Calex Express....My New Home!

Good for you! I'll see you Wednesday.

The drug test will be set up at a place close to where you live. The road test will be given by a driver going thru Hesperia. Once those are done it will be a nice plane ride across the country. If by chance you don't hear from him, call him.

 

I am getting ready to leave the TA in Lamar at the 173 mm. It was time for a shower and some food. It rained all day since I left Brazil this morning. I have 42 miles to my delivery, I'm pretty sure I can make it before my 4am delivery. This will be my last post until I get home the end of the week. Be safe all, God Bless.

 

Well I figured if I will be in a motel tonight I might as well write something. I have to say, my delivery at a major grocery warehouse here in PA went extremely smooth this morning. I made it to the 215 mm and went to sleep. My delivery was 4 miles from the truck stop. The way the system works at Weiss Markets is they allow you on the property after 4am and start unloading after 6am on a first come first serve basis for produce. I went through the main gate at 4:45am and waited in my truck until 5:45am when the produce receiving window opened. Now here is where it becomes somewhat comical. After parking along side the other 5 trucks, I did all my paperwork and noticed other trucks arriving. Around 5:30 the lumpers arrived and started setting up their little office. At 6am the receiving window opened up. While I was waiting in the 10x10 waiting room with 15 of my closest friends, all I heard was everyone telling war stories about their trip to Weiss Markets. Now, please understand, I'm not anti-social, but after driving across the country with a load of Celery, the last thing I need is to re-live the last 4 days waiting to get unloaded. The driver parked next to me was at the window first, the other drivers were to busy telling war stories. So as they were playing can you top this, I went to the window, was given a door, backed in, found out how much it would cost to unload ($95), then went back to sleep. Before going to sleep I called into dispatch and got Eddie on the phone for a comcheck. If you read back a while ago, everyone in the shop, office, safety and dispatch goes home at 5pm like clock work. Eddie, whose been there 25+ years gets in at 5am to handle drivers in need of comchecks. Eddie also fills in with dispatch so the way this system is set up, it runs perfectly. I no sooner hit the sack when I was awaken by the lumper telling me I was empty. I put my shoes on, got my comcheck went inside and got my signed bills. When I spoke to Eddie, he asked me how the trailer was I was pulling. I told him it needed tires on the right side. He said to bring it to the yard and to see him when I got there. I got to the terminal, fueled the truck, stopped by the shop to hand in my write up sheet, saw Mort and Jim in safety then went up to dispatch to find out that I would be dispatched tomorrow. Tomorrow is a big day, my dispatcher Louie, whose been lost in Mexico the last 10 days gets back to work. I went back down to safety and told Mort about not being dispatched until tomorrow, he told me that they already had a room reserved at the motel and that they would have someone run me up there, which is where I'm at right now. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but Calex has the most multiple year employees, including drivers of any company I've ever seen. I don't look to far ahead, but it speaks volumes of a company that can retain drivers, dispatchers and operation people for 10, 20, even 25 years.

 

Good for you, I heard you had taken the road test. I was sitting in the lounge with Garylobo waiting om my truck to get finished in the shop. They offered me another west coast load but I declined, it's time to go home and that's where I'm on my way too right now. I'm sitting in Ashland VA. taking my 10 hour break. Any questions just ask. I'll be home Friday so I'll answer them over the weekend.