Another One of Those Weeks

I have mentioned in a few recent posts that I have been under extreme anxiety recently. Just plain aggravated, and every little thing is getting under my skin. Normally I have huge amount of patience and tend to overlook all of the trivial annoyances. But not lately. So here is a quick run through of why I am walking on eggshells.

1. I got my wheel seal repaired. At a place that had no break room, snack machine, or driver's lounge. Originally estimated to take 2.5 hours, I laid around in the grass (reading a book) for over six. At least I won't be worried about flaming down the interstate for awhile.

2. You have all heard me whine about having to pull spring ride trailers... To make matters worse, in the past few weeks, my leveling valve on the air-ride suspension of my tractor has been malfunctioning, which makes it feel like a spring ride Truck. In fact, when returning from Ravenswood, Virginia a few weeks ago, I bounced through a pothole so hard it give me a mild case of whiplash which lasted for a week. I woke up the next morning and was unable to turn my head from side to side, but it only took 2 weeks , and that was repaired.

3. I mentioned having my radio repaired and receiving all sorts of free goodies. Well, I am looking this gift horse directly in the yellowing teeth. My radio does not work properly ANYMORE, and the error is undetectable by anyone else. This has been going on for six weeks. I am not normally a chatty Cathy on the CB, but I at least want to be heard clearly when I do decide to key up the mic. Instead, this horrible laser sounds comes screeching across the airwaves. I am so tired of everyone telling me to step away from the radio!! As of right now, it is being shipped to PA for a technician with 30 years experience to check it out. Should have it back in two weeks. Oh did I mention this problem started as a result of being fixed.

4. Last week when heading up to Long Island, I was traveling with a co-worker and he convinced me to follow his route, as it would save me at least an hour of driving... I hesitated, because I don't normally care to drive up Interstate 95.... Too much traffic!! I gave in and we turned east onto I-70 thru Maryland. ( I stay on I-81 normally, until I reach I-78). We arrive at 95 and traffic is flowing nicely. After a quick stop in Elkton, Maryland, I am on my way, as he camps out for the night. 1.5 miles later I hit major delays, from the Delaware state line to Edison, NJ... At this point, I opt to take the Outerbridge Crossing, thinking I will eliminate some of the traffic delays by not fighting my way across the George Washington Bridge. Wrong... Staten Island was not too bad, but Brooklyn was a nightmare. Needless to say, the last 2.5 hour leg of my journey took well over 5 hours!! So much for saving time.

and this is where I really start losing my cool

5. There is a stop I deliver to every week in Southington, Connecticut. They require an appointment every week to deliver. No one ever makes my appointment. I cannot do it myself, because I do not possess the adequate information on Friday required to make the appointment. My Boss does, but he always forgets.... Every week, which makes my job a tab bit harder, but so far my charm has always convinced the receiver to give a girl a break. But it would be nice to not have them fuss at me, EVERY WEEK!!

6. I had a not so regular delivery last week, to a location a mere 7 miles from a regular stop. I placed numerous phone calls trying to get directions, as this town is extremely restricted to Big Trucks. The receptionist could not give me the info I needed, because she did not know the designated Truck Route. The receiver would not answer his phone, or return my calls. After 36 hours of trying to get the info, I set out on a blind run... It took me almost 2 hours to finally arrive at the destination, only a mere 7 miles away, because every road leading in was off limits! I don't just mean " No Thru Trucks" I am talking about low clearance, bridge restrictions, low hanging wires and tree limbs. When I got there (late, of course) the receiver laughed at me and asked why I didn't call for directions.... OMG, I called a dozen times and left someone 4 messages to return my call. The person on the voice mails' name was Bill. The receiver's name was also Bill. Coincidence? I think not.

7. This one really confuses me... My normal route includes NY, CT, and MA.. Last week, I had an additional delivery to make in Elkridge, Maryland for my final stop. There was another load that was bound for Elkridge, and it had plenty of room for the few items I was carrying. The second load also had 4 of my NYC deliveries, which I had plenty of room for on my trailer. So driver number two is delivering Maryland and New York, while I am delivering New York, CT, Mass, and Maryland... Each of the loads was no where near full, but because of the load planning, both drivers spent an additional day away from home, with no increase in pay. In fact, I was paid less, because 4 of my stops were on the second trailer. When asked why these loads were planned that way, the Planner stated they were already loaded, ad no changes could have been made.... But who told them to load them this way, the Planner, of course, and she has no idea why they were loaded this way?! I call BS!!

To top it all off, motorists have been infected with a severe case of stupidity. am wondering if something is in the air other than pollen....I can not begin to tell you how many people I have had to dodge this week. For instance, when nearing an exit ramp, a young girl decides she wants my lane... Exactly where I am at, at the exact moment I am there..... I catch her movement out of the corner of my eye, and swerve hard to the left. Another second or two and she would have drove under the side of my trailer.... I blow the horn at her to get her attention, and she has the audacity to give me a friendly little 'thank you' wave as she speeds out of sight. But to make matters worse, when I swerved into the left lane, there was a car about 100 feet behind me. They obviously had no idea what was going on. In any case, that driver overreacted and the next thing you know, he is spinning wildly in the median. I pull over, in case they are injured or damaged. But immediately, he too gives me the thumbs up and drives away... WTF... Or how about the guy who slams on his brakes at a GREEN light! Or the one who ran the red light and turned directly in front of me, with only inches to spare. Yep, you guessed it, another friendly wave....

Come on Folks, either get medicated for your spring fever, or get the hell off the road. You are making my life a tad bit stressful at the moment...