Adventures in scheduling redux

Summer is fading.

I slept comfortably last night. That's worth mentioning, though perhaps not for much longer (this year, anyway). The truck was quite livably cool. Judging by the faint chill next to the open vents by the sleeper bunk, there was a reason for that.

Sure enough. I figured out last year that the truck is only really comfortable when it's in the 50's or 60's outside. And it felt like the 60's out there.

Kentucky is starting to become fallish.

Driving north, I started to see little traces of yellow in the Ohio trees. Not much yet, but a sign of the times. Pretty soon I'll have to get the warmer clothes out of storage.

* * *

I had to speak firmly to my dispatcher last night.

The company had assigned me a load to pick up after I delivered this one. I sat down and did the math for once. And realized that I could only make the delivery on time if

• this customer took me early, and
• absolutely nothing went wrong.

The slightest delay, and I would be in trouble with the law. Those pesky rest breaks, y'know.

Sometimes this is not too bad a thing—many customers are fairly easygoing. This one is not. So rather than risk the company paying penalties, I declined the assignment.

Part of my job is backstopping the load planners. Sometimes I manage it. Doesn't always make me popular. Fortunately, I've had reasonable people for dispatchers, so far.

* * *

Good thing I was stubborn.

I got to the customer an hour early. They found me a dock door an hour late.

Then I sat in the dock for another two and a half.

I got out of there an hour after I was supposed to be at the next customer.

I was glad I'd turned down that load. Might as well be pleased about something...

* * *

There was a truck stop just down the road from where I dropped. I got there just in time to snag the last parking space. An hour later I got a new load assignment. Which picked up a couple of hours ago. Of course.

Suspecting that everybody had gone home by now, I asked my dispatcher whether I should (throw away the last parking place in town and) see if anyone was home. They said yes.

Sigh.

So I went over there. And everybody had gone home.

Everybody. Emptiest parking lot I've ever seen.

So I wormed my way back out and got on the Interstate. The little book said there was a truck stop two exits down.

And there was.

And it had two or three empty spaces left.

So I parked. With fifteen minutes to spare.

Well, I did get a parking place. And I know how to find that place tomorrow. The route in is not intuitively obvious. I'm glad to have seen it with light, while fully awake. Makes predawn maneuvers a little more certain.

Okay. I'll take it.