Got within 104 miles yesterday before quitting.
I had maybe 40 minutes left on the drive clock, but I got 660 miles done yesterday so I figured good enough. I was undecided whether to head over closer to the plant today or stay here and get a 34 hour reset - which isn't guaranteed I'll get it cause I'd have to show up late at the plant for the appointment. Even tho the plant won't be ready to unload at the 8am appointment time, it doesn't look good if you don't show up on time unless you have a legitimate excuse. Of which I definitely have none.
Plus, I did the math on the hours left. I have 27 hours left on the 70 hour clock. It only counts down when I'm on duty. It took a little over 22 hours to get to where I'm at, I'll have another 2 to get to the plant. Bringing the 70 clock down to 25 hours. 24 hours total to get there, I'll go off duty the minute I arrive at the plant. Actually it's about 1 hour 45 minutes to get to the plant, I'm just rounding up. I usually do that and I usually am ahead of that rounding up, but in my mind better safe than sorry.
Regardless I have a good chance of making it back without having to take a reset. If I don't - tire blowout, ridiculous traffic, whatever slowing me down - I'll just have to eat it, take the reset and spend another night in a company paid hotel. The reason I want to leave here where Im at instead of staying until monday morning and just getting up early is because I need to get this truck washed. There is a Blue Beacon a mile away from me. I can go there, shut off the clock and get the truck washed finally, it's rather dirty. That won't eat up anything but a couple of minutes of time to get there and leave there.
Yes I stayed at a cheap hotel last night. I'm fixing to leave here, actually, to go get the truck washed and then head over to Centralia I think it was called, it's 30 minutes or so from the plant. There is a Holiday Inn there, yup I'm spoiling myself this trip and who's going to stop me? lmao. Look, I spent 4 days in a road busting @$$ - 2 days on the Brownsville trip and right back out the next morning, after hurriedly attempting to get things ready for the trip - to Pennsylvania. And then, 2 grueling days driving all day long in ridiculously heavy traffic. I-81 is unbelievable. It's like a traffic jam on a freeway in large city out there. I couldn't believe how many cars were traveling, attempting to pass anyone was a chore in itself. No one wants to let you out, drivers are mostly inconsiderate anymore.
The days of friendly drivers? Mostly gone. A few here and there, but I just see a lot of rudeness and selfish driving out there nowadays. Even if the lane is closed ahead of you and you HAVE to move over, they still don't want to let you in. Had that happen several times yesterday. Put on the turn signal and wait for someone to let me in. They just keep passing you - and I finally just start coming over, what am I supposed to do, stop on the Interstate and wait? NO. I may take a different route home. I can take the route that goes to the plant in West Virginia back. It's like 4 or 500 miles of I-81 and I really don't want to go through that again. The advantage tho, is once you're off that miserable road, it's smooth sailing for the most part all the way back and a much easier drive than the WV route.
I'll just have to decide that Monday. For right now? Packing up and getting out of here.
