THAT'S HOW IT GOES SOMETIMES

There are some weeks that barely make a ripple in my memory because they go so smoothly. Other weeks seem to have one hindrance after another. This week has been the latter. Yesterday afternoon was mostly spent waiting on a shipper's parking lot. By the time I was assigned the trailer number to hook onto, the sun had already set. My next load's time cushion was getting tighter and tighter. I was having to plan out uncomfortable measures to get that load delivered on time. As I was set to roll, I discovered a flat tire on the trailer. Getting that taken care of cost me another two hours. It had been a pleasant day; nothing got me down, not even this. These circumstances were just another opportunity to shine.

  I drove until 4am, several hours beyond my usual quitting time. My co-driver had far fewer hours available on his 70-hour clock than I did. My plan for getting to the West Coast included details down to the minute. The upcoming load was scheduled very tightly. I communicated our issues to Green Bay, in abundance. We were going to uutilize every resource and grain of intellect that the Creator saw fit to endow me with. This is what I thrive on. Challenge me, world! Arrrr! Arrr! Arrrrr. Pirate testosterone.
  My co-driver delivered our load to a home-improvement store distribution center in Ohio, slightly ahead of schedule. However, they didn't have an empty trailer for us to leave with. So, our company sent us to another customer's yard to find an empty trailer. No luck, there. On to the next place. Yes, we snagged the last one, after waiting in line at the gate for a full hour. JM (my co-driver) hauled axle to Indianapolis with true urgency. He pulled onto the lot, and checked in at the dispatch office. After several minutes, he emerged with a frustrated look on his face. The dispatch clerk told him that the load had been cancelled 3 days ago, and that they no longer utilize our company. In addition, he was given a list of three empty trailers to have our supervisors arrange to remove from their property. He was so spun out by this, that I decided to be the one to break the news to our boss. I suppose that with a company as big as ours, news of these kind of load cancellations might slip through the cracks occasionally.
  Seeing how our 70-hour clock numbers were so lopsided from one another, I proposed that we just take the day off, to achieve a reset. We wouldn't be of much use with him running out of hours tomorrow. I want some high-mileage, sweat-causing loads on my record before we go home for Christmas. So, here I sit, a mile from the company operating center, at the Ramada Hotel. Indianapolis is one of my favorite places to shut down. We get the special Schneider rate of $36/night. This is easily a $105/ night rate for the average traveler. Ohhhh, I do enjoy motels. My little Forest enjoys rented accommodations as much as I do. Both of my boys do, actually. Forest is just the most expressive about it.
   My mother celebrated her (withheld)th birthday today. She had a celebration of it last week, in Oklahoma; and another celebration of it this evening, in Springfield, at Olive Garden. My family, and her brother's family joined her in the occasion this evening. My grandpa was likely there as well; I just report what my wife specifically told me.