"keep rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin'..." Limp Bizkit, Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)
I've been doing this Iowa route now for about a year, year and a half. It's hard to remember.
They've changed things around on me quite a bit; adding stores, pickups, now we're losing a
customer, which means they're changing it around again, making it a two instead of three-day
run. My first day will be basically the same: six company-owned pizza stores out in the west-northwest burbs, ending up in Rockford. I can usually get 'em all done in 12 hours or so, sometimes more or less, depending on the volume of product ordered. These managers at the company stores, I wonder about them sometimes. I'll walk in, and they have stuff (flour, for example) stacked to the ceiling, yet they've ordered 35 or 40 more. WTF? But I try not to ask too many questions. Once, though, I delivered 140 bales of flour to this one store - they really pissed me off that week. And see, some of the stores get 2 deliveries a week, so, I dunno, just
idiotic behavior, I guess. The company stores (unlike the franchises) don't care, because they're not paying for anything, so they just order as much as they want, and nobody even raises an eyebrow.
Anyway, I'm shut down in Rockford for quite a while. See, if I start Monday night at 11:00 or so,
I'm done and at the truckstop by 10:30-11:00 Tuesday morning. Shit, I don't have to be in Dubuque till 8:00 Wednesday morning. So, it's about 17 hours or so in the sleeper. My bosses
were giving me a hard time about all the "idle time" (they're constantly worrying about "truck utilization"). But there's nothing I can do about it; these stores (most of which are in strip malls, etc.) have to be delivered in the middle of the night, otherwise you can't get to them. Hell, I wouldn't mind starting at 7:30 Tuesday morning, but there's all kinds of problems associated with that, not the least of which is the traffic on 294. Besides, I'd rather get in and out, without these $10/hour pizza store managers telling me what to do - I don't play that game. We're given the keys/alarm codes (if applicable) and bam! we do our thing and go. No problem. So, I get to the truckstop and eat, maybe take a nap, wake up, read, listen to tunes, whatever, then get ready for my "real sleep" about 7:30-8:00 Tuesday night. I take a "daddy's little helper" then
try to sleep (it's difficult for me to sleep in these damn trucks, especially when you have a loud reefer unit going off every 10-15 minutes) But the alternative is a motel room; well, they don't reimburse you as much as they used to, first off. Secondly, finding a place with truck parking ain't always easy. Third, there's no guarantee I'm gonna sleep any better anyway, and last, if there's a problem with the truck/trailer, I don't find out about it till the next morning. I remember going to a motel in Waterloo in the middle of winter one time, came back out, and the truck barely started. So I stay with the truck; I figure it's the lesser of two evils, plus, even though I rail at truckers, I feel like I belong.
I'm off to Dubuque about 5:00am Wed. - it's only a couple hours drive from Rockford, but I like to allow extra time, just in case. The twisting, turning, rising, falling trip on US20 can do some funny things to your load, so I'm always aware of how sharp my turns are (especially lefts). If the warehouse idiots haven't bothered to strap down the load properly, you have to figure out a way to secure the load (borrow a strap, lash two pallets together, etc.). I usually don't
go too much faster than 55 on my way out there (maybe 60). The traffic all seems to be coming the other direction anyway. So I usually get to Galena about 6:30 or so. There's a McDonald's there with truck parking. It's a good place to stop, check the load, grab a cup of Joe, etc. Then, having timed it out over the past year or so, I take off for Dubuque about 7:20 - that get's me to Charlie's (not his real name) parking lot about 7:45. Charlie is a franchisee, and because he knows people in the corporate office, he is treated with a LOT of respect. You must be there before 8:00 when he opens his back door; if not, a phone call to corporate. If his stuff is really f'ed up, a phone call to corporate. If you are not polite, etc., a phone call to corporate. He is actually a very nice guy, but he's a businessman, so his deliveries need to be on time and in decent shape, ya know? His delivery takes 45min -an hour, then I have a smaller delivery in Dubuque, then I'm off to the Hinterlands of Iowa (Bumble-whaa?).
Actually, from Dubuque, I go to either Cedar Rapids or Waterloo (frozen yogurt stores, they alternate weeks), then Marshalltown, then Des Moines, and I'm done. Of course, they would throw in these "specials," so that would foul things up as far as my schedule goes (I'll tell you what those are some day, as this blog nears it's end). It wasn't always that way: I used to have to go pick up pepperoni/frozen meats out there at a frozen storage warehouse (I won't mention the name of the company, but it's pretty much a household name).
That could wind up taking hours: the order might not be ready, no open door, shift change, any number of things could delay you. Once you were given a "hole", you backed in, dropped the trailer, and set the reefer at whatever temp they told you. In summer, we were told to "pre-cool" the trailer, just like when picking up cheese in WI. Then you waited. Those who had CB's tuned in to channel whatever; me, I just looked for the green light. Back in, hook up, go get your paperwork, stop at the guardhouse, then you were gone. I almost always had prepass, so I didn't worry too much about scaling the load. One of the senior drivers once told me that, on a 45-foot trailer, if you set the tandems 7 holes from the front (by the tires), you'd scale out perfect every time. So, I'd try to do that once I was empty, and you know what? It worked!
Anyway, they changed meat suppliers several months back, so I haven't had to pick that stuff up for a while, now. I remember I'd try to make it to the World's Largest Truckstop in Walcott, IA on my way back (before I ran out of time - I really liked the place). Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. Of course, I had my favorite waitress I'd always see over there. What a cutie!
There's been another one I've been "perving on" lately, but she's another chapter. I'll write more about Iowa next time...
More soon,
Steve
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Tidbits
"If you have the space, take it!" - old truck driver's axiom
The above saying was relayed to be by one of our veteran drivers, who had heard it from an
old-timer, I guess. But isn't it true? Not a working day goes by when I don't think about this
simple phrase. I mean, it could be just pulling onto the shoulder a little to let an oversized load pass as your driving down the road, or using that empty left-turn lane as you make your right
turn in the city. Anyway, the following post (maybe more than one) are just bits & pieces that
don't fall into any particular category.
Here are some words/phrases/sayings I think to myself, or even say out loud while I'm driving:
"Any big dogs in the chute?" - Any big trucks coming down the entrance ramp (always look out for that)
"Put some giddyup on it!" - Usually I'm hollering this out to some four-wheeler I'm stuck behind (tip of the hat to Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, White Sox announcer). A related phrase is "Don't make me run this truck up yer ass!"
