Today I'm doing what I just love to do. NOT. But it's part of trucking - sitting at a truck stop waiting for our appointment time to pick up a load. It is a beautiful day in Sparks, NV, - the temperatures in the low 90's. The truck is idling, even where there is a state law that says you can't idle more than 15 minutes. We do have a tendency to ignore those laws most of the time. Now, when a cop comes by and hands us a $500 ticket, we may rethink that one. Actually, the fines vary from state to state. I know in some states, like Utah, you can do jail time.
I have a pet peeve about anti-idling laws. I would like just one law maker to take a ride with a truck driver and see what he has to deal with AND what he has to live in when the temperatures are hot or cold and you have to eat/sleep/relax in the truck. They wouldn't even think of leaving a pet in a hot/cold truck so why would PEOPLE be lower than animals???
Back to waiting: This is when the truck starts feeling extra small, depending on how many hours of sitting it is. Nonetheless, there isn't much one can do while waiting. Reading a book is an option, calling people, or do what I do, get the laptop out. If we had the room, we might have a TV to watch. When we first worked for Werner we had a TV but seldom had time to watch it, so it went home.
Somebody just walked by with food, which makes me realize that it's been a few hours since breakfast and that it might be about time to go in and grab fast food at the Wendy's. I don't know if I can handle the excitement. But it's just another day of being on the road.