Small Worlds Collide II

 Dan flicked his turn signal and a few moments later engaged the jake brake. With light touches on the throttle he downshifted through 4 gears into low range. As he approached the stop sign at the end of the off ramp he disengaged the clutch and depressed the brake pedal for the first time since leaving the freeway. Turning right he swung the 72’ tractor trailer combo into the far lane to keep his rear tires on the pavement. 

Glancing in his right rear mirror, he remembered a stop sign he had broken off when he was first learning to drive. The memory was a bad omen. He didn’t want a night of reminiscing. He didn’t want to forget, but he knew his cramped sleeper, along with obsessive thoughts would keep him awake all night. “Damn ELD restrictions.” escaped under his breath. “At least I’ll be online.

He taxied past the passenger car pumps to the truck entrance for Luv’s and idled towards the high speed semi pumps. Five of the ten fueling stations were clear and Dan was glad he didn't have to wait. Ordinarily he would grab some food and coffee while his tank was filling, then be back on the road in fifteen minutes or less.

He shouldn't have had to stop here in the first place with over a quarter tank fuel remaining. But as he was going to be stuck here for the next ten hours there was no sense of urgency. After setting the nozzle, he squeegeed his windshield, thumped his tires and dumped the trash he had accumulated through the day. Fueled, he maneuvered past the tire shop and backed his rig between two other idling tractors already parked.

Dan crossed the parking lot to the Carl’s Jr. attached to the truck stop store. Not an actual sit down dinner, but a step above the hot dogs and burritos available 24/7. After eating, as he passed the shower facilities he thought to himself “I’ll come in later if I get too restless.” He recrossed the truck lot comforted with the activity of rigs from all over the country. I-90 connected east coast to west coast without a single required stop.

He couldn’t help feeling bitter as he climbed into the cab that HE was required to stop. After arranging his sleeper, he settled back and opened his laptop. Luv’s provided wi-fi strong enough for anyone within a quarter mile. 

After 20 minutes answering e-mails and verifying his schedule for the next day Dan logged onto SteemIt. Another 20 minutes responding to his comments, then he was ready to blog.
Heated up as he was about the topic words flowed from his fingers through the laptop:

@ truckerdan  “Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should!”

I’m going to forego the usual greetings and get right to the heart of the matter tonight. For the next 10 hours I am forcefully grounded in Ritzville, WA. One hour away from home.

I’ve been personally responsible for myself since I was 17. Had my Class A CDL and been driving professionally since I was 21. Logged hundreds of thousands of miles through some rough conditions with no major incidents. 

Now, with the passage of a law 3 months ago, and implementation of the latest technology, I’m  no longer capable of determining if I can safely drive 30 miles in 30 minutes beyond what regulators offer as safe! 

Often government regulation, even with good intent, just doesn’t make much sense.
I’ve mentioned ELD  before but I have to expound tonight.

3 months ago a law came into effect requiring an electronic logging device(ELD) for the vehicle I operate. I say require because without it I can only operate 8 days a month. I think you will agree that is the equivalent of “requiring”. The device electronically monitors the hours, miles and location of my truck any time the key is turned on.

Each day I have 14 hrs. to:  load, unload, fuel, get repairs, 30 min lunch, and drive.                                             I have 11 hrs of drive time inside the 14 hr. window.                                                

 The ELD in my truck knows when the 14 hrs start and how many hrs the truck has been driven.                If I exceed either limit, the truck will automatically govern down to 5 mph. 

I live in Spokane, WA. Today on my way home I reached Ritzville, WA ( 60 miles from Spokane)after driving for 10.5 hrs. I will be 30 minutes short of drive time to reach Spokane, even though my total hours today will only be 12.5.

I will spend a restless night in my sleeper, one hour away from home comforts and rest tonight, because bureaucrats decided I’m not safe to drive for an extra 30 minutes, inside the 14 hr window, said bureaucrats decided was a safe number of hours for me to work.

Additionally, as I have mentioned in previous posts, I am also restricted to an overall week of 70 hrs. After that, regardless of where I am, I am required to be “off Duty” for a minimum of 34 hrs. What I actually do with my time off is up to me. You do the math on that one.

Let me close by saying that I agree with the intent of these regulations. To keep safe drivers on the road. I also say that I am a better judge of my own capabilities than bureaucrats in government. This is another case of the innocent paying for the guilty.

Perhaps it's a good thing that soon Artificial Intelligence will be handling all the distasteful chores of humanity.

Once again, this is @ truckerdan saying: Till Next Time, Keep The Rubber Side Down                        and…-:)                               PLEASE UPVOTE THIS POST SO I CAN RETIRE!

He clicked the post icon and stared at the screen. His stomach churned slightly as he considered his next move. He set his cursor in the url field, backspaced to erase truckerdan and typed windsor. As he read the post, emotion moved through his body in waves, matching his changing thoughts:

Guilt, as he considered he was “spying”                                                                                                                         

Shame, as he considered the role he had played in shaping Brannon’s life                                                              

Moral outrage, even though he knew he was partly to blame, that anyone would so blatantly use spirituality and charity to deceive, defraud and crush the life from someone trusting them.                                                              

Back to guilt and shame. Knowing the situation, what it would cost if he confronted Brannon, and also knowing he was going to do nothing.                                                                                                                                                 

Heart aching and eyes wet with emotion he sat motionless.

After several minutes he closed the laptop. Scooching down in the sleeper he wrapped up in his cover and closed his eyes. No rest, no sleep would come. After tossing and turning for an hour he gave up and went into Luv’s for a shower, hoping the hot water would soothe him inside, as well as clean the outside. 

Still a sense of unease remained. Weaving his way between trucks idling slowly through the busy truck stop, he felt panic as he approached his Kenworth.

 “What the Hell?” he thought.  The Kenworth, for 18 months now, had never been anything but a sense of comfort for him. As he re-entered the cab, he realized it wasn’t the tractor that scared him. It was his laptop. 

Almost choking he picked up the Dell and pressed “Power”. Fingers that felt like wood sticks prodded at the keys. The Discord icon jumped into action when his cursor brushed it and several seconds later he entered general chat. He clicked @ windsor and said in private message:

“Hello Brannon. I am your Dad.”

Previously on Small Worlds: 

Small Worlds Collide I