I ask questions.  I am the curious type.  How does a thing work? What is the science behind it?  Just in my mind, the things you encounter in life are to be examined and if enjoyable, enjoyed and certainly attempt to have a basic understanding of things.  

So, I thought it odd that this driver that did the partial, last-day training for me didn't know how to judge when the tanks are full or empty.  It was the 4 feet that the tank shows filled after an entire truckload thing I was referring to in a previous entry.  He didn't know how they knew when a tank was full and when the loading hose had to be switched from the east to west tank or vice-versa.  

He's been doing this for years, the same route, all the time.  He doesn't really do anything else.  He said he was hired for this route and this route only.  He doesn't even want to do the Ennis run. I don't know why and it's none of my business.  

I found out from the man that runs that portion of the plant how many feet of the tank the gauge will move when you unload an entire truck into it.  At only 4 feet? Not that much.  Yesterday, it was at 4 feet before full and that's why the worker asked me to look at it. I said I already had, it's got just enough room for a truckload.  None of this is rocket science or brain surgery skills.  It's just information that is learned and the learning is there if you want to. 

Personally, I don't want to see their tanks overloaded to the point it overflows all over the floor. It's a disaster and cleaning it up is an equal disaster.  I wouldn't think it funny to see that happening or amusing or entertaining.  Much of the thinking I have encountered with drivers in this company is like union thinking: this is my job and the rest of THIS is NOT my job.  I was even lectured by one of them in Oregon that if you say you'll do something one time, they'll take that as a foot in the door to ask you to do it every time. 

I didn't really respond to that for I don't necessarily think that way.  Perhaps some things should be left to plant employees, but things that could affect you? Or your job, IE: the plant shuts down because of whatever and you lose that account temporarily?  

People just plain don't care. That's "their" problem.  

Just my thoughts tonight.  I will be heading back up there to offload again in the morning.  It's turning into a routine, not necessarily one that will continue much longer - or it might - or who knows?  

See, they have some sort of sensor in these trucks that tell them if the thing is going even 2 mph over the speed limit.  So, if you're going down a steep hill and happen to let it go over a little, you have this dinging noise coming into your ears.  That's craziness. Even the anal-retentive company I worked for the last job didn't care if I went over even 5 mph.  Of course, there is a report sent to the "safety department" and then you apparently hear from them. 

I haven't heard anything. But I can tell ya, I'm not in the mood for people getting rude, acting like tyrants with super-authority powers or whatever. They have nothing over me.  I like having health care coverage and these meager paychecks are better than nothing.  But seriously, working as much as I am every day, it's going to get to the point where I'm going to say to myself: self? Why are you working for sub-standard wages? 

It really isn't the wages as much as it is the hours involved getting those wages.  If you have to be involved with a job for 8 hours, you should be getting paid for 8 hours, miles be damned.  

Anyway, just some thoughts on a Tuesday night.  I have a 2:00 pm appointment time, but I am told I can show up early. Not too early, since there is another truck ahead of me apparently, but a couple of hours shouldn't be a problem.  You can't offload 2 trucks at the same time, it's only set up for one.  I intend on show up there around noon. Get out of there no later than 2 and get home around 4:30. Well, to my park anyway, home a little while later.  

BTW, there is both a Greyhound Bus stop in that town and hotels if it comes to that. Comes to what?  Finding a new place to work, silly. It just dawned on me a company that pays excellent wages and used to be based in our town.  They moved somewhere....gotta look into that.  

 Tuesday - semi early

They have given me work to keep me busy until Friday.  If they try to send me anything for the weekend, I will reject it.  I want the weekend off - I need the weekend off.  To do nothing or do many things, it makes no difference, I want something besides work.  I guess after this weekend, I will work 12 days in a row?  So far, it's just the Gurdon run.  I don't know if/when they are going to switch me to this Ennis run or what that even entails.  Not that it matters that much, it's probably more miles and a longer day, which I don't want.  

As I said in another post, if this job starts taking up too much time, I can go find something else that pays more with the same amount of hours.  I'm not saying anything to them about this for now.  

What I am going to do is start keeping record of how many hours I have worked each day and then I will calculate the hour rate.  I doubt it's anywhere near where it needs to be.  I hate to waste my time with a cheap company that doesn't pay, but I'm here now, getting the experience, not much of a choice in the matter atm. 

Well, yes there is, I just choose to stick with this a while longer and get this type of tanker down and have no issues with going anywhere, really, and just figuring stuff out at any given plant.  That's what those guys in Oregon do, if they are tasked with a "new" product they haven't done before, they just figure it out, step by step.  

I intend on leaving the yard (my yard) at 9:00 am, which is an hour from now and see what happens.  I've been leaving 3 hours early and that doesn't seem to work too well.  If I were just driving to Lufkin to load, it wouldn't be an issue. But, I'm driving to Nacogdoches to wash out the trailer and then to the plant to load.  If they have an issue with me showing up early at the Lufkin plant, they can tell me and I will alter all of this yet again. It really just depends on how long it takes to wash out the trailer.  

_____________

Well I guess I forgot to post this, got distracted with starting the day and left.  The washout place kept me waiting for 30 minutes and the plant kept me waiting for almost an hour. So, that much time lost into nothingness and getting home that much later.  This truck I'm now driving is a pile of junk and I am going to call them tomorrow and find out how much longer before the pink classic is done.  But, I suspect they'll have to order the parts they said they were going to order and probably didn't.  

Or, that other guy will see it and tell them to give it to him instead.  I'm kind of thinking in the negative because so far, the entire experience has been almost completely negative.  The drivers I have encountered have been the only real exception, most of them are pretty cool guys.