Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

Welp, four years after they put in a new parking lot out front of the building and told us to stop parking in the back, they've finally gotten serious about it. New fence put up around the back parking lot, gated, no keypad. Locked gate leading from the parking lot to the truck lot, too.

I am annoyed, because I am old and fat and the front parking lot is much further away from my truck than the back parking lot. Plus, I ain't super comfy leaving my car out in front of the building for weeks at a time for everybody passing by on the road to see.

 

I am sure that you know that your feelings don't set policy.

 

Oh, I learned that on my first job, when I was 15. No illusions here.

 

Looks like theyve remodeled the break room, too. Fake plants are gone. Old crusty couches and stuffed chairs are gone. Bookshelf full of driver-donated books is gone. In their place are chrome and formica tables and black chairs. Also new tile on the floor.

The fast-food table with the fast-food benches is also gone, replaced by a very tall table, I guess for standing at. And it looks like they're taking out the vending machines. I expect they will be replaced by the same "pay-by-the-honor-system-but-we're-also-watching-you-with-security-cameras" vending area they have at other Knight-Swift terminals.

Big doin's a-transpiring here at Abilene HQ.

 

I was amused recently when I visited the Knight Atlanta terminal and there was a little pile of cash next to the computer screen from all the honest Joes who wanted a snack but didn't or couldn't pay with plastic. Right around $8 in bills and change, just sitting there on the countertop. I guess nobody felt like stealing it since the cameras would've caught it.

It occurred to me that the dude who restocks the snacks probably doesn't have any mechanism for getting that money back to the snack company he works for, so it probably just goes straight into his pocket.

 

We have that setup at my terminal as well. Really wanted some chocolate one night. Scanned a Twix bar. $2.79 for something that costs $1.29 at the grocery store. Nope. Didn’t want chocolate that much. I hate being ripped off at the truck stop. Sure not going to do it at my terminal. At least the ice and water are free.

 

So who are you driving for now?

 

Frozen Food Express. I started in March doing linehaul (mileage pay, out 16-18 days/home 5-6 days), but now I run local/regional (mostly SE VA) out of Rocky Mount NC (hourly pay, home Friday night to Monday morning). Suits me much better. If I lived closer to the terminal, I’d be home every night. They don't sweat you if you need to be off for real life situations. Sometimes I run a linehaul load to Lithonia GA and one back to Rocky Mount on the weekends if I need to be off for something during the week and don’t want to lose $ (or for the scenery change. Still get paid hourly). It’s a little slow right now and probably will be through January, but no more than any other company (people gotta eat), and dispatch does try to spread the hours out for us (yes, dispatch does have their flaws, but they are pretty decent). I work 50-60 hours most of the time, depending on where I deliver. Usually go out with 1k-12k, get held up anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours at receivers, and go back empty. That’s the beauty of hourly pay, though! Set the cruise at 63 and let all the nascar drivers run in their packs while I toodle down the road. Not as nice as JBs deal (not as far from home, either), but good enough for me.