And that's something!

Day Two of our outing has commenced after what was a very trying day, both on the personal and professional fronts.  Little Miss And That's Something! is flapping her overworked gums at a volume that should only be used at sporting events and for crying out loud would you just PLEASE SHUT YOUR FREAKIN' PIE HOLE ALREADY???

(Note: If you were expecting sunshine and lollipops, you came on the wrong day.  Snark will flow tonight along with the hard cider.)

Hallelujah, the volume has decreased.  I suspect more fluctuations are in the works in direct proportion to the amount of wine she consumes.

So, yeah.  About my day...

Today started out as another typical slow day, no runs scheduled, and only busywork in the warehouse to occupy my time.  My job was to use the forklift to place the pallets of finished goods on the stretch-wrapping machine, remove the wrapped pallet, place it in the shipping area, repeat until done.

At least I got to drive something.

This took about an hour and a half out of my day.  My next assignment was to take our trailers out for their annual inspections, which all seem to be at least a year or so over due.  Oopsies.  We're doing one at a time, and when the one is done, we'll bring down the next one.  So, I got to get away for a little while, picked up some hardware I needed to fix one of the trailers (minor fix, had to reattach the handle for the landing gear), and grabbed lunch.  Should have been a lark, yes?

Oh no, dear reader.  The plot thickens.

Let's backtrack a little bit, back to when I went to "school" to get my Class A CDL.  There was a substantial amount of money that needed to be repaid, and part of the deal was that once hired on, the debt would be repaid through your settlements.  Well, they really can't deduct from my pay anymore, and all I was waiting for was a simple phone call from these people to make an equitable and reasonable payment schedule and all would be good and there would be wine and cake and we would all dance the night away...

Yeah, right.

Apparently, their way of reaching an equitable and reasonable payment schedule is to turn everything over to a freakin' lawyer and have this poor schmuck make the calls these people are too lazy to make themselves.  Such was the call I received this morning.  I am pleased to report that this guy wasn't a total asshat, and an agreement was reached. They wanted full payment to settle the claim, but there's about as much a chance of that happening as me being able to self-pleasure myself orally.  Sorry for the visual.

With all of this rattling around in my head, I was given another delivery.  Simple enough -- six pallets, place is about ten minutes down the road, and after that a pickup a little further away.  Yeah, simple...

... until right before I was to load up, when they noticed that each and every case was overpacked.  By one item.  Which meant that each and every case had to be unpacked, the errant item removed, the cases sealed and re-packed, and the extras packed into new cases and stacked.  Which meant that all of the paperwork now needed to be re-done, and now everything was running behind.

Joy and rapture.

So, once again, from a totally slow day I managed to get another hour and a half of overtime, which will be a big help in getting the stupid student loan settled.  And now I try to relax, now that Miss Flappy Gums (among other appendages YEAH I WENT THERE) has left the building and a calm has descended over all, as I sip my cider and let today melt into memory, leaving tomorrow as a blank slate.

Will this moment of truth set me free?

So, remember about how I thought I would be able to take a 34-hour restart before taking a load into Buffalo, and then getting a load back toward Texas?  Guess what?

I got taken off that load, and essentially had to run through the night to deliver a load in New Jersey, in a town that isn't even listed in my road atlas.  I found it, and my GPS even had a better route than the company's automated routing system.  But, there was one other obstacle standing in my way.

The truck wouldn't start.  Again.

After messing around with it for about two hours, I finally got it to turn over and run, but had to keep starting it repeatedly to make sure it would actually work when I needed it to.  Bear in mind that I still needed to catch a nap since I'd be running all night long to make my delivery time.  I managed to get a whole hour's worth of sleep, but at the cost of not being able to start the truck.  Another hour later, I got the truck running, met up with the driver I was repowering, pulled next to the trailer I had to hook up with, shut the truck down for not more than fifteen minutes, and ... I think you can guess what happened, or more accurately, didn't happen.

More futzing, swearing, and manipulating, and the truck finally started, I got hooked up, and away I went to Joisey.  Made it on site, checked in, and lost even more sleep because I was at least two and a half hours early.  Couldn't go to sleep, had to keep the truck going you know.  So, I got unloaded, drove to the nearest safe haven, let sleep overrule my brain and posted what I was really thinking on Google Plus, then collapsed as sleep finally won out.

