ROUTE: Newport, MI to Windsor, CT: 748 miles (693 loaded + 55 deadhead)
This is one of my usual routes as it gets me home when I request is, but today it’s just another assignment. Sunday 02/22 I was at our terminal in Canton, MI, getting the truck’s 20K mile maintenance done and checking on the battery problem I was having.
Monday 02/23 my day started at 8:30am, I fueled and then drove an hour to Auburn Hills to deliver the load from the previous assignment. The assignment was for a pickup at 10:00am and deliver the next day at noon. I could pickup the shipment by 9:00pm and arrived there at 1:30pm. I would be impossible to get to the consignee by noon but there was a slim chance to get there by their closing at 3:30pm. I probably was going to arrive around 5:00pm since it was around 700 miles. It requires a twelve drive-hour plus the DOT Mandatory 10-hour break, so we requested to change the delivery to Wednesday 02/25 at 9:00am. After picking up the load I stopped for lunch at a diner across the street from the shipper that has truck parking. I had a Greek gyro with fries. From there I drove three-and-half hours to the Petro in Girard, OH, that has an Indian food truck across the street. I had Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner.
Tuesday 02/24 I started my day at 7:30am and drove nine-hours to the consignee with stops for fuel and dinner at I-84 Diner in Fishkill, NY. I had a chicken parm that is so good in New York and a lentil soup. I decided to make it all the way to the consignee because I still had hours available and guaranteed I would make the delivery on time. On the way there I topped off on fuel as it’s harder to find the quality of diesel the company likes in the New England area, so I prefer to have a full tank. They allow overnight parking at the consignee’s facility and found two other AD Transport drivers there doing the same thing. On Wednesday I would have a full clock for the next assignment.
BOOK REVIEW: Don’t Look for Me: A Novel by Wendy Walker (2020), FICTION – RATING (***)
The drama behind the protagonist is much darker than the publisher’s synopsis presents. The first half of the book is slow paced. The second half moves at a faster pace but the drama of it all doesn’t make much sense and somewhat cruel. The final twist is absurd and brings down the rest of the story.
Molly Clark’s life is in turmoil. She thinks her husband is having an affair. Her 21 year-old daughter hates her and her son ignores her. He’s a college student-athlete is in his Junior year and on the football team. On the way home from watching her son’s football game, a two-hour drive away, she runs out of gas yards from her customary gas station. A major storm is upon her so the gas station is closed. She’s distracted by her emotional state and depressed by her status within the family. She wanders off looking for help and is abducted.
The police conclude that Molly simply decided to walk away from her life and close the case after four days. Her daughter doesn’t want to believe it and is determined to find her mom. A lot of twists and turns but not enough to overcome the darkness of the plot.
Not very entertaining or suspenseful enough. Mostly heart wrenching but somewhat held my interest.
