Three hours = four palletts.

Monday found me leaving at 4am again so I could fit a 34 hour reset. I was due in Ennis, TX anytime before 2:30pm. As soon as I bumped dock I was very tired and hit the bunk. After an hour my truck stopped shaking and had to find the dock worker to get my paperwork. It seems he forgot about me. No big deal seeing that I was still waiting for a new load. I parked in their staging area and took another snooze while waiting for my next destination.

An hour later my qualcomm squawks at me. I had to pick up at a steel place in Madill, OK. The deadhead was 130 miles and I had only 2 and a half hours left on my clock. I still had the beginning of rush hour in Dallas to go through and some small towns on US70. I realized that it would be tight if not I would probably have to use some precious off duty driving time. But I got a message from the boss that said to try my best but I could pick up tomorrow. Hmmmm.

So I had a choice. I could burn my off duty driving time tonight, wait in line in a muddy dark place in the rain in a line of ten trucks, while not getting good rest, then have to find a truckstop without getting a violation, OR find a truckstop now legally, get a good night's rest, be first in line in the morning and be on my merry way. Guess which one I chose? As a sign from the gods that I made a good decision I got to see a cool double rainbow as I shut down for the evening.

Tuesday found me patting myself on the back. I was first in line, the weather was perfect and I was fully rested. I still had to deal with knee deep mud but there could be a drought and this place would still be muddy. This load was going to Moberly, MO but I would soon find out I was taking it to the yard so I can get on something else. I pulled in the yard and was put on a load due thursday in Columbia, SC.

Wednesday I intended to get almost all the way to the customer but thanks to my ignorance and Atlanta rush hour I was forced to shut down a mere 90 minutes from the customer which meant my clock would be ticking as I delivered in the morning.

Thursday morning I wake up at 4am and make my delivery all went well until I started to leave. The security guard had me stopped which didn't fair well with the driver behind me. He started honking and showing his impatience. So I got out of my truck and told him to settle down because I was just doing what I was told to do. Each truck had to drive by the guard shack with doors open and then drive about 100 feet to the THIRD SIGN to shut your doors so there is no delays. I pulled up to shut my doors and started to pull out when I almost get hit by Mr. Impatience because he decided to shut his doors in the wrong spot and was trying to beat me to the traffic light. After about a mile up the road I get ahead of him because he got trapped behind some slow cars and I mentioned the irony of the situation on the CB. He grunts some kind of reaction and I was on my merry way to Evans, GA. It was an 80 mile deadhead but going only 140 miles to Macon, GA.

I get to the shipper and stand in the window of the office being totally ignored by a snail paced office grunt for 20 minutes. I finally get the "wait for a dock door" command and wait. Meanwhile my next assignment was to go to Conyers after leaving macon and pick up a paper load. This place in conyers was notorious for 10 hour load times. I was not a happy camper. Tick tock. Finally 3 hours later I am loaded. To my disgust I only had four pallets on the trailer. THREE HOURS FOR FOUR PALLETTS??

But finally things swing in my favor. My load of paper was cancelled so instead I got a different Conyers load. that didn't pick up until friday am. Fine by me. So I drop and hook in Macon and shut down in Jackson.

Friday I cut through the woods and get to conyers no problem. BUT my simple drop and hook turned into me playing yard dog and putting three of our trailers into docks before getting my own. I get as far as Oak Grove, KY and take a nice long shower. I endure fog, rain, an eight car pile up, an almost head on collision if front of me, Atlanta traffic and people rushing home for the weekend and then Six hours later I am at the house.