Blizzard in Denver

This morning I had a delivery at 0500 in Castle Rock, a southern suburb of Denver. I arrived an hour or so ahead of schedule in nice, clear weather, 37 degrees and little wind. During the next hour it changed to blowing snow, 25 degrees and about 4-6 inches of the white stuff hit the ground.

Worse, the first stop took all but six pallets from my trailer, leaving me light and with no extra weight on my tandems. My Michelin super-singles performed flawlessly as usual, but on the drive to my second stop I caught the trailer "walking out" to the passenger side four or five times and had to correct it.

Ah, the short little jaunt across town. I had to deliver those last few pallets in Wheat Ridge, a western suburb and about as far away as you can drive from one side of Denver to the other. It meant joining thousands of four-wheelers during the morning rush while another 6-8 inches of snow poured down. Most people minded their business, though there were a few accidents and one memorable scene with a bobtail semi caught on a bridge at a 45 degree angle and unable to move due to the bank of the curve.

Near the destination there was a street I turned down that belatedly informed me that trucks over 7,000 pounds gross weight were forbidden. If they would have mentioned that before the turn I would have honored the rule, but since I was already on the stupid street I kept everything under control the best I could and moved through. City streets in Denver along the way had a few places with big dips and corresponding hills to climb on the other side that had to be taken very carefully but I managed.

I arrived at the second PetSmart to find another Hill Bros truck uncoupled from his trailer and having trouble hooking back on. Yesterday he had arrived, dropped the trailer and went off to the local truck stop. In the intervening time all the snow and ice had developed and he didn't have enough traction to get back under the trailer. I suggested dropping his suspension enough to help get under it and he was hooked up in short order.

Finally, my turn came and they removed the last six pallets from the trailer. Instructions came across my satellite unit to head over to a drop yard of ours, drop off my trailer, bobtail about eight miles then pick up a reefer. With the problems of traction the entire city was facing, it was an easy call to turn it down. This meant no load for the day so I found a spot at the local Pilot, only because I had to fuel up there.

I'm guessing tomorrow's load will be the same one I was supposed to pick up today, only with the deadline moved back a day.