11/19/07

Who thinks I can summarize a shitty day in five words or less?

I'm still in Rhode Island.

That about says it all. I'm under the distinct impression that I got fucked over today and I'm not too happy about it. We got a message asking us to stay off the phones if possible, on account of CFI's computer issues, but I doubt that I would have called just to get some bullshit excuse from those people anyway.

I got here last night, found the locked gate, and settled in. A few hours later, another CFI truck pulled up. The guy got out of his truck, so I stepped out and we shot the shit for a while. He's convinced that he's figured out the mathematical formula for how much of a pay cut we're taking by getting a penny raise. It's not a pay cut. To assume it's a pay cut, you assume a perfectly efficient operating model and an unrealistic blend of roads. American OTR truck driving is a long way from a perfectly efficient operating model and the speed limits... Honestly, I'm tired of explaining it to people who just have no ability to grasp logic, so forget it. Anyway, he told his stories for a while and I tried to play along, but it got too cold for me so I hopped in the bunk and closed my eyes.

I tossed and turned all night, peeking out my window every half hour or so to see if the gate had been opened. When I saw the gate closed at 5am, I hopped in the front seat. I figured they would have to be opening it sooner or later. Around 5:45am, a guy finally came out and pulled the chain off the gate. I went inside and they told me where to put my loaded trailer. The guy in there said that they had no empties, but I told him it was no big deal since the CFI computers were still scheduled to be down for a few hours anyway. As I pulled out from under my trailer, the other CFI driver entered the yard and went around to check in. I pulled off to the side and went to sleep.

Around 9:30am, I woke up and saw the other CFI bobtail sitting next to me. I went in and they told me I could pull my trailer from the dock, since it was empty. I pulled it, slid the tandems, and backed in at the end of the yard, next to the other guy's bobtail, where I had been parked all morning. I was #2 on the board when I sent in my empty call, so I started to get a little suspicious. That peckerhead next to me hadn't sent in his empty call before he was empty, had he? After all, showing up three hours after me, checking in twenty minutes after me, and retrieving his empty an hour after me - these are not things that would indicate that he should get a load before me, are they? Not the way I see it, they're not.

I took another nap. When I woke up, he was parked next to me again, but this time he was hooked to his empty. I signed on to the website and saw that I was still #2. Hmm. A couple hours later, the other driver left. I signed on to the website one more time - #1 now. The son of a bitch had sent in his empty call before he was empty so he could jump ahead of me on the board. But here at CFI we're a cut above right? Bullshit. We're a motley collection of assholes, to varying degrees. I'm just as big an asshole as any of the others, but I do possess enough integrity not to fuck another driver without buying him dinner first.

So I got to hang out at the ConWay yard all day... and all evening... and all night. They just kicked me out a little while ago so they could lock the gate. And here I am, parked on the side of the same street where I spent last night. I'm thoroughly pissed. I have made jack shit for money this month, and there's no telling whether or not anything good will come my way tomorrow. Maybe the computers are working. Maybe not. Maybe the 'low productivity' thing works and somebody at CFI knows I've been taking it in the ass all month. Maybe not. Maybe the planners will actually put something decent together. Or maybe not. It's a glamorous life, ain't it?