I delivered the load I picked up at the Memphis terminal in Oklahoma City on time, but there was an issue. They wouldn't unload me because they weren't expecting it and the paperwork didn't have a return authorization on it. Two hrs later, everything was worked out. No thanks to my DM. She eventually got what I needed, but it was some serious ass pain.

I send in my empty call and immediately get a pre-plan to pick-up in Mineral Wells, TX. 4 hrs from OK City. The Qualcomm says I have till 1900 to pick up, but I wanted to verify so I called the shipper. Well the phone number I was sent in the load assignment was wrong. Thanks again to my BlackBerry for saving the day as I got the correct number. The shipper tells me they stop loading at 1700. Damn good thing I called.

Well I let my DM know the number is wrong in the Qualcomm as well as the pick-up time. She replies back asking why I am calling the shipper. Can you believe that shit? So I replied back with; As a driver, I am not allowed to call and verify appt times? I was making sure the information was correct and I am glad I did. So she replies back saying I have till 1900. I fired one back saying well the lady I just spoke with said they stop loading at 1700. Her reply to that was that I will make it in time.

Next time I am just going to go with what the Qualcomm says, show up, submit my arrival call and get paid detention pay until the place opens. ;)

Anyway I get to the shipper at 1630 and get loaded. It was 16 bundles of plastic conduit that had AT&T written on it. I didn't have the hrs to make it to Brownwood where I was delivering so I went back to the Pilot for the night. I had a free shower on my card so I took advantage of that as well.

I rolled into my final destination at about 0900 this morning. As luck would have it, I got a non English speaking dude. To top it off, I think it was his first day driving a fork lift. When I got loaded it took the guy 30 min and that was with him stopping to allow me to throw my belly straps over. Well, I was finally unloaded at 1130. Talk about annoying...

There isn't anywhere in Brownwood to park a truck so I went back to Cisco to take a nap.

When I woke up I asked my DM if I could go 19 miles down the road to the Love's as I was just in a parking lot. She asked why and before I could respond, sent another message telling me to go ahead. Once there I was not to move until the planners gave me something.

I no more than get there and get my BOL from the last trip scanned so I can get paid when I get a message to dead head to Laredo, TX. I asked for a fuel route as I didn't have enough to make it there and guess where I was to fuel at? I'll be damned if it wasn't at the Love's I was at.. The route to Laredo was all jacked up too. They wanted me to go all the way back to 183 S going through Brownwood and all of these other back roads into San Antonio to catch 35S. Screw that!

Again, since I am new I asked if I could just take 20E to Ft Worth and catch 35S there. It would be quicker, plus I only had 2 hrs left before I had to park for the night. She friggin replied with; Fine just make it to Laredo..

Ohhhh I was hot!! But I didn't reply or anything.

So, I will just do my own thing and only talk to her when I absolutely have to. As long as I am legal, safe, don't miss appointments, and the shit gets there on time there is nothing she can do to me.

Anywho, I made it to Hillsboro, TX and stopped at Love's for the night. My 10hr break is up at 0545, so I will be rollin at 0600 and should be in Laredo by noon or so. Hopefully they have something waiting on me there so I can just hook up and head back out.

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Had to fudge already

So I should have been at the Memphis terminal around 0200. Well, I was in Memphis at that time, but they gave me the wrong directions to the terminal, so when I finally got here it was about 0400. That put me two hours over my legal time.

Ahhhh, let the fudging begin. Instead of doing my arrival call, which sends the date and time, I just parked and closed out my log. So according to the paper I was in Memphis at 0200. :) Which technically is true. LOL

When I woke up this morning I found where they wanted me to put my gear I am leaving for the other driver. Reconfigured my gear and took a shower.

My plan was to outta here by 1400, but when I hooked up to the trailer, the passenger side turn signal was out. Should have been a five minute fix, but it was more than the bulb. Lucky me!! So, here I sit waiting on them to fix it. Waited an hour in line and it seems like I will be lucky to be rollin by 5.

I only have 466 miles to go though and my delivery time was changed to 4/28 between 0800 and noon. The cool thing is there is a truck stop right around the corner from where I have to deliver.

That's about it for now. Don't really feel like getting into how rude people are at this terminal or how they just piss me off. I really hope I never have to come to this terminal again. And here I thought Gary was bad.. LOL. At least people don't treat you like shit there.

Ok, enough bitching and complaining. Really need more dew and nicotine.


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Ready for first load

Totally forgot about writing yesterday, so let me catch ya up.

Yesterday was pretty much sitting and waiting to get my truck cleaned out. There was some miscommunication between the shop and Ed. That did give me time to get my permit book updated though, so I am all legal now as far as paperwork is concerned.

