The day started promptly at midnight. Traffic was cooperative, so I was able to reach my customer on time. There were quite a few trucks when I got there, so I was at the dock for a couple of hours. Normally this is annoying, but given the overnight run it was a nice chance to lay down and get some rest.
After I got empty, I did my usual walkaround. I noticed that the steer tire on my driver's side had a few deep grooves along the shoulder of the tire. The tread had been getting close to needing replacement, but I was trying to wait until I got through Joplin. These grooves presented a safety threat, as they could lead to a blowout, so replacing that tire became priority #1 today.
The tire shop in O'Fallon, Missouri did a prompt job for me, which was very helpful. In the time between leaving the customer and arriving at the shop, I had been assigned to my next load. I needed to pick up in Belleville, Illinois by 2pm or I would have to be taken off of the load. If I couldn't make that load, I would have to sit out the rest of the day because my 14 hour clock expired at 2pm. As it turned out, they got me back on the road quickly and I made my pick-up.
Now, once again, my 70 hours have run out so I'm stuck waiting until midnight. I wonder if the feds actually have any clue how their rules affect drivers. For the second day in a row, I'll have to try to sleep until midnight and then run a very tight timeline until a 7am delivery in Columbus, Ohio. It would be much less tiring for me to run until this evening, then get up around 4 or 5am to finish off the run.
(I have to give myself a little credit for remembering to call my Dad and wish him happy birthday before I hit the sack.)
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