Little Trucker Productions Presents

Another Little Trucker Video.......

Hope you enjoy!!

A First....

My Boss just called me and after a few moments, I realized just exactly what he was hinting about.....

I am soooooooooo freaking excited!!!

One of my favorite customers is trying to contract my truck into hauling 2 loads of their product from Glastonbury Connecticut into........

drum roll please...............................................

YEP, you guessed it..... Manhattan.

This will be a first for the Little Trucker. Piece O' Cake..... That is what I keep telling myself, after all, I love the CITY, but have never been into Manhattan with a BIG TRUCK.... A 53' . Better check on those restrictions BossMan!!

So quick, everyone, send me your video cameras!! I need to cover all the angles of everything so I don't miss a beat! This should be very entertaining....

Oh Sweet Vindication!!

I might have mentioned, yet I am not sure and too lazy to check......

Okay, let's try this again...

I have possibly mentioned in a prior post how some of my customers have been receiving bad product. And I have possibly mentioned that the sales rep blamed ME for the damage, because I occasionally have freight moved around en route to better service other customers needs.

Last week, I was shocked to find this on my trailer!!

This is overkill people!! The aluminum is wrapped in plastic and paper and then strapped together in a nice little bundle. Next it is wrapped in cardboard and finally the pressed wood was applied as a protective measure to keep ME from damaging it....

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..................................!!

After I delivered said bundle, the customer had the local sales rep come out and take a look. The rep agreed that the product was indeed dressed to the nines and was anxious to see how it made the 1200 mile trip.

Upon opening the bundle, it was then discovered that 36 out of 5o pieces were NO GOOD!!! Mostly due to improper dimensions and twisted lines, but not a single flaw was facial.... Which meant I was completely exonerated from all charges!!!

Nice try buddy!! Now go find someone else to be your little scapegoat...

Oh Happy Day

After a weekend adventure with some family members, I headed out on my weekly New England run and decided that I am not going to let this get the best of me.

Unless you are in my shoes, you have no idea what exactly I am really going through, and to try and explain it over and over again is just going to irritate you and well, I do NOT want to do that!!

SO, I set out with my old mentality in check and remained pleasant and cheerful for much of the week. Still having issues but not letting them alter my mood, I returned home in much better shape than the prior weeks. The only thing I could not control is the amount of tension that has set up in my neck and shoulders....

I actually had quite a lovely week. Quite lovely, indeed.... I received an invitation to have dinner with some of my customers when they arrive in Atlanta next month for a trade show. That is why I love my customers. It is so much more personal than just being a driver... And all my deliveries came off the trailer with no bloodshed. Unlike last week! I still lost time due to (you should know by now) But enjoyed the downtime, as I was exhausted.

Tuesday, I ran into a Canadian friend of mine. He hauls the same type of product and we deliver to several of the same customers. His route followed mine for several stops so at least I had someone to chat with!! And he happily followed me at the slower rate of speed, because my appointments were before his and he would have had to wait on me to unload anyways!

I finished up Tuesday afternoon and headed south where AA agreed to meet me in Virginia. It is just so much easier running slow if you have someone to cut up with. Wednesday morning, I got detoured to make an additional pick-up but discovered some gorgeous scenery en route, so that wasn't too bad... See, I loves me some mountains, and while the Appalachians are tiny in comparison to the grandiosity of the western ranges, there are still some breathtaking views.

I am better now, closer to being myself, which I am sure you must appreciate. Now if only I could work out those knots in my shoulders, then all will be wonderful. At least until I head out again.

Sick and Tired

This week was not so good!

I have been having to fight the urges not to just simply abandon the truck in Massachusetts and catch a flight home. But that is not who I am...I just hate that I am seriously having to fight those urges.

My trip Northeast is not so bad.. I have another driver who makes the journey with me and I am responsible for the entertainment portion, as my personality naturally dictates this.

But lately I have been doing my fair share of whining.

Monday and Tuesday..... Just another day at the office as I am making multiple deliveries and gossipping with old friends. This week I intentionally sat around at a few customer sites a tad bit longer than normal chatting with the hired help because I just could not face getting back in the truck and puttering around at 61 freaking miles per hour.

By Tuesday evening, it is rapidly going downhill fast. I have enough tension in my neck to keep my shoulders drawn up to my earlobes. My nerve in my shoulder blade is screaming for relief as is customary when I get stressed out. So, not only has my mentality been altered (everything infuriates me) but my body is crying for relief of the physical torment this stress is causing me.

