The Water Cooler and Me

Just as the trailer bumped up against the unloading dock at the large grocery store distribution center in Denver, the on board computer chirped and the message read: "When you are finished, please come up to the office."

From what I could tell in my experience so far, drivers are not typically invited to mingle with office staff. The primary means of communication are on board computer and phone calls. To be invited to 'come to the office' with no further information as to the reason had the feel of having been involved in a high school prank, and now I was being summoned to the Principal's office. The invitation to come up to the office set my mind racing: Was it to further discuss my accident with the tree branch? Had someone complained to headquarters about my driving...I couldn't think of anything that would have been cause for that. Had a customer complained?  The driver handbook and orientation made it perfectly clear that my employment was 'at will' and that it could be terminated at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all. Was I about to hear some bad news?

For my last two home time schedules, I had gotten home several days later than requested.  My whole family was going to be gathered for Christmas, and this was one home time schedule that I really hoped they could keep.  I noted that I had been routed back to Denver a few days ahead of my home time requested date, so probably this time would be on-time, but now I had second thoughts.  Maybe they had routed me to Denver early not for home time after all, but to deliver bad news, or to discuss something unpleasant.

The load was soon unloaded and I returned empty to the Denver terminal. I unhooked the empty trailer, and parked and headed to the office with the load paperwork.  Once a load is completed, the paperwork is faxed to the Home Office for processing.  Given the long morning, and my general level of nervousness, my first stop was the restroom to empty my bladder.  Next, I went to the lounge and sent the load documents for the load just finished.  I then grabbed the door knob to the office, took a breath, and went inside.

My manager didn't immediately recognize me.  We had met only briefly on my first day several months ago. Our interaction since had been entirely by computer and by phone.  Once he recognized me, he informed me that I was here to take a random drug test.

Because a truck driver is in a safety sensitive position, the Department of Transportation requires drug testing and so far, I had been tested several times to satisfy those testing requirements.  This test, I was informed, was an internal company drug test and not a DOT required test.  I explained that I had just stopped at the restroom on my way upstairs.   "Well," he explained, "Now that you're here, you can't leave until the test is completed. You can go into the break room there and drink coffee or water until you're ready for the test."

The break room was small and typical of so many office break rooms that I had been in before, with all the typical signs:  Clean Up After Yourself.  Anything Left in the Fridge Will Be Thrown Away.  If You Use the Last Coffee, Make More...etc, etc. Since I'm not a coffee drinker, the water cooler was my ticket out of there.

As a teenager, I had injured one of my kidneys in an accident, and at the hospital, I was required to drink large amounts of water to flush the kidney out.  It is difficult for me to drink water when I'm not thirsty.  I recall sitting there in the hospital bed, the cup pressed to my lips, and simply unable to get any more water down.

I went to the water cooler and filled the cup and drank it as quickly as possible, then repeated.  This was all the water I could drink for now, so I sat at the table and waited for the water to quickly fill my bladder. Fifteen minutes later, nothing was happening, so I went to the water cooler and drank a couple more cups of water and sat down at the table again.

I didn't have my cell phone with me so browsing the internet or reading e-mails was not an option. Desperate for something to fill my unoccupied mind, I thumbed through the documents from the load that I had sent off to Home Office. My eyes fell on one of the items that had been on the load, and I tried to picture in my mind  how the package for a 13 oz Salisbury steak would look in the grocery freezer.  Next, I caught sight of an interesting item in the load: chicken fried rice. I love chicken fried rice!  But what would I do with 316 packages of it?

Still no sign at all of my bladder filling. I filled the cup again, and the water cooler bottle chugged, gurgled, and bubbled as the cup filled.  I pressed the cup to my lips and tried to drink the clear, tasteless liquid.  Two cups later, I went back to the table to await some kind of magic to happen.

Out in the office, I could hear one side of conversations as the driver managers did their job:
" No, if you take your 10-hour break now, you can still deliver on time tonight." From the other side of the room another driver manager's conversation continued:    "Did you scale the load?"  "How much did it weight?"  "Well, did you get an overweight ticket?"  I began to wonder how ridiculous the other side of my conversations with my manager must sound from time to time.