If I get behind someone, and I'm close, I'll say "I ain't gonna hit ya, I might cuss ya out a little, but..." or, "Not in your wildest dreams..." (Although I did almost hit some guy the other day, who couldn't decide whether or not to make a right turn)
Another one is "Kick it in the ass!" - speed up
"Break it down!" - step on the brakes
"Neighbor" - trucks next to/around me at the truckstop ("Howdy neighbor!")
"Guy wants to 'grow a pair'" - when you're trying to pass someone, and he/she all of a sudden speeds up so you can't pass, and have to duck in behind 'em.
Here's one I say as I'm backing into a spot: "Easy there, Stevie square..." it rhymes, ya know?
I always say this one as I see big trucks coming up fast from behind to pass me "Bring it on, muthafucka!"
There are some generic cuss words/names I holler at people(idiot drivers-I don't know how you can even refer to them as "people" sometimes, 4-wheelers and truckers alike) when they're doing something stupid:
"ass-wipe"
"Shit-for-brains" (my personal fave)
"shitwit"
"numbnuts"
"fucknuts"
"dumbass"
"fuckin' moron"
"fucking idiot"
"bitch-ass motherfucker" (tip of the hat to Xzibit, on Limp Bizkit's Getcha Groove On)
Those are the main ones I use, and I must say I'm using them more and more often, so you people must be driving worse and worse these days (tisk, tisk).
There are a few descriptions
of drivers from certain areas that I'll also use:
Wisconsin drivers: "Cheese-dicks"
Southern drivers: besides the obvious "redneck," "hillbilly," etc., I also like "shit-kicker," it's a
good, all-around descriptive phrase.
Farmers: "Shit-Farmers," or "Dirt-Farmers". Hey, I give farmers a hard time, but I realize what they do is not easy, so I really do appreciate them.
Of course, I've already mentioned "Fuckin' Hoosiers"
Here's another one I holler out at 4-wheelers who are obviously starved for attention:
"I'm scared of you!" (NOT!)
Anyway, those are just a few that I can come up with off the top of my head. I'll have more "Tidbits" in future postings. If you have any favorite sayings, please share them in the "Comments" section of this blog.
More soon,
Steve
The above saying was relayed to be by one of our veteran drivers, who had heard it from an
old-timer, I guess. But isn't it true? Not a working day goes by when I don't think about this
simple phrase. I mean, it could be just pulling onto the shoulder a little to let an oversized load pass as your driving down the road, or using that empty left-turn lane as you make your right
turn in the city. Anyway, the following post (maybe more than one) are just bits & pieces that
don't fall into any particular category.
Here are some words/phrases/sayings I think to myself, or even say out loud while I'm driving:
"Any big dogs in the chute?" - Any big trucks coming down the entrance ramp (always look out for that)
"Put some giddyup on it!" - Usually I'm hollering this out to some four-wheeler I'm stuck behind (tip of the hat to Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, White Sox announcer). A related phrase is "Don't make me run this truck up yer ass!"
If I get behind someone, and I'm close, I'll say "I ain't gonna hit ya, I might cuss ya out a little, but..." or, "Not in your wildest dreams..." (Although I did almost hit some guy the other day, who couldn't decide whether or not to make a right turn)
Another one is "Kick it in the ass!" - speed up
"Break it down!" - step on the brakes
"Neighbor" - trucks next to/around me at the truckstop ("Howdy neighbor!")
"Guy wants to 'grow a pair'" - when you're trying to pass someone, and he/she all of a sudden speeds up so you can't pass, and have to duck in behind 'em.
Here's one I say as I'm backing into a spot: "Easy there, Stevie square..." it rhymes, ya know?
I always say this one as I see big trucks coming up fast from behind to pass me "Bring it on, muthafucka!"
There are some generic cuss words/names I holler at people(idiot drivers-I don't know how you can even refer to them as "people" sometimes, 4-wheelers and truckers alike) when they're doing something stupid:
"ass-wipe"
"Shit-for-brains" (my personal fave)
"shitwit"
"numbnuts"
"fucknuts"
"dumbass"
"fuckin' moron"
"fucking idiot"
"bitch-ass motherfucker" (tip of the hat to Xzibit, on Limp Bizkit's Getcha Groove On)
Those are the main ones I use, and I must say I'm using them more and more often, so you people must be driving worse and worse these days (tisk, tisk).
There are a few descriptions
of drivers from certain areas that I'll also use:
Wisconsin drivers: "Cheese-dicks"
Southern drivers: besides the obvious "redneck," "hillbilly," etc., I also like "shit-kicker," it's a
good, all-around descriptive phrase.
Farmers: "Shit-Farmers," or "Dirt-Farmers". Hey, I give farmers a hard time, but I realize what they do is not easy, so I really do appreciate them.
Of course, I've already mentioned "Fuckin' Hoosiers"
Here's another one I holler out at 4-wheelers who are obviously starved for attention:
"I'm scared of you!" (NOT!)
Anyway, those are just a few that I can come up with off the top of my head. I'll have more "Tidbits" in future postings. If you have any favorite sayings, please share them in the "Comments" section of this blog.
More soon,
Steve
Monday, March 5, 2007
Tuneage
"I'm just a crazy motherfucker, livin' it up, not giving a fuck, livin' life in the fast lane..."
Limp Bizkit - "Livin' it Up"
As you can probably guess, Limp Bizkit is my favorite band. I've really been into them for the last year, year and a half or so (new album in '07?). I'm the kind of guy who needs his music when he rides, ya know? And now, with the newer trucks (moving into the 21st century) that have CD players instead of just cassette players, I can bring my favorite CD's with and play them when I want. Some drivers prefer to drive in silence, or have their CB radios on so they can chatter (about nothing most of the time), others are content to listen to the regular radio (you can tell who's had the truck before you by turning on the radio - if it's an R&B station, chances are a black guy had it, etc.- not always). Still others, the lucky ones, have satellite radios
(maybe they're not so lucky, since they probably had to pay for it). But me, when I climb into my truck at midnite or 2:00 in the morning, I need something that's going to kick me right in the nuts, really get me going.
Yeah, I realize that my phone or my Nextel could be ringing, someone trying to reach me (why anyone would be calling in the middle of the night is beyond me), but I guess they'll just have to wait till the song is done. I remember when I used to drive to Grand Rapids in the old Volvos,
they only had cassette players, so I would bring my old classic rock tapes, which I had taped from the albums years ago. You know, Geneseis, Yes, Led Zeppelin, etc. I also had (and still have) several mix tapes, with some of my favorite tunes on them. It's funny, just within the past couple of years, I've moved away from the "classic rock" genre. Sure, I'll always stop and listen to a great Led Zeppelin song, or Pink Floyd, but I can't listen to those radio stations any more; I mean there's only so much Boston, or AC/DC that I can handle, no offense to anyone. So, I've
started getting more into "alternative" music, from the late '80's on. Bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, STP, Soundgarden, et al. And I like some of the newer bands as well, like Nickleback, Crossfade, Three Doors Down, Blue October, etc.
