The Longest Day

My alarm went off at 0300, as planned and I did my pre-trip checks. Everything looked okay and sounded right so I made my way out of the Bosselman Pilot truck stop and on to I-80 heading towards Denver.

In a few minutes I realized my mistake. I had intended to give myself 4 hours for the 180-mile drive to my consignee but I didn't realize that I had crossed over into Mountain time before I stopped last night so 0300 really was 0300, and I only had three hours to get to my Sam's Club distribution center or there would be Hell To Pay.

Grudgingly, I bumped up my cruise control from 60 to 70 and left it there, scanning my GPS screen every few minutes to get the latest ETA information. Slowly, ever so slowly, the estimated time of arrival crept back to right at 0600. I had the bad luck of catching a few red lights on the way and the small cushion of two minutes I built up went away and I was sweating right at the end when I pulled in to the DC at 0559.


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Then the fun started. Apparently, this load was supposed to be delivered the previous day and someone at our HQ had rescheduled it. But the guards didn't have any such information and the delivery number I was given was for the original time the day before. I protested that I arrived (just before) the time I was given on my satellite unit but The Rules are The Rules and I would have to wait in a holding area and they would see if they could work me in. First the problems with the Dodge City load and now this. Grrr!

After several hours I got a call on my phone: a door was available. I drove around back of the huge warehouse and parked my trailer in the door, detached as instructed then brought my paperwork in to the receiving office. Along the way I passed what looked like a 60 year-old hippie type with a huge beard outside smoking a cigarette. Figuring he was another driver I didn't give him a second glance and went inside. There wasn't anyone there so I waited a while and eventually the hippie guy comes in, scans his badge across the door next to me, goes inside and takes my paperwork. Power to the people, dude!

They weren't too slow unloading my truck and after another hour or so I was on my way to get the trailer washed out then to head to nearby Greeley, Colorado for my next load.

I arrived around noon and dropped my clean, empty trailer with them and learned my load wasn't ready yet. No big surprise, as it was listed as being ready around 3 PM. The gate guard took down my appointment number and my cell phone number and said I would get a call when it was ready, but I couldn't stay on their property. There was a small convenience store about a half mile away I passed on the way in with space enough for bobtail parking so I went back there and chilled.

No call came in so at about 5 PM I motored back over to the shipper and nope, load not ready yet. I did get the number to call for their operations people and the gentleman I spoke to said the problem wasn't the product it was their computer system which apparently took a dump. No computer = no paperwork = no load. He took down my cell phone number and said I would be called when everything was straightened out. Back to the convenience store.

By 9 PM there was still no call and I called it a night. I left my cell phone next to me so I would be sure to wake when they called, then started snoozing. Next thing I know, it is 5 AM and there has been no call. Sigh.