Swift Lewiston starting Monday 8/1

Week 1 solo: Sorry so long. It's been an adventure.

Did fairly well I think. Clocked just under 2400 miles, but didn't get my paperwork in until Wednesday on one load so it didn't count...arg cause it was 800 miles. But it will count towards next week so evens out in the end.

Last weekend hit Vegas on schedule from Lewiston. Even squeezed a night at home in. Weekend dispatch gave me a load to Reno/Sparks late in the day with not much leeway on time except 10 hour break. Bobtail and hook. Weeee! Don't have to find an empty. Good deal cause I've got less time on my 14 than I do on my 11.

Get to shipper, hook trailer and wouldn't you know it some ###### fool didn't bother fixing it before dropping now it's my problem. Arrrg. 2 lights out, and missing a mudflap.

Replace the lights, but I don't keep a mudflap on me. Call onroad and get a service call at Petro. Figure it will be a 15 minute job, just three bolts and good to go. Eats up 3 hours of time, mostly due to waiting for service. Macro 22 and say load will be 2 hours late.

I had planned on stopping in Tonopah but due to repair time became Beatty....which became Amargosa Valley...which became I'm driving till I see the first turn out within 30 minutes of my 14 hours being over.

Finally get out with 2 hours left on 14, had accepted load with 5. Not sure where I'm stopping, it's dark, and running out of time. I get to Indian Springs and see a few trucks parked behind the casino. I pull in to investigate and find a HUGE dirt lot with only 6 trucks parked there. Score!

Get up at start my pretrip exactly 10 hours after I had gone offduty/sleeper.

Highway 95 between Vegas and Reno is a desolate and lonely place on Sundays let me tell you.

Ended up in Reno about 45 minutes late (instead of 2 hours I said).

Get assigned a KMart load going to Oregon leaving early Monday morning. Go to bed early and get up early to head out. Was in line at the staging area (an hour sitting on the street yay) when I get a message on my QualComm asking why I was in Reno instead of Phoenix. Gave a long explanation but really it came down to "Weekend dispatch".

DM adds a TCall to Sparks...weee 5 mile total run and assigns me a load to Flagstaff and Phoenix instead that's sitting at the terminal. Back to the terminal, drop KMart, park in bobtail, take a shower, hang out a bit, figure probably better get going. End up staying in Indian Springs again because it was much quieter than the Petro and didn't have to deal with rush hour traffic to get there.

Made it to Flagstaff day before drop. Bored. Send macro asking if can deliver early cause I got time to spare enough to make to it Phoenix. Nope firm delivery time. Bummer.

Two deliveries today. One in Flagstaff at 0800, the other in Phoenix at 1100. Think about that for a bit. No accounting for traffic, weather, or even unload time. Thanks Plus One...or whatever. I already know it's not going to happen, but we'll see.

Camped out at Little America in Flagstaff, walked to Walmart and rented some movies. Hung out. Walked back. Killed some more time. Delivery at 0800 so got to sleep in.

Leisurely drove to DC and get there at 0745. They tell me my appointment isn't until 0900, and send me to another location. Get there and there is one working dock door. I get to wait for another driver. Send macro 22 that I'll be late to Phoenix at 0800, probably get there about 1500. Second load in a row running late.

Get into dock at 0915. Get out at 1030...gotta be in Phoenix at 1100.

Dock has truck nose pointed at street. Pull out slowly and brake before the street so I can see past a wall.

PSSSSSSTTTTTT BEEP BEEP BEEP POP POP.

WTF. Grrrr. Let the air build up again, close the valves. Creep forward...brake...

PSSSSSSTTTTTT BEEP BEEP BEEP POP POP.

Oh boy. Blocking only delivery door, and the street. Build up the air again and get another 10 feet. Rinse and repeat till across the street onto one of those commercial roads that got built, but no stores got built to use it.

Call on road again. Second time for this one load. Let em know what's up. Truck supposed to be retired in less than 6 hours, guess it had to cost the company money one more time. Eat another 2 hours waiting and getting repair.

While waiting discover that I have to go to the terminal in Phoenix first before going to the DC and get a trailer inspection.

FINALLY make it to Phoenix terminal at 1430, DC is 5 minutes away, still got time...and spend an HOUR in line at the fuel station just to get into the terminal. Are you fraking kidding me! And I had gotten there just at the perfectly wrong time because when I finally got in all the other lanes were open instead of stacked 3 back.

Yeesh. Turn around head to DC and pull in. Guy gives me a slot to drop. Come around the corner and the ENTIRE row is empty. Easiest drop ever. Pull straight in, drop, pull out, I'm out of DC in under 5 minutes.

Back to the terminal to turn in my truck and assignment closed. Staying the night I guess.

Walk to Walmart get more movies.

Next day get rid of 500K Volvo and get assigned a 200K International ProStar Eagle (the one that usually goes to team drivers). Neato. Get a load that doesn't leave till the next day so I'm grounded for a 34 hour reset.

Walk to Walmart, get more movies.

Get a load going to Denver, 4 days to get there and 2 days away. Okay np I'll TCall this load and grab another out so I'm not sitting.

Still really dislike the Denver terminal. Too many trailers, too many people, not enough space, doesn't get cleaned, getting in and out is a pain, just a mess.

TCall my load and wait. And Wait. It's Sunday so I bobtail to Church. And wait. Walk to Walmart, get more movies.

Got stuck in Denver for 28 hours...the day after a 34 reset (which I didn't really need). Not happy. Those really cut into my miles...and then I get assigned a 90 mile next day delivery that can't deliver early. Really? I get to sit for another 20 hours?

FFS

Weekend dispatch.

At least I'm pointed in the right direction and heading back home for a while. Really really miss my family.