Swift - Starting the New Year training with Swift 1/7/13 - A long read...

DEF in my diesel and this job is winding down...

This job is definitely dwindling down to the last days. Yesterday after leaving my terminal to pick up a load I got barely a couple miles away when my truck just studdered and then almost stopped. I pulled to the shoulder, called road service, had the truck towed back to my terminal and waited on the diagnosis. I sat all day in the driver's lounge attached to the shop and offices and waited. And waited.

I checked on my truck periodically and it was still being worked on. The final time I went to check on it it was gone. I asked the mechanics and they told me it was towed to an outside repair facility. They said my DM was to call me before it was towed so I could remove what I needed. He never called. I asked what the problem was and they said that DEF was fueled right into the diesel tanks. I told them that that was impossible. I've been fueling with DEF for the past couple of years, before with Swift with my last Prostar and again with this company with my Cascadia. I asked if the DEF could get into the tank any other way and they basically said no. Again, I told them I would never make that mistake. They looked at me like I was lying. I spoke to my DM and got an attitude that I must have caused the issue. He laughed when I asked about breakdown pay. I explained to him the same thing I explained to the mechanics. Our terminal DEF tank is a completely different unit. The nozzle is tiny and narrow compared to the diesel. The DEF tank and the diesel tank are not located near each other and they are not easily confused. I have a system for fueling the same way I have a system for hooking and dropping trailers. I never deviate from this systems for exactly that reason. Things can go wrong. So it's a beginner's mistake or the mistake of someone high on crack. I'm aware of what I'm doing when I fuel and I simply wouldn't make that mistake. I remember putting DEF in the def tank and diesel in the diesel tank. It's that simple.

Then my DM, after laughing about me asking for breakdown pay, states we will talk about it after the investigation. What investigation? They really need to have some CCTV cameras installed at the fuel islands for exactly this kind of reason. Reference them and then apologize. I raced up to where my truck was towed to remove some things I needed last night. Then I went to my parent's house to spend the night and dwell on what transpired.

This morning more issues...

I called this morning and spoke to my DM again. We got into it. He said there were no replacement trucks available for me to use and that the new drivers coming out of the orientation would take priority. Again, no breakdown pay until after this investigation. I"m not making money as it is with this company and I'm trying my best to roll with the punches and take whatever loads they got despite those loads not being what I was hired to do. But I still can't win. It got heated as I told him that this whole thing with no trucks, no breakdown pay and the accusations just seems unethical. I may not have graduated law school but on its face, everything about this whole incident and how this company operates seems wrong. If not illegal, it seems unjust. I told him how my truck had issues to begin with, that the previous driver was aware of them as well as the shop. I'm not a mechanic, I can't fix the truck myself and if the mechanics think the issues were not important than why would I.

I spent the rest of the day following up on jobs I have applied to and I"m interested in. I did make a good contact with this woman that works for a bread delivery company up in Jersey. They deliver bread to all the grocery stores and I would be working within a 150 mile radius of the hub. It's not far from where I want to move and it sounds legit. It's not easy work as I will have multiple stops, will have to move fairly fast and I have to take off racks of bread. But I"m looking for something like this. I'm tired of sitting in a seat for almost 8 hours a time. The amount of time I have to spend in the gym to counteract all the sedentary driving is unbelievable. At least with a job that has me getting out and being active I can spend less time at the gym and more time at home. The pay is a little weird as it is based on various factors such as mileage, hours, stops, and the number of racks I deliver. But in my research on this site, I have been told by other drivers that this kind of work and this company is the cats meow. It is 5 days a week, home every night, 10-12 hours a day and the pay works out to be about $21-22/hour. I would have off Saturdays and Tuesdays. Bakers hours. I finished that application tonight and I"m going to follow up tomorrow on it.

I got a call at the end of the day from my DM. He stated a truck had come in that I could use. As long as it runs I'll take it. I can't stand this having a job and not working thing. It's frustrating. Hopefully I'll be out of there soon, find an apartment for me and Lauren up in Jersey and get that job because this current thing has run its course.

 

Santa almost came...

Lauren is a character. I tell ya, it just keeps getting better. I still say she is the most phenomenal woman I have ever met. I'm not sure how this all happened but it is serendipity at it's best.

She told me on the phone tonight that she had planned on getting a santa suit and driving the 6 hours down to Virginia on Christmas Eve to deliver her gifts and deliver herself. I know she would have as she is the most Christmas-y person I've ever met. She is truly the most kind and giving person I have encountered. However, I found out about this almost Christmas gift because her plans fell through and she has to work again on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Her job is like that. She is always on call and they have her fill in for people all the time. She's salaried so she is working for free most of the time. She works in some capacity 7 days a week. So since she couldn't actually surprise me she just told me about her plans to surprise me. I would have loved to see her and be with her on Christmas. We have next year I guess.