Actually, my musical tastes run the whole gambit: my dad was really into classical, so I became a nut for Mozart during the mid '80's, around the time the movie Amadeus was released.
Because I played trombone in high school and college, I got into jazz and it's offshoots early on
as well. So I'll bend my ear when a tune from Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, or Earth, Wind & Fire comes on the radio. I also really enjoy blues, R&B, even some country (although I prefer artists who are on the fringes of country, like Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Smith, even Shania Twain and
Faith Hill). I can handle just bits and pieces of rap (Cypress Hill, some Snoop Dogg, some Ice Cube, etc), but can't get into the really intense "gangsta" stuff.
I guess that's why I dig Limp Bizkit so much; they are multi-dimensional: mainly hard, "in your face" rock, but with some rap, some really sweet ballads, etc. thrown in there. I know other bands claim to be in the same genre (Korn, Linkin Park, etc.), but I think LB does it best - just my opinion. I'm no music critic, but I know what I like. To me, music falls into one of two categories: good or bad. But I remember my high school English teacher saying this: "All art is subjective." In other words, you can't say something is "good" or "bad" only that you like or don't like it. Some may not care for Mozart Symphonies, or Picasso paintings (they're morons),
while most of us love them. So "one man's trash is another man's treasure," I suppose.
It's funny - what's a 44 year-old doing listening to this kind of music? Am I trying to re-capture
my youth? Mid-age crisis? Maybe, I dunno. I just recently took my daughter to a concert in
Chicago, where the headlining band was Jack's Mannequin, with 3 (yes, I said three) opening
bands. I must have been one of about three people there over the age of, say 25. And we stood for 5 hours and, while all the bands were good (Jack's Mannequin is excellent), I was really feeling my age that night and a couple of days afterward. I mean, when there's a mosh pit going on twenty feet away from you, at my age, you know something just ain't right. My ears are still ringing, I think.
Despite all my other tastes, when it comes down "to it," I'm a rocker at heart. In fact, I love pulling into the truckstop, especially during the warmer months, so I can have my windows rolled down, just blasting "Gimme the Mic," or "Rollin" by Limp Bizkit, or some other kick-ass
tune, and watching the reaction I get from all the hillbillies ("That ain't no Hank Williams song!"
from The Blues Brothers) I laugh my ass off.
My other favorite CD these days is "Everything is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour"
Awesome CD, awesome band - Vernon Reid is a fucking incredible guitar player. Being a frustrated guitarist myself, I really appreciate good guitarists, guys like Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Alex Lifeson, the aforementioned Mr. Reid, et al. There are too many of them to list here, but I think you know what I mean. Jimi Hendrix probably influenced all of them, ya know? So, I'll bring my Limp Bizkit, Stain'd, Living Colour, Pearl Jam, etc. all with me on the road, and I play them usually at the same points in my route every week - I'm a strange cookie. Then I have to have my mellow stuff for the end of the day, when I need to relax (Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Smith, Blue October, etc.) Heck, I'll even listen to my Beatles (still my favorite band of all time) CD's when I'm in the mood. There you have it - a reformed classic rocker!
More soon,
Steve
Limp Bizkit - "Livin' it Up"
As you can probably guess, Limp Bizkit is my favorite band. I've really been into them for the last year, year and a half or so (new album in '07?). I'm the kind of guy who needs his music when he rides, ya know? And now, with the newer trucks (moving into the 21st century) that have CD players instead of just cassette players, I can bring my favorite CD's with and play them when I want. Some drivers prefer to drive in silence, or have their CB radios on so they can chatter (about nothing most of the time), others are content to listen to the regular radio (you can tell who's had the truck before you by turning on the radio - if it's an R&B station, chances are a black guy had it, etc.- not always). Still others, the lucky ones, have satellite radios
(maybe they're not so lucky, since they probably had to pay for it). But me, when I climb into my truck at midnite or 2:00 in the morning, I need something that's going to kick me right in the nuts, really get me going.
Yeah, I realize that my phone or my Nextel could be ringing, someone trying to reach me (why anyone would be calling in the middle of the night is beyond me), but I guess they'll just have to wait till the song is done. I remember when I used to drive to Grand Rapids in the old Volvos,
they only had cassette players, so I would bring my old classic rock tapes, which I had taped from the albums years ago. You know, Geneseis, Yes, Led Zeppelin, etc. I also had (and still have) several mix tapes, with some of my favorite tunes on them. It's funny, just within the past couple of years, I've moved away from the "classic rock" genre. Sure, I'll always stop and listen to a great Led Zeppelin song, or Pink Floyd, but I can't listen to those radio stations any more; I mean there's only so much Boston, or AC/DC that I can handle, no offense to anyone. So, I've
started getting more into "alternative" music, from the late '80's on. Bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, STP, Soundgarden, et al. And I like some of the newer bands as well, like Nickleback, Crossfade, Three Doors Down, Blue October, etc.
Actually, my musical tastes run the whole gambit: my dad was really into classical, so I became a nut for Mozart during the mid '80's, around the time the movie Amadeus was released.
Because I played trombone in high school and college, I got into jazz and it's offshoots early on
as well. So I'll bend my ear when a tune from Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, or Earth, Wind & Fire comes on the radio. I also really enjoy blues, R&B, even some country (although I prefer artists who are on the fringes of country, like Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Smith, even Shania Twain and
Faith Hill). I can handle just bits and pieces of rap (Cypress Hill, some Snoop Dogg, some Ice Cube, etc), but can't get into the really intense "gangsta" stuff.
I guess that's why I dig Limp Bizkit so much; they are multi-dimensional: mainly hard, "in your face" rock, but with some rap, some really sweet ballads, etc. thrown in there. I know other bands claim to be in the same genre (Korn, Linkin Park, etc.), but I think LB does it best - just my opinion. I'm no music critic, but I know what I like. To me, music falls into one of two categories: good or bad. But I remember my high school English teacher saying this: "All art is subjective." In other words, you can't say something is "good" or "bad" only that you like or don't like it. Some may not care for Mozart Symphonies, or Picasso paintings (they're morons),
while most of us love them. So "one man's trash is another man's treasure," I suppose.
