Video summary
The video follows a truck driver based in Ottawa, Illinois, as he prepares for a high-stakes trip to deliver three trailers from Indiana to Winnipeg, Canada. Filmed on a Friday with the goal of returning home by Saturday evening for supper, the driver emphasizes the urgency of his schedule while navigating tight driving hours. He explains that he has not informed his wife of his specific plans yet because he cannot guarantee arrival times, highlighting the unpredictable nature of long-haul trucking where delays can easily push deadlines past. Despite the pressure, he is determined to maximize his remaining time on the clock, aiming to get as far as possible before his shift ends to ensure he can complete the delivery and return home within the same day or early the next morning.
To save time and avoid the congestion of Chicago, the driver opts for toll roads along Interstate 80 Eastbound, a route that requires slowing down significantly at various booths in Indiana. He discusses the challenges of these toll systems, noting that unlike Illinois, Indiana does not offer express lanes where trucks can maintain highway speed; instead, drivers must slow to a crawl and manually pay or wait for transponders to process. The driver expresses frustration with the dual speed limits on highways, arguing that cars traveling faster than trucks creates dangerous passing situations and traffic disturbances, though he acknowledges he lacks definitive studies to prove his point. He also shares anecdotes about his EasyPass transponder occasionally failing, which leads to awkward delays and embarrassment when stuck behind other vehicles waiting for manual payment.
Once loaded at the destination in Bristol, Indiana, the driver meticulously secures the trailers using a robust system of straps, wheel slings, and dunnage to prevent movement during transit. He explains his strategy of securing both axles on each trailer to create redundancy, ensuring that if one strap fails due to wind or vibration, the other will hold the load in place. This extra caution is particularly important when passing through busy areas like Chicago, where a loose trailer could cause severe damage to neighboring freight, result in expensive insurance claims, and lead to significant paperwork issues. The video provides a detailed look at his tying-down techniques, including using wheel chocks nailed into wood floors and specialized slings around axles to prevent the trailers from rolling forward or shifting sideways, which could scrape against each other and cause costly damage.
As the journey progresses toward home, the driver stops at a Flying J truck stop in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, to refuel, shower, and clean up before sleeping for the night. He takes a moment to comment on the behavior of other drivers, specifically criticizing those who mount bright aircraft landing lights on their bumpers for aesthetic reasons rather than safety, noting that they are often illegal for highway use and can be blinding in traffic. After settling in for the night, he outlines his plan to wake up early the next day to rush through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota before crossing into Canada to deliver the final load. He concludes by reflecting on the repetitive yet demanding cycle of his work, noting that while this week was an intense "rush plus," future trips may follow a similar but slightly less frantic pattern as he continues to navigate the logistics of moving freight across state lines.
Read the full video transcript
Good morning everybody. How's it going?
We're in Ottawa, Illinois, right where
we went to bed. The Oasis truck stop. My
little hideout here when I'm out this
way. We're on our way to Bristol,
Indiana to pick up some more trailers.
Put them on my trailer. Tie them down to
my trailer. Take them up to where they
belong in Winnipeg.
Here's my trailer. We're going to put
one, two, three on here. tie them down
good and tight without damaging them.
And we're going to book it back home.
It's a Friday when I'm filming this, so
I'm trying to get home tomorrow for
supper, Saturday.
I haven't told my wife that I'm trying
to get home for supper yet because I
don't want to promise things that I
can't deliver on yet.
So, I'm telling you, between me and you,
I'm trying to get home for supper
tomorrow. We'll see what happens. That's
6:00 p.m. See what happens.
There's that. These have to be delivered
Monday morning and then I'm going to go
back home for the evening yet and then
uh my next load will be on Tuesday. So
I'll have Sunday most of Monday at home.
Uh but I will have to run in get these
delivered first thing in the morning.
So let's get going. There's work to do.
I don't know about you, but I don't want
to sit around twiddling my thumbs. I
want money. I need money. I need money.
Let's go get the money.
And off we go.
Let's get back out there. We're going to
get on to I 80 eastbound.
It's going to take us through the lower
half of Chicago past Gary, Indiana. And
we're going to take toll road today to
save time.
