Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Last night Googled 'sunrise Indiana', came up with 'Indianapolis 7 am'
--Good time to pull out, I thought--Plan A
--Plan B would be hang out, talk to brokers for last minute outbound
--Instead, 7 am I wake up, two dogs on floor below bed
--There's stuff to bring in from car, critters to take care of, a shower to take
--8 am, finally on way from home to truck, didn't fuel, hafta fuel
--Transfer briefcase, clothing items, etc. while fueling, park car
--On way up Taco Bell wouldn't make double deckers, okay, forget it
--Paying for fuel, grab coffee, some chips, chips priced wrong, okay, forget it
--Up at Crawfordsville Wal-Mart grab a few items, seafood salad
--Werner driver lives 30 miles from Illinois yard, wants to talk
--Yard Boss says will call right back, busy now
--Mother Ship can't connect to recruiter who's in Illinois yard, not main office
--Illinois yard number gives msg, 2nd call Brenda answers, barely
--Doesn't ask who I am, get number, just, "I'll see if she's in," and she's gone
--Not back on line 4 minutes later I decide, screw it
--No wonder we're hiring CR CDL schoolers, putting 2 in truck, calling 1 trainer
--They've got time for this yada yada, I don't and neither does Richard
Sometimes it's just a waste of time. Everybody's.


//CR CDL schoolers = CR England CDL school, Richmond, Indiana

///Hi mugurpe! Thx for visiting!

 

What a lovely drive!! Enjoyed County K, for sure...
--Passed the 45 mph speed mark on the way into Prairie
--A few before 5:30 pm Central, loading now
--If I were explaining to a driver (which I expect to do) County K
--I'd say, ignore Garmin, turn left at 'T', turn just before water tower on right
--If you pass by the slim-shafted water tower, you've gone too far
--The first hill is the steepest and still comfortable at 50 mph first time down
--Most of I-74, Hwy 61, 18, I-39 are all pretty straight, if undulating (hilly)
--County K runs easy curve to easy curve, very pleasant, picturesque
--Nicely-managed 40-50 foot setbacks from woods and short rock faces
--You get a cozy, roomy, almost enclosed, woodsy feel; it's really a treat.
--Elsewhere, most of what you see up here is all corn and soybean
--Touched brakes once on a left, sweeping all-the-way-around curve
--Didn't have to, but one push on the brake and back on the cruise, just easier
--Next time I see Bob (which isn't often) will get his Prairie directions again
--See if he had County K; it was like 4 am when he explained
--Had driven up the night before to leave out without the drive from home
--Though not far, just preferred to spend the night in the truck first time out
Thx, Goldenfan. Definitely appreciated. My new route from Hwy 61.

 

Miles about same, 421 with 9-1/2 travel time including breaks...
--(Over at Huckleberry's for soup, maybe salad bar, if Goldenfan's about)
--Would be a cool run 1x week (as hired for)
--Yard Boss did eventually call, gave him info on Richard
--Richard made "less than $500/week gross first 6 months"
--Well, of course, and that's a 7-day, all-day week
--Kept him out 3 months without getting home
--Said there must be a sign in FleetManager's office
--"Don't kill 'em, they're expensive to replace"
--"But you can abuse them all you want, just don't kill 'em"
--Was a long-time manufacturing process engineer
--Lives on Mattoon Lake, about 30 miles from Illinois yard
Soups are chicken/rice and black bean/sausage...

 

With salad bar, get both soups and all the rest...
--Told Yard Boss could have gotten a good load for PU yesterday
--Had things to do in Bloomington (cart homeless TH around)
--Yard Boss says, "It's good you got what you needed taken care of"
--And he means it! Genuinely. That's his default mode, support driver
--Reminded Yard Boss a-g-a-i-n only signed up for 1x week
--For first time says, "I know."
--Has always been, "It's not my fault."
--Think it's finally sinking in that it's coming to a head fairly soon
--"Sometimes I just need to talk to someone," he says
--Here we go, I think...
--Seems one of our drivers in Lafayette had a double-drop-and-hook
--We go through employee parking to get to dock
--Employee tries to squeeze car between backing tractor and parked trailer
--They collide. "Now whose fault is that?? Whose fault is that!!"
--Again, Yard Boss' default mode, support driver
--He goes on and on about this, complaining about our customer
--Finally pauses, "That was a good rant," he says. "Thx."
--About this time my co-conspirator in Spencer, the CPA calls
--Told Yard Boss gotta go...



//Double-drop-and-hook = Driver brings trailer (loaded or unloaded) to site, spots it; gets under trailer he will bring back, pulls it out and spots it; gets trailer he brought, replaces it where 2nd trailer was; unhooks, pulls out and gets back under 2nd trailer, leaves with that.

 

Seems Town of Spencer has more than just blinked... or not!
--Atty has 'new' settled birth certificate for TH
--Now, supposedly has been on this since February
--Supposedly State of Indiana said not who says he is
--TH seems pretty sure who he is, when born, where, to whom
--Birth certificate confusion arose when adopted by stepfather
--Names don't match, 'Tommy' on one and 'Thomas' on other
--Now he's officially 'Thomas' and can get ID, maybe drivers license
--And they found place for him, in County not Town of Spencer
--Only 3-4 blocks from CPA's office, close to everything
--Don't know details yet, CPA wants to know what I think
--Told her have TH pay small amount, maybe $100
--Then they give him 6 months free
--"Who's going to pay for that?" she asks.
--Told her let them worry about that.
--Even if they try evict, take weeks to months, gets him through winter
Not only that, once off my property, can get him some small work...