First Snowfall of 2008

Started out loading steel plate at the docks in Vancouver, three of them weighing 60,000 lbs.  Took some manuevering to get the weight right on my drive axles.  After leaving, we got stopped at the scale where I discovered I didn’t get it as accurate as I thought.  I was 700 kgs over on my drives.  They still let me go after looking over my permit.  On the way out of town, I fueled up and moved my fifth wheel ahead two notches assuming it was 250 kgs per notch.  At the next scale, I got stopped again and had to bring papers.  They told me I was still over weight by 650 kgs on my drives.  Now I was confused because the first scale I crossed let me go and the weights there were not that far off of the weights now.  I had moved my fifth wheel to compensate which didn’t work so I questioned the accuracy of the two scales.  My argument saved me a ticket, however I had to purchase an over weight permit before being allowed to carry on.  I had to stop at one more scale in Kamloops where my weights read that I was only 350 kgs over on my drives.  This is more in line with what I had expected after moving my fifth wheel.  Three different scales with three different weights and I am the one who has to pay the price for it…go figure.  The load was 12′ feet wide also and we had to have a pilot car to travel so some restrictions were in place.  We also had to be in Edmonton for Friday morning delivery so I could reload on Friday afternoon at another yard.  Well needless to say once we got to Clearwater we started hearing talk on the radio of a wicked snow storm from Avola to Jasper.  Sure enough once we got to Avola we started to notice trucks heading west covered in snow.  We made the decision to spend the night at a pullout in Avola as we couldn’t run in whiteout conditions with a 12′ wide load.  I told the pilot car driver that I wanted to be on the road by 6 am BC time as that would give me ample time to get to Edmonton and accomplish my goals.  The pilot car driver agreed and headed for the local motel.  The next morning after waiting for nearly one and a half hours I decided to dolly off and bob tail to the motel only to find I had to wake up the pilot car driver.  Needless to say I was choked.  We finally got on the road and once I got into cell service I called the company on the other end to tell them I was going to be late for delivery and they said they would wait for me.  However my pickup had to be cancelled as they wouldn’t wait.  So now I’m sitting for the weekend in Edmonton for loading on Monday morning.  All this because a professional in the pilot car business slept in.  Oh by the way I passed a few trucks in the ditch between Avola and Jasper but wasn’t in the mood to take photos…sorry.  Bye for now.

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