I did go around 39 to 80. Uh even though
it is a little longer,
that was to avoid Chicago traffic. I
needed to get as far as I could
yesterday with the hours I had available
to me.
And uh
there was nowhere to park at the end of
my hours if I went that way. So I
figured if I go this way, I could run my
hours right to the end. I think I had
like like 15 10 15 minutes left on my
clock last night when I stopped.
There we go.
Cuz I'm running a a split clock right
now. So, I had to get far enough that I
could get to my destination today on the
hours I would have left.
I 80 eastbound.
Let's go.
Feels
like it's going to be a hot one today.
It's not too bad right now, but
pretty sure it's going to heat up fast.
straight at the sun. Lucky for me, where
I'm sitting back behind the camera, my
visor is blocking the sun out, so I
won't have to deal with that.
Welcome to Indiana.
Got to get through this traffic.
Okay. Okay. Okay. And we're stopping
again.
No need for your four-ways there, buddy.
We're already moving slow.
I appreciate the warning. We usually put
our fourways on when we're traveling
highway speed and we see stopped traffic
ahead of us so that people behind us who
can't see that stopped traffic know
we're coming to a stop. You know, it
sort of alerts them. But when you're in
traffic already, there's no real need
for it. I'm already expecting you to
stop.
But nothing wrong with it.
Hopefully this doesn't take up too much
of my day. I've got to come back through
this later once I'm loaded.
This is always the most time consuming
part of this route, getting through the
city.
On the way back, we're going to uh
actually go through the outskirts of
Chicago and West Chicago on uh I 294.
Take the toll road up, save some time so
I can get home a little sooner.
But before we can do that, I have to
actually get loaded.
And before I can get loaded, I have to
get through this. Made it through the
city. It was actually not that bad at
all. I hope we have similar uh
circumstances on the way back.
>> In 400 m, use the right lane and keep
right towards Interstate 80 East Indiana
Toll Road.
>> Like I was about to tell you, Karen beat
me to it. We're about to get onto the uh
I 80, I90 eastbound here towards Ohio.
It's toll road. I usually take US20 to
avoid this, but I want to save every
little minute that I can today. Faster I
get there, the faster I get loaded, the
faster I get out of there. We'll take
the toll road back again. The faster I
get home.
speed limit is 65 mph on this highway.
Trucks 60. What do you guys think about
the dual speed limit? I think it creates
more d uh more danger than just having
everybody going the same speed. You
know, you got these cars that are going
faster than us and these trucks that are
bound by law to move slower causing
traffic disturbances. You know, cuz the
cars are constantly trying to pass the
trucks and they're getting frustrated,
especially in heavy traffic.
I think it would be better personally
just to have everybody at the same
speed, make the highways safer, but you
know, I haven't seen the studies. Maybe
there are studies that prove me wrong. I
don't know.
We're coming up to our first toll booth.
I have easy pass. Always have. So, I've
always been able to just uh take the
fast lane through.
>> But in Indiana here on this highway
anyways, they don't have like an express
lane where you can just drive through
like in Illinois at highway speed. You
actually have to slow right down. You
don't have to fully stop, but almost got
to almost stop and sort of thread the
needle between one of these narrow
little lanes
so that they can take your money.
I'm going to go through this lane cuz
it's not that narrow.
Some of these toll boots like you can
just barely scooch through.
This one's actually pretty good. Oh no.
Is this guy going to have to stop? Oh
no. Okay, good. Woo. Sometimes you get
stuck behind someone here. You're not
allowed to back up now. Take my money. I
don't want to be that person that holds
everybody up. Come on. Take my money.
Take my money, Indiana. Come on. Take my
money. Yeah.
Don't spend it all in one place.
So embarrassing when your transponder
doesn't work and you get stuck at one of
those. You got to line it behind you.
Uh then you got to push the button there
and call whoever is working it and they
got to you got to give them your
transponder number and stuff and they
got to enter it in manually. Just a big
hold up and everyone behind you is all
mad at you and it's embarrassing.
>> Use the left lane and keep left towards
Indiana 15 and then turn left. All
right. So, we're getting off the toll
road now at Bristol. Exit 101.