Caviar dreams and champagne wishes. A hotel room with a giant champagne glass for two to bathe in surrounded in 70's porn décor...

The consolation is that I'll be seeing her this weekend, the day after Christmas. We have already decided that we will be just relaxing this weekend. Instead of hopping from one activity to the next like we do everytime I drive up to Jersey to see her we decided that instead we will just rent a room this weekend and chill inside the room being close.

I was looking up different places to go outside of where we normally stay on the Jersey Shore. I asked her if she had any suggestions as my suggestions were way too far for one weekend (Vermont, Boston, Newport, RI, Ocean City, MD, etc). She suggested the Poconos in Pennsylvania so I started looking up rooms. Apparently the Poconos are for lovers because the rooms I was finding had an odd '70s porn star décor. Mirrors everywhere, showers for two, fireplaces, in room heart-shaped Jacuzzis, sauna for two, heart shaped beds and to top it all off a 7 foot champagne glass that you climb into from the second floor of your room to bath in with your lover. Baw chicka baw baw... I hear the porn music playing in the background on an old 8 track already. I looked into getting one of these rooms, we talked and laughed about it but in the end it was just to expensive to do at this time. On a Saturday night the room with all the crazy fees ran up to about $300. We will just have to add that onto our bucket list of places to visit later.

But who knew these places existed? I remember hearing about a place like this in Jersey years ago. It had themed rooms for lovers, each room taking on a different identity. I remember my female friend telling me about it. But I never did see it and it slipped away from memory over time and I"m sure it's probably closed at this point.


Mexican love motels and one lone gringo with his moto...

But I have stayed in these places. Oddly enough, I was alone. Just me, the mirrors, the tv remotes that were screwed down on the furniture and the laminated menus of available sex toys for purchase. This was Mexico and it was during my trip last year that I stayed in about 4 of these "love motels". Just me and my bike and the abovementioned ambiance. They were suggested by someone prior to my trip as somewhere safe to park my bike and get some rest. Basically these places are kind of hidden from view. You can see the outside wall of the motel but no windows and you couldn't see cars parked there. Just some neon sign and a driveway into a unseen courtyard. Typically in Mexico I would spot one of these places when it was too late to stay somewhere "normal". I would pull in on my big, loaded spaceman looking BMW Adventure, bags strapped everywhere, bugs in my teeth, dust on my gear and a tired yet happy gringo face. There is usually a secured booth with an attendant behind plexiglass inside and a list of prices for rooms depending on amenities and how long you want to stay - 1 hour, 2 hours, half the night, 8 hours. I always got the 8 hours as I didn't actually have a prostitute with me. After paying the attendant would walk me and my bike to my garage and open it with a garage door opener. Once you are inside you cannot have any visitors nor can you leave. You are in for the night. Discretion and secrecy are king here for obvious reasons. I ride my bike into the garage and they close it down behind me. I get my gear off the bike, put the kickstand down and walk a flight upstairs to my room. Some of these places were actually pretty nice and some were just nasty. NOt overly nasty but the kind of place where I didn't want to even sit on the bed. By the time I stayed at the last one I had enough of the love motels for one trip. Last place didn't have wifi as they promised so I packed my stuff, demanded my money back and left. Mexican love motels. What a trip...

 

Early morning good news and things take a positive turn...

I got some great news this morning. I received a phone call back from a Grocery Haulers representative and they have me coming in on Tuesday morning up in Jersey to take my road test, orientation, physical and drug test. Since I'll already be up in Jersey with Lauren this weekend I just have to stall a little with the current job and say I'm returning to work Wednesday. Hopefully if all goes well Tuesday I'll have that position. It sounds like they really want to fill the spot and fill it quick.

We were looking up apartments in Asbury Park and Ocean Grove last night together on the phone and found a few that rent, fully furnished by the week or month. No long lease so that would be perfect to get into for the time being. We can look for a longer term apartment while living in the temporary place. Seems like everything is coming together nicely.

And, for the first time in many years, I will have a place to call my own, where I can rest my head at night and most importantly next to Lauren. I haven't had my own place to live since before I started this new career a few years ago. Back then, before starting with Swift I was renting a bedroom from my buddy, post marriage separation, living on an inflatable, uncomfortable mattress on the floor.

Funny how life works out that way. Just when things are pretty low something comes up unexpected sometimes and it all turns around.

For now I have to head to the terminal, pick up the replacement truck, drive up to where my old truck is and see about emptying that stuff out and switch it into my new truck. Then I can transfer it into my car so the truck is pretty much cleaned out. If all works out with this new position I won't be in my old truck or position much longer.

 

Haha no haven't been with Swift since June when I got the current job. And as a side note, Swift is like heaven compared to this place.