BC is a Burnin…
Well my first day back to work took some control on my part as things just didn’t go very well. I had to go to the docks to load some pipe bound for Camrose, Alberta and my trailer had been misused and abused so I had to track down some dunage and fix a couple of things. After loading and heading for Alberta I ran into some traffic issues which took me over 2 hours to drive a normal 45 minute drive because of road construction and three accidents.
After fueling up I got on my way and things went smoothly until I reached Merritt, BC where the air was filled with smoke from the 300 or so forest fires raging accross BC. For the next 10 hours I would drive through smoke filled skies all the way to Edmonton. My throat got sore and my eyes were burning by the time I reached the BC/Alberta border. Never seen anything like this before let me tell you. Smoke was the thickest in Kamloops and Jasper where you had to slow down as visibility was non existent.
Once I got to Camrose I felt better and went to bed to sleep. The next morning I awoke and got prepared to unload. I was fourth in line which was a good thing as they only took in four trucks at a time to unload. Then something happened that got my blood stirring. One of the company drivers we’re hauling the pipe for decided he wasn’t going to wait his turn and butt in front of everyone. The other drivers just let him so I decided that I wasn’t going to be odd man out as I had gotten here before him. I went to him to speak my mind and was interupted by a driver who told me that he had let him in because he had an early appointment to which I replied, who gave you the right to make that decision for the rest of us. Well the argument was on and I lost my cool. I was ready to start swinging when the supervisor came over and told us all that we wouldn’t get unloaded if we didn’t act like adults. I told him that he should be talking to the driver who started all this and walked away. I immediatly got on the phone to my dispatch and told him why I wouldn’t be making my pickup on time after unloading. He then made a call to the company dispatch and found out that they didn’t like what had occurred either so disciplinary action was forthcoming. Didn’t help me at the moment however. Oh well. After unloading I drove to Edmonton and loaded some plastic pipe bound for Abbottsford. So much for being relaxed and refreshed after my holidays. Bye for now.