Haulin' A$$
So after having been bob-tailed to Morehead, KY I was assigned a load that picked up 130 miles from where they had bob-tailed me to. The load was going another 130 miles from there to Louisville, KY. It was a load of Kingsford Charcoal briquettes, prepackaged and ready for sale. The place I delivered it to in Louisville was a huge warehouse chock FULL of the stuff. I presume they were a major chain supplier stocking up in preparation for summertime BBQ's.
After making that delivery I was then sent about 30 miles east of Louisville to pick up a load going to Dallas, TX. It was a nice haul but had a very tight schedule. I was afraid by the end of the first day southbound that I wouldn't make on-time delivery. But in the end, I managed to make it to my delivery destination not only on-time, but early. They were happy to have me and had me unloaded in no time.
While I was en route to Dallas I received a message on the Qualcomm from my boss telling me he was trying to schedule me some training at the company terminal on the south side of Dallas. I didn't stop to respond because it was just an FYI kind of message and I was still worried about making my delivery on time and wanted to stop as little as possible. About an hour later I got a second message informing me that it had been confirmed and was scheduled for 11 am the following morning, after I made my delivery. Again, I didn't bother to stop to respond. If he sent me a third message I would have stopped and let him know I got it, but I didn't see any point since it was just information.
The next morning after making my delivery I headed over to the company terminal, pleased with how well I remembered how to get there. It's not hard to get to, but I surprised myself by how I even remembered the exit number correctly.
I was way early for my training session and decided to take advantage of the time I had available to take a shower. After my shower I checked in at the front desk to let them know I was scheduled for training at 11 am and was told that the instructor would just come out and make an announcement 5-10 minutes before hand. So with that in mind, I headed out to the truck, did a few things that needed doing and loafed around for a while.
I headed back inside about twenty-five til 11. Figuring that way I'd have time to nuke up the cup of mac-n-cheese I was gonna grub on, cram it down my gullet, and still have a few minutes to spare before class started. When the clock was right at 5 til I started watching the front desk to make sure I didn't miss being called for. But as the minutes ticked away I realized something was wrong. There weren't any other students waiting for the same kind of training I was supposed to be getting. The folks at the front desk weren't sure about the training schedules and just kept reassuring me that the instructor would come find me.
So I found a seat and set up camp, waiting as patiently as I could. I played on my iPhone and twiddled my thumbs until about half after. Then I decided I'd better call my boss to find out if things were actually confirmed and see if he knew who I might hunt down to inquire about where my instructor might be. Of course, the boss was out to lunch.
So I checked in at the front desk, again. Was told that the instructor had stepped out and would be back "any minute". So I sat back down and played on my phone until it rang in my hands. It was my boss calling me, irritated a little but pouring on the reassurance. He asked me for my personal e-mail address so that he could forward me the confirmation e-mail he'd received from the instructor the day before. Within moments I had the e-mail pulled up on my phone and had found the name of the person I needed to be hunting down.
Just about the time I said goodbye to the boss on the phone the instructor had appeared out of no where and was all over himself apologizing for having been late. I was just glad I wasn't sitting around wasting time for nothing, I didn't want to have to go through this another place and time. So I just said something to the effect of "let's just get 'er done, dude". To which he laughed and directed me to the classroom.
I WAS the only student scheduled for the training that day. So it was just me, the instructor and the slide show presentation in the training room. Since I'd just went through the same exact training while doing my reorientation training in Indy, it was really pointless to be there, but it was required. So the instructor took mercy on me and didn't make me sit through the whole 4 hours of planned classroom experience.
Instead, we watched the slide show, which he would pause occasionally to offer tips and answer my questions, then we discussed a few things about the subject matter. We finally wrapped it up just chatting about the company and the industry and such. I was in and out in an hour and a half and felt much better about the whole thing.
