Adventures in light duty work, or How to Stay Sane in a Depressing Environment


A modern tale which, more than likely, will be retold for years to come.
As part of my ?punishment? for getting hurt on company time I was ?VOLUNTEERED? (read as: I could not refuse) to answer the phone at a local Assisted Living home. This, by far, has been the oddest trucking job I have ever had. No one has any clue as to how many hours I am supposed to ?VOLUNTEER? for, so I try to gather as many hours as I can before someone says STOP.
This ?volunteer? work is something new the company I am entangled with has started since, theoretically, there is no such thing as ?LIGHT DUTY?. A group of office dwellers came up with this ingenious plan to get injured drivers off of Workmen?s Compensation and back on the company payroll, which also means the health benefits are reinstated, I will add for the record that this company is the only one attempting this.

As I stated this ?VOLUNTEER? position is the oddest trucking job I have ever encountered, the desk doesn?t move, neither does the walls. I was told I have to have a smiling voice when I answer the phone, that?s not easy!!!!
The first day I started the residents were extremely wary of this Ozzy looking person sitting at the desk watching them. It has taken about two weeks for them to get used to me and now all is well in the Assisted Living Universe.
The CNA?s are really fun to work with plus, the office staff, for the most part, has gotten used to this worn out scruffy trucker as a receptionist but I still refuse to wear a skirt. There are a few that know all the details regarding my presence behind the desk and a few have said they would like to take my place, which I would gladly give up.

It has been a month and two weeks since I was planted at this place and now there seems to be some unrest among the office staff of the AL home, the director is having a huge problem with me putting in 40 hours a week even though I am NOT on their payroll and after many talks with her she will only agree to 30 hours, can?t support a anyone on 30 hours, so I am looking for another place to fill in my time, or who can give me 40+ hours.

Just when I thought I would be done with this a new wrinkle emerged. Yesterday Nov. 21 I received information from the doctor, who performed an Independent Medical Evaluation on my knee, has determined I am at Maximum Medical Improvement, which means I have not progressed to 100% and that my career as a professional driver is all but over?

This was written on November 22nd. Since that time I have moved on to Volunteer at the Red Cross as a SSP for the Disaster Relief Coordinator... A much more rewarding position and I can get as many hours as I can stand and then some and I usually do at least 55+?

As with everything All Good Things Must Come To an End!!! The coordinator has been informed that January 7 will probably be the last day I?ll be volunteering for anything. This is the day of Mediation between me and the company? Never a dull moment!!


Another tale to get this thread back on track

 

And yet another:

Hauling Beer and other Liquid Refreshments

There were a few occasions over the years when I had the sheer enjoyment of hauling beer out of some of the major breweries in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, etc.
The very first load of beer I pulled was out of Schmidts in Philadelphia. I brought new, empty bottles in and pulled full bottle and cans out. I was driving towards I-95 when a Cadillac flew around the truck and stopped sideways, or close to it, in front of me. I locked the brakes up trying to avoid hitting the car. The truck was just about stopped when a guy jumped on the fuel tank and pointed a gun to my head telling me to get out. I wasn?t about to argue with a .45. As I got out of the truck I noticed the Caddy was moved and another guy climbed into the truck. The gun holder told me to start walking and not to turn around; again I was not going to pick a fight with anyone with a cannon in their hand. As I walked away I heard the familiar grind of a very well used 13 speed transmission and the familiar sound of a well abused 350 Cummins.
Another observation I had made was the fact that the street was deserted when only minutes before the place looked like a block party.
I called the police, keep in mind, this was before 911 was the number to call. The police arrived 30 minutes later I gave them a description of the truck, the two guys and the Cadillac. I wasn?t sure if they believed me because of the lack of witnesses and besides who in Hell would want to steal Schmidts beer. One of the officers said my truck was the third in as many days to be hijacked. I asked the officers how I was going to get home, they graciously gave me a ride to the station where I called the boss explained all the sordid details and told him I needed a ride home. He called my Dad and the both of them rode to Philly to rescue me. On the ride home the boss apologized and said he wouldn?t put me on another beer run. I told him not to do any such thing the excitement made a blah day all the more interesting. Dad just shook his head and said ?Are you sure you are my kid???

The police found the truck in tact the next day at an abandoned warehouse by the Delaware River. When the boss and I arrived to rescue it a detective told us they believed a shipping supervisor at the brewery was behind the hijackings and the FBI was handling the case. I did have an interview with a FBI agent the following day?

I never did find out if there were any arrests?

 

Last one:

Flat bedding trials and tribulations

Pulling a flat bed in the North East usually meant hauling a lot of steel, whether it was coil, sheet, or rod there was a lot to be hauled. Of all the types I liked coil the best, just use four chains and the occasional tarp. I usually ended up with sheet steel loads more than coils.