By now, 45 minutes must have passed, and my continued presence began to become uncomfortable for me. Determined to speed the process up, I stood at the cooler and forced myself to drink four consecutive cups of water.  Back at the table, I became increasingly frustrated. "Really? --- stubborn body of mine...you choose now to re-hydrate every cell in my body?"  "I've drank enough water to fill my bladder three or four times by now. Where is all that water going?" Out in the office, the conversations continued:  "What is the temperature on the bill of lading...is the reefer set on continuous, or stop/start?"   I drink three more cups of water.

Finally, after nearly an hour of drinking cup after cup of water, pondering the intricate details of the load that I had just delivered, and reading every sign available in the break room over and over again, I went back out into the office, and informed my manager that I was ready to attempt the test.  He summoned the guy from the Safety Department who would conduct the test.  In the restroom, the Safety Manager handed me the container and gave me instructions on how the test would proceed. "How much do you need?"  I asked nervously.  "To this line right here." He said, showing me the line on the container.  I stepped into the private stall and left every drop I could muster in the container. It just barely came to the line.

I went back out to the truck and laid down on the bed, happy that the reason for my visit to the office was for something as routine and mundane as a random drug test, and happy that after the ordeal of drinking all that water, I was finally able to finished the test.  I laid down in the bunk  to get ready for the next load later that night. I had just laid down when my bladder indicated that it was full, and all that water I had drank was now finally making its way to my bladder.  I got up, headed out into the winter day and went to the restroom, and returned to the truck. I had just laid down again and started to read my book when my bladder once again told me that it was full.  While I am grateful for my mostly healthy body, there are moments when its timing is most inconvenient.

Nebraska sunrise headed to Denver current temp: -7F

Truck parked next to me at Rest Stop in Colorado:  Waiting for the boss.

Utah Wasatch Mountains. Headed to Idaho after Christmas home time.

Is the full moon in Wisconsin made of Cheese?

4AM --- I push in the knob to release the brakes, and ease out of the truck stop, which is completely filled with parked and idling trucks. We take the westbound ramp and soon Bruce has managed to get our 78,000 pounds to highway speed and we head into the Wisconsin darkness, made bitter cold by Caly's arctic air, heavy with cold and danger. The short winter days mean that we'll be traveling in the dark this morning for several hours before we are greeted by sunrise This far north, the sun's arc seems far to the south, and even on a sunny day, the sun appears to be distant, casting long shadows all day long, and ineffective at generating much heat of any kind. . The on board thermostat which is at a mere 3 degrees (F) upon departure, soon shows the outside temperature to be at -9. Inside the cab, the heater is warm. I pity any animal wild or domestic trying to endure the frigid, icy air.

This is a quick trip from southern Wisconsin out to Bismarck, North Dakota to swap loads with another driver. He'll take this load on to the west coast and enjoy home time, and I'll bring his load back to Wisconsin for delivery.

Prone to worry, my mind soon takes advantage of the lull in pressing matters and sets about with its list of things to worry about: Are we going to make it on time; are the road conditions okay; Is my family doing all right?

We top a small hill, and the scene catches me off guard. There, low in the western sky, a full moon, almost with a kindly smile, casts its gentle light onto the countryside laid out before me. The farm fields, the rolling hills and the forests, look almost magical in the soft moonlight reflected by the snow that covers the entire area. The scene has a reassuring and calming feel to it. It's an unexpected vista, and the feeling it gives me is unmistakable. I had prayed only moments before for guidance, safety, and the simple reassurance that He is there, that He understands.

Wisconsin is beautiful, and in this moment, the moonlight and the blanket of snow combine to transform the scenery and it suddenly is calming and reassuring. It's one of occasions that from time to time suddenly thrust themselves into my life, offering a break from worry and cares, like the aroma of a lilac bush, or the flowers of a honeysuckle tree. It feels like God is saying to me, “Yes, I know you have worries and fears, but here's a reminder that I am still here, and that I love you.” The problem for me is that these moments usually appear suddenly and unannounced. Too often they come and they go, without my notice, and the blessing and intimate message intended, is somehow lost by the confused and busy recipient.

