Life On The Road

I was out on the road for seven days with my trainer, Needham Babb.  He  is 30 years old and has been with Werner for 2 years.  He is the son of a son of a trucker.  He's been driving big trucks since he was a little boy.  Really.  Some of his earliest memories are those of riding in the truck with his dad.  Though he never really thought he'd be trucking for a living, having a family and being good at the job convinced him it was the right move to make.  

In our journey across America I've learned the gentle art of "floating" gears which means not using the clutch pedal and getting the rpm's at the right place to nudge or pull the gear shifter into the right gear. There is a lot of finesse to this.  Finesse in a big rig is not exactly what you might expect but it takes just the right amount of momentum and torque to get a tractor and trailor moving while putting a gear in it's groove without putting too much or too little engine speed.

We left Atlanta and drove through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and ended up in Los Lunas, New Mexico.  I was driving about 10 or 11 hours each day.  My weakest area is backing.  That will come with time and experience.  Hopefully none of that experience will include running into anything and damaging equipment.  That would be really really bad.

Tuesday we set out for Orlando, Florida.  I have some friends in that area.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll get to see them.

That's all for now.

Patience

I just talked with my trainer.  The plant he's loading from is now operating again but will not have him ready until tomorrow at 10 a.m.  Now, I could speak with my manager and request the most available trainer but I don't want to do that just yet.  This trainer is from Chattanooga which means I'll be able to be "home" when he goes home for break.  So, given the payoff, I'll wait it out until tomorrow.  So, once again, paid vacation but it sure is boring.

On being nice . . .

Some things I've learned very recently (like 15 minutes ago):

It's always better to be nice.

Assume the best about others.  I probably wouldn't want others assuming the worst about me and would very much like having others assume the best about me.

I need to hold my tongue more often than not.

I need to listen with my heart as well as my ears.

There is usually a safe exit to walk away from trouble.

God does the judging, not me.

Reassigned

I've been reassigned a new trainer.  This will be #3 in one week and hopefully I will actually train with this guy. Al (the trainer I tried hard to get) had to sit in Chicago for 27hrs and so they gave a new guy who is sitting 60 miles out waiting to get loaded since yesterday.  He's actually at his load but something is screwy at the place.  Yesterday at 11 a.m. he called and said it would be 5 to 6 hours.  5 to 6 hours later he called back and said it might be another 5 to 6 hours.  I laid down in my incredibly comfortable bed (not) and decided to get a little shut-eye.  8 hours later I awake to the beautiful sunlight and am freaking out a little bit thinking maybe he'd called and I'd missed his call.  So, I call and can tell I've just woke him up.  Poor guy.  I'm getting paid to wait at the hotel.  He's not getting paid to sit for a day and a half.  He said he'd definitely see me later today.  We'll see.  If so, we'll be taking his load to Texas and then pick up for another load to New Mexico.  And, I'll get a lot of driving time going west.

I guess some dudes might be really ticked off and feel yanked around.  Me?  I suppose if I were to get upset it wouldn't change anything except my ability to enjoy the moment.  I can't change much in my circumstance right now except my attitude towards it.  And again, there are some positives.  First and most obvious, I've already stated:  I'm getting paid.  Second, I'm in an air conditioned hotel, have a semi-soft bed, I don't have to worry about anyone elses safety and I am enjoying getting some quiet to read.  Third, I've had the chance of meeting other truckers while at the hotel and terminal.  There is definitely a certain "brotherhood" (and sisterhood) among the guys here since we are all in the same industry and have accepted the trucker lifestyle.  There are plenty of truckers with stories to tell.  Sometimes the BS-oh-meter goes off, but there is still a lot to gain from the stories and friendships.  These are the same dudes and dudettes I'll be driving beside on the road.  Better to make friends now and have some lifelines out there if I need help somewhere down the road.

I hope to be writing from Dallas, TX next time I write.  Cheers!

"IF YOU PERSUADE YOURSELF . . .

"If you persuade yourself that you can do a certain thing, provided this thing be possible, you will do it, however difficult it may be.  If, on the contrary, you imagine that you cannot do the simplest thing in the world, it is impossible for you to do it, and molehills become for you unscalable mountains."  Emile Coue

smile.

My trainer is in Chicago waiting to get dispatched for a load.  If he has to wait too long they'll reassign me to another trainer.  I hope not.  I got a recommendation for this guy and had to scuttle butt to make it happen. If all goes well he'll pick me up Monday. Until then, can someone say, "Paid vacation."?  

Catch 22

Orientation was fast. A ridiculous amount of information was compacted into one hour or two hour segments with 10 minute breaks in between each segment, twelve hours a day.  My feeling at every blearing of the eyes and nodding of my head was that if they'd just given the material to us and said, "Read this, sign-off on it", then the creeping death of minutes could have been reduced and orientation taken only one day instead of two.  And, they could cut their budget.  But, from the company's perspective it is probably a matter of CYA Policy.  

The DOT physical was a conveyor of men peeing in cups, bending over and reaching to somehow touch their toes, turning and coughing this way and turning and coughing the other way.  All the while each was hoping they were not too anxious as to raise their blood pressure and fail the physical.  The nurses and Dr. were a bland but irritable sort.  I suppose passing cups of pee between men and women can be more than a little coy and uninteresting.

At the hotel men, and a few women, wait and wonder about smoking and hold conversations at liars tables.  Those who are between trainers describe experiences and trainers and everything said is always entirely true and spoken with blood earnest.  Only about half is ever believed and the other half is re-embellished by the hearers, but no one ever says so.  

Those of us who have no idea or category whereby to compare interpret all that is said with minds already adept at reading tea leaves.  We have no idea what to expect on the road.  But, what would you expect? 

I'm reading "Catch 22" and it is ironic and funny.  I am listening to music on iTunes.  I am trying to eat healthy and drink water instead of yellow chemical that tastes sweet and is amazingly addictive.

I have been here three days and already have a new roomate.  The other roomate had to leave unexpectedly but will hopefully be back soon.

In a day or two I expect to receive a call from a Driver/Trainer who will say, "Have your bags packed I'll be there in . . ."  Then, I'll drive and ride.  I hope to do well.  I hope to not grind gears. 

Still, I'm excited.  I have no regrets in choosing this path.  I'm ready for the road.  Is the road ready for me? 

We're on our way

This morning was a tearful goodbye to Heather and the boys. Later, my folks will take me to the Greyhound station where I will go to Atlanta, GA for orientation at Werner Enterprises. After two days I will connect with a Trainer and ride with them anywhere and everywhere in the US of A. I have a mixture of nervousness and excitement. And, I have sadness because I'll really miss Heather and the boys.

As much as possible, this blog will be an over-the-road blog which is particularly for my family to keep up with me and secondly for anyone else who happens to be interested in the life of a newbie OTR Truck Driver.