I had a load to pick up this morning, and lo and behold, truck wouldn't start.  Back and forth once again with the repair people at my company, got it started (finally), and drove to the nearest approved repair facility.  They had me pull in to the service bay, and after about an hour the mechanic came over, tried to start the truck, and ... nothing.  He hooks up a battery booster, gets the truck running, and does his diagnostics.  Batteries are really good, alternator works fine, no loose or shorted connections, starter motor's okay ... nope, this one has to go to a Kenworth dealer.  Nearest one is about an hour's drive away. Clock's still ticking on my pickup, but gotta get this problem fixed.  I get to the dealer, and after checking in, I'm told the truck won't even be looked at until tomorrow and I better get a hotel room.

Great.

I call the office to speak with my driver manager.  As of 4 pm Central time, I still haven't heard from him.  In fact, I've heard nothing from the company at all.  I don't know what to conclude from that.  And, at this point, I really don't care.

I'm staying at a Holiday Inn on my own dime, and fortunately they get a reduced rate for being a customer of the Kenworth dealer.  I will sleep in a real bed for the first time in a month and a half, and I will be applying to any job I am qualified to do because this is the last straw.

Maybe now, I'll get to go home.  Maybe.

At least I'd be heading homeward...

While I never made it to Massachusetts, I did my super-early-morning delivery in upstate New York.  I wasn't too pleased with this, mostly because of the monster snowstorm forecast to move in to the area, and I knew I was going to get trapped in it one way or another.  Sure enough, I got dispatched to pick up a load even further north, as in right along the lake north, and it's here that we rejoin our comedy of errors.

I get to the shipper early, because the pickup time was scheduled for later that evening and I knew I couldn't get there at the time specified with the hours I had remaining for the day.  I got there, checked in, and the load wasn't ready yet, as I expected.  I was allowed to take my break on-site, so I parked and settled in.

I got a message from the dispatcher saying the load time had been moved to the next day, same time.  Worked for me, I was already there, they bumped the delivery date up to accommodate, and all was good.  Until I got called back and was told the load was back on for that night.  Right around the time the storm was going to hit, naturally.  Since the delivery date was bumped up, I said no problem, I'd finish my break there, stay the night because of the weather, and roll in the morning.

I did my trip plan while I was waiting.  Had I enough hours, I probably could have made it fairly close to the actual delivery date.  I double checked -- not happening with the hours I had left.  I notified my driver manager and settled in for the rest of the night.

I got up this morning, went to start my truck -- nothing.  Even though the APU (auxiliary power unit) was running and theoretically charging the batteries, I still couldn't get the truck running.  I put in a call for maintenance and kept trying to start it, at the mechanic's request.  I finally got it to fire and was able to get rolling with my load.  I wasn't too far off the time I said I was going to be leaving.  So far, we're doing okay.

I got to my fuel stop, filled the truck, parked to have a quick lunch, and sent in a request to repower the load.  My driver manager called back and we reviewed the time I would have, and he said he'd see what he could do.  I started rolling to my planned stopping point.

I got the message to detour to a different place for the repower.  I got here, parked, and waited.  The other driver showed up, and I could see he had a load on his trailer.  Turns out he has two loads, going to different places in Buffalo.  They both deliver on Monday.  No problem, thought I, I camp here tonight and tomorrow, and on Sunday I drive the four hours or so back to Buffalo.

Then I got the preplan for my next load.  Pick up in Batavia (about an hour east of Buffalo) Monday afternoon, going to Beaumont, Texas.  About fifteen-hundred miles.  And when is the delivery date, you ask?  Wednesday.

Basically, I've been given a day and a half to run fifteen-hundred miles.  A trip that takes at least three days (figuring eleven hours available to drive, it clocks in at two 11-hour days with another 9-hour day) and they want it there in a day and a half.

I can only hope this is some way to get me headed back toward home, and someone will repower this load. Or, maybe dispatch screwed up yet again, and I will have enough time to run the load.  Either way, it's indicative of what I've been going through these past few weeks, and pretty much through my entire time out here.

I just want to go home.

I don't think it's too much to ask.

So, I'll watch the snow fall here in Ohio, and plan my next moves.  And pray I can get the truck running when I need to.

GOD HATES PLANS-POSSLQs PLAN GOD LAUGHS

I was amazed at how smoothly things were going on this latest trip.  The load I was to pick up in Missouri was actually ready to go not long after I arrived at the shipper, and I was having no trouble making my time and sticking to my trip plan.  I had a southerly route planned to take me away from any potential snowy spots, so it appeared that there would be no real delays along the way.