A little bit of a smaller toll booth to
get off,
but hopefully they will will take my
money and won't embarrass me by holding
me up here. Take my money. Take it. Take
it. Yes.
It's happened to me before where the
thing doesn't go up and I'm stuck there.
makes me nervous every time. I think
that's why I like the ones you just
drive under at highway speed better.
All right, so we're here in town. We're
5 minutes away
>> now. Keep left and then turn left
towards Indiana 15.
>> I'm going to quickly quickly load these
up. It usually takes about
>> usually takes about 2 hours to uh
get the trailers on there and tie them
down, get the paperwork, send the
paperwork in and get rolling again.
And then I'll drive just down the road
probably to around Gary, Indiana
somewhere in there or one of these
service centers.
>> Kome, turn right towards Indiana 15 and
then turn left.
Oh,
like I was saying, we're going to go up
to one of those service centers probably
down the road
and uh check my straps again within half
an hour. Oops. Grinding my gears. What's
going on, Josh? Two days in a row on
camera grinding gears. Oh,
and go over the tollway underneath here.
This is the tollway we were on. Go back
over it. We are facing south now.
And
hopefully hopefully hopefully everything
goes smoothly.
Just up ahead here on the left. That's
the truck stop I often stop at. There's
two different places I pick up from. One
place is just down the street here to
the left. So when I pick up there, I
always stay at this truck stop here.
This uh what's this? Ammo.
There's like six parking spots here or
something. If you get a spot here, it's
perfect.
And then uh there's another Gallup truck
stop. That's the bigger one. That's on
the other side of town. That's where uh
the side of town we're going to now. If
I had the hours to get here last night,
that's where I would have stayed. But I
ran out of hours in Ottawa. There.
There they were.
All tied down,
ready to go. So, I'll show you my
strategy of tying these down this time
cuz I didn't need my riser. I've got
three. One, two, three. Nothing inside.
Again, belly wrap the tongues. Winch
them down on both sides. Holds it down
and holds it from going side to side. In
the back here, first of all, I've got
dunage nailed down to my trailer for
wheel chocks.
It's a last resort just in case
something happens. Now, here I've got
the wheel slings holding the trailer
down and this goes around the axle and
back down to [clears throat] there and
that holds the trailer down and from
moving back and forth. So, even if one
strap rips, falls off, whatever, I've
still got backups. This trailer is not
going nowhere. I did the same thing on
the other side.
Did the same thing with this one right
here.
Wheel sling always protection so that
you don't damage the freight. Same thing
in here around the axle.
Holding it down. Wheel chocks front and
back. Just nailed down into the wood
here.
Same thing on the front. Now, this one's
a little different. I put a wheel chalk
up at the front so that it doesn't roll
into my truck, obviously. But as you can
see here, that's the wood.
Extreme Trailers decided to get fancy
and put this nice shiny piece of
aluminum here.
So that you can't nail anything down to
it. So I can't put a piece of dunage on
the back here for a wheel chalk. So what
I did was I did a wheel sling to hold it
down. And then I did this around the
axle to the front here. This holds it
forward and down. And then this I did it
more of an angle here.
to also hold the front down, but also
pull back. So, this strap is pulling
back. These here are both pulling
forward, so it's stuck right there, and
these are holding it down. And this is
here just to be sure that if I have to
slam on the brakes,
that that's never going to go into my
truck.
And that's the way there's many
different ways that you can tie these
things down. There are easier ways and
harder ways. This isn't the easiest way.
I could get some new equipment that
would sling over the tire. That makes it
a little bit easier yet. But I think I
would uh put in the second straps
anyways.
Like I like to do both axles, right? I
told you this last time. I like to do
both axles so that if one becomes loose
or comes loose or whatever happens to it
that the other one is still there doing
the job. Always have backups, especially
when you're going through Chicago.
You're middle of busy rush hour. all you
look back and one of your straps came
off or it ripped or it broke or whatever
and you're looking and what do you do
now? You got loose trailers or a loose
trailer on your on your trailer. You
can't even get over to the shoulder.
