A change of pace and routine came this weekend, when asked if I would run a few loads locally and from a yard. The type of trailer was not typical to what I am assigned under this current contract, but I am familiar with from previous employments, and was very confident and comfortable with the work at hand. There were some new taks involved from this yard, another learning experience welcomed. Strangely enough, I am not much for routines, and favor OTR work which varies with each dispatch demand. Still, knowing (or assuming) this routine for the weekend was a welcome change, since I can always see how I have improved.

The weekend in Pennsylvania, and running from the City of Harrisburg towards Stroudsburg vicinity and back, made for a chance to try to see what I remembered of this area, and what else I have passed by and took for granted over the years. This did not substitute the routine I have created over the years, on the computer.

Now since I mentioned the computer, there were new issues that arose in this weekend period. The first was the scanner was skipping on the belt, expressing age and possible abuse from the rough roadways at times. The second was on my GPS Netbook, where I had bent a pin after the plastic backing broke on the USB Connection over time, now leaving me with two of the three USB sockets available. Supplies were another concern, and attempting to restock things, such as ink cartridges, never got completed. Although the purchase of a three port attachment accessory was purchased, resolving the issue on the Netbook.

It was all just for the weekend, and Monday was back on my typical standby for another OTR run, still pending. This time does not get wasted…well, not anymore. It took a long time to develop the routine of this “mobile office”, but as you are reading this Blog, it means the truck is not running, and that concept of “Switching Gears” has me caught up on paperwork, and computer maintenance. Looking back, I remember a time where worrying about supplies, the condition of my “Office Equipment” and what I needed to approach to get where I am currently, stole a great deal of time. I could not tell you when I simply stopped thinking about it and got to work, but I can tell you it was gradual, and in steps. Just like managing your time to deliver a load, staying aware of time, and making this “Office Concept” real needed managing as well.

So, the computer has a new three port accessory to connect what I need, and my supplies can hold up for another month. I write this, because, the truck is truly not a personal vehicle, and when the truck rolls, it has to be logged, counting taking away the time from my available hours for when a load is assigned. It takes time to know that the best work day, is one that is well planned, and over time, become aware of these locations help knowing where to stop, and restock in that sense. Unfortunately, watching my log hours this time, meant simply getting to the nearest safe haven, not close enough to any store that I could walk to. As manager of my time, there were spreadsheets needing to be updated, and files needed to be created and organized. All this in just another day in a ten wheeled office.