Well, I am finally getting a run tomorrow morning out-of-town.  To Globe. I have been there numerous times for this company but not anytime recently.  In fact, I have been stuck on in-town trips forever.  My manager does not want me going out-of-town, he wants me here for the in-town junk.  It is junk not because of the job or the deliveries, but because of the unbelievable shit that happens in traffic with idiots every day.

Today?  Let's talk about one incident in particular.  I had finished delivering to a job-site - which was no small feat in itself and would have had to have made a video of the maneuvers I had to make to get in and more to the point: OUT of that place.  I was on the freeway bridge.  I did not pay any attention, whatsoever, as to what was going on on the freeway underneath me.

In a few seconds, I had wished I did.  I made the left-hand turn and looked ahead - nothing but a sea of stopped cars both on the freeway and the on-ramp I was on.  I got to the point where the cars were - parked - in front of me and waited.  And waited. And waited.  At some point, numerous vehicles merged onto the shoulder and started backing up the 500 feet to the freeway entrance.  At another point, they simply got to a point where they could turn around and started driving the wrong way! This wasn't a situation where traffic was moving very slowly and stopping and moving, this was a situation where NOTHING was moving AT ALL!

I called 511 on my cellphone and heard a recording tell me that the freeway "is closed at Williamsfield road".   Willaimsfield road? The next exit, 2 miles away. At the rate we weren't going, it would take hours!! Well, eventually and after calling in to let them know that I was stuck in non-moving traffic, it all started to move again, albeit very slowly.  I observed all lanes after finally getting to the point of actually entering the freeway and notice the "high speed lane" or far left lane was moving faster than all of them.  I moved over to that lane immediately and spent the next 25 minutes there moving 2 miles.

When I finally got to the accident scene, wow.  Jack-knifed big rig.  SUV that had obviously rolled at least once, crumpled like a tin can after crunching it, entire roof had been cut off by first-responders to remove the victims inside. Another car had also rolled and it was totally trashed.  I mean trashed as in crumpled and destroyed, not just minor damage.  TRASHED trashed!  Another vehicle - a pickup - but I could only see parts of it - the parts I see damaged but the rest was blocked by the wrecked semi.

OH, wait a minute, THAT wasn't the thing I wanted to talk about concerning idiots in traffic!  That just came to my mind because it took so long to get past it.

Okay, this will take less writing on my part and reading on yours:  I just got off the freeway - yes, I am drinv the semi.  48 foot flatbed (skateboard truckers call it).  I am in the "slow" right-hand lane.  There is a side-street I am approaching.  A Discount Cab car comes flying up beside me, cuts directly in front of me - less than a car's length and then SLAMS on the brakes to slow down enough to make a turn on the side-street which is now maybe 30 feet in front of me.

I'm shutting the truck down, laying on the horn, wondering if I'm going to rear-end this complete and total idiot.  Fortunately for me, I had off-loaded most everything on the truck at the prior deliveries so truck was light and easier to get slowed down. If the truck had been loaded heavy, I would have taken that car out.

 I immediately became infuriated with this moron.  It would have cost his life if any and I do not want to be responsible for taking someone else's life, regardless of the fact I would not have been at fault.  I turned onto the side street and followed him - sort of - he was driving erratically and well above the speed limit, just enough to get his license and cab number before he cranked into an apartment complex.

I called Discount Cab a while later and got a woman on the phone who "would be glad to take my complaint".  No, I said, I want to speak to driver management.  She connects me to someone else.  "Are you in management?" "Hold on, please".  Another person.  Same question.  Hold please.  Another person, same question. "Yes, I am the operations manager". Thank you.  I let loose.  You have a driver that is a complete and total liability to your company, among other statements.

I don't know what that man did about it, I can only call in and complain. A person driving like that is going to have a mishap eventually and it is going to cost the taxi company in insurance premiums.

Well enough. Time for bed.

ben