Picking Up in Fontana

We left Quartzsite Arizona a little bit later than planned, but we still arrived at our shipper in Fontana California right on schedule. It was a ridiculous amount of deadheading, but the overall pay makes it worthwhile. 

  The shipper was really slow about getting trucks through their gate. We sat in line for well over one hour. During that time, I had a restroom emergency. Lucky for me, I brought a pop-up restroom shelter and a portable toilet. It sets up & breaks down within 20 seconds, literally. The last time I used it was for a shower. Traditional facilities weren't available to me then, either. 

   When it was finally our turn at the guard house, I had to undergo a lengthy process with the security officer to get my paperwork. The freight isn't particularly valuable, but they still see the need to be vigilant.

   Before leaving the shippers yard, I noticed that the trailer wasn't loaded very carefully. I notified the guard to this, and took a picture, just in case there is a problem at the receiving end.

   We went to the truckstop across the street from the former Schneider OC to scale our load. The former "pumpkin patch" was now occupied by lots of Swift trucks. It's sad that our company is having to vacate properties in California I guess the constant flow of new rules and taxes are to blame.   

   After adjusting my trailer axles, to make the weights legal, we embarked on our trip to Northern California. Traffic flowed nicely during the Sunday mid-day. We ran hard to get to a Flying J in Lodi. I had 8 minutes to spare after I parked the truck in one of the only remaining spaces available. 

   Stephanie made Chili Mac for dinner. It hit the spot as we listened to the punctuates presidential debate.