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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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Trip 13 New International / tandem with a reefer MD Date August 20, 2003 With a trip number like this ... what could go wrong ...? We had left the car at the office last night / this AM when I got back from my last run, so my wife dropped me off before going to work ... that gave me plenty of time to do yesterdays paperwork, move my car to the 'long term' parking area and still have time to wait ... and listen to stories. When I came back from moving my car they were deep in conversation and wouldn't / still haven't told me who they were talking about ... claim dispatch needs a few unsuspecting drivers to team with him. Guess this 'problem' driver woke the other one up at 3AM because he was ready to go ... after a verbal and physical confrontation they waited ... but driver #2 was still so mad at the toll booth that he wouldn't lend the 'problem driver any money, so he had to leave his licence AND his bill of lading until he could go get money and come back. Guess I've been lucky so far with the drivers I've been with ... We got going at 9:30, which is about normal ... I would have to ride the shuttle for two hours to the depot and then take a used truck from the depot to the pick spot. All they had told me was I had a truck going to MD ... a 17 hour run. It didn't register until later that this was going to be a problem ... why should it have? I can run 20 hour over the two days, dispatch had OK'ed the drop ... We get a call in the shuttle ... my truck is at the depot, doesn't make sense that they would have run it two hours the opposite way, but it's there. I remember what a pain it is to hook up the tow car so I offer to help ... it only took a few seconds ... and I was full of grease. He claimed he could get the rest so I started checking out my truck, by the time I was done he had the tow hooked up. The rest of the drivers had split, but the driver who had the longest to go waited ... As soon as I was on my way I made a call ... how many extra hours to bypass Chicago AND the I-80 tollway? I found out it would add about 90 miles to my trip or about an hour and a half. The way I figured it, it would really take an hour longer than the "quoted time" going through Chicago and save about $50 by not paying the toll. I bypassed Chicago. The second tankful would get me to Indianapolis ... but I started looking for fuel about 60 miles out ... nothing open after 9 PM. There was one station about 30 miles out, no billboards, no neon sign ... saw it as I passed it on the freeway and it was miles to the next exit ... so I kept going, and going, and going ... No stations on the south belt-way, I had now been laying on 'E' for the last 20 miles ... I finally saw some LTL truck terminals and hoped there would be a station close ... there was, but it didn't sell diesel. "Three miles straight west" there was a station that sold diesel. Lucky I was still awake ... the sign said 10' ... and my truck was 12'. So I took another back road ... another 10 miles before I found something. Ended up a block off the freeway where I had passed 45 minutes earlier. All this time and miles on 'E' ... and I could still only put 45 gallons my 55 gallon tank ... they sure don't want you to run out. Over my hours, it is time to find a motel ... but I wanted to be over halfway before I stopped for the night ... by now I knew that if the desalination wouldn't stay open past 4 ... 3 PM eastern ... I was stuck with this truck for an extra day ... and night. I watched the signs and saw a Super 8 for for $29 that would still be under 600 miles so my log book could still 'look' good. By almost 11 at night all the cheep rooms were gone, I paid $41 including tax ... you get what you pay for. How this place met the 'standards' of a Super 8 I don't know. Even as a 'newly remodeled' motel it still looked like a $20 motel. The plywood on outside walkway sagged under my weight ... the dirt collected in the corners of the stairs. But it had truck parking and a bed ... actually the only bad part of the room was the Kleenex holder was a little dirty ... other than that it was clean. And I needed a bed ... after yesterdays 300 plus mile trip with only a chassis and the 300 miles back trying to sleep on the bus ... followed by a four hour 'nap' before being at work at 7:30 AM this morning. Date August 21, 2003 Six hours of sleep and I was off ... oh yeah, the wake-up call was great, lucky I was already awake ... I look over a few minutes after 6:30 and the light was blinking ... the phone never rang, but it did show I had a wake up message ... ya get what ya pay for. Filling up at the end of the trip last night meant I could go 5 plus hours before my first