Once my truck got cleaned out Ed put 50 bucks on my COMDATA card to go get it washed. I got the works done for $51.45. I must say it came out lookin sweet, but still has plenty of work to be up to my standards.

When I got back to the terminal, I had two other flatbedders come ask me where the hell I took it because they wanted theirs to look that good. LOL. So I told them and first thing this morning they were talking to Ed and rollin out. Ahhhh I love it!!! Always good to have some friendly competition to keep ya on your toes. The company will pay for a wash every 45 days, so that is when I will get the works done. All the other weeks I will just get the basic to keep things fresh.

Now for today. I got all my gear issued at 0530. Don hooked me up too. He gave me all new shit, except for tarps. Needless to say everyone in envious. LOL. It no shit took me till damn near 1100 to get it all squared away and the way I wanted it. The pain in the ass was the coil racks and the tarps. I have two lumber tarps that are about 85lbs and two steel tarps that are about 45lbs. Well the headache rack on this truck doesn't have a box on the top so I have to put them on the catwalk. No big deal, but there is no place on the back of the headache rack to hook a strap to. So it was like a big ass game of Tetris and as you can imagine there was plenty of cussing and throwing shit! Oh and it gets better.

I get ready to go scale it. I hooked up to one of the step-decks as they are the heaviest trailer we have. Guess what? Remember those tarps on the catwalk? Yeah, I noticed that if I kept them there I would lose them on the first turn because the trailer would hit them. So.... Another hour of cussing and throwing shit, and I got them moved enough so the trailer will clear.

I scaled out at 12,160 on the steers, 11,680 on the drives, and 10,520 on the trailer. That put me at 34,360. Only one problem.. 12,000 is the max you can have on the steers and it is a dollar a pound if caught. Now, that is with a half a tank of fuel, so I know that number is gonna go up once full as that is another 1,100lbs.

I came back to the terminal and did some calculations. I am figuring 500lbs for personal crap I don't have on the truck yet, as well as another 140 gallons of fuel (my tanks are 140 on each side) which at 8lbs a gallon comes out to 1120lbs. Add those two figures to the 34,360 and I am at 35,980, but let's just call it 36K.

What about the steers you ask? Well, I had to slide the fifth wheel back a few notches. Since I have a longer wheel base, I had plenty of room. Not sure what my weight on the steers is now, but rough calculations tell me I am under. Each notch you move the fifth wheel back takes roughly 200lbs off the front. I moved it back 5 notches. She sits just behind. The center point between the drive axles. I will keep it there till I get my first load and see what the numbers say than.

Well that was my day. I have been out in the friggin wind all day and feel like I was back in the desert. So I will be showering shortly and doing a load of laundry.

I set my PTA for 0700 Sunday morning as I started my 34hr restart at 1500 today. So tomorrow I am going to clean the windows, armor all the inside, and work on the chrome surround over the stacks. I will probably work on the wheels too. One of the guys that got his washed today used some never dull on his when he got back. His are sparkling and I just can't have that. He said he would let me use some if I wanted so I am taking him up on it.

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The End Of A 2 Month Process

We started at 0700 on the dot. Don handed out the tests and I breezed right through mine. He looked at me and told me to go outside and secure the coil.

I actually took my time this time and just did it as I did when i was with my mentor. Once I finished, I went back upstairs to let Don know I was done.

As we walked outside, I asked how I did on the tests. He said dude, you did what you should have done yesterday. You aced them. He went on to say that he was pretty disappointed yesterday, but wasn't going to say anything to me as he could see I was already beating myself up. He said he knew I knew my shit as was trying to figure out why I messed up. When we got to the coil, he said it was picture perfect and than he helped me remove everything.

On the way back to the building he said I was going to have a long boring day as he wanted to cover tarping as a group. That meant I had to wait for everyone else to get done with everything.

At about 1230 he called me and another guy over and asked how we felt about our tarping ability. We both felt comfortable, so he told us to take off.

We went to see Jerrie and she had two trucks waiting for us. An 09 Volvo and 08 Freightliner. Neither one of us are crazy about Freightliners so we flipped for it. He won and picked the Volvo. Than Jerrie gave him the bad news. The truck is in New Boston Michigan so he has to hop on a Greyhound bus at 0600 tomorrow to go get it.

Mine however was outside. I walked downstairs to get the keys and the checklist. When I got to the truck, I was a little disappointed because of how dirty it was. When I got inside it went quickly to being pissed off. The inside had candy all over the floor, and was pretty much a mess. The sleeper was clean though. In fact, the upper buck appears to never been touched. Still has the plastic all pristine on the mattress.

I start my checklist and notice that I have a space for a small fridge that is pre-wired for a 12v connection as well as a TV compartment all pre wired. I have two cabinets with shelves as well as a taller one for hanging clothes. I do like all the storage a Freightliner has inside though. Tons of space above my head as well as above each door. The other cool thing is I have dual stacks that sit in front of the sleeper. Basically and "old style" look. So, once I get the outside to my standards it will be lookin sweet.

