my students in St. Louis, MO. The third grade class is part of the Trucker Buddy program. Finally, I had some free time this weekend to read each one and write back to the students individually. They wrote about their school, travel plans over Christmas and wanted to know what my family and I had planned for our Christmas holiday. In the fall, I met each student and their teacher during a school visit. These children were very kind and thrilled to have the opportunity to see first hand inside the Cascadia. It was truly and wonderful experience for them as well as myself.  They gave me a tour of the school and invited me to stay for lunch.

I enjoy reading their letters during the year. Lately, I’ve been sending them pictures and articles on “rivers” which is what they are studying currently. In the past I have sent post cards, brochures and maps of various locations throughtout the United States during my travels. Many times their teacher will contact me to let me know what area they are studying so I can assist her in sending some helpful information.

I would encourage my fellow trucker’s to get involved with Trucker Buddy. It’s definitely a rewarding experience and you just might make some young friends along the way.Here is a link to check out the program for yourself.  http://www.truckerbuddy.org/  Till next time… be safe,

Henry

What a nice card to start the year with.

This was not what you like to see at the start of your day.

Hello,

On Thursday morning in Roanoke, LA at Petos Truck Stop, I put on my clothes and pulled the privacy curtain open to welcome the day. Just then I saw a woman wave to me and point to the front of my truck. I opened the door and she explained that it looked as though I had a coolant leak. If this was true, the start to this day wasn’t going to be very pleasant.  As I put on my shoes, the anxiety set in.  It was time to exit the truck to take a look for myself. Just then a man came up to me and said “looks like you have a coolant leak”. I told him a lady just informed me of the problem. He said “that was my wife”. It was great these two people took time to come over to inform me of the issue at hand. It was time to open the hood to face the music. To my relief… there was no problem with the truck at all. As I looked to the ground below me, the stream of water was flowing from a tin roof off the building next to me. The mixture of particles, oils and road oil made the water appear like coolant.

The man named Boris was originally from Australia and now lives in Joplin, MO. We chatted a bit about Joplin and I asked him how he fared with the recent tornado. Boris informed me that his home was located just five miles from the tornado and that his home and family was safe.  He began to ask me questions about the Cascadia and Detroit Diesel DD15 engine. Therefore, I invited him to take a look inside. As he reached and opened the driver door, he said “he could tell this was something different already”. He jumped in and commented on how well the cab was insulated and how quiet the truck was on the inside. I thanked him and his wife for informing me of what could have been an issue with the truck. I enjoyed meeting them and appreciated their camaraderie. I was happy to just go inside the truck stop and enjoy a nice breakfast without worry. I was again… off to a great start for the day and thought to myself, camaraderie is indeed still alive.

Till next time… be safe,

Henry

My wife Karen and I in Centennial Park

Hello,

Happy New Year to all! Well, it looks like I’ll be heading back out on the road Tuesday. I’ll be making my regular run to Laredo, TX.

During the Christmas holiday, I decided to take two weeks off. The first week was spent Christmas shopping,  catching up on some chores and unwinding from a busy year. I finally had some free time to conduct a few fuel mileage experiments with the Cascadia which we’ll discuss later in the year.

 My family and I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day of food and fun. When our guests left our home on Christmas evening, we decided to go ice skating in downtown Charlotte.  This has become a family tradition since Charlotte began their “Holiday on Ice” event. Ice skating brings back memories of my childhood in Pennsylvania. Close to my home was a pond where myself and the neighborhood kids skated for many hours during the winter months.  

The day after Christmas we packed our clothes and set off on a short road trip to Atlanta, GA. My son is 17yrs. old and works part time for Chick fil a restaurant. He wanted to visit the corporate office which is located in Atlanta. He wants to study Business/Marketing and this was an opportunity for him to see the operations first hand. We had a tour of their facility and learned all about the early days of “Chick fil a” and how they

A set depicting Truett Cathy at his first resturant.

began their business which started with Truitt Cathy and the “Dwarf House Restaurant”.  While in Atlanta, we also took time to visit The Georgia Aquarium, CNN Headquarters and the World of Coke Museum. We visited Centenial Olympic Park and “The Underground”. Atlanta is a city rich in culture and history. Mid week, our downtown hotel was bustling with college students from “Virginia University” and “Auburn” as they prepared for the “Chick fil a bowl” to be played on New Years Eve. There were students, players, cheerleaders,  coaches and families participating in events and social gatherings awaiting the big game day. We had to leave on Friday morning to head home.

The Georgia aquarium was fascinating.

On New Year’s Eve, I took my wife to the movie “New Year’s Eve”. She had wanted to see that movie over the holidays. Afterwards, we met up with our son and went for a very “late” night New Year’s Eve. Dinner. Usually, we host or are at some party… this year it was just she and I. Our evening together was very nice as I kissed her at 12:00 in the movie theater lobby just as the show let out. “Happy New Year” honey… Love you! Then I proceded to dance with her to the music that was playing in the theater lobby. We had a great night out as we celebrated the New Year. I miss my wife very much when I’m out on the road and moments like those you hold dear to your heart.

It just looked like a little puddle.

On Sunday, my son and I went to “Brown Mountain” in North Carolina to do some ATV riding.  We learned an important lesson while riding… always check the depth of a puddle of water before entering. The weather was warm and the trails were tacky… just perfect for riding. We had a great day together and enjoyed some quality father and son time. He’s 17yrs.old and a senior in high school. My time is limited with him so I soak up every minute as I know he’ll soon be off to college and starting a life of his own. I’m very blessed to have such a great family.

