After years of chasing steady freight and dealing with unpredictable loads, I finally found myself on the brink of something I had always prayed for — a dedicated run. But as I would soon learn, even a dream route comes with its own share of challenges.
As I move into these final chapters, we’re still in 2021. The COVID situation was winding down, and I had just run a coil up to Minooka, Illinois, delivering at the North American Stainless plant. From there, I reloaded in New Carlisle and hauled it back down to Louisville, Kentucky.
That delivery should have been just another day on the job — but what came next was a twist I never expected. Joanie, my dispatcher, offered me a load out of Voss Clark in Jeffersonville, Indiana, headed for the Toyota Tsusho processing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky.
Now, I had been going into both Voss Clark and Toyota for almost 12 years, but never once had I picked up from Voss Clark and delivered straight into Toyota. This was a first.
I accepted the load, and as I drove away from Jeffersonville, I couldn’t help but think, “Man, I wish this could turn into a dedicated run.” After I got loaded, I called Joanie and asked her what the chances were. She said she’d check and try to have an answer before I left Toyota after my delivery.
Sure enough, once I unloaded at Toyota, I called Joanie back — and she told me Voss Clark was going to try really hard to keep me running those loads to Georgetown. That was the moment my wish came true.
From then on, I was on a steady schedule: one load on Mondays, two loads Tuesday through Thursday, and one load on Fridays. I’d sleep in the truck Monday through Thursday nights and head home Friday morning after my final delivery.
Very rarely did Voss Clark fail to have a load for me. And even if they didn’t, I’d still hang around to show how committed I was. On the occasions when a Georgetown load wasn’t available, I’d cover runs to Berea or Bowling Green as replacements.
This dedicated run carried me for more than four years — all the way until June 19, 2025, when I delivered my very last one.
I must add this humorous story to this chapter. Even though I had a really good dedicated run to end my career, it wasn’t without a touch of drama.
One Friday, after I delivered my last load for the week, I needed to stop on at TMI Trailer Sales and Service in Walton Kentucky to pick up a new trailer valve. After I left to head home, I decided to go back home through the country for a change. This route started by getting off I-71 South at the Carrolton Kentucky exit. I got off, and this route took me over a weight limited bridge at the edge of town as I was headed towards the Milton/ Madison Bridge to crossover into Indiana at Madison. This highway was US 42. This limited weight bridge had a 20 ton limit for semi trucks… that’s 40,000 lbs. As I was headed to Highway 42, there was a local police SUV going in the opposite direction. I always watch cops when I see one, and sure enough, he turns around.
He followed me as I turned left onto US 42 and I said to myself that this was gonna be so good. Sure enough, as I got onto that weight limited bridge, he flipped his lights on. Luckily, there was a fuel stop right after the bridge, and that’s where I pulled off to stop.
The cop walked up to my truck driver’s door and asked me if I knew why he pulled me over. I said I had no clue as to why he pulled me over. He said,’ That’s a weight limited bridge.’ I said,’Yes…so it is…I’ve been across it many many times. The weight limit is 20 tons, right? That’s 40,000 lbs. Am I correct, officer? He said yes, i told him I was empty and expressed “empty” kinda sternly. I informed him that my empty weight was 37,000 lbs. He honestly did not believe me and asked for my paperwork, license, and registration. I told him again that there was no paperwork because I delivered in Georgetown and stopped off at Walton empty to get a part for my trailer, and I was headed home “empty”
He said that 37,000 lbs has to be wrong and that he was gonna call in a State Police with portable scales to verify my weight. I told this officer that I’d be more than happy to open up the back of the trailer to show him first hand that I was truly empty. He just walked back to his SUV and started checking things out. He must have called the State Police and relayed the whole story to them because they told him that it would most likely be a 2 hour wait to get the set of portable scales there and if I was truly empty, that from the information I gave him from my registrations that I was telling him the truth and there was no overweight issue at all and to sit there and wait on portable scales was a waste of his time and mine.
The officer walked back up to the truck and handed me my documents, and I asked what’s next. He said that it is obvious that I definitely knew what I was talking about when it came to my empty weight. I said that after 45 years of this, i certainly hope so, but I will open the trailer up to satisfy your curiosity if you want. He said no need, you’re free to go. That is a perfect ending for this chapter as I finally got a “good feeling” after being pulled over.
The next chapter shows that, while I finally got the dedicated run I’d been praying for ever since those early days hauling bars to Columbus, not every day was peaches and cream. Stick with me — I think you’ll like where this is going.
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My Trucker Life 