stop ... still waiting for that first truck with twin tanks and a 10 hour range ... could I go all day without stopping? Lots of fog this morning, didn't really cool down last night until the sun went down ... then it dropped out of the 90's, but by 8 AM it was back up to 80. Time to see how long this trip was going to take ... a couple of phone calls and a returned call and I knew ... they close at 4 o'clock sharp ... it's a hired house and there is no place 'secure' to stash the truck ... oh well, wish I could have slept in the truck last night ... the profits from this load are getting smaller and smaller. Dispatch didn't like the idea of the extra day, they had called before I left and were not told of any early cut off ... ahhh, the advantages of being an independent contractor. Now there was no reason to push it, let's do the speed limit, set the cruise and save some fuel. I wanted to stay about an hour out of Baltimore, far enough out to get a good rate, close enough not to have a lot of hours before I start the drive home. With a trip this long to a major city I had hoped to get a good air fare, there was one showing up on the net but it was still more than the rental car ... which so far was going to cost me $120 for the day. Coming into MD there were three highway patrol in the median at the first 'no U-turn' and about 2 a mile after that ... nice welcoming crew. Heard there was a Motel 6 about an hour out of Baltimore, but I didn't see it or any highways signs for it so I kept going. Got to the next rest area which also served had a welcome center. They told me there was an Econo Lodge at the next exit which had some truck parking. Called dispatch one last time, from a pay phone, my cell wasn't doing me any favors in these hills. This place was right on the freeway ... straight ahead at the exit past a gas station ... and room enough to walk between the building and the freeway fence. Tonight would cost me another $50 ... now I was down to making $290 for the three days ... and still had to get home ... that airfare, if I took it, would cost $215. Another lesson learned, watch out for tree branches ... these are new trucks and every thing shows ... I'm parked, it's 5 PM and I have 14 hours until I need to move out. Not the best location for walking ... road construction ... no sidewalks ... a mile plus to downtown ... only a half mile to Wal-mart and the newer business area. With a Wal-mart, Best Buy, etc ... there had to be food somewhere close ... the night clerk at the motel said there was a Burger King ... somewhere down there. So I started walking, I soon found the usual assortment of fast food ... Burger King, McD's, Wendy's ... the places I eat at daily ... also Popey's, Roy Rogers, etc, but tonight I had a chance to sit so I was looking for something else. I found it ... a strip mall with a Mexican restaurant / bar, a Subway ... I kept walking ... a Pizza buffet for $3.99 ... sounded good. Doubt if this place will be around long, not at these prices. The food was good, pizza, a little pasta and salad ... they'd even take requests for pizza's ... and sub's ... all for the same price. If I wanted to stay, Kariokee would start at 7 pm, but no thanks. The place was fairly full for a Thursday evening. Another 1/2 mile home via Wal-mart ... all in the 90 plus degree weather. Enough time to clean up my books and look at my options for the trip home, should the air fare not work out. Date August 22, 2003 I had planned on leaving at 6:30 AM to get there when the company opened ... not sure what I was thinking when I asked for a 6:30 wake up call. But I woke up by 6, so I was close to on schedule ... on the road ... this is rush hour in Baltimore?? ... I've seen more traffic at 2 AM on a Sunday morning. No complaints, I prefer the open road. I had picked up a local map at the rest area yesterday, that makes those last few miles a lot easier. My delivery was right across from a 'fish market' ... in a large warehouse complex. No problem with this drop ... I sort of hinted about last night, just what I expected, they are a union shop ... the gates lock at 4 PM. Called a couple of cabs before one of the local's suggested a company ... once I called that one, they were there in under 10 minutes, but how was I to know ... there was about 50 to chose from. $25 to the Baltimore airport ... about what I expected. Now the fun begins ... I'm at the airport by about 8 eastern ... plenty of time to catch an 11 AM flight out of the DC airport, if I want it. If I leave now in a rental car I can be home before midnight ... but ... it would only cost another $20 to fly and I'd be home in a couple of hours. But ... The flight that was $215 yesterday is now $280, but would they still give me yesterdays price if I walk up? It was worth the try. Not sure why but I walked around