My Truckalogue
I "blog" about about my little life because someday I might write a book. Hey - it could happen.
Catching thing up: Two or three posts ago I'd decided I was going to bring Buddy home because I was so depressed/worried/anxious, etc. I don't feel this way anymore, so I'm going to keep her with me. She's wonderful company, and forces me to get out of the truck and walk around some - even when I don't want to.
We haven't done much fast walking since Houston because my legs and feet have been sore from the same, but even a slow walk is better than nothing. 15 or 20 minutes every 3 or 4 hours - if we have the time. Good for lots of reasons.
Mother and I started talking again last Monday night. It's good to put that particular rift behind us and move towards the next one - which will happen the next time she calls me "arrogant". I'm lots of bad things, but arrogant is not one of them.
While we were stuck in Houston without a load, I was sweating the next few days wondering if I was going to be fired because of the situation over the Labor Day weekend. I'm not worried about that anymore.
Off on a tangent for a minute. Here's a little insight into why trucking can be a nasty business on both ends: Some drivers, when they've decided to quit a company, are just as liable to leave the truck/trailer in the middle of nowhere as they are to return the truck/trailer to the company. Sometimes the trailer is still loaded. The company has to locate and go get it's property. Hopefully it's still in driveable.
Drivers will sell fuel from the truck's tanks - fuel paid for by the company. If they work for a flatbed outfit, they'll sell the tarps, chains, and binders.
Some drivers are a few sandwiches short of a picnic. I worked for a company that flew me to Reno NV to pick up a truck that had been in the shop for several weeks. Some driver had tried to wire a "kicker" (a linear amplifier) for his cb radio to the little positive/negative posts on the dash of the truck, and caught the truck on fire. It had to be totally rewired. I'm not sure, but I think big amplifiers like that are illegal for use with a cb radio. It cost the company several thousand dollars to have the truck fixed. (The driver was fired on the spot.)
But sometimes, the companies screw the drivers. For example, I started my driving career with Swift Transportation (a huge company) back in 1996. I was based out of Swift's terminal in Decatur AL. When I decided to change companies, I turned in a two week notice at Greer SC, the southeastern division headquarters, and asked to work my way back to Decatur during my notice. I was trying to do the right thing. Little did I know ....
Swift made me give up the truck then and there. Another driver drove me and all my stuff to the nearest truck stop and kicked me out. I had to beg a ride home from SC. I've had other real bad experiences since '96, but the Swift thing forever burned an impression in my mind. A company can and will fire a driver for no good or legitimate reason - no questions asked.
That's why, when I have a situation like what happened in Houston, and they route me in towards the terminal, I get nervous. Like I told Fillinguy, I couldn't help that both of my reloads fell through. What I was guilty of was being happy about it.
I have to say though, AMX is the most fair, straight forward, honest company I've ever worked for. It's part of the reason I like them so much.