You're it's flying off into traffic.
It's a lot of paperwork. Big headache.
You don't want to do that. So, I always
make sure that I have a backup. I don't
want to worry about that.
Yeah, that's the way I did it. So, uh,
you can do it your way. This is my way.
Like I said, I've never had a problem
with these before. I've never had them
move and I've never had one damaged.
Man, I'm all sweating again. I already
changed clothes once cuz I just soaked
through my shirt. Now I just walking
around out there and going to get my
paperwork. I got all sweaty again. It is
so humid and hot outside.
Oh, I got to probably change my shirt
again, man. Well, I'm going to send my
paperwork in. Maybe it'll be dried off
by then. I'm going to go find a shower.
>> Roof recalculated. At the next stop
sign, turn left onto East Elkart Street.
>> I don't know what's going on with Karen.
She wants me to go left, go right, come
back over here, then go turn left, back
onto the road I'm on right now. Why
don't I just stay on this road
and just go, why do you want me to loop
around? Like, that's weird.
>> Turn left. No, Karen.
Karen, stop drinking.
>> People are starting to
>> third stop sign. Turn right onto South
Division Street and then turn right.
>> No.
>> You can't hide it much longer, Karen. We
know. We know you're drinking on the
job.
See? You see how much easier that was
than going all the way around the block
just to get right back on this road?
She's never going to admit
>> Keep right.
>> Oh, yeah. She's just going to act like
nothing happened. She's never going to
admit she was wrong. just
>> goes on with the day and acts like
nothing happened.
>> All right, so
>> keep right.
>> We are uh in home wordbound mode and you
all know what that means.
This whole week has been a rush rush
rush.
One of our trips was a rush rush rush
plus.
Now we're on this is a whole different
level of rush. This is home is at the
end of this highway. I do have to stop
for night on the way there. So, I can't
make it all the way back in one shot.
But whole different level.
This is like a rush rush rush plus++.
The highest order of rush
while still uh being safe obviously. So,
I'm going to get back on the toll road
here. We're going to go to the first or
second uh service center rest area. I'm
going to quickly pull in there, just
check my straps, make sure that
nothing's settled, make sure
everything's still tight, and then we're
going to zip through Chicago. We'll stop
on the other side of Chicago, make sure
nothing settled again, sure nothing
shifted or is nothing nothing's loose,
you know. And then after that, we should
be good. And we'll just
focus, focus, focus, focus, focus,
focus, Josh. No distractions, no getting
>> 100 meters. Use the right lane and keep
right onto Indiana toll road. No getting
lost on Facebook or Instagram, you know,
when you stop for a break. None of that.
Don't even pick up your phone, Josh.
When you stop, focus. Go check the
straps. Get back in the truck. Go.
Got to give myself a little pep talk.
>> 400 meters. Use the right lane and keep
right onto Indiana toll road. Toll booth
ahead.
>> Okay. Toll road this way. 80, 90, 80,
and 90. It's two toll roads in one.
>> Now keep right.
>> I wonder if they charge us two tolls for
that.
>> In 400 m, keep right to join the
Interstate 80 west towards Chicago.
>> Oh no, somebody's stuck at the window.
Oh no. Oh no, they're moving. Okay,
good. There's only one window, so if
they get stuck, we're all stuck.
Don't let it be me. Come on, take my
money, Indiana. I want to give you my
money.
Don't be rude. Take it.
Oh, there's no gate here. I can just
slowly roll through. There should be a
light or something that says right.
Oh, the gate is broken. Somebody
Somebody smashed the gate. New 98.
Somebody drove right through that. Now
it's broken. Well, it should have taken
my money.
All right, toll road. This way
>> now. Keep right. Chicago.
I'll stop.
All right, let's go. Let's go. Go. Go.
Go. Go.
Wait till we're around the corner and
boogie. Come on.
Watching my trailers and my mirrors.
Watching them. Watching them. This is
the first time we're getting up to
highway speed, right? So, I'm watching.
Making sure nothing's shifted, nothing's
moving, everything's exactly where it
should be.
Nothing's moving like it shouldn't.
All right. All right. We're good. We're
golden.
