Well here we did away with another day. 
got up at 5, got on the road at 5:30, went at it until 7:00.
Messed up tho.  The dispatcher started loading me up with stops long
before the truck was out of the shop. He had been told it would take "about 3 hours". Well that's nice, but the reality of mechanics is it will take as long as it takes. And it took much longer than 3 hours.
So what to say.  I'm looking at an hour of drive time available, the first pickup is 45 minutes away and that doesn't include getting through the gate, getting the truck loaded and getting out of there. I would have had to spend the night at that place.

Which might not have been a big deal, but I hadn't had anything to eat all day long besides a couple of granola bars.  So, I opted to go to a truck stop and get something to eat.  I got over there early and found out their machinery had malfunctioned and they wouldn't have been able to load me last night anyway.  But this dispatcher didn't understand that, even tho I put it plainly in writing. Why? It's becoming obvious he doesn't read my texts. He also doesn't answer the phone.  I tried calling him twice today to get the fuel card turned on to fuel up the truck.  I finally just called the main number some dude got on the line that I have never spoken to and said, Ben B!!! How may I help you? I can't say that the trucking industry hasn't modernized itself and has all the latest gadgets.

Well, I need the fuel card turned on,  I'm just wasting time here. I sent 2 text messages to my dispatcher an hour ago to please turn it on, no reply.  I tried calling him twice, no answer.  Oh yes, we need to get you on down the road!  He went into this long diatribe while turning the fuel card on, just a talker I guess.  Thank you sir, I'm out.  Was my reply. 

257 gallons of fuel later, I had to park and take the mandatory fed 30 minute break.  I just about fell asleep too, good thing I didn't. I might have slept for hours lol.  I drove out the rest of my hours, got to some town near Nashville at a Love's Travel Center - this one turned out to be a very nice facility.  I got my free shower, I was amazed at the room.  It isn't just a shower and a toilet, it's a huge room with a large bench seat, a sink with mirror and a toilet.  Ample room, rather spacious indeed. I was in there for the better part of an hour.  Just felt like home.  Oh, at Love's the showers are free for pumping X amount of fuel, which I had done 3-1/2 hours earlier  Next month, if I'm here which I'm sure I will be since it's almost the end of the month, I will go to Diamond status with Love's which means all kinds of freebies and perks.  Like, 4 points for every gallon pumped.  It spends like cash in the store. 

Every fill up will be almost $9 worth of points.  Free refills every time you go in there. 4 free Fastpasses per month - meaning you get all 18 tires checked for free.

I have no idea what to do now.  Go with the other company that pays so much more? But not have guaranteed weekends off?  Continue to bug Saia about a job there? Home every night?  Stay with this company with the promise of, if nothing else, a newer or even brand new truck? With Direct TV and a 22 inch TV installed in the sleeper?  Not going to complain about my checks here.  I dunno what these other guys are getting paid, but I was astounded to hear one of them complaining about pay.  If you are doing 3,000 miles per week, you are going to have a healthy paycheck.  $1,500 gross pay anyway.

Well whatever.  I'm just passing a few more minutes here until I need to go to bed. It's 6 hours to Columbus, Ohio and then this dispatcher really needs to get me a delivery going back to or beyond - west - my town.  If he gets me back to Jackson, I wont' be home until Saturday.  And that isn't going to set well with me.  After the air leak fiasco, I'm no holds barred at this point.  Let them know exactly how I feel, even if they don't give two s**** about it.  No surprise if I quit and go somewhere else.  The route to home doesn't even take me through Mississippi, I'll just wait and see what happens. 

Well that 's it for today.  I spent several hours talking on the phone today.  Had given up on phone calls until now.  I got time, lol, I got a headset.  I listen to whatever talk shows that come on the radio, but that isn't a granted, many times you are in places that don't have them.  Today it was the people running my house in Phoenix.  The guy portion of the deal was who I was talking to and he went on, and on, and on.  It was cool, tho, I had forgotten how much deference they give me for anything and everything.  I don't criticize him  at all, on anything, I just listen and say cool, great job, stuff like that.  If my pay holds out - regardless of who I'm working for - they will get a rent free month in December, which is my yearly gift to them. 

Anyway, I do have a potential road test on Saturday.  I say potential cause' I'll be there whether they have a truck or not, unless they call in advance and tell me - we don't have a truck available. They have plenty of these specialized trailers, they have no extra tractors.  I was already informed if they hire me they will have to rent me a tractor until they get more new ones in - which are on order.  Of course, I won't get a new one lolol.  That will go to the tenured drivers but rightfully so.  When I say tenured, I'm talking people that have been driving for that company for 15, 20 25 years. 

G'nite.