Archive for the ‘life politics truck stop life’ Category

Really?


2013
06.13

Life has been more stressful lately. Problems at work. Problems at home. Problems in general. First, I hate incompetence and I hate bullies. Makes it hard to deal w/ things, doesn’t it?

Yesterday’s Day

Yesterday was essentially a 18 hour day. I got up at 05:15, left at 06:30 drove to Baltimore, fly to Raleigh then rode to Rocky Mount, wherein the truck would not start. >:-( Jumped off the APU and it then took from 1:30 pm to 4:45 pm for the APU to power the truck enough to get it to turn over and start. Got trailer and left at about 5:30. Got to yard in Baltimore at 10:30, off at 10:45. Drove home. Back at 01:00… it was more complicated than that, but that was the day in a nutshell.

Just a long day. And it was really hot and nasty down south yesterday. I was getting sick from the heat, which was a “fun” new experience. Joy.

Today’s Joy

This AM was a great fight w/ the wife. Over dumb stuff. Another joy. I just have too much to deal with. Worry, stress, drivers CONTINUING to call me about their checks and money… what can I tell them? Nada. Life is not ordered right now and that makes it worse. Causes me to stress out heavily.

Onward

Sounds like I get to fly to Georgia — a whole new set of stresses. Have to put Zoey in the kennel (who can’t take her till Monday) and she needs her distemper and lepto shots. Yay, $90. I don’t have.

The Internet

It’s not that fun anymore and I cannot do creative stuff under stress — a main reason my websites have not been really worked on for the last 8 months or so. Just too hard. The Roman one has been getting some work, but I keep getting disturbed. R-Net needs an update of software, which takes money first for some upgrades. one, before the other, always, but before that, THIS other thing HAS to be done.

Storms

Really windy early this AM. Lots of rain, lighting. Poor Angus went into Zoey’s crate (she was fine)… his 10th Birthday yesterday… He does seem to be feeling better on the Clucosamine Chondroitin I’ve been giving him. Getting stiff in his old age — I can relate — my left hand gets worse every day. ring finger and pinky and part of my palm there ache. Ring finger get’s “stuck” and I have to move it past a certain point to free it. Yay.

I’ll stop — you don’t need to read about my blather. Just another day in the countdown.

Ende

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I hate mixers.


2012
10.05

Yes, I do. Like dump truck drivers and other constructoid drivers, mixer drivers have this ignorance to them. Showing up next to my housU.e at 7 am… Yeah, one can expect that, but leaving your piece of shit in reverse, so I have to listen to the frigging backup alarm for an hour?? Or occasionally revving up the motor (thus allowing me to discover you are one of those ignorant fucked without a muffler)… that’s plain annoying or worse.hackers like this, wonder why people hate my profession… just a lack of carrying about those around you. Straight pipes on a truck are just like on a Harley… rudeness on purpose. There’s a reason that construction drivers are at the bottom of the driving hierarchy… And yeah, they are. If course though, I consider those aholes in big kenworths, pulling a”covered wagon”to be right up there too. If you ever notice on the road, they’re the ones speeding, tailgating and in general, doing ignorant stuff on the road. Not all mind you, but most.

Anyway, I just want to thank this asshole for this morning’s fine beginning.

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I Hate Drama Mamas


2012
08.13

People just need to chill the fuck out. They worry about what everyone else does. Some, like a person not to be named, get all worked up over dumb things and semantics. We’ve all worked for bosses that demand respect. Hell, in my company, there are managers who think their title means something… they think they’re important and can mess w/ people’s lives. Of course, then they wonder why they have ultra-high turnover. Hell, even I have a hard itme finding drivers. I hold it together by the skin of my doo dads. Rob Peter to pay Paul… cover the run. One of my “children” constantly complains it’s because we don’t have health insurance, but that’s not all of it. Some say we have a “bad name” around here, but that too, is not all of it. Mainly, people don’t wanna work anymore. “What, work on weekends and holidays? Eff you.” Why the Gubment will give them years of unemployment. They’re entitled. Why should they? AND, w/ the driver shortage, it’s harder and harder. We can’t hire a lot of experienced people due to stuff that happened 10-20 years ago — NO SHIT!!! Pennsylvania is especially bad as they don’t take things off your record after the time unless you petition it off. I had a guy had two tickets in his car, back like in 2001?! And I couldn’t hire him because of those tickets… WTF? All because some lawyer might use it in court about hiring someone who HAD A TICKET 10 YEARS AGO :-o Soon, they’re gonna have to pay us $50. an hour. Most of these companies try and weasel out by hiring new drivers and training them. Sure, go ahead. Of course, in a couple of our terminals, English IS the second language and guess what their record’s like. Sad. I think we have a good company, but a lot of management just doesn’t get the part about needing to learn about management… it ain’t something you just know. Oh well, ain’t my name in chrome letters on the door. Discouragement is my middle name today.