I ended up getting frustrated with the cleanliness of the inside and went back into the terminal and asked to talk to Ed. He is the Flatbed Division Manager for the East. I told him what I was unhappy about and he said he didn't have anyone to clean it. I said well, I am not signing for a truck in that condition. He said well how long do you think it will take you to clean it out. I said probably a couple of hours. He looks at me and said well, I guess I'll just have to pay you for bucks to do it. SWEET!!! No problems with that!

Since all the maintenance bays were full I asked if he would just like me to take care of it in the morning since I still had a room for the night. He said that would be awesome if I didn't mind.

So, tomorrow morning I will be there first thing to get in a bay and start MY process.

Once I get it all cleaned out, I have to get all my gear issued which will take most of the day.

I am thinking of making my PTA for my first load Monday morning. I am low on hours and don't want to get a load and not be able to take it due to hours available so I am going to do a 34hr restart to get a fresh 70hrs. That way I will be completely ready to roll and have plenty of hrs available.

The other thing I will need to do is get my truck scaled to know my empty weight, but I won't be able to do that until my restart is over. For some reason this is one of the few terminals that make you be on the drive line when you leave the gate, even if you are just going to eat, go to Kmart, or whatever.

Anywho, I am officially SOLO now!!! I started in Millington, TN on Feb 23rd and ended today. It's a huge relief to finally have my own truck. So if you ever see a Swift Freightliner, truck #303278.... That's me!!! :)

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Always go with your gut

The day started out perfectly and progressively got worse. The perfect part was waking up next to Angie and her taking me to the terminal. We started testing at 9 and I missed 1 one my first test.

At this point I am feeling good and the instructor tells me to go outside and secure the coil in the training area. He told me I had an hour and I just looked at him. He than said that if I can't do it in an hour I don't need to be in the flat bed division. So, that for some reason messed with my head and the nerves started taking over. I got the coil secured but started second guessing myself instead of going with my gut.

Needless to say when he came out to check it he wasn't happy. He said I was killin him. I did however explain to him everything I did wrong. When all was said and done he said he would let me do it again tomorrow, but that was between him and I. He said he wasn't overly concerned about my mistakes because they weren't major and he could tell I have the concept down.

So at this point my confidence isn't that high and I go back inside. He hands me the second test which consists of 10 pictures and I have to draw the securement. I missed 3 on that test, but he requires a 100%. When he handed the test back I was confused as to what I did wrong, but it thankfully made sense when we went over it.

Than comes the third test. I missed 7 and could only miss 4. If I would have just used my head a little more I would have only missed 3. I was really pissed at myself after that test as they were really stupid errors. I mean to the point where I called myself a dumb ass, which caused the other guys and instructor to bust out laughing.

So, I pretty much failed two tests and have to take them over tomorrow. Looking back I am pretty damn proud though. I was the only one out of 8 that only has to take 2 tests and got the highest grades. Everyone else has to re take all 3.

Two other guys have already come to the room to ask questions because they wanted to learn from the smart guy. Hey, that's their words, not mine.
I took the time to go over everything they had problems with, and picked up a few things as well. One of the guys is coming back after he gets a bite to eat to go over more stuff.

All-in-all I guess it really wasn't a bad day. I just beat myself up because I have such high expectations of myself. Don't know why, I just do and always have. However in the big scheme of things all that really matters is that I get passed tomorrow and get my own truck. Having perfect scores won't make me anymore money than just passing, so I really just need to keep that in perspective.

Oh, one thing did happen today that I am not sure what it means. I had to go see Jerrie this morning to sign my released to solo form. I am guessing that is a good thing, but haven't been assigned a truck yet. That is the part that is confusing. Bottom line is I haven't be told anything officially yet, so in my mind I am still a student. :)

The moral of all this is just like the title says... Always follow your gut... If I had, I wouldn't be re taking anything tomorrow. But shit happens and the main thing is I know what I messed up on and get another chance.

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2 days till SOLO!!!!

We left about 9 Saturday evening and made it to Grove City around 0400 Sunday. As we were looking for an empty trailer to take back, we got a pre-plan headed to the rail yard here. The only problem was it couldn't be picked up till this morning.

Donald knew Angie was in Miamisburg Ohio, so he said head back west on 70 and stop at exit 79 at the TA... He had an idea....

We get there and he proceeds to tell me to call Angie and ask how long it will take her to get there, so I did. His plan was to have her come pick me up and head back to Gary while he picked up and delivered the load.

