11/20/07

I have reached one incontrovertible conclusion regarding my job. If my first month with CFI had gone even close to how this month has gone, I would not have stuck around for a second month. It's been one shitty day after another, and my patience is wearing thin.

So, after getting terrible miles for a week to start the month and then getting deadheaded home from Columbus the day after I highlighted, that first check was a beauty - $839 after taxes (for 15 days).

Then I go back to work and the computers are down, so I end up running a freaking fire drill.

Then we get the 834 mile, 3 day dispatch that, as it turns out, I could not have gotten rid of early.

Then my classy colleague screws me out of my turn and I sit for another day.

So what would today hold? Surely something had to give, right? Around 8:15am I got my assignment. You don't even want to know - deadhead 202 miles, back through The Bronx and into Jersey. Then pick up a load going 119 miles to Hazleton, Pennsylvania. That is not a typo. I seriously just wanted to go back to bed and pretend I never got the message.

So, a 202 mile deahead, that should take what, six hours or so? Well, today it did.

I got loaded, then headed west. A 119 mile run, that should take what, three hours or so? Well, tonight it did.

When I got dispatched to Hazleton, I caught a glimmer of hope that something might go my way. They planned me on a load picking up in Easton tomorrow morning and heading for Kansas City. At least that would keep me busy for a couple of days. Yeah, no. They have no empties at the customer. So I'm in limbo at this point. Maybe they find me an empty, maybe not.

So my job has pretty much sucked ass for this entire month, but I'm not even sure my job was the worst part about today. It turns out that even bulletproof Godfathers can catch a flu bug once every three or four years. So last night was another sleepless one. I'd put a blanket on and start sweating profusely. I'd take the blanket off and start shivering uncontrollably. Big fun.

On top of that, I was stuck with no food or beverages last night and this morning, on account of the fact that I got locked out of the ConWay yard and I wasn't planning to spend a day and a half on some quiet little street. So, when I got rolling, I stopped in at the truck stop in Rhode Island. I sucked down a few Gatorades and ate some crackers, then got back on the road.

Apparently the food I ate was not comfortable with the idea of a long-term relationship with me, because about a half hour later it decided it was coming out, and fast. I take pride in the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, I've never shat myself. I had no desire to do so today either. The catch is that we can't just pop off at the next exit and run in somewhere. It takes a little more room to park. I made it to a service plaza just in time. I swear I hate my life today.

I think I'm going to get doped up on Advils here and try to get this fever down a little. I'll probably have to pick up an empty in the morning and then haul ass over to Easton. Another glorious day in the biz...