The Dynamics of My Week

Every weekend, I grab my trailer and head out for a demanding week of deliveries. I have become so accustomed to the pressures of this job that it rarely even affects my demeanor if unplanned delays manifest. I will simply refocus my train of thought and develop a new plan of action.

As I leave out Saturday night, my schedule is simple. First drop, Central Islip, NY. Then I will fight rush hour traffic back into the Bronx. Next will be a mad dash into Southington, Ct...but wait...My Connecticut customer requires an appointment and I am fairly certain that one has not been made. So, I make a mental note to call them bright and early to beg for a stay of execution. They quit receiving at noon, so even with clemency, I will be in at full speed ahead. After Connecticut, I will meander my way through the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts to arrive at stop number four. Next, I will take the scenic route on the Mohawk Trail (Route 2) and end up in New Hampshire...oh crud..New Hampshire only receives after 4 pm, and normally will not unload from my company until Tuesday, due to a regularly scheduled delivery from Canada. Okay, so the simple thing to do would be head for my final stop in Fall River, Massachusetts, before making the NH drop. With all plans finalized in my noggin, I drift off to dream.

Sunday finds me fighting a load that is slowly collapsing. Great!! I take a quick peek from the back of the trailer, and note that the bottom bundles are literally starting to roll. All I can do at this point is to check the straps every so often and hope for the best.

Monday morning starts with quite a struggle to get the trailer open. You can see from the picture, that the metal had rolled, meaning the edges were now passed the rails that the tarp kit rides on. This forced me to do a lot of pushing and prying, but to no avail. Finally, I had to get the customer to use his forklift to gently nudge the bundles back towards the center while I slide the curtains and repositioned the straps, thus enabling me to finally open up the trailer. Total time elapsed 1.5 hours including unloading 13 bundles. Normally a 10 minute procedure. That puts me in the heart of rush hour.

I actually make it into the Bronx in record time for a Monday morning. I arrived at 8:30 after a 45 mile commute, of course, I did take a side route to avoid the worst of Long Island Expressway delays into The City. It paid off, too, as my drive time was only 75 minutes.

The 2 bundles were off in a flash. It was then I remembered to call Connecticut, and just as I had expected, they granted me favor by allowing me to, not only deliver without an appointment, but they also accounted for me being late.

I took off in a flash, and made the executive decision to forego my normal coffee stop, which could have took up to 30 minutes, just because of the confusion that is ever present at the Milford Pilot. That decision paid off as well because I did make the delivery on time. Just my way on showing appreciation for the favor they granted me, by not making them wait.

However, during the mornings motorized melee, I seem to recall seeing a notification somewhere on my bills that one of my customers was not taking Monday deliveries...Hmm, I knew NH wasnt, and I remembered that I had once endured that delay in North Adams, Ma. So I dug out the original manifest...UGH!! Seems my Fall River stop was also closed on Mondays.

Trying to eliminate too much wait time, I decided to go ahead and start making phone calls. Good news, North Adams was open and New Hampshire was no longer booked on Mondays, so it was full steam ahead. I tried to contact Fall River, but it seems that notification was legitimate. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because there was no way to unload their freight due to the positioning of it. Kind of hard to get a forklift in the gap to remove a sideways bundle...grrrrr!!

I make it through the Berkshires and offloaded 5 more bundles. Next up, my favorite scenic route this side of the Mississippi. The Mohawk Trail !!

Maybe you noticed it too..The first signs of Spring...I am referring to the large bug splatter on my windshield. Looks like winter may be on its way out !!

After about a 2 hour diversion through the splender of northern Massachusetts, I make my way into NH and arrive right on time to pull in the bay.

Winding down for the evening, I make my way back south, heading into Fall River. I will be empty at 7am, and the long journey home begins. It is about a 20 hour drive, so there is no big rush. I tend to get wore out on the return journey, but the job is done. And even better than that...I am off duty for the next 11 days..Going to see what Goofy is up to these days. And maybe spend some time with Donald. I am off to the House of Mouse!!