A Day on 81

DATELINE: GREENVILLE, TN, 7:00 p.m. EDT

Miles Today: 526

As you can see, it was a long drive today. I had a pickup in the morning, which was a drop-and-hook, so I didn't have any waiting time there at all. In and out in 15 minutes. Then it was back to the road for a long day on southbound I-81, from the Harrisburg, PA area through narrow strips of MD and WV, a l-o-n-g stretch of VA, then, finally, 40-ish miles of TN to my current resting place. I only had 10-1/4 work hours available today (of my 70-in-8-days), or else I would have driven a bit farther to Knoxville. But this truck stop was right where I'd used up my hours.

I've been here once before, a few months back, but the place has undergone a transformation. It used to be an independent joint, but has since been taken over and redecorated by TA. I do remember a sign from my previous visit that that change was imminent. Anyway, it is nicer than it was, but it is still small for a TA. No fast food court here, just TA's restaurant.

When I picked up my load this morning, I didn't have a set appointment time for the delivery end of the trip. I sent a message in to my fleet manager to let him know my ETA at the site, which would be late tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. I didn't hear back from him, so after I stopped here and had dinner, I sent a message to the evening crew asking if they'd set an appointment yet. The reply: 9:30 a.m. on the 12th. That's Thursday. I'm about 5 hours away from the site now, and could easily make it tomorrow, then get my next load, and pile on the (paid) miles. Instead I guess I'll sleep in and have a leisurely drive tomorrow to Nashville and have plenty of time to try to make up the paycheck difference at the poker tables. (Right, like my luck's ever gonna be that good!)

So that's where things stand now. Since I won't have to get up dark and early tomorrow, mayhaps I'll stay up to catch the All Star game, now that the Tigers finally have a multi-player contingent. Perchance it'll even be on the TV in the truckers' lounge here. But I'm not holding my breath about that one.

Note to reader nancyr: I've seen the previous hour-long show about the ice truckers once or twice the past couple of years, but I haven't been able to catch the series now airing. It looks fascinating on one level, but I don't think I'd want to chance the dangers of breaking down or breaking through the ice. Too many ways to die very cold. Brrrr!

Thanks once again for spending some time with my tales. Drop me a note if you have any questions about this job or the glamorous life on the road, or if you just want to say, "Hi!" And, as always, do keep on truckin'.