I picked up a load of sheet from Bethlehem Steel for delivery to a metal distributor, General Aerospace, in Dayton NJ.
When the unloading was completed the manager asked me if I could take a load of cut steel to a fabricator in Northern NJ because his driver had just quit. A quick call to the boss the truck was loaded, chained and out of the building I went. I didn?t get halfway up the driveway when I noticed the steel was shifting. I stopped, looked over the situation when one of the guys from the warehouse came and said the steel was slicker than owl shit. The information was useless, I had already surmised that much, well I wasn?t going to let it beat me, I placed 2x4s on the edges of each stack and rechained the load making extra sure each binder did its job. The load didn?t move on the ride up.

I backed into the fabricators yard and started to loosen the first binder, a feeling of dread swept over me, so I changed my stance which was a very wise move the binder popped open sending the cheater pipe flying into a window in the building next door. The pipe could have killed me if I hadn?t moved. Yes, discretion was the better part of valour. Oh, no one noticed the window was broken either?

 

I lied, this is the last one:

I had a few trainees over the years, one I left in Tucumcari, NM, one never got out of NJ and the last one was arrested for assault, yes assault.

We pulled up to a shipper?s gate to pick up a ?blind? shipment; this shipment was so ?blind? even the dispatcher was clueless.
The guard asked the trainee who we were picking up for; of course he didn?t know and told the guard exactly that. The next thing I heard was the trainee telling some guy to go f*** himself. I looked at him rather puzzled he asked me if I heard what the guy by the gate had said. I told him no I was looking at the chick standing by the Mustang. I had no sooner finished my sentence when the trainee jumped out of the truck and started beating on the guy by the gate. The guard came running out of his shack yelling at me to call off my driver, I was content just watching them go a couple of rounds. That all changed when I heard the wail of sirens. I stepped out, walked over to the fracas, ducked a few punches, and pulled the trainee off of the punching bag, who was in pretty rough shape.
I asked the trainee what was wrong with him, he told me that the son of a bitch insulted him and no one does that. I couldn?t argue with him but I did tell him it wasn?t worth going to jail over some asshole with a slack jaw as the cops put him in the car. Another officer asked me if I witnessed the incident, I told him no but from what I heard the guy on the ground was the instigator.
After all was said and done my trainee was charged with assault, all over a comment made by a disgruntled, unemployed Teamster.

 

Now if you'll excuse me I have to finish typing up a revised Weapons of Mass Destruction disaster plan... Hmmmm, Weapons of Mass Destruction?!?!?!!? The things GWB swears to God are in the desert but can't seem to find!!!!!!

Enough of the political POV... It's fun to be an Anarchist

 

need more stores cant go on. please doc thank of something to write.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
:rock: :alien: :borg: :mrgreen: :asta: :rock:
LIKE MY BAND 8)

 

Ask and ye shall receive:

Fun with corrugated board

There were quite a few times when there was a serious need for questioning some of the boss?s business ventures. There were contracts and then there were contracts that would make a sane person run screaming.

One such contract was to pull cardboard from a plant in NJ to their customers in the Tri-State are which included the home office in Deer Park, NY. I had heard some horror stories about the NJ plant regarding the plant manager from Hell, actually Philadelphia, but you get the idea. This guy tried to terminate the entire transportation department. I guess that?s why the boss offered our services.

After another one of my whirlwind tours of the Upper Midwest I wandered into the dispatch office and heard another company driver cursing and yelling I couldn?t resist walking into the bosses? office for a better view. I found Billy standing near the desk telling the boss about Metro?s plant manger and how much he hated the guy. I asked Billy how bad could it be, he let me know in no uncertain terms that ?Tom? was an A**hole and a f**king psycho. The boss looked at me and I told him I would get the load. He knew I loved a challenge?

I drove to the plant picked up the trailer and paperwork the shipping foreman asked me if I had a problem with Philadelphia I told him I just got back from Chicago and Saint Paul, so Philly wasn?t going to be a big deal.
I started out of the yard when a Lunatic came running out of the building yelling and waving his arms. I stopped the truck; he stood by the drivers? door asking who I was and where I was going, I just told him I was fine and on my way to Philly. This guy was a real gem he kept yelling he was going to call the boss and terminate the contract. Temptation got the better of me I asked the raving maniac who he was as I pulled away his reaction was beyond description the only words I understood was plant manager.

I got to the box manufacturer I noticed a slight problem, inside dock, very narrow street, and a long W-900 not a good combination, the receiver made it clear the truck had to be in the dock, another challenge, what more could I ask for. I?ll state for the record it was easier than I had imagined, except for the one pull up. I bounced the front wheels on the sidewalk opposite the dock. A woman carrying a broomstick came out of her house and started beating on the left fender. I asked her if she was crazy, but she kept whacking the fender until I got into the dock. I asked the receiver about it and if she owned the sidewalk, he told me yes the people in Philadelphia do own the sidewalks.