While Angie was on her way, I gathered all my stuff and packed it all up as that would be my last time on Donald's truck. When Angie arrived, she was starving of course so she invited Donald to come eat with us. Of course it somehow became a Ty bashing fest between the two of them, but it was a blast anyway.

The phone rang this am just as I was getting in the shower. Donald was at the terminal and wanted me to meet him there at 1030 to finalize my log book and get things started.

The SIM class was nothing more than 3 CBT tests. Two on adverse weather driving and the other on fuel management. I didn't actually get on the simulator this time. I guess that is in a couple of months from what I gathered. After that I was shuffled into another room to watch some videos on speeding, tailgating, turning properly, and backing.

Once that was completed I headed out for my road test. The guy explained how it was going to go and pretty much said as long as I don't hit anything I will pass. There was a van hooked up to the tractor and he asked if I was comfortable with that or wanted to hook up to the flat bed with the spread axle. I said the van was fine and I was comfortable with either.

So I set off on the road test and nail the first tight right hander perfectly. He said wow, that was damn good. I said thanks and he told me where to turn again and I nailed that one as well. He said, ok no need in wasting anymore time out here in traffic as I can see you are quite capable and we headed back to the terminal.

At the terminal he had me turn into the parking lot where the road training trucks are. I am really in my element there as that is where my road trainer had us practice. So I had to make a tight right hand turn, make a u-turn and than do a tight left hand turn. Once I did that he told me what spot to back into. Well, I screwed up my set-up, but tried anyway. I realized I wasn't going to get it, so pulled around to set-up better.

I had the set-up perfect this time and as I got out to look and check my clearance, he came over and said how awesome that was. I asked what and he said knowing that it wasn't going to work and instead of forcing the issue, to just go around and try again.

I put that damn van right in the spot perfectly! He looked over at me, held out his hand, and said damn fine job! Wooooohooooo!!!!

So now I have 2 days of Phase II tie-down, the final hurdle before going solo. I think I will do just fine on that as well. Probably won't ace everything, but as long as I pass and get released to solo, that's all that matters.

Off to bed for now though. 0500 wake-up tomorrow. Angie is going to take me to the terminal and head home. She called her supervisor last night and asked to extend her leave a day. I said she didn't need to do that, but she can be stubborn at times and it's just easier to let it be than fight her. I must say though, it was pretty awesome having her here today. Far better sharing the good news in person vs on the phone.

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Murphy's Law

That sonofabitch Murphy got me again. Angie called me this morning and asked how to get to the terminal. So she looked up the directions and said she was leaving work soon and headed up here. She was going to spend the night than head to Ohio to a wedding in the morning.

Well wouldn't ya know, as soon as she messages me and says she's on 57 N, we get a pre-plan. Sat here since Tuesday morning, make plans, and than we get a pre-plan.

As you can imagine, I am pissed at this point. To top it off, it wasn't even a flatbed load. We had to take an empty trailer to the SOLO Cup plant in University Park, IL and pick up one loaded with SOLO Cups for Wal-Mart. Took that to the Manteno, IL terminal to T-Call it and picked up another empty and headed to Elwood, IL to pick up another loaded trailer for Wal-Mart. This load is going to Grove City, OH and doesn't have to be there until the 19th before midnight. So, I am back in Gary under this load and we are going to leave tomorrow evening I guess for Grove City.

I felt like such a dumb ass on two occasions as well. See, I have a habit of checking the securement on the load anytime we stop. Well, I did that twice today but the only problem is we were pulling a box. I just had to stop, call myself a dumb ass, and laugh.

I did learn today that I hate pulling vans. I couldn't be a door slammer. I would much rather throw chains n straps than sweep out a trailer. But I guess that's why us flatbedders are a different breed.

As for Angie, well we came up with a work around. We will be back in Gary on Sunday sometime, so she is coming up here after leaving Ohio because she has Monday off as well. I have to be off the truck on the 19th, so Swift has to put me in a hotel. :) It will be the contracted Best Western, and I will stay there till I get released to Solo Status.

So, she will leave sometime Monday and than I start my Phase II testing on Tuesday. :)



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Still Sittin

Yup, still sittin in Gary waiting on a load. Looks like I will be sitting here till I go solo too. We could make it to SC and back before Tuesday morning, when my testing starts, but there isn't anything in the yard. I mean there is nothing but empty skateboards. Nadda damn thing.

I have used the time to my advantage though. I asked my DM yesterday if we didn't have a load by this morning if I could take the test they give. She said sure, so I took that around 0830 this morning. I got 45 out of 50 for a 90%. Not to shabby. Not entirely happy with it, but I passed. There were two that I got wrong, but proved I was right. However, they acted like they didn't care. I guess that test is used to see what I learned and if there is anything they need to concentrate on with the mentors.

