In the span of just a few hours, I went into Canada, picked up a load, and came back down to the US. Not bad for 11 hours work, huh? :)
Started off a bit later than I intended this morning, but I did get to enjoy a rather nice sunrise on my way into Quebec. I got stopped at the border for an inspection, mostly so they could train a few new guys; they didn't bother looking at anything other than my driver's license and passport since I was empty. Amusingly, another Schneider driver was at the border, going to the same place I was; he said he was going to follow me so we could get lost together.
After a stop for fuel along the way (550 L of diesel), we arrived at the shipper, dropped empties, and picked up loads. Mine is a particularly amusing one: 33 pallets, weighing nearly seven tons, of nothing but Maxi Pads™. It took a little while to get everything sorted out, with all the extra paperwork that border crossing requires, as well as a few minor mechanical mishaps. Specifically, the power plug on my trailer is coming loose, such that it required duct tape to get it in place. Having sorted all that out, we went west from Montreal on 20, taking that to Ontario's 401. The most confusing part? When 20 suddenly changed from a freeway, to a construction zone, to a surface street. Then, with the same lack of warning, back into a freeway. I was worried I'd somehow taken an exit without realizing it, but all was well once I crossed the provincial line.
About 20 km into Ontario, I got a message telling me that I was clear to cross the border. Aside from a quick stop for a bite to eat, I kept straight on to get stateside. I didn't want to have to try find parking up in Canada; parking in the northeastern US is sparse enough. Crossing back into the US went smoothly enough; I had all my paperwork at hand, passed it to the officer, paid the toll with a debit card, and got told to "go through that X-ray thingy." I chuckled, then the customs official just told me to go around and have a good day. Not like it makes much difference, really, but at least it saved me another minute or two.
The only real problem all day proved to be the roads in New York. Specifically, for about ten miles along I-81, the road hadn't even been plowed. It was nothing but packed snow and ice, ensuring one heck of a wild ride. I lost enough time there that I didn't want to chance trying to park at the truck stop down in Syracuse, so I stopped at this rest area, roughly 15 miles north of the city. I'll probably stop at the truck stop in the morning to scan various paperwork and get some real food, Hopefully they'll get me somewhere that isn't completely covered in snow soon, since the extreme cold is really starting to bother me. I'd settle for a temperature anywhere above 30 right now.
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