I had a great holiday season and I’m looking forward to the New Year (2012) and all that it brings. Take care and be safe,

Henry

Hello,

Wow… another New Year of opportunity is upon us. This year of 2012, I’ve got alot to look forward to. My wife and I will celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. My son turns 18yrs old and will graduate High School. My inlaws will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Looks like a fun filled year ahead.

As we leave 2011 behind,our economy seems to be on an upswing as we go forward into the new year. According to the latest freight index, shipments are on the rise. From the last report in December 2011, van rates improved .4%. Reefer was up .5%, flatbed .6% and many individual lanes saw major increases. Industry watchers suggest that better times are ahead for 2012.  Looks much better than when we were headed into the year 2008. So bring it on 2012… we’re ready to go make some money!!!

Henry

Hello again ,

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas . I had some time over Christmas break to review the new hours of service rules. My first view of the new rules appeared as though there wasn’t much change that would affect my operation. The FMCSA kept the 11 hours of driving time, the 34 hour restart was still in place but you could only use it once a week and there must be two 1am to 5am time periods within the restart and you were required to take a half an hour break within 8 hours of your duty cycle.

As I’m feeling confident that the new rules won’t have too much of an affect upon my operation, as I only use the 34 hour restart once a week and it always has two 1am to 5am periods. I never run more than 8 hours without taking a break, therefore I wasn’t seeing any big changes. Then… I read a bit farther into the new rules and discovered that indeed you can take only one 34 hour restart in a week and they really mean one restart per week! To be exact there must be 168 hours in between your 34 hour restart. 168 hours is a full 7 days… so in regards to my operation, the 34 hour restart is useless. I normally leave out on a Monday and return on Friday(afternoon or evening). This means that I can’t begin to use the restart provision until Monday. Panic set in and I began to fret and said to myself “how am I going to make this work”? Then it dawned on me… wait… I don’t need to use a 34 hour restart, I can do it the old way and use the recap. I did some figuring on my calculator with several months of log books to see how things would work using the recap. My research showed there’s no need to panic and that it will work for me using the 70 hour and 8 day rule. Everyone runs their operation differently, so I’m not sure how this will affect you. I’m still reviewing the 212 page report from the FMCSA. It will be interesting to see what everyone else  has to say regarding the  new rules. The FMCSA has an epic task in creating the hours of service rules.  I know that I wouldn’t want the job of trying to create a “one size fits all rule” to accommodate an industry that is as diverse as the trucking industry. Till next time… be safe,

Henry

Hello,

 It’s been a busy year for me and I want to take this time to say “thanks” to those of you who read and comment on my blog site. I’ve traveled all across the U.S this year to attend truck shows, dealer open houses and make my weekly deliveries. I have enjoyed meeting many new people this year and appreciate your kind words and support. For me, it’s great to talk one on one in person with you. It’s always a pleasure to discuss industry business and many of you have commented that your favorite blog subject is “fuel mileage”. I hope with all my changes,  modifications and fuel efficient specifications , I’m able to help each of you in some way to reduce your fuel costs. 

As the holiday season is upon us, I’ll be taking a couple weeks off to spend some time with my family. I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! Till next time… be safe,

                                                                              Henry

P.S. As I finish writing this blog, I noticed the FMCSA has published our new hours of service rules. You can review them at  http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/hos-final/HOS-Final-Rule.pdf  . Keep in mind, if your disappointed or discouraged with the new set of rules, it’s always important to find ways to make them work for your operation. If you concentrate on what won’t work… that’s all you’ll be able to see. Here is a blog for some extra encouragement in this area  http://sliceoftruckerlife.com/blogs/henry-albert/2010/10/04/dont-let-the-lemons-spoil/

Hello,

I’m taking some time off during the Christmas season. I plan on making some visits to my local thrift stores in the area to search for some good books to take along on the road. It’s always fun to look on the shelves and see what I can find. In the past, I’ve managed to locate some great books on business and various other interesting subjects. Some of these books have helped me in business strategy, marketing and negotiating.

 If you’ve never been to a thrift store, you can find almost anything written from the early 1900′s to current. The book selection usually isn’t in any order and you never know what you’ll find on any given day. Most of the time, I’ll come across a few great finds that surprise me. Usually, I’m not looking for anything in particular. These books cost only $2.00 – $3.00 so if they disappoint me, I haven’t spent a fortune. If you have some free time, check out your local thrift store book selection… happy hunting.

Henry

Cab over trucks and 42 foot trailers are quite a bit different than today's conventional tractor's with 53 foot trailers.

Just the tractor by itself makes quite a difference in the length.

Hello,

While cleaning over the weekend, I came across an old die cast truck and trailer from Weaver’s Chicken. This was the company in which I began my driving career in 1983. I began to search for a die cast truck and trailer from our current time period. I found one and decided to put them next to one another and see the comparison. As you can see from the picture, there’s quite a bit of difference in size. These collectibles are done to scale and show the Weaver truck as an old white cab over with a 42 foot 96 inch wide trailer. The truck of today, shown is a Freightliner Columbia with a 70 inch sleeper hooked to a 53 foot 102 inch wide trailer. As we look at the comparison, we can see how much our equipment has changed over the years. When I get into some tight dock areas, the shorter truck from back in the day sure looks

Looking at it from this angle makes it easy to see why it is so hard to get into some older docks.

nice. Many docks that we still use today were built for the trucks of a different era. Till next time…

Henry