When a truck becomes more than a truck

Updated Mar 28, 2012

I learned today more about Scrivener. Learned by going through its introductory tutorial.

Diane and I woke up this morning at the TA truck stop in Reno, Nev., where we spent the night. We drove from there to this morning’s delivery and then to a nearby retail area to wait for load offers.

This is Reno, a slow freight area. If we wanted to chase freight, the best option would be to deadhead to Los Angeles. But we have never been ones to chase freight.

It costs money to deadhead so the next run we would likely get out of Los Angeles would be a low or no-profit run because of the deadhead expense. On the other hand, it costs money to sit too. The perpetual question expediters ask in situations like this is, do you sit or do you move?

Some people have a difficult time sitting. They get restless. They need to feel like they are doing something, even if it is deadheading at their own expense. Diane and I enjoy sitting (to a point). We got into expediting partly to get out of some very hectic white-collar careers. It is quite something to sit and do nothing for a whole day or more.

Of course, we don’t do absolutely nothing. We fill the time with enjoyable activities. At the moment, Diane is seated comfortably in a Barnes and Nobel bookstore, reading an entertaining book. The truck is parked nearby and I am in our nice sleeper with the windows open on a nice day, learning Scrivener and writing today’s blog entry.

How long will we sit in Reno? I have no idea. Dallas is a slow freight area too. Last Saturday, just when we had resolved ourselves to sitting there until Monday at least, we got a call for an ASAP pick up that put us on a nice run. Will the same thing happen here? I have no idea.

There is more we could do to at least try to flush out some freight but frankly, I don’t want to. If a good run was offered to us right now, we would take it but I would be disappointed because I am fascinated with my new toy, Scrivener. I would rather spend time with it this afternoon than haul freight.

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What a glorious tool Scrivener is! One writer described it as, “The biggest software advance for writers since the word processor.” I agree. It’s like handing a power saw to a carpenter who has used a hand saw all his life. It’s the difference between driving a Model A Ford and a modern-day luxury car. It’s really, really nice.

Writers will be interested in this product, truckers who are not writers will not, so I’ll stop talking about Scrivener here. Just know that I found a fantastic tool yesterday that will greatly enhance my writing productivity.

When Diane and I woke up this morning, our truck was a truck. This afternoon it became my study; a quiet place in which I can sit for hours happily at my desk (sleeper dinette) and study and write.

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