Driver Dresses as 'On-Time Delivery' for Halloween; Nobody at Receiving Recognizes Him

A long-haul driver who arrived at a distribution centre this week dressed as an On-Time Delivery left warehouse staff baffled, frightened and, in one case, weeping.

The costume, assembled at a cost of zero dollars, consisted entirely of backing into Door 9 at exactly the appointment time.

"We thought it was a prank," said a receiving clerk who asked not to be named because she still isn't sure it happened. "Nobody arrives at the appointment time. Not the carrier, not the broker, not us. We don't even have a form for it."

Panic on the dock

Staff reportedly searched the cab for a second, late driver who might be the real one. The lumper asked to see ID. The dock supervisor checked three calendars and a sundial before conceding the truck was, in fact, on time.

A detention clock in the shipping office was found to have stopped spontaneously, out of what witnesses described as confusion.

Other costumes spotted this week

• A dispatcher dressed as "Home Time," which several drivers said they had heard of but never seen in person.
• A broker who came as "Fair Rate," a costume so unconvincing that nobody bothered to ask what it was.
• A truck stop shower that dressed up as "Clean" and fooled almost everyone.
• An owner-operator who went as "Paid in 30 Days" and was told the costume was in poor taste.

Back to normal

By the next morning, order had been restored. The driver was assigned a 6 a.m. appointment, loaded at 2:40 p.m., and told to have a great weekend.

"Frankly, it was the scariest thing I've seen all year," said the clerk. "And I've seen the yard on Black Friday."