Troup, Texas.

____Day 1: Independence Day in the USA, no reason for them to celebrate as the unemployment rate is about to soar when 100,000 firework-selling outlets close down overnight. Not many  trucks on the road as I head south to York in Nebraska; finishing at dusk, just as the pyrotechnics begin.

____Day 2: A second day of 1100 kay with the peat moss, parking overnight at the pot-plant nursery, just south of Troup. Three things are needed to grow good plants: sunshine, water and fertile soil. Texas has plenty of sunshine and irrigation takes the place of regular rainfall. Fertile soil is trucked in from Canada. The US does have it's own unlimited supply of peat moss; but it is in Alaska. Therefore Canada is the number one supplier and Manitoba, the main source for Texas.

____Day 3: After unloading; I set off for a reload of abrasive powder destined for Blackfalds in Alberta. Only one hours drive away; at Lufkin. Given the vast expanse of Texas; 57 miles is just next door. I'm heading homeward by noon, but not an easy afternoon's drive with the urban sprawl of Dallas/ Fort Worth and thunderstorms. Fuel from Oklahoma City; splash and dash. Crack-on to the Cimarron, a truckstop in the AmBest Group.

____Day 4: A round-trip in the truck can be compared to a frame of snooker, with some drivers happy just to sink a red: which equates to the next cup of coffee. I am always planning to be in position to sink the next six reds and six blacks; at least. After three difficult, long reds; I'm in a frame-winning position, left with just the colours on their spots. Avoiding self-inflicted snookers, such as speeding into sleepy townships on Highway 81; I reach Watertown, South Dakota. Keeping the daily kilometre average at over a thousand.



Not my favorite style of customising: but you have to admire the dedication needed to keep it clean.

 ____Day 5: As I bring the load back to Niverville, in the early afternoon, for onward delivery by another truck; it proves to be the least economical of the Peterbilt's trips. Over 40,000 lbs in each direction and very little empty running. But as the truck only ever earns money when it is carrying a cargo; the very short dead-head makes this a profitable run for the company. The high daily-average mileage makes it a nice little earner for the driver.

____Overall Distance: 4762 km.