It's funny - what's a 44 year-old doing listening to this kind of music? Am I trying to re-capture
my youth? Mid-age crisis? Maybe, I dunno. I just recently took my daughter to a concert in
Chicago, where the headlining band was Jack's Mannequin, with 3 (yes, I said three) opening
bands. I must have been one of about three people there over the age of, say 25. And we stood for 5 hours and, while all the bands were good (Jack's Mannequin is excellent), I was really feeling my age that night and a couple of days afterward. I mean, when there's a mosh pit going on twenty feet away from you, at my age, you know something just ain't right. My ears are still ringing, I think.
Despite all my other tastes, when it comes down "to it," I'm a rocker at heart. In fact, I love pulling into the truckstop, especially during the warmer months, so I can have my windows rolled down, just blasting "Gimme the Mic," or "Rollin" by Limp Bizkit, or some other kick-ass
tune, and watching the reaction I get from all the hillbillies ("That ain't no Hank Williams song!"
from The Blues Brothers) I laugh my ass off.
My other favorite CD these days is "Everything is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour"
Awesome CD, awesome band - Vernon Reid is a fucking incredible guitar player. Being a frustrated guitarist myself, I really appreciate good guitarists, guys like Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Alex Lifeson, the aforementioned Mr. Reid, et al. There are too many of them to list here, but I think you know what I mean. Jimi Hendrix probably influenced all of them, ya know? So, I'll bring my Limp Bizkit, Stain'd, Living Colour, Pearl Jam, etc. all with me on the road, and I play them usually at the same points in my route every week - I'm a strange cookie. Then I have to have my mellow stuff for the end of the day, when I need to relax (Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Smith, Blue October, etc.) Heck, I'll even listen to my Beatles (still my favorite band of all time) CD's when I'm in the mood. There you have it - a reformed classic rocker!
More soon,
Steve
Monday, February 26, 2007
Reefer Madness
"Light up, everybody! Join us in this celebration..." - Styx
Yeah, so, let me share with you my thoughts about reefers (refrigerated units). They're obviously a big part of the Food Service business. Naturally, customers would like to receive their refrigerated and frozen product at the proper temperature. Trouble is, it doesn't always happen like that. For you drivers who don't have to deal with them on a regular basis, let me just say "Congrats!" Also to guys/gals who just linehaul stuff from one warehouse to another, ya know, that's not terribly difficult. You just set your reefer to a particular temperature, put it on "start/stop" and go. However, for us poor bastards who have to really deal with them on a regular, continual basis, it can be kinda stressful. See, if you have nice new equipment, again, no biggie. But my company run these old ass trailers that are constantly breaking down - THAT'S
where the stress comes in. As a driver, I used to actually "care" about the customers getting their product in decent shape. Not any more. There is too much else for me to worry about out there these days; so, if the product comes in "f - ed up," oh well, at least ya got it, right? I've had sooo many problems with these things in the past, I can't even count them all - so I'll just relate a couple of them to you here.
This is what's supposed to happen: warehouse loads the frozen product into the nose of the trailer, hopefully leaving the side freezer door exposed. Often times they'll throw extra dry pieces in there they don't know what else to do with (flour, pizza boxes, etc.). That makes my
job more difficult because I have to either work around that stuff, or, more often than not, unload it first. Anyway, they (warehouse) then are supposed to put up a bulkhead (a plastic
"wall" that can be moved around inside the trailer, and which has a "door"), strap that puppy in place, then load the cooler product in the middle, another bulkhead, then the dry on the ass end.
The cooler, or "second" compartment, has a second cooling unit on the ceiling of the trailer, which can be separately turned on/off at the control panel outside. The freezer "main" unit is the important one, because if that ain't working, yer screwed. You can get by without the cooler compartment operating (just that in winter time the "fresh" veggies freeze - happens more than I care to admit), in fact sometimes you have to shut the second unit down, because it's preventing the thing from cycling properly. But I digress. The warehouse guy is then supposed to come outside, set both compartment temps, and wait there, making sure the unit is operating properly. Needless to say, this doesn't happen very often. Sometimes they just turn the thing on and walk away, or they'll set the wrong temp, or...I can't tell you how many times I've pulled up and seen either a reefer "raging" (running non-stop), or else not running at all. It blows my mind how some of these guys keep their jobs (I could go on and on about warehouse and their
screwed-up policies, behaviors, etc. - maybe in a future posting). You can set the reefer to either
run "continuously" or "start/stop" where the thing is supposed to "cycle." Cycling just means that when the "set point" is reached, the unit shuts off automatically, until the temperature climbs up to a pre-set level, where the unit then kicks in again. It's like your thermostat at home, just with two separate compartments. And it's supposed to run like that until you shut it off. The older units have a difficult time maintaining setpoints, especially in the warmer weather. They set the freezer at -4 degrees, and the cooler around 36 or so. The minus four I have a hard time with, unless you're hauling frozen yogurt and ice cream, which I can then understand (they sometimes have these thermal "boxes" to put the ice cream in, and put dry ice in a compartment inside the box - the boxes stand 6' tall, about 4' wide, and about 4' deep).
But for frozen meats and stuff, I've found that raising the temperature to 0 degrees often makes the unit run better - not as much stress, you know? Heck, I've even gone as high as 5-10 degrees, without any worries at all. My main concern is that the unit is running; only then do I
concern myself about whether it's cycling properly. Hey, as long as there's fuel in the reefer tank, it cool (no pun intended). But that's another area of concern: if you arrive for work, and you're doing a two or three-day route, and there's 1/2 tank of reefer fuel or less, then you know you're gonna have to make an extra stop for reefer fuel (that pisses me off).
I remember once being out in Iowa, and I had finished up for the day - I was shut down by Waterloo. So it's about 1:30 in the afternoon, and I go into the truckstop to have lunch. When I returned, the reefer was completely dead. I mean I tried EVERYTHING! No luck. So, I got on the phone and called her in. First, the leasing company sent out a local guy, who looked at it, then admitted to me he had no experience with this particular kind of unit. So I called again.
Basically, the only service centers were in Dubuque or Des Moines, and I'm halfway in between. They sent a guy from Des Moines. Now, understand this is like June, it's 75 degrees outside, and all my shit is melting. You could just see the water dripping out. Plus, I'm supposed to be resting, not babysitting this fucking thing. Anyway, the guy gets there about 7pm, diagnoses the problem (it was a switch or something) is there for an hour and leaves. But I'm a mess - you know, worrying about the cheese and the meat thawing out and everything. But I said absolutely nothing to my customers the next day. What they don't know (wont?) hurt them.
