8/1/09

I still hate the 70 hour rule. In point of fact, I hate the 14 hour rule too, just in case you were wondering. One got me on the front end of the day and the other got me on the back end. Bastards.

I guess we'll go with the front end first, since that's usually how days progress. 2am. Any questions? No, of course I didn't get any sleep. I tossed and turned as I tried to sleep while I should have been driving last night. Then I drove across Louisiana while I should have been sleeping this morning. Feds.

It was a foggy and dreary kind of trip into Texas, but at least the traffic was light. I hadn't checked a map since I left Vermont. I knew that the route was all interstates until I got to Beaumont, Texas. From there I was taking US-90 over to Dayton. Pretty simple, right? So I rolled into Beaumont, saw a sign for US-90 West, and took the exit. Shit. Note to self: Try checking a map at least once every morning before you start driving. That exit took me into the downtown area. This wouldn't be a huge deal, in and of itself, but the whole freaking place was under construction. No road signs, lots of orange barrels. We know how this song ends, don't we? Residential zones, commercial zones, skinny streets, wide streets, the whole deal. I managed to find my way back to the freeway, so that was a start. I got back on I-10 westbound and then saw an exit for US-287 North. My glance at the map back in Vermont left me with the impression that US-90 ran along the north side of I-10, so I took the northbound exit. Surely I would hit US-90 and resume my trip.

It turns out that I-10 bends southward right about where I got off at US-287. Then US-90 passes to the west. Obviously, I never hit US-90 as I traveled northward. After a few miles I pulled over and looked at my damned atlas. Okay, I could take TX-105 westward and then drop down on some other road to US-90. I found a turnaround and went back toward TX-105. It was only a mile down so I stayed on the surface road along the highway. And... the surface road ended. I had to turn around again and go back northward to the first turnaround, head back toward the south, then get on the highway and exit at TX-105. All in a day's work...

From there the rest of the trip was uneventful. I made my delivery and then got my dispatch to New Braunfels for the second drop. Running US-90 all the way into Houston and then getting back onto I-10, I didn't encounter much traffic at all. Out to the west of Houston though, it was like a parade route. Any time I came upon a slower vehicle, it took ten minutes for the left lane to open up and let me pass. All in all though, a decent drive I guess.

Once I was empty in New Braunfels, I headed over to the T/A to see what would come up next. My 70 hours were running low, but you never know. I was #1 on the board, which came as something of a surprise on a Saturday afternoon in Texas. After I sat for a while, my 14 hours were about to run out when I got a chirp from the satellite unit. Hmm. It was a load assignment picking up in San Antonio at 10am today. Obviously 10am had long since come and gone, so I confirmed the load and assumed that the planners were taking my hours into account. Probably a weekend drop/hook that I could get tomorrow morning or something.

My dispatch came through at 3:45pm for a 5pm drop/hook. Plenty of time to go 36 miles, but I started at 2am today. 14 hours... you see where this is going. I sent a message asking if I could get it tomorrow morning. Nope. It has to pick up tonight by 11:59pm, so I need to go get it and then take a break, I was told. But my hours will run out first, I replied. I confirmed the load with one hour available, I was told. No, I confirmed the load with a half hour available, 15-20 minutes before this part of the satellite exchange took place. We have some kind of antiquated dispatch software that just rounds .5 up to 1, the way you learned in knidergarten. That's all fine for estimating the price of a cup of lemonade but it doesn't fly in the trucking world.

I had already been sitting in New Braunfels for a couple of hours, so I would be able to complete a ten hour break by 11:45pm. Then 36 miles... hmm. Aha though, this turned out to be the resolution that we chose. Since these people set their clocks an hour behind those of us in the civilized world, 11:59pm really means 12:59 am and I can easily do that. So I got to try to sleep while I should have been driving yesterday, on account of the 70 hour rule. Now I get to try to sleep while I should be driving today, on account of the 14 hour rule. This brilliant system is brought to you by people who are chauffered to work every day and wouldn't dream of driving for a living, of course. I am actually pretty tired at the moment, but driving 36 miles and then parking for the night sounds a hell of a lot better than taking off at midnight and then driving until who knows when.

