I made my delivery at Camp Douglas this morning. It went almost without a hitch. When I got there the guy made a phone call and asked me if I minded taking it about 40 miles further up the road. As a matter of fact I did mind and delivered it right where the paperwork said, and where I was being paid to deliver it.
But I was nice and polite about it.
Sort of.
Once I got unloaded I picked up a couple of pieces that dispatch needed hauled to the yard and then made my way to the yard. Once I got there I gave "R", the head dispatcher and second in command, the paperwork for the stuff I brought back. He asked me "What do you feel like doing?" He's good about that; asking where I want to go next. It bugs some of the guys because he never gives them a choice. He always lets me choose my next load or to just take a day off if I feel like it. Some of the guys haven't yet figured out that one hand washes the other. I don't get pissed and rant, scream, and cuss when things don't go exactly as I would like or he asks me to "shag" something to the yard, so he returns the courtesy by making sure I get the loads I want (and that pay well). I take care of him and he takes care of me.
"Getting drunk" was my reply and we both laughed.
"OK, that takes care of tonight. I have a crash truck (fire truck) going to California if ya want it."
He knows I don't do CA but it was the best paying load on the yard.
"Nah" I replied, "not my thing ya know."
"Well" he said, "I do have one going back to the Florida panhandle." (Second best paying)
"That'll work for me." I said.
So I went back to my truck and pulled the rig up so they could unload the crap I had brought in. It was some crane parts. It took a little while, but after that I backed into a parking space and walked down to the bar at the bottom of the hill. "R" was already there. I grabbed the stool next to him and he bought me a beer which is the standard company policy. The bosses always buy the beer.
We shot the shit for a half hour or so and then he had to leave as he was shooting in a pool tournament tonight. I stayed and had a few more beers while bullshitting with the folks hanging out there tonight. Even though I live 1,000 miles away the regulars there know who I am and we get along nicely. I had a few bought for me, and I bought a few in return. All in all a pretty nice evening in a small redneck WI bar.
Tomorrow I'll do the paperwork that I had time to do over the weekend but never actually got around to doing, and then load up the fire truck and start making my way down towards FL to deliver on Monday. Unless everything goes terribly wrong it should be a nice relaxing trip.
Maybe Murphy will take the next few days off.