CANTON, MI to MEMPHIS, TN: 731 miles
Sunday June 14th, the previous assignment ended in the wee-hours of the morning at 1:30am. I dropped a loaded trailer at our terminal in Canton, MI, because delivery was scheduled for Tuesday morning. I would not be able to leave before 11:30am per DOT Regulations mandating a minimum of a ten-hour break between shifts. The obvious solution would to be hangout until Monday morning and start my week like everyone else, but that was the key of the equation. The Michigan based drivers would all be looking for an assignment on Monday morning, so why not get in front of them and get a load on Sunday afternoon?
The consignee for this assignment closes promptly at 2:30pm EST weekdays only. It takes roughly twenty-four hours for the assignment with fourteen drive hours plus the minimum DOT Break of ten-hours. I still had to do my errands of food shopping at Walmart, shower, laundry and fuel the truck. It would be physically challenging to get all that done and leave by 1:00pm so on Sunday I started my day officially at 6:00pm with the pre-trip inspection then fueled the truck and left our terminal at 6:30pm. I only drove an hour-and-half and shut it for the night at 8:00pm at the Sheetz truck stop in New Baltimore, OH with a beautiful sunset in the background. The delivery was scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Monday June 15th, I started my day at 11:30am with the pre-trip inspection of the truck and left at noon. I drove nine-hours to the Pilot in Hurricane Mills, TN, that has easy parking and a great restaurant across the street that closes at 10:00pm EST (9:00pm CST). Arriving at the truck stop at 9:30pm I barely made it and probably should have left an hour earlier but I called them from the road and as long as I arrived before closing it was fine. I had grilled chicken breast, baked beans, mashed potatoes and their home made baked apples that are delicious. I followed it with a merengue coconut cream pie that is heavenly.
Tuesday June 16th, I started my day at 10:30am with the pre-trip inspection of the truck and drove two-and-half hours to the consignee where I arrived at 1:30pm EST.
BOOK REVIEW: Room 21 by Jessica Huntley (2021), THRILLER – RATING (****)
The plot is extremely original, somewhat dark and not for the faint of heart. A psychological thriller that magnificantly highlights the difficulties a person with disabilities face in order to function socially.
Kimberly, a twenty-five year old Senior Housekeeper at a luxury hotel in London suffers from epilepsy. Muffin, her seizures’ alert dog is always by her side and a main character in the story. She’s been in foster care from birth until she grew out of the system at eighteen years old. She doesn’t know who her parents are or why they left her. She doesn’t have many friends and jumps at the opportunity to work for an exclusive boutique hotel in the Scottish Highlands that caters to a unique clientele. Jennifer Clifton runs that hotel and came to London just to recruit Kimberly. She must sign an NDA to work there and agree not to enter into Room 21.
Once Kimberly arrives at the hotel and learns of her new duties is when the story gets weird. As the story develops we learn more about Kimberly’s past as well as about the owners of the hotel. There are many secrets and it’s not just what happens in Room 21.
Apprehensively entertaining with more than one strong FMC and a surprising ending.
