On my last entry on July 18th, I was kind of miffed by the crappy scheduling that I had been subjected to in the last few days. That was nothing compared to my dealings with the idiots at Stemilt in Wenachee, Wa.
When I am given my load information, I head the 136 miles up from Grandview to Wenachee. I arrive at the Old Station plant and check in. I am told to wait and monitor channel 40. There are a lot of trucks but there are always a lot of trucks at this location. I wait, and wait. Finally, at 5 pm my dispatcher calls and lets me know that they will not be able to get to me at all on the 19th and that I should get to a truck stop and make myself comfortable. I am told that there is a truck stop next door. The happy little place, Wenachee Truck Stop. Wonderful place. First of all, these losers put a crummy convenience store on a dumpy dirt lot, sell the back row parking spaces to people who will rent them and leave approximately 11 spaces available for those of us that want to park by 9 am can take. The food is warmed over pre-made crap and the place and the bathrooms were filthy. Do I sound negative? Good, because the place should be used to test low megaton nuclear weapons and then fill in the hole. Oh, and the owner should have his feet beaten with ball peen hammers and then set on fire. Or something like that.
This is all bittersweet, because Wenachee is a rather scenic place with the cliffs and the rolling hills. I enjoyed the views but I am getting away from the story. The picture above shows the truck stop and an example of the looming hills above.
Anyway, I go back on the 20th and am told over and over that it will be a couple hours, just a couple hours. So I stay up all day waiting for this crap to end. The whole time I am watching the docks. Mexican drivers were hitting the docks at a rate of 6 to 1 of any other color. All the people in the shipping office that were working the window were Mexican. Coincidence? Who knows, but about that time someone said on channel 40 "Looks like some Mexicans have paid off the bitches at the shipping office." Next thing you know there is a bunch of yelling from a woman at the shipping office.
About 20 minutes later, I am called into the office and given directions to their Miller Street location and told that my cherries are being picked now and will be ready late tonight. I proceed to Miller Street where a dock worker comes up to me asking me for Jim Palmer hats to which I tell him I am fresh out. I mean that takes a lot of nerve. Leaving me stuck for 2 days with filthy bathrooms and crappy facilities for the driver and then I am expected to pony up for a hat to please someone. What nerve.
I go to bed at 1830 expecting to be woke up in the wee hours but it never happened. I woke up wide awake at 0230 and cleaned my truck, washed my hair, changed clothes and did anything else I could do because I couldn't sleep. I went and had breakfast at a Denny's style place. It was my first hot meal in 2 days. The place was full of drunks and tweakers. Not a normal person in sight. I ordered my food from a waitress who was rude and sizing me up in some way as if to say that she knew that I was not from there and not a member of her drunk, tweaker club. I looked to her as if to say: give me my god damn eggs you hag I just want to eat and get out of here. On the way back to the truck there was a car ahead of me with the door open. This guy was drunk as a skunk and throwing up. Marvelous. I walk by and he just kept puking. I started imitating his sounds and laughing. He starts yelling at me and even tried to get out of the car and chase me like some drunk zombie. It was hilarious, I just kept watching.
I finally got into the dock at 0930 on the 21st and was in the shipping office with a rather nice lady who felt the need to smooth the situation by talking a lot. No problem with me on that one. I asked her what the problem was with getting me my product and do they have any idea how inconsiderate it is to string a person along for 2 days with no shower, hot food or even Internet access. How would she like it if I locked her in a box and told her for the privilege of hauling my freight, she would have to eat cold food, not bathe, and only use this filthy bathroom for 2 days. She replied that there never was a true shortage that Stemilt had oversold their cherries to Export accounts which get the company 13 dollars per case as compared with Kroger whose contract calls for 9 dollars per case. It was a money decision and Truck drivers are stuck in the middle of it. Lousy business if you ask me. If you have any opinions on the treatment of truckers at Stemilt, their phone number is 800-665-8124. Tell them that we deserve better treatment and that we will not stand for this abuse. Dedication
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