Ende

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No more dipshits!


2012
08.08

Okay, this a good one… hired a guy, older driver, experienced, etc. Anyway, we go through all the crap, get him onboard and he even pulls a run. does a fill-in, but can’t run city as he has no badge yet… is  “sick” Thursday nite when supposed to train. Okay, ran Friday to cover a run and then to train and get badge on Tuesday night. 45 mins before he is too go out, this guy calls and says he’s not gonna take the run. :-o WTF? Says he doesn’t want to go to NJ, that he doesn’t want to do a 4 hour layover and not get paid (while he’s sleeping, mind you) AND he doesn’t like the idea of having to load and unload the trailer. WTF, WTF, WTF????

Some of the other drivers think one of our drivers scared him away, I don’t know. I do know that I shant hire another person from Huntingdon ever again. Every one of them has screwed us over in some way. I kinda shoulda known when he wanted to meet at the restaurant to do the paperwork, even when I told him that mornings were bad and I had to roll. Some people never get it.

And the day just got worse with an e-mail from the post office… eff this. Let me win the lotto — I’ve paid my dues

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NCIS… sometimes, Fiction Can influence Real Life


2012
07.26

NCIS is a great show and one of the most popular. It is great because you can just veg and they’re good stories… except where it’s supposed to be set in Northern Virginia… in the one in watching, is supposed to be Annandale, Virginia. Horse puckey! That’s my home time in Virginia. Anyway, they film in Cali, not NoVa, which is dumb — why not actually film in Virginia? Why not wankers? Typical hollyweird laziness. It would be so much cooler. Anyway, I digress…

Gibbs, the lead character of the show, played by Mark Harmon, has a set of rules he and his team use… I have found this to be a really useful idea.

Over the last year or so, Driver “X” and I have come up with some for my life and that apply to my drivers. I did Swipe some of Gibvs’ rules too… the ones after rule 13. So sue me, some apply.

strongMarsh’s Rules/strong

1. Get the Mail moving.

2. Never_assume.

3. Ask!

4. Don’t count on others.

5. Always CYA!

6.Always make sure.

7.Don’t wait to call with a problem.

8.Keep in touch.

9.Always have a screwdriver, pliers, crescent-wrench and a flashlight.

10.Don’t argue with the P.O. — call you manager.

11.Try common sense.

12.If you gotta ask, it’s probably “No!”

13.YOU are responsible for keeping track of your hours.

14.Don’t believe what you’re told. Double check.

15.Never be unreachable.

16.The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best? Tell
one other person – if you must. There is no third best.

17.You don’t waste good.

18.Never say “You’re Sorry.” It’s a sign of weakness.

19.Always be specific when you lie.

20.Never take anything for granted.

21.Never go anywhere without a knife.

22.When the job is done, walk away.

23.Never date a co-worker.

24.Never, ever involve a lawyer.

25.Always work as a team.

26.If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it.

27.It’s better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.

28.If you feel like you are being played, you probably are.

29.There is no such thing as coincidence.

30.If it seems someone is out to get you, they are.

31.Never accept an apology from someone who just sucker punched you.

32.Clean up the mess that you make.

33.Sometimes – you’re wrong.

34.Never trust a woman who doesn’t trust her man.

35.You do what you have to do for family.

36.Don’t work the system when you can work the people

37.Never second guess yourself in a relationship and life.

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Broken down in Madison


2012
02.09

So, the truck that meets me out of Columbus craps yesterday. Losing power… Have driver go to T/A and they say turbo… Company head mechanic has him drive to P.O. and then freight this AM (freight, ick!)… Of course, he messes up and logs in too early: violationD’OH! So, other guy brings me the Mail and I had brought him different tractor to switch out as they (mechs) wanted me to get truck to my shop or even our NJ shop :-o OF COURSE, on the way back, the truck starts losing power and I am down to 30mph on I-70; no where to pull off. I call and as I get ye olde waffling, I make command decision to stop @ Gary’s truck repair. “Can’t you make it back to Willow Hill?” “Uh, NO!” Says I. “I CANNOT take this truck on the pike” if it were anyone else they might have ordered it… 3-4 beefy hills betwixt here and thar… HELL NO! This could have been fixed yesterday, but nooooooooooooooooo. So here I sit, undoubtedly not getting paid for a breakdown and other’s poor decisions.

