I have an absolutely horrible headache. But I'll get to that in  a moment.
After discussing today with "people in the know", Ann basically did herself in because she wasn't trying to do anything about increasing the capacity of the operations going on in the terminal. IE: beyond the product we deliver, bring in other product trailers as well and get some more revenue going for our terminal  I've brought the idea up myself in the past - we are right down the road from a huge chemical plant that makes allllll kinds of different chemicals, not just the ones we deliver, why aren't we trying to get a piece of all of that other pie as well? 

It wasn't well received.  I was curious about that, because in my view, it's a gold mine waiting to be dug out.  But whatever, it's not my company, just thought it curious that we could expand to all kinds of different chemical hauling opportunities. We would never be slow. They would have to get a bigger yard, a better facility with far better accommodations and more perks on the local level. 

It turns out the mechanic has been actively attempting to get that done as well.  I'm not bashing Ann, tho.  But she kind of signed her own termination notice by not expanding her horizons.  My problem with what we've got going now is that we are limited to one product and in the last year, it's been slow more than not.  I don't really much care for driving every day until your hours run out.  But now? 3 and 4 days in between runs? I'm not rich, I need that money, I need more frequency than that for doing run.

Apparently corporate is on with the idea of expanding the operation.  Argon, oxygen, nitrogen, various different acids, all kinds of chemicals are made at that plant.  We could be hauling stuff all over the United States, not just the eastern half.  I'd love to get some runs going west, frankly. You know, like to Arizona? lol  So, the situation at work may, eventually, get better.   I can tell ya, I've worked at enough corporations, when they start shaking the hive, they often times get rid of a lot of people, not just one here and there. 

Anyway, to my dismay, we are all being temporarily assigned to this lady that runs a terminal in Louisiana - I wrote about her and the situation with my medical card last year.  I don't want to go into all of that again, but we ended up getting into a heated back and forth after she continued to deny me the opportunity to go get the card, instead giving me run after run.  Once that card expires? You aren't driving a commercial truck anywhere. 

She sent me a run for Oklahoma for today.  I wasn't so happy about it - there were 2 Brownsville runs as well, but I said nothing about my disdain for a short run that won't pay much.  I have been keeping my lips zipped in the complaining department for quite some time now.  I might vent on here, but that doesn't translate to any management or anyone of any consequence over there.   I took the high road today - I'm going to give myself that credit because that lady did me wrong and it ended up costing me money out of my own pocket and having to get a new license - and just said I consider it water under the bridge, I hold no grudges and I apologize if you were offended in any way.

So she lit up on that and went to town. In a good way, nothing bad. 

But what was the headache?  Well, my truck was giving me this bright red warning light in the shape of a stop sign with a pic of an engine in the middle of it last trip. So I reported it to the mechanic. I asked him this morning about that, he said he had hooked up his computer to it and it gave him "all kinds of random readings" but the readout came back and said to clear the codes and see if it was just  a fluke.  Lol.  Okaayyyyy. Well, he came out to the trailer I was hooking up to this morning, looking at whatever while I was backing under it.  I got out after hooking and started checking the coupling and everything else on the trailer. When I got around to whatever he was looking at, well, he started commenting on replacing the landing gear on all of these old trailers.

Really? And thank God.  40 year old landing gear.  Hard to crank down, been needing replaced for a long time.

I got back in the truck - and all of those lights sans the red one were on.  I rolled the window down - did you clear the codes? Yea, did the come back on? Yup.  He assured me the truck "should" run.  I don't really care, if it breaks down somewhere, I get paid for it.  But I wasn't prepared for what happened once I got 70 miles or so down the road. You see, when that red light comes on? This incessant, very loud beeping noise comes on as well. The truck is commanding to pull over and shut it off. 

Well, last trip, it didn't come on that much and went off shortly after. This trip? The 70 mile mark is when it started coming on and off and on and off - the noise unbearable.  After 100 miles? The damned thing STAYED on.  I've been getting assailed with this freaking noise all .... daaaaaayyyy.....looooooooooooooooooooong. HOURS and HOURS of this horrific noise.  I ended up putting ear buds in both my ears and literally cranking music through my iPhone for hours on end.  Would you rather hear music or beeping?  Yeah, I thought so.

But it eventually started to give me a headache.  Which got worse.  And the power was getting worse on the truck as well. It's got a bad fuel pump.  I've got 130 or so miles to go to get back to the yard.  I'm at the casino truck stop - my normal stopping place on this run. But I was close to being out of time, a thing that never happens, but this truck has been lugging up hills and lugging on straight aways all day long. I can't believe the thing has made it as far as it has.  I'm hoping to make it to the yard tomorrow and get out of this damned thing, put it in the shop and get it fixed. 

The new manager told me today she can keep me busy til' Monday "at least".  People needing time off and more work came in. Fine by me, I need the money.  I don't know if that will actually materialize and I have no idea, but according to the schedule I'm looking at, it's a spartan week. And, interestingly enough, the 2 Brownsville runs that were supposed to go out today? Got cancelled. I was the only run going out today and there is only one running going out - according to the schedule - tomorrow, going to .... Brownsville.  I don't know what is going on at that plant, but they need to get their s*** together and get it fixed and get it operational again.

I can only guess that the schedule has changed again.  I dunno, she said it, I ain't holding her to it, if she keeps me busy, great, if she doesn't, oh well. 

With that, I'm getting offa here.  Cause it's bedtime and I intend on having the all you can eat buffet in the morning - I'll find stuff keto friendly there I'm sure - and then get out of Dodge.