So, I get this load out to the Los Angeles area yesterday that doesn't deliver until Tuesday morning. This allowed me to spend the night at the local Petro down the street from our drop yard along with over a hundred other drivers, huddled up in the cold.
I carefully made my way back to the yard this morning to hook on to the trailer I will be taking for this run, only to find out that the previous driver who had relayed this load here has left his fairly expensive company-issued lock on the back. Our night dispatch folks rang him up and told him it would be $50+ bucks to replace the lock and apparently he took one look outside at the snow on the ground and said "hell yeah, I'm staying in bed".
Now, I suggested we just have him Fedex one of his lock keys to the consignee in Los Angeles so when I arrived they could take off the lock in some sort of ceremony, showing our commitment to keeping their 20 tons of laundry detergent safe and sound. Alas, the DOT folks have this regulation requiring us to be able to open our trailers at any time (in case the white powdery substance wasn't actually detergent) so that was out.
Instead, I get to wait here for four hours until the repair shop at the Petro opens up so they can cut or burn the lock off. Heck, I may video tape it just for giggles.
Speaking of giggles... thanks a pantload, driver!
