Up In Smoke

Where were we.....

Oh yeah, the door was opening....My week was planned...Scrap Haul to finish out and a few more truck repairs......ha ha ha ha ahaahhahhaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

But, even the best laid plans can be brought to destruction, by the hands of fate.

After leaving my final delivery point, I began my 4 hour journey back to the plant! Georgia On My Mind, if you will. Excited about the prospects of a no hassle finish to the week, I was in excellent spirit.

I was on track to make it back to the plant with plenty of time to head north through Atlanta before rush hour slowed things to a grinding halt. My intentions were to get through town, swap trailers, and hit the two lanes to avoid the impending congestion that is Atlanta at its finest.

My intentions were tossed out the window as I rounded the curve at mile marker 35, a mere 12 miles from the plant...

I had noticed this guy passing me just a few minutes prior to his collision. I make it a habit to look at each Trucker as we pass..Usually to return a friendly wave, YES, I still do that!! This particular fellow did not appear to be sleepy, but he definitely was in another zone.  He smacked the barrier wall at top speed, ripping the front axle and fuel tank completely off the truck, sending diesel fuel over the entire roadway. Do not know how the driver fared this event, but I think he made it out un~charred.. Certainly, if the poor bloke had sustained major trauma or even death, we would have been there a lot longer....NO one mentioned seeing him pulled from the wreckage, so I assume he walked away.

After a two and a half hour delay, we were finally set free. It was now 4:30 pm...All hopes of getting into the mill before they locked the gates had vanished.....Another 30 minutes to grab the scrap trailer, plus a 1.75 hour trip through Atlanta...in Gwinnett County Rush Hour....Not gonna happen...So, I opted for a shower and a meal, then spent an hour or so catching my breath. The gates reopened at 10pm, and at this point, the five hour drive to the dump was out of the question. I made the swap, hit North Georgia and called it a night.

After dumping my load and scheduling repairs for my return trip, I headed back south towards the mill. About an hour from the mill, I received a phone call telling me NOT to go back.. There was nothing there for me.......My attitude took a nose dive. The week was too young to head for home. Besides, I had not even earned a decent paycheck yet. But lucky for me, we were pulling some scrap trailers out of another mill...  I was instructed to bobtail into North Carolina, and grab the last one.  So that is what I did....My repairs would have to wait until another week....Grrrrrr... and the best news of all.... I would be making the trip with the "Mayor".....

to be continued...................