First time I've ever seen them do it that way, they brought in empty trailers before taking out the loaded ones. Dunno, but they came in at noon, the first taken by the dude ahead of me and then 15 minutes later the second one came in.  

I fought heavy thunderstorms all the way back up.  Literally, get out of one, drive a few miles and right back into another one.  Houston being the worst because everyone turns on their flashers and then slows down to 1/3 of the speed limit.  Great, get OUT of my way.  Don't load up all 3 lanes with this nonsense, if you are too afraid to go the speed limit, move over out of the inside lane.  I don't understand why people don't get this.  

But they don't - or more likely don't care and everything gets blocked and you're sitting there just trying to remain calm and not let this stuff get to you.  I drove almost 8 hours without stopping except a couple of minutes at a rest area and 15 minutes at a store to get a bit to eat.  When my 8 hours was almost up, I stopped at a place I normally do on the way back up to take the mandatory 30 minute rest break.  The other truck was sitting there as well. 

After that, into Lufkin, fuel up and then......a few miles down the road... at 9:00 pm..........the lights flashing.  What lights? The lights for the inspection station. I couldn't believe they were pulling trucks in there on a Saturday night, 9 pm, at that place. Sure, there are weigh stations open on Interstates 24 hours a day - not all of them, just saying some are open all the time - but this place? 

The first trooper I came across said go ahead, you can leave. Pulling up 100 feet and about to leave, another trooper said stop. And so it went. A level 2 inspection.  The trooper was n't being polite, to put it mildly - first one in quite a long time that I have encountered that was acting that way.  Especially Texas, they are usually quite cordial and easy to deal with.  I dunno, I wasn't in the mood for foul treatment but I also wasn't in the mood for getting tickets.  I'm like 75 miles out from the yard - I want to go home. I don't want to deal with this nonsense at this hour of the night.  

Bring in your paperwork.  I brought it in. I need this that, the other thing, the other other thing and trailer registration.  They don't normally ask for trailer registration so I went back out to get it. What I thought was the trailer registration turned out to be the trailer annual inspection certificate.  I took that back in. Well I need the registration!  OK, I'll look again, I couldn't find it. Back outside, I searched the entire interior of the rear cabinet - nothing.  I texted my manager - I think I'm about to get a ticket judging from the way this guy is acting - there is no registration paper in this trailer.  

Well, this trooper apparently didn't want to wait for me so he came out and took a pic of the license and went back in.  I went around the entire trailer, looking for a container with the registration in it.  I threw my hands up, I can't find it, walked back inside. I dunno, sir, I thought the registration was the paper I brought into you when I did my pretrip, I had no idea it wasn't the registration.  I gave up on ttempting to appease the dude, I just treated him respectfully but gave up on it, figured I was getting a ticket and that was that.

Sat there forever.  I mean, other drivers came and went with their inspections while I was sitting there waiting on this dude to finish typing up his report.  Worried? Nope, it is what it is. I don't want scars on my record but most truckers have something on there, I figured it was my turn.  You can only get inspected and get a "no violations found" so many times before they - find something wrong.  Attitude means something, if you can get your head into the right mind frame and talk to them in a way that isn't in anger, impatience, stupid - you can get away with stuff.  If it's just paperwork or minor. If you have bad tires, brakes, air leaks, etc, you aren't getting away with that.  

His attitude mellowed out, at least, after sitting there a while.  I learned long ago however messed up they are, however foul, curt, short tempered, if you throw gas on their internal fires, it's going to turn out far worse for you than if you had just kept your mouth shut, forced a fake smile on your face and grin and bear it.  Truckers love to argue with CV inspection officers, they don't do themselves any favors and that's all on them.

So, after all of that time and he finally printed out his report, I was rather shocked to hear him say everything looked A okay, no problems. Please sign this either of these and keep one for yourself.  Say what? You've got to be joking me, I thought but didn't say out loud.   This dude was having a literal cow over the trailer registration.  He was impatient, petulant and bossy.  WHATEVER.  I just smiled, said thank you sir, he said thank you sir back and I hightailed it out  of there.  

That's a face palm moment with accompanying emoji that this thing isn't offering.  🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦

Ahh, there it is, just do a search in the emoji field.  

Ohhh! and this Ohio run? nixed. I texted Sheila - she's the dispatcher in Amarillo - there is no way I'm making it back in time to get a 10 hour break and then make it to the plant.  Skipping a lot of small talk - I like to find out about the people I'm talking to if they are open to it and I have my ways of getting to that place where they want  to discuss their personal dealings - she gave the Ohio run to someone else and then gave me another run to Brownsville on Monday!  So,  get to stay home tomorrow - well it's today now, 1 am, I didn't get home til after midnight - and then down there and back. They are so obsessed now with no detention pay after they got rid of my previous manager, I don't really expect it anymore.  So this trip was a pleasant surprise and a chunk of Benjamins to add to the trip.  

Umm, yeah, the dude that got dumped with the Ohio trip? VERY unhappy. He didn't know the whole story, but he got onto the group text and exclaimed that this driver from Louisiana - who refuses to learn how to unload trucks - got his Brownsville run and he has to go to Ohio.

I'm going to skip a lot of stuff and just say that these drivers love to complain about things that should be changed - but are too afraid to bring it up to management. If you just want to complain but do nothing about it, SHUT UP, thank you.  That's putting it nicely : )  It became evident they are all talk and no walk. I have no qualms speaking up about things that are obviously wrong and need fixing - just have to be nice about it, be less than direct and appeal to their authority.  Throw the ball into their court - but do it in a way they didn't even know the ball had been thrown.  It's called tact and I have it when I want to. It's not kissing ass - I don't do that well for I wasn't brought up that way.  

Well whatever. Dogs extremely happy to see me home lol.  One of the cats had been yelling for so long it was hoarse. Poor little kitty.  But it can stay in the pantry with the other cat, I'll let it out in the morning.  The other cat isn't allowed out - some problem with it. I'm not a cat person, don't ask me lol.

My UV sterilizer arrived - well ahead of their stated arrival date.  Taylor intoned where she wants the pond, not where I thought.  Much closer to the house and removing a brick structure she apparently doesn't like and put the pond where that structure exist.  I dunno if I'll start on that tomorrow or not, lots of physical labor involved with that.  I wish I had a brisket, if I'm going to be out there I might as well smoke something in the smoker.  I'm good with the location, lol.  I'll probably start on it, I'd really like to get this thing up and running. Motivation, in other words.  She wants a full tilt waterfall - she didn't demand that or anything, but it became obvious that is something she would love to see - so I'm going to have to think that one through a bit, how far I want to go with that.  I could build a very entailed thing that looks natural. Lots of work, but I could do it.  Doesn't mean I couldn't get the pond going before it's built, that doable.  

Umm, so. Sunday off. Whatever the holiday is Monday I'm working.  No biggies, they won't be home until late afternoon or evening anyways.  Labor Day, that's it.  Well I'll be celebrating Labor Day by laboring lmao.  

And with that, it's probably time to go to bed. I'm just a bit hyped out with that inspection and that officer, trying to wind down.