Out Of Miles

When I started driving trucks long distances, I worked for a company in Omaha that contract-hauled for the Armour Meat Co. It was a new, exciting experience for me and I relished it.

In a relatively short time, I started getting high priority loads. I learned later that I had developed a reputation for reliability. It seems that I was one of the few drivers that could deliver to the west coast without getting waylaid by the whorehouses and casinos in Nevada.

I was paid by the mile, which was the standard for this type of driving. When I compared the miles I was reporting vs. what I was paid, I found I was getting paid significantly fewer miles than I had actually driven.

My next high priority load after this discovery was one that HAD to be in L.A. early Monday morning. I was ahead of schedule when I pulled into a Barstow truck stop on Sunday evening.

I called the dispatcher and told him, "I'm stuck in Barstow and can't go any farther. I just ran out of miles."

"Ran out of miles? What do you mean you ran out of miles?"

"I drove the same number of miles I was paid for my last trip to L.A. and I'm not there yet."