Waiting In The Peg

As usual life has been more than a little busy of late.  The good news is I'm getting into a groove I have not been in for many years.  I'm developing a routine.  At work and at home.  I like it.  My sweetheart of a wife likes it.  Life is good despite the hectic nature of it.

Last month I started to do a regular weekly turn up to Winnipeg and back.  I leave on a Saturday morning arriving in the Peg on Sunday evening.  Then it's a day of delivering freight in and around the Peg before dragging my now empty trailer across the border and reloading for home, usually getting back on Wednesday evening.    As I said I'm just starting to find my groove with this run and it's a positive change.  I actually have the hours of service rules and my new electronic on board recorder to thank in large part for this change.  More on that in a later post.

Today (Monday) was a little different.  I dragged an LTL load for Brandon/Regina/Saskatoon up here and switched it off last night with a full load out of Edmonton.  That gave me some time this morning as I sit at a dock here in Winnipeg unloading.  Does not pay as well as my usual run but a change is as good as a rest right?  Rest is good, that's something I'm discovering with my new found 'routine'.

I had completely forgotten what it was like to know what you were doing week in and week out.  There is a certain freedom about it.  That may sound like a bit of a paradox but I'm finding it's true for me.  Knowing where I will be each week is allowing me to be free of many planning stresses I have dealt with regularly out here on the road.  The regular miles also bring a regular pay cheque, again freedom from planning stress.  Then there is the regular days at home.  Already my wife and I are finding that many of the routine jobs around the house that have been put on the back burner in the past due to time constraints are now been looked after on a weekly basis and are no longer on the to do list.  This all may sound rather silly to those of you that don't drive for a living.  Believe me it's not.  You may think that routine leads to stagnation but on the contrary I'm finding that routine is reducing my stress level and improving my personal productivity.  Maybe now I can squeeze out some more time for writing.

BTW, for those of you on my email list, sorry but I have not been posting my monthly columns here with any regularity of late so they are headed your way now.

Cheers, Al.