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.