Today's drive to Iowa was windy, but pleasant. Every now and then you'd also catch a sinus-clearing whiff of liquid manure the farmers are spreading on their fields for planting. Time to shut off the vents!
To continue my "rant" from my last post regarding load assignments, I'll elaborate on one related item that bugs me. If a driver on Friday is unassigned a load for Monday, he/she needs to call in Sunday evening after 9:00 PM to check in with dispatch to see if there is a load available. In my opinion, this is irritating as the following illustration indicates. If I am given a load assignment (and I accept it), then I will need to get to sleep ASAP since some load assignments require me getting up at 1:00 AM in the morning in order to make the delivery. So, for example, assuming I contact dispatch at 9:30 PM, am given a load assignment, go to bed and am asleep by 10:30 PM, and then awaken at 1:30 AM, that gives me 3-hours of sleep. That's unacceptable. I don't know about you, but I see a big neon sign screaming "Safety Hazard!" In addition, if I had a fun yet exhausting weekend, that compounds the issue even further.
Now some would say, "Wait just a minute!" You are the professional driver. You should be prepared at all times to drive. I would simply answer "I am." However I would also add that when I'm not scheduled to drive, my time is my own. If I know ahead of time that I need to get up early, then I can plan accordingly and get enough sleep/rest to handle the driving responsibilities for the situation. I will not allow my schedule to be dictated on a "possible" driving assignment that may never materialize. In the end, that wastes everyone's time.
Perhaps the company can assign a few drivers to be "on call" for early Monday morning load assignments that pop up (E.G. a driver calls in sick). That way they will prepare accordingly on Sunday to get enough rest/sleep. At the same time, the company should have a fair compensation policy that rewards those "on call" drivers whether or not they are actually called upon for a load assignment in the early Monday morning hours (more compensation for being available but not actually being called upon for an early morning load assignment).
Well enough about all that. I'm going to have to sit down and talk to Mr. N about all this and get his feedback on it. Bottom line: Driving without adequate rest and sleep is a safety issue for both the driver, the company, as well as the public and should be addressed ASAP.
I called home before dark and left a message for my wife to call back. I was surprised to hear my younger daughter call me up a few minutes later. My wife had gone to the funeral of her friend that had committed suicide and the kids were home alone (with our upstairs tenant keeping an eye on them). Wow--my kids are growing up fast. They can now dial the phone and call me up. My daughter and I had a nice chat. Then later my son called me up and we spoke for awhile (he was in the bathroom earlier when his sister and I were speaking). I'm so proud of my kids in a variety of areas. They are really good kids.
Well tomorrow I'll deliver the two stops and then I should be home in time for supper.
miles driven = 359
8:41:46 PM
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