Gonna be at least another hour before I leave, as this mech (who quickly diagnosed problem) has to run and get part. Ack. My poor dogs :-( Dat be some boolshit, dat be what dat be. Frak!

Wonderfully Sumtin’
So, I am missing a trailer — a nice newish MAIL trailer vs. a freight box. On a dedicated run when some Billy Bob rear ends it and bends the ICC bar. Orders come to get it to Kearny to go to main shop in Maryland… Of course, someone IGNORES el Jefé’s order and starts to use it on untermensch runs. And don’t ya know, it is now missing… We are searching ask post offices, but no trace. Also, it’s satellite tracker appears to have stopped working last march, D’oh! Where o’ where is my trailer? WHY did we wait so long to look for it? Knowing the P.O., they sent it on someone else’s run… Is it stolen? Maybe.

Still Sitting
Gonna be late tonight. :-o ¡$?,/!$#@%/?!

Schnee
Did I mention it was snowing today? fortunately not sticking and not really cold just a damp nastiness that sucks the warmth out of your bones and psyche. :-( So far, it’s been a decent winter w/little snow and not ass-reamingly cold. Few more weeks until Spring. Ah hates me Winter, ah does.
Ende

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Such a true quote


2012
01.30

So… okay, I read the news. Things like the TSA and “Homeland Security” worry me. And we have people who cry for more. They want more “protection” and less freedom…  WTF? They’re sheep. Here’s a quote that is SO true, I don’t know why it isn’t in stone (well, I do, it’s from a TV show, but it’s awesome).

There’s a reason you separate military and the police.
One fights the enemies of the state,
the other serves and protects the people.
When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.

So, what can I say, it’s DEAD on, but since it’s from Battlestar Galactica, everyone will ignore it. :-( Still, I think it’s dead on. Don’t agree? So what!

Ende

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It’s MY Thanksgiving.


2011
11.25

In Mail Hauling, usually, we get the day after the holiday off. After so many years, you just get used to it… it is what it is. We’re going to my mother-in-law’s place for our Thanksgiving dinner today. She is a great host!!

I haven’t posted in a while… lot’s going on and I didn’t feel like it. Was busy before WWI and real world stuff after. I will say again: Hobby politics blow and you would not believe the amount of just hateful and “angry” people in a hobby. It’s sad — they can’t see the positive, just wishing to be angry, to impose their views on others. To play games and to think their title in a hobby means something. I don’t have time in my life for angry, small people. Do you? Is it worth it? I am concentrating on doing stuff w/ my unit and hoping we can move away from the one unsafe unit out there. My knee hurt so bad that it makes me really reconsider if I can keep doing this.

On the Hiring Front

So, as usual, we are short-handed. I actually found another person, willing to do the Sat night run and fill-in. Oh yeah, the promises. Yes, yes, yes. I spent an hour explaining to her (yes a “her”) all about the job. I went over every little thing. And then, I had to jump through hoops to hire her. And… she made it hard. She could not, would not follow instructions. Would not do the paperwork for her app, she questioned and argued about the paperwork for the Post Office, etc. On her app, she wrote all over thepage, her whole life story. THREE TIMES we had to redo that?!

I tried to help her, to get her onboard, well in excess of what I would for a guy (preferential treatment already?!) and she still would argue, etc. Ack! I explained NUMEROUS times this is not freight-hauling, it’s MAIL HAULING. Some drivers don’t get that and think they can “bargain” with you for stuff (“Well, why can’t ah picks the truck up here, by ma house?”). Well, after about 3-4 weeks work, I get this ding-dong on and what does she do??? She frigging quits. Yes. Quits. “What happened?” you ask… you guys must have been mean to her… Hardly: first, on her training run, she proceeds to argue the WHOLE night with her trainer. Just on and on and on. The morning after the training run, she gets back and she QUITS. “Why?” asketh you. Well, she didn’t like the computer (all trucks will be going to them now and it’s pretty simple to use), she didn’t like going to New Jersey (WTF?! I explained, FULLY, where we go and what we do…). She didn’t like the idea of laying over in the truck once in a while for a day (again WTF?!?!? I explained all this at LENGTH and she had said “Oh, that wouldn’t bother me at all.”). She didn’t like the fact that you have to “go” and cannot just stop when you feel like it. We “rush” her she said. There are “bed bugs” in the truck sleeper… That’s MY truck you drove, dipshit, there are no bedbugs in there. WTF? WTF? WTF? WTF? I should have just dumped her when my warning klaxons started going off. She always had some “reason” for problems or inconsistencies, always some excuse. My dog has more common sense than this person.

