10/29/07

When I had the top bunk of my truck folded down for use as a shelf, I would occasionally wake up with the feeling that I was in a coffin. Today I think that's what my truck would have felt, if trucks could feel that sort of thing. I thought that I was far enough away from the active business in the warehouse, but apparently I was right where the employees park. I guess it was polite of them not to wake me up, but instead they just parked all around and pretty much surrounded me. I managed to get out, but it looked something like this:

Across the street at my customer, I checked in a couple hours early and they told me to go ahead and back in to the dock. There was some real soupy mud along the side of the yard. Not wanting to take the chance of getting stuck, I tried to avoid the mud completely. In order to do so I had to cut a pretty weird angle around a trailer and toward my dock. Thus, I looked like I had no idea what I was doing. Eventually I got it squared away and the guys went to work.

No sooner did I pull into the truck stop down the street than I got a load assignment. (Yeah, there was a truck stop 1/4 mile away, so I could have had a place to park las night. I told you, I am lousy at trip planning.) Anywho, I was dispatched to the ConWay in Louisville to pick up a load leaving tomorrow at 5am. 134 miles for today is a little worse than I had hoped for. I knew my hours were running low, but I was optimistic that I would get at least a couple hundred miles in today. The run will be relayed in West Memphis, so I'm not sure what to expect for tomorrow. There have been times when I've checked in there and gotten a load right away and there have been times when I was on the board for a day. I think that the fact that I'll be arriving fairly early on a weekday should work in my favor.

With my directions in hand, I was ready to head for Louisville. In order to get a ten hour break in before 5am, I needed to arrive by 7pm tonight. That meant that I essentially had eight hours to cover 134 miles. When it comes to having that much time on my hands, I usually find a way to look for trouble. Today though, I was a good little Godfather. I headed straight to Louisville and worked on my Christmas shopping for a while. I don't know how some of you old farts got by before Al Gore invented the internet. I rarely have to set foot in a store anymore, other than when I need groceries.

About the only eventful thing to happen on the way here was a knockdown-dragout battle I had with a fly that managed to get into my truck. While I was on the freeway, he managed to take advantage of my eyes being on the road. He struck me on the ear once and on the neck another time. He didn't hit hard, but the judges were scoring in his favor. When I got stopped on the ramp from I-264 to I-65, backed up in traffic, the little bastard met his demise in brutal fashion. I managed to stun him with a wild swing of the right hand and then saw him laying on the passenger seat. The only thing missing was the dude from Mortal Kombat saying, "Finish him." Finish him I did. Let that be a leson to anyone who tries to sneak into my truck. You will pay the ultimate price. Mark my words.

So, I guess I should try to get some sleep now. 5am with these peckerheads usually means that someone knocks on my door around 3am. Cheers.