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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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Trip 64e - New Izuzu - Box ... to Lewisburg, WV 11/20/04 - When I fill up the truck at the station, I fill up the gas can again one more truck to go. This place was one of those where you have to go inside and 'pre-pay' ... came back out and someone was using MY pump ... back inside to get them to switch pumps. Their security system was go enough they could see what was going on so it wasn't a problem ... By the time we got back to the lot our drivers were gone ... but with one truck or two? Drivers from another company were now there picking up trucks ... they had to hire someone to give them a jump. The other driver has problems with his CA truck ... truck starts but alarms are going off and warning lights on ... he wants to leave it till later, I want someone to start on it now, so the problem is taken care of when we get back on Sunday (I hope). We realize the time ... IF I can push it, I might make the my drop yet tonight, but there is no way we can still make the rental car pickup or second drop ... I leave and push it ... same kind of truck the other driver took to WV yesterday so we know that I only have to top off my tank at Flying J and it will deliver with 1/4 of fuel to the customer. Halfway through the trip I call and ask if I can still make the delivery yet tonight in about two hours ... "I doubt it, we are just cleaning up now for the night." But I kept pushing and when I get there, there are still a couple of cars and the main door still opens ... "Hello ... Hello?" Then I hear voices ... "Are you Greg?" ... 'yes' ... "Thank YOU" "Can you still sign for a truck?" 'Sorry we stopped receiving hours ago ...' "But it's just a truck, your delivery truck ... no freight ..." He is hesitant but agrees, and yells for someone NOT to set the alarm (that's how close to closing they were) I quickly park the truck and bring them the key ... couldn't find the spare, must have gotten knocked somewhere when we got in and out of the truck ... DONE ... He signs for the truck, but no one asks if I need a ride or anything ... I didn't ... and was just glad to be done with another truck. Now for the wait ... somehow I got an hour ahead of the other driver, good thing I didn't wait even a minute for him ... The other driver arrives and we are rolling again ... 3-4 hours to the Huntington where we can pickup our rental car ... tomorrow AM ... glad we are not waiting to drop, our drop location doesn't open until Noon on Sundays. The other driver thinks he may be able to get 400 miles on this tankful ... which would get us to Charleston ... but a few miles down the road the needle starts dropping faster and we pull off at the next station ... and have to wait for a train. Now he's afraid he will run out waiting for the train ... he doesn't ... but the door to the station is looked, but the lights are still on. Some one comes to the door and says we can fuel ... YIKES! ! ! "What happened to your truck?" I ask the other driver. His fuel tank has collapsed like a crushed pop can ... his 53 gallon tank now holds just over 24 ... There is nothing here at this wide stop in the road so we move on (not a good choice). I call dispatch and leave a message telling them what happened and asking for 'input.' We decide to stop in Charleston at a Motel 6 ... same one I was delayed at back on trip 44. Other driver has heard there's something a fight on TV tonight so he passes on a meal ... I want another Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo from Bob Evens next door, but they close in 15 minutes so I want next door to the Texas Steak House ... they are open until 11 ... but ouch ... $14 for a steak? I'm about ready to walk out when I find there burgers ... burgers, rings and a lemonade for $10 ... could have walked another block and gotten all I needed for $3 at McD's ... the place is just about empty and it still takes 20 minutes to get my food ... just about empty, the help out numbers the customers by 2 to 1. 11/21/04 - The rental car place opens at 8 an hour away so I call the other driver before 7 to see if he's ready ... he's still sleeping ... and didn't call anyone on the tank last night. The customer will be open at 7 so we call them first ... NO, they will not take the truck, at least not until they have talked to corp ... Monday morning. We have an 800 number for the customers service contact but no one answers on weekends (don't know if he left a message or not) ... next we call Chev who doesn't believe we were not in an accident and tells us NOT to drive the truck anywhere. We were hoping to drop it at a shop and get out of town ... no such luck. We do here back from dispatch but don't get any help, and soon the owner is calling us ... The next couple of hours talking to dispatch were not pretty and will not be included in this log ... but I did finally call the closest TA who told us why we should not be driving the truck. It was finally accepted that we would be leaving the truck keys at the desk of the motel and getting a rental car out of town ... even that took some doing, Avis didn't have any cars and the only other rental is Hertz who is twice the price. The other driver has re-rented his room and seems content to spending his Sunday at the motel as a day off ... I'm not ... we have now been on the road for six days, the longest I've been out ... neither of us were happy when we took this run on Tuesday and our disposition hasn't gotten any better. Not sure what all he is saying under his breath but I doubt they are all positive ... I'm out of cash and spend an hour walking to find a cash machine, the two next door to us are both 'out of service.' Not sure what part of town I'm in but the only 'thugs' I see in the distance turn out to be a couple and the wife is very pregnant. Cost me $2 for not getting the cash from my banks machine, but I have a lot of toll road between me and home ... Cab costs us $18 ... more money down ... not sure what will happen on down time ... the other guy is covered but it's not my truck. Had everyone been on the ball last night we could have been picking up this rental car at 8 AM and rolling ... and made it to CA before Thanksgiving ... not so ... it is now three in the afternoon. Again I drive ... six hours, again no radio ... this time because we were talking ... probably both said things we wish we hadn't, not arguing ... just deep and personal subjects ... but it sure makes the time fly ... and no rain ... no fog. Back at the Motel 6 in Carlisle, PA ... tonight it's Arby's ... chicken salad sandwich, I prefer chicken in my chicken salad sandwich or at least mostly chicken ... less nuts, lettuce, fruit ... Not in a rush anymore so we'll leave when the other driver calls me in the AM ... 11/22/04 - Long night, not used to spending this much time in a motel, last night and yesterday waiting for dispatch ... do know why the other driver and I aren't sharing a room any more ... I snore ... He smokes like a chimney (when alone) ... I like peace and quiet, he likes to spend the night talking to his girlfriend and watching TV ... This was the last night ... now we can part ways, this I had expected as soon as we got runs, once we don't need to rely on each other for a rental car we'd part ways. Ended up leaving my $10 gas can with diesel in the broken down truck, wasn't sure if the cabbie would let us in the car with it ... and with the problems we had with the trucks at pickup I had forgotten to leave it in the lot. Page 6 - The next leg .... |