After that I was finally free to do the one thing I wanted to do while I was there, laundry. And while I was doing that I got a few messages and then a phone call from my friend and fellow company trucker, PJ. We ended up having a nice chat, catching up. We had stayed in touch occasionally via text and FaceBook messages but hadn't really kept up well since I left the trucker world back in Sept. '10. So it was super swell to start catching up.
The next morning I had to pick up my next work assignment there in Dallas, a trailer-full of Gatorade, headed northward into Kansas. It was an easy load that gave me time to slow things down a bit. I'd had to haul my behind off on the last load that took me to Dallas in the first place, so it was night to have a load that was a little more laid back.
I made it as far as the Oklahoma/Kansas border last night where I stayed at a quaint little truck stop and got a fairly good nights' sleep. This morning I woke up, got a piping hot and quite tasty cup of coffee and then hit the back roads to a town just west of Wichita where I delivered the Gatorade and had an awkward moment with a fellow driver.
Okay, ladies and (especially) gentlemen. Let's say you're somewhere that has only one bathroom, a unisex bathroom. It's a single-occupant space. If you're going to go in to do your business, please lock the door. Not doing so will result in not one, but two embarrassed parties.
This morning after having checked in, docked and hung out in my truck for a bit while I was waiting to be unloaded, I decided I just couldn't hold it anymore and hopped out of the truck to head in to see if they had a restroom. Sure enough, they had a small unisex bathroom right off of the main check in area. I headed across the room and found that the door was resting against the jamb, but in an "I'm open, but can't stay open because I'm a heavy metal door" kind of way. Follow me?
So I gave the door a polite rap-tap with my knuckles and waited that second or two that is necessary to see if any response would be given from the inside. When I heard nothing I pushed the door open only to be shocked at the sight of an older gentleman standing there doing what people do in the bathroom.
He looked just as shocked as I did and within an instant of our eyes making contact I let go of the door, allowing it to go back to resting in that "I'm open" position on the door jamb. As the door was closing, I had to get my thoughts out there by loudly saying, "Ew, gross... DUDE, LOCK IT before you UNDOCK it."
He came out a few moments later, still red in the face and shaking his head with lighthearted laughter.
"I never expected any ladies around here, sorry 'bout that." he said.
"Just remember that there are locks for a reason, dude." I said in return as I was headed into the restroom.
I made a point of LOUDLY engaging the door lock after I closed the door behind me.
So anyway, lesson learned for that dude.
I have found that women are in a bad habit of doing this as well, especially in places like service plazas and rest areas. I suppose it's those b*tches who are afraid that everything in a public bathroom is smothered in herpes or something. You know the ones... they "hover" and piss on the seat. Then wash their hands and use a paper towel to open the door as they leave....
yeah... those.
I assume that maybe they think the locking mechanism is tainted with some sort of horrific STD or other disease just like every other surface in the bathroom, so they just don't touch it and leave themselves at risk of me just blasting open the door in their face when I am in a hurry to drop a deuce.
Yeah, okay so maybe that was a little too much information. But you get the idea. I'm just so sick of people being lazy. Unless they just WANT me to see them pee. Then they just need therapy.
Moving on...
After delivering the truckload of Gatorade in Kansas this morning I was instructed to deadhead (haul my empty trailer) 211 miles to Kansas City, Missouri to await further instruction. When I arrived here I sent in a message letting my boss know I'd made it. Shortly after I received messages for my next work assignment.
For whatever retarded a$$ reason they made me drive all the way over here just to send me back 130 miles into Kansas. Seems like a good use of company resources, no? But whatever...
So in the morning I'll get up, shower and head over to pick up a load that is going to be a doozy going from KS to New Jersey. I'm skeptical again, already, that I will be able to make on-time delivery. Mainly because I'm so low on hours. I will gain back a decent amount each night but I am not sure it will be enough. But we'll see.
For right now, I'm hanging out, waiting for my Chunky Beef Stew to get heated up in the lunch box stove so I can get my grind on. I'm hungry, hungry hippo.
