Sarasota, FL

After a couple of days of high-stress work, getting down here to Florida is a refreshing change. I'll just run down the last couple of days here.

Tuesday: After getting my previous load rescheduled for a 9AM delivery today (as opposed to 6AM Sunday), I actually earned layover pay for the delay. So, for doing absolutely nothing on Monday, I earned $80. Needless to say, this put me in an exceptionally good mood for having to hit the road at 5AM. I got there at about 8:50AM and it took me just over ten minutes to back into the dock, so I was essentially right on time. Unfortunately, the unload took longer than I expected and I was about two hours late to pick up the next load. At least they were nice about it, as they understood that the delay wasn't really my fault. It still took them the expected three hours to load it, meaning I had just enough time to make it down to Nashville, TN that night. It's a good thing that I stopped, too, as the weather got really nasty about an hour after I went on break.

Wednesday: An even earlier morning today; I had to be up at 4AM. I wanted to make Ocala originally, but hesitated to plan on driving 630 miles in my 11 hour driving time. So, instead, I decided to aim for a truck stop about 600 miles away; still more than they'd suggest I plan on, but I knew I could do it. I made just one stop all day, and that to grab a bite to eat to help wake me up. I was also rather lucky with traffic, as the only delays I hit were near Atlanta and that simply due to the volume of traffic trying to take the I-285 exit. I actually could have pushed on to the Pilot at exit 341, but instead stopped at a Petro at exit 368 for one reason and one reason only: steak. And it was well worth the stop, too; their food never disappoints. I went to bed even earlier - about 6:30PM - but struggled to get to sleep until at least 8 o'clock.

Thursday: Even earlier? Well, yes; I had to be on the road by 3AM (4AM Eastern), so I set the alarm for 2. I only hit the snooze button twice, much to my surprise, before actually getting up and taking care of a few things before I had to start driving. I planned on leaving so early to ensure that I'd have no problems making it here on time, since I wasn't sure how early traffic near Tampa would start getting backed up. It was slightly congested, but traffic still flowed smoothly as I sailed on through. As such, I was one full hour early for my appointment, though they already had a door open and let me in. Good thing, too, as it took me half an hour just to get into this blasted place since there was NO room to maneuver the trailer around. It was basically a matter of getting it set up perfectly or having to try again. Right now, I'm just sitting here waiting for them to finish unloading the trailer. I don't have another work assignment yet, but it's unlikely this will be a short run, since I'm already pretty darn far south on the peninsula. I just hope that I have another one before they finish this so I know where I'm going after I leave here. Having to sit and wait at a truck stop is not a good thing.