Bob Sleasman's Blog, June, 2009

Bob's Blog

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June 1-18, 2009

Trace and Toby are knocking out tunes again, that means I'm trying my best to put words together so they make some kind of sense.

Donna has been on the road for almost a month and I miss her a lot. We talk a few times a day but it’s not the same as being able to talk face to face.

Freight has picked up a little in the past two weeks, but things are still pretty tight, we made so much more when we ran as a team. With the price of oil going up due to the future’s traders, I think pretty soon people will stop buying and traveling again. If that happens freight will slow down and what little increase was made will soon fade away.

Running solo Donna has been running regional loads in NJ, PA, MD, DE, VA, and the New England states, with a load or two into NC.

Donna has been running hard and I worry about her. Giving up isn't in her vocabulary, I'm trying to talk her into finding someone to team with but she is resisting the idea. We thought we had someone lined up a while ago but it didn't work out, since then she has been trying to stay solo. I just don't think we have much of a choice now.

David is doing well, he had the staples removed from his surgery, and the doctor wants him to take things easy for the next few weeks. He was also told that he wouldn't be completely healed for about six or eight more weeks. He is getting pretty bored doing nothing, we see each other a couple times a week, I either stop at his house to see how he’s going or he drives over here.

June 8 came and I went to see the “independent” doctor. The office visit consisted of a brief interview and a just as brief examination. I was then told I would receive a copy of his evaluation in about ten days, like I don't already know what his evolution would be. I just have to ask you guys, how a person can do an independent evaluation when he is being paid by the company that was hired by the insurance company. If he finds in my favor he will never get anymore business from the company, and the company will never get anymore business from the insurance company. This whole process is a sham.

I'm as bored as my brother. I go to the chiropractor three times a week, Saturday I usually visit Sherry and the baby.

I do a lot of watching the boob tube. Some days my back hurts something awful. I don't sleep well at night; I have to keep shifting my body to relive the pain. It sometimes takes me five minutes or more to get out of bed. I can't stand up straight because it puts so much pressure on my back muscles.

Tricia took me out to dinner, which was a nice thing. She is planning a Father’s Day cook out on the 21st for me and her father-in-law.

Every day that goes by I miss Donna more. I wish she would get a load delivering nearby so she can come home. Donna also needs to take a weekend off, out of the truck.

On the 17th David stopped over about 9:00 am. The first thing out of his mouth was and I quote “let’s go fishing”. I said what about the doctor, I thought he said no fishing for two weeks; it’s only been a week. He said he had to do something, he was going out of his head form boredom. I told him we needed another person to help me get the boat in and out of the water. Well it just so happened that his brother-in-law Joe Pete had retired about three weeks ago and was looking for something to do, it seems like he was getting pretty bored already. I told David to give him a call, I had a chiropractor appointment and if he wanted to go we could leave as soon as I got back. The call was made, and fishing we were going.

Before Donna and me got into expediting David, me and Joe Pete had a fishing day set up every Wednesday evening. We always had a good time, well me and David did anyway. Joe Pete had to bring at least two or three fishing rods with him. For some reason that man would somehow drop a rod over the side, or he would cast out and all that would be left was a rod handle in his hand. I mean every time we went fishing, He would buy the cheapest fishing combo’s he could find because he knew what would happen. It was funny. It got to a point where my brother and I would bet on how long it would be until the first of Joe Pete’s rods would hit the water.

We had a good time on the water. It wasn't hot, and Joe Pete didn't lose a rod, he brought three, just in case. David caught five nice Bass, I caught one and Joe Pete caught a tan.

On the 18th I received the “independent doctor’s evaluation”. It said I didn't need to go to the chiropractor anymore; I could just do stretching exercises at home to strengthen my back. It also said my back was as well as it was before I injured it. He stated I could go back to truck driving. Also he said my back was healed as of 1/27/09.

How could he know what my back was like before I injured it? How could he know my back was healed on 1/27/09, outside of knowing the insurance company cut off paying me on that date and the doctor from Northeast Orthopedics saying I could work, he also said I couldn't drive a truck but I could become a clerk. How can I stay home and do exercises to strengthen my back and drive a truck at the same time. My chiropractor tried to stretch my back on several occasions and every time he did my back would go into spasm for a week. He finally said my back isn't ready to be stretched to strengthen the muscles yet.

If this is an independent evaluation why does the first sentence of the letter says to the insurance company that he is the independent orthopedic doctor hired by the insurance company? How can he be independent if he was hired by the insurance company? Again I have to say that if he doesn't find for the insurance company, then the insurance company will not use him again. Therefore it is in his best interest to find for the insurance company.

I called my chiropractor and talked to him about situation. He said the only person that can say I don't need chiropractic services is another chiropractor, not an MD. He also said he had expected the findings to be in the insurance company’s favor, he sees this happen in most cases.

My next move is to wait for an official notification from the insurance company. If they deny payments after 1/27/09, I will seek legal counsel. Maybe OOIDA can help me out. We will see.

I might be in for a long struggle for my benefits. Donna might not have a choice now about finding a co driver. Blog Author Top of Page Bottom of Page

June 19, 2009. Today started out very well for me. I called Donna at about 09:00 am and she said she had a load picking up on Monday and she was on her way home for the weekend. I'm really happy Donna is coming home, she needs a few days off, and I've missed her more than I could ever tell you.

