Trucking is a Scavenger Hunt

You are beamed
instructions from space

They need to be translated to the best of your ability. You look for clues based on your translation in hope to find your load. Wow! Joy and I have been using Google Map to cross reference information from the QUALCOMM. We are also using Rand McNally for the basics on getting around America. Trip planning is of the utmost importance, it can make or break your time line. On this last load we are running as a team with the truck only shut down for about 4 hours. We managed to run from Reno to Nashville in under 50 hours. That was a rough run, we feel about as ragged as the roads in Tennessee. We still have allot to learn. The hardest part is sleeping in the truck while on those crappy ass roads.

Here is a recap of the last 15 days. We ran a run from Pacific WA to Tobyhanna PA to Syracuse NY to Webster NY to Bloomfield NY to Bath NY. Over to Columbus OH, than up to Sheboygan WI, from Sheboygan WI to Mt. Crawford VA, from Mt. Crawford VA to Greenbay WI to Neelys Landing MO from Neelys Landing to Granit City IL, from Granit City IL to Reno NV, from Reno NV to Nashville TN, from Nashville TN to Memphis TN from Memphis to Coldwater MI, from Coldwater to Columbus OH, From Columbus OH we are finally going to land back in the Pacific Northwest on December 1st for a well deserved 4 days off.

Experiences that we though would never happen
We had to drop are empty trailer in a mud pit that dam near swallowed the front steer excel. Joy did a tier check and we had a flat on are trailer, and damaged freight that no one knew what to do with. Things that happened that we were told by the recruiter would almost never happen. Un-loading 1600 cases of cereal by hand, more power loads than drop and hooks and hooks, lots of detention, and thank the trucking gods that we get paid for deadhead miles

Crazy weather
When we left Seattle it was raining like mad, and forecasted a serious snow storm that was coming. We out ran that, but never the less had to pull over in Montana because of high wind gusts. Than we drove through the rest of Montana and North Dakota in a blizzard. Once on the East coast, we found ourselves in a monsoon that claimed the lives on 9. Tornado warnings and more sideways rain that Joy and I have ever witnessed. Next we found ourselves in the south with sunny skies and a very balmy 75 degrees. We have not had to chain up yet, but after looking at what has been going on at are home base, we have added time to are schedule for that.

Driving around that USA for that last fifteen days has been a challenge. If any one else is considering this, I would strongly recommend a GPS unit. All the maps, and instructions, even Google, can not tell you when you need to turn left. Allot of the road on the east coast are very confusing. We are definitely looking at a few different GPS options.

In short, we are having a blast. Are bank account is starting to reflect the 13,000 miles that we have put on. Are spirits are high, and we are truly reveling in this experience.

Happy Holidays…

On The Road Again

Like Perry Farrell said
"Here we Go! Oh Yeah!"

We have finally finished training. Been issued a big truck and we have a JTI (just in time) Wal-Mart load that has to be in Pennsylvania on Thursday the 16th of Nov. You think that it is the Christmas Rush? We are really happy to be out of training. It seems like 90 days and 90 tests later, we are finally set loose on the open roads.



Our truck is a fancy, 2006 Columbia Freightliner. Lots of bling, bling. I hope the stereo is really strong, if not I see some serious upgrades to come soon. Boom, Boom, Boom!

My favorite movie:

In the movie "The road warrior" how in the hell did Mad Max know how to start, let alone drive a Mac Truck?

Over The Road Trainer From Hell!

