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.