Hi gang.  I know, it’s been a while.  I’ll try to do better, but it’s been busy out here.  Here’s an update of the few days after Thanksgiving, and I’ll try to catch up completely in the next day or two.

On an admin note, I’ve turned off the requirement for me to approve comments before they appear, so they should show up as soon as you post them. 

Monday, 11/20:

I was at the truck early this morning to get settled in and ready, and soon after turning on the Qualcomm my first load came in; a pick-up at the Wal-Mart DC in Pageland, SC (again) headed for Jacksonville, FL.  A pickup where I had already been was a new treat for me; not much trip planning involved here. And the route to Jacksonville couldn’t be easier; I-77 to Columbia, then I-26 to I-95.  Actually from Pageland I’d be headed ‘cross country’ to I-95, but SC Hwy. 151 turned out to be a nice 4 lane road with little traffic.

There was plenty of time to get to Jacksonville by the appointment time, so I stopped along the way to see if I could get it moved up, but no luck.  I’d have to find a place for the night and deliver the load at 10am tomorrow.  Surprisingly enough, the few truck stops on I-95 just north of Jacksonville that were listed in my directory were not only tiny but already full by late afternoon.  I ended up driving ~25 mi. out I-10 to get to a good spot.
Tuesday, 11/21:

Had a little time this morning so I didn’t have to rush.  Slept in a little, then headed into town to deliver the load.  I was still a little early, but the shipper was gracious and allowed me to back up to a dock right away. Just as I was thinking it would be an easy stop I was informed that at this warehouse we were required to use lumpers to unload (not an uncommon practice, actually).  That’s not a problem, but the fact that they accept cash only for payment was a bit of an issue.  A quick (relatively speaking) call to my STL and that little problem was handled; they agreed to accept a ComChek ‘just this once’.

My next pickup was only a few miles away (that’s great), but the appointment time was 3pm (not so great).  I was unloaded and ready to go around 11, and since there was nowhere to stop along the way I went on to the next pickup hoping they would load me early.

Of course that wasn’t to be, so I ended up sitting most of the day and watching the weather get worse as wind, rain, and cold temps (for Florida) blew in.  Finally around 5pm (yeah, I know) I was given a door and backed in to be loaded.  Once that was done I headed back up I-95 toward (you guessed it) the Wal-Mart DC in pageland.

I only drove a few miles past the Ga border and found a good truck stop for the night.
Wednesday, 11/22:

As usual I was up and on the road early, which today would turn out to be a mistake.  The trip to Pageland would only take @ 6-7 hours, but my delivery appointment wasn’t until 3:45pm (I’m learning to not like appointments).  I did try to get it moved up but met with the same luck I’d been having.  Anyway I stopped a time or two to waste a little time, then arrived at my destination about an hour early.  After going through the usual check in procedures it was still near the appt. time before I got a door and unloading began.

My next load turned out to be a nice surprise; pick up a load in Jonesville, SC and drop it at the Charlotte OC for relay.  After that I was to take 48 hours off for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Schneider had blocked Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks from being requested for time at home (TAH) but had promised to try to get every driver through their home OC some time during the week.  I was expecting to get by the house for a day, but having two days on the holiday was great.

Now the part where I messed up; by leaving early this morning (unnecessarily) I started my 14 hour clock early, which meant it would run out at 7pm.  I didn’t get away from Wal-Mart until 5 or so and had about a 100 mile drive to get to the pickup.  Long story short; I ran out of hours just as I got there and had to spend the night at the shipper’s location rather than getting home that evening.  Lesson learned…
Thanksgiving Day:

This morning I was up and on the road the minute my 10 hour DOT break was over.  After a short drive to Charlotte I dropped the load, grabbed my stuff, and was home for the holiday by 10am.

I hope all of you had a chance to enjoy the company of family and friends today… Happy Thanksgiving.

A Long Weekend at Home…

…and a great one it was.  No morning alarm clocks, no schedule to keep, TV, and Terrie!  It was a treat to be back in my familiar surroundings and spending time with my ‘buddy’.  But as great as it was, I have to admit that I wasn’t that crushed over starting the cycle again.