Have you ever had moments like that? Perhaps it came in the form a sunset, a smile from a stranger, or

rain drops on a hot day, but the unique timing and creation of the incident leave you feeling that it was more than just a simple coincidence?

I believe these moments can come from God. Whatever you believe, or however you think they arrive in your life, I hope they continue to bring you a brief amount of happiness and reassurance. I hope you are better at recognizing them, and enjoying them than I am.

Heading out into Caly's icy morning, an unexpected moon awaits

Moon watches unloading at Wisconsin at day break

Caly's Cold Heart

The driving condition that I fear the most, regardless of the vehicle that I'm in, is winter driving conditions. My lifetime of driving and being a passenger in vehicles during winter storms has taught me one lesson: Driving in winter storm conditions can be unpredictable and very dangerous.

I recall as a child, sitting in a car as it spun in circles, out of control on black ice down a narrow highway. I've seen massive accidents in winter storms unfold right before me, I've heard the crunching of cars behind me, and seen cars off the highway all around me. The question I always ask myself while driving in such conditions is, if I had to stop suddenly, could I do it? On a road made slick by snow, packed snow, and ice, the answer is frequently no.

One night years ago, I was driving from work towards home. A sudden snowstorm hit, and the road was soon completely covered in snow. A car passed me going quite a bit faster than me, and about 10 minutes later, I caught up to the car. It was upside down at the side of the road. The driver was standing outside the car, so I stopped and asked how I could help. He said he'd already phoned for help, that he wasn't hurt, and everything was fine. As I prepared to leave, he added, “I know how to drive in these conditions.” It seemed like an odd statement to make at this particular time.

Imagine dragging all these past experiences and deep sense of respect for the heightened odds of being involved in an accident during winter driving, with me into this job, and you can perhaps see why I dread winter driving in a large semi truck with my job, my future career, my safety, and the safety of those around me as real consequences if something were to happen.

Some people are storm chasers, I try to be a storm follower. I'm hoping to be on the highway after the storm has passed, and the roads are reasonably dry and safer to travel. My current employer loves to chain up. It creates added and necessary traction in winter driving conditions. I guess I wouldn't mind chaining up, if I could do it off the highway in a safe place. Parked alongside a highway, in the dark, in a blinding snowstorm or blizzard, with my back to the highway and traffic as I wrestle getting chains over and secured to a tire seems like a great way to have one's life ended very quickly. My hope and prayer, is to avoid as many winter storms as possible.

So no one was more dismayed when I went home for home time and had to make a quick trip over Vail Pass near Vail, Colorado to discover that winter storms had stalked me all the way there and I had to deal with winter storms over Vail Pass and also Soldier Summit in Utah. At least I was in my own vehicle, and not some huge commercial vehicle.

After home time, I headed out from our Utah terminal eastbound with a load, and was just ahead of a storm, which I learned later was winter storm Caly. I headed out across Wyoming and Nebraska towards Chicago with Caly hot on my heels. I arrived and parked in Illinois just as the first snow flakes began fall, and within an hour, Caly boldy proclaimed her arrival, and for the next 24 hours winter driving was the only kind available. Fortunately, my delivery was only 2-3 hours away and so my winter driving was limited.

In the wake of the snow and blizzard conditions, Caly drug bitter cold air down from the arctic. Temperatures this past week have been below zero at night, and only hovering around 0-10 degrees for the high. The only good news is that we must idle our engines all night long when temperatures become that low.

As these winter storms make their way across the nation, it seems like I am always there, just ahead of them by mere hours....hoping to have the timing of shippers appointments, rest breaks as required by law, and overnight stays, all work to my favor so I can avoid these major storms. As I write this, I'm here in Wisconsin, and guess what? Tomorrow, winter storm Decima hits. Wish me luck!

Illinois, parked as 1st flakes fall

30 minutes Later

An hour later