After that I signed up for my log class to get that over with as well. I had one violation for questionable speed. As soon as I looked at what day it was I knew what I did. I actually knew I screwed up when I did it, but forgot to fix it before I scanned it. Basically what happened is that was a day where I drove past midnight, thus going into the next day. I stopped at 0130 and wrote down 512 miles for the previous day. However, 90 miles of that should have went on the next day. See, I drove 7.5 hrs that day so when you divide 512 by that it gives me an average speed of 68 mph, which is not good. But when you subtract the 90 miles it brings my average speed to 56 mph.

Anyway, the safety lady said that my record is excellent and I need to keep doing what I am doing to keep it that way. If we accumulate 25 points within a 12 month period, that flags us for a safety review. However, in today's economy it will pretty much result in termination. It's similar to getting points on your license, but way more easier to get points. Hell, I could get points if I accidentally cut someone off and they called Swift to report me. Granted, they listen to my side of the story, look at the GPS tracking, etc and than determine if the complaint is valid or not, but I still don't ever want to have to be in that situation.

Now I am just passing the time by watching T.V. And studying my flatbed tie down procedures book. I start my Phase II tie down class on Tuesday. That's two days I believe. Than I have a road test and SIM class before I am cleared hot for solo. I was really hoping to do the Phase II tie down tomorrow, but the guy that does it says he won't do just one person and I have to wait till Tuesday.

I probably won't be posting anything until after Tuesday unless something comes up, unless I just have a needless thought I need to get out. LOL

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The final week

The load of A/C units were supposed to be delivered to a BMW dealership. However, Donald called them to let them know we would be there this morning and they stated we couldn't deliver early due to the crane appointment they had made. The delivery date is set for the 16th, so we came to Gary to t-call the load.

If we would have stayed under that load it would have fallen into the next pay period as Wed at midnight is the cut-off.

I went into the terminal to talk to Jerrie (she is our DM while we are students), to check in and give her an update. She told me that I need to be back here on the 21st at 0700 ready to start testing. If I am not here by than she is going to come find me. LOL

What does that mean? Well, if we don't get a load tomorrow, I will be stuck in Gary all weekend as my car is at the house. We are hoping that a run to South Carolina comes up as we can make it there and back easily. We could take a Laredo run, but that is taking a huge gamble as we may not get a load out of there to be back here in time.

Right now Donald is at the house checking on his wife and I am chillin in the truck watching T.V. I studied a little earlier but had an issue keeping my eyes open. I will continue looking things over later tonight though.

One other thing I want to report on is that I have decided to become an Owner/Operator. I talked with Donald for 4 hrs straight the other day about it and I would be a fool if I didn't do it. I will talk about this more in the coming months. I have to have at least 6 months solo before I can be an O/O. Even in today's economy all I need is a minimum of 1,000 miles a week to pay the truck note, insurance, maintenance account, and accountant. An O/O flatbedder makes 94 cents per mile plus fuel surcharge. As a company driver I start out at 27 cents a mile and after a 6 months will be up to 34 cents.
To put it bluntly our trip to Laredo was 1328 miles and that covered all of Donald's expenses plus he still put 800 bucks in his pocket. That means the trip back was all profit for him.

Now as a company driver starting out I would bring home 800 bucks before taxes. He brought home roughly 2,500 bucks before taxes on the same round trip. Keep in mind that is AFTER all of his expenses are taken care of. That is just for one week.

Anyway, I will continue to research during my solo time just to make sure I can do it. But everything I am seeing right now is that I can.

If someone would have told me I would be a business owner one day or even had the chance, I would have laughed. But the opportunity is here....

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HAPPY EASTER

We were awakened by our phones this morning. Than the Qualcomm beeped. We were told to T-Call our load here and pick up a trailer with 4 A/C units on it. The final destination is Naperville, IL. However, we have to go to Tyler, TX first to pick up 6 more.

Right now we are waiting to get two tires replaced on the trailer. I am pretty excited about this load as we are back to pulling a 48 foot skateboard instead of those damn low riding step-decks.

I also ruined a pair of pants this morning. While I was taking all the securement off of the coil, Donald was rearranging things on his headache rack. Once I was done I was on the ground helping him put stuff back up. Well, unbenounced to me, there was a big ass glob of 5th wheel grease on the back of the front mud flap.

When I got done helping him, I noticed something all over the front of me.. Got that shit all over my t-shirt, belly, and front of my pants. This stuff doesn't ever come out either. I can wash my pants, but it will just be clean grease. Lol.

Oh well.. What I really need to do is just get a cheap pair of thin coveralls to put over my close when working on a load and that problem will be solved.

So, I guess I have rambled on long enough. I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!! Mine is awesome so far as I don't have to sit in Laredo all day. As soon as the trailer is done, we are strapping the 4 A/C units down, heading to the Pilot for fuel and a shower, than off to Tyler!