On Sunday afternoon I stopped by the grocery store for a few supplies and headed in to the OC to get my stuff loaded into the truck for another trip.  Maintenance had finished with it and seemed to have satisfactorily repaired the few little issues I had reported, and I fueled up and ran it through the truck wash.  I was hoping that maybe my next load had come in so I could get a head start on the trip plan, but the Qualcomm had no waiting messages when I checked.

Several folks have left comments on this blog, and I thank them for doing so.  It’s gratifying to see that people besides my friends and family have found it and were moved to respond.  The latest commenter has reminded me of something I have neglected to describe to readers; the ‘living quarters’ in the truck.

In a word, they’re fairly nice.  There’s a single bunk running across the back; actually there’s an upper bunk as well, but I keep it folded up as it blocks the light and makes the lower area too dark.  On the wall in one back corner of the bunk area is a panel for controlling overhead lights, radio volume, and rear heat/cooling temp and fan.  There’s also a small high intensity spot light and 12v. electrical outlet in the panel.

Forward of the bunk, on the passenger side, is a set of plastic molded cabinets that run from floor to ceiling.  The upper and lower cabinet are tall enough to hang shirts and pants in, and have a cloth netting that stretches across the opening to help contain the contents.  The middle area is open and set up for a TV, complete with a seat belt type of restraint and a 12v. electrical outlet.

Across the isle is a similar set of cabinets. The upper one is once again set up for hanging clothes, while the lower is a little shorter than the others to make room for a working surface in the middle.  A drawer with a hinged cover slides out from the top of the lower cabinet and provides a good spot for doing paperwork or working on a laptop computer, as well as storage for a small amount of office supplies.

A full length set of vinyl curtains hang from a ceiling track and separate the bunk area from the driving area of the cab, and the floor is flat throughout both.  There is a gracious amount of head room; in fact I have to stand on the bunk to reach the upper windows.  I have found this setup is especially nice when you have to put on rain gear or a heavy jacket before getting out of the cab.  The upper area above the driver and passenger seats is surrounded with storage shelves and pockets, and another set of storage pockets are located directly above and within reach from the seats.  As much junk as I like to carry with me, I’ve yet to come anywhere close to utilizing all of the storage space.

Another set of vinyl curtains, also hanging from a ceiling track, run from behind each door to the center of the windshield.  These are the ones I use most often as they provide complete privacy while leaving the entire interior space available for walking about.

The truck falls short of being a complete RV only in that there are no water, toilet, or cooking facilities.  In fact having portable versions of these are against company policy.  This is only inconvenient sometimes in the middle of the night; otherwise it’s usually a welcome break to get out of the cab for a while to take care of any needs during the day.

And that’s my home away from home.  If I’ve left anything out or if you have questions please feel free to ask.  I’ll let you know where I’m headed next…

Headed home…

Tuesday, 11/14:

I was at the pick up early this morning and was directed to a large parking area to wait (and monitor the CB) until my door was ready.  I have noticed that shippers seem to like to stick to their appointment times as closely as possible, and some handle early arrivals better than others.  With my lifelong habit of being early I’ve exposed myself to everything from a polite request to wait until they’re ready (like today) to a mild a$$ chewing for “screwing up their plans”.  Guess I’ll have to work harder on being within 15min of appointment times.

Anyway right at 8am they called me on the CB and asked that I back up to door 11 at the dock.  Once done I went inside and stood by the door until they were ready to load me.  This was the first time I was to monitor loading, but fortunately there were a couple of other drivers there who were nice enough to explain the routine to me, and even showed me how to work the trailer lock and dock leveler mechanisms.

Watching the forklifts work in the warehouse was fascinating, and at times a bit scary.  Obviously these guys had been at it for a number of years, but even so the maneuvers they made at speed with their forklifts loaded were amazing.

After a short wait an operator slid (literally) up to my door, confirmed my pickup number, and started to load canned vegetables into my trailer.  It took him about 45 minutes to load 19 pallets, finish my paperwork, seal the trailer, and send me on my way.

So off I went, with the OC in Indianapolis, IN as my goal for the day.  It started raining a few miles down the road and continued on and off for the rest of the day.  I did make the OC by around 5pm.  After spending a few minutes finishing paperwork for the day I went inside to grab a quick supper at the cafeteria, then headed back to the truck to turn in early.  It had been a long day and I was tired, plus tomorrow was going to be a good bit longer if I was to make the miles I wanted to before day’s end.