This is a recap of the things that I have experienced while over the road training. My instructor, Al Burnett, a self proclaimed, egotistical, male chauvinistic ex-cop bigot. My first 9 days with Al were uneventful, and full of training. On day 10 I asked Al a question about a Pre-Load assignment in San Francisco, He said "you either do it my way of you can get the fuck out of my truck!" OK, I thought that I would if I knew how to get home. On day 12, I was hauling 42,000 lbs of dog food from Salt Lake City. We were about to descend in to California via I-80 over Dooner Pass. I drove past a brake check at the summit. I thought to myself that I had not really been using my brakes that much while climbing up the Sierra Nevada's. I was anticipating him to direct me over to the side of the road, so that he could educate me about why California wants commercial vehicles to stop. He did not. 5 minutes into my decent he say, "You know what your problem is, you have a ego problem!" I'm thinking, "me!" This guys ego is so overinflated that we have to use this semi to transport his fat ass around! I asked why he has concluded that my problem is my ego. He told me that I think that I am such a great driver that I don't have to use the tachometer, and that I totally ignored the brake check area. I tried to assure him that has nothing to do with a ego, but more like inexperience. On day 12 Al informed me that when he first met me, he felt like after this was over that we should go have beer. Now that has changed. He told me that I am not his friend, and that if I wanted, I can get a new instructor when we get back to the Pacific Wa.. He also made it clear that the evaluation that he writes about me will make or brake my career with Gordon Trucking. On that note I jumped in the drivers seat and we drove 16 hours straight through, back to Washington. I have informed Human Resources about the situations that I have endured in the last 14 days. They have a new instructor for me to finish up ware I have left off. Originally I was very pleased to here that Al Burnett was a retired Sheriff. I felt safe. This is not the case. Al Burnett is a lier, and a bully. This has been a learning experience that I could have done with out.

14 Day's Over The Road

Holy cow batman, get a handle on this thing.

Joy and I have driven a total of about 10 thousand miles in two week of training, separately that is. I have ran out to Chicago and back, over to Salt Lake for 42,000 lbs. of dog food, and than back to Seattle. Joy is hauling Home Depot stuff all over the place. To many stories to add to the blog at this time.... peace out

Training Day

Here we go, of in to the wild robin egg blue yonder. Joy is leaving this morning, and I will follow tomorrow. Last week we did are driving tests for Gordon Trucking. Same type of truck that we were all were trained in at CDS, same miles too. The one exception is that we had 25,000 lbs. of freight in the trailer. I was thinking that the truck seemed kind of gutless. After that they sent us of to a Motel, and set us up with 3 square meals. Orientation was long 11 hours of special speakers. All of the political issues were covered that any large company would put you through and then the added trucking part as well. For the real newbie’s, we wont be back for the rest of orientation until our training is over in 28 day’s. They sent us home for the rest of the week, and told us to wait for calls from are trainers. Joy’s trainer is a veteran driver of 13 years, and she will be taking Joy on a large triangle route, Seattle, LA, Salt Lake and back. Sounded like that they will be primarily be hauling Home Depot stuff. I am going to be trained by a driver that has been with Gordon for about 3 years. He is also a retired cop. He told me that we will haul everything, and that we will haul it everywhere this side of the Mississippi. We are both very excited and kind of freaked out at the same time. So here we go, wish us luck…

We Have Got Job's

After what seemed to be a month of Sundays, Gordon Trucking called us and gave us the thumbs up for employment. We felt like that kid in the catsup commercial, desperately waiting for the good's to pour all over his juicy cheese burger. Anticipation is making me wait! Now we are off on a new adventure. 28 days on the road training. Than we will be re-united and assigned a truck. The big question from the recruiter was “Do you mind being trained with a smoker?” Bummer, hope I don’t start smoking again. I should be fine. Joy said “Hell yes I mind!” I think I have the perfect CB handle for Joy “M-80” like the fire cracker that she is. I was thinking that I would use my on-line gaming handle "Weapon X" Joy said to me that those handles sound very destructive.

Graduation and no Job's for bad boy's

Joy and I graduated yesterday, September 15 2006. From the get go we were told that there are plenty of job's out there for the starving drivers. The real truth is here and now. 19 years ago I was a bad, bad boy. Yep, I tried to out run the law on my 1985 GS750-E Suzuki. As a new professional driver I am sad to tell this story, and if the log truck driver that was responsible for that gnarly back up in 1988 on Hyw. 49 is reading this, I'm sorry. So there I was, sitting at a crawl behind 12 cars. I waited until it was safe before letting my supper bike loose. Flying through the gears on a straight in the turn lane, I had no idea that a CHP officer was kicking back in the front row. So long story short, I was convicted of, yes you guessed it speeding. Oh, it gets better, reckless driving, and fleeing to elude. Fleeing to elude is worse than murder in the trucking world. Well next to transportation on a controlled substance. Eluding is bad.... really BAD! I would have never imagined that by being truthfull with my future employers would limit our chances of getting OTR job's. We think that Gordon Trucking will call us on Monday to offer a team job to us. They were not going to at first, but wanted to meet with us before pushing us to the way side. I'm happy that I was not what they might have thought a Duke might have looked like from Hazard County.... I think we passed the sniff test.