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I am #1

I headed back to Gary on the 8th and I was about an hour and a half away when I got a pre-plan text message. I called Donald and he said he was trying to get a hold of his DM to find out what it was since neither one of us were on the truck. He called me back and said we had to load at 0900 in Burns Harbor, IN and were headed to Laredo.

When I got to the truck I checked the Qualcomm for the trip number than went into the terminal to have Driver Services dispatch us. I had to do that since we didn't accept the pre-plan from the truck. Donald's DM just did it in the system.

Anyway, what normally happens if you accept it while on the truck is it sends the load assignment, directions to the shipper, directions to the destination, and fuel route. I had to have Driver Services dispatch us in order for all of that to be sent to the truck.

I rolled out of the terminal about 0800 on the 9th to get loaded. While I was driving Donald told me that he needed to have his 15K mile service done on the truck and since we can't deliver till Monday, there is no rush to get to Laredo.

So, he said once we got back to the terminal after getting loaded to take my car home and to meet him at the Pilot across from Gateway International Raceway.

Angie and the kids dropped me off about 1015 this morning and I was rollin by 1045.

We decided to take 55 S to Memphis, and than take 40 W over to 35 S.

Here's where I get to the title of this post. So I am driving on 40 W headed to Texarkana. I think we had just got out of Little Rock when I see flashing lights ahead. Well, in most states it's the law to move over. I check my mirrors and I have two idiots right beside me. I turn on the blinker and they got a clue and sped up. Well about a quarter mile back I see this other vehicle speed up. Kinda like there is no way in hell I am getting stuck behind a semi. Well, once I was clear, I moved over. This car runs right up on my ass and than slams on the brakes. I get past the cops and immediately move back over. The vehicle that slammed on the brakes speeds past me and I look over to see some bitch throwing me the bird. Now, she didn't even have the balls to look at me. She just starred straight ahead. I was so close to returning the salute, but caught myself. I am the professional and need to act like it no matter what.

After about 10 miles I just started chuckling as it amazes me how some people are. Apparently they were in a real hurry or something. What amazes me more is how many people just don't pay attention. Well let me give ya'll a little tip. A trucker sits higher, thus can see further ahead. Not to mention we have a CB and know where every cop is and what the traffic ahead is like. SO, if you see a truck get out of the right hand lane, 9 times out of 10 it is for a VERY GOOD REASON. Give us some slack and chill out. We are bigger and heavier and can't stop or accelerate like you do.

Ok, I will step off my soap box. Fair warning though, I am sure I will hop on it again soon. Lol

I ended my day with 539 miles and staying in Texarkana, AR for the night.
Oh, one last thing... I saw an exit for Arkadelphia.. WTF??? Is that like a redneck Philadelphia?? I also drove past Hope, AR, which by the big ass sign, is the birthplace of President Bill Clinton. What an honor it was... Wonder if Monica's dress is in the window on main street?

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Made it home for Angie's Birthday

What a whirlwind week. Started off in NC, last Thursday. Went to Laredo, back to SC, than to IN, and now I am sitting at the house getting ready to head back to IN. WHEW!!!

The trip from SC to IN was pretty much as ass puckering ride the whole time. We didn't get a pre-plan until about 2. When all was said and done, we hit the road around 4 or so. I was driving as Donald was still on his 10 hr break. That meant I would get to drive through the Smokey Mts again.

If any of you were keeping up with the weather you know that it was pretty bad in the east this weekend. In fact, it was 100 degrees in Laredo when we left. When we got to SC, it was 45. As I started driving and getting closer to the mountains, the temp kept dropping. Than mother nature decided I needed to be challenged further and it started raining. Which turned into sleet and snow. By the time I hit the Gorge, it was 33 degrees and visibility was about 1/2 a mile. OH WHAT FUN THAT WAS... If you remember, this is the area that is 45 mph and trucks have to stay in the right lane. Well, you have those hot shots out there that were complaining on the CB and wondering who was leading this train.. Guess who??? Yup, ME... We had a convoy about 2 miles long coming through the gorge. Although there were those bitching, most of the guys came across the CB and said give the guy a break, it's either his first time coming through here or he is top heavy.. That is when I finally got on the radio and said, your close. It's my second time through here and I am top heavy. The guy came back and said man, take your time and don't listen to these other assholes. We all had to start somewhere.

After he said that, I was a little relieved and not as nervous. I drove all the way to IN that night before switching over.

