Waiting for a cab. I probably could have have arranged for someone to take me to the bus station in Dalton, but I refuse to ask U.S. Xpress for anything. Money-wise it would have made more sense, but I already feel distanced from the company. I'd like to leave it that way. I'll just sit out here on the patio near the guard shack and watch the trucks come and go.

I feel like I should mention that the first (and only) pang of emotion came when I left the truck for the last time. That was from affection for the truck, not the company. Truck #41596 represents the apex of our benefits at USX. That means, simply, that we feel like that Volvo was about the only real nod that we ever received from U.S. Xpress.