ROUTE: Jeffersonville, IN to Forestville, MD: 752 miles (618 loaded + 134 deadhead)
This assignment was scheduled for a pickup on 02/10 at 17:00. I was running behind because of a four-hour delay starting my last assignment due to a dead battery caused by excessive cold in the New York area. It was my 64th birthday and I wanted to have a piece of cake though I had celebrated it on Saturday with one of my daughters in New York City.
The shipper is a 24/7 facility and always drop-and-hook but I wanted to at least make it on that day. I arrived just pass midnight and the paperwork was not where it was supposed to be. The personnel is only there on business hours so I called our terminal that I was shutting it down for the day. Fortunately they allow overnight parking on the premisses.
Wednesday 02/11 I could not start my day before 10:30 due to the DOT Regulation requiring a minimum 10-hour break.This would make it very difficult to complete the delivery on schedule as it was set for Thursday 02/12 at 06:00 with no flexibility on the delivery time. I checked into the shipper’s office at 10:00 and was informed that the trailer was not ready and would take several hours. The trailer was cleared to depart at 15:00 and now it would be impossible to deliver the next day at 06:00 since it required at least a ten-hour drive plus the DOT Mandatory 30-minute break. The appointment was changed to 02/13 at 06:00 and I would receive detention-pay because I was available to depart on the scheduled day of 02/10 even though it technically was on 02/11 just past midnight. I also needed to fuel urgently as I had not noticed how low I was since I was rushed to make the delivery the previous day and then reach the shipper. I left the shipper at 16:00 and drove two hours to the selected truck stop for refueling. It was 18:00 and I was no longer in a rush to arrive to the consignee as the delivery was pushed back a day. After fueling I saw a parking spot directly in front of the pumps so instead of complicated maneuvers to park I just went into the spot head-first.
Thursday 02/12 I started my day with a shower since my last was Sunday morning. I used the credit from the previous day’s fueling. If one fuels more than 60 gallons then we get a free shower credit that is valid for up to seven days. I drove seven-and-half hours to a rest area off the highway that had truck parking. At this point it became a zero-sum game and one of the more entertaining parts of trucking. I still had drive-hours available on my clock but needed to comply with the DOT 10-hour break regulation. I was an hour away from the consignee .
Friday 02/13 I started my day at 04:30 and left the rest area just before 05:00. I arrived at the consignee punctually at 06:00, the scheduled appointment. The delivery was tricky because I had to back into a building from the street but I managed.
BOOK REVIEW: The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (2019), FICTION – RATING (*****)
EXCELLENT!
In true form of an Agatha Christie novel (without the Hercule Poirot figure). All the circumventing circumstances and descriptions of the characters are laid out clearly. There’s no need of a last minute introduction of some element that solves the mystery.
A group of nine friends that have been celebrating the New Year together for years decide on a secluded hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands for this year’s reunion. They’re supposed to have the place for themselves but the lodge also booked two other guests in an adjacent bungalow. They will still have the main house to themselves. There are only two caretakers on the property and a third that leaves before New Year’s Eve.
The first half is focused on a detailed description of the nine friends and how they know each other. It also includes a brief description of the caretakers that have their personal reasons for living in such a remote place. The murder is mentioned but does not go into great detail, maintaining the suspense. The pace is slightly slow but necessary to lay out all the elements that will be key in understanding the mystery behind the murder.
A brutal snowstorm has made it impossible for the police to reach the secluded lodge. The second half focuses on the events of the New Year’s Eve celebration and the mystery starts to unfold. The caretakers are trying to maintain control of the situation and simultaneously trying to figure out the murder, as it clearly was not an accident. There are twists and turns that had me guessing incorrectly on the identity of the murderer. I was pleased with a logical ending.
Overall very entertaining.
