"Two Roads Diverged . . ."

An Ending. A Beginning. Well, it's official. Terry and I are not teaming any longer. I was working my way (as quickly as Schneider would let me) to Dallas to meet back up with Terry last week. Terry got to Dallas on Friday, the 3 ^rd , and our DBL (dispatcher for those not with Schneider) had left him a message on his phone that there was a truck available for him in Dallas.

And so there was.

I got here to Dallas (which is where I still am until tomorrow) yesterday afternoon. We had to have the maintenance shop take out the invertor that was installed for Terry's CPAP machine (some of you misread “CPAP”, didn't you? Ha ha) so it could be put in his new truck. We got that done.

We took the rest of our stuff out of the storage unit we had rented here in Dallas when we first started teaming. All my stuff is in my car until they decide when I'm going to be able to take it to Atlanta, when I'll be able to go by my storage unit in Rome and put anything in there that's not going to be in the truck with me. I will (I suppose, since they haven't told me anything differently) keep driving our truck until they tell me otherwise.

Terry spent a good part of last night and today getting things situated in the truck. We had some good time to talk and just visit, which was nice. Last night we went to Outback for a nice meal.

We both waited around all day for loads which never came. Finally, Terry got a load that's taking him up to Ohio. He's gone, and I miss him already. I mean, he's been out of the truck since Christmas, but now that we are officially not teaming, it's just more real in my emotions and mind.

I got a message from operations on my satellite unit in the truck that they were still showing the truck in the shop being worked on (they finished it last night, actually), and that's why I hadn't been sent a load yet. Since it was getting later in the day, I told them to just show me available in the morning early and that way I wouldn't get a load (probably) that would totally wreck my schedule. And it will let me get in a 34-hour restart (not driving for 34 hours lets you reset your clock for the number of hours one can drive – now, c'mon, admit it: don't you wish there was such a thing as a “restart” for some of the dumb things you've probably done in your life?) also, which never hurts.

So, now, I find myself sitting in the very crowded (mostly with students who are in training here at the Dallas OC) cafeteria area of the OC catching up on some e-mail, blog-reading, and some writing, while listening to some cool Avril Lavigne tunes.

I will be continuing this blog, but of course, it will be different in some ways. To those of you who have followed our teaming adventures, thanks for your interest. I hope you'll keep reading.

Until next time . . . keep the wheels rollin' . . .

Allan