The other one that stands out in my mind was also up in Iowa - I had mad a delivery up in Charles City, and had stopped at the motel for the night. This was earlier in my career, so I was pretty "green" when it comes to these things. I remember I had stopped at the leasing co. maintenance shop, and the guy had looked at the reefer for some minor problem. Little did I know, he had switched the unit to run "continuously" without telling me. Now, a more seasoned driver would have caught this, but...So, I get to the motel, there's 5/8 tank of fuel, no problem, right? I go out the next morning, DEAD! The thing is out of fuel! So, I quick run down to Waterloo, and go to the nearest service center. They fucked around with that thing for hours; they had to prime the unit, ya know, and everything. I'm sitting there watching, and calling in to my guys, so they can tell the customers why I'm half a day late. I think they actually charged me with an accident (which they said they can do - "it's your job to make sure there's enough fuel, etc." BULLSHIT!)
Those are just two out of MANY incidents (most aren't that serious) in my experiences with reefers. If you're lucky, there's a service center in the general vicinity you can go to, if it's a serious problem. Sometimes, just shutting it off, and re-starting it will do the trick. You kind of learn how these things actually operate, without really knowing the mechanics, by experience, and by talking to the guys who work on them. I mean, the main unit is basically a diesel
motor with freon and a thermostat. It operates just like a regular diesel engine (battery, alternator, ignition, etc.). Not that I'm any expert on diesel engines, lol.
More soon,
Steve
Yeah, so, let me share with you my thoughts about reefers (refrigerated units). They're obviously a big part of the Food Service business. Naturally, customers would like to receive their refrigerated and frozen product at the proper temperature. Trouble is, it doesn't always happen like that. For you drivers who don't have to deal with them on a regular basis, let me just say "Congrats!" Also to guys/gals who just linehaul stuff from one warehouse to another, ya know, that's not terribly difficult. You just set your reefer to a particular temperature, put it on "start/stop" and go. However, for us poor bastards who have to really deal with them on a regular, continual basis, it can be kinda stressful. See, if you have nice new equipment, again, no biggie. But my company run these old ass trailers that are constantly breaking down - THAT'S
where the stress comes in. As a driver, I used to actually "care" about the customers getting their product in decent shape. Not any more. There is too much else for me to worry about out there these days; so, if the product comes in "f - ed up," oh well, at least ya got it, right? I've had sooo many problems with these things in the past, I can't even count them all - so I'll just relate a couple of them to you here.
This is what's supposed to happen: warehouse loads the frozen product into the nose of the trailer, hopefully leaving the side freezer door exposed. Often times they'll throw extra dry pieces in there they don't know what else to do with (flour, pizza boxes, etc.). That makes my
job more difficult because I have to either work around that stuff, or, more often than not, unload it first. Anyway, they (warehouse) then are supposed to put up a bulkhead (a plastic
"wall" that can be moved around inside the trailer, and which has a "door"), strap that puppy in place, then load the cooler product in the middle, another bulkhead, then the dry on the ass end.
The cooler, or "second" compartment, has a second cooling unit on the ceiling of the trailer, which can be separately turned on/off at the control panel outside. The freezer "main" unit is the important one, because if that ain't working, yer screwed. You can get by without the cooler compartment operating (just that in winter time the "fresh" veggies freeze - happens more than I care to admit), in fact sometimes you have to shut the second unit down, because it's preventing the thing from cycling properly. But I digress. The warehouse guy is then supposed to come outside, set both compartment temps, and wait there, making sure the unit is operating properly. Needless to say, this doesn't happen very often. Sometimes they just turn the thing on and walk away, or they'll set the wrong temp, or...I can't tell you how many times I've pulled up and seen either a reefer "raging" (running non-stop), or else not running at all. It blows my mind how some of these guys keep their jobs (I could go on and on about warehouse and their
screwed-up policies, behaviors, etc. - maybe in a future posting). You can set the reefer to either
run "continuously" or "start/stop" where the thing is supposed to "cycle." Cycling just means that when the "set point" is reached, the unit shuts off automatically, until the temperature climbs up to a pre-set level, where the unit then kicks in again. It's like your thermostat at home, just with two separate compartments. And it's supposed to run like that until you shut it off. The older units have a difficult time maintaining setpoints, especially in the warmer weather. They set the freezer at -4 degrees, and the cooler around 36 or so. The minus four I have a hard time with, unless you're hauling frozen yogurt and ice cream, which I can then understand (they sometimes have these thermal "boxes" to put the ice cream in, and put dry ice in a compartment inside the box - the boxes stand 6' tall, about 4' wide, and about 4' deep).
But for frozen meats and stuff, I've found that raising the temperature to 0 degrees often makes the unit run better - not as much stress, you know? Heck, I've even gone as high as 5-10 degrees, without any worries at all. My main concern is that the unit is running; only then do I
concern myself about whether it's cycling properly. Hey, as long as there's fuel in the reefer tank, it cool (no pun intended). But that's another area of concern: if you arrive for work, and you're doing a two or three-day route, and there's 1/2 tank of reefer fuel or less, then you know you're gonna have to make an extra stop for reefer fuel (that pisses me off).
I remember once being out in Iowa, and I had finished up for the day - I was shut down by Waterloo. So it's about 1:30 in the afternoon, and I go into the truckstop to have lunch. When I returned, the reefer was completely dead. I mean I tried EVERYTHING! No luck. So, I got on the phone and called her in. First, the leasing company sent out a local guy, who looked at it, then admitted to me he had no experience with this particular kind of unit. So I called again.
Basically, the only service centers were in Dubuque or Des Moines, and I'm halfway in between. They sent a guy from Des Moines. Now, understand this is like June, it's 75 degrees outside, and all my shit is melting. You could just see the water dripping out. Plus, I'm supposed to be resting, not babysitting this fucking thing. Anyway, the guy gets there about 7pm, diagnoses the problem (it was a switch or something) is there for an hour and leaves. But I'm a mess - you know, worrying about the cheese and the meat thawing out and everything. But I said absolutely nothing to my customers the next day. What they don't know (wont?) hurt them.
The other one that stands out in my mind was also up in Iowa - I had mad a delivery up in Charles City, and had stopped at the motel for the night. This was earlier in my career, so I was pretty "green" when it comes to these things. I remember I had stopped at the leasing co. maintenance shop, and the guy had looked at the reefer for some minor problem. Little did I know, he had switched the unit to run "continuously" without telling me. Now, a more seasoned driver would have caught this, but...So, I get to the motel, there's 5/8 tank of fuel, no problem, right? I go out the next morning, DEAD! The thing is out of fuel! So, I quick run down to Waterloo, and go to the nearest service center. They fucked around with that thing for hours; they had to prime the unit, ya know, and everything. I'm sitting there watching, and calling in to my guys, so they can tell the customers why I'm half a day late. I think they actually charged me with an accident (which they said they can do - "it's your job to make sure there's enough fuel, etc." BULLSHIT!)
