Sunday - afternoon

Yesterday, when I arrived at the loading plant, another driver was already there. He was many hours early for his appointment time.  I said nothing to the manager about it, but I contemplated starting the search for another job again.  Today?  I left early, got up there around 8:50 am and guess who was there?  Of course. The driver had showed up at 8:20 am, so he still had quite a while to go before he was going to be done. 

I got fairly pissed at this point and texted the manager about it.  I texted him again and said: "I assume at this point that since Johnny, Phillip and now Jerome can show up whenever they want, I can now start showing up when I please".  

Yeah, he never directly addressed that.  He did call me right after that second text.  I did not get a "no" from him on that second text at all. Instead, he said the driver was supposed to be at the plant at 7:00 am this morning and out of your way.  The manager also acknowledged that he knew that other driver had been at the other plant yesterday at the same time I was supposed to be there.  I mean, from my perch, that just means he not only knows about it, he condones it or at the very least, doesn't say anything to anyone about it.  

You see, tomorrow I have late load. So what happens if I just go out there at  6:20 am, fire up the truck and just head down south? What's he going to say to me?  I'll quit before I get chewed out about something that is going on with fully 3 other drivers who couldn't care less.  I dunno if I'll do it or not, but I'm seriously considering it. Like, get up even earlier, around 4:45 am, get out the door by 5:30 am, out of the park by 5:45 am and down to the washout around 7:15.  8:30 ish to the plant, load and leave and if anyone else shows up, who cares?  Right?  

I'm sure I would hear about it and I'm sure I would dish it right back.  Would he fire me? Anyone can be fired for no reason at all in "at will employment" state where you have no obligation to work for them and they have no obligation to keep you hired.  In other words, no unions.  Well, there are definitely unions in Texas, but I am not a part of the Teamsters and have no desire to be.  I doubt there are Teamster style jobs around here anyway.  Legitimately, he couldn't fire me because everyone else does it and he knows all about it.  But I wouldn't count on it as a given of course and finding another job right now.....yuck.

They go through employees like the changing time of day - not because people are fired, but because drivers quit.  They are constantly hiring for our positions for they know they will need someone to replace someone else who quits.  

Enough of that. It's pretty irritating and I"m a bit agitated right now.  It happens far too often. If it was just once in a while I could deal with it.  

The poverty case still hasn't paid his rent. He claims he still hasn't received his check from the state. I'm giving him until the 1st and then he'll get a 3 day notice replete with trespassing notice and then he will leave my park.  I'm not footing the bill for his AC and everything else he's doing in there that is consuming my resources.  

I'm down 5 guests and about to lose yet another one. Another short term worker, he was here 3 months but is leaving on another assignment.  I don't have any negative reviews and I've been running ads yet I am only getting a little bit of interest here and there. Some guy that doesn't speak english showed up today, but wouldn't come down the driveway.  So how are we supposed to receive him into the park if he won't enter it?  I eventually gave up on him, whatever his deal was, I don't have time for it.  

I have no idea what to do to get people in.  Oh wait, yes I do! I was looking up RV carports today and finally found a video where man had built his own.  Just used 4x4s and then 2x6's on the top and some supporting braces.  He says it cost him under $700.  It looked decent too. Not all gawdy and yucky looking as those metal contraptions. You buy a 40 foot long sheet of shade canopy online after you construct the frame, staple it on there and walaah.  For home made, it looked pretty good and I could do that kind of project pretty easily. Time consuming, but the saving over 5 k and up shade systems would be substantial.  

It would be worth the try to build one and see what happens.  For that much cheaper construction price, I wouldn't have to jack up my lot rent price that much to pay for it.  

How do I know for sure it would attract a new renter? I don't, but for $700 I would definitely risk it.