Moving Day

DATELINE: WEST MEMPHIS, AR, 8:00 a.m. CDT

Miles Yesterday: 636

Well, Dispatch did wind up setting up a relay for my Sarnia-to-Smyrna load. I got the message at about 3:45 a.m., inquired about the other truck's ETA, and was told they were 154 miles away. So that gave me another 2-1/2 hours for copping more shut-eye.

I woke up again just after 6:00, got dressed, and as I opened up my curtains, I saw the other truck just pulling up. How's that for timing? So I unhooked my loaded trailer, pulled around to where they had dropped their empty, and sent in my new "empty call" message to trigger Dispatch to send me a new assignment.
(By the way, that relay really didn't do anything to get the load on its way any quicker than if I'd just completed my 10-hour break and continued on with it. By the time my break reached that 10-hou mark, the relay truck was still at the Flying J. But that's not my concern anymore.)

Next up: a pickup in Troy, OH yesterday afternoon, for a load bound for our terminal in Laredo, TX. It's due there at noon on Sunday, so for once I have some extra time built in to a run. I asked my Fleet Manager if I could go to Laredo by way of our Van Buren, AR terminal so I could pick up my new truck there. (As you may recall, my old truck's AC still doesn't work, so it'd be one HOT trip to deepest, darkest TX.) He surprised me and said that I could get a new truck at the West Memphis, AR terminal, since that was on my route. He even gave me my new "address", my new truck's number. If all goes as it should, keep an eye out for number 1787 of the USA Truck fleet and give me a wave. That is a brand-spankin' new truck--an International ProStar--and more than likely an automatic transmission, so maybe finally I'll have a good piece of equipment to drive. (I hope I'm not jinxing things by posting this update before the trade-in is a done deal. Send your good thoughts my way, if you please.)

I pushed hard yesterday and made it to West Memphis just within my allotted driving hours for the day. I got here at about 11:30 p.m., so it was too late to handle the truck swap then. (Besides, my FM said he'd set up the swap for this afternoon.) I was also much too tired to blog for you. It'd been a LONG, hot drive.

When I woke up this morning, I checked in with the shop about the trade-in, but it hadn't been set up in the computer system yet, So, naturally, I have to wait once more. It's too darn hot 'n humid to wait in my truck, so I've sought refuge in the drivers' lounge, plugged in, and tuned in to the web. So that's a plus for you as I have time to let y'all know about it. When I finally do get the new unit, I'll be busy moving my stuff between the old and the new, then I'll more than likely need to hit the road for Laredo, so I probably won't post an update telling you the news right away. Then again, like I mentioned earlier, I have plenty of time on this load, so I could just wait 'til tomorrow morning to get rolling. Just keep an eye out here to see what happens.

Thanks for peeking in today. Let me know your thoughts and questions about my job, and keep on truckin'.