I have a Monday morning delivery in El Paso, so once the bitterness fades I think I'll be content with this week. My northeast miles and extra stop pay, plus the last second infusion of miles (assuming I can get my drop/hook done before midnight Central) will get my weekly pay up to $1,200. Better than a kick in the balls, as I've been known to say. And this T/A does have a SubWay. What could be better for a fat dude than a nice double meat BMT right before bedtime?

7/31/09

Notwithstanding the fact that there are a disproportionate number of "birthers" down here, there is actually one pretty cool thing about the South. The chicks call me things like 'baby' or 'sweetie' quite often. Back home, I'm rarely referred to as anything other than 'dickhead.' That's nice.

The trip today could be summarized as follows: Rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun, rain... what? That's enough? Okay then. I was running southwestward on I-59 and there really isn't a whole lot of congestion on that route, so even the rain didn't make it too bad.

I did have one of those moments today when I absolutely love being a truck driver. I was somewhere out in the sticks when the call of nature rang out loud and clear. It was one of those calls that came on suddenly and wasn't going to be answered with a Gatorade bottle, if you catch my drift. The nearest truck stop was 20 miles away and there were no rest areas around. I held on as long as I could and then gave in, ducking off on some street that looked well-traveled and hoping for the best. I saw absolutely nothing for a mile or so and then spotted a little convenience store on the right side of the road. I pulled off and turned into their lot, having absolutely no idea how I would get back out. Getting out of their lot wasn't my concern at that point though. Getting into their restroom was. They had no restroom. Fuck. I managed to maintain my focus well enough to pull off some slick maneuvering around a utility pole and a parked car to get back to the main road. Another quarter mile down on the left, I spotted a bigger gas station/convenience store deal and handled my business. Man, I just love being a truck driver.

My hours today could have carried me almost all the way to Baton Rouge, but there aren't any parking options once you get pas Hammond, so Hammond it is. My last venture into this Petro was less than successful, but I had to stop and give it a shot anyway. Plenty of parking available today. Beauty. And the Tigers got Washburn from Seattle before the deadline, for a steal in my opinion. Beauty.

My ten hour break here will take me to 1am Central, when I'll have to hit the road right away ahead of a 7am delivery appointment in Dayton, Texas. Should I bitch about the rules for a while or just go to bed? I guess I'll just go to bed.

7/30/09

When you wake in the morning and face a trip down I-81 with rainy weather on the horizon, you had better brace for a fight. I did. Then... nuttin'. I was the guy with the 6,500 pound payload and the traffic was exceptionally light, so most of the day was just a cruise with my foot to the floor. Beauty.

After a break in Eastern Tennessee, I got back out and headed for Knoxville. Right at 4:45pm. Hardly any traffic. There's definitely something weird going on and I haven't figured it out yet. Chattanooga too? Yep. Chattanooga too. Spooky.

I ducked off at the Petro in Gadsden, Alabama to kick back for the night. My hours for today could have taken me a little further, but I'm only picking up six and a quarter tomorrow. Might as well leave a little earlier in the morning and drive a little further tomorrow. Hopefully that extra driving time will be enough to tire me out... or something. I have to find some way to force myself to sleep at the end of my next shift since the feds... oh nevermind, I'll behave.

7/29/09

Okay man, I really don't enjoy being the one asking all the dumb questions. Sometimes I can't help it though. I was on the road all day today with my XM radio on, so I had way too much time to think. Help me out here. If we're going to make it illegal for health insurance companies to exclude pre-existing conditions, then why in the hell would I ever buy insurance before I got sick or injured? Wouldn't I be better off just using my cash for Bon Bons and Jujy Fruits until I had an issue, and then buying insurance after the fact? After all, the insurance company would be required to pay for my treatment, even if I had the illness or injury before I signed up with them.