So, if all is going so swimmingly, why the title above?

I was enroute to my next stop-off point when I got a message to call in.  They wanted me to repower a load going just over the border in upstate New York.  Right along the lake.  Just east of Erie, PA to be exact.  It delivers at 4 am.

I've been up since 5 am, I'm not even remotely sleepy, and I'm seeing snow all along the route for today and tomorrow.

So, new plan: I'm going to do some laundry (drying now, actually), get a shower, and see if I can't grab a few hours of a nap before setting off along the snow trail to wherever it is I have to be at the crack of I-can't-freakin'-believe-this-crap.

Should I make it intact, I'll write more when I can.

PS - I can go home soon, right??

My gypsy road BETTER take me home...

It's been a crazy journey of over a month and around ten thousand miles.  The pace is starting to take it's toll on me as well -- for the past week my normal routine (as normal as it gets out here anyway) has been flipped, and out of necessity than a desire to do so, I've been doing more driving at night.  Staying up all night long with only fitful sleep during the day isn't doing wonders for my mental status.  And, running flat out without a real break in the action for the past week and a half hasn't done wonders for my disposition either.

Given the fact that I left the home terminal about a month ago, I figured I'd be getting pretty darn close to the time I could return to take some much-needed time off at home. I am a creature that needs a bit of time to decompress with no real responsibilities, and I also figured that this way I could get some stuff caught up on the home front.  I contacted my driver manager earlier this month and mentioned that when the time was up I would like to be sent back to the yard to begin my home time.  I got no reply.

Imagine my surprise and outright horror when I learned that they had me slated to spend another whole month out here.  

I give myself a lot of credit for holding myself together  and not having a total psychotic breakdown.  I think my reaction was more along the lines of resigned acceptance, simply saying that if I had to spend another month on the road, so be it.  I figured I could break down later on in private, anyhow.

I had to call in to clear up a matter and when I did, I mentioned that I had thought that our time out was  only around five weeks, give or take, but if Ihad to do another month, so be it.  The driver manager I spoke to (mine no big surprise, wasn't available) said the computer had me in for that length of time, but since I'd been out here as long as I had, she asked when I would like to return home.  I said anytime within the next two weeks was fine, and I was given a time of ten days from today.  It may not be exact, but I can live with that.  At least I have a bright spot to shoot for.

So, wrapping up the week of suck, I am sitting and waiting for the next load assignment.  It's nice to be able to sit and relax for a bit.  I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

A whole week of Friday the 13th

I finally got some internet back, and since my load won't be ready until later tonight, I'm taking advantage of that to get some bills paid and get this caught up.  I think the last time I was able to write, I was in Connecticut. I am now in southeastern Alabama, waiting for my load to northwestern Missouri.  Oh, what a fun time I had in between.  Here, let me tell you all about it.

So, I made my way to Massachusetts for my delivery.  I was good and early, and had a little bit of a tough time backing in, but all in all that stop went fine.  I finished there, and picked up a load bound for northern New Jersey.  I got that, camped back in Connecticut for the night, and set off on my adventure early that morning.

Now, one thing I've discovered in my travels is that there are very few truck stops in New England.  Actually, there's very few all along the east coast for that matter, and if you don't get into one before thee sun sets, you are either hard-pressed to find parking, or there's simply no room at all.  All of the truck stops, and rest areas along the highway, are full to the rafters.  Bear this in mind, it'll be important later in the story.

Okay, we're in Jersey.  I need to back into this very tight loading area.  And so I did ... for about an hour.  A FREAKIN' HOUR.  And I still couldn't get in straight.  I was happy that I was able to get in to the dock door in such a way that they could finally get me unloaded.  Never mind the fact that I had another load booked against me before I had even gotten close to delivering this one.  SO, when I got close to being ready to unload, I opened the trailer doors and took out the load locks, setting them along the side of the building where they wouldn't get damaged.  Guess what got damaged.  And guess who has to buy two new load locks.  Preferably before I leave here to get my current load.

Off to my next pickup, a little further south from where I was, going to Virginia.  Western Virginia.  My hours of service clock is getting pretty low at this point, so the only option I had was to run the load straight in to the receiver and take my break there.  I was fortunate that I was able to take long enough of a break, because by the time they got me unloaded it was around midnight local time.  Forget trying to find a parking spot; I tried.  I parked on the side of the road near the truck stop to get some supplies (soups, snack foods, and drinks), in an area that was in no way marked as "No Parking."  I'm figuring out my next trip when I see a flashlight on my windshield.  Oh hey, it's a member of the local law enforcement, here to tell me that there's no parking on the road and I had better be moving before the deputy further down got to me to write me a ticket.  So, with no other option, I rolled through the night into North Carolina.

