Calex Express....My New Home!

They aren't perfect but after doing this for all these years it's a pleasure to go to work every day. I personally think being pre-planned for the whole week, and working with the same customers makes this job a keeper.

 

Have they kept you running? It seems that when the local work is busy so is the regional runs.

 

Well here goes one of my few biotch sessions. I left the house around 8am Monday figuring to get to Orlando a little early with the hopes of getting done early. Boy what a waste of time that was. I called dispatch and told them about my scheduling snafu. They realized the mistake and took me off that particular load and put me on another load at the same place in Jacksonville the next morning.

I called Garylobo who was delivering at the same place as I and asked how the unload was going. He told me they haven't changed since the last time he was there. When I was just pulling into the consignee Garylobo was leaving. So a 6am appointment took him 5 1/2 hours to unload. Not looking good.

I checked in and was assigned a door about an hour early for my appointment. So I was at the dock at 12:30 for a 1:30 appointment. At this time I just want to say that everyone at Walgreens Distribution that you come in contact with are really a bunch of nice people. This will be the last nice thing I will say about this place.

After sitting at the dock for 2 hours I finally felt my trailer moving and bouncing, good finally getting unloaded. At 9:05 pm I finally got the green light, at 9:45 pm I finally got my paperwork, at 10pm I was looking at this place in my mirror. What a waste of time this was, I've had my trailer used over the years for storage with produce but never with diapers.

When you see how many deliveries they have, then see the antiquated receiving/warehouse they have, you can't help but to ask yourself why. All I can come up with is upper management has no Idea about this place. Maybe they need to get out of the corporate office and see first hand what an inefficient workplace looks like, they wouldn't be proud of this place, that's for sure.

Here's what I accomplished while taking up residence here, I used the bathroom 3 times, made lunch, made dinner, cleaned house, watched 2 movies and slept. Good utilization of driver/equipment just off a reset wouldn't you say?

I made it all the way to the rest area just east of Orlando and took my 10 hour break. I had 130 miles to go for my pick up. so I got to sleep in my truck 140 miles from home after driving 20 whole miles for the day. What a total waste of a day! I got up, drove to the T/A south of Jacksonville for fuel (still a rat hole after all these years), then made it to my pickup on time. I was loaded and rolling by 11:30. My long day of picking up in J'ville, unloading that evening in Spartanburg, dropping and hook in Greenville was now turning into a nightmare.

As I was getting onto I-95 my A/C quit. Not good. I called the shop and was told what I already knew, they don't fix AC on the road. I hung up with the head of the shop (Ray) and had some unpleasant thoughts about hoping his AC in the shop office and at his home should break. I called safety and told Mort what was happening and that I'm going to be sort of hot and wiped out after my day was up. After making a joke about how comfortable he was, he told me to get a motel that night for my 10 hour break and that when I get to Pittston to check into the motel up the street for my next 10 hour break. Well after spending 2 nights in a motel I'll be at the yard this morning to get my fan motor for my A/C replaced.

My A/C breaking is no ones fault, it's a mechanical part that was due to break with 825,000 miles on the truck. Yes it was very uncomfortable, but at least I was able to sleep in a motel. What I really appreciate was the way it was handled. Thanks Mort! I'll thank Ray when I have A/C working again.

That's my adventure so far this week. I'll probably be in a motel again tonight waiting on my truck, but I'm probably going west this week so I'll be leaving with new A/C and a servicing.

One last thing, I got paid for 5.5 hours of detention pay # $15 per hour. I told Louie that it would be much better if they unloaded the truck on time instead of taking 9 hours to unload. I gladly took the detention pay though!

 

I've seen a lot of trucks both in the Calex fleet and in other fleets that I wouldn't dare enter. It makes you wonder how some of these drivers live at home. I wouldn't even consider bringing either one of my Labs with me and putting them in some of these trucks. I was at the yard from 8 to about 1 today while they were working on my truck. They needed it all day today and I will be good to go around noon tomorrow. I'll be back at the yard around 9am.

 

Well what I thought was a relatively easy A/C repair has turned out to be a day and a half adventure with the shop. I needed a new fan motor for the A/C, a new Turbo gasket, new belts, an air leaked fixed and an oil change. The shop knew about the problems with my truck and had me in as soon as I arrived this morning.

I saw Louie first thing this morning and he told me he wasn't sure yet what direction he was sending me until he got with Ray about my truck. Around 1pm I went back to the motel for the night. I no sooner got to my room when my phone rang, it was Louie telling me that I was going to California tomorrow and to see him in the morning for my dispatch. He asked where I was and I told him in the motel for the night. Safety are the ones that arrange the motel stays so he thought I was still at the yard. Oh well, at least I'll be able to watch game 7 of the NBA finals in comfort.

It's funny how we drivers think, I was totally miserable for 2 days with no A/C. The thought about spending 2 nights in motels and a third night waiting on my truck to get done in the shop was not what I had in mind. All I would rather have is a load and rolling. I guess if I had to spend weeks on end on the road I would appreciate a motel once in a while, but I am lucky to be able to spend 2 nights a week in my own bed at home.

I spoke with Garylobo this afternoon, he is on the same run that I was on this week and will be dropping in Mountaintop PA in the morning. I asked him to pick me up at the motel on his way back to the yard seems as how he is only bobtailing. I told him for his efforts I would supply him with a continental breakfast. It's free here at the motel so it won't really cost me anything. Boy am I cheap.....lol

Oh, by the way, Garylobo was told he was going to California also, so at least we can entertain each other for a while.