8/22/08

The day got off to a good start with nice light traffic into Laredo. Then my broker was on the street right by the terminal. About eight or nine years ago, I could have gotten there with a driver and a three wood. These days we may have to add a five iron and maybe a wedge, but it was close nonetheless. Contrary to typical Laredo circumstances, the drop area was wide open and the place had no traffic at all. Probably the easiest drop I've ever made in Laredo.

I headed down the street to grab a delicious BMT with double meat and then drove back to the terminal. Along the way I received a message asking me to report to dispatch. Since I was #44 at the time, I was slightly puzzled. So I headed in and gave the guy my truck number. Hey, I'm a winner! I was chosen from among the dozens of contestants to drive into town for a piss test. That's a pretty cool way to burn an hour I guess.

The clinic was right next to WalMart, so at least I got a chance to stop in and grab a few supplies. By the time I got back to the yard I was up to #17. They were having some kind of 'driver appreciation' thing today. Free food and sodas and such. Do you suppose that breaking a commitment to yourself would be considered acceptable, since you would by default be giving yourself permission? Well, I stuck to my commitment and avoided the buffet. I've never been a big fan of relativism anyway. A commitment is a commitment and I will whip my ass into shape, one way or another.

After lounging around all afternoon my turn finally came up. There were loads available to Missouri, Tennessee, or Georgia. The Tennessee load looked the best to me, given our solid freight base in that area, so I took it. As an added bonus, it's a nice 5,000 pounder.

So then I had a choice to make. I could use the hours remaining on today's 14 (took ten hours off last night instead of eight) and make it past Austin tonight, or I could hang out in Laredo tonight and hope for the monsoon to be gone by tomorrow. A nighttime drive up Satan's Driveway sounded better than a daytime trip, so I headed northward. The slow 'rain drivers' were pretty sporadic in the Laredo area and then the weather cleared up just before San Antonio. Beauty.

Then there's Austin. Two lanes of slow (40mph) traffic for no apparent reason... No trucks allowed in the left lane... Slower traffic won't keep right... The left lane was completely open... I'm a broken record, I know. That's just one of my biggest beefs with the world in which we live - A government 'solution' in search of a problem. As usual, the so-called solution is far worse than the so-called problem ever would have been.

I got through there and then set up shop for the night. I'll have a nice steady weekend of work on my way to the Nashville area for a Monday morning delivery. This week (backing up last week's 3,044 miles) will end up at 3,348 miles plus a few bucks for my miles in the Northeast. Straight cash, Homey.