I arrived at the shipper with plenty of time to spare, dropped my trailer, and played the Where The Hell Can I Park game.  It seemed no two security personnel could give me the same answer and, as a result, I ended up moving twice before I found a spot I could stay undisturbed until my load was ready.  My load came ready later that night, I got approval to roll (this time), and off I went to Alabama.  According to the information I was given at dispatch, I wasn't due at the receiver until 6 am today.  NO problem, I thought, I can camp close, and roll in about an hour before the time I need to be there.  So, that's what I did, staying at this little hole-in-the-wall truck stop because there's nothing else available in that area.

Which brings us to today.  I rolled in as (I thought I was) scheduled, only to be told I was late.  They had the appointment time booked at 3 am.  Someone lied to me, and I don't know who, but it still rankled me all the same.  I got a door assignment, and surprise, there's already a trailer in there, with other truck taking all of the other available doors as soon as they came in.  This is not the way I wanted to start my day.  I finally got backed in to a door, got unloaded, and came down for my next load.  I have about two hours left on my clock for today, so when the load's ready I will have to go in, camp until midnight when I get some more hours back, and then run all night long again, at least until the limit of my hours.

I am tired, I am not feeling all that great from not being able to eat all that well for the past three or four days,  I am super frustrated, I haven't had a shower since at least Monday, and all I really want to do is go home.  And, because this is how my brain works when I'm super-tired and completely frazzled, I wonder if my "home" is now really nothing more than a place to sleep for five days or so before I have to drag my stupid self back into this truck and start the madness all over again.

I should try to shower, and then try to get more of a nap so I can be ready to run all night again.  Which I completely hate but have no choice, much like everything else lately.


So, until next time, farewell from Alabama, until the next time I'm able to write again.

Back on the road

I was correct in that I received a load assignment.  It came through yesterday afternoon, for pickup this morning and delivery on Friday.  It's not a long trip, but it keeps me moving and will add a few bucks to the bank account.

It's been a very long, tiring day, mainly because of having to deal with not just the traffic, but the many layers of contacts at the place I work for.  The more I have to interact with the office, the less enchanted with the company I become.  Notice that I said "the company" and not "the job," because while the job can be frustrating at times, I still like what I do, to a point.

What I can do without, however, is the anger and frustration I get just trying to fulfill my duties as was explained to me before I even hit the road.  Here's some examples:

• Before I roll on a trip, I have to place a call to my driver manager and do a verbal trip plan, and once it's agreed upon, send it back in so there's a record of it in the system.  Sounds great in theory, right?  Well, try getting through on our phone lines.  I sat on hold for four solid hours waiting to do the verbal before I gave up, wrote up the route I planned to take (which I vetted with the road atlas, as per policy), and sent it in.  
• Our computer system sends a recommended route once you acknowledge your load assignment, showing fueling locations to use and the like.  This run had no fuel stops, until we went through the trip plan, after which it changed the route we agreed upon and added a fuel stop twenty miles off-route.  Basically, I have to bypass my destination to fuel and head back again.  And then they tell you not to gain too many out-of-route miles.

I guess it's no wonder that I'm actively looking for a local driving job.  Besides the fact that the life of a road warrior gets lonely and I'd like to be able to sink into my own bed more than once every five weeks or so, dealing with this crap on a daily basis is wearing me down.  And I'm far from the only one.  I spoke to a driver just last week, who was only halfway through the first part of the "solo grad driver" program, and he said that as soon as he dropped the load he had, he was requesting a route back to the terminal because he was quitting.

You know it's bad when you're out getting your trailer's annual inspection and the shop manager of the place you're visiting says that he wonders how anyone can conduct business with our comany given it's next to impossible to get through on the phone.  And all I can do is nod, and add, "This is what I deal with on a daily basis."

I know this turned into an anti-work rant, but it needed to be said to someone else, besides being screamed at full volume in the cab of the truck.  Tomorrow I'll go to the stupid fuel stop, camp there for the rest of the day, and deliver my load in the morning on Friday.  After which, who knows where the roads will lead.  I will try to keep you posted.