Friday into Saturday - midnight

Today was an uneventful day, at least trucking-wise, besides one surprise, tho it had nothing to do any driving nightmares such as yesterday. 

You see, yesterday, there was this load I was working on finishing today and then another load for Monday, they were giving me Sunday off and I didn't have to ask for it. If I ask for any day off, even if it's owed me, I end up getting a trash schedule after that for at least 1 or 2 runs worth of afternoon delivery garbage. If I can keep my mouth shut, I hardly get any afternoon runs at all.  

They make you pay for asking for time off.  If I need it off, I'm taking it regardless.  I won't tolerate them giving me 2 afternoon deliveries in a row and they very well know that.  

Well, I get up this morning all groggy. 2 nights in a row I've slept well, but that means feeling icky in the morning for I haven't slept well previous to that so -- they say you never catch up on your sleep, I dunno what happens but whatever it is, it takes a long time to actually feel fully awake.  

Anyway, I look at the tablet and lo and behold, the Monday run is gone.  They don't bother to tell you about it, they just do it and I guess hope you end up seeing it.

Upon arriving at the plant, I went looking for a manager to sign off on the paperwork, there was this dude I hadn't seen in a long time in the office. He's a veteran and really chill (cool) guy.  He's talking to his help and asking whether another load is coming in today, the other guy says yes, there's a 2 o'clock load. 

Oh, well that's it for a week then.  I looked at him, probably funny and interjected, what do you mean?  We are shutting down for a week. It is a scheduled maintenance thing we normally do in November but for whatever reason they are doing it next week.  I know my manager didn't know anything about it for he was handing out loads for Sunday and Monday!

I texted the other driver I'm basically friends with and told him what's going on for they probably didn't tell anyone we are off for a week. He said that makes sense, my load for Sunday (tomorrow) was cancelled.  

Communication is not a thing with this company and also with the plant we deliver to.  They make decisions that directly affect us but don't tell us until the last minute.

Of course, the guy that likes to try and cut me showed up 30 minutes after I did, 4-1/2 hours before his delivery time. I didn't know if he was trying to cut me or not, I don't really care, as long as I'm ahead of him. I have never talked to this person for in my view, he's a total @$$.  I've gone into the details of this driver enough times in this blog, I'm not doing it here. It's getting late.  

Tomorrow is nothing but church, finish laundry in the morning, go to Applebee's, then off to Walmart and then back home to laze around the rest of the afternoon.  Providing I actually have Monday off, I'm going to be working at the park.  I say this because the company will inevitably call me and ask me if I went an Ennis load? I'll say no unless you need me to. They'll say no, we already have a crew that works that load plus other drivers from this division, if you're ok not working, we won't send you anything.

I doubt they'll need me. The truck needs some work so I may go up to Eldo this coming week - get up super early so I can be there close to when the shop opens up and get it done in one day.  It shouldn't take a full day, even, I just know that our shop typically - not always  but typically does a far better job of repairs then regular shops and much faster.  The thing is, it's 2 hours and 45 minutes up there so it's 5-1/2 hours of driving.  I guess I could ask them if I can take it to a local shop. 

The guy at the local shop has working on my truck several times now.  He's not the greatest mechanic on earth, made a huge mistake on one what-should-have-been simple repair but everything else he's done has turned out ok.  That's 10 minutes away.  I could get a ride home if it had to sit there for quite a while. 

Actually hoping they can do without me for a week.  I can get a lot done over at the property.  I had a load of gravel brought out the other day, I need another one. It's $800 per load, btw, it's not cheap.  But, the driveway is mostly dirt covered now, the gravel is buried.  I need to get the portion of it that is next to the park covered up again so there is no more dust flying up every time someone drives up and down it. 

There's a lot of mowing that needs to be done and of course, the project. I'd like to at least get the sewer line done. That's probably a couple days worth of work.  

Ugh, it's 12:15 am, I'm going to sleep. 

Saturday - early

There is one thing that saved me: There was no oncoming traffic in the opposite heading lanes. 

Approaching a certain intersection that is usually never that busy and is a interchange between the Interstate and a state highway is something you take cautiously. There are a lot of accidents there for a few reasons. People in a hurry is one of them.

Turns some distance approaching the bridge makes it necessary for traffic coming off of the interstate to stop and really look both ways - which people apparently don't do often-time.

The bridge is also perched up high and you really can't see the other side of it until  you are up on it. 

The speed limit is 60 mph, there are no lights there, just stop signs for the Interstate traffic getting off of the Interstate.  

I am approaching this thing yesterday morning.  I'm watching - rather intently.  It's dark, good visibility tho, there's those lights on those very tall poles - like 150 feet high? on both sides.  

A vehicle pulls out as I'm approaching, I'm in the right lane, they get into the passing lane.  This happens alot, I don't like it but it's not inherently dangerous so long as that other driver STAYS in that lane.  

Then a Penske truck pulls up. I'm too close for it to pull out so, tho I'm watching it, I'm thinking: surely this person isn't that stupid as to pull out of there now. 

I thought wrong. This driver not only pulled out - the other side of the freeway turning left into my lanes - but he didn't turn, he was going straight across.

All I see was a big box, this was a 28 footer - with the words Penske on it. There's a lot of thoughts that go through your head when you think you're going to die.  

It goes through your head quickly, almost instantaneously.  Like a computer type of speed.  What a way to go out of this life. Can I somehow get out of this? What can I do?  The only option to salvage this was to dive that tractor trailer rig into oncoming traffic lanes and hope beyond all hope that he clears it fast enough.  

Yup, I was clear over the other side of the highway, this dumb@$$ realizes his stupidity and guns it and fortunately, that truck had enough get up and go to get  out of my way just in the nick of time. If there had been any traffic coming, I wouldn't be sitting here right now typing this. I would either be in a hospital or I would be dead.  I wouldn't have smashed head on into oncoming traffic, that's not fair to those people who have nothing to do with this and also, a T bone is bad but not as bad as a head on collision.

Although nothing that bad happened after that yesterday, driving was insanity.  I don't know if it's a Friday type of mentality or what, but there was so much risk tasking and ridiculous moves people were engaging in, I just wanted to go back to the yard park the truck and go home. 

I didn't, of course.  I loaded the truck and went back to the yard and right now, about to leave for work.

G'day