Thursday, July 14, 2022

 It just seems  repetitious to keep writing the same things over and over, so I haven't been posting. 

However.

Things ramping up at work. People are quitting - make that drivers - are quitting over the pay reduction otherwise known as the near-elimination of detention pay.  One left today and 2 more are leaving soon with 4 more saying they are looking for a new job.

There aren't that many drivers in our division and we are all very well experienced, seasoned drivers that can handle the heat, whatever may come at us.  The loss of these people will be very difficult to replace.  

I have my own plan which includes various things but will likely end in my quitting as well. I have given it some serious thought and I just can't sit around with people taking away our money because they say so and no other reason given.  Trust me, drivers have been asking why and there is nothing being given back.  I personally am not going to take a demotion in pay without being told why I am going to get less pay for doing the same thing I have been doing for almost 5 year nows. 

Yeah, that's not going to fly with me.  As much as I hate having to find a new job, my next day off I'm going to start looking.  In fact, I have a good lead and it's 90k a year as well, home every night.  

The other development is the electrician finally called and said I need to get the power company to run poles and lines over to the site.  I thought we were going underground? That's what Randy (contractor) said?  

Uhh, no, this is too far from the street, it will cost a fortune to run line underground.  You can get Swepco (the local power company) to install power poles and run overhead lines for much cheapr.

Are you serious? I thought. After all this time, this dude is just now telling me this? WTH.  Do you remember, if you read this blog at all, how long it took the power company to come out and do the first power pole?  2 months? Longer?  That really irked me.  This guy could have told me this stuff a long, long time ago, it would have already been done.  

So it's going to be months before I can even get a soft opening going.  

Yeah, not a happy camper. It's so hot out right now I do wonder about anyone coming anyways.  I mean, it's ridiculously hot out, 105 with a real feel of 112?  

I'll get over it.  Work is more pressing at this point and what to do about it.  I won't quit until I have exhausted all other channels first, which includes talking to the genius that came up with this plan and the same genius who decided that billing the customer for detention pay was a bad idea (the customer had been getting billed for it for decades, literally).  This customer has 13 trailers to work with but can't get 2 of them back up to the border in time for drivers to fetch them and leave.  

Hence, I was the only driver that went down yesterday because there was only 1 of those trailers in our yard yesterday morning.  

I have no idea what's going to happen, I'm just playing this by ear.

I have a run to Oklahoma tomorrow.  The man that left today will create a gap and if others leave they will also create gaps and I will be very busy, I guess.  The company gave me 9 hours of detention pay after being down there 29 hours, I'm still waiting on that verdict, for I am not sitting down there for free. 9 hours is NOT paying me for sitting there over a day's span of time.  It is likely that if this situation doesn't stop and they force us to do this, I will find another job, get sent down to Brownsville, there will be no empties and I will drive back up to Longview bobtail - tractor only, no trailer - and they can go jump off as many cliffs as they like.  

There is no good reason for any of this except corporate greed.  You can't take away pay from the people that make it happen and expect no consequences. It's not like the market is filled with drivers looking for work right now.....

Oh. Well the electrician is going to install everything, I just have to get the power to the pads.  I have heard nothing from the contractor who the electrician is working for, I have tried to contact him several times.  The permit is likely not approved yet, but even if it is, he is very busy. I'm kind of a side job, tho I'm not getting side job prices.  

So, the whole thing gets pricier. Spending lots of money and getting nothing back out of it, yet.  Getting a loan right now is also going to be more difficult. Recession looming, banks cutting back and "notice of adverse action" was put forth by Credit Karma - they sent a notice to everyone that you will likely get some of those now, but it won't affect your credit score. 

In other words, lenders are getting fearful of borrowers not being able to repay because of economic conditions.  I'd say rightfully so.  I am not regretting not taking out a loan before now and I am still not going to try to take one out - I have no idea how much I need and I don't want more than I need.  Or less.  If loans become impossible, I'll just have to find some way to get the funds and get it done.  

I haven't heard back from the auto shop about the part for the AC - and I don't care now.  Next chance I get, the vehicle is going into a different shop.  I am so sick of driving around in this heat in a hot vehicle.  Especially considering I have the money to fix that damn thing.  Just need someone to FIX it.  GAG. 

Happy for an Oklahoma run, work all day tomorrow but have most of Saturday off.  

With that? It's bed time. 


 Friday late-morning Typical morning when there is no work.  It was, I should say, until the new guy called.  "There's nothing wron...