So I drove down to Brownsville yesterday - it was the first load so I got there earlier than normal, around 7:30  But, I stopped at the truckstop first to fuel up and see if there were any drivers ahead of me to get a trailer - drivers tend to go to the Love's to hang out for the night. Not a problem, I do that too if there aren't any trailers in the yard. I can get a shower in the morning and free coffee.  There weren't any.

At the yard - down there that is - I was looking for any of our drivers there.  I scoured the yard, it's not that big. I did that because there was an empty there.  I love the detention pay, but if there's an empty, I'm hooking up to it that night and ready to go in the morning.  No tractors in the yard, I dropped the loaded trailer and hooked up to the empty - doing a full pre-trip. These trailers go down into the interior of Mexico, stuff happens to them.  Everything was good tho. I got up at 4:45 am, got myself together, did another pre trip inspection - I just do that by habit, stuff can go wrong. Even overnight, I freshly dropped trailer might have had a nail or something in a tire and the tire go flat overnight. 

Nothing wrong with it, everything good, did my paperwork and left. 

I have to add here that I didn't sleep that well.  And the night before I didn't sleep well either.  So I was driving on 2 days worth of not sleeping well. I only made it 247 miles before I decided that that Rest Area north of Victoria, TX? I was going to stop and take my 30 minute break and snooze a bit.  I fell fast asleep, woke up 20 minutes later feeling much better.  When you have to start doing - weird - stuff to stay awake, it's time to pull over and sleep a bit. A 20 minute nap almost always does it for me. 

Much later on, I got to the yard - the rest of the trip was uneventful.  The new manager was there, we talked about. But I was taken by surprise by the statement about Marie - the only lady driver in our division.  What was the deal with E007?  Huh?  I replied.  That was the number of the trailer I pulled back up.  Well Marie was supposed to bring that back up.  Oh? Was Marie down there? I looked everywhere to make sure that there weren't other drivers, I explained, going through the truckstop and through the yard.  Yes, but he wasn't taking me to task, and already knew about Marie.  It took her a day and a half to get down there.  She should have been under that trailer long before I got there and out of there.

I was instantly disappointed that I missed out on easy detention pay that I would have gotten and freely spoke that to the man.  But not in a haughty or disparaging way. Just musing.

I texted the interim manager - Clarice - sorry I took that trailer in front of Marie,, I didn't know she was down there and I looked to make sure first.  Oh she should have been under that trailer and out of there long before you got there, she texted back.  Clarice has a tempter.  Try not to cross her.  In reality, Marie would have tried to get 2 days worth of detention pay out of that, that's cheating. And unethical.  Hell, it's stealing, to it's immoral. You are claiming you had to wait more hours than you actually had to to get the trailer. I dunno what, if anything they are going to do with her about that. I don't actually wish any ill will, except this has been going on since I started working there. 

Driving down there yesterday, I was going through a village/town/whatever called Mahl.  There is a truck stop there.  You come up a hill, go around a curve and then start heading back down the hill. 55 mph speed limit.  So there I was, going down that hill. I saw the truck at the exit ramp of the truck stop. It was just sitting there.  There was a car next to me - 4-lane highway.  I was maybe 150 feet from that exit and that truck decided it was going to pull out.

I'm fully loaded at 79,220 pounds. On a downhill. At 55 mph.  I thought I was going to die.  I knew the truck couldn't get slowed down that fast in that short amount of distance.  But miraculously, the car driving next to me slammed on it's brakes, the driver seeing what was going on, to get out of the way and let me over!  Not ALL drivers of cars are distracted or playing on their phones, thank God, because I can assure, I wouldn't be writing this post right now.  The driver of that truck? Blooming idiot, almost got us all killed.  I'm not going to lie, not proud of it, but I flew past him because he wasn't even moving by the time I got up to him, got over, got down the road and then, slowed down. First to get his company information and truck number and then? Yes, I did it.  I stuck my arm all the way out the window and gave the middle finger.  The Eagles were flying yesterday. 

I then found the company on Google an called them.

The news ain't over yet.  Mark called from Phoenix.  A crack head he let into the house - ok Mark didn't know it was a crack head, but mark was going off on that.  Yes, people have been laid off, after I asked, but they are applying for unemployment.  Ok, Keep asking them,  I can't afford to eat an entire month's worth of bills there. Well I can but it's a lot of money, if they are collecting state unemployment plus the $600 per week stimulus for unemployment, they can pay their rent. 

Then, the owner of the other house over here? Texted Maria, time to leave.  That's the short version and then I got involved.  The man called me, his brother who owns the home wants to let a family member move into the house.  So, we have to be out by the end of next month. WTH? You want us to move with this pandemic going on? Isn't your brother a Catholic priest?  What kind of godly person does that to anyone in the midst of something like this going on? Note that I did NOT say that I was throwing anyone out of my house - but if they can afford to pay, they need to! 

So this guy called his brother again. Yes, Ben, you can stay for 3 more months, but my brother already talked to his - whatever the relationship was, i don't remember - he already promised her that she could move into the house.  He's throwing out 3 people - well one is still in the hospital - but 3 people that are living on fixed incomes.  I dunno what to think about that.  Just don't. I wouldn't do it at my house, that's what I can say.  People already living there? Try to accommodate especially if they've been there awhile. 

I dunno. I try to help people. I don't think God is going to condemn me for doing that, especially in relevance to a large number of scriptures.  But it's such a headache sometimes.  Like, more than I want to deal with.  But I will trust Him that an answer will pop up in the next 3 months and this situation will be dealt with. 

There's more, actually, lol, but I"m tired. I've run my 70 hour clock almost out with all the driving I've been doing. And it's taken it's toll. Time to sleep.