Another 100 miles before I could lay my weary head to sleep and I – I was going to be two hours past my logbook time.
The new wonder boy was going to be smirking again. The owner's nephew and heir apparent had started working for the company about 6 months ago. His first day he'd swaggered into the company with a superior attitude and immediately started making changes. Everyone knew the owner was trying to phase out of the day-to-day operations and turn most of the headaches over to his nephew. Most of the other senior drivers had tried to go along, but I'd been doing nothing but bumping heads with the little know it all from the start. A redhead, I'd been teased about my short fused temper in the past. Since Jimmy boy had started with the company, the teasing had turned into lectures.
One of the first things he'd tried implementing were additional driving teams. It had seemed my favorite transports were the ones he took the most exception too and that he was very passionate about partnering me with another driver. I had taken his attitude as a personal insult and old anti-social me; I had been hoping to hold onto a few solo transports anyway.
I'd been doing okay until today. The little shit had once again tried to force me to partner up for this transport. I had admitted to myself that the timing of this run had always been tight and I might have agreed – if there had been anyone else available but him! So I had ignored my better instincts and insisted I could pull it off. Our argument had almost come to blows, until the owner intervened.
The owner had backed me up – pointing out the transports I'd driven in the past for the two companies involved. The wonder boy had finally shown his true colors in front of his uncle and continued to harp on me about my solo driving. He had received an odd look from his uncle and was told sharply to 'give it a rest'. I'd stayed for the beginning of Jimmy boy's lecture, smirking at him from behind his uncle's back and watching the frustration fill his face. Waiving triumphantly, I'd finished my paperwork and sailed out the door.
If I hadn't been forced to fill in my log book before I reached the factory and if the factory had actually had the freight ready instead of making me wait for an hour and a half, I would have made it in my allotted time and been halfway back again before I would have had to stop. Now - three highway pile-ups later and I had had to radio in to the company dispatcher. Dispatch had only acknowledged the call without giving me any further instructions.
When I'd been delayed at the factory, I'd wondered if Jimmy boy might have deliberately called them and changed the pickup time. The foreman had calmly apologized for the wait, but the regular forklift drivers who loaded me had seemed surprised to see me. At twenty-minute intervals I'd tried to question the loaders about the delay - but each time the foreman had suddenly appeared and intercepted my queries. After waiting almost 90 minutes, I'd cornered one of the forklift drivers and started demanding some answers. The foreman interrupted by again apologizing and abruptly sending the driver off to get my load. When I'd finally pulled onto the highway, I'd been determined to track one of the warehouseman down on my own time and get some answers.
After the third highway accident, the answer for the factory delay had been obsolete. Although I'd like to blame Jimmy boy for the accidents, that would be buying into his attitude of being God.
Glancing at the clock for the hundredth time, I realized it was well after midnight. My drop off destination didn't reopen until 5am – leaving me almost 5 hours. As I wasn't going to be able to take an 8-hour rest stop and wasn't convinced that I had reached an end of these unbelievable unexpected delays, I had decided hours back to just keep driving. Problem was that if the weight stations and cops didn't catch me for driving past my maximum hour limit, all the caffeine I had consumed was going to kill me.
Deciding to give my shaking hands and gurgling stomach a rest, I radioed dispatch that I was stopping at the next exit. It was time to fuel up both my stomach and gas tanks. Maybe I'd shut down, crawl into the sleeper and close my eyes for a few hours.
After spending a precious twenty minutes in line for the tanks, it was finally my turn to gas up.
Pumping gas was not a fun thing for me; spilling gas on my hands, jeans and boots just highlighted a day in hell. Cursing, I ignored the chuckles from the grizzled veteran topping his tanks on my right and tried to wipe off most of the diesel with the rags at the pumps. I actually succeeded in smearing it around just that extra bit more where you really reeked instead of merely stank. No choice now – it was definitely shower time.
I had once been teased about holding all bodily fluids inside for twelve hours to avoid using public facilities. Showering inside a truck stop – no matter how clean - was going to add a nice bit of torture to an already excruciating day. On long hauls, I usually tried to rent a motel room to spend the night and clean up in, but as I could only use the room for a little over three hours…it just wasn't worth it. I'd take a shower now and sleep in the sleeper in the factory's parking lot after I arrived and then just head straight home.
Sighing, I gingerly climbed back into my rig and pulled to the back of the parking lot. I turned off all lights and shut down. Stretching wearily – I decided to go consume whatever recognizable food I could find while I waited my turn for the showers.
Reaching into the sleeper compartment for my duffel, I realized in disgust I'd pushed it in the far back. Grumbling about how sorry my grand standing had turned out, I pulled a sheet out to cover most of the bedding and climbed into the compartment. Distractedly I heard another rig pull up alongside mine and shut down. An awful premonition occurred to me.
I always parked in the most distant spot I could find and tonight there had been plenty of closer parking available. Almost reluctantly I stretched along the bedding and poked my head out the opening. My eyes took a few minutes to adjust to the glow of the interior lights in the lower semi parked next to mine. Sure enough - it was another of the company's rigs. I felt my blood pressure come to a boil when I recognized the ponytail of dirty blond hair and the muscular build of Mr. Cocky himself at the wheel. Just what were the chances that he had picked up another smaller run on this same highway after I'd left to pick up my delivery and he just happened to pull into this same rest stop at the same time?
I ducked back into the sleeper infuriated. My interior lights were off – so I knew he couldn't have seen me. Fine -if he wanted to play games and not have dispatch inform me to stop at a certain time or place so I could be met for a relief driver, then games he would have. He couldn't have known how long I'd been parked – so let him try to find me. The exit boasted one of the larger truck stops with numerous public facilities, two twenty-four hour restaurants, a small store, an arcade, a TV room and a small mechanic garage. I could also see within walking distance two 24hour stores – a large grocery and an even larger convenience store. I would dig out my clothes, eat the crackers and chocolate I had stored in the truck and wait for him to check out the truck stop. In the meantime I'd duck into the grocery, quickly grab whatever they had on hand and try to pop into the showering facilities without him seeing me. I'd grab a number and sit in the corner of the TV room. If I could get into the showers before he found me – I'd make sure I'd stay in there for at least an hour.
