The Hard/Soft Shoulder!

I had to load out of a place called Beardstown Illinois. When I got there I was told to drop my trailer and wait for it to be washed so I went with another H&R driver Andy to get something to eat by the time we got back Andys trailer was ready but I had to wait. I was told they would come in to load it at 2pm so I went over to Wal-Mart and spent ages walking around and spending money on rubbish like you do lol. I got back at 2.30pm to be told they had loaded my trailer but they had gone home and left my seal in the safe so I had to wait untill 9.30pm for the night shift to open the safe it had been a long day so I called it a night and went to bed. I left there early in the morning and stopped at a place called Gary in Indiana to fuel up, while I was there I got my CB boosted so it kicks out 29 watts now lol. As it was my first trip to America on my own I rang the broker to see what she wanted me to fax to her but it had already been done and she told me I had a skip load which was good news but she said I had to stop at the border to pick up my mcap which is a bit of paper the customer needs before they can unload you. The drive to the border was normal drive nothing special. When I got to the border the border guard was a very beautiful looking lady we had a long chat about me working over here, my family and where I lived in the UK, turns out her mum and dad are from the Isle of Wight! She said I was lucky as I had a skip load which means I didnt have to go for a meat inspection but I told her I had to pick up my mcap from the brokers, she told me where to park and pointed out the brokers office. It was cold but I walked over to the office only to find a telephone and spoke to a woman who said because it was a skip load I didnt need a mcap so off I went to Quebec. Thats where the fun and games started. I was asked to fax my mcap to the office, I said I didnt have one, they told me I should of stopped at the border and picked it up. I told them I did stop but was told I didnt need it so the lady at H&R sorted it for me. On the way to Drummondsville I took the wrong turn and went through Montreal which was like driving through London but Montreal was alot bigger and a hell of alot more cars it just reminded me of the good old days when I was on the TML contract with Tony Alford and we used to drive through London in our trucks cutting up the car drivers while chatting on the CB lol. I got to Drummondsville I tipped out swapped trailers at the Montreal yard then off down to a place called Kitchener Ontario. Had to get trailer washed on route which was only about 30 miles from where I was loading I had something to eat as well while I was there. I got to the place at 7pm but didnt have to be there until 5am next morning and was told to back on bay 33. Was loaded right away I had to stay there until the morning and I had to pick up paper work from another place just down the road. The next day I got the paper work then off I went. I went on the scale, weights ok, fueled up then on my merry way. The drive was ok I was chatting to a Canadian truck driver all the way up to near Hearst where we have to fuel up. I needed a wee very badly but there was nowhere to go I said to the driver I had to go and he said stop on the shoulder I said it doesn't look strong enough to take a truck he said 'rubbish' he had stopped on them loads of times so I stopped, he said he would slow down so I could catch him up. But that was where my worst nightmare started, the truck on one side sank, it went down so far the leg of the trailer was resting on the ground I really thought it was going to roll over on its side! I sent an SOS to H&R I told them how bad the truck looked and they got a tow truck out to me with in an hour. A cop turned up we had a quick chat he said he had seen a lot worst and not to worry too much. Just for a joke I said your not going to give me a ticket then he laughed and said no the arse kicking I am going to get from my boss will be enough :-( . When the tow truck turned up he said he tows about 1-2 trucks a week out of the soft shoulder so they knew what to do and I was back on solid ground in less than 20 minutes. I know it sounds funny to people reading this but it did upset and scare me a bit to see my truck lent over so far all these years wanting to drive an American truck and I very nearly rolled her over without bloody moving!! Anyway not a scratch on her I drove to the truck stop and stayed there the night I went in a had a shower to try and calm myself down I really was shaking lol. I went to bed then when I got up the next day I just thought you dumb ass you won't do that again lmao. I got my fuel and then left I drove about 300 miles and I needed a loo so this time I stopped at the right place lol. Had to top my tanks up with fuel because the trip from Hearst to Winnipeg is about 800 miles which I can do but I am so low in the tanks I just topped them up in a place called Nipigon, it has been a great day sunny all day and no hold ups I have done 528.34 miles in 9 hours 5 minutes driving. Called it a night and I'm at a place called Dryden and got free internet. I have added a pic of the hard shoulder out here which is a very very SOFT shoulder!! So Bruce when you stop laughing maybe you should warn all the new drivers not to be a dumb ass like me and stop on them lol.