By Wednesday around noon, I can no longer take it. I am making more and more stops in rest areas trying to alleviate my brain from going ballistic. I have more and more drivers hollering at me on the radio for being in the way. And those that don't say a word just simply try to take my freaking hood off by passing too closely. I am not allowed to be courteous to traffic trying to merge on an interstate ramp because I am going to slow to move left. Therefore I have to slow down (or risk someone running into the side of my trailer) and hope that they will speed up.

My radio is OFF!!! My nerves are fried!! My attitude sucks!! and I can't take much more, yet there is more to withstand.

I just happened to see my boss typing up a proposal to have our governors removed.... WTF? I thought he said he did this weeks ago?!?!... He tells us everyweek that he should know something ' by in the morning' yet nothing has changed. I firmly believe he is now just stringing us along in hopes we don't quit. This has been going on for 5 weeks... We have been governed for six.

I hope they ( corporate) realizes what will happen when me and AA quit.... We ARE the NYC drivers... There are only two of us. And others have threatened to quit if they are forced to run the northeast. So, when (not if) we leave, they will have no one to provide customer service to our New England customers.. Which is exactly what me and AA do.. We go above and beyond our job description to make sure each and every New England customers is delivered in a timely and efficient manner.. The dock workers cannot load a stinking trailer to meet the demands of some customers, so it is up to us to have our freight reloaded for them to be able to unload. For example, two of our customers absolutely require their freight to be loaded on the tail end because they have to use a boom from a dock to unload. If the material is loaded on the nose, under another customers freight, they will simply refuse the load and send it 1000 miles back to be reloaded. But no!!, I eliminate this predicament EVERYWEEK before it becomes an issue.

Waaaahhhhhh! Dammit.. Enough Already..

I am just tired of complaining. I am tired of feeling this way. It is not me, and it feels like I am not in control anymore. What happened to the sweet little flirty Truck Driver who puts smile of everyone face and a laugh in their eyes.... I want to be her again.. NOW!!!!!

I give up.......*sigh*

Getting Away From It Allllllllllllllllll

I just confirmed my reservations.... Now to go shopping and pack my bags....

I am heading to Florida for a weekend getaway. 3 days in the tropical paradise with no Big Trucks in sight!!

Actually, Labor Day weekend, I am meeting my oldest brother and his family for a weekend excursion!! I cannot wait...

Rabid Venting

I am ready to blow, dammmit!!

I have such much hostility built up in me right now, that it is sooooo hard to maintain a cheerful disposition.

I have not bit off any ones head yet, but it is coming!!

Okay, first of all, work! I am beginning to detest my job. I have loved this account for years. Through all of the difficulties that have arisen from the likes of Homer and the Fisherman, I still managed to enjoy my job! But the slow truck..... NOPE!! Definitely not for me.... I tend to get sleepy very easily now. What was once an enjoyable trip down the road, has become a torturous excursion full of naps and whining. The worst part of this, is that the Employer is going to turn the trucks back up to a more acceptable speed. But they are toying with us about it. The Boss has been waging a war with them over the past few weeks, and it seems that 9 out of 10 people have approved of the request. It is the approval of the tenth person that will make it happen. Who knows, maybe they will be turned up when I go back to work Saturday night. I doubt it though.

But why would a slow truck bring on such hostility? Because I cannot get anywhere.. My road trips ARE significantly longer and I find that I am worn out after 3-4 hours of driving. My normal 36 hour return trip has become a struggle to complete in 48 hours!! And there is absolutely no courtesy extended to a slow moving vehicle. Yes, I hate the slow truck!! NO.. I will not get used to it!! I will find a new job if they don't do something fast because my attitude absolutely sucks at the moment. That is not fair to you!! That is not fair to me!! I hate being angry all the time.

Another reason I feel the need to vent is because of my living conditions. I lease an apartment. I am here 3-4 days a week. I can never find a good parking spot because of (1) the out of towners are parked in the residents parking spots, and (2) the employees who live here have non-drivable vehicles parked in the residents parking spots. This infuriates me!!! I pay an ungodly amount of money to call this place home, yet when I unpack my car at the end of the week, I have to make a 15 mile trek to get back to my front door. AND, a few months ago, when my friends were parking in the residents zone, I received notices that their cars would have to be moved....So, why is the guy from Illinois still parking at MY front door....

And to top it off, I received another notice that my satellite dish would have to be removed from my balcony. It is not attached according to code!!! It protrudes over the railing about 10 inches and this is forbidden. It has only been mounted in this location for 20 months!!!!!!! So, I snatched it off the rails and cancelled my service!!! There is no other location to mount it and get signal, so off it goes. The fact that I had to cancel my service does not really bother me. Let's face it. I only watch television about 4-8 hours a MONTH!! What infuriates me is a lot of the other tenants have things hanging over the rails of their balconies and none of their items are being written up!! I am probably over reacting, but I am seriously frustrated!!

