Parked Here for the Night

Ok... so this morning I left that tiny trailer lot where I was last night in Wilkes-Barre, PA...
Called the receiver in NJ... no answer... But kept heading that way... Stopped at service plaza and then stopped at that STINKY TA that FatDaddy calls "a ZOO" in Bloomsbury, NJ... and there I was earlier today...



With the help of two spotters, I parked right there... And kept calling the receiver... and no response... CH Robinson also kept calling me to tell me to go to receiver cause they were open... And I told them, NO, I don't think they are... They are not answering the phone, since 7 am... I asked CH, how do you know they are open if they are not answering the phone...

And, although I told my dsp that I was waiting to talk to receiver before going there, I made the silly mistake of ignoring my gut feeling after all and believing the broker...


So.. I left my my "comfortable" spot at that ZOO, I mean, TA and headed to receiver in NJ...

And this is what I found when I got there...



An area of almost deserted warehouses... streets covered with snow....

Got to receiver gate and stopped...



Turned my flashers on and walked inside.... my foot prints were the only prints on that snow... There was a guard in the guard shack... He heard me swearing out and lout... :smt091 And as my gut feeling had told me.... they were closed today due to the snow... he didn't even know if they would open tomorrow... And I could not park in there... told me to go up hill and turn right... there was a warehouse there... Shoot!!! No... I couldn't park there...

So, I walked back and forth on the street and decided to park somewhere else...



Was there for a little while but then moved again to another warehouse... I hope nobody will force me out of here till tomorrow at 7 am or so... Specially if during my 8 hr sleeper berth.... because of this freaking elog and my co. rules that we can't edit and can't disrupt 8 hr of sleeper berth....

BTW, I asked DSP to "kill" that broker for me... :smt021 And called CH in the midst of my ANGER I'll be darn if I ignore my gut feelings again... Told them, I will not call them again.... will call the customer instead and will only go there if they are open and will receive the product...
DSP told me broker will give me "some" compensation for this hassle... And I hope the agent for this load, who was not there today will be able to fix this problem, so it will not happen again.... to someone else...

 

Well obviously I haven't been to the Oak Grove, Mo Petro in a while. I see they've moved the fuel pumps up top and closed the truck wash. I guess ill stage here tonight....I could go into KC but those 2 truckstops on the Kansas side are pretty small and fill quickly and even if I find a spot I'm less likely to lose my hood here.

 

Hey what do we know? We're just drivers right? Shame I should have got ahold of you and seen what you planned to do when the storm wasn't as bad as feared. Most of the business chose to close prematurely expecting the storm of the century.

And if you think the T/A is bad then stay out of the Pilot right there and at the 12.

 

Well... the receiver was open yesterday... but yesterday I was getting truck fixed... Person I know who lives nearby those truck stops told me next time I "plan" on stopping there, let him know and he will reserve a spot for me... That's very nice but I don't think I want to park there... ever...

 

Now you know why I didn't suggest that route when you were looking to do a 34.

 

I stopped there today just to see close how it was... Never been at that TA before... I would rather take my 34 at that truck parking area instead... And just to think that this person who lives nearby those truck stops was thinking about leaving his truck at one of those places during his hometime when he becomes a truck driver...

 

so the fuel pumps are where the truck wash was?
I never use anything but CA truck washes hardly anymore
in Barstow on L street can get the truck and trailer done for $40
now it wouldnt meet woreout's standards but it is clean

 

so your standards are considerably lower is what you're saying ?!?

 

you have a firm grasp of the obvious
all my ex wives have low standards too

 

At the Ohio Welcome Center Rest Area on 70 east. Bout 9 1/2 hrs from home. I will stay at home tomorrow night and deliver on Thursday Morning.....

Saw SO MANY tire tracks off into the grass/mud on I39 at the I80 junction.... must have really been a slippery mess there last night/ this morning...