I think I'm losing my mind.
Let's review how my situation has continued to evolve/devolve:
They gave me a key to a truck in Ohio, but then it took them another day to find me a ride up there to it. That ride-along with another driver fell through after waiting an entire day for the guy to show up. He had been rerouted and no one notified anyone about it.
Next they tried to put me on a bus. When they bought the ticket, they failed to specify which departure time so the bus filled up and I got bumped to the next day.
Then they magically found a truck here for me. I inspected it and found only a few problems with it: missing step on the catwalk, dirty mattress, and fuel on E. It took only a few hours to order the step and replace it. They have a stockpile of new mattresses so that was even easier to replace. The fuel situation would be addressed once I was dispatched.
I was fairly optimistic at this point.
The first time I spoke to my dispatcher, after I had filled out the work order for the truck, amplified this. He seemed delighted to have a new driver and ensured me that he would find a way to get me home once the truck was ready to go. Very exciting, indeed. I just had to call him back when it was ready.
When I called him back, he had no idea who I was. I had to explain for a few minutes who I was and remind him of our previous conversation. Once he remembered me, he said he would start looking for a load heading toward Ohio.
7 hours passed.
It was incredily hot and even with the critically low fuel level, I decided to start the truck and run the a/c at full power for a few minutes - just long enough to cool it down enough for me to sleep and not rotisserie myself. The truck, however, would not start.
Fortunately, I was still at the terminal with a 24/7 maintenance shop and not stranded somewhere less convenient. I filled out a new work order and called for a shuttle to the hotel. Thankfully, I am not expected to sleep in a truck that isn't running and the hotel is paid by the company.
A cynic might wonder about the timing of that mechanical mishap.
I returned today to find the truck still not quite ready, but not before receiving a call/voicemail explaining why I had not been dispatched. My electronic logging system had not been properly set up yet. Why they couldn't have rectified that during the seven hours I sat in the truck waiting is simply beyond my comprehension. But, so many things about this company are. Unfortunately, I'm not permitted to be in or around the truck since it is physically inside the shop now. So, since that department only had a half day today and won't be in again until Monday, it will have to wait until Monday.
Meanwhile, I called my dispatcher to update him on the situation. He couldn't be bothered to care. It is probably possible for him to still dispatch me before the electronic log system is operational - which would simply require me to use paper logs in the meantime - and I would gladly embrace that happening, but I'm sincerely skeptical he will be bothered much y letting me sit here and wait until I can use the electronic logs. On that note, I'm not sure it would bother him if I remained stranded in Dallas indefinitely.
I checked in with the shop and have some good news. The fuel gauge was not working, so I might have some fuel afterall. Which means I will be able to run the a/c if the truck is completely fixed when I check back with them in four hours. The bad news is that if my truck is fixed, I will be expected to sleep in it and will probably spend the next 48 hours in it waiting to set up my electronic log on Monday and then finally get dispatched somewhere.
I simply could not be more excited right now. I'm really hoping it's not fixed and I'll get another night in a hotel to enjoy. That's the best possible scenario for me at this point.
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