Calex Express....My New Home!

I'm sitting at the Petro in Dupont. Got here today after getting empty in Florence NJ this morning. I knew about leaving out Friday after I got loaded last week when I left Pittston. Lettuce is running out of Belle Glade and our customer in Florence needs 5 trucks a week. It's only 28 miles from my house, and from a company point of view it beats a 680 mile deadhead every time. The only problem is I only get a night home then I need to leave. I'm going to ask Louie if It can be worked out where I load on Saturday for a Tuesday delivery, after I get back from vacation on the 14th of January. I only have one more trip back out of Florida next week then it's vacation time.

I got home Thursday about 6pm. I left the house at 6am Friday and was empty by 9am. My wife met me at the truck with my Yellow Lab who had knee surgery a few weeks ago to go see the vet. Everything is progressing well with her recovery. After the vet we went and got our Christmas tree. I put it in it's stand to let it settle until I get back home Thursday, then my wife and I will decorate it. It's one of our traditions that her and I have, we enjoy the peace and quiet and the beauty of this time of year. We make our plans of where we will volunteer our time on Christmas day. Last year we served food at a soup kitchen near our house. We are thinking of doing the same thing this year. We always comment about what we experience that day, and let me tell you, if anyone thinks they have it bad, all one needs to do is volunteer at a homeless shelter, soup kitchen or food bank, it will take you right out of whatever problems you feel you have, at least it does for us. The amount of pride and good will we experience in helping impovershed and hungry people is something that can't be explained, but needs to be experienced first hand. My wife and I want to help eveyone that needs it but realize we can only do so much, but if everyone that has time and the ability to help people in their own community than we as a people can help those in need and make a differnce in someones life.

Any way, back to trucking, I took my wife out to lunch Friday then she dropped me off at my truck. I got to the cooler at 3pm and was loaded and rolling at 7pm. I made it up to St. George SC, went to bed and slept like a dead person. I got up Saturday and made it up to Elkton MD where I met up with Tom who loaded a few hours before me. We got up at 5am fueled then drove the 75 miles to our delivery. I've been there about 6 times in the last 4 years. It's a good place to deliver. We were empty about noon then drove up here. My A/C went out on my truck last week so they have to fix that and a few other write ups plus I'm due for a service. Thats about it. I get to spend 3 nigts here in Pittston rather than home, but for what I have in this dedicated run, and being home every Thursday night since July 17th for 4 nights, who needs to complain?

 

It wasn't me, it was my buddy Tom who was 4 hours ahead of me. When I sit any place other then the house retirement tastes even better. I am waiting on my A/C to get fixed. Hopefully today.

 

Keep calling back. I do know they change the requirements according to their need of drivers all the time. What is no today is a yes tomorrow when a need of a drivers arises.

 

I spent all day today waiting to get my truck into the shop to fix my A/C. What a waste of a day. Never was able to get it in. The only thing I got was a service. I was told to be back first thing in the am and it will be taken care of in the morning. We have only 3 of these trucks on the road, they are 11 and 12 year old trucks with a ton of miles on them, parts are hard to come by, in fact we have the fourth truck up on blocks in the back of the terminal that the shop uses for parts if Tom, myself or our tow truck needs certain parts. Hell, last week when I needed a new alternator on my way up, the shop at Whites in Raphine Va had to use a torch to cut the bolt off the old alternator. Just looking at it had me wondering if it was the original alternator from 2001. I'm wondering if the compressor for my A/C is readily available or they have to order one from China or some other third world country.

I'm not good with idle time away from the house. I asked Louie if we can load these lettuce loads on Saturday for me and he said they can but not this Friday as they already booked them. This week will be my last load out of Florida until I get back from vacation on the 11th. My reload on January 19th will be on a Saturday that way i'll have 2 nights home, load then deliver on a Monday, then spend just 2 nights here instead of 3. Talk about spoiled, right?

 

I'm home, only for a couple more hours though. I got to the house at 6pm last night. My wife and I decorated our tree then it was off to bed. I had to leave at 6am this morning to get my last drop off. I was back home at 9am. I load later today at the same cooler that I loaded at last week. I deliver back in Jersey Sunday morning. One more trip home and I'll be done until the 14th of January. The bad thing right now is I will spend another 3 nights up in Pittston. When I get back from our cruise then I'll be loading down here on Saturday's until the lettuce stops running in March. At least that way I'll spend 2 nights home.

 

Yes we do. In fact we have 6, 2 with company drivers, me and Tom, George and Bill who bought them from the company, one that is used as our tow truck and the one out back that is used for spare parts for mine and Tom's truck.