9/15/07

After waiting all day yesterday for a load, I knew the overnight run was going to be a challenge. I got into Maryland before I really started to feel tired, but I was holding my own. By the time I got into Virginia, I was really tired. I needed to make some quick calculations and see if a quick rest stop was possible. The driver who gave me the load in Ohio last night said it was due in Virginia at 5:30am. My dispatch said I needed to be there by 6:30am. If 5:30 was correct, I was going to be late. If 6:30 was correct, I could maybe take a breather. I sent a message asking for clarification and received a reply saying that 6:30 was the appointment time. After receiving that news, I immediately pulled over. I figured out how far I had to go and then took a 20 minute power nap.

Waking up quite refreshed, I finished the run and arrived at 6:20. I checked in with the security guard, who promptly informed me that I was an hour late for my 5:30 appointment. Bad information from Joplin? Who would have guessed? After I was assigned to a dock, I drove over to the warehouse. There was, of course, a trailer in my assigned door. I went inside and asked the receiving clerk what I was supposed to do. Apparently the trailer was empty and they just hadn't informed the driver yet. He pulled his trailer and I backed in. After dropping my trailer and parking in the bobtail area, I walked in to tell them I don't have a CB so they needed to come and get me when I was done. They told me that, since I was late, I would be worked in whenever they had time. I was so exhausted that I didn't care if they took all day. I was going to sleep.

After a few hours of very deep sleep, the yard driver woke me up and told me I was ready to go. I went back in with my Comcheck for the unloading, paid the bill, hooked to my trailer, and headed to the local truck stop. After another nap, I checked my board status. #1 and requested for home. My 14 hour clock was up by then, so I took myself off the board and watched some football. We won't talk about that. I went back on the board this evening and was again #1.

Now I'm sitting about 600 miles from home and need to be there within the next five days. If experience is any guide, I'll be home tomorrow or Monday. I had hoped to squeeze another dispatch in before midnight on the current paycheck, but that looks unlikely at this point. I'm at 5,300 miles right now, so not too spectacular. Given the way the month started with the holiday weekend and whatnot, it could be worse. Once my holiday pay and northeast bonus pay are added in, I'll be over $2,000 for the pay period so I won't worry too much about it.

The Tigers won and the Yankees lost, so at least my day as a baseball fan was better than my day as a football fan. I owe a big thanks to the guys who moderate MyP2P Forum. They do a huge service for those of us who often rely completely on the internet for our television viewing choices. Since the channel selection on TVU went to shit, SopCast seems to be the best bet and these guys put a ton of content on there for guys like me to see. Much obliged fellas. The only TV network that I could get on the television in my truck today was NBC, so the streaming broadcasts on my computer made my day more enjoyable.