Texas Two Step

Don't you just love it when life throws you a nice little curve ball. You swing, you swing, you swing...but inevitably you strike out !!

Last weeks load started in Lynchburg, Virginia. After saying my "goodbyes" to a very handsome Bedbugger, I headed to the shop to put on my Little Trucker cape.

I am the only driver I know that actually uses a tire pressure gauge to check actual tire pressure. I got in this habit years ago and it has probably saved me a lot of time by avoiding unnecessary blow outs. At least that is my logic. But not today. I checked every tire before I left but, I barely made it through Atlanta when I sent traffic into a frenzy by chunking large pieces of rubber at those who were tailgating me... Bet they wont do that again !!

After sitting roadside for over 4 hours, I managed to make my way into North Carolina and found a suitable camping spot. I prefer to sleep on location of my first delivery, but the delays would have kept me driving until 3am, and I was not going to get much accomplished Monday anyways with the mileage between customers exceeding a normal hop, skip, or a jump. So early to bed, early to rise!!

Once I climbed inside my load, I was deflated when I realized that the masterminds of metal mobility had been hard at work while structuring my load. I no longer question WHY things are done in a certain fashion, but I do become quite impressed with the different techniques they employ to make my week a living nightmare. Each of these bundles are EXACTLY the same length... 14 Feet. I assume they were stagger stacked in order to give the 28' items that were placed on top a better foundation. It did not work!! This picture was taken at my 4th delivery, after I rerouted myself and tried to salvage the bundles that had already fallen into the great abyss. I was determined to deliver the product with as little damage as possible, and that was going to put me behind.

I left Lynchburg, and opted for Stop # 3 next. Williamsport, Maryland. Because I had the crane, I was able to unload myself while the receiver dealt with other trucks. I then made a mad dash over to Baltimore and arrived 15 minutes before closing time. With 20k of material to offload, I was parked for the night.

During Tuesday morning's unload, I found some material that should have been shipped to Atlanta, tucked in amidst my Baltimore freight. I set it aside, and followed the protocol of reporting such mistakes. Baltimore's delivery was going to be short. Ninety minutes after leaving, I received a phone call telling me to go back and pick up some items I had left that did not belong. Grrrrr! How could this have happened, I am pretty good at checking freight. I asked what product it was and Customer Service could not tell me, they suspected it was more Atlanta freight. I want confirmation, damn it!! I did not get it.

Being half way to my next customer, I scheduled my return to Baltimore for Wednesday since it would be on my way home anyways.

Stop #4 was in Ringtown, Pennsylvania. No worries there, except afternoon was rapidly encroaching and I had to make my Scranton delivery before 3pm. I phoned Scranton is an attempt for a reprieve, but was informed that 7am to 3pm was firm. I arrived in Scranton at 3pm and headed straight for the truck stop, knowing the drive thru town would put me at the customer 15 minutes after the mandated closure time. So with another 16 hour break ahead of me, I was able to kick back and relax. This probably helped keep my frustration levels at a minimum, because even with the blown tires, missed deadlines and mis-delivered freight...I was still in a radiant mood and was able to find humor in the turmoil that was encasing my trip.

Bright and early Wednesday morning, I arrived at the Scranton customer with plenty of time to offload myself and wait for someone to come in and check freight at 7am. It was then that I was informed that the receiver had waited yesterday until 5pm for my delivery because he needed to ship the product out yesterday. Huh?? But?? So, in return, I had to wait until 8am for his arrival to check my freight in. Nice....17 hour break due to miscommunication between the office and the warehouse. I had been sitting on me arse, while he was waiting for me, only because 3 pm was confirmed by his receptionist. Oh Joy!!

Moving forward, I reached Stop # 6 and within 10 minutes I was on my way back to Baltimore. From Clifton, New Jersey (#6), I would normally head back towards Interstate 81, as I find it a much more peaceful than 95, but with the mis-deliveries..ugh!!

I made several calls to Baltimore to ensure that someone would be waiting for me at the warehouse. It is a new facility and has not officially opened, so I am at their mercy. Unsure of what I am trying to retrieve, the Baltimore Boss personally meets me and we determine that I never left anything by mistake. The items I set aside the day before were, in fact, the items that my employers sent me back to pick-up. The items that never left my trailer !!

It is 2pm and with Washington DC looming in my windshield, I leave Baltimore without any additional items. Thinking I could clear the Capitol Beltway before rush hour, I start grabbing gears only to find the Anti-Destination League is already in full effect. Traffic is creeping at about 15mph. Knowing I would not have been here, had they given me confirmation the day before on exactly what had been left behind, I begin to feel the first twinges of angst.

...but I am finally on my way home. What should have been an easy 3 day trip, turned into 5. It seemed that for every two steps forward, I was forced to take one step back. And so it is, in my trucking life. Surprisingly, I was able to keep a delightful attitude through it all. Even when I got back to the yard and learned that I will be getting reacquainted with Maggie next week.