This, of course, is where our messianic dictator comes in and enforces a mandate, right? They'll force me to buy insurance or pay a fine, so that they don't run into that issue. Yeah, probably, but what if my employer chose to pay the penalty and dump me into the socialist plan? (Not exactly a far-fetched possibility, since these guys aren't known for their generosity.) Then I could either pay a penalty of my own and choose to go without insurance or I could buy a policy on "the exchange" (whatever the hell that means). Since "the exchange" is set to impose a maximum ratio of 2-to-1 in terms of highest-to-lowest premiums, and old people extract costs at a ratio of 5-to-1 when compared to young people, the premium that the dictator would require me (on the younger end of the scale) to pay would be far higher than that which is justified by actuarial tables. I would be better off paying the fine. So I ask again - Why in the hell would I ever buy insurance before I got sick or injured?

I apologize if I got out in the weeds a little here, but some of this stuff just seems so basic that I can't believe nobody is asking the legitimate questions. Instead I get bullshit chain e-mails that talk about forced euthanasia and other things that are not actually in the bill. If you just stuck to the basics, I suspect that you would find rather quickly that these people have no idea what they're doing.

So anyway, yeah, I did some driving today. I was loaded quickly in Essex Junction and then headed southward toward the suburbs of Houston. It occurred to me as I drove through Burlington, Vermont that there probably couldn't be two more dissimilar cities in America. From the topography to the climate to the ethnic makeup of the citizens to their political leanings, Burlington and Houston are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet the folks in Texas apparently like their coffee from the folks in Vermont, so here we are.

The trip was pretty damn frustrating from start to finish this time around. Morning rush hour in Burlington makes for a pretty congested US-7. Then, after I-87 moved along well for a little while, there was a five mile backup at the toll booths by West Point. Then some heavy rain in Jersey. The highlight there came when a car cut off a flatbed. The flatbed driver locked up his brakes and started to jackknife. He didn't completely lose it, but the mini-van behind him (and next to me) swerved to his right in a panic. Not much I could do, since there was also a car on my right, so I gave the old air horn a blast and hoped for the best. Mini-van dude yanked it back to the left and we all went on our merry way. Good times, good times. More rain and congestion along most of the route through Pennsylvania followed. I got to Toms Brook, Virginia before my hours ran out and my day was through.

The same folks who want to be in charge of my health insurance are presently in charge of my work schedule, so I'm set to get screwed over the next few days. I can work around 17 hours between tomorrow and Friday. My first delivery is somewhere around 21-22 hours from here. My appointment is for 7am Saturday. So, instead of working two full days and then spending the night Friday near my consignee, I'll have to shut down early Friday afternoon and start at 2am or whatever on Saturday. Dumb.

Hey, look at that. The Tigers are actually scoring some runs tonight.

7/28/09

We've seen these signs here and there throughout the country for a while now, right? Until today, I hadn't actually seen anybody working in the work zones. On I-89 in Vermont I spotted my first set of stimulus workers. It was two guys re-painting the edge lines on the road, but you know, baby steps. We'll get there.

My morning's drive was about as easy as expected. I got checked in with the guys in Franklin and they had me unloaded before too long. Once I got on the board at #2, I pulled off to the side of the customer's lot to see what may come next. There were signs all over saying that they didn't allow parking for more than two hours and specifically that they didn't allow overnight parking. After I didn't move from #2 for a couple of hours, I decided to head down to Plainville and park at a truck stop. My chances of getting an assignment late in the afternoon didn't look too good.

After hanging around the truck stop for a little while, still stuck at #2 on the board, I headed inside to grab some food and buy a parking pass. My free two hours were going to run out before too much longer. I forked over my $6 for the parking and then returned to my truck to find an assignment waiting for me. Typical.