On a down note, I had to sell my last AR15, it’s the last one I had and hated to let it go, but we needed the extra cash it brought in. I have other rifles and hand guns I could sell but I would take a big lose on them. The AR style rifles are a hot item, and I was able to take advantage of that and make a nice profit.

I went to the chiropractor this morning, when I came home I made Donna a picture of fresh brewed iced tea. I know when to suck up. Donna likes her iced tea and I'm more than happy to have some ready for her when she comes home.

Donna arrived home right around noon; she backed the truck into the driveway, plugged the truck up to shore power, and grabbed her laptop and dirty laundry. The first thing she did was take a hot shower, after that we went out and had a light mid day meal. After we ate we made a stop to pick up a couple of videos then returned home for the evening. Blog Author Top of Page Bottom of Page

June 20, 2009. Donna and I were up by nine o'clock. Donna called Tricia to see if she wanted us to bring anything to the cookout tomorrow. Tricia requested baked beans and coleslaw. We then went grocery shopping for the needed ingredients and to pick up a few other items.

We stopped at the AT&T wireless store at the mall. I was due for an upgrade on my cell phone. I chose an LG Neon, a model that had been out only a week. It is a slider style with a backlit keyboard, after the rebate it was free.

Donna fixed us a nice dinner consisting of tacos with all the trimmings and red beans and rice. Donna makes great Mexican food, in fact she is a great all around cook and loves to cook and back when home. After dinner we watched a couple of movies, Donna watched a couple, I watched one and a half, and I fell to sleep during the first one. We stayed up late and just talked, around 02:00 am we went to bed. Blog Author Top of Page Bottom of Page

June 21, 2009. I couldn't sleep last night so I got up and turned on my laptop and surfed the web for a while. I also wrote OOIDA an e mail about my trials and tribulations concerning the work/accident insurance carrier. I finally felt tired enough to fall to sleep around day break.

I woke up around 10:30 am; Donna was up and reading the Sunday paper. I showered and when I emerged from the bathroom Donna was working on the baked beans and coleslaw.

We arrived at Tricia and Nate’s at right around 1:15 PM. Nate’s father, his wife and two sisters were already there. We sat around and made small talk and snacked on chips and dip. Around 2:30 PM chicken was put on the grill, a little later burgers and hot dogs were added. After our meal a home baked cake was brought out and was enjoyed by us all.

We said our goodbyes right around 5:30 PM. Donna had to leave shortly for her morning pickup down near New York City.

It’s 6:30 PM and I just watched Donna leave the driveway. I feel very alone. I watched the truck go down the short street and make a left turn. My head hangs down as I walk back to the house. My heart is going down the road with Donna. I have no words to describe what I'm feeling.

I'm back in the house; sitting in my chair, next to me is Donna’s empty chair. The TV is on but I can't concentrate on it, my mind is elsewhere. I guess I'm feeling sorry for myself. Blog Author Top of Page Bottom of Page

June 22-29, 2009. The first thing I have to do is ask all of you, how do you like the slide show Phil set up for me? I think he did a fantastic job. He says in his blog that this web site is just a hobby. For a hobby he has been improving the site a lot, from my point of view anyway. Phil has changed the whole look of this site since I started blogging here.

Freight has picked up a little for Donna; she has been keeping busy, which is a good thing. I am just a little concerned that she might try to push herself too far. She has been getting loads within a few hours of delivering the one on her truck, most are reefer loads.

Maybe this will help some of you out there who have the early model Pro Heat and the 5000 series Carrier Comfort Pro gensets. Since we have had the upgraded HVAC hoses put on our Comfort Pro we have not had any problem with the Freon leaking, and we have not had any icing of the HVAC unit. The upgrade kit did what it was supposed to do, which was to stop the loss of Freon. I know some of you out there have had this same problem. A lot of shops don't even know about the upgrade, for some reason Carrier is keeping this fix as low keyed as possible. I wonder why?

I have been waiting to hear from the insurance company to find out what decision they have made concerning my injury. I check the mail every day hoping to find a letter from then. They owe me right around $9,500. I have a feeling they are dragging this thing out as long as they can. I also have a sinking feeling that they will deny my claim as of 01/28/09, when they stopped paying me. I contacted OOIDA via e mail. I received a reply the next business day with some information which might help me if my claim is denied. Blog Author Top of Page Bottom of Page

Thursday, June 30, 2009. Donna will be home later tonight. She is near Buffalo, NY resting after completing a run. We have appointments tomorrow with our cardiologist; it’s just our annual visit. Donna will go back in service after our appointments; she plans to stay in service through the 4th of July holiday. She has been talking with a lot of drivers and a good portion of them plan to take the long weekend off. Donna figures she can get at least a couple of loads due to the number of trucks out of service.

I don't expect Donna to be home much before 10:00 PM. I made her a pitcher of tea and kind of did a little straightening up of the house. A housekeeper I am not, I'm a slob, like most men. I do the basics as best I can, most of the time. I'm looking forward to seeing her, even if it’s just for a day.

At 10:23 PM Donna backed into the driveway. All is well in the world, at least for now. Blog Author Top of Page Bottom of Page