Stresses in N.C.

DATELINE: SHELBY, NC, 8:15 p.m. EST

Miles Today: 408

Well, today was kinda' "different" in some respects. But also much the same. I woke up at 5:35 this morning and was rolling at 6:00. It was raining and things were coated with ice along the sides of the road (which I didn't notice 'til the sun started coming up a while later), but the roads had been salted and were quite safe.

It took me 4-1/2 hours to get to my delivery today, as opposed to the 3 hours I had figured on, for a couple of reasons.
1. I had a very heavy load and was driving through mountainous territory on potentially slick roads, so I (and gravity during uphill portions) kept my speed down for the most part. And,
2. Part of the route I intended to take (US-52 in NC) wound up being restricted to vehicles under 8 tons. At nearly 39 tons, my loaded truck didn't qualify. So I had to take a longer route.

Anyway, my tardiness didn't seem to cause anybody any concern. I had to wait just a few minutes (10 - 15) before I was assigned a dock door. After docking and checking in with the Receiving Department at the dock, 'twas time to wait out the unload. That took about 2 hours, during which time I discovered the phone system at company HQ was messed up.

You see, at this site I had to hire a "lumper" (an unloading service) to unload my trailer. That's common at some types of sites that don't hire their own staff to do that work. The lumper company is on-site, and to pay them I had to get a "Comcheck" (don't ask, just understand it as a company check, though that's not really what it is) authorized by Dispatch. When I tried calling in to them, I kept getting routed to a voicemail system instead of directly to my Fleet Manager. So I had to resort to using my Qualcomm box to send a message instead. Now, I needed to get that check authorized before I could leave, 'cuz I had to pay the lumper. So I had a bit of a raised stress level while trying to get in touch with Dispatch. Fortunately, it was a slow unload, and I finally got a call from Dispatch to authorize my check before the unloading was complete. Whew!

Next I headed east on I-40, my target being a Flying J on the company's fuel network so I could fill my tanks, which were getting low. The FJ was at least 30 miles away, and before I could get there, my next load assignment message came in. I pulled into a rest area so I could read it, and found out that the pickup would be back to the west. I had enough fuel to get to another network outlet (this one a Pilot) on the way to the pickup, so I just turned around instead of proceeding the remaining 10 miles to the FJ.

The assigned pickup was set for 5:00 p.m. at a company I've been to once before, here in Shelby. With the fuel stop and rush hour traffic to contend with, I arrived at about 5:15. Then things got "interesting".

When I went into the guard shack at the gate to sign in, I gave them the pickup number USA sent in my load assignment. The interesting part was that the list the guards had did not include my pickup number. So I had to return to my truck to communicate via Qualcomm (remember, the phone system at HQ was down--probably still is) with Dispatch to confirm the pickup number. After a moderate wait, I got a response that the number jibed with the info they had, and to send them the name and phone number of the person I was talking to here. Which I did.

Long story short, I sat and waited in the company's driveway (fortunately, it's a nice wide one, so I wasn't in the way) for 2 hours, as my 14-hour driving window for the day melted away, 'til USA finally relented and took me off the load. However, I didn't have enough time left to get to a truck stop, so I've pulled over to a dirt parking lot alongside the company's property to spend the night (as offered by the guard). I also didn't want to drive any distance 'cuz I don't know yet where Dispatch will send me for my next pickup. Could be back here in the morning for all I know.

A couple of downsides to this fiasco.
1. While I was at this site, 4 or 5 other USA Truck trucks were here picking up loads. Why was mine the only one messed up?
2. The load I was gonna get was headed for Fowlerville, MI, due for a Monday morning delivery. I could have taken that load to my "home" truck stop by Sunday in time to zip home to watch the Super Bowl in my own living room. Now I don't know yet where I'll be on Super Sunday.

Oh well, such is the life of an over-the-road trucker. It's been another lengthy day, so it's time to wrap up this report and head to bed. Thanks again for taking your valuable time to take a peek at my bloggings, and keep on truckin'.