Utah again!

So last time I posted, I was sitting in New Jersey at the drop yard waiting to get a load out. They had asked me about taking a new york load with the promise of getting a really good load, and based on my last experience with helping them out based on 'promises,' I said no. I told my DM that the last few times I helped out, that I felt like I got screwed in the end. He was like "what if I could guarantee you a load to like california or something?" I was like "well if you could guarantee it, then sure, I will help out. I'm tired of helping out and then ending up with a 300 mile load or worse."

So he was like "let me get with the load planner. I'm going to see if they will stack the good load ontop of the local to new york so you have both from the start." I was like "that'd be great. Thank you Mike." I told him how I 'do' trust 'him', because he has always had my back and tried to get the best loads possible. What sucked was when he was out of town and the guy that filled in for him really didn't care at all and so after a few days of saying "i need this many miles," then he was like "ok," and then I got 2 150 mile local deliveries, and all he said when I said "hey, you said I'd get a good load after this local delivery. What's the deal?" he was like "and you will, just run this other one back to Laredo and they will get you loaded with a good load out," which didn't happen either because they wanted me to do other local's there. The main reason I end up doing it some times is they say "we'll give you an extra $75." I figure "shit..............i might as well do it and hope that it pays off." Being an independent contractor though, I have every right to tell them 'no i'm not doing it.' In fact, it felt easier to do this week when they wanted me to go to new york. I simply said "no, I can't help you. I need something headed out mid west. I have been burned with locals too much the past two weeks." And this one was quite interesting!

So they load me with the local new york load *about 120 miles away with one drop scheduled for 6 am and another at 10 am*, and just after i get that assignment, I get the load assignment going from Denver, PA to Logan, Utah. I talked to my dm and was like "that works for me, thank you very much mike." And thankfully, one of the customer service people didn't remove it from my truck by the following morning, which I was very happy about. The plan was, the first drop (both of them were different restaurant depo's), wanted me to bring their load that night. They wanted it by 8, but I didn't get the load till almost 7, and it took me 3 hours to get there because of contruction, so I told customer service my estimated arrival was between 9:45 and 10:15, and i arrive just after 10, like 10:05 or something like that, and the whole place was completely shut down. I'm talking all lights off, nobody home, locked up, the whole shabang! ;) What the original plan was, was for me to drop that load that night, then drive all the way back to new jersey, drop that trailer with the last load in it still at that yard, pick up an empty, and head to denver,pa to pick up my new load (either that, or sleep and let my time reset first and then go to denver). Well, that didn't quite work out because of them not being there when I arrived, so I parked on their lot, and went to sleep. Got up by 6 the next morning, and they put me in the dock, and got me unloaded by 7:30. I had to wait about an hour for my time to completely reset, then I took off to the other drop. The directions took me past where I needed to go. in fact, I spent two hours driving around in circles because I knew I "had" to be close, but yet it was obvious that the location was behind one of the other buildings, I just didn't know where. So following the local directions I got from customer service, it took me to another building about 2 miles down and on the side it said very faint, "restaurant depo" so I thought "cool, i'm here." But they right away were like "you're in the wrong place." I was like "ok, please tell me. Where is it? I've driven past it several times already and I haven't been able to locate it." He was like "look for sleepys. Turn right past sleepys, it's literally behind their building."

CR England had not said a word about sleepys, in fact this was the first I had heard about it. But, I found the Restaurant depot, and got backed in and unloaded. The funny thing is, the other drivers were complaining "all they said was 'look for sleepys!' " I was like "at least they told you about sleepys! The directions they gave me took me 2 miles down the street to a different location!" So after I left there, it was 200 miles to denver. Took me probably about 4 hours because coming through the bronx and stuff, lots of construction, and quite a bit of 45 mph, so about 4:45 I finally made it there. Got my load, and was out of there probably by 6. Erin had talked about maybe driving up to meet me so she and the girls could see me, but changed her mind. My time was running down low, so I drove about 40 miles and found a safe place to park at a Sunnoco Travel Plaza, but then when I got out of the truck after talking to erin on the phone, my spare key, which I normally have clipped to my belt loop, had fallen on the floor and I didn't realize it. I hopped out, shut the door, and instantly was like "where's my key?" I looked at the door and went "oh no you have to be KIDDING me!" Yup, I was locked out of the truck. That's twice in about 3.5 months. Thankfully this time I had my phone in my pocket, where as the last time it happened, I didnt and had to go around trying to find a phone I could use. Man that sucks! Especially cuz this is basically my home away from home so if I'm locked out, I'm screwed, and it was raining last night too! lol.. Thankfully I found a locksmith and was able to use a comcheck to pay him. When I got locked out the first time, the locksmith got in because he had this bucket of freightliner keys and he found one that opened my door. This guy last night was $20 cheaper, and he literally had his wd40 and lock picking stuff and he got my door open in 2 minutes by picking the lock. So, I felt better paying him $80 than the other guy $100 just for him using a spare key to open my door. I wonder if I would have said "can i borrow that key for a second?" and then opened the door myself if I could have said "nvm, I got in on my own!" ;)

I know, that wouldn't have been right, but hey, it feels good to wonder.. ;) So this morning I got up and drove over 500 miles of the 2,000 mile trip, and i'm here in indiana at a travel plaza. Parked, went in to hit the rest rooms (no the rest rooms did not do anything to me.. i just hit them for the fun of it.. jk.. ;) ) Then hit the mcdonalds to get my double fillet of fish sandwish (no tarter, add ranch of course. Yes I know it sounds weird but you guys really should try it.. Fish with ranch is yummo . ;) ) Then Facebook messaged for a bit, texted my beautiful wife.. I love you Erin!! MWWWWWWWWWWWWWAH! ;)... Called my financial aid rep for phoenix to find out what 'exactly' she needed from me in order to get my financial aid for this year rolling, then went to the irs website per her instructions and re-ordered our tax transcript. That'll take 10-15 days and then we will both sign and fax or scan and email to my finance rep and then I should be all hunky-dory. I look forward to that since there's the pell grant and loans and all other stuff, and it beats them having to harp down my back about owing them money (which so far hasn't happened since i've been a phoenix student.) My finance class is going well. I'm nearing the end of week two and so far aso good! I've gotten all posts done, and all assignments in on time, even though none are graded yet, and so I'm just trying to stay on track! I guess this goes with that saying "i'm so close I can almost taste it!" That is the case with my graduation. I'm only a few classes away and I just need to hang in there.

On that note, I will let you all go. One of these nights I will probably try to resume writing in my book. I borrowed my own flash drive when i was home. (sounds weird right? I'm sure you are all like "borrow your own? Pfft! how can you borrow something that is yours?" Funny story. Erin wanted to have the flash drive at the house so she could use it, then somehow ally figured it's hers *which it so is not!*, and has been taking it to school to use for her projects. I'm ok with her using it for school, but when she pointed out that she needed it back, eventually after I saved everything from the flash drive to my computer so i have my full progress on my book *all 130 pages of it so far*, I gave it back to her and was like "here's mommy's and my flash drive there munch magnet!" She was like "yeah yeah i know, it's not 'mine', i'm just borrowing it.. " I was like "good stuff.. Just dont lose it!"

So Anyway, that's it for now, sorry if I seem like I ramble, but that's just what i do! ;) Ta ta ya'll!

C