So what does this idiot’s actions end up doing? Well, she cost the company a bunch of money to hire her worthless ass. She goes makes ME look like an ass to my boss (after I jumped through 40 hoops to get them to let me hire her) — think that will happen again? By quitting like that, she screwed the other drivers who were scheduled off, now one had to run over the Holiday and others had their schedules all messed up. And you know who else she screwed? Any other woman who wants to drive for us — will they go out of their way to hire someone who really is not qualified or cannot do the job? Will they give people the chance to “prove themselves?” HELL NO. Horrible huh? I tried to be fair, more than fair. We went WAY out to accommodate her and she pissed all over that. >:-( No more accommodations — if someone cannot do the job the way we need it or how we tell them to do it, they ain’t gettin’ hired. My boss has told me a couple times: “You can can bend over backwards for these people and they will then turn around and try and screw you.” and it’s TRUE. It really is. Every time they do this crap, it makes me (and other managers) less nice, less forgiving, less accommodating. And lest some jack-ass think I am some sexist scumbag, one of the BEST drivers I EVER had was a woman. I am just too trusting, too naive — thinking there’s good in people. House is right, “Everybody lies!”

What Else?

Some good things at work… I do have a great crew! Without good people, nothing really get’s done. Treat them right, look out for them and they’ll look out for you. If you DO get a bad apple, you get rid of it before it contaminates the rest. My crew really steps up and does the job. I can say, without reservation: I have the BEST crew in the company. My guys take care of the trucks, they come to work and run the run correctly. They don’t tear up the equipment. They keep our stuff in better shape than in other areas… yes, my guys are great!!

Politics

I still like Herman Cain! We need, desperately, a BUSINESSMAN in the White House, not another career politician, not another do-nothing, no-experience leech, sucking off the teat of America. From what I’ve read, Mr. Cain believes in many of the things that I do. He says he’s not an “African-American” but a “Conservative-American!” That’s what we need. Not a divider, but someone who is part of US, not part of his own little group. And… I don’t care if the fleabaggers on the left (isn’t that a great and totally apropos term for these idiots) don’t like Mr. Cain — I think he’s a good guy for the job. Maybe Cain/Gingrich??

Now, like they always do, the fleabaggers and neo-Bolsheviks on the left, are trying to tear down the candidate running against them. They conspire against ANYONE who dares run against their current socialist hero. The left, really, is an insidious and hateful political machine. They’re funded by that Nazi Collaborator, George Soros (yes, he as a teenager in Hungary, he collaborated with the Nazis), who will spend his billions (click here to read just how he made his money) to advance the causes he supports (seemingly the socialist domination of Ameirca and the world). The things these people say and do say just disgust me. Now, the right isn’t much better and do not seem to learn either AND all the IDIOTS in Congress seem hell bent on destroying the United States of America.

I am tired of hateful, partisan scumbags ruining our country. I have written my senators, congressman and President to tell them that they were doing a poor job and as their employer, I was not happy with their performance, and out of them all, the President was the only one who did not bother to respond — the White House just went and  put me on their spam mailing list. Hell, at least Bill Clinton would respond. I think if everyone wrote them, perhaps they’d try and work together, but probably not. Things are so polarized that I don’t see anything good coming. And really, I don’t care that much: I have no descendants – what do I give a shit about? I have a nephew and a niece. My nephew is a total Gen Y (I call them “Gen L” for “loser”) type who doesn’t much care about his family (certainly, I only hear from him if he wants something) and my niece, well, I worry about her, but she has parents–I cannot save the world. I think people need to start learning Chinese and reading their Koran. Allāhu Akbar (الله أكبر).

Ende

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Free the House!


2011
10.03

Well, last night it finally happened. I was able to get out of the old place. Now don’t get me wrong. I loved a lot of that house. It was open and neat, weird angles, light, etc. But… it had NO storage. Nada. The dryer vent had a run of over 25′ and my neighbor had a bird get in there and die — their house reeked of rotting dead bird for weeks. That was just sloppy design! The back bedrooms had NO ventilation. In the summer you ROASTED in there — I think, they felt they were for kids and “who cares?” or something. I bought a window A/C unit this summer — made it bearable.