My next pickup is set for 7am in Essex Junction, Vermont. That's a nice long deadhead, which is always handy for bumping up my weekly earnings. I had plenty of time to get up to the shipper tonight and then take a ten-hour break before 7am. I wasn't sure if they would have anywhere to park though. Ah, screw it, one way to find out, right? The trip out of Massachusetts was a little on the slow side. They are called Massholes for a reason, or so I'm told. After I got clear of Nashua, things shook out pretty well.

With no snow on the road and an empty trailer in tow, that ride up I-89 through New Hampshire and Vermont is a pretty nice way to chase the sunset. I got to my exit shortly after the sun went down though. It would have been helpful to get there shortly before the sun went down. Wrong directions are a little easier to spot when you can see the street signs from the road.

Go east from the exit ramp. Okay, no worries there. Take a left at the fifth stoplight. Okay then... err... shit. That one got me into a sweet residential area. The flip side to the darkness part of the deal was that there wasn't a lot of traffic. That helped, I suppose. I backed my trailer down a side street and got turned back toward the main road. One more stoplight to the east, I found the correct street. Next step, take another left at the third stoplight. Okay then... err... shit. A cul de sac? Come on. Seriously. At least it was wide enough at the end for me to make a u-turn and try again. One more stoplight... yeah, there we go. Next step, take a right at the first stoplight. Okay then... that one was right. You could make millions of dollars going 1-for-3 every day as a baseball player. As a person giving directions to a guy driving a big truck, you fail miserably, whoever you are.

There was plenty of room for me to pull past the loading docks and put up my feet for the night. All's well that ends well and whatnot. Once I get loaded in the morning I'll be headed to good old Texas. Two drops on Saturday will probably leave me SOL in terms of getting any more work this week, but I'll have some decent miles in the books, plus a shitload of northeast pay, by the time I get there. That'll do.

7/27/09

Not a whole lot to say on the trucking front today, but I did manage to burn through several hundred bucks in acquiring my tickets for the game at Heinz Field on Novemeber 14th. That has to count for something. I got my parking pass and hotel room a little while back and my youngest brother has been recruited to drive. All that's left would be the beer and food - saving the best for last, of course.

It was a nice cool night in New York last night and people followed the 'no idling' law for the most part, so I managed to get another good night's sleep. Beauty. After one more slice of that delicious pizza for breakfast, I hit the road and got to the big truck stop in Chicopee before calling it a night. And they have a SubWay too? Hehe, it's my lucky day. BMT with double meat for dinner, anyone?

I must admit that I had no idea what "mom jeans" were until the president's girly first pitch at the All Star Game. I'm still not entirely sure how they're defined, but anyhow. You know that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to embed video from a comedian who would actually ridicule The One™ for a change...

7/26/09

Accidentally long days on the road are usually not a good thing. Today though... not so bad. I made my way across to Columbus and then headed up I-71. By the time I got to Seville, I was bored out of my mind and just about ready to pack it in. That would have left quite a bit of work for tomorrow but Sundays with no football on the radio really are insufferable. My channel surfing pursuits were failing to keep me even a little entertained. Then I got a few phone calls from friends back home.

By the time the discussions of football, baseball, politics, economics, Erin Andrews videos, weather, Hawaiian birth certificates, and all the rest were finished, I found myself in New York. I'll be damned. Second day in a row that I didn't mind having my cell phone. I pulled into the service plaza near Angola and found that it had exactly zero open parking spaces. Nice. I continued eastward and set my sights on the next service plaza. I was rolling the dice by passing on truck stops in Buffalo and Pembroke but I was in the mood for a slice of that nice thin pizza that they sell on the turnpike. The Pembroke plaza had plenty of open parking spaces, so that's that.

It's not clear yet how far I'll go tomorrow. I know that there's a fairly big truck stop in Chicopee. If I stay there tomorrow, I'll have another 75 miles or so left for Tuesday by 1pm. That's probably a sensible approach since I have no idea what kind of parking I'll find once I get further to the east. Sometimes I'm in the mood to push my luck and see what I can find though. I don't know. We'll see.