Running on empty, redux

09/12/2013 20:37
In Vermont there is a truck stop with coin-operated showers.

That was a new one on me. You pay your money (or buy enough fuel) and they give you a token. Find a shower, drop the coin in the slot, and get clean. But not in too leisurely a fashion--the water cuts off after 30-40 minutes.*

Other than that it's a nice place. And Vermont is downright pretty. I didn't see much of it--narrow two-lanes get mad if you ignore them--they have a nasty habit of moving out from in front of you. But what I saw was pleasant.

The fuel gauge wanted attention, too.

I brought this load over from Ohio. Fuelled near Columbus and headed straight east. At the time I wondered why they'd had me fuel there. I had enough to reach Vermont, yes. But New England is a bad place to look for truck stops that are part of nationwide chains. And my Company is fond of making sweetheart deals with nationwide chains and getting their fuel cheap.

Oh, well, I thought, they know what they're doing.

Word to the wise. Never assume your employer knows what he's doing.

I arrived in New England with less than half my fuel. I then made a big circle through the top half o| the state droppng things off at various stores. When I was done, I had way less than a quarter tank.** And sure enough, there wasn't an Approved Fuel Supplier I could reach on what I had.

Modern trucking companies use computers to plan their fuel stops. Very efficient. Not very bright.

And all trucking companies agree--if you run out of gas, it's your fault.

So I called the Fuel Department, found a human being, and prostrated myself. And the Fuel Department was merciful. A couple of hundred dollars appeared on my company debit card, to be used only for fuel at a particular Non-Approved Fuel Supplier--fax in the receipt to prove it, please. The resulting fifty gallons or so of diesel was enough to get me to a more civilized environment.

So here I am, parked at an Approved Fuel Supplier. In the morning I will finish fuelling in an Approved manner and continue to my next delivery

And I will be clean and refreshed. I bought enough fuel ths morning to get a shower token. And I was done when the water cut off.

Mostly.
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* I learned that part the fun way, of course. Fortunately, the part of me still soaped up, although delicate, was small. And the sink wasn't on a meter...

**Actually, a truck like this has two tanks. But you know what I mean.