The Waiting Game -- A New Record

DATELINE: COMMERCE, GA, 10:30 p.m. EDT

Miles Today: 238

Well, that's not a lot of miles for a work day that stretched 15-1/2 hours, is it? Here's the story.

As you recall, my load was destined for 2 deliveries in the Atlanta area this morning, 2 facilities of the same company within 1-1/2 miles of each other. I got up this morning with plenty time for a shower and shave before setting out. I arrived at the first delivery just a wee bit ahead of my 7:30 appointment. I checked in and was promptly assigned a dock door to back up to. That and the unloading went off without a hitch, and by 8:00 I was on my way down the road (2 roads, actually, with a right turn between) to the second site. No problems yet, except I was 4 hours early for that appointment. When I checked in, the receiving clerk directed me to back my rig into a corner of their (very small) lot and wait 'til they were ready for me. I expected a bit of a wait, but little did I know what was in store.

After 3 hours (but still an hour early), they finally assigned me a dock. However, I would need to wait 'til the truck currently in it was done and gone. (It is easier to get into the dock that way.) That took 10-15 more minutes, but I finally got to do something. (Here, because it's been a long day and I'm tired, I'll just gloss over the cramped area of their parking lot/loading dock area and the curbs in the way. But the docking maneuver was a challenge and took a little more finagling to get the truck straight than I like.) Then the inexplicable took over.

I sat in my truck and read while waiting...and waiting...and reading....and waiting... Every now and then I'd feel unloading activity (it shakes the whole truck when the forklifts drive into the back of the trailer), so I knew I wasn't being ignored. But it took FIVE FREAKING HOURS for them to remove the whole load! And it wasn't even a full trailer; some had been removed at the first stop. All in all I was at that %$#@! site for 8 hours! What a waste of my day!

Of course, afterward I would need to get a new pickup assignment. Since those usually take a while to come across, and the current site had no room for me to sit and wait, I hit the road for a rest area just a few (10-to-15-ish) miles up the highway (I-85). Naturally, because of the "delay" at the delivery, it was rush hour when I left. I don't know if you've driven through (or around) Hotlanta at rush hour, but they certainly do have a LOT of cars here. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it did take a little while to get to the rest area. Which was closed. Naturally. So I drove ahead to the next exit, turned around, and caught the rest area on the opposite side of the highway.

By that time my next assignment message had come in, so I took the time there to check that out and plot my course to the pickup. It was along I-20 east of ATL, which meant I'd have to head back along 85 to the I-285 loop around the city, take that south to 20, then east about 20 miles. That drive went OK, except for some slowdowns, and I reached the pickup site at 6:30 p.m. This was a drop-and-hook, thankfully (no more waiting), and went quickly, except for a bit of extra paperwork. By the time I left there, I had only 30 minutes left of my 14-hour window for driving (although I certainly had LOTS of my 11 driving hours left--but that doesn't matter).

This load is headed for Delaware, but I'm assigned to take it to our Roanoke, VA terminal and drop it there. No doubt because it's not due for delivery 'til Tuesday and dispatch wants to get me another load that I can haul for more miles over the weekend. Fine with me. So my route to Roanoke meant I had to backtrack along I-20 to I-285 back to I-85 to head northeast. Just to start wrapping this up, I drove to a TA in this town, going just a smidge beyond those 14 hours.

Did I mention I hadn't had a proper meal all day? I had a bowl of cereal in my truck while at my first delivery, a bag of dark chocolate peanut M&Ms (have you seen & tried those yet? YUM!) and a cup of milk at the marathon delivery, and a bag of Bugles and a Diet Coke on the way to the pickup. That was it. So when I got here, I was just a tad hungry, though I would have expected to be really starving by then. Anyway, this is at a busy highway exit, with lots of businesses right nearby. After parking I walked down to the road to see just what was available. I spotted a Taco Bell sign just up the road and started walking that way. However, what I came across first was a Chinese Buffet. Hmmm. I really did want to eat tres cheaply, but sometimes you just feel that with all the, um, er, crud you have to put up with on a day like today, you just deserve a little reward. So I splurged and hit the buffet. That really hit the spot. I had mostly seafood items, since that isn't available at most of the places I stop for food.

Anyway, I've rambled on far too long for my current fatigue level. Time to wrap this up and hit the sack. Thanks again for your readership, and keep on truckin'