Stevens Transport aviary

Well, finally a chance to check in with the laptop instead of the phone!
Sitting in Wheeler Ridge CA. Tuesday night after picking up my fifth load since going solo I stopped at RJ's truckstop on CA 99 for a Subway sub. An hour down the road I wasn't feeling to well, and by the time I got here I was sweating and shaky, cold and weak. I managed to stumble into the chiropractor's office and ask him if he could call an ambulance for me.
Heart rate was in forties and I barely knew what was going on when paramedics got here. I was airlifted to San Juaquin in Bakersfield where I was taken very good care of.
By this afternoon I was on my feet and feeling human again.
Food poisoning, and a bad case, too. Apparently my white blood cell count was way up and my heart rate way down, and I can remember panting and not being able to stop. I was also soaked with sweat and shivering! Never even got to look out the helicopter windows I was so out of it.
But now I'm back on my truck and waiting for a dispatch. I had a load going to Laredo due the 29th, but apparently someone felt waiting a day to see if I was going to be able to continue the load was too long to wait. And my meat lock was on the trailer too! lol
So now I know what bad food poisoning can do to you! It was almost certainly that Subway sub at RJ's truckstop on Cali 99 south of Fresno. The place with the cheese shop across the road from it with all the signs saying to stop there. I'll never stop there again! I originally stopped to get load locks as the Love's was out of them and having computer problems anyway, but they were $36.99 each! So I got the sub and dashed. Got load locks at the next place down the road for $30.99 which is still too much, but needed them as I swapped loads and the other driver said he didn't have any to trade off and I had three in the sealed trailer he was taking. And since my next load was produce in Fresno, I was sure I'd need more than one load lock. But the loader closed and sealed my trailer the second I pulled forward off the dock and I didn't get a chance to put any load locks in. He said they were low pallets that were well wrapped and didn't need them anyway, and it turned out they were low pallets and were well wrapped and were cases of fig puree in cans anyway. So I didn't lose the new load locks when they took my trailer, just the new meat lock.
Wonder if I'll get charged for that meat lock? Guess I'll find out tomorrow when I call in and get off sick list.
Otherwise still enjoying the job quite a bit! Food poisoning aside! lol
Oh, and almost a week to go before Stevens insurance kicks in, so this hospital and the heli ride are going to cost me! ouch

 

Well, further interesting developments.
This morning after getting a form faxed to me from Stevens to sign and fax back to allow the hospital to release the medical records to Stevens so they could clear me from medical hold, driver services calls and says I have to sit here until tomorrow while they FedEx a new permit book to me. So now I have to sit another whole day.
Geeze.
My driver manager thinks I won't be charged for the new meat lock when I get back to Dallas as it wasn't my direct actions that caused its loss. It was on a trailer with a load on it, as it should have been, when the trailer was taken off my truck while I was in the hospital. So I should just get another when I get to Dallas, which is where my next load will take me. Seems I have to see the doc there.
So I have to spend the entire day in the Petro in Wheeler Ridge/Labec on I5.
On the plus side, I can go out and walk around while I'm here. I love driving a truck, but I missed walking. I cannot wait to get home and put my bike on the back of the truck and be able to bike a bit while parked. I've gained over five pounds according to my weight at the hospital yesterday.
Maybe the worst thing is that I only had short runs with repowers and one decent run, so money is short and getting shorter. I hope they pay me for my time on the yard if I have to stay more than a day. You can bet I'll run 11 hours a day on the load getting me back to Dallas so I can get paid asap.

 

I love it so far. If you feel like a stop to stretch, stop and stretch. Play what music or such you want to hear. I got a Sirius first thing so I can keep up with book radio stories and choose the music I want to hear without going through local stations every hour or two until I find something until it fades out, or worse, not able to receive anything.
I can eat what, when and where I feel like, though it won't be a Subway staffed by foreigners again!
Being on your own is awesome. As long as you pick up and deliver on time or early, and don't burn fuel needlessly you're free to drive as you like. Don't waste time on loads that aren't due for a day or two longer than you need though, request a repower or at least make sure your DM knows you don't need all the time the load has.
And the meat lock is a very particular one, and I've not seen them for sale anywhere. I guess you only get them from Stevens or a specialty store. They cost about $90.