Just when Lori thought she had seen all there was of the strange new world of lumpers, her arrival at the Piggly Wiggly distribution center this morning revealed yet another aspect of this link in America's consumer distribution chain. [INTERESTING HISTORICAL SIDE NOTE: Piggly Wiggly was the world's first fully self-service grocery store, opening in Memphis in 1916].As Lori got off the interstate, she drove past a dirt lot filled with parked cars and guys trying to wave down passing trucks. Not knowing what they wanted, Lori drove past and got in line with the other trucks waiting to go into Piggly Wiggly. At that point, a gentleman approached the truck and presented Lori with his business card. All it said was "D, Certified Lumper." (Turns out D is short for "Diesel;" Lori didn't bother trying to find out how one gets "certified" as a lumper.)
D was trying a little too hard to be helpful, offering to take Lori's paperwork to the supervisor, break the seal on the trailer, and open the doors. Lori told him "thanks, but no thanks," she'd rather take the responsibility for doing all that or have a Piggly Wiggly employee do it. At that point, D says "I am a Piggly Wiggly employee; they let us lump on our days off." Man, I think I'd want to spend my day off at home, especially since the lumping business at Piggly Wiggly is so competitive. Some of the guys, wanting to get whatever advantage they can, used the CB to solicit approaching trucks with phrases like "Hey, northbound Werner truck! Need a lumper for Piggly Wiggly?"
D took about four hours to finish unloading and collected his $200. Lori's work hours were up for the day, so she drove over to a nearby truck stop and slept. When she woke up, her next assignment was waiting for her; drive empty for 250 miles to the Pict Sweet frozen veggie plant in Brownsville, Tennessee to pick up a load headed to Greensboro, North Carolina, a 600-mile trip.
The plan is to get all loaded up late tonight, take a 10-hour break, and then drive straight through to Greensboro. Lori ought to be able to make it within the allotted 11-hour driving day.
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