This T/A here off I64 in Hurricane WV is medium sized. The spaces are angled which is great to get in and out of. There is no Idle Aire which is fantastic. It has the old style Country Pride restaurant. It reminds me of what was my favorite T/A at Baldwin FL before they screwed it up. Truck drivers should design "travel centers" not MBA's or architects that wear designer clothes. There is a very large pothole at the north end of the back lot that really needs to be repaired. I love the sign in the parking lot stating "no cars only trucks are allowed in this lot."
So I drive 17.1 miles to the receiver. The time they requested "us" to be there was 8AM. So six of us sit there until they get act together and finally unload us at 11:45am. I'm not too bent out of shape since I don't have to be in Roanoke VA (187 paid deadhead miles) until 7pm. The load instructions say not to go in earlier than 15 minutes from your scheduled load time - no calling the shipper to try and reschedule the p/u time. I can already tell these people, like all steel companies, are pinheads. And then it's onto Bridgeport, CT.
April freight has been pretty good. We'll see how May goes with the holiday. My "regular" driver manager has returned. In her 7 week absence, 16 drivers on our fleet quit. I'm not surprised. Along with the accounting department of a carrier that makes sure your paycheck is correct, having a top notch driver manager is essential. I'm of the mind that men driver managers are all horrible. This is a women's job. Females have the brains, common sense and right temperament to do the job right. If I couldn't work with a woman driver manager, I would be forced to find another job.
A few years ago, I worked for a company called Charger. They went out of business causing me and my family considerable hardship which in some ways we still have not recovered from. Before I was left "high and dry" before Christmas somewhere up in Michigan, I had an amazing female driver manager. I've since forgotten her name. I was running my ass off at $.40 a mile and we actually had some extra spending money for extravagant things like a new dish washer or a set of tires. She didn't have much experience when she came on the job, but took to it like a duck in water. She ran circles around the guys. She quickly became the #1 revenue producer and there was a waiting list to get on her fleet. I loved that company. It would be years before I would come close to duplicating that situation.
Remember, pro drivers, that May 13th is mother's day. Just about all the truck stops are selling cards. If you can get to a Wal-Mart the card will cost you half. I'm sure Pilot will have something in their "magazine" about how Jesus loves mother's. Private joke, sorry. Anyway, you know how difficult it is to find a mailbox on the road, so don't wait until it is too late. And even if you hate your mother, buy her a damn card and put a $20 in it. You be the better person. If you have kids and you're still married (30 years for me!), your wife should get a mother's day card as well. Flowers would be nice and there will be plenty of deals on Sirius radio so you can afford a few roses.
