Looks like maybe some rain on the horizon.
.........flickers of lightning here and there..
.........lotsa flys.
There's a BUNCH of trucks sitting all around....waiting to be unloaded.
Oh yeah....the middle parts.
Well let's see. The truck was in the shop....the trailer was in ANOTHER shop....and we needed about six tires. Trailer tires. Very hard to find trailer tires.
I dealt with the truck situation. My wife, Bridgestone Tire Search Service, Fleet Breakdown Service AND my company looked for the tires.
So I was in the shop alllllllllllll day. I'd sit in the truck and doze or read. I'd much rather do that than sit in the so-called "driver's lounge" that almost all truck shops have. There's several reasons for that. One is I guess I'm not very sociable. When my truck's busted I'm generally kinda depressed.....and not in the mood to listen to some other truckers yakety yak about "stuff".
There's normally a TV blaring too. I detest TV.
Plus...and most importantly...I'm right there on the spot if the mechanic has any questions. My being there when the mechanic had questions has saved my gluetemous maximus on a number of ocassions in the past.
Also it was quiet enough that I could be on the phone....which it turned out I was....a LOT.
Among other things I talked to the insurance guy who was handling my claim. They were going to cover it. They were ALSO going to go "after" the truckstop in Clovis where it happened.
"Heh. I got's lots of pictures....and two police reports...."I told him. " I'll fax them allllll to you."
"Oh goodie" he said. (image here of shark grinning at naked swimmer)
I'm also asking for lost wages....and lost wages for my escort driver....AND the cost of repairs.
About ten thousand dollars....maybe more.
(Very BIG grin....tounge hanging out....rubbing front fins together......giggle )
Expensive pothole....
So....I was sitting in the truck....and it got quiet. No one seemed to be around.....no motions on the truck....no jiggles or jerks such as when someone's working on it. Well I guess they've gone to lunch or something. Someone will be back in a little while.
They'd at least tell me what was going on......ya think?
Nope.
I flagged down a "manager" (I thought). He informed me that day shift was gone. No more work was going to be done on my truck until tomorrow.
Ok....I guess that was ok. I'm puzzled as to why they call it a 24/7 shop though....but OK.
So....since the truck is drivable (it just doesn't have a bumper...my very expensive moose bumper......is hanging from the chain hoist)....why don't I just back it out and go to a truck stop. That way I can eat...get a shower...and be back in the morning.
Nope....can't do that. It seems that once in the distant past a trucker ran off without paying his bill...so they can't let me do that.
Hmmmmmmm.....just last week I had some tool boxes taken from my trailer. Mexicans stold them.......so I should maybe distrust all mexicans? Theyre predjudiced against truckers...I'll be predjudiced against mexicans? The guy I was talking to was a mexican....he wasn't amused. Not the same he said.
Ok......so how about if I just back it out of the shop and sit over night in the lot...that way I can idle the engine and run the air conditioner. No food, no shower...but at least I have coffee.
Ok...he'd let me do that. But only if I let them put a "club" on the steering wheel. I was probably gonna run off other wise.....never mind my 400lb, $3000 dollar bumper in their shop.
By this time I was angry. I was feeling very insulted.....and I was trying VERY hard not to say something I'd regret later.
So ..........I went to a motel.
Bad night. Mariachi music all night....folks running up and down the halls.....puke in the shuttle van the next morning.
So I sit in the truck while they worked on it....they were done about noon. Not half bad work.
I checked....oh YEAH did I check....only had to make em redo certain things twice.
Well maybe three times.
Then I sit in the truck until late afternoon while they wrangled the paperwork....arranged payment from the insurance company. I paid my deductable and paid for the preventative maintainence that I had them do (oil change and like that)...the insurance company paid the rest. Total was about $5,000
I'm not very happy with El Paso Kenworth.
Communication...lack thereof....caused me much anger and aggravation. Why would I want to risk that again?
I barely got outa there in time to go get the trailer out of the shop before it closed. Still no tires.
I then went to a truck stop and etc...etc.....then went and parked in front of the manufacturer. Spent the night there...first one in line. I was intending to get loaded early and head out early.
Nope.
It took aaaaaaaaaaaallllllllll day to get loaded. I dunno why.
Then.....as I was pulling out....tires were found. So.
We waited for the service truck to come and change tires.
After that's all taken care of it's about dark.
Saturday morning we left......got to Dalhart by Dark.
Sunday morning we left Dalhart....got to the JobSite that afternoon.
Been here since. ....
I dunno what's TAKING SO LONG.
It's late in the afternoon...I'm at the padsite.....waiting.....
waiting....waiting...waiting.
Maybe twenty or thirty other trucks are scattered hither and yon .........waiting.
Not gonna get unloaded tonight I don't think.
EvMick.
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