Got to be so careful with these
trailers. So careful with them because
they're so light, right? The wind from
going down the highway can easily push
them push them around if you don't tie
them down. So that they can't move in
any possible angle.
And if they move just a little bit, they
could rub up against the next trailer
and that's damaged right away. Very
expensive to get that fixed. It's an
insurance claim. It's a hassle for us.
It's a hassle for the dealership where
we're delivering it to. And worst of
all, it's embarrassing for me.
Indiana wants more of my money.
Man, those lineups are long to pay for.
Glad I got this easy pass.
Wonder why these people are parked over
here on the shoulder.
From what I understand, it's illegal to
park on the shoulder
of any interstate, but especially a toll
road.
M.
That's nice. That's real nice.
The camera does it no justice.
I can see what you're looking at. It
does it no justice. The colors are way
better than that.
That is nice. So, I'm going to go up to
Black River Falls again. I decided I'm
going to pull in there. I have another
hour I could go past there, but I can
make it home from there. And I'd really
like to have a shower tonight, clean
myself up. I need to shave badly.
So, I need to clean myself up so I can
arrive home tomorrow looking good,
smelling good. I'll still have to shower
when I get home, but at least I, you
know,
you know what I mean.
I just feel doy, very dirty.
So, we're going to pull in there and uh
call it a night there. take our 10 and
we'll start early in the morning again
and
get home as fast as we can tomorrow.
Exit 116, I94, Wisconsin, Blacker Falls.
Heading into the Flying J. I'm going to
grab fuel,
run in, have a shower,
come back to the truck, go straight to
bed. We got to be up early tomorrow.
250 m, turn left towards Wisconsin 54
west and then turn right.
>> Now turn left and then turn right.
>> Oh, hey, this is the truck that passed
me a few minutes ago. He's got like
aircraft landing lights on his bumper
that he thinks are absolutely necessary
to have on in traffic.
Yes,
they're exceptionally bright.
>> 700 meters. Turn right and then you will
reach your way point.
>> They look like a train coming up in my
mirror. I had to block my mirror cuz
they were hurting my eyes. Like what?
Why do people think that they need those
like on a highway like this? I can see
in the like in the bush when there's no
one else around. I would love them too.
But
what is it's just to look cool, right?
That's that's that is what it is. They
just it they think that it makes them
look cool rolling down the highway.
It doesn't
makes you look like a douche.
Flying J. Let's grab some fuel. I feel
like going up to him, you know, cutting
those wires behind his lights, but I
wouldn't do that. I would never condone
behavior like that.
All right, buddy.
>> Now, turn right and then you will reach
your way point.
>> You can see those lights. He still has
them on. You can see them.
Why do you have those aircraft landing
lights on your bumper?
I'm sure the package said clearly
off-road use only.
And I'm not opposed to him using them.
Like I said, he's alone on the highway.
Whatever. Oh no, someone's in my spot.
Oh, wait. Maybe not.
Someone's just
Oh, yeah. I think he might be in my
spot. Uh-oh. Well, we'll figure it out.
I'll find somewhere to park first. We'll
grab fuel, then we'll worry about that.
>> [snorts]
>> roof recalculated.
And I got my spot.
I'm in a puddle. Well, that's okay.
Whatever. I'll deal with it. It's not
too deep.
Going to be nice and quiet here.
Okay.
Shower time and then bedtime.
Thanks for watching today, everybody.
hang out with me tomorrow. We'll be
rushing back home from Black River Falls
through Wisconsin, through Minnesota,
around Minneapolis, all the way up to
I29 in North Dakota, and all the way
north up to Manitoba, Canada. Cross over
the border there and [sighs]
run on over to Steinach. I'll be in
Steinach at home there for uh
uh Sunday. And then Monday, I'll bring
these into Winnipeg. Then I'll go back
home for Monday evening. and then we'll
head back to Canora and we'll do it all
over again next week. I think we're
doing the exact same thing again except
we're only doing two back and forth
before we go south instead of three. So
little bit it's like a rush rush plus
not a rush rush rush plus. It's like a
you get it. I'll see you tomorrow right
here. Take care everybody.