for about an hour trying to decide, and checking out ways to get to the DC airport, it's about 30 miles away ... Also was looking for a cheep flight from here, most of the airlines had lines that looked at least an hour long ... except Northwest, so I asked if I could get a flight for under $200 home ... they laughed ... didn't know they were supposed to laughed at the customers ... No, they checked and the flight would cost me $600 plus. It looked like the cheapest way was to take the shuttle bus which ran every 45 minutes for two and a half bucks. So I go and wait ... and wait ... and ... I must have just missed the last one. I know nothing about public transportation and ask the first few people who joined me at the bus stop, but they were as clue-less as I was. The last guy I asked knew nothing but wasn't shy ... he worked for the DOT ... this ought to be interesting. But he was in the aviation division ... but had a lot of questions for me ... I'm sure we could have talked for hours, but we both had places to be. Tired of waiting he flagged down a cab who offered to take us each to our destination for $30 each ... "sorry, I don't have enough money on this trip to spend that much" ... so they guy had to spend $35 and ride alone. By now the bus arrives, I had just noticed someone with their cash out ... oh yeah, I need to pay, I have enough cash to get on, but will have to get more before getting on the next bus. After a half hour ride I am down to only one hour before the plane takes off ... off the bus, I start looking for change for the next bus, I see nothing and finally has an employee at the train station ... they give me this look like I'm some kind of idiot ... "No we don't have any cash, you will have to ask the other passengers ... or a cabbie." So off I went with a 20 in my hand ... "no" .... "no" ... so I tried the cab's ... sorry, I don't believe that none of the twenty cab drivers didn't have change. Back to the train station ... "no" ... "no" ... maybe a bus driver will let me on ... as I'm walking back to the buses a cab driver calls to me "... all I have is $14." Told him I'd keep looking, 'was trying to catch a bus to the DC airport.' "There are no buses going to DC, you have to catch a the train ..." Aahhh, it would have nice if the person at the info booth at the airport had told be that, or if the little 'help' sheet I picked up had said that ... they said catch the bus ... nothing was said about the train. By now I was ready to take the bus back to Baltimore, but didn't have the $2.50. Used to carry a lot of change for the toll roads, but not this trip. To get on the train you have to buy a pass ... from a machine. Something else I've never done. Asked an employee, they said it's as "easy as 1-2-3." ... the steps listed on the machines. It wasn't, not for me anyhow ... I ended up with a one day pass ... for an hour trip. Now to find my way around ... lucky I was at the end / start of the rails so I could only go one way. After the first two stops I knew I wasn't going to make the plane and at this rate I would get to the airport for two hours. I would have to switch trains once, I had been told where to switch ... I thought I was switching buses there ... so I waited for that stop. I should have have switched at the first chance, only two trains stop there, less chance of making a mistake. At the next to stops I would have four choices ... I now knew this by studying the maps on the train. I make it on the right train, but by now the plane has lifted off ... not a whole lot to see of DC on this train, mostly underground except when we went over the Patomic and when we finally got to the airport. Getting off the train I see a sign for the 'airport shuttle' ... the airport is right across the street, why the shuttle? I'd find out later ... I start walking, looking for the ATA ticket counter ... it's not that big of place and I couldn't see it ... I double checked, yes I was looking for ATA ... then I asked for help (I admit it). "ATA? They are in the other wing. You can take 'the shuttle' ... or you can walk." I walked ... I could have been on the road for four hours by now ... hoped have to take the train / bus back to Baltimore to find a car. I finally find the ATA ticket counter ... CLOSED. The sign says "ticket counter open two hours before departure." Nothing at the counter says when the next flight is. Aaahhhh!!! By now flying is out of the question, where are the rental car's? ... have to take a shuttle ... so I go outside and wait. It's hot ... I finally realize that one of those standing there is actually working the stop, keeping track of the buses and passengers ... there would be one of these at each place we stop. Finally at the rental cars, I am ready to take anything ... ready to spend a lot more than I would have in