This morning I finally managed to get in contact with someone at the final stop here in WI and get directions to the place. I cruised over there and unloaded the two pieces. It went pretty smoothly.
Dispatch called me and asked me to run up to Chilton and pick up a snow removal truck and snow broom. Ummm, yeah, ok. This time of year? I guess it's a late order for the Air Force, heading to a base in OH.
I went up there and got it loaded. Those things are a bear to secure. The truck part isn't so bad, but the snow broom is something else. they're about 20 feet long and have to be set on stands which just makes the whole thing really awkward and takes a lot of work. I finally got that done and took it down to the yard.
On the way to the yard "R" called me and said he wanted me to take a load of truck cabs to the Army depot in Texarkana and an oil field pump down to a place just outside of Houston. Ok, no problem. Then he said the pump needed to be in TX Friday. Ok, now there's a freakin problem. I told him that I had already worked all damn day and there was no way in hell I was going to drive all night too. He started to say something else and I just told him that I would be at the yard shortly and we could discuss it then.
When I got to the yard I put my truck into the shop for serving and to have the generator worked on yet again. I then went to the office to find out what the hell "R" was thinking. He explained that he had said the Friday thing because other drivers were standing around within earshot and he didn't want them getting upset that I was getting a good load while they were waiting around. The TX stop doesn't actually have to deliver until Saturday morning, which makes a world of difference. He mentioned that he had used a certain word in the conversation which is our code word for "it's cool, I'm just saying this because people can hear".
Oh. Ummmmm, yeah. He did in fact say that. He asked me why I was acting so weird today. I pointed to the patch on my arm and told him I had just quit smoking and was feeling a tad tense. He said he had wondered what that was on my arm and that explained why I didn't seem to be myself today.
Everything was cool with "R", I felt like an ass, and I got to the business of securing my load to TX.
I got everything chained and strapped, and a tarp over the pump. I am now at the little truck stop just down the road from the yard. And I am beat. It was a pretty busy day today and I worked my ass off. Oh, and the stupid patch fell off my arm while I was tarping the pump. Grrrrrrr. I had even used some surgical tape to help hold it on. The supposedly waterproof kind that costs more and isn't supposed to come off when you sweat. Yeah. Right.
Oh, one small bright note. I think the shop finally has my generator fixed. I've had it running since I pulled the truck out of the shop. Maybe three hours now. So far it's remained running. They had to bypass a sensor and replace the solenoid. I seem to recall mentioning that like six months ago, but I'm just a driver and don't anything.