No issues on the drive back from Brownsville yesterday - no detention pay but I have 2 of those trips and an oklahoma going on next weeks' paycheck, so even without detention it will be a decent paycheck.  I was looking forward to have at least today off. 

At around 6:00 pm, heading home from the yard and thinking about what I am going to do today - which most certainly would have included more attempts at getting that thick concrete pedestal out of the ground - I get a text from the manager. Actually a group text to 4 people: Y'all have work tomorrow, details coming shortly. 

Really? Wait until  it's almost the night before to tell us about work the next morning?  And what kind of run?  How far?  I wasn't prepared for some long thing taking up days and days, a short run I could deal with. Just my frame of mind atm, it changes from day to day lol and still not 100% from that headache/bodyache stuff, whatever that was all about.  He sends me a run half an hour later to Pennsylvania.  

I looked at that and said  no, in my mind anyway.  I don't want to go up there, wait 36 hours to unload and then come back. That's about how long the wait is.  You get up there the third day, park for the night, have the entire day the next day waiting and then over night again.  That's my main objection to that run: they want you up there early - for what?  You don't get paid for all that waiting, either. And frankly? I just don't feel like driving almost 3,000 miles round trip.  

So I stared at that text for a while, trying to figure out how I could get out of it without lying about it.  I don't like lying, it doesn't set well with my Christian beliefs.  The Bible says specific things about liars.....I do tend to take a lot of what is said in the Bible literally.  So, I thought well there isn't any reason I can't say I'm not feeling well, that's true, just not near as bad as it was.  So I texted him something along those lines and he called me. I told him what was up. Do you have a fever? I don't know, I haven't been checking that. But then, I remembered the plant had taken my temp the day before so I told him that.  

Well, he didn't want to let me off the hook, it's either call in sick or take a run.  Well can you at least send me on a shorter run?  I didn't think that unreasonable at all considering I've been bumped from good runs recently for other people who can't unload trucks. And besides, most of the drivers love this PA run.  Especially the ones that don't live around here, they are on the road regardless, they don't care how long they're out.  So it's not like I was trying to dump a "bad" run on someone else.  

So he got off the phone, did whatever, called me back and gave me a choice between PA, Morris, Illinois and some other run I can't remember what.  I asked for the Illinois run, it was the shortest one, even tho it's still 3 days out.  I drive up to Barnhart, Missouri today, then up to Morris tomorrow, try to make it back to at least St Louis tomorrow and then back to Longview the 3rd day. Well, I'm not stopping in St Louis, I want no part of the civil unrest going on there, I'm unarmed, I have no way to defend myself against a crowd short of running people over - which I really don't want to have to be forced into a position to do.  Barnhart is south of St Louis, a small town with a truckstop, pretty much where I stop every time. Not likely anything rioting going on there.

And then? I will drive around  St Louis.  I'm not looking for trouble, I doubt I would see any on the Interstate, but I don't need problems while carrying 37,000 pounds of flammable liquid.  There is no good day to blow up, thanks.  These stupid people that mauled that truck driver with that gasoline tanker could be seen in various videos attempting to open the valves that allow gasoline to dispense from the trailer.  What kind of idiot would do that?  Trying to kill yourself?  These people are either stupid or the mob mentality creates an atmosphere where they simply don't think.

So, at least I got out of a 7 or 8 day run. Illinois is 3 - either of the runs to Illinois, Morris run is like 70 more miles each way.  And, you have to wait several hours for them to unload, which gives me a chance to take a nap in their parking lot, eat lunch and do whatever or nothing at all.  Plus a little detention pay in the process, it's actually better than the Mapleton IL run in that regard - more miles and more detention pay but the say amount of days out on the road.  I need only make it back to St Louis tomorrow after offloading to be able to make it back to Longview the third day.

I'm still a bit unhappy that the manager would wait literally until the end of the day to dump a run on us the next morning.  That's uncalled for.  I need time to prep food and get ready, do laundry, lots of stuff before I go on a longer run.  I don't believe they just dumped those runs on him at the end of the day, the only thing I can surmise is he was waiting to see what drivers would be available to fill the slots.  I should have just waited until today to turn in my paperwork lol, that's how they determine who is available, by looking into the system and seeing who has turned in paperwork after they are done with a run.  

Whatever the case, I'm attempting to get my mind into dealing with an extremely long day. For not only is it a 3 day run, it is also a late load time.  Noon.  His scheduling is weird.  These Illinois runs are usually first or second load at best.  Now? I am faced having to drive until midnight or even later to make it up to Barnhart.  If I don't make it, it just adds another day to the trip plus management will probably be unhappy that I am not arriving earlier than I am at the plant.  

Well enough of this.  I need to get off of here and get stuff ready. Still a couple of hours before I need to leave, but I also have to make a grocery store stop along the way.