DATELINE: I-70, SOMEWHERE NEAR MARSHALL, IL
Dear Readers,
I'm gonna keep this short today 'cuz I am very tired. It's been a long 2 days, full of my favorite things...GLITCHES! Let's start w/ yesterday. Since I'm too tired to give the full story on each, I'll just list 'em:
1. At a truck stop just outside of Lansing, ready to start the day's driving, felt the unmistakable tug of the trailer brakes holding fast. Frozen. Call #1 to the Breakdown dept. at USA Truck.
2. Bad directions to my delivery site (led me to the wrong gate at the site)
3. Guard at gate misread the manufacture date of the trailer (thought it said "06/95" when it was, in fact "06/05") and would not let me on site 'cuz the trailer was too old (> 10 years). Sent me to another site for unloading
4. Receiving clerk at new site wouldn't take me 'cuz they didn't take my commodity at that site. Message from my dispatcher sent me back to the original site.
5. No place to drop my trailer at the original site. (They had a spot they wanted me to drop it into, but it was physically impossible to get it in there). Sent me back to the other site to just drop the trailer there. No empty trailer for me to take with me.
6. Back to the truck stop I started from in the morning to fuel up. Problems w/ fuel pumps.
7. After 2-ish hour wait, got new load assignment, along with assignment to pick up an empty trailer in Coldwater
8. Got to Coldwater, hooked up new trailer, started to go, felt the unmistakable tug of the trailer brakes holding fast. Frozen. Call #2 to the Breakdown dept.
9. Trailer fixed, drove to nearby truck parking area (a rest area w/o facilities) to spend the night, typed in a long update for this blog enumerating the day's glitches, lost my wireless signal AND my likely-award-winning composition.
Today:
1. Got to my pickup site in Elkhart, IN on time (25 minutes early, in fact). Waited 2 hours beyond my appointment before they gave me a dock assignment for loading.
2. While backing into the loading dock, another driver pointed out to me that I had a flat tire on my trailer (it was actually 2 flats on the same axle). Call #3 to Breakdown. After loading, drove to the tire fixit shop Breakdown directed me to about 10 or so miles away, shredding the flat tires along the way.
So those delays have me a few hours behind schedule. I'm supposed to get this load to the Dallas area Friday morning at 9:00 for my delivery appointment. If EVERYTHING can go right between now and then, I think I can just make it. Send your good thoughts my way that I can get there glitch-free the rest of the way.
Anyway, sound like a fun job? You want to sign up? ;-)
Time to cut out 'cuz I'm too tired to see straight. Thanks for reading. Keep on commentin' and truckin'.
3 comments:
We hope your next few days are completely free of glitches and that all goes well.
We're wondering... what does the inside of your cab look like? As seen from the outside most of the tractors we see on the road looke like they're too small to be really comfortable, yet you're spending a lot of time in there in between drives. What's it like?
J Fike
Okay, you've exceeded your glitch quota. Clear skies, clear roads, and a smoothly humming vehicle are in the forecast, I pray. Take it easy. You'll get there - enjoy Texas, your new second home!
{waves hands mysteriously} you will not have glitches, you will not have glitches...
I still think it sounds like a pretty cool job, getting to see the country. Then again, that's what I do for my vacations, so maybe I *am* a little bit nuts.
Post a Comment