ANd speaking of my bastard landlords..... I have mentioned before we have a valet trash service.... Sweet!! For only $25 per month, they will come to your front door and pick up your trash....I did not sign up for this service.. It is not an elected amenity. You pay regardless... I cannot use this service, because it only runs Sunday thru Thursday.....Typically the days I am away from home. But yet I still pay for the trash service AND use of the dumpster.. That's right!! Two separate fees for 2 bags of trash per month!! You see, I recycle everything I can get my paws on. I take more to the recycle center downtown , than I put in the trash dumpster.

And since I am on a roll...... I really detest the dog poop that is rotting in front of my humble abode because the pet's owner refuses to pick it up.

Jiminy Crickets!!! I think I am about to blow a fuse!!!

Now, is one of those moments when I wish I had someone to come home to. Someone to just hug me and make it all better!!! Don't worry folks, I will overcome this and return to my normal self soon!!! I promise.

When The Cat's Away

Here is a little video my brother and I worked on this past weekend..



Hope you enjoy!

Trucking Updates

and other assorted tidbits.......

I had another exceptionally wonderful week... No traffic delays for me, but I was a witness to multiple back-ups and delays for those motoring in the opposite direction. It was a quick week, almost back to my normal routine, with the exception of fewer stops. I was able to maintain my four day schedule.

This 61 mph is driving me bonkers........ I am arriving home is poor condition. My muscles ache and tension has set up a permanent residence in my shoulders and neck. How does this happen?? It is just a slow truck, but for some reason, it absolutely wears me out trying to keep up with my previous pace.

Some bad news (for me)..... The Alum Co is talking about moving a few of the dies to another plant because we can't seem to get them delivered in an acceptable condition. The Customer Service Rep blamed me and the other New England driver... You see, we are constantly having our trailers reloaded at various customers to make for a more efficient delivery schedule. We never use the guys who are rough with the product. If a forklift driver is careless, he excludes himself from us ever using his services again. The Consignee whose product is getting damaged, clearly stated that the damages were in no way the result of reloading.. His product is placed on the nose of the trailer and is only moved ONE TIME... for delivery. I appreciate the fact that he stood up for us!!! Yet another reason I love my customers.... We have such a great relationship!!

It did make me slightly perturbed that the CSR quickly threw me under the bus. So, the dies are set to be moved (possibly) and that means I will lose this point of delivery... It is actually my best Massachusetts customer (but don't tell the others) The Owner takes me home with him for dinner and conversation with the Mrs... He let me borrow his pick-up to go see Plymouth Rock!!! He unloads me well after business hours to help me get home quicker.. I don't want to lose him!!!!!! Oh, did I mention that the rest of his staff are incredible as well...

In other news......

The Employer is reassessing the decision to have our Trucks governed. The Boss put in a request last week, giving multiply reasons why the 61 mph hour governor is just not working for us. Missed appointments, increased layover time, trucks malfunctioning due to lower highway speeds. The plant actually has had to send dock workers home twice because there were no available empty trailers to load. Why, because the drivers can't make the normal delivery schedule. He received a reply asking for more facts and statistics.... This week he submitted myself and two other drivers to be analyzed for the sake of proving our dilemma. YIKES!! Oh well, it is for a good cause. Cross your fingers, because I have already decided that if a transfer is not possible AND they do not remove the 61 mph hour restriction, I will be forced to find a new job!

And speaking of transfers.....

Last month my Boss made the formal request for my transfer. The location I desire responded that there are and will be no positions available anytime soon. Then my Boss asked if there was any immediate openings, as I was requesting a move in October. Once again, the answer was NO. HUH??? I just read the company newsletter and it seems that the desired location just hired a NEW driver.... WTF?!

If I didn't love my route sooooooo much, I would most likely already be gone. And the other New England driver (the one who keeps me sane on the long trip northeast on Sundays) well, he is looking for a new job as well.....

Good Ol' Mother Nature

So far, I haven't run into any major storms this year. Until now.





This one in particular seems very ominous, but only lasted roughly 50 miles. The winds were high and visibility was at about 2 inches... HA!!





I do not believe it spawned any tornadoes, and I did not notice any traffic accidents due to the horrendous downpour that assaulted me and my fellow motorists. Brownie points for everyone on the road that day!!

And believe it or not, my wipers were actually on high speed (it took several tries to not catch them in the frame) This is the actual visibility.... Can you see the truck in front of me??? There was one there, less than 100yds away.... But after I lost sight of him, I slowed to about 40, along with everyone else....

Here's Looking At You, iMike

Just thought I would share.....

On Wednesday, July 2, 2008........ I awoke with a slight chill in the air....

Hope you are enjoying your Texas Summer!!!!