Semi Travels Part 4

We had two days in Florida and spent a wonderful afternoon on Delray Beach. Due to Subtropical storm Andrea, the waves were very high and surf was rough which meant no swimming. We did have fun dodging the waves by standing on the beach and waiting for them to come in. We weren't fast enough at one point and ended up drenched.

The surfers, of course, ignored the red flag warning and were excited to get in the water and ride the waves.
The parking on Delray Beach is limited to road-side parallel parking. We left the trailer at the hotel and bobtailed to the beach. We took two spaces and paid both meters. An older gentleman in a Delray Beach sheriff's golf cart pulled up and started off by telling us trucks aren't normally allowed to park there (meanwhile, he forgot to set the break on the golf cart and it rolled a short distance before coming to rest on the curb). Tara turned on the charm and he relented saying, since we took two spaces it should be safe for someone to pull out from behind us or in front of us since we'd only be there a couple hours.
From Delray, we went back and hooked up the trailer, worked our way across Florida (I had no idea there were large cattle farms in central Florida) and picked up 10,000 lbs of plastic lids that went to Evansville, Indiana. From Evansville to Hawsville, Ky to pick up 45,000 lbs of rolled paper Bright white Xerox that hadn't been cut and delivered to Washington Court, OH. From there, back to the yard then the homeward load.
Overall, it was a great week together. I saw quite a bit of the East Coast and learned a lot about truck driving. It is a hard and demanding job and most of the drivers do a great job at it.
One thing I heard over and over is the truck drivers wish that 4 wheelers (people in cars) would be more careful. A truck fully loaded can weigh up to 80,000 lbs which means it cannot stop on a dime. The brakes are mainly on the truck. If a car jumps in front of a truck and slams on the breaks, it is in danger of being run over. Most truck drivers will sacrifice themselves and their load to save the four wheeler but the whole thing is needless. Truckers are the lifeblood of North America. No trucks, no goods delivered to stores and businesses. When you see a truck driver, respect them and don't cut them off or slam on your breaks.