And Then...

DATELINE: GARY, IN, 4:00 p.m. CDT

Miles Today: 450

And it was all just going along as another innocuous day, just a drive from Nashville to Chicago (or points nearabouts to them). And it was a shorter work day, too, only 7-3/4 hours of driving (as opposed to 10+). I finished up by fueling then parking at a Flying J here, had some lunch, and was relaxing in my bunk (napping, really) when some idiot hit me. By the time I registered what was going on, could get up and dressed, and pull back my curtains to see, the other truck was gone.

Now, it was nice & bright and sunny, and it was wide open next to me on the side I got hit (meaning the other guy wasn't squeezing into a tight space). So there was no reason ANYBODY should have even needed to get close enough to make hitting my truck a possibility. That's why I know it was an idiot who hit me. That and the fact that he left the scene. Perhaps he (just playing the percentages by guessing at the gender) didn't know he hit me, 'cuz it was on his way out and he was heading the other way, and the back end of his trailer scraped along the side of my cab. (That's what I surmise by the nature of the damage.)

The damage isn't terrible, by any means. The back corner of his trailer clipped the right (passenger) side of my cab, and he messed up my mirrors on that side and scraped and cracked the fiberglass hood. Oh, and the crack that had been in my windshield on that side now runs from top to bottom--it had been only about 4 inches long before.

But now I'm pissed. I've reported the accident to the company's Accident Hotline, and now I'm waiting for a call back from the Safety Department for more complete coverage of the issue (more info to them, instructions for me regarding dealing with the damages). The mirrors are a definite safety issue, obviously, so I'll need to get them taken care of before I can drive much. Otherwise I'll be almost totally blind on that side of the truck. (Do YOU want to drive around a truck that can't see other traffic around him on an entire side?)

This Flying J does have a garage facility, but I don't know yet if USA uses the "J-Care" facilities in its repair network. I may have to roll 3 miles down the road to a TA--the Maintenance Department has been communicating with me and they suggested the TA (I've had a bit of work done at TAs during this career so far). So, naturally, on a day when I'd finished up early and gotten a good parking place, I now may need to move somewhere else, wait while the mirror gets fixed, and see if any parking spots are open then. Sheesh!

Also, I was gonna have plenty of time for a little poker, but now that's gone bye-bye, too. Woulda' been the first time in a few days, and I was looking forward to it. (Another chapter in the ongoing saga entitled, "The Best Laid Plans...".)

That's all for now. I'll report on the resolution and whether or not I get to make the delivery on time tomorrow. Thanks for looking in today, and keep on truckin'.