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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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Trip 75 - New GMC - Class C Refer ... to Joliet, IL Trip 75b - New Serling - Garbage Truck ... from Phoenix, AZ After getting home from my last trip Friday night I ended up with a fever ... dragged me down Saturday and by Sunday was flat in bed ... as I was Monday, and Tuesday ... finally by Wednesday I was able to stay up for a couple of hours at a time ... in time to get the stomach flu. I was supposed to be off Monday but dispatch was busy looking for drivers anyhow ... I said 'no,' maybe Tuesday. Tuesday I said no, maybe Wednesday ... and they still asked if I could go out ASAP Tuesday. Wednesday again was a 'no' ... but I finally figured 'How long could this last?' and accepted a run for Friday. It not like me to be out more than one day at a time ... last year it was one day for the year. Had to take a day off a week ago, thought that would be my one day for this year, no such luck ... gotta watch it, those 'paid sick days' don't last long in this line of work ;) 2/18/05 The other driver wanted to leave at four this AM ... the boss said six, I finally agreed on 6:30. Was not ready to get out of bed, am still dragging ... and it was cold the AM, a whole lot colder than that nice warm bed has been the last few days. Takes longer than I think to get ready and rolling this AM, usually does. But I'm still to the office at 6:30 as planned, trucks get inspected, started, windows thawed, cars stored ... and we are ready to roll as it's getting light. Both trucks are propane and had been fueled at pickup which will give us the 300 miles until Beloit before we have to fuel. The usual I-94/I-90 ... nothing new that I remember. Still really dragging, this run sounded like a much better idea a couple of days ago. By noon yesterday I had realized the only way I was going to survive this trip was to switch to a water diet with a few crackers ... I just have to make it through today, once we get our second trucks we can go our own ways. We stop once after two hours for a quick break, after another three hours its time to fuel .. the other guy wants to shut down and eat (last trip I left him when he did this in the middle of the day), today I just lay down in the cab of truck ... Ohhhhh, it felt good, even if it was only for a few minutes. I had put in 20 gallons of fuel just to make sure ... not sure why, but the other driver only put in 20 gallons ... and he has another 100-150 miles more to go than me. New fuel tanks on these trucks, no air release valve's for the propane ... Guy won't fill them until he checks with the boss, not sure we'll have the same luck at all locations ... some are very by the book, safety glasses, gloves, the works. I had looked at a map before I left and thought I might save the toll money's, travel a couple extra miles and use I-80 ... but I also have the company provided route which takes us via I-88. Mostly because I had never been on the I-88, I go with that ... problem comes when I can't find my exit for US 30. I know how many miles I'm supposed to go on I-88, but US 30 is not listed for any of the exits in that area. By the time I ask at the toll booth I'm way past ... gal at the booth says she lives in Joliet and which route I should take ... forgot to ask that one little detail ... 'NO TRUCKS' I go through anyway, quite a few miles, quite a few signs ... the other driver is one who does things by the book ... no tickets ... he's somewhere behind me. We are off the 'No Truck' route for a block and I opt not to get back on ... see a truck route a few blocks away and we have soon found US 30. Another few minutes we have found my drop ... they sign without looking at the truck and I almost leave my cell in the truck. Am in the second truck leaving when I do my quick check ... plates, IFTA, bag, phone ... PHONE!!! Sitting in their lot they have a propane truck that has recently burnt ... shell of a cab, burnt right there on the lot ... no sign of the propane going BOOM. No comments from the locals ... From Joliet we are off to Campaign ... we don't have a map for this but I suggest I-57 instead of I-55 (just checked mile.com and it agreed with me). Does seem to be a lot further than I had thought ... originally they had us picking up a rental car in Joliet and tagging to Campaign but when we picked up our paperwork it showed Campaign as the pickup, less fuel for us. These two hours just dragged ... I've been up for over 8 hours, but no way to sleep ... we have both our luggage's in the cab, can't get the back boxes to open. I didn't try, he did ... I didn't care, lets just goooooo. We get the car in Campaign and drop the second truck ... six PM, two hours later than I had hoped ... but about what I expected would be reality. The other driver has been going on about us not being able to drop the rental car until 9 AM Saturday. I let it go the first few times, but was ready to have him do a time line for me ... we aren't going to get to our next pickup / rental drop until <> 8 AM. By the time we do our inspections, fuel ... Was he planning on just running? I was ready to let him ... he wants to go ... lets go. We can get to the customer yet tonight, he can pickup his truck and go ... I'll deal with the car in the AM, or PM, when ever I decide to roll out of bed. But it didn't come to that ... he must have finally done the math without me saying anymore about it. I do remember this guy from last trip ... rolling earlier ... out like a light at 8 PM. I knew what to expect so I drop the rental car. I knew he was going to be sleeping, would rather he wasn't also driving ... I had thought we'd stop at Davenport, knew where a motel and food was but he wanted to be 'closer to our trucks.' But once past Davenport he changed his tone and wanted to stop ... it was now after 9 PM and he seemed to be waking up from this two hour nap. I knew there were motels in Iowa City, we've stayed at the Econo Lodge there before ... food right in the same parking lot. Turns out there is a Motel 6 across the street ... didn't advertise truck parking was why we hadn't tried it last time. This time we have a car so not an issue ... they do have enough room for a couple of trucks. $44 for two ... just glad there wasn't a game in town tonight ... its during the day tomorrow and hasn't effected the motel prices. Now that we are stopped, I am going to try and eat ... Perkins ... eggs scrambled, dry toast. The other guy has steak, salad, baked potato ... he finishes the same time as I. Back at the motel he sits down to do some paperwork and I turn in ... I open my eyes again and the lights are out. Page 2 - The next leg .... |