Those are just two out of MANY incidents (most aren't that serious) in my experiences with reefers. If you're lucky, there's a service center in the general vicinity you can go to, if it's a serious problem. Sometimes, just shutting it off, and re-starting it will do the trick. You kind of learn how these things actually operate, without really knowing the mechanics, by experience, and by talking to the guys who work on them. I mean, the main unit is basically a diesel
motor with freon and a thermostat. It operates just like a regular diesel engine (battery, alternator, ignition, etc.). Not that I'm any expert on diesel engines, lol.
More soon,
Steve
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Back in the Saddle
"I'm back in the saddle again..." - Aerosmith
After four months of basically nightmarish trucking work, I decided to come back to the lesser
of the evils. Sure, I could have explored other "types" of trucking (and there are many), but I
chose to go back to the familiar, the comfortable. See, despite the "back-breaking" nature of this type of work, actually knowing where you're going every week is something very comforting. I
can't speak for other truck drivers out there, but my biggest fear while driving (besides a major accident) is getting lost. That was another headache with the P&D company: we were just given
addresses, no real directions, so we had to find the general location on our atlas, then just hope
the place is/was in the vicinity. Sometimes you could call the dispatcher, who, if he/she didn't know the location, could call the customer for you and get directions. But that's a real pain in the ass, you know? And, to be more efficient, you're trying to do all this while driving - not the safest situation in the world. At least in the foodservice joint, you know where the stores are, or have written directions to each location if you don't.
The other advantage to being in food service (and I've mentioned this before) is that much
of our work is done in the wee hours of the night/morning, so you don't have to deal with a million people on the roads. Sometimes coming back from the north shore to the southwest side at 6:00 - 7:00 in the evening was a complete nightmare. Those of you who have driven in and around Chicago can attest. I mean, the Edens southbound, to the Kennedy southbound, to the Stevenson southbound could sometimes take an hour and a half or more. Many, many cursewords would be flying out of my mouth as I witnessed one idiotic maneuver after another.
So I came back. My boss, Frank (not his real name) was able to get me a decent returning salary, but as far as seniority was concerned, I had to start at the bottom. That meant that
there were guys that I trained who were ahead of me on the "totem pole." Nothing I could do about it. I wasn't the only one who "came back," either; several guys were in the same boat (at different times) and, like me, discovered the grass wasn't greener on the other side. Hey, as long as you left the company on good terms (gave 2 weeks notice, etc.), they were happy to have you back. With a serious driver shortage approaching, guys who knew the system and the products were invaluable.
The other nice thing about coming back was that they had finally established some new leases
for some brand-new trucks and trailers; nice, new Freightliner and Volvo trucks (by different
leasing companies) and new 48' trailers with the company logo on the side. I actually noticed the new equipment four months before as I was leaving the company. Now I was able to operate the new trucks/trailers with a much lessened fear of breakdowns. It's a nice feeling to know your chances of a mechanical failure are diminished because you have some decent equipment!
The trucks were all 10-speeds; the Volvos acted a bit differently than the Freightliners, but you
learned to adapt to whatever truck you had. Probably the nicest thing was that the new trailers
had functioning interior lights, so you could see what the hell you were doing in the middle of the night, not to mention the reefers. I'll talk in detail about reefers in an upcoming post, so stay with me. The 48-footers were not much different than the older, 45-foot trailers, just as 53-footers aren't much different than 48'. So we can drive just about anything and feel comfortable.
The sleepers were still the "light" variety, with the bunk being pretty much directly behind the front seats. In this respect, the Freightliners offer a little more breathing room, but you still can't stand up in 'em. They aren't "condo" units, like most OTR drivers run (no upper bunk, etc).
Anyway, like when I first started, I had to do some B.S. stuff at first when I came back; primarily the "specials" that we ran in the straight trucks or maybe with a pup-trailer; doing backhauls of cheese, or tomato sauce or flour. Eventually I got a route (my old Iowa route, which I still do to this day), and I was satisfied. We also got new uniforms ("monkey suits" I like to call them), but it's better than wearing out your own clothes. Some guys just refuse to wear
them, like they're too good, or their shit don't stink, I dunno. I guess I just felt (like I'm sure we all do) a need to belong, you know? And, until I win the lottery, or someone pisses me off to the point of physical violence, I belong here...
More soon,
Steve
After four months of basically nightmarish trucking work, I decided to come back to the lesser
of the evils. Sure, I could have explored other "types" of trucking (and there are many), but I
chose to go back to the familiar, the comfortable. See, despite the "back-breaking" nature of this type of work, actually knowing where you're going every week is something very comforting. I
can't speak for other truck drivers out there, but my biggest fear while driving (besides a major accident) is getting lost. That was another headache with the P&D company: we were just given
addresses, no real directions, so we had to find the general location on our atlas, then just hope
the place is/was in the vicinity. Sometimes you could call the dispatcher, who, if he/she didn't know the location, could call the customer for you and get directions. But that's a real pain in the ass, you know? And, to be more efficient, you're trying to do all this while driving - not the safest situation in the world. At least in the foodservice joint, you know where the stores are, or have written directions to each location if you don't.
The other advantage to being in food service (and I've mentioned this before) is that much
of our work is done in the wee hours of the night/morning, so you don't have to deal with a million people on the roads. Sometimes coming back from the north shore to the southwest side at 6:00 - 7:00 in the evening was a complete nightmare. Those of you who have driven in and around Chicago can attest. I mean, the Edens southbound, to the Kennedy southbound, to the Stevenson southbound could sometimes take an hour and a half or more. Many, many cursewords would be flying out of my mouth as I witnessed one idiotic maneuver after another.
So I came back. My boss, Frank (not his real name) was able to get me a decent returning salary, but as far as seniority was concerned, I had to start at the bottom. That meant that
there were guys that I trained who were ahead of me on the "totem pole." Nothing I could do about it. I wasn't the only one who "came back," either; several guys were in the same boat (at different times) and, like me, discovered the grass wasn't greener on the other side. Hey, as long as you left the company on good terms (gave 2 weeks notice, etc.), they were happy to have you back. With a serious driver shortage approaching, guys who knew the system and the products were invaluable.
