The Loose Scrap Paper Story

January 2nd, 2012

When you’re driving a truck over the road you experience different situations in all aspects. One I experienced was a load full of loose scrap paper. The trailer was pre-loaded and ready for pick up from a common paper plant out of the state of Alabama.

 Arriving at its final destination in Georgia following all the signs for scrap paper loads to the receiving docks…or so I thought. The guard informs me at the gate “do you have any open bottles without lids on them?” confused and giving the guard a weird look, I replied “no”. The guard looked at me and smiled “follow the road to the left and if the two bays are full wait for the next available bay, oh and read the sheet I gave you on further instructions”. I carried on through the gate “following the yellow brick road” around this massive building.

Hearing the pressure noises and steam pipes from the plant running I drive around the last corner of the building and see the so-called “bay” in sight. My jaw dropped…taking a big gulp, I saw a truck in a vertical position being shook up and down with loose scrap paper coming out the back end of the trailer… All I am thinking to myself at this point is “this is just great, I just cleaned this truck”. Both of these so-called bays were full so I pulled off to the side and waited for a bay to become open. Looking at the angle of the ramp I had to back up into I was trying to figure out how they managed to do it…until I saw it… One of the trucks was pulling off from the “bay” I’d more call it a platform with a lower jaw and a throat to eat the paper (laugh out loud).

The driver just pulls off the platform and slowly drives down the steep ramp with their trailer doors shut and drives away. Guess what? I’m next…80,000lbs of weight backing up keeping the clutch steady. After about a minute of backing up the only mirror, I could use to see the platform itself was the smallest mirror. My left leg starts to shake from keeping my foot on the clutch (which is a no-no). I had to stop the truck half way up pushing the clutch down and hitting the breaks so I could adjust the mirrors so I could see where I was backing up. After the trailer reaches the platform I feel the truck slowly backing up onto it. The truck lining up enough to see the inches of space on both sides to back onto. The best way to describe it is backing up onto a scale big enough for a commercial vehicle with only one-foot high thigh bumper bars to stop the trailer from jumping it. The bumper bars won’t stop a trailer or truck from going over the edge, it’s just like guidelines more or less.

After getting the rig nice and snug on the platform, I see a man in a small plexiglass booth waving at me to come back to the booth. Taking a deep breath and patting myself on the back for a job well done I open the driver door. The noise of the plant is so loud I can’t even hear myself talk without yelling. I climb down the truck slowly turn and step off the platform onto a catwalk which leads me to the booth. I smile at the man and walk into the booth. The gentleman greets me and asks “I bet this is your first time here”. I start to laugh “how could you tell?” The gentleman snickers “I can see your CB radio still hanging in the mirror of your truck, I advise you to take anything down that can fall, slide, or get damaged and put it on the floor or the bunk. When finished open your trailer doors and return to the booth, please”. I thank the gentleman for the information and inform him that I would be right back.

I walk back to my truck and take the CB radio, television, everything on the dash and move it to the bed and wrap the television up in one of my blankets. Satisfied with moving everything I step out of the truck and walk back to the trailer and open the doors. When I was finished I walked back to the booth. The gentleman asks me again to be sure I have moved everything that needed to be moved. I nodded and he then tells me I have to walk down the stairs behind him all the way to the ground and wait there until the truck is back on the platform.

Before departing the booth, he hands me a set of safety glasses and construction vest. “Put these on before you leave the booth again please” the gentleman stated. I put the safety glasses and construction vest on then walk out of the booth and continue down the stairs. Soon as I reach the ground I walk out far enough to get a shot of my truck being lifted up from the ground. After taking the picture, I had realized something…I had a Styrofoam Cup in one of the cup holders with mountain dew and ice in it…I shrug my shoulders knowing there is nothing I can do but watch.

A few minutes go by and all the loose scrap paper falls out the backend of the trailer. The gentleman sets the truck and trailer back down on the platform making a loud bang. Straddled by the noise “I hope that wasn’t my truck”, the gentleman yells down to me waving me to come back up.

I climb back up the stairs and reach the top huffing and puffing from smoking too many cigarettes I walk into the booth. The gentleman turns towards me “here are your bills, shut your trailer doors before leaving the platform”. I thanked him, walked out of the booth and walked to the back of the trailer to shut the doors. After shutting the driver’s side door, I walk around to shut the passenger side and I realize where the noise came from…the driver next to me had backed his trailer up and over the driver’s side bumper bar and was stuck. As I was going over to try and help the driver the “nice” gentleman that was in the booth come out raising all kinds of hell at the driver. I shut the passenger side door and walked back to my truck with a little smile trying not to laugh. For all I know that could have been me but the look on the “nice” gentleman’s face…priceless.

I climbed up in my truck to find the mountain dew was on everything. I started laughing as I pulled off the platform and down the slope. I had to stop and get a mountain dew at the truck stop before arriving here. I pulled off in the waiting area to try and clean the mess up. Realizing how long it would it, I headed off to the truck stop for another thorough cleaning and give the truck a bath. Last thing you need in a truck you sleep in is ants and bugs. Ever since that day I buy mountain dew that comes in a plastic bottle and has a screw on lid.

Stay smart and stay safe. Don’t be in a hurry!