10/10/08

Today was pretty much all you could ask for in this job. No shippers, no receivers, light traffic, and plenty of drive time. My trainer is an early bird, so he got our day started as the sun was coming up and I took over around 1:30 in Bellemont, AZ. We stopped to grab a shower and got back on the road before stopping here in Albuquerque for the night.

Help me do the math on this one. Our trip from CA to WI is just over 2,000 miles. We started with 4 days to complete the trip. Yesterday, because we got loaded so late, we only made it about 200 miles. Now we're left with 3 days and 1,800 miles, yes? Let's think about this. That means we have to average 600 miles per day to get to WI Sunday so we can get our 10 hour break Sunday night and deliver Monday morning or afternoon. Our truck is governed at 64mph, so we're lucky if we can average 60mph with traffic, construction zones, and whatever else that slows us down. So, if we drive for 10 hours each day for the next 3 days, we should be in good shape. That is running hard to get the job done. Today, even though my 14 hour clock doesn't expire for another 6 hours, we did about 500 miles before Steve decided to stop for the night. Last time I checked, 500 does not equal 600. Now we're behind the ball and have to run even harder to stay on schedule. Or so it seems to me. Steve appears less concerned. Another late delivery in the near future? Stay tuned.