I watched them put up a whole lot of these townhouses and for the most part, they just threw them up. The newer ones have all the neat stuff stripped out. I think the first few sets (like ours was) were done back before the housing crash and they added some neat stuff, wood floors, nice tile work, neat angles, kitchens, etc. but this was all offset by shitty workers. I say this because this winter, I took a number of handfuls of tile, wood, construction debris out of the master bath floor vent. How did it get there? Lazy and sloppy workers… Wasn’t the only thing. One neighbor’s toilet froze solid. One place had mice already when they moved in. Another (the ones w/ the dead bird) had a leaky master bath shower… the ceiling in the foyer was all rotted out. Neato huh? There’s more, but not now. Not worth my time to type it…

Still, it was a good house and we might have bought it except for a couple of things 1. the landlord wanted like $30.k more than it was worth and worse, our neighbors (whom I have chronicled before and call (like all on that block) “The SHITHEADS”). These people are from Philly. They live for drama. Really. Just nasty and rude. They smoke like chimneys all day and the smoke would usually waft over to our porch — nasty! Sure love being gassed out by this nasty crap and it made it so my wife couldn’t go outside there. No, I will not miss “Dick” and “Lina” — no, not at all. My dog has more common sense in the tip of his penis than these two do in their entire beings. I despise people like this. Whatever, like my mother-in-law says “Don’t look back.” I am not. I will miss my tree — the only ones not dead on the whole block because, GASP!, we water and fed them. Something the hillbillies could not understand “Whut, ya mean ya WATER yer grass and that tree???!?” Anyway, this is my “closure.” :-)

I am finally calming down… not having to feel guilty because I’m not over there packing and cleaning before the looming deadline. Well, it’s done and I’m out. Wanna bet the landlord will try and stiff us out of our deposit? I am told he doesn’t like to return them. We’ll see. I am not perfect, but that place was okay. Anyway got home tonight, took the Wifial-Unit to Wally World, then came home and took stuff out of bedroom one and unpacked, rearranged, etc. From full to door to pretty empty room. Then hung some stuff in my room/office. Looks strangely the same, yet different because I hung much of the stuff in the same relative areas. Works for me.

Messed w/ Mac side of computer… imported all my iTunes crap — that works better for me here in PC world. Must be because that’s where I started it. Got it all back going. :-) Even got my music that I d/l-ed on my old laptop to re-download. Awesome! This computer is a joy to work on… music, FAST, fun again. AND… the damned Internet actually works here. At the old place, I never hardly had more than a dial-up speed, yet paid Embarq/Century Link for DSL… I think it was the phone lines in the town house there — they never all worked. Hell, that worked better at our old place in Ft. Loudon and that was built in the early 50′s I think. Anyway, core I5… 8gb ram, Win 7 pro, Mac Snow Leopard, etc. Setup for dual monitors. Yay!!!!

Anyway, time for bed. Late on my Friday night. Too much going on at work for tonight…

Ende

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A Couple More Days


2011
09.29

Ack, it’s hard. Going over and busting it out, but really, most is done. A few more car loads. Actually, prob about 2 pick up loads. I am off tomorrow, thanks to Terry, and plan to finish it up. Need to clean some carpets, get more “magic erasers” (them things sure ’nuff work!!!) and need about 6-8 small u-haul boxes. I WILL get it. I can taste the freedom. However comma, I have been SO sore, every morning. Ack! Wendy’s sick and I feel for her, however, I feel for my right knee WAY more.

Hell, once I get this crap done, I can mow my lawn without guilt. Start working on the garage to find missing stuff (satellite dish receiver for my bedroom and dvd player). Oh yeah. Walk the dogs. Not have to sweat going back over. And of course, it’s sad and depressing a bit — we planned on buying that place. If only he hadn’t wanted $30k more than it was worth. AND, of course, if we hadn’t had the absolute neighbors form a bad Christmas movie, the ones we (and all the other neighbors) call “The SHITHEADS.” Eff them. I am about free and won’t have to deal w/ ignorant people who think MY yard is a common area (like some Philly ghetto apartment complex). Oh well. My dawgses like it here too. Better stuff to smell and the occasional horse to bark at (They’re space aliens don’t you know?!).

I won’t go into the ignorant hillbilly who works for me that sent the big boss a letter — like he thought he’d get ME in trouble… ALl he did was screw over a guy who had found another job and try to get another one fired. Soon, the letter will be in my hands to post for all to see… There are really only two people who could have written it and this dumbass wrote it by hand… D’OH! I detest back-stabbing snake f*ckers…

Back to my computer drudgery which doesn’t go away.

Ende