I mentioned before that I drive a "big truck." For anyone who doesn't know, that is what we call tractor trailers. I work a schedule that consists of 6 days on, 48 hours off. My 6 days on are 14-hour days, and I spend 10-11 hours driving in that time frame. I deliver groceries from a distibution center out to the stores, have to wait for them unload their merchandise, and then go to the next store, and so on. I usually make two runs per shift and have 2-3 stores on each load. These stores are located in the tri-state region of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, so I actually cover a decent little area, driving around 500 miles each shift.
This week has been very frustrating because apparently I was nominated to take all the Pittsburgh, PA loads. I have now been to this craphole of a city 4 out of the 5 days I've been out so far. God help the person who tells me I have to go there again tonight. Before I get myself in deep do-do with somebody out there, please understand that if all I ever had to drive through Pittsburgh was a little Honda, I might have a different opinion, but I don't. I have to drive a 65-ft.-long 80,000-pound truck in the traffic and on roads that are still measured for a horse and buggy. Now that I've established that, will somebody please tell me where it is in drivers ed., or wherever it is that people learn to drive, that they teach people when you are close to a "big truck," do whatever is necessary to get around it, pull directly in front of the truck to cut it off, and then make sure you slam on the brakes?? You're probably thinking, "What kind of an idiot would do such a thing??" All I'm gonna say is that it happens about 10 times a shift... just to me, and I'm only one "big truck!"
I will quit ranting now, but leave you with this... If you hear of some "big truck" that drove into a grocery store in Pittsburgh, PA, you might have to think that they sent me there again!
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