An old man's career goes flat, Snackbar moves to open deck

I did some math, and it's 1820 Google Map miles from my WI pu to the Hermiston delivery. If it's not too heavy of a load (which I doubt it will be) that would take 28 drive hours (if I average my usual 65 mph)...plus the 1.5 hours to the pick up location...If I don't hit any delays, I will have 33 hours on my 70 once I deliver my current load...it might be possible to deliver on Friday in OR after all...and, if I turn 6 or 7 hours of driving Tuesday, it would be Friday morning when I deliver...

 

Some confusion between the shipper, the consignee and Arlington. Yesterday when I spoke to the contact person listed on the Peoplenet, he said he would contact the rigging crew and let them know I was delayed due to weather. This afternoon, I get a call from dispatch asking for an ETA to the customer. Apparently word didn't get to the rigging crew that I was delivering tomorrow, and they were waiting for me. I told dispatch that the earliest I could get to the customer was 45 min after the Peoplenet said they closed. He said proceed unless I hear otherwise. About 10 minutes before I get to the last opportunity for a place to stay, dispatch calls and says, nevermind today, they finally got in touch with the delivery customer...it seems the people he was talking to and the people Arlington was talking to weren't the same people. Once everyone was on the same page, everything is on track. And I once again got a thank you for busting butt getting this load to the customer as quickly as I did.

Now, I got the info for my next load. Picking up 3 pieces, 10,000 lbs total weight, at a place that makes industrial power generation units...and at this time, the only concern for weather is MT, and it's a fluid situation...one forecast I saw yesterday said some snow between Billings and Big Timber, now it has gone to maybe 1-3" at worst...and I hope it continues to improve. When I asked if he got the email that mentioned that a Friday delivery is going to be a challenge, he asked why, you get back plenty of hours...and I said yeah, Friday night...then looked at my whole week, including the 2 days sitting waiting for repairs...and he realized that my week started with this load on Friday in Arlington...now he instantly said there is no way...I said, there is a slim chance, but it will take another 'no delay' trip, but with 10k lbs, I can average a good pace as long as mother nature doesn't crap on me again.

 

Like when the DOT officer asks to see you logbook and you reply -'which one'-....or "I don't haul logs, why do I need a logbook?"

 

Unload went great, but I am glad I have glass hauling experience backing into those old glass docks because after they took off the palletized part in the parking lot, I had to back inside for them to take off the big water jet unit, and there might have been a foot between each side of my trailer and the opening. Then I hauled butt up to WI and got loaded in under 30 min., and to my surprise it isn't 10k lbs, it is only about 3500. Still not sure I will have enough hours to make the delivery, it will be very, very close, but I feel wings sprouting out my posterior again...so who knows for sure.

 

I agree...lets see these door slammers put a trailer in a hole so tight you can't even open your sidebox to get anything out of it...or blind side 180 degrees from a driveway that you had to back into off the street, then back the length of the building....all because some Einstein architect built the building with no room to pull a truck in so you can sight side into a dock.