OH-Ding, Use Porta-Potti-Home

Woke up last Wednesday morning at the Pilot in Richfield, OH feeling lousy. I had been fighting a cold for a couple of weeks or so, but this wasn't a cold. My head was coming off and everything, including my hair, ached.

Stood up, ding, use porta-potti. Ate a donut, ding, use porta-potti. Took a couple of sips of a Sprite, ding, use porta-potti. Is there a pattern here???????

Decided I'd better get home before I got worse, so I got dressed, advised dispatch of the situation, and while standing in the sleeper putting things away, the truck lurches forward nearly knocking me down.

My first thought was Boy, I'm sicker than I thought. Then I realized the truck had been hit. I looked out the drivers side window and there was a trailer up against my left rear corner, (I had pulled into the spot rather than backed in).

I threw my boots on, grabbed Betty (Kabar) and went outside. This idiot had backed into the truck while trying to back into a parking space. Never mind that the six spaces next to me were open and I was in the corner, he still managed to hit me.

He's out there spinning his wheels on the ice trying to pull away when I got to his door and asked him what he thought he was doing. We exchange a few words before he finally gets out of the truck. He had the whole lane blocked, so there were five or six trucks backed up waiting to get by. The first two drivers had already gotten out of their trucks and walked over.

I walked back to my truck to see if there was any damage. Luckily, he had hit the dock bumper on the left side and there wasn't any damage. He had come up behind me and said See, I didn't even hurt your damn truck. I'm sick, he hits my truck, and gives me attitude. Sick or not, this won't fly.

There was quite a back up by now and the fuel lanes were blocked, so the next thing I know the manager and a security guard are standing there. The other drivers told the manager what had happened, the security guard separates me from the idiot. After a short discussion with the idiot, the manager asked me if I wanted to press charges. I said no since there wasn't any damage and it wouldn't qualify for a DOT report. The manager then told the idiot to get off the lot. He left, but I have his plate number and carrier information just in case.

I get back in the truck, ding, use porta-potti, fire up the truck to let it warm up and take off for home about 45 minutes later. Stopped at every rest stop on 271 and 71 plus a few exit/entrance ramps, before I finally got home.

Go to the doc and find I had a sinus infection, ear infection, and bronchial infection. The antibotics are winning, but I still feel like crap.

So if all this wasn't enough, mother nature decides to add her two cents worth. Starts snowing Friday night and doesn't stop until Sunday morning. There was 22" in the front yard. Biggest snowstorm in the history of the state.

So, how did everybody else's week go????

IN-OH

Left Gary, IN at 0600 to pick up in South Bend, IN. Bought some fuel at Gary, $3.54 gal. Made the pick in South Bend at the scheduled 0730 time, bought some more fuel at the Pilot on RT 31 $3.65 gal.

Hit snow on the Ohio Turnpike east of Toledo, rain just west of Cleveland, and freezing rain right after I turned onto I 480. No real effect to the roads but the front of the truck was coated in ice.

Made the drop at 1345 and headed to the nearby Pilot. Still freezing rain until a few miles after I left the drop. Temp popped up to 35, rain stopped and the roads were dry. Got to the Pilot and parked. Went inside to drop my paperwork in the Trip Pak box and it starts the freezing rain crap again. Has continued all evening and I understand Cleveland is a mess. One of my Sprinter drivers had a load to drop and one to pick up near Cleveland and he had to stop before he even made it to the drop. It's a mess.

Oh, the fuel price at this Pilot? $3.84 gal. I'm going to have to start getting picky about what loads I take if I expect to make any money. Will have to start passing on loads T/S has FSC deals with.

At $3.84 a gallon, it will cost me $55. for every 100 miles to run the truck. To fill my tanks, $384. Considering having a bank loan officer follow me in a chase car.

IL-IN-OH

Remember when I said not to take a Ford load?? I didn't take my own advice and let greed get the best of me.