On my way back I stopped at a nursery and bought a cactus and promptly handed it to the plant manager. He looked at me and asked why; I told him maybe he could manage the cactus better than the corrugated plant. What a fireworks display as I left the office?

 

And yet more:

The autumn season and gas hauling can get interesting especially on the weekends with high school and college rivalries, not to mention the campus parties.

October 31 Hallowe?en unloading at a convenience store in Raleigh, I already knew I was in for a night from my second load; some genius thought it would be funny to hide behind a tomb stone and to jump out when I stepped out of the truck. He did scare the shit out of me.
I figured being in Raleigh the Trick-or-Treaters wouldn?t be so bad, I was wrong as I discovered that the NC State students were over celebrating Hallowe?en. For the most part the costumes were rather interesting and quite creative. I was just about finished when a commotion caught my attention I turned to see a young lady jogging across the store lot dressed in nothing more than a thong she came up to me saying her car had ran out of gas and could she get some off the trailer. I wasn?t about to lose my job over an almost naked female and told her so. Curiosity got the better of me, so I asked her who was she dressed up, or almost dressed as. She let me know in no uncertain terms that she was supposed to be a Penthouse Pet of the month. I told her I wasn?t sure which month she was supposed to be, but she still needed a lot of work.
Yes it did piss her off, plus when I told the wife about the incident she wouldn?t speak to me for a day or two.

 

More:

A Hallowe?en prank is always fun to pull on someone.

One of the mechanics had constructed a dummy put a hang mans noose around its neck and hung it in a doorway. The scare factor was about zero to -1. One of the drivers thought chaining the bloody thing to the deck of a flatbed would be entertaining, it wasn?t, no one noticed a thing as he drove around town. He put it in the passenger seat, still, no reaction.
The driver was getting frustrated until a 2 watt bulb went on; he parked the truck put the dummy in the drivers? seat then walked across the street to observe. Passers by, for the most part, ignored the truck and its occupant.
With the frustration level at critical the driver went back to the yard, where the boss told him to take an empty van to load. The driver attached the dummy to the back doors to look as if a person got hauled away.

I was heading to my last drop off when I came up behind the truck. I did a double take as I got closer to it, I also noticed the reactions of the motorists as they went past, I will state that this took place long before Cell Phones were a common item.
I called the driver on the CB asking him what was going on. He told me it was Hallowe?en, something I already knew, and he was having a little fun. It was an interesting piece of humour; I wished him luck as I turned off towards my last stop.
When I arrived back at the yard the boss was having a tantrum, before I could ask any questions he said that Andy missed the pick up, which was nothing new, and that the state police were questioning him about the body on the doors of the trailer.
That was one time I was glad I wasn?t involved.

 

McDonalds trials and tribulations:

McDonalds and why I won?t eat there

All the driving I have done there were occasions to come along for me to deliver to McDonalds. The distribution warehouse got my number from Dad, so I was subject to phone calls at all hours of the day?

Occasion #1
Early on a Sunday morning I was asked if I could take a truck with three stops in to Manhattan, I agreed since there was nothing better to do that day.

I checked in with dispatch got the paperwork and went to look for the truck.
A brief explanation is in order. The company, Metroplex Distributors, had an odd assortment of trucks Brockways, Fords, 2 GMC Astros, 2 GMC long hood 9500s and two Macks.
I checked the numbers on the run sheet and found I had a Ford not bad until I got into the truck and saw it had a Fuller six speed, 3 on the low side, 3 on the high side. It was intriguing to say the least. I soon discovered the transmission was a piece of shit the truck couldn?t get out of its own way down hill!!!!!

My first stop was on the upper west side of Manhattan, not a bad place to deliver early in the AM. I pulled up to the second stop in Midtown and found much to my dismay that it didn?t open until 9:00. I looked around the neighbourhood and figured the inhabitants would not appreciate a truck sitting below their windows with the refrigerator running for a few hours. I walked down to a phone and called dispatch only to hear him start yelling. I interrupted his tirade by telling him I could work around that stops order and go to stop # 3. I got back to the truck I found a parking ticket stuck in the hood latch.
I finished delivering stop # 3 and found 6 more parking tickets on the tractor three on the windshield, two in the door handle, and one in the hood latch. Back to stop # 2, where the manager was having a fit because I was late, I just told him to get over it. Stop # 2 finished I found 7 more tickets, I figured what the Hell and walked into the store to grab an Egg McMuffin and coffee. I walked back out side only to be confronted with a parking cop trying to hand me a ticket, I told her that it had to be placed on the vehicle. It was fun to watch her try to put the ticket on the windshield?

I got back to the warehouse handed the clerk the bills and the 15 tickets; she told me the record for one truck was 20.
What a racket!!!!