Do ya realize just how hard it is to live in a van for 5 weeks? Maybe it'd be easier for a single driver but team? Well JuJu and I just found out!
Now we know why we don't have guns in the truck!
Ever had a trip from H#ll? We did the other week out of Chicago. We were coming in from Nebraska into Ill. when dispatch called and asked where we was planning on holding up for the weekend, now not being a newbe I knew there was a point for this question. So I says ok Whats up? They say we have this skid coming in from Holland into OHare don't know if the arrival is Sat or Sunday but the company doesn't want to pay a sleepover. I thinks well we're here any how one way or the other so ok.
Next condition I find out I'll have to put this skid into bond and clear it in Canada. I'am thinking this trip is starting to Implode slowly. So we gets a room south of Chicago and wait for THE CALL. Sunday 5 minutes before checkout they call to go in and get it (this is the only thing that went right as we didn't get burned for another nights room)
So we get to the P/U warehouse and I get the paperwork call my contact number and she agrees to meet us and take us to US customs office. After waiting almost 1 1/2 hrs she shows up and says she doesn't think customs bonds on Sundays, she calls a couple people wait for return calls another hour passes, Ok Customs will bond it. We get to customs and they ask for our US bond number lo and behold it won't take, try, try, try no good.sheesh!! Turns out companys now have some sort of security number that no one even knows about how my contact ever got it remains secret! Ok, back to warehouse 4 trucks ahead of me I have to wait another hour why? Cause they only do one truck at a time on Sundays!!! Did I mention the load?? 3- 5 gallons pails of imported paint. I could walk them to the van! NOOOO I have to wait! Meanwhile I call dispatch and give the the pars number I am going to use and they'll preclear it for us...oh this is getting better. Loaded and of we go to Detroit.
So I am looking at the paperwork just outside Detroit about 25 pages and tucked onto the bundle my jaw drops. Sheeeet theres this red and white stripped paperwork indicating hazardous material. As any experienced driver knows you can't take hazmat across the Ambassador bridge. I call the office and inform them of this. They say the customer failed to disclose this info and will be charged 25% surcharge which I say now the pars is no good it'll have to be cancelled and re-entered at Sarnia. More miles I say, they say we'll see. Get to Sarnia (Livingston is the broker) Go into US customs one hour to stamp a piece of paper The pars cleared yes you read it right it cleared!!! Miracle!
Now its early Monday morning and this doesn't deliver till Tuesday in Montreal thats cool the worse is over...or is it?
Get to the J in London and nappy time, 7:30am dispatch calls customer wants it ASAP off we go it's going to be close, Get to Brockville they call and say ease up the customer now doesn't want it till tommorrow cause the close at 4pm.sheeesh. We mosey on down to the Quebec border and having a snooze when phone rings, they say whatcha doing? I say um sleeping, they say no your not your driving...you guessed it customer has changed thier mind again they want it NOW and some one will be there. No use of saying we are getting really ##### JuJu wanted to dump the stuff where we sat but Ken being the calm cool collect soul he is take this in stride HA!
Arrive at the customer, yup you guessed it, no one there security says we should leave and come back at 730am I say no someone WILL be here it 530 pm, hands of time move to 615 I call dispatch they say theres been a translation problem the guy will be there at 9pm. Finally guy shows he opens door drops pails inside where he says they sit till TOMORROW when day shift comes in (slaps forehead)
THE END
Now we know why we don't have guns in the truck!
Ever had a trip from H#ll? We did the other week out of Chicago. We were coming in from Nebraska into Ill. when dispatch called and asked where we was planning on holding up for the weekend, now not being a newbe I knew there was a point for this question. So I says ok Whats up? They say we have this skid coming in from Holland into OHare don't know if the arrival is Sat or Sunday but the company doesn't want to pay a sleepover. I thinks well we're here any how one way or the other so ok.
Next condition I find out I'll have to put this skid into bond and clear it in Canada. I'am thinking this trip is starting to Implode slowly. So we gets a room south of Chicago and wait for THE CALL. Sunday 5 minutes before checkout they call to go in and get it (this is the only thing that went right as we didn't get burned for another nights room)
So we get to the P/U warehouse and I get the paperwork call my contact number and she agrees to meet us and take us to US customs office. After waiting almost 1 1/2 hrs she shows up and says she doesn't think customs bonds on Sundays, she calls a couple people wait for return calls another hour passes, Ok Customs will bond it. We get to customs and they ask for our US bond number lo and behold it won't take, try, try, try no good.sheesh!! Turns out companys now have some sort of security number that no one even knows about how my contact ever got it remains secret! Ok, back to warehouse 4 trucks ahead of me I have to wait another hour why? Cause they only do one truck at a time on Sundays!!! Did I mention the load?? 3- 5 gallons pails of imported paint. I could walk them to the van! NOOOO I have to wait! Meanwhile I call dispatch and give the the pars number I am going to use and they'll preclear it for us...oh this is getting better. Loaded and of we go to Detroit.
So I am looking at the paperwork just outside Detroit about 25 pages and tucked onto the bundle my jaw drops. Sheeeet theres this red and white stripped paperwork indicating hazardous material. As any experienced driver knows you can't take hazmat across the Ambassador bridge. I call the office and inform them of this. They say the customer failed to disclose this info and will be charged 25% surcharge which I say now the pars is no good it'll have to be cancelled and re-entered at Sarnia. More miles I say, they say we'll see. Get to Sarnia (Livingston is the broker) Go into US customs one hour to stamp a piece of paper The pars cleared yes you read it right it cleared!!! Miracle!
Now its early Monday morning and this doesn't deliver till Tuesday in Montreal thats cool the worse is over...or is it?
Get to the J in London and nappy time, 7:30am dispatch calls customer wants it ASAP off we go it's going to be close, Get to Brockville they call and say ease up the customer now doesn't want it till tommorrow cause the close at 4pm.sheeesh. We mosey on down to the Quebec border and having a snooze when phone rings, they say whatcha doing? I say um sleeping, they say no your not your driving...you guessed it customer has changed thier mind again they want it NOW and some one will be there. No use of saying we are getting really ##### JuJu wanted to dump the stuff where we sat but Ken being the calm cool collect soul he is take this in stride HA!
Arrive at the customer, yup you guessed it, no one there security says we should leave and come back at 730am I say no someone WILL be here it 530 pm, hands of time move to 615 I call dispatch they say theres been a translation problem the guy will be there at 9pm. Finally guy shows he opens door drops pails inside where he says they sit till TOMORROW when day shift comes in (slaps forehead)
THE END