As the saying goes, I made this rod for my own back.
Back when I was less cynical about the driving game, I'd take on pretty much anything The Boss had to offer. I was - in his words - available and willing, just the way he likes his vassals. There was nothing I'd turn down.
That works for a while, until late night jobs blend into early morning jobs. The way that happens is that on Friday he would allocate everyone's limousine and Town Car runs for the weekend, through until Monday. Then on Saturday morning he would take a booking for an early Sunday morning airport run, despite the full roster.
Let's examine this for a moment. Back in the good old days, limousine runs rarely finished before bar closing, which is 2:00 am around here. By the time everyone's been dropped off, I've driven the limo back to base and cleaned everything up, there's not much change out of 4:00 am, or even later. I've seen quite a few sunrises.
But The Boss only acknowledges the dispatch ticket with the 2:00 am finish time. He sees that, then is perfectly happy expecting one of us to be ready for that 6:00 am run to Fort Myers airport that he's just taken.
Seriously, he has NO ability to understand that:
a) the customer might go over the stated time,
b) the driver's night doesn't end with the last drop-off, and
c) we are human and therefore suffer fatigue.
But here's where I am to blame.
In my race to make some decent money, I would take the extra morning run, and talk myself into thinking it's just the same as doing a night shift. I know, I know, it's crazy, especially given the absolute pittance that these things pay. But there you have it. Often I would have been up for more than thirty hours, picking up some unsuspecting person on their way to an airport somewhere.
When business fell off a cliff two years ago, for the most part that kind of thing stopped, replaced with something even worse. Now The Boss is happy awarding me late night airport pickups, which can often extend to 2:00 am, followed by those horrid 5:00 am jobs. Not only do I lose a night's sleep, I don't even have the benefit of the money from a limo job.
The worst of all worlds.
And it's all my fault.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
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9 comments:
I was definitely in this same boat as you Wombat!
Enough is enough! After a few months of my dispatchers not understanding that we as drivers need time to sleep (which is the law) and to refresh, I said to them...only put me on at nights! I will occasionally work the AMs only if its a bus job. But other than that, I will only work nights. So they can't mess with my personal schedule.
Yes it sucks because you miss out on the morning road shows, but this way is the only way to have a somewhat decent 9-5ish schedule. LOL
Or maybe just tell your boss to NOT schedule you wicked late and then wicked early? Maybe that will help?
Sammy's suggestion of just telling your boss no makes sense if you were dealing with a rational person, but somehow, that doesn't seem to be the hand you've been dealt, sugar. correct me if i've misread your entries, but the boss seems like a real dumb fuck whose business once flourished inspite of him. i can't think of a solution since the boss also acts as dispatcher. i still think we need to take over his business, darlin! ;~D xoxox
Ah, Sammy, I see you've already figured this all out. Dead right; the only way around this is to specify exactly what you're willing to do, otherwise certain people (cough) will do whatever they choose with us.
Spurred on by you, I'm off to tell The Boss that I'm off mornings - afternoon and nights for me from now on.
Thanks for the guiding light!
(And I will have more to say about why He Who Must Be Obeyed cannot deal with a simple construct like "No early starts following late finishes.")
Sugar, you have positively, absolutely and correctly figured out The Boss's dynamic.
You are right in every element of your comment! So you see the dilemma. Add in that he's a capricious and forgetful individual and we have the recipe for a singularly frustrating workplace.
Ah, but changes are afoot....
YEA!
xoxoxox
i forgot to mention just how gorgeous that Bugatti is, sugar! it just looks fast! xoxox
Honestly Wombie Love, your boss IS an idiot!
I certainly hope changes are afoot. Getting lousy money and lousy treatment can't be good for the old Wombat.
I know, isn't that a stunner, Sugar? Couldn't believe it when I saw it!
Sometimes I feel kinda bad slagging the dude off, Enigma, but I feel I've put up with it for long enough now. If he had redeeming characteristics, or he was a good manager, I'd be happy to write about those things.
Nope, it's not good for the ol' Wombat, Don, either mentally or physically.
Interestingly, it's given me an incentive to learn to compartmentalize rather than just get all mad. The man is frustrating and capricious, and there is nothing I can do about that. So I have created strategies to minimize my contact with him.
And then I go meditate for stillness and calm.
There are also more classic limos on the road. These limousines are elegant in its design and it will most likely be quite simple.
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