It was 0130 when we switched over and we were about two hours out from Waskuska where we had to unload. So, I hopped in the bunk to take a nap before we got there. Well, those that know me well know I can sleep like a rock. I woke up and the truck was stopped. I sat up and looked out the front window and I don't see anyone. I did see another swift truck next to us that was unloaded, so I figured Donald was just over helping him. I hop up, get dressed, and as I am getting my shoes on I looked in the mirror. HOLY SHIT!!!! our trailer is empty too. So I get out and look around and I see Donald over in this field of chaises putting the covers over the steering wheels.

When he got back, I said what the hell Donald.. He looked at me and said, well I told you I don't wake people up. Besides, you didn't miss anything. It is just a reverse of what we did in Gaffney.

Once we got all 16 chains and binders put away, we headed to Gary. It was about 0830 and Donald's wife was going into surgery at 11.

Needless to say we made it back to Gary around 1030. I looked over at Donald and said since my car is here, can I go home tonight and come back tomorrow (the 8th). He told me he didn't care what I did as long as I was back by 11 pm on the 8th to submit my pay.

Well, I hopped in my car and headed home. :) I am actually typing this on my computer for once and getting ready to head back to Gary. Can you tell I don't mind driving. lol

It was so awesome to be able to be home for my baby's birthday and I know it meant the world to her. We didn't do much, but she loved it. We went to Chili's and than stopped by DQ on the way home.

Well, I guess I better get my stuff together to head out. Plus Angie is home for lunch and telling me about her day, so I prolly should listen. :)

We set out PTA for 0700 on the 9th so when I get back I am going to study some more since the 19th is my last day with Donald. He is hoping we get either an AZ run or another Laredo run. More to follow....

Starting week 5

I just realized I am a day or two behind with the updates.... OOOPS

I made it to Laredo Friday morning and we delivered our load. Once we got back to the terminal, we just sat around until around 6 as we knew if we didn't have a pre-plan by than we weren't getting one.

Someone had the idea of going to a Chinese buffet, so 4 of us headed there to eat. It wasn't bad at all for 12.50. Although I stuck to eating the shit I could actually identify.

When I got back to the terminal I washed my ass and did laundry. I pretty much had to though as I had my last set of clean stuff on after my shower.

The pre-plan for our next load came across around 11:30 Saturday. It was picking up a loaded trailer from the yard and delivering it to NC. The weird thing was it didn't need to be delivered until the 20th. So we asked if we could T-call it in Greer, SC before we accepted it. T-call is nothing more than dropping the trailer at another location.

I rolled out about 1300 and headed back the same way we just came. I left SC last Thursday, and will be back there tonight if Donald decides to drive that long. He probably will though as he kicked me out of the seat with only 367 miles under me for the day. I think he was getting bored.

So, we will drop this in Greer tomorrow morning first thing and should be getting a load back to Indiana shortly after. Donald has to be back by the 7th as his wife is having surgery and he understandably wants to be there. Once he knows she is fine he said we are back on the road because the mother-in-law is going to be there, plus there is other family in town.

That means we will be rollin into Gary on the 6th sometime and than I believe I will be taking my car to the hizzy. Not positive on that, but I only have two weeks left before I get my own truck, so this may be my last opportunity.

Angie is already planning taking two weeks leave in June and riding with me. Hopefully I can get an Arizona run than so we can hang with my brother and his family for a bit.

It's really awesome to have such an understanding and supportive woman behind me. There is no doubt Angie would rather have me home every night, as would I, but stands behind me 100%. She knows I haven't been this happy in a long time.

I gotta tell ya, I absolutely love this. More than I thought I would honestly. I meet new people everyday. Hell, I met a couple in Laredo that reminded me of my parents. I don't know if he retired from the military or not, but he was an Illinois State Trooper for 37 years. Now he and his wife drive as a team because they enjoy it. They even said they don't do it for the money, they do it because they love it.

What I am finding is that you generally start to see the same people at the terminals. Hell I think Donald knows everyone. So it's like a big ass camping trip listening to all the stories, etc. Except there isn't a fire and s'mores.

Well, I guess that's about all for now. I am getting more comfortable with everything so Donald doesn't really say much anymore while I am driving. He did tell me that once we drop this load, I am to act like, and run this truck as if I was solo. He isn't going to tell me anything, unless it is vastly wrong and off the mark.

I think I am ready though.. But we all know what happens when I start thinking. ;)

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Absolutely love the SE

Donald stopped in Newnan, GA last night. For those that care, it's exit 41 on I-85.

I was up at 0500, but Donald was still sawing logs. I got my pre-trip done, and the morning usual and he was still sleeping. About 0545 grabbed my log book to update it and fired up the truck. Donald awoke and I asked if 0600 was good to start driving. He looked at me and said why ya asking me? Well, I thought ya might wanna take a leak. He just looked at me, so I rolled out.

