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...My Life as 'Drive away' driver
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En-route home last Sunday we get a call from my local work, there will be work on Monday. That gets moved to Monday, and then to Tuesday. Finally there is work on Wednesday. 5 drivers ride up, one heads out to BC, two get runs back to the office and the final two aren't ready by the time we will run out of hours. There are a lot of last minute phone calls it maybe, maybe not going to be ready. Customer wants to know if we will stay in a motel. We won't so we ride back in the shuttle. Plan was to head up Thursday two hours later than usual. That gets canceled. At some point I hear that the customer has finally admitted that 13 of the final 24 units this month won't make it in time for delivery. Friday we head up two hours early, 6 of us. When we get to the customer nothing is ready. First unit ready is the unit I was supposed to take back on Wednesday ... finally ready today. But not enough drivers to take it back to the office tonight. Some drivers did go up on Thursday, four left for BC, two broke down before nightfall. One came back to the customer, not sure where the other one ended up. Finally we get the word that we will get seven units. But they come one at a time. 1st guy heads out, the 2nd lucky driver checks out his unit only to have dispatch call and tell him to give it to another driver. The driver who's unit broke down yesterday is going to take one back to the office and then fly to Pittsburg on Saturday where another one is broken down and get that one delivered on Sunday. I end up with the 3rd unit. It is taking about an hour between units. I get mine at 3 PM. We need to leave by 4 PM to make it back to the office and this is without stops. It does help that the speed limit has gone from 55 to 60 for the first 90 miles ... gains us five minutes. I never do hear if the other drivers make it back. Dispatch is still at the office when I get back so I can still get into the office and do my paperwork. I try to make it back the end of every quarter to help out with the 'rush.' Moved one this time ... WOW! Did get a few things done at home, snow is mostly gone. |
