CALHOUN, TN to RUTHERFORD, NC: 365 miles + Detention (240 loaded + 125 deadhead + $200)
This assignment was a clusterf*ck of Murphy’s Law. After completing my assignment on August 17th I was supposed to pick up a load later that afternoon. I arrived at the shipper at 4:00pm but after sweeping the trailer it was rejected because there were miniscule fiberglass particles present. The cargo was food items for human consumption and though they were in sacks on pallets wrapped in cellophane the shipper claimed there was a risk of contamination. The shipper was in Cleveland, TN, and our closest drop lot was in Nashville which was 180 miles away. It was too late in the day to get a different assignment so I went to the nearest truck stop and shut it down for the night.
August 18th, I waited at the truck stop until I received my next assignment which I received at 2:00pm. I took advantage of the idle time for a shower. My day started with the pre-trip inspection of the truck and drove half-an-hour to the shipper where I arrived at 2:45pm. Upon checking in I was told that the shipment I was picking up was already out the door and they could load me with another assignment but I needed to have it by 3:00pm. Brokers do not act that quickly so either I would get something completely different or would have to sit out another day. I was paid $200 for the idle time from the detention of the previous day.
August 19th, I received a new assignment from the the same shipper and this time there was not an issue with it. These were huge white roles of paper are used to make toilet paper and paper towels. In the past I have transported huge brown rolls of paper used to make cardboard boxes which are very heavy but these were lite. The delivery was for the same day but it was a short trip that only required four hours drive time but I had to hurry to make it before they closed. I did not want to sit idle another day. I had already driven the deadhead miles the day before.
BOOK REVIEW: The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens (2014), THRILLER – RATING (*****)
An excellent thriller with elements of compassion, romance and proper investigation procedures. Many twist-and-turns with various subplots running on top of each other.
Joe Talbert is a college student from a broken family and having a side job to make ends meets. His English assignment is to write an essay about the life experiences from a family member. Joe doesn’t have any family members worth interviewing so he decides to visit a nursing home and talk to someone there. The problem is that many of the patients suffer from dementia. There is one patient that might be willing to talk to Joe, Carl Iverson. Carl is an inmate that is on humanitarian parole from a life sentence for rape and murder of which he has served thirty-years but only has months to live. Joe is hesitant and Carl agrees to tell his story if it is told honestly. Carl admits to being a killer but not a murderer.
As Joe listens to Carl tell his story he starts to discover inconsistencies on the police investigation of Carl’s crimes. The narrative leads Joe to many discoveries with greater repercussions than a mere college assignment. He becomes obsessed in discovering the truth even if it means putting his own life in danger.
Very entertaining.
