ROUTE: New Albany, IN to Duncan, SC back to New Albany, IN: 966 miles (840 loaded + 126 deadhead)
This is not a typical assignment as it entails going back and forth from the shipper to the consignee. It can be tightly done in two days, the problem is that both shipper and consignee work a Monday through Friday schedule. I received it on a Friday so it meant that I would be idle one day of the weekend. If my home base was somewhere in the route I could take advantage of it, but I live in New York.
I started my day at 08:30 and arrived at the shipper at 09:00. My delivery was schedule for 19:00 that same day, but I had a window until midnight. It’s about an eight hour drive and I needed to fuel. I was assigned the TA in Pioneer, TN. When I came off the ramp I recognize the place and knew there was a decent Mexican restaurant in walking distance. I had a nice lunch of steak fajitas. I arrived at the shipper at 20:30 with only two hours left on my 14 hour clock. It was a drop-and-hook job, but that still takes about an hour to do, leaving me with only an hour to find a place to settle down for the night.
Fortunately, there was a small truck stop nearby and I managed to find a place to park the truck. I had a chicken and cheese sandwich with fries that I ate in the truck while watching a movie. I had two days to make the delivery that only required nine hours to complete so I had to decide where to spend the free day. I slept in and Saturday I crossed the street to a Waffle House for breakfast. On the walk back I noticed a Super 8 Hotel next door and I decided to do a reset there. I needed a shower and sleeping in a king size bed is a treat.
Sunday 10/26 I decided to advance the load five hours to a truck stop in East Bernstadt, KY that I like because it has lots of parking and a 24 hour diner that has good burgers for dinner and a great bacon, egg & cheese sandwiches for breakfast. It would leave me with two and half hours to reach the consignee so enough hours on my clock to pick up another assignment on Monday.
BOOK REVIEW: My Magnolia Summer: A Novel by Victoria Benton Frank (2023), FICTION – RATING (****)
Entertaining summer read book. Well written with good descriptions of Charleston, SC; NYC and the world inside restaurant kitchens. As well as the sacrifices that the industry demands. Some mouth watering recipes too.
Though there are some twists in the plot it’s fairly predictable but that’s OK. The characters are well defined and Magnolia, the protagonist, is very likable. Some family drama which fits well into the narrative.
