Generally speaking, the industrial routes were always the worst...always a bunch of NDA's, truck always bulked out, packages were usually heavy and awkward, lots of pickups, little overtime, and very little overtime. These are routes for new hires, low seniority people. I always had to call each day to get work taken off my route so I could take my lunch. I had to do this for almost a month, before they finally got the message and adjusted my load.
Surprisingly, my next worst route was a route I could have retired on. It was a country route 45 minutes outside of the city. It was completely a driving route, which I thought I would love, and I did, except for one fatal thing: the gravel roads. I had to wear a mask that covered my nose and mouth every time I hit the dust. In the midwest summers, this became torturous. Much of the time, I drove a half-hour between stops. I would open my bulk-head door, and the inside of the package car was cloudy with dust. The people were great. Much nicer and generous than the people in the city. It was almost like becoming family with everyone. Honestly, I saw more animals than people. Great, great route, if only those roads had been paved.
