A bunch of useless crap
Published on April 5, 2007 By MasonM In Blogging
While I was making my way South through Texas, heading towards Houston, the boss called me up to see how I was making out with my back and all. He also wanted to give me a heads up. They have one good paying load lined up for pick up tomorrow afternoon in Georgetown, TX and another driver is also delivering to this same place in South Texas that I am tomorrow.

As our dispatch works on a first in/first out basis, whoever gets unloaded first here tomorrow gets that load and the other may or may not get a load and may or may not spend the weekend sitting around down here. The boss is always looking out for me.

I told him that when I had called the customer this morning to get directions I had received permission from him to park in their driveway over night. This was because there isn't a truck stop anywhere near here and I didn't want to have to fight the Houston morning traffic. Turns out it was the right move as I am now parked in the customer's driveway and there isn't another one of our trucks in sight which means I win the race.

I'll be unloaded first in the morning as I arrived here first. Even if the other driver arrives here at some point during the night he has to honor the unwritten rule that the first one to get to a place is the first one to get unloaded. All sorts of nasty things can happen when ya try to cut in line.

I had to push it a bit to get here this early, but I wanted to make damn sure I got here first. I do not want to spend the weekend sitting around down here after just spending all of that down time in the hotel. Of course the boss knows this as well which is why he gave me a little inside info.

Now that I'm here I can settle in, watch a movie, maybe knit a bit, and get some rest. The guy told me they come in at six in the morning so I have my alarm set for 5:45. I want to be standing out there waiting for him when he shows up.

It's about four and a half hours up to Georgetown from here so I want to get unloaded quick and beat feet up that way. I know those guys up there and when it's quitting time on Friday they won't hang around for anyone or anything. I want to get there, get loaded, and start making tracks for Oshkosh so I can be there bright and early Monday morning without having to kill myself doing it.

Time to kick back and relax.


Comments
on Apr 05, 2007
Good job Mason, and hope that things absolutely work out like they're supposed to for you.  Nice that you have things worked out well with your boss and that he's looking out for you a bit.  Those kind of bosses aren't that prevalent out there, so if you got a good one, it's good to be thankful for it.
on Apr 05, 2007
You have a really nice boss! Good luck with unloading and don't hurt your back ok?!
on Apr 06, 2007
I figure if I keep reading your posts, Mason, I'll get to learn a fair bit of US geography on the side. You could probably market your own line of educational software (like Carmen Sandiego)...hmm, where in the US is MasonM   I'll bet you hardly ever have to use a map yourself, though.
on Apr 06, 2007

I'll bet you hardly ever have to use a map yourself, though.

Until he gets to the city itself.  Then a map is required.  Thank god for mapquest, et. al.!

Have a great weekend.  Sounds like you will.

on Apr 06, 2007
Hope all the unloading and other work went smoothly this morning.
on Apr 06, 2007

Good job Mason, and hope that things absolutely work out like they're supposed to for you.  Nice that you have things worked out well with your boss and that he's looking out for you a bit.  Those kind of bosses aren't that prevalent out there, so if you got a good one, it's good to be thankful for it.


Thanks. Yes, it is good to have a good boss who's also a friend.
on Apr 06, 2007

You have a really nice boss! Good luck with unloading and don't hurt your back ok?!


Yeah, he's alright. The unloading went very smoothly this morning.
on Apr 06, 2007

I figure if I keep reading your posts, Mason, I'll get to learn a fair bit of US geography on the side. You could probably market your own line of educational software (like Carmen Sandiego)...hmm, where in the US is MasonM   I'll bet you hardly ever have to use a map yourself, though.


I do get around. I don't have to refer to a map very often, it's pretty much go straight, hang a right at Memphis, hang a left at Dallas, that sort of thing. I've been to most of these places enough times I know how to get to them as well as most people know how to drive to the grocery. It's just navigating the streets only my streets tend to be much longer.

I do use special truck routing software to calculate driving times and mileages though. That's important for keeping accurate logs and for doing the trip paperwork I have to to turn which includes miles and routes through each state traveled. Using the software is much easier than trying to write down mileages while driving.

on Apr 06, 2007

I'll bet you hardly ever have to use a map yourself, though.


Until he gets to the city itself. Then a map is required. Thank god for mapquest, et. al.!


Have a great weekend. Sounds like you will.




Nah, I rarely use city maps. If it's a place I haven't been I just call the customer and get directions. That's much easier than trying to guess which streets are truck legal and/or have low bridges. I do have Street Finder software that I will often use to compare the customer's directions with the actual streets just to make sure the person giving me the directions knows left from right. You'd be amazed at how many times that left turn they told you to make was supposed to be a right.
on Apr 06, 2007

Hope all the unloading and other work went smoothly this morning.


Thanks. The unloading went smooth as silk. The reload however has turned into a holding pattern. I beat feet up here to Georgetown just to find out that the load (military crane assemblies) isn't ready yet. I was too surprised as that happens pretty often at this place.

The guy said it would "probably" be ready around 3:00 so I dropped my trailer there and bobtailed out to find something to eat and some place to kill some time, which I am now doing.

Same old song and dance, hurry up and wait.