Stevens Transport Aviary . . cont'

I wonder if it was a bad day for Stevens... I called in for my NY routing talk and Bill answered to phone and sounded like there was a little bit of "good god what now, lay it on me" in his voice. I told him I was calling for the routing talk and his whole demeanor changed, got cheery and friendly... I guess after a while they expect the worse when the phone rings.

 

I have had bad experiences in NYC, that was with a tanker trailer only 45 feet long. I can't imagine a 53 footer. I always refused NYC loads, or repowered them with a local. I firmly believe NYC should not be forced on any driver that does not want to go there. Every company should have local guys repower it or else there needs to be a big warehouse built to serve cargo going into NYC. I personally try to avoid the north east all together and the north west in the winter time. I try to stay out west and down south til hometime comes up. But I know I wont be able to avoid crappy northeast loads being a company driver for stevens I am sure of it. Leave out Friday on the bus for orientation, not looking forward to that long ride to dallas but excited to go back out on the road again and with nice equipment.

 

Had a really bad break of news today dunno where else to vent....Ex wife calls and informs me she took my 11 yr old daughter to the doctor today cuz her leg has been hurting for several weeks, they took an x ray and found she had some kind of tumor on her tibia that has cork screwed completely through the bone several times and they cant say what it is. THey ahve refered her to an ortho specialist on a stat basis and she has an appointment tommorow morning Early idnications are shes gonna have to have surgery and have her tibia broken in several places to get this crap out of her guess find out later if its benign or cancerous, Mind you I was getting all this news in bits and pieces as I was rolling through Wyoming with all that wonderful cellular reception. Do I ask for a load to North Cali like I can even get one when I want and when I do all i do is fetch it to pass it off to a team usually since it was late going out the door or was a team run to begin with.... or let the ex handle it all. So many questions and never in a million years thought something like this would be thrown on my plate out here. Have a lease payment and dont think I would do any good being there, yet want to be there for my princess. I do have 100 percent trust in the ex and her decisons however. With her getting a referral and appointemnt all within 24 hours I am kinda fearful of the worst. Sorry to dump my crap in here but I have no where else really to turn as few really understands what news like this on the road is like other than fellow drivers.

 

Ardvark- sorry to hear this. Hoping and praying for the best!

 

Aardvark... Sorry to hear all of this and I sure hope it works out.

 

Disco... I did the unthinkable this morning and made a wrong turn on the way into NYC... don't ask... ended up almost, or maybe in Manhattan, 270th St, looking at an 11' overpass. While scratching my head and thinking WTF do I do now, a guy came up who is also a truck drive, local NY guy, he helped me back down a block, jumped on the running board, guided me around the obstruction and back to his truck and led me back to the Major Deegan.

Not that I would recomment this method of navigating New York, nor am I suggesting I was not #### lucky he saw my dilemma and took the time to help, but, the point I am making is there are good people in New York too. Don't get yourself worked up.

 

I never cared and never was accosted in NY, Philly or Boston. Just another city to me. I think it may be like the law of the jungle. The preditors pick on the weak, or the percieved weak. Act like you're comfortable and don't care...they leave you alone.
My most memorable memory was delivering into a place in Jersey that looked like Dresden after the war. After emptying, I pulled around the corner to check where I'd be going. While sitting there (in broad daylight) a worker from the meat place I just delivered came to the truck,knocked and asked, "you have a gun in there?"
"no."
"Then I wouldn't be hanging around here!"
So off to the Vince Lombardi I went!

 

@Crazy_Aardvark I would be getting a load home, but ultimately its your decision. Best wishes for you and yours.

 

I remember a guy helping me out on the CB in NYC around Hunts Point. He was behind me and made sure that I got where I was going. If I remember right I was trying to get on the frwy and was looking for the ramp but it was kind of hidden. If I remember right I had just stopped on the access road until I could figure out what I was doing when he came on the radio and helped. I guess not all New Yorkers are bad!