3/12/08

Some people seem to be intent on blackmailing me, so I'm going to have to face the shame and take away their ammo. It's difficult to admit this, but I was Client #8. I apologize to my family and those others whom I have disappointed.

Anyway, the early part of the morning was nice and easy; wake up, open the doors, go back to bed... wake up again, hook a couple of straps, close the doors, drive six miles, get some breakfast, open the doors, go back to bed... close the doors, find a hiding spot, go back to bed. I was #16 on the board once I was empty, so I figured I would lay down for a while. Ten minutes later, the satellite system chirped at me. My next assignment was to drop and hook in Dallas at 7pm, then run up to Kansas City by tomorrow morning. So it was the old 'try to sleep on command' routine. I think I managed to doze off for an hour or two, but that's about it. Oh well, I had zero miles this week when today started so I'll take what I can get.

When I woke up, I hung around until my ten hours were up and then headed down to Dallas to check in with the next shipper. Then it was northward bound. As with the usual overnight drive, the traffic was decent and there were no major issues. Kansas City's morning rush was starting to kick up a little by the time I got there, but it wasn't bad.

This was one of those runs that... well, it was just one of those runs. I took a ten hour break the night before. I unloaded in the morning. Then I waited all day for an overnight run. The hours work out perfectly legal, the company gave me enough notice so I could try and get some rest, but in the end I'm completely exhausted. I would venture to guess most drivers would be pitching a bitch about the schedule, but like I said it's just one of those runs. I do wonder if the planner types have any idea how bad that kind of schedule screws a driver though. I'm a little nuts in the head so I can manage, but flipping day and night like that is pretty rough on normal people.

I did my drop and hook at the consignee, which was an LTL carrier for whom we contract linehaul loads. I won't say the name, but it was basically a ghetto version of ConWay or UPS. As soon as I pulled around the corner and sent in my empty call, I got my next assignment. I have to pick up a load right here in the same industrial park at 11am Central and then run another 500 miles up to Indiana for tomorrow morning. My 14 hour clock will be up in a couple of hours, so it looks like another overnighter is in store for me. I'm desperately in need of a nap right now though. To quote Carlito Brigante - "Tired baby... tired." I think I'll go try to make my drop/hook ahead of schedule and then start my ten hour break. Good times. Good times.