Naples, NC - Circles

Tonight was an exercise in frustration, if nothing else. My next work assignment came in during the afternoon... a 2 PM live load at a location about 80 miles from where I was unloaded previously. The problem is that, at this time of morning, parking is all but impossible to find. I tried three truck stops along the way before just calling support shift, exasperated with the situation. Rather than acknowledging that, if I couldn't find a stop that was directly along the way I'd not be able to pick the load up on time, the moron on the line insisted that I could go 45 miles out of the way to take my break and still be on time for the load. I hung up after I asked him to explain his math and got this answer: I'd be ready to drive at 1 PM, be 67 miles away, and still somehow be able to make the pick up on time.

So I started driving and hoped for the best; I figured that if I didn't somehow find something along the way, there was a truck stop about 15 miles past the shipper that I could use. I really, really hate having to go 30 miles out of the way, but even my last-ditch solution was better than anything support shift had come up with. Instead, I lucked out and found a place directly on the way with a large gravel lot that had some room to park. I am on break now and, even better, am only a few miles from where I need to pick this thing up tomorrow. So, when I come off break at 1:30, I'll have half an hour to go nine miles. I'll then have most of the afternoon to drive and probably will shut down at the Carlisle OC tomorrow night. Getting to Carlisle would be over 550 miles, so it would certainly be a productive day if I can get that far. Of course, the way things are going lately, "if" is the key phrase here.