Where Are We?

   Where Are We?

Suzanne Marsh

“Did you check the map”

“Yes, Douglas, Georgia is near Atlanta.”

This was my first time reading a map; my husband had been in a hurry to get into Georgia before rush hour in Atlanta. We stopped at a truck stop; Earl called for directions. His face changed to crimson as he asked what exit to get off at to deliver in Douglas, Georgia. The woman on the phone was giving him direction to a Walmart Distribution Center in Douglas, Georgia. As the woman mentioned I75 Earl glared over at me. Whatever I did he was about bombast me. He pulled into a truck stop. Asked me for the map. I knew I made a mistake I just had no idea of how big a blunder I had just made. There is the county of Douglas, Georgia and the town of Douglas, Georgia, I simply made the wrong choice. I had a fifty; fifty chance and once again I picked the wrong fifty.

Earl knew that we were not going to make the Walmart Distribution Center on time no matter what he did, we were about six hours out and he had the hours to drive four more hours; Douglas, Georgia was at least another six hours from where we were. That was not the worst of it, Douglas County is up near Atlanta; Douglas, Georgia is on the boarder of Georgia and Florida. When I make a mistake I make a good one!

There was a truck stop coming up according to our truck stop book, back in the day thirty years ago, you used a map not a GPS and you used a lot of pay phones. We used to keep a great deal of change in the truck. I am sure the GPS would have discovered my mistake before I did. Shortly, we stopped at the truck stop on I75. We entered, found a booth in the restaurant. There sat my worst enemy; the pay phone. Earl called dispatch.

Our dispatcher had a great sense of humor; most of the time. Earl explained about the mix up in Douglas Georgia. This was turning into a true fiasco. Our Dispatcher, told Earl to call him back in an hour; he would contact the Walmart Distribution Center. That worked for him. Earl on the other hand was upset. We still had a delivery in Brooksville, Florida, which would also have to be rescheduled for the following day.

Dinner was okay as far as truck stop food goes. I don’t remember what I ate but whatever it was, it tasted like humble pie. I hate making mistakes and this one not only involved me but Earl and our dispatcher. Thank heaven Earl drove a conventional cab and not a cab over. At least in the conventional cab I could stand up and turn around, the cab over I had to lay down to get dressed. Those were the days when trucking was evolving.

The pay phone rang just as the waitress brought our food. That always seemed to be the case. I often questioned: “what is hot food?” A home cooked meal would have stayed warm longer. It was the call from dispatch that the appointments were for tomorrow. I sighed a sigh of relief; Earl groaned a great deal.

We went back to the truck after watching television for two hours. The Qualcomm idiot button was lit that was not; that was not a good thing. Earl, read it and handed it to me. Our appointments for the following day were for three o’clock and ten o’clock in the evening. The distribution center had facilities for drivers so that meant once we were unloaded, Earl would have to take his eight hour break. It could have been worse, I guess, we might have not been permitted to stay on the property. That would have meant trying to find a close truck stop, those days in trucking; could have meant parking on a street or a parking ticket for parking on the street. Fortunately, this distribution center allowed drivers to park.

The ten o’clock delivery became a two o’clock in the morning delivery. Apparently, since we did not make our appointment time they had to find a spot for us. Two o’clock in the morning is not a good time to bang one driver’s door especially where there is a German Shepherd sleeping soundly on the seat. Nick, that was the dog’s name began to bark, the guy who came out to tell us what dock to back into, jumped off the truck in a panic. It would have been funny if he had not been so scared. Nick

was not the type of dog to allow anyone near the truck much less the driver’s door. I felt sorry for the guy, but thankful for Nick.

Earl, backed into the dock, took his paper work into the office, mean while I was awake doing my “thing” on the Qualcomm. Our arrival, message complete I thought I would go back to sleep. What I thought and what Nick thought were two very different things. She decided that since I was awake it was time to get fed. Try telling a dog to go back to sleep, it is not time to ear or go out side.

Earl returned to the truck around five o’clock with the paper work. I had already sent the message that it had been over two hours for the unloading. Now I sent the message with all the information from the receiver. Earl found a space and back to sleep we went.

The Qualcomm, which was the bane of my existence for a good number of years, was not working correctly. The Qualcomm had us in Douglas, Georgia, this would not do! I sent a message that we were in Brookville, Florida. Earl trudged back into the office, politely asked them to fax a copy of the bill to night dispatch. They did that but grudgingly.

Earl found a pay phone on the premises and called dispatch. Our day dispatcher asked what was happening since we appeared to be in Douglas, Georgia. Earl told dispatch that he was in Brookville and had faxed a copy of the bill to the company. Then our dispatcher asked the question Earl had been trying to avoid:

“I have to ask, why were you up near Atlanta?”

“My wife read the map wrong. She didn’t realize that the trucker atlas has the cities listed

under the county they are in. It was her first attempt.

A hearty laugh followed:

“Earl, that is why I never let my wife read a map!”