Oh snap!!! Before I forget, I signed up for Twitter finally. I know, I know... I said I'd never. But I did. So if you're interested, you can follow me and my silly 140 character antics @truckerroxx Yeah. Thanks!
After making that delivery I was then sent about 30 miles east of Louisville to pick up a load going to Dallas, TX. It was a nice haul but had a very tight schedule. I was afraid by the end of the first day southbound that I wouldn't make on-time delivery. But in the end, I managed to make it to my delivery destination not only on-time, but early. They were happy to have me and had me unloaded in no time.
While I was en route to Dallas I received a message on the Qualcomm from my boss telling me he was trying to schedule me some training at the company terminal on the south side of Dallas. I didn't stop to respond because it was just an FYI kind of message and I was still worried about making my delivery on time and wanted to stop as little as possible. About an hour later I got a second message informing me that it had been confirmed and was scheduled for 11 am the following morning, after I made my delivery. Again, I didn't bother to stop to respond. If he sent me a third message I would have stopped and let him know I got it, but I didn't see any point since it was just information.
The next morning after making my delivery I headed over to the company terminal, pleased with how well I remembered how to get there. It's not hard to get to, but I surprised myself by how I even remembered the exit number correctly.
I was way early for my training session and decided to take advantage of the time I had available to take a shower. After my shower I checked in at the front desk to let them know I was scheduled for training at 11 am and was told that the instructor would just come out and make an announcement 5-10 minutes before hand. So with that in mind, I headed out to the truck, did a few things that needed doing and loafed around for a while.
I headed back inside about twenty-five til 11. Figuring that way I'd have time to nuke up the cup of mac-n-cheese I was gonna grub on, cram it down my gullet, and still have a few minutes to spare before class started. When the clock was right at 5 til I started watching the front desk to make sure I didn't miss being called for. But as the minutes ticked away I realized something was wrong. There weren't any other students waiting for the same kind of training I was supposed to be getting. The folks at the front desk weren't sure about the training schedules and just kept reassuring me that the instructor would come find me.
So I found a seat and set up camp, waiting as patiently as I could. I played on my iPhone and twiddled my thumbs until about half after. Then I decided I'd better call my boss to find out if things were actually confirmed and see if he knew who I might hunt down to inquire about where my instructor might be. Of course, the boss was out to lunch.
So I checked in at the front desk, again. Was told that the instructor had stepped out and would be back "any minute". So I sat back down and played on my phone until it rang in my hands. It was my boss calling me, irritated a little but pouring on the reassurance. He asked me for my personal e-mail address so that he could forward me the confirmation e-mail he'd received from the instructor the day before. Within moments I had the e-mail pulled up on my phone and had found the name of the person I needed to be hunting down.
Just about the time I said goodbye to the boss on the phone the instructor had appeared out of no where and was all over himself apologizing for having been late. I was just glad I wasn't sitting around wasting time for nothing, I didn't want to have to go through this another place and time. So I just said something to the effect of "let's just get 'er done, dude". To which he laughed and directed me to the classroom.
I WAS the only student scheduled for the training that day. So it was just me, the instructor and the slide show presentation in the training room. Since I'd just went through the same exact training while doing my reorientation training in Indy, it was really pointless to be there, but it was required. So the instructor took mercy on me and didn't make me sit through the whole 4 hours of planned classroom experience.
Instead, we watched the slide show, which he would pause occasionally to offer tips and answer my questions, then we discussed a few things about the subject matter. We finally wrapped it up just chatting about the company and the industry and such. I was in and out in an hour and a half and felt much better about the whole thing.
After that I was finally free to do the one thing I wanted to do while I was there, laundry. And while I was doing that I got a few messages and then a phone call from my friend and fellow company trucker, PJ. We ended up having a nice chat, catching up. We had stayed in touch occasionally via text and FaceBook messages but hadn't really kept up well since I left the trucker world back in Sept. '10. So it was super swell to start catching up.