I took off this morning from Whiteland around 0400 since my restart ended at 0315. When I started the engine, the QC starts beeping like crazy and there were 4 messages starting at 0000 wanting to know if I was heading to my delivery yet. I know that those messages originate from T/S customer service and not dispatch but come on, who would believe that it takes 7 hours to drive 191 miles?I hadn't gone 300 yards before it beeps again with the same message. I answered them saying yes, I was on my way. They came back with "The customer is calling, there is a production line down waiting for your load, and they are tracking you on our website." I simply said that I was on my way.

Arrived at the plant at 0615 instead of the 0700 appointment time. Guard tells me that the plant is shut down today and there is no production, and they are not aware of any scheduled deliveries. Why was I not surprised. They had me go to a holding lot about 1/4 mile away on the side of the plant.

Sent a QC message to dispatch and it wasn't 2 minutes before they called. When are you going to arrive at the plant? We show you 20 miles away. I told her what was going on, and she said again that they show me 20 miles away. I said I didn't care what the QC said, I was 1/4 mile away from the gate looking at the employee entrance to the plant. 45 minutes later I get another QC message saying please sit tight. I answered "OK, President, Ford Purgatory Assoc. Chicago Branch"

They finally get it straighted out and I hit the dock at 0730. Think it's over?? Ha, you don't know Ford.

I walk into the plant and they won't let you cross a painted line to go to your truck. I figured, ok you open the door and remove the load bars, fine with me. Nope, all of a sudden it's ok for me to cross the line. Opened the door and removed the bars and the forklift driver says to get back behind the line and proceeds to start to go into the truck. I told him that his forklift was too tall to clear my door, but would he listen, nope. I let loose with my best Gunnery Sergeant yell before he hit my door and he stopped and looked. Hey, you're right, glad you yelled he says. Not as glad as I was. Sooo, does he use the smaller forklift parked right there??? Noooo, we get in a locker and pull out a cable with a hook at either end and drag the cages out. What can I say, it's Ford.

So remember boys and girls if you have a load to a Ford plant, remember the following and plan ahead.

F Fustercluck
O On
R Receiving
D Deliveries

Thus endeth the lesson.

I'm picking up a load later this morning at South Bend, IN and taking it to Warrensville Heights, OH.

No MI

Change in plans. I was calculating my hours and found that I could not do the run to MI legally.

If I had drove to Hebron, IN today like I planned, I would have had 20.75 hours left on my 70. No problem there. To make the delivery in Chicago at 0700 tomorrow from Hebron I would have had to start my 14 and ll hour clocks at 0530. The pick up in WI was for 1800 tomorrow evening. I could have played with my 11 hour clock by split logging, but I couldn't do anything about the 14 hour clock running out at 1930. Add to that the load was due in MI at 0400 Tuesday and it would have been a 7 hour drive from WI. If the truck could swim, I could have gone across Lake Michigan instead of around it. Both clocks would have been blown, and Tri-State matches your log books to the QC messages and location times so they know if you aren't legal.

I called T/S at 0900 this morning to confirm my figures and to give them time to get another unit on the load if needed. They confirmed my calculations and pulled the load.

I stayed here at Whiteland, IN and did a 34 hour restart so I wouldn't have to do it midweek. I'll have to leave here around 0300 to make the Chicago delivery tomorrow, but that's trucking, and there went $600 out of my pocket.

Ain't it fun!!!!

TN-IL Then IL-WI-MI

Dispatch called at 1500 Friday with a load from Clinton, TN for Monday delivery to Chicago. Pays well even with the 120 mile deadhead. Pick up time was 2100.

Made the pick, body panels for Ford, and went to the Pilot in Williamsburg KY for the night. Drove to Whiteland, IN Saturday as the first leg, and dispatch called with a load that picks up in Sun Prairie, WI Monday at 1800 going direct to Romulus, MI.

Apparently, it's some type of part that's being made for a company in Canada. One of their trucks is meeting me at a dock in Romulus to transfer the load. This one should be interesting.