Wednesday, 11/15:

As I had mentioned earlier, today was the first time I would be driving all day with no pickup or delivery stops.  I got up at 2:30 (with the help of the alarm), got my log started and sent in a MAC 18 for the day, then walked in to the OC to get the old body ready.  By 3:45 I was on the road with my goal being to reach Charlotte before stopping.

By morning it was raining steadily and continued most of the day.  At times it got heavy enough to run the wipers on high but generally it was just a steady rain.  The trip was mostly uneventful, except for the fact that I drove my highest daily mileage; 589 miles.  And I did get to the Charlotte OC by about 2:30 pm.

This left me with only 46 miles to drive tomorrow morning to make my 5:15am appointment in Pageland, SC.  It had been a long day and I was beat, but it was worth it to have myself set up for an easy morning tomorrow, not to mention I’d be able to go home tonight!  It was certainly a treat to see Terrie a day earlier than expected, and sleep in my own bed.

Thursday, 11/16:

I was up early again this morning and had the truck on the road by 4am.  The trip to Pageland went quickly, and the Wal-Mart DC was easy to find.  I arrived only 20 minutes early and was immediately assigned a door, which I backed up to and then, per Wal-Mart’s policy, disconnected the trailer while they unloaded.

While waiting I was a little surprised that another load came in.  Since I was to be off for the next three days I sort of expected to be sent to the OC, but they had other plans.  I was to pull the trailer that was being unloaded now down to Mt. Pleasant, SC (next to Charleston), exchange it for a loaded one, and bring the load back to the Charlotte OC for relay.

It would be a full day, but barring any serious delays I’d be able to make the trip before running out of hours.  Wal-Mart finished unloading and I was able to get rolling by 8:30.  The roads were good, although it was still raining and windy, and the drive to Mt. Pleasant went by quickly.

I arrived around noon and was able to find the shipper with no problem.  Finding them was easy, but getting to them was a little more bothersome.  They were located at one of the major shipping ports in the Charleston, SC area, and therefore security was tight.  In addition to that there were literally hundreds of trucks hauling containers flying about in every direction.  Not only were these folks familiar with their surroundings, but they were pulling what looked to be about 40′ trailers, and could zip around in tighter surroundings than I could with the 53′ van I was pulling.

In spite of all the apparent confusion, I managed to pass through the security gates and get to the shipper’s facility without incident (other than annoying several impatient container haulers).  Checking in with the shipper was quick and efficient, and then the fun began.  Their loading dock was full of trailers, and the row of empty and loaded trailers waiting for pickup was directly across from the dock, with no more than 60′ or so between the two rows.  That doesn’t leave much room at all for maneuvering.

I managed to get the empty backed into one of the few empty spaces without hitting anything and was on the verge of feeling very proud of myself for the accomplishment.  Then I found and coupled to the loaded trailer I was to take with me, and learned what a tight space really was!

There was about 18″ of space on the right (passenger) side of the trailer, and maybe a little more on the other side.  I had to turn sideways and slither along to get to the landing gear crank, and had about 4″ of room left after setting the handle in place.  A pre-trip inspection of the trailer was out of the question until I had it out of the parking slot.

For those who aren’t familiar with the problem, let me try to explain.  There is no room for the trailer to turn until it is pulled out enough that the tandems are even with the front of the trailers on each side of it.  Problem is with the row of trailers across the way so close there’s not enough room to pull out that far.  So you end up pulling forward as far as possible, then backing a LITTLE with the wheel turned so that you twist the trailer a bit and gain a little room to pull the tractor forward again with the wheels turned the other way.  Eventually you inch-worm your way around until the tractor is at roughly a 45* angle to the trailer.  At this point the trailer is far enough out of the slot that it can turn without hitting the trailers on each side, and you can ease forward until clear.  WHEW!

NOW I felt proud of myself… hope I can do it again if I ever need to.  Anyway I finished the paperwork with the shipping office and was on my way again.  Leaving that secure area, again in the midst of all the speeding container haulers, was no less ‘exciting’ as pulling in.  But by 1:30pm I was again on the Interstate and rolling toward home.

The trip home went fairly smoothly, at least until I got to Charlotte’s 5 o’clock traffic on I-77.  I did manage to get to the OC just as I was out of hours for the day, and spent the next hour or so getting my ’stuff’ out of the truck and into my jeep, and turