Permit Hell

Published on July 2, 2006 By MasonM In Blogging

I'm on my way home. Great. I have a fire truck destined for the port of Miami, and then I go home from there. Fire trucks are big. Oversized loads. They require permits from each state I have to haul them through because they are so bg. People who work in state offices rarely do anything beyond whatever is done prior to 5 o'clock.

I received my permits for every state except KY and FL. I am currently sitting on the IL/KY line without the required permit to travel through KY with an oversized load. Fun fun. It's Saturday going into a holiday. Guess what? Every state has a holiday curfew for oversized vehicles. Even if by some chance the state permit offices are open on Monday, I can't travel between noon Monday and sunrise Wednesday because of the holiday. I'm stuck.

Not exactly the greatest way to pass time.

When I got here I noticed that the bar I remembered from stopping here a few years ago was closed down. Great, not only am I shut down in the middle of nowhere on my way home, but there's not even a decent bar close by. I got on the radio and asked if there was a bar anywhere around here and a driver came back saying he had just called a cab to one and would stop by and pick me up. Well, that's something at least.

I had a pretty good time there playing NTN trivia (called something else these days), I won 5 games out of 6, and drinking beer and eating a good BBQ sandwich.

When I was ready to leave I had the bartender call me a cab. After waiting for almost an hour without seeing the cab one of the folks I had been talking with offered to give me a ride back to my truck. It was an interesting ride in a Jeep without doors. It was fun, actually. On the way out the driver I had ridden with to the bar came up and said good night and mentioned that he had found his own way home. I had noticed that he had been shooting pool with one of the local girls for a while. I expressed my understanding and headed back to my truck. I supposed it pays to have a silver tongue; I've never been so blessed.

I had a good time tonight but it's going to be a long wait here. Best case I'll be here until Monday (and the bar is closed on Sunday), but I am expeccting that the permit office will be closed on Monday so odds are good I'll be sitting here until Wednesday. Fun, fun.

Comments

Locamama

on Jul 02, 2006

I never realized what a pain the butt it is do all the paperwork required as a trucker until I read your blog. So is it your responsibility to get all the permits straigtened out or is that what the company you work for is supposed to do?

Jeeps are awesome aren't they. We used to have one but it got crappy gas mileage and my hubby has a long commute to work. Someday when we have more money we'll get one just for fun. I want a Rubicon.

I hope you can get rolling on Monday. Enjoy your break even if you are stuck. At least you now have somewhere to hang out while you're there.

MasonM

on Jul 02, 2006

#1 by Locamama
Sun, July 02, 2006 07:24 AM

[Locamama]
I never realized what a pain the butt it is do all the paperwork required as a trucker until I read your blog. So is it your responsibility to get all the permits straigtened out or is that what the company you work for is supposed to do?

Jeeps are awesome aren't they. We used to have one but it got crappy gas mileage and my hubby has a long commute to work. Someday when we have more money we'll get one just for fun. I want a Rubicon.

I hope you can get rolling on Monday. Enjoy your break even if you are stuck. At least you now have somewhere to hang out while you're there.

It's up to my company to get the permits, I just have to deal with the problems when they don't come through on time. It happens. Rarely do all of the permits come through promptly and I often have to wait for one or more that the state in question just isn't really quick to get them out.

Those who don't really know trucking have no idea the mountains of paperwork we have to deal with on a daily basis. It's absurd really, but that's government regulation for you.

MasonM

on Jul 02, 2006

#2 by little-whip
Sun, July 02, 2006 08:02 AM

[little-whip]
Ahh yes, the wonderful world of 'hurry up and wait' trucking. I remember it well.

Are you an o/o or a company driver? As an o/o, layovers like this totally wrecked our finances because no matter how well stocked our little refrigerator was, no matter how fluffy the blankets in our sleeper berth were, and no matter how many channels we could pick up on our wee television...sooner or later you just GOTTA GET OUT OF THE TRUCK.

And getting out of the truck meant spending money.

And over the course of 4-5 days, you can spend a LOT of money.

I used to be an o/o but I sold my last truck back in '04. Sitting like this is still hard on the finances. I get paid a percentage of the load, which, for what we haul, usually means very good money. But once in a while a hitch like this will really cut into the income.

Yeah, one can spend a small fortune hanging out for a few days. I try to not spend more than I have to, but it happens to be sure.

It could be worse, though, you could be stuck in some hot, dusty, south texas hell-hole of a terminal, waiting for a mexican driver to come pick up your trailer to take it down across the border

Been there, done that when I was an o/o leased on to Landstar. Sat for an entire week waiting for my trailer to return from Mexico. That was my last run for them.

....or some ice caked northern freezer where to even make a run for the restaurant involved donning 8 layers of clothing and holding your breath...

That's always fun.

And of course the truck's gotta be left running all the time...for a/c or heat or to use your accesories...and at these fuel prices I do not envy you one bit.

The company pays for the fuel. One advantage of not owning the truck these days. This new one I'm in is a very nice Western Star with a huge sleeper, built-in fridge, microwave, and a generator to provide heat/air as well as 110Vac without having to run the truck. It makes it pretty nice.

Can you tell I hated truck driving?

I never woulda guessed

Even with the little bumps in the road like this, I still love it (most days). I can't imagine doing anything else and enjoying it half as much.

Oh well, not much you can do but make the best of it...is there a motel 6 nearby? They usually have truck parking, and maybe you can drop the trailer so you can bobtail around a bit and find some ways to pass the time.

Nah, I won't do the motel thing this time. I do that from time to time, but for now I'll hang out here in the truck, surf the net, and watch DVDs.

I am in the Kentucky Lake area and may catch a cab to the lake for some swimming this afternoon if I can remember where I stashed my trunks.

Dr Guy

on Jul 02, 2006

Gov Ted matthews just gave the state of Va off on Monday. SO yea, I think you are stuck for awhile. SOrry about that. WHatever we can do to keep you at least entertained, let us know. I cant jiuggle, but I can do slapstick and falls!

MasonM

on Jul 02, 2006

#5 by Dr. Guy
Sun, July 02, 2006 4:08 PM

[Dr. Guy]
Gov Ted matthews just gave the state of Va off on Monday. SO yea, I think you are stuck for awhile. SOrry about that. WHatever we can do to keep you at least entertained, let us know. I cant jiuggle, but I can do slapstick and falls!

Yeah, I'm betting that's pretty much going to be the case. I figure on being here until Wednesday morning.

Pratfalls are always a winner

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