Big Changes at the "Hotel California"

This past Monday evening, the small trucking company I work for announced that the boss was retiring (after 51 years) and that they were selling off all their semi tractors to another company - effective Thursday night. Thursday night was last night, so I had three full days to prepare for the change over - while I continued to work my typical long hours.

Now this scenario, in our modern world of quick and comprehensive changes, may not seem very noteworthy, but the story does get a bit more interesting. It turns out that the company that bought out my truck, as well as my potential services as a professional driver, is the very same company that I used to work for five years ago. This particular company has an extremely poor reputation among its potential customers - the people I have been servicing for the past several years, not to mention the fact that I left this company for much greener pastures once already. I felt like I was trapped in the "Hotel California" - I checked out of this poor quality company years ago, but seemed destined to never leave!

Last night, however, I politely declined offering my services as a driver to this new/old company and cleaned out my truck. I felt a deep sense of loss. I have driven over half a million kilometres (over 450,000 of those kilometres in this last truck) since I began trucking in 2005 and I've enjoyed the majority of it. It has definitely been a grand adventure! I miss it already.

This morning, following my narrow escape from the "Hotel California", I find myself unexpectedly unemployed. It is a strange feeling! Things could be worse, however. I already have three tentative job offers and when I return from my weekend adventure of scuba diving with the spawning Pacific Salmon in British Columbia, I'll embrace the future - whatever it is. Life's too short to be trapped in a "Hotel" anyway!