Baltimore. Avis is the closest to the door, but no cars available. National is next, "Yes" the have a car, $97. At this time I was ready to take the first thing. They have a different way of doing things at this location, you rent a 'size' car at the desk, then go to the lot and pick it out ... the keys are all in them ... feels sort of strange. The closest thing to the exit was a Mitchbishi, I usually go for the big cars but by now I'm thinking milage ... hoping to average over 30 mph. The bad news was I had now wasted the last five hours, spent $8 getting here to DC and was now 30 further away ... The good news? if you can call it that ... I saved $2 by renting the car in DC vs renting it in Baltimore. And I could no longer make it home by midnight, which meant another motel or sleeping in the car ... what was the number of this trip?? Cruising along the river leaving DC is beautiful, but the cell service is really bad ... right in DC I kept getting disconnected. The first few miles of freeway were fairly slow ... the cabbie had warned me about that ... everyone leaves work on Fridays when they get their checks at noon. I called my wife to check out the mileage and hours for three different routes ... because I needed this car back in 24 hours I would need to go the shortest way and pay the toll's, it would be cheaper than paying an extra day for the car. The trip back "should" take about 19-20 hours @ 61 mph, so as long as I can beat the average and not get behind, or in, any accidents ... The trips seem to start out slow, '50 miles down, 1,200 to go.' Coming up out of Baltimore I could see the clouds in the distance and within an hour or so I was under them. Another bucket dumper, this time I pulled over because it sounded like hail ... just what I need to top this trip off, I already realize I may not break even ... so why not a little hail damage on my rental car? I hit the breaks and the side of the road, they worked ... I 'slid' in between a couple of cars next to some trees. We weren't under them, but if the wind was a little from the .... it might help. It only lasted a couple of minutes and I was back on the road. A few miles down the road another bucket dumper but this time no hail. Would hear later on the news that someone's house washed away to the west of here. Five hours out I realized the bad news, I had averaged under 60 mph. I was hoping to trim a couple hours off of this trip ... it wasn't going to happen. I had had to GREATLY exceed the speed limit at times to average what I did. For the rest of the daylight hours I would try to catch the back of a convoy going by, and cruise for a while ... and the occasional car would still pass us. If I averaged 30 mph I could make the trip with only three fuel stops, and I hoped that at the second one I would be able to park and sleep, but I wanted to be within 5 hours of home before shutting down. Listening to the radio ... you never know where the stations are coming from ... I heard that one of the cross-freeways was closing about an hour before I would get to Toledo ... that would throw me off a couple of hours if this freeway was closed, didn't have any extra time for road construction or accidents. An hour later I finally realize I was listening to a Detroit station, not a Toledo station, so not a problem for me. By night fall I decided to let the convoys sail by and set the cruise for the speed limit plus. I do much prefer the 'take a ticket' approach to the toll ways over Chicago's 'deposit change every couple of miles' approach. Chicago wasn't bad, it was still Chicago but not bad ... just a couple of stop and go spots ... and we are approaching midnight. The fuel gauge has been riding 'E' for a while and I finally decide not to push it any further and stop at an oasis. This extra stop is costing me time, I have an hour to go before my ideal stopping place. I stop again in an hour at the Flying J and try to sleep. I haven't been sleepy but common sense and old age tells me I need to stop. Could sleep in the front seat ... the back wasn't big enough to stretch out in ... but after a little bit I looked at the clock and it was four hours later. By now I was cold and had to use the bathroom ... and once I'm up it's hours before I can go back to sleep, so its on the road again. Pulled back home over 3 days from when I left ... and did the math ... I had made $22.83 ... before I subtract out my food and phone expenses. I'm guessing the toll's on the way out would have cost me around $50 if I had gone the 'shortest route,' then I would have lost money on this trip ... after all this I did more math ... the companies computer is set to "average" over the speed limit ... there was no way someone could have legally delivered this truck in the time allowed ... and at this rate of pay I can't afford any tickets. |