I BEAT THE GPS BY 15 MINUTES

Last Saturday, I did my first solo run in a Schwan's truck - two stops (almost two hours from the first stop to the second stop - Westerly, RI, to Plymouth, MA). These were merely orders that were already taken and just needed to be delivered, so my boss trusted me to drive alone. I got to both stops and made both deliveries flawlessly in that nice big truck.

Anyhoo, most of us CSM's/CSMT's rely on this nifty technology called GPS. Don't ask me what the sam hell it stands for, but it walks you from point A to point B as you drive.

In.Four.Hundred.Feet.Turn.Left.
In.Point.Two.Miles.Enter.Roundabout.

You get the picture.

Anyhoo, of course, technology needs regular updating. This particular GPS, a company issue, is a freakin' dinosaur. It's like me sitting here using Windows 3.1 in a world that's "upgraded" to Windows Vista. New roads get built.

What made me laugh is my return trip from Plymouth, MA, back to the depot in Rhode Island. It predicted I'd be at the depot at 2:35. The GPS wanted me to go back down Route 3 south, towards the Sagamore Bridge (going into Cape Cod), west towards the Bourne Bridge, onto Route 25 north, which goes into I-495 north, etc.

Instead of doing all that, I went Route 3 north, hopped onto the new US-44 freeway westbound that runs from Plymouth to Carver, then changes to a two-lane highway the rest of the way to I-495. The GPS isn't updated for this new highway, and it quit timing its course. The map showed this arrow (indicating my company truck) driving through a blank region, though crossing all the right junctions.

To sum it up, including a quick stop to a Dunkin Donuts to go to the can, wash my paws, and grab a quick bite for the road, I got back to the depot by 2:20 - 15 minutes sooner than the GPS originally charted.

In.Two.Hundred.Feet.Get.New.GPS.

It did my heart good to beat the GPS.
Peace,
BMP

PS: When someone tries to give directions to my wife, she tells them, "Talk to my husband. He's a walking road map."