The other nice thing about coming back was that they had finally established some new leases
for some brand-new trucks and trailers; nice, new Freightliner and Volvo trucks (by different
leasing companies) and new 48' trailers with the company logo on the side. I actually noticed the new equipment four months before as I was leaving the company. Now I was able to operate the new trucks/trailers with a much lessened fear of breakdowns. It's a nice feeling to know your chances of a mechanical failure are diminished because you have some decent equipment!
The trucks were all 10-speeds; the Volvos acted a bit differently than the Freightliners, but you
learned to adapt to whatever truck you had. Probably the nicest thing was that the new trailers
had functioning interior lights, so you could see what the hell you were doing in the middle of the night, not to mention the reefers. I'll talk in detail about reefers in an upcoming post, so stay with me. The 48-footers were not much different than the older, 45-foot trailers, just as 53-footers aren't much different than 48'. So we can drive just about anything and feel comfortable.
The sleepers were still the "light" variety, with the bunk being pretty much directly behind the front seats. In this respect, the Freightliners offer a little more breathing room, but you still can't stand up in 'em. They aren't "condo" units, like most OTR drivers run (no upper bunk, etc).
Anyway, like when I first started, I had to do some B.S. stuff at first when I came back; primarily the "specials" that we ran in the straight trucks or maybe with a pup-trailer; doing backhauls of cheese, or tomato sauce or flour. Eventually I got a route (my old Iowa route, which I still do to this day), and I was satisfied. We also got new uniforms ("monkey suits" I like to call them), but it's better than wearing out your own clothes. Some guys just refuse to wear
them, like they're too good, or their shit don't stink, I dunno. I guess I just felt (like I'm sure we all do) a need to belong, you know? And, until I win the lottery, or someone pisses me off to the point of physical violence, I belong here...
More soon,
Steve
Sunday, February 11, 2007
The Other Side
I'm baaack! Jury duty is over...for a year, anyway
They say "The grass is always greener on the other side." Well, I've been there, and it ain't
pretty. Now we're at the end of 2004, and I'm pretty much miserable - frustrated with the back-breaking job I'm working, pissed off about the prospect of another winter in Michigan.
So, I polish up the ol' resume, and start looking around. That's the one thing about this business - there are always people looking for drivers, sometimes more than others. It's like nurses - there always seems to be a need for experienced pros. I went out on a couple of interviews; I
remember one was a union job driving dump trucks, hauling gravel out of the Thornton Quarry.
I went in at like 7:00am; it was cold as hell, and I remember firing up this old Kenworth (must have been 100 years old), backing up to a gravel trailer and taking off for the quarry, my "road tester" watching my every move. That road test didn't go so well, and I didn't get the job. But there was another outfit that did offer me a job - and I took it!
Looking back, it was probably a mistake to accept the first job that was offered to me, but I
felt a sense of desperation, so I went for it. This was a smaller, family-owned company based in the south (I won't mention their name here), that was doing local P&D (pick-up and delivery)
in the Chicago area. Like many of the larger outfits (Yellow, FedEx, Watkins, et al), they would send us out on deliveries in the morning, and once the deliveries were done, we would go do pickups in the afternoon. All the logistics were done from the warehouse. However, unlike the larger companies, we would make deliveries in some unusual locations (nursing homes, country
clubs, even at people's homes). Undestand I'm driving a day-cab pulling a 13'6" high, 48' trailer,
and trying to wedge myself into some of these places was, let's say, a "challenge." They had a
couple of pup trailers, and one straight truck, which were always busy. So, we were forced to attempt the deliveries best we could under the circumstances.
I was assigned the near North Shore area (Evanston, Skokie, Niles, Glenview, north side, etc),
which was no picnic, let me tell you. I was "filling in" for an older driver, who had been on sick leave due to surgey of some sort. We would arrive at the base about, I dunno, 7:30, mandatory meeting at 8:00, and then assigned a trailer, given our paperwork, etc. The trucks were basically permanently assigned to us, so that was no worry (although we did have to turn our keys in each day). The trailers were all supposed to be loaded and ready to go when our meeting broke about 8:30, but it was rare that they were. I remember days waiting hours before I had a load ready to go. They might have to wait for another truck/trailer to come in and get unloaded.
Needless to say, the warehouse operations wasn't the most efficient in the world.
Then we would take off. It was usually an hour or so for me to get from the near southwest side to my first stop up north. Don't get me wrong: most of our stops were at actual companies, with actual docks we could back up to. You just had to learn the "procedure" at each one; sometimes you'd have to check in first, sometimes you'd have to wait for other trucks that "beat" you there, you might have to back in from the right side, and so on. I actually became pretty good at "blind-side" backing, which is a helluva lot easier with a day cab, where you could look out the back window (you had to make sure the window was clean - in the winter, salt dirties it up bigtime). Nonetheless, I did get into a couple fender-bender type accidents (no injuries, minimal damage at low speeds). Once I took down a tree branch in front of some guy's house. It was a pretty substantial branch, and it fell right on top of the cab. The person wasn't home (Thank God), so I removed the branch and took off. I would make sure to call dispatch in cases like this,
to cover my ass. Another time I was backing down an alley, and brought down a telephone wire that was hanging too low. And on a couple of occasions, while backing in from the blind side I cracked up the driver's side front quarter panel, which included the headlight housing, because I was not paying attention to both sides. I remember duct taping the fuck out of that headlight and housing to keep it in position (the headlight still worked!) Another driver even lent me some packaging tape one time, so I could reinforce the taped area. Nice guy! I almost took out a traffic
light standard at Devon and Western trying to make a right turn, from the right turn lane! (silly motherfucker!) Those right turns in the city are always fun, as are the low overpasses. As a driver, you soon find out which streets are "friendly" and which aren't (Thank God for Foster Ave.) The south side boasts(?) of having a lot of them, but the north side has many also, especially the city of Evanston - a truck-driver's nightmare! There is really only one street (that I know of) to enter the town, and you must be aware of exactly what streets you're taking to arrive at your destination. The east-west streets are the ones that pose a danger, due to the north-south elevated train tracks. Those are the underpasses that cause problems. I was on Howard St., heading eastbound toward the lake, and passed my delivery address. Lo and behold directly in front of me was a 12'6' or something overpass. What to do? This is a busy city street, one lane each direction, with cars parked along both sides. Fortunately, I was able to pull into a gas station on the left, and, with the help of a "street person" holding up traffic, I managed to back across into the parking lot of the garden center across the street, then pull out heading the opposite direction. Not fun. I had a few situations like that. Of course, I'm, cursing and swearing the whole time. WTF!
