Moving On, In a Bit

I’ve been with my current company for three years and I’ve known my current dispatcher for five years. WIth the high turnover rates for trucking companies, that’s a long time. After I told the boss about how I’m seriously close to leaving, we all go out to lunch. Two and a half hours later they go back to work, I go home. The boss has not only been to my house, but they stayed here when they first moved out to Vegas for several weeks. He’s been completely honest with me about a lot of things and the inner workings of the company for a long time.

During the meeting, I didn’t demand anything. I know trucking is slow right now. I know it’s a hit and miss business even in the good years, that’s not the issue. Without airing out all the dirty laundry, let’s just say, some problems were identified, promises were made, good faith efforts were done and if I still don’t like how things are going after the first of the year, I can go.

On the plus side of staying: I can usually do what I want. I don’t go to Canada anymore and I don’t go to New York City anymore. Both of which I will have to do if I go to Company X. I still go to Long Island and anywhere else around that cesspool, but I don’t like it. The traffic I don’t care about, it’s the getting lost in that area can be hazardous to your truck’s health, and I’m always getting lost. Yes, I have a GPS, but they don’t help trucks much in the big, bad city. The convention center in NYC is over 100 city blocks from the Interstate, there’s no marshaling or staging area, so you’re driving around the block like a tourist looking for a parking place, it’s idiotic. On top of tickets for trucks being too long, idling and anything else they can think of. It’s a very unfriendly place for trucks.  I’ll go to Los Angles a hundred times before I go to NYC.

I don’t like going to Canada anymore for a dozen different reasons. Between the long lines, waiting and hassle if the paperwork isn’t perfect, to the long lines, waiting, hassle and then waiting again to get xrayed coming back in. If all the BS coming back to the States was about security… Please, it’s like airport security, it’s only there for show and tell. If someone wanted to go around customs, they just find a street with no checkpoint and drive across. It’s Canada, who in their right mind wants to sneak in to that place.

Plus I’ll have more time to decide what to do with my trailer. Where to put it, if I can sell it and all that. Nothing is going to change enough between now and the first of the year to make that much of a difference. Company X will still be there and it will still be their busy season. I won’t have to hassle someone new about getting home for Christmas and any time at home during the winter is less time I’m in the snow or the possibility of snow. And clean red widgets rock!