Continuing on with yesterday's theme, I "figured" out what I was going to do alright.  It was getting late - past 4:00 pm - in terms of getting a load for tomorrow (today) so I asked her if I was going to be sent out tomorrow?  2 minutes later I get a phone call from her.  Dusty's truck broke down and I need to get that load delivered tomorrow morning.  Meaning leave today - yesterday,  drop what I'm doing and get on down the highway.  I was all for it, but I cautioned her that I was about 2 hours out from being able to leave.

I never stopped to consider the timing of when to leave, just sounded like get in a hurry to get this run done.  So she said she would see who's at the yard.  I said cool, just let me know if you want me to do it.  Back on the phone again, I don't want Gary to do it, he's too slow.  In reality, Gary would never drive that late into the night for any reason.  I don't necessarily blame him, but I do think it limits the loads he gets.

Oh, about the timing. Well she gave me the run - which is a hoot'n'anny'holler better than the thing she was going to dump me with today.  A Houston airgas run, in the top 3 of the most worthless runs we have.  When I got home, I started thinking. I am driving to Tellulah, Louisiana to get the trailer - the truck broke down there and is still  there.  Good thing for the driver he gets hourly break down pay.  After that, drive straight on through to Decatur.  It was 5:00 pm and I started thinking about the mileage of that run.

600 miles.  If I leave too early, I thought, I'll get there too early and then I won't have enough on duty hours to deliver the load, much less find a place to park afterwards.  Then it dawned on me, I will have to drive alllllllllll night long and into the daylight to get there on time.  My manager was seriously concerned because this account isn't "our" account, it belongs to the plant that manufactures the product. If we don't show up on time, or very near it, they will start handing out the loads to some other company, the thing they did last year and we were hurting seriously because of it.

BTW, the Decatur run is a little bit more miles than Brownsville. The only thing that makes Brownsville better is the detention pay.

So I texted Ann: I'm leaving at 9:30 pm and driving all night. Otherwise, the load won't get there until around 5:00 pm (if I stopped for a 10 hour break before getting there). She said fine.  I immediately went to bed.  No sense in wasting the available hours to catch a nice 2 hour nap, which I did and then got up, got out of there, got to the yard, and yes, I drove all night long.  I arrived on time - can't say the same for the people assigned to unload the truck - got into the plant, got to the unloading rack and waited until they showed up. It was 3 hours in that plant and I was dying.  Exhaustion hit and it was all I could do to stand up.

I got to the hotel after that with 15 minutes to spare. Why did I get a hotel? Because the ac/heat decided to stop working altogether yesterday and I am not going to try to sleep in that truck after being up for 32 hours straight without it working.  I contacted my manager: I'm getting a hotel because the truck AC isn't working, I intend on putting the receipt in the package with the rest of my paperwork and getting my money reimbursed. She said fine, thanked me for getting her out of a bind and that was that. 

I really, reaaaaalllllllllyyyyyy wanted to stay at that huge Marriott Residence Inn!  That thing is a mammoth! I've never seen one that big before.  But there wasn't any truck parking there.  Marriot Courtyard and Holiday Inn same thing. Along with La Quinta.  So I opted for a mid scored brand in the Microtel. It was that or Econolodge.  Actually, I might have been able to find parking at the Residence Inn, but from the front appearance it didn't look promising and more to the point: I've been awake since yesterday morning and fooling with parking was not high on my list of things I wanted to do. 

The room isn't bad at all.  No strange odors, nice carpeting, nicely appointed furnishings, an island jutting out from the wall with a dishwasher, microwave and a sink - oddly no stove top with all of that. 

32 inch tv perched way up high on a cabinet they have on the wall in the middle of the room? Not good.  Good thing I don't feel like watching any tv, whatsoever.  I am so tired right now, that I'm too tired to go to sleep. 

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After vegetating for an hour, I am no longer tired lmao. 
I can say that I haven't done an all-nighter in - decades?  I came close a while back at 4 am, but that doesn't touch getting to the plant at 7:25 am and then staying at the plant another 3 plus  hours. I'm quite enjoying this particular hotel stay for unknown reasons. It's just relaxing this time around.  I'm not stressed.  I don't care about much of anything at the moment. I'm in some sort of daze, not confused, just a fog around my brain from lack of sleep. But it is strangely comforting.  It doesn't hurt that this stay is - or will be - free. And that I filled my gut at Logan's steakhouse just down the street. 

And so it is.  I think I'll peruse dishnetwork on my laptop and see if there's anything good playing.