It pretty much rained off and on all morning. Except for when we got to Biloxi, MS. It was like day turned to night. We had stopped to eat and could see it coming towards us. Oh joy! When I pulled out of the Pilot, the rain picked up a bit. 5 miles later, it started raining like a cow pissin on a flat rock. If that analogy doesn't work for you, it means really friggin hard.

Visibility was about 10 feet for 20 miles or so. I slowed down to 45, put the flashers on, and moved over to the hammer lane to handle my business. I am pretty sure the cars I was passing thought I was nuts, but it is totally different driving in that in a truck vs. A car. You can actually see better than you can in a car. Anyway, once we got through that, the sun appeared and all was good.

I forgot how awesome the drive across I-10 is. If you have never done it, you should make it a point sometime. Hell, just go to the SE anywhere and it's awesome.

I ended my day in Lafayette, LA. 538 miles from where I started. I wanted to make it to Texas, but Donald said I did my 500, and that's all I need to do. I think he was just itchin to drive. He slept most of the day. :)

We just crossed into hell, um, I mean Texas. That gives us roughly 450 miles to Laredo. Not sure yet if Donald is going all the way or stopping somewhere and having me finish in the morning. I am guessing we will stop south of San Antonio somewhere. We have until 1530 to deliver tomorrow, and Laredo is only 150 miles away from San Antonio.

I just realized I use we a lot in these writings. That's kinda redundant huh? Maybe I will have to think of a way to cut those down to a minimum.

Now that I have you wondering where the hell that came from, it's a good time to close. :)

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My apologies to those that actually look forward to reading the crap that comes out of my head for not updating this last night. I was just to damn tired. BTW, that was one helluva run-on sentence I opened up with. Oh well, English never was one of my strong suits. What classifies a suit as being strong anyway? Is it the material it's made out of?

Ok... On with the ramblings...

I left off on my last update somewhere in Indiana I believe. I drove us all the way to Inman, SC yesterday. The best part of the drive was also the part that made my bung hole pucker real good. It's called the Gorge. A 21 mile stretch on I-75 going through Tennessee n Kentucky. I don't know what the elevation change is, but it was down hill the whole way. Not to mention there were curves every 1/4 mile or so. Donald told me the only reason we went that way is so I could experience it. All the way down there are signs posted that say no trucks in the left lane, as well as it being written on the ground. Donald told me no matter what, stay outta that lane. If your caught, it's a 400 dollar fine.. DAMN!!!

By the time I stopped driving yesterday, we had a pre-plan for our next load. SWEET as we still had to unload the two coils today..

Ok, so fast forwarding to today....

We arrived at Dubose Strapping in Clinton, NC around 0700 and were done by 0800.

Than we headed to Gaffney, SC where we picked up at Freightliner. 3 bus chassises headed for Laredo. Apparently they head into Mexico and the lil mexicanos make a complete bus out of them.

I drove just under 300 miles today because we were at the yard so long and I ran out hours on my 14.

The reason we were there so long is because the last chassis extends off the back of the trailer about 3 feet. Well, the trailer is 53 feet long and it's illegal to have overhang on a 53 foot trailer. U can't be longer than 72 feet total including the tractor without having special permits.

We talked to the guys that load the trailers and they told us that's how they always load them. So, donald and I used the chains and binders to pull it towards the front of the trailer as far as we could. Still illegal by 2 feet. Donald looked at me and asked if I thought we should take it. I said if it was me know, UNLESS Swift pays for the fine and ensures nothing goes on my driving record. However, I doubt that will happen.

Donald gets his phone and calls back to Gary, than to Phoenix, and back to Gary again. About an hour went by and he came back and said we are taking it. I said seriously? He said yup, Swift assured me they will pay the fine if we get stopped. I said OH YAY, my luck I will be the one driving at the time.

Anyway, it took us another hour to secure the load. 4 chains and 4 binders per chassis.

I am so glad I got this load with Donald before I went solo. I would have been clueless had I never seen how to do it before, plus "The Don" showed me a few handy dandy pointers to make it easier.

I won't lie to ya, this load freaks me out. It's only 35K lbs, but it's the tallest load I have had so far. I definitely understand what I was told in school. Ya don't pull the trailer, you drive the trailer. The trailer has a mind of it's own and we pretty much just control it.

I knocked out two more backings today too. One at Freightliner, and the other at Pilot after we were loaded. We stopped there to fuel n shower. When we finished fueling, Donald told me what spot to park in and he started walking towards it. Well, I looked and thought to myself, this is easy. As I pull out of the fuel isle and start turning to set up for the back, another dude pulls out of the fuel isle and parks right in my way. That bastard!!!
I immediately went to plan B which was, you guessed it, nadda damn thing. I adapted and overcame the situation nicely. Only had to pull up once to adjust, so I was pretty happy.

Right now were are headed south on I-85 and are going to get through Hot Lanta before we stop for the night.

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