Believe it or not, the tricky situations I was put into was not my biggest complaint with this outfit: no, it was that they did not pay overtime! Can you believe that? You go out there, put into a fucking meat grinder, and just get paid straight time for all hours worked. You worked until all the work was done, even if you had to double-stack pallets, cramming stuff in any way possible. I had taken a pay cut to move over to this company, and I remember the manager dude telling me they didn't pay overtime. And I still took the job! Now, I ask you, is that sane? My wife was, obviously, livid. We got paid weekly, and I was bringing home $400-500 checks. It was not a good situation, and I'm actually surprised I hung in there as long as I did. After three months, though I was, again, looking around. I had actually been back in touch with my former boss, Frank, who was looking to see if he could fit me back in...
More soon,
Steve
They say "The grass is always greener on the other side." Well, I've been there, and it ain't
pretty. Now we're at the end of 2004, and I'm pretty much miserable - frustrated with the back-breaking job I'm working, pissed off about the prospect of another winter in Michigan.
So, I polish up the ol' resume, and start looking around. That's the one thing about this business - there are always people looking for drivers, sometimes more than others. It's like nurses - there always seems to be a need for experienced pros. I went out on a couple of interviews; I
remember one was a union job driving dump trucks, hauling gravel out of the Thornton Quarry.
I went in at like 7:00am; it was cold as hell, and I remember firing up this old Kenworth (must have been 100 years old), backing up to a gravel trailer and taking off for the quarry, my "road tester" watching my every move. That road test didn't go so well, and I didn't get the job. But there was another outfit that did offer me a job - and I took it!
Looking back, it was probably a mistake to accept the first job that was offered to me, but I
felt a sense of desperation, so I went for it. This was a smaller, family-owned company based in the south (I won't mention their name here), that was doing local P&D (pick-up and delivery)
in the Chicago area. Like many of the larger outfits (Yellow, FedEx, Watkins, et al), they would send us out on deliveries in the morning, and once the deliveries were done, we would go do pickups in the afternoon. All the logistics were done from the warehouse. However, unlike the larger companies, we would make deliveries in some unusual locations (nursing homes, country
clubs, even at people's homes). Undestand I'm driving a day-cab pulling a 13'6" high, 48' trailer,
and trying to wedge myself into some of these places was, let's say, a "challenge." They had a
couple of pup trailers, and one straight truck, which were always busy. So, we were forced to attempt the deliveries best we could under the circumstances.
I was assigned the near North Shore area (Evanston, Skokie, Niles, Glenview, north side, etc),
which was no picnic, let me tell you. I was "filling in" for an older driver, who had been on sick leave due to surgey of some sort. We would arrive at the base about, I dunno, 7:30, mandatory meeting at 8:00, and then assigned a trailer, given our paperwork, etc. The trucks were basically permanently assigned to us, so that was no worry (although we did have to turn our keys in each day). The trailers were all supposed to be loaded and ready to go when our meeting broke about 8:30, but it was rare that they were. I remember days waiting hours before I had a load ready to go. They might have to wait for another truck/trailer to come in and get unloaded.
Needless to say, the warehouse operations wasn't the most efficient in the world.
Then we would take off. It was usually an hour or so for me to get from the near southwest side to my first stop up north. Don't get me wrong: most of our stops were at actual companies, with actual docks we could back up to. You just had to learn the "procedure" at each one; sometimes you'd have to check in first, sometimes you'd have to wait for other trucks that "beat" you there, you might have to back in from the right side, and so on. I actually became pretty good at "blind-side" backing, which is a helluva lot easier with a day cab, where you could look out the back window (you had to make sure the window was clean - in the winter, salt dirties it up bigtime). Nonetheless, I did get into a couple fender-bender type accidents (no injuries, minimal damage at low speeds). Once I took down a tree branch in front of some guy's house. It was a pretty substantial branch, and it fell right on top of the cab. The person wasn't home (Thank God), so I removed the branch and took off. I would make sure to call dispatch in cases like this,
to cover my ass. Another time I was backing down an alley, and brought down a telephone wire that was hanging too low. And on a couple of occasions, while backing in from the blind side I cracked up the driver's side front quarter panel, which included the headlight housing, because I was not paying attention to both sides. I remember duct taping the fuck out of that headlight and housing to keep it in position (the headlight still worked!) Another driver even lent me some packaging tape one time, so I could reinforce the taped area. Nice guy! I almost took out a traffic
light standard at Devon and Western trying to make a right turn, from the right turn lane! (silly motherfucker!) Those right turns in the city are always fun, as are the low overpasses. As a driver, you soon find out which streets are "friendly" and which aren't (Thank God for Foster Ave.) The south side boasts(?) of having a lot of them, but the north side has many also, especially the city of Evanston - a truck-driver's nightmare! There is really only one street (that I know of) to enter the town, and you must be aware of exactly what streets you're taking to arrive at your destination. The east-west streets are the ones that pose a danger, due to the north-south elevated train tracks. Those are the underpasses that cause problems. I was on Howard St., heading eastbound toward the lake, and passed my delivery address. Lo and behold directly in front of me was a 12'6' or something overpass. What to do? This is a busy city street, one lane each direction, with cars parked along both sides. Fortunately, I was able to pull into a gas station on the left, and, with the help of a "street person" holding up traffic, I managed to back across into the parking lot of the garden center across the street, then pull out heading the opposite direction. Not fun. I had a few situations like that. Of course, I'm, cursing and swearing the whole time. WTF!
Believe it or not, the tricky situations I was put into was not my biggest complaint with this outfit: no, it was that they did not pay overtime! Can you believe that? You go out there, put into a fucking meat grinder, and just get paid straight time for all hours worked. You worked until all the work was done, even if you had to double-stack pallets, cramming stuff in any way possible. I had taken a pay cut to move over to this company, and I remember the manager dude telling me they didn't pay overtime. And I still took the job! Now, I ask you, is that sane? My wife was, obviously, livid. We got paid weekly, and I was bringing home $400-500 checks. It was not a good situation, and I'm actually surprised I hung in there as long as I did. After three months, though I was, again, looking around. I had actually been back in touch with my former boss, Frank, who was looking to see if he could fit me back in...
More soon,
Steve
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Apologies
I've been on jury duty for the last week or so (Yayyyy!), and could be for a while longer. My bosses aren't too thrilled, but... I will get back to posting just as soon as possible.
Take Care,
Steve
Take Care,
Steve
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