An old man's career goes flat, Snackbar moves to open deck

You guys were still using Comdata? At WyMoore, we were using EFS, and SPD had EFS when I started here 2.5 yrs ago.

SPD always had the Daseke name, it's the silver KWs at Lonestar that didn't.

 

Got unloaded at the port. The whole process was what the Canadian's call a Gong Show. 1st off, my favorite person in Wichita didn't bother to send me the drop authorization number (he sent "A" number to the other driver...but it was the wrong number), so we both had to wait until his Highness got his #### straight. We both had to check in at the driver's services building, and with all the traffic in the port, it's like playing a real life game of Frogger. But instead of printing out the paperwork that told us where to unload, the guy only gave us the receiving paperwork that we would have gotten when we checked out at the exit gate(which didn't have any unload location). When we asked him where these were supposed to be dropped, he said he wasn't sure, he hadn't worked the yard in 17 years. So, we sent down to where the oversized containers were staged (like the open top containers with big tires) and asked the port guy where we were supposed to stage...he said where ever your paperwork says...we said it doesn't have any assigned slots...he said call driver services. Went back to out trucks, the other driver was calling Mr. Wonderful in Wichita (and didn't get an answer), I pulled up the port on Google Maps and got the phone number and called the port. I won the race to the finish, at least to finding out drop spots, got in touch with driver services, and after investigating, the lady gave me my slot number...and while I had her on the phone, I got the other driver's job number and she gave me his slot number too. We headed to our row, stopped in our assigned spots and waited. He got unloaded and then every other container hauler that came in after me got unloaded, and I was still sitting. Finally another port worker came by and told me they changed my slot to the same one the other SPD had. So I roll up, and instead of an overhead crane unloading me, a giant forklift came and lifted my container off my trailer, and I pulled out from under it and headed to a safe spot next to the other driver to close the trailer and stow my gear.

Now comes the fun part, getting out of the port is like crossing the George Washington bridge during rush hour when they have only 1 lane open for both decks. I finally make it to the exit gate and go thru all the bs to get out...and I get a "wait for clerk" message on the screen. After 5 or so minutes, that went back to the main screen. I said f-it, tried my TWIC at the gate reader instead, the gate opened and I escaped.

As I was exiting, dispatch calls and wants to know how tall is my trailer. I am just pulling out, I will check when I can safely stop. 22", he then tells me I am headed to Wilkesboro to pick up a load going to Iowa, and asks if I can adjust this trailer's ride height. I said only to get over a bump (like getting stuck in the Wichita driveway) but not while rolling down the road. He said the load I am picking up is 11'9" (add 22" and I will be 13'7"). We shall see how accurate both our measurements are when I pick up tomorrow.

BTW @kylefitzy, the other driver who got stuck said he was the guy you ran with on your maiden wing voyage into Canada, he's an older guy with a big bushey mustache and glases, so I don't think him getting stuck was a lack of training.