My new experience with Gordon Trucking, post-buyout

Finally made the drop at a most unusual DC. The story is too long but involves a security guard waving a flashlight - as he said he would when he looked in the back of the trailer and cleared me to enter - a VERY agitated dock supervisor with all kinds of threats because he said the security guard DIDN'T clear me, a tandem that would NOT slide, and a kingpin that would NOT unlock.

But all that is done, I'm empty, and sitting at a Pilot taking my break, wondering how much fuel I can put in a pretty well-balanced 78,500 lb truck and not disturb the Cosmos. I don't need much for a 2.5 hour trip to Lansing and the drive home - I have a quarter tank now - and I do know the Michigan Staties...

 

The other way to handle any potential problems is to have a routing that takes me on State and US roads. Lots of, um, 'local' color and no weigh stations! Problem solved.

 

I'm making my delivery in Clinton, Michigan, in spite of the GPS wanting to take my downtown to the same exact address in Lansing, which is what was on the bills. Apparently, the a Post Office doesn't care about whether there's an exact duplicate address 3 miles away. To them, it's a different city AND ZIP CODE! It must be tough when they deliver mail.

Anyway, I'm getting rid of my "product" and will soon be heading home for the first time in 6 weeks. I hope I can 1) remember how to get there, and 2) find it after the 120" of snow they've had since I left in early January. At some point, Wonter had to stop. I went to bed last night at 5 degrees and woke up to 13 BELOW ZERO! Good thing I idled. And put Howes in the tank before going to bed, even though I didn't fuel until this morning.

I think I like SoCal weather better.

 

Sorry, GH. The forecast is for snow and very cold. I am so ready for this to end. Getting my driveway cleared enough to park my truck off the street - a very understanding Deputy Sheriff came by and reminded me of the zoning law...and did not write me up! - took almost 24 hours because I had to move five FEET of snow. By hand because my massive snow thrower decided to break a cable.

And a whole lot of my neighbors have For Sale signs in their driveways. I think this winter took it out on pretty much everybody.

 

This is going to be a tough post for me because it will be among the last ones I make. Let me tell you the short version.

Back in the beginning of February, I got a ticket from a Deputy Sheriff in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, near Green River. I paid the bail within a week, told the Safety department about it, as required, and put it out of my mind.

Until I picked up the mail from my PO box today. As one would expect, after being gone for six weeks, there was a bunch. Among the bunch were two letters from the Michigan Secretary of State, the state office that, among other things, handles licenses of all kinds. I put them aside figuring they were renewal notices for my two vehicles. I was wrong.

When I finally got around to opening them, I discovered something that shocked me to my core and from which I have not recovered yet, many hours later. The State of Michigan received the information from Wyoming which indicated that I had been arrested on Feb. 2 (I wasn't) and convicted of a serious crime in Wyoming on Feb 21; the form letter I got was the same one they send to those who are arrested and convoked of drunk driving. Even though there was no hearing and I never had the chance to explain anything to anyone, they suspended my CDL for 12 months and fined me $2,000. Neither of those sanctions can be appealed, so I am no longer qualified to drive the truck that sits in my driveway.

I spent the day cleaning it out, talking to my DM and family, and generally feeling at once angry and at another time very sad and sorry for myself. The details of the summons I got are not important other than to say that if you EVER think you have caused some damage to another vehicle, person, property, fence at a truck stop, or any other inanimate object with which you might come in contact, I advise you NOT to leave the scene without fully disclosing the facts to the property owner or manager, or other relevant person, including Safety. If by chance, you are very short on HOS minutes and choose to head for a nearby truck stop, I hope the Force is with you. You might need it.

And keep your TVC subscription paid for. I did not and now wish I had. If you don't have one, get one; you cannot afford not to have legal representation and you will need it when you least expect it.

My time with Gordon is up. I am leaving not by choice and certainly not in a way I would like, but without a CDL, I'm not much use to them. I wish all of you who have contributed to my little posts all the success you deserve, no matter who your employer is. For me, I will go back to being retired and hope, hope, HOPE that my auto insurance carrier is more understanding when they learn about this than the Michigan Secretary of State's employees have been. I am more distraught about this than anything I can recall in my life.