Meridian, Ft. Worth, Prescott

DATELINE: PRESCOTT, AR, 7:30 p.m. CDT

Oops, missed a couple of days again, due to:
Saturday: Uncooperative laptop power, and
Sunday: Trucking fatigue.
So it's catch-up time again. On to it.

When last we spoke, I was primed for a Saturmorning delivery in Norcross, GA, a northeast Atlanta 'burb. I got up and made it to the company about 25 minutes early (my appointment was for 8:00 a.m.), then wound up waiting 'cuz nobody was at work there yet. They showed up at about 8:15. Turns out it was a small company (or a small facility for a larger company), in what appeared to be a cross between a strip mall and an industrial park. It was down a narrow, 2-lane street that seemed primarily residential, with some industrial/commercial buildings squeezed in here and there.

The site I went to has a narrow parking lot/loading dock area, and the company to which I was delivering was right at the narrowest point. To make things more "interesting", the opposite side of the lot from the loading docks was bordered by a 6-1/2-foot-tall stone wall. So backing to the dock, instead of lining up with the slot and backing into it, was a matter of angling in from the side and pivoting the trailer wheels at just the right spot for the butt-end of the trailer to hit the dock just as it gets straight, too. Always fun. Once I got in there, I had about 6 feet between the nose of my truck and the stone wall.

Anyway, not to belabor the site's fun points. Otherwise, the delivery went fine, although a bit slow. Afterwards I called in to Dispatch to let 'em know I completed the delivery (remember, my Qualcomm is still on the fritz) and get my next assignment. Next up: a pickup in Belle, GA (just southeast of Hotlanta) for a Monday morning delivery in Roanoke, TX (just north of Fort Worth).

So I drove over to the pickup and overcame the incorrect directions (they said to turn north from a certain road to reach the company, when the company really was south of that road) to get there. Pickup time was set for 1:00, but I got there at noon. They gave me a slot right away (a big place with lots of dock doors), but didn't start loading 'til 1:00 anyway. Once that was done, it was back to the road west: I-20 the whole way 'til it was time to turn north at Fort Worth.

I stopped for Saturday night at the TA in Meridian, MS, took my 10-hour break, then spent Sunday on the westward trek. I thought I had slept enough Saturnight, but by the latter part of Sunday's drive I was really getting tired. I finally reached the Pilot in north Fort Worth, about 6 miles from my slated delivery site, and thankfully found a parking spot after circling the lot only twice. I was surprised the place was so full so relatively early--4:30 p.m. on a Sunday. But, then again, it was dinner time, so a lot of truckers were stopped temporarily for some grub.

I treated myself to dinner at the IHOP next door to the Pilot--Chicken Florentine Crepes, tasty! Then I got back into my truck, set the air conditioning ('twas in the upper 90s outside), read a little bit, then went to bed. Man, was I tired; more "head tired" than bodily worn out--must be all the staring at the road.

This morning, because I had gone to bed so early (by 7:30), I woke up before 4:30. That left me plenty of time for a leisurely shower, shave, and McDonald's breakfast before starting my work day at 5:45. My delivery appointment was 7:00, but I got to the company at about 6:15 and found a line of trucks at their gate. Thankfully, they didn't wait 'til 7:00 to open up; I was inside by 6:45. It was a drop-and-hook delivery, so I was done within half an hour. I called in and Dispatch didn't have my next assignment pre-planned, so I zipped back to the Pilot to fuel up, send in my paperwork for the just-completed load, and wait.

By my second call (at 8:45), they had an assignment for me: head up to Wichita Falls, TX to pick up a load headed for Brownsville, TN. It's about 100 miles or so from FW to WF, all on US highways, and it took me 2 hours to complete the trip. The pickup was another drop-and-hook, so again it was relatively quick (30 minutes). Then it was back to another US highway--US-82 this time--for the interminable drive eastward across north Texas to Texarkana. Except for a quick stop 30 minutes in to weigh the truck and grab a slice of pizza at a truck stop, I covered the US-82 stretch non-stop. Good thing I hadn't been drinking very much today. I finally stopped at the Flying J in Texarkana (after hopping onto I-30 at New Boston) for more fuel and other necessary functions, then continued just a bit further here to the TA in Prescott.

Because I've been working a lot the last few days, my hours are again getting low. I'm down to 5-1/2 for tomorrow, then will only get 3-1/2 back for Wednesday. I think the 5-1/2 are just enough to make my delivery tomorrow, then retreat to a nearby truck stop. Brownsville is 40-to-50-ish miles northeast of Memphis, and my delivery is due at noon. So I'll get rolling by 6:00 in the morning and shoot for getting there a bit early. Then I'll have all afternoon for more sleep. I really hope Dispatch'll let me go to West Memphis on Wednesday to get my Qualcomm (and overdue maintenance) attended to, instead of assigning me a load with the 3-1/2 hours I'll have for that day.

Anywho, I'm once again a bit "head tired" and ready for sleep. My laptop's all charged up (I came inside and plugged in at the food court--Taco Bell and Subway--dining area), so everything's ready for the end of the day. Thanks for checking in today, drop me a line, and keep on truckin'.