Chapter 11: Delivery
A couple of dreams had shaken him in the middle of the night. Memories of the shooting, Officer Kendall's blood on him, the orderly in the hospital, all started to torment him during the night. Waking up, he shook his head, clearing the images from his brain, and sat up to get a sip of water, then returned to sleep.
The next morning, he woke up, feeling mostly refreshed. Leaving the truck and going inside, he first visited the bathroom, then the coffee bar. Filling his cup with the hot, steamy liquid, he debated on whether to doctor it up or drink it straight. His thoughts went back to his dreams from the night before, then decided against it. Taking his cup to the counter, he ordered a breakfast sandwich, then paid for both. Going back outside, he climbed in his truck, ate breakfast, and watched other drivers going in and out of the truck stop.
With breakfast over, he set his coffee cup in the cup holder, checked his computer, then started out of the plaza. Turning right, he reached his delivery point in under two minutes, as the location was no more than a mile from his parking spot. Turning left, he turned into the distribution center, and pulled up to the gate. A security guard looked up at him from the shack as he rolled down his window.
"Good morning," the driver said. "I have a delivery that was rescheduled for this morning."
"Let me see your paperwork, driver," the guard clipped.
Handing the guard the paperwork, the driver asked, "Is everything ok?"
"Gotta check out when you were rescheduled for," was the guard's reply.
"It's a drop and hook," the driver replied. "I didn't have enough time to get here yesterday due to unforseen circumstances. I called my dispatch and they said it had been rescheduled for this morning to drop."
The guard grunted. "Oh, one of those. You know where to drop this one?"
"No, sir, never been here before," the driver replied.
The guard produced a map for the driver. "Follow this map around the building. It's one way traffic, so you'll have to go all the way around. Drop this loaded trailer in the east lot anywhere, and slide your tandems all the way back and lock them into place. Once you've dropped, follow the flow of traffic around until you go to door 137. That's the receiving office. Park in the designated area, and take this paperwork in there. The clerk will take it from there," the guard said.
Nodding to the guard, he pulled through the gate, turning left in the direction of the arrows on the ground. Following the road, he turned right twice, stopping in front of door 137. Two other trucks were there, with one pulling away, and he took that driver's spot. Setting the brakes, he climbed out, and proceeded to the door. Pulling on the handle, it opened with ease, entering into a caged area, with a window opening on a wall leading into an office area. Stepping up behind the driver in front of him, he waited until the window was clear, then stepped forward.
The clerk was looking at her screen with an annoyed expression.Her right hand on a mouse, she did a flurry of swipes with it, clicked the button a couple of times, then took her hand away. Looking up, she saw the driver, and almost groaned. Rolling her eyes, she looked away as she stuck out her hand for his paperwork. Hanging it to her through the window slot, she almost jerked it from his hand, causing the papers to ruffle slightly. Seeing the paperwork, she went back to her mouse, swiping and clicking a couple times, while the other hand punched in a series of numbers and letters onto the screen. Taking a stamp, she stamped the top page, separated it from the stapled pack, and handed it back to the driver.
"Drop your trailer in slot E607, then come back to the west side, and grab an empty," she said, an icy tone in her voice. "Once you get an empty, bring it back here so we can check it out before you leave."
With a nod, the driver took his copy, and walked out. Climbing back into the truck, he disengaged the brakes, and proceeded to the designated spot. Pulling up to it, he noticed one of the trailers beside where he was parking was slightly crooked, the rear corner taking a small portion of his spot as well. Sighing and shaking his head, he set up to back into his area, taking a little extra time to make sure he didn't hit the crooked trailer. Satisfied with his maneuver, he pulled the air brakes. Climbing out, he donned a pair of leather gloves as he exited out of the cab. Walking back to the landing gear, he unlatched the winding crank from the cradle and began to turn, cause the landing gear to come down. Wind, wind, wind, wind, he thought, as he cranked the gear down to the ground. Once the feet were planted, he folded the handle back down, then went between the truck and trailer. Unhooking his air lines and electrical cord, he hung up the cord, leaving the air lines to dangle in midair. Coming out from between, he went underneath and found the kingpin release, and pulled it until he found the notch to lock it open. Satisfied, he took off his gloves, and climbed back in the cab. Releasing the brake for the cab, he slowly pulled forward until he saw the trailer drop about an inch in his rear mirror.
Pulling away from the trailer, he continued around the building to the empty trailer area. Looking for a trailer with his company's markings, he backed under it, watching the trailer line up with his fifth wheel plate, then feeling the lock engage. The abrupt stop caused his seat to shake slightly as he put the truck in a forward gear to perform what was called a tug test. Happy that the trailer wouldn't drop off, he set the brakes, got out and connected the air lines onto the trailer. Winding up the landing gear was easier most of the time, he spun the handle until he thought the feet were high enough off the ground, then put the handle in place. Pulling out slowly, he returned to the back of the building. Brakes set, he came out of the truck, went inside, and gave the trailer number to the clerk, who typed it in the computer, ans cleared him to leave.
Coming back around the building, the driver pulled up to the guard shack. The guard, already receiving a phone call from the shipping clerk, opened the gate and waved him through, so he gave a quick wave, and went back to the truck stop, where he parked and waited for his next dispatch. Thirty minutes later, his computer beeped, indicating a new message.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone