21st Century Docking Today's start was early (woke up at 1:15 AM) and ended late in the afternoon.
There was no empty trailer at the warehouse to take to Green Bay, WI. So, I headed over to Oconomowoc, WI and picked one up. After picking up the loaded trailer in Green Bay, I headed back to Oconomowoc (to a different location) for delivery.
This was a live-unload meaning that I couldn't drop the loaded trailer and pick-up an empty trailer. The company OK'd a lumper(s). In other words, someone(s) who unloads the trailer for you since the product is not on pallets. I appreciate the company hiring a lumber(s)--drivers can get fatigued unloading a trailer. Fatigue and Driving don't mix very well--especially when you have delivery deadlines.
This was a newer facility. Drivers didn't need to open the doors before backing in. Rather, drivers just backed into their dock and the people inside opened the trailer doors. The dock was big enough to accommodate the doors being opened from inside the warehouse. Sweet! Someone was thinking outside of the box when they brainstormed about that clever way of challenging the notion that doors needed to be opened from the outside before backing a trailer into the dock.
After unloading there, I went back to the warehouse and picked up a new loaded trailer bound for Minnesota. Since dispatch didn't think I had the hours to make my original assigned Minnesota destination, they assigned that drop to someone else. I politely told dispatch that I did have the hours. So instead of going to Chicago tomorrow, I went to Minnesota today and will come back (tomorrow). If I wouldn't have said anything, I would have gotten way less combined miles for today and tomorrow.
The forecasters said rain today and I didn't run into a single drop. Go figure! (They say it supposed to be sunny and pleasant tomorrow. Any one want to wager that rain is on the way tomorrow? (grin)
miles driven = 649
9:25:45 PM
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