The next morning I had to pick up my next work assignment there in Dallas, a trailer-full of Gatorade, headed northward into Kansas. It was an easy load that gave me time to slow things down a bit. I'd had to haul my behind off on the last load that took me to Dallas in the first place, so it was night to have a load that was a little more laid back.
I made it as far as the Oklahoma/Kansas border last night where I stayed at a quaint little truck stop and got a fairly good nights' sleep. This morning I woke up, got a piping hot and quite tasty cup of coffee and then hit the back roads to a town just west of Wichita where I delivered the Gatorade and had an awkward moment with a fellow driver.
Okay, ladies and (especially) gentlemen. Let's say you're somewhere that has only one bathroom, a unisex bathroom. It's a single-occupant space. If you're going to go in to do your business, please lock the door. Not doing so will result in not one, but two embarrassed parties.
This morning after having checked in, docked and hung out in my truck for a bit while I was waiting to be unloaded, I decided I just couldn't hold it anymore and hopped out of the truck to head in to see if they had a restroom. Sure enough, they had a small unisex bathroom right off of the main check in area. I headed across the room and found that the door was resting against the jamb, but in an "I'm open, but can't stay open because I'm a heavy metal door" kind of way. Follow me?
So I gave the door a polite rap-tap with my knuckles and waited that second or two that is necessary to see if any response would be given from the inside. When I heard nothing I pushed the door open only to be shocked at the sight of an older gentleman standing there doing what people do in the bathroom.
He looked just as shocked as I did and within an instant of our eyes making contact I let go of the door, allowing it to go back to resting in that "I'm open" position on the door jamb. As the door was closing, I had to get my thoughts out there by loudly saying, "Ew, gross... DUDE, LOCK IT before you UNDOCK it."
He came out a few moments later, still red in the face and shaking his head with lighthearted laughter.
"I never expected any ladies around here, sorry 'bout that." he said.
"Just remember that there are locks for a reason, dude." I said in return as I was headed into the restroom.
I made a point of LOUDLY engaging the door lock after I closed the door behind me.
So anyway, lesson learned for that dude.
I have found that women are in a bad habit of doing this as well, especially in places like service plazas and rest areas. I suppose it's those b*tches who are afraid that everything in a public bathroom is smothered in herpes or something. You know the ones... they "hover" and piss on the seat. Then wash their hands and use a paper towel to open the door as they leave....
yeah... those.
I assume that maybe they think the locking mechanism is tainted with some sort of horrific STD or other disease just like every other surface in the bathroom, so they just don't touch it and leave themselves at risk of me just blasting open the door in their face when I am in a hurry to drop a deuce.
Yeah, okay so maybe that was a little too much information. But you get the idea. I'm just so sick of people being lazy. Unless they just WANT me to see them pee. Then they just need therapy.
Moving on...
After delivering the truckload of Gatorade in Kansas this morning I was instructed to deadhead (haul my empty trailer) 211 miles to Kansas City, Missouri to await further instruction. When I arrived here I sent in a message letting my boss know I'd made it. Shortly after I received messages for my next work assignment.
For whatever retarded a$$ reason they made me drive all the way over here just to send me back 130 miles into Kansas. Seems like a good use of company resources, no? But whatever...
So in the morning I'll get up, shower and head over to pick up a load that is going to be a doozy going from KS to New Jersey. I'm skeptical again, already, that I will be able to make on-time delivery. Mainly because I'm so low on hours. I will gain back a decent amount each night but I am not sure it will be enough. But we'll see.
For right now, I'm hanging out, waiting for my Chunky Beef Stew to get heated up in the lunch box stove so I can get my grind on. I'm hungry, hungry hippo.
Oh snap!!! Before I forget, I signed up for Twitter finally. I know, I know... I said I'd never. But I did. So if you're interested, you can follow me and my silly 140 character antics @truckerroxx Yeah. Thanks!
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