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

Ok, time for an update. I was finally given a broker load at 11am on Monday. I was in Okeechobee sitting in a Walmart that I delivered to waiting on dispatch. I finally got my load assignment at 11am. It was a classic "Fornication Up" brought on by everyone involved with the load but me. I got a message from dispatch to call the broker. I did, immediately after reading the message. I was told to start heading to Jacksonville and that he would call me later with my loading instructions, red flag number 1. About 2 hours into my drive I call the broker and finally get my load info. I had to be there by 2pm, red flag number 2. I told him without stopping, the best I could do would be 3:30. Then he tells me that it's a shipper load, cool, but that it's a driver unload, no lumper's and I would have to handle the whole trailer. With the straightest of all faces, and as serious as I could be, I politely asked him how much he was going to pay me to handle the freight, Mr. Jerkoff asked me if I was joking, I then asked him if he heard any inkling of humor in my question. At this point he told me they don't pay drivers to unload, and I told him I get paid to drive, not handle someones cheap freight. He asked me when I could be there, I told him again 3:30, then he put me on hold, came back and told me they took me off the load and to call my dispatch for another load. I told him that I'm quite sure he would find a driver/company to handle that load, but it sure as hell wasn't going to be me. I then told him to have a wonderful day and then hung up. I pulled into the next rest area, broke out my lunch, and had a wonderful half hour lunch/rest break. I called dispatch and told them verbatim what had just happened, and that if there was any question what so ever that I too had recorded the conversation. They told me to not worry about it and to wait for another load. 15 minutes later I had a new load. I loaded in Savannah 7am Tuesday and delivered that yesterday in South Hill Va. I then dead headed to the yard and got a load that delivered last night in Edison NJ. I was then dead headed back to the yard from Edison.


I got back to the yard early this morning, showered then grabbed a load of peaches sitting on the yard going to Ephrata Pa. for 5am in the morning. I'm sitting at the receiver right now getting ready for bed. With all this bouncing around this pay period, and what seems like a very long 2 weeks, I'll still have a hair over 6000 miles for the period. Oh, I've put over 39,000 miles on my truck since I started here and had my second mechanical issue with my truck, the first one was a head light went out last month, this morning when I was doing my pre-trip, I had a turn signal out. That, in case anyone is wondering is a little dig at the last place I worked, it seemed what ever truck I had, couldn't pass a Volvo shop or KW dealer with out going in for major repairs. I don't want to jinx it, but in 3 months here I've only had 2 bulbs go out. Shhhhh, not to loud.

 

Jeez, first time in a long while I delivered a produce load that went without a hitch. I got here last night about 7pm, backed in at 5am, and was empty pulling out the gate at 6:15. I'm now sitting at a diner in Lancaster having breakfast waiting on dispatch.

 

Me too, you should only guess what I really wanted to tell him where he could put his load, and if it didn't quite fit he could put the rest up the shippers.

 

I know, I couldn't resist.

 

I got reloaded 6 miles from where I had breakfast this morning. I left at 12:30 this afternoon from Kinzers PA. It only took me until 7pm to finally get back to the yard. On my way down I got my preplan. I have home time for Monday and Tuesday, coming back out on Wednesday. I have a 5 dropper all in Miami for Monday. I had planned to be home tomorrow evening, but because of all the traffic I had just enough time to drop my load at the yard and bobtail over to the shipper to pick up my trailer. I'm now sitting at the Pilot across from the shipper getting ready for bed. I have a breakfast date with my wife at 9am Sunday and plan on being there. Goodnight all, God Bless and be safe.

 

Made the breakfast date with time to spare with my wife this morning. Because of the time I lost sitting in traffic on I-95 in Va Friday I had to shut down at 7:45 last night, 2 hours from my house, in a rest area by Cocoa. I know, all in the name of safety, I mean really, I shut down and then couldn't fall asleep until midnight. Got up at 6am then drove the last 130 miles home. Last night I was sitting in my seat looking at my Qualcomm trying to figure out what to tell safety that my Qualcomm quit working, I guess trying to explain to them that I unloaded my foot into the screen and ripped it out then threw it across the parking lot wouldn't quite work.

I have 4 drops in Miami to kick off tomorrow, I'll leave at 6:30 in the morning and should be home by 1pm.