View From the Road
Business Is Too Good
By
May 22, 2008 - 2:46:28 PM

Since the first week of March the company I work for has been very busy. This means I must always be prepared for spending nights in my truck. Extra clothes, healthy food to eat and books to read are added to my list when I head out.

I am a local driver. This means I don’t leave the state on my trips, but remember, Florida is a pretty large state.

For the last several months I have left home on Sunday night and finally returned on Friday night. Some nights I am back to the trucking terminal, but since I only have a few hours before I must leave again. I just sleep in the truck.

This probably helps with my gas bill; my car does not get driven all week.  I will be happy when things slow down a little. Some time at home would be nice occasionally.

There is no time for a social life. Rest areas and truck stops are not the best places to make friends. When I do, it is a short friendship. Most of the truckers are just passing through. Many are happy to have someone to talk with, but the chance of developing a long friendship is remote.

This last week I was all over the state: Jacksonville, Naples, Homestead, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Clearwater and all parts in between. Some weeks my “View” is somewhat of a blur by the time I get home on Friday.

It is Friday night as I write this. I am at the Sweetbay Grocery Distribution Center in Plant City. The air is running and my laptop is on as I sit in the sleeper and write this.

The sun is setting as they unload my trailer. I look out the windshield and remember all the different sights that I saw in the past five days.

I will return to the terminal in several hours and settle down for a quiet weekend. It will take just about the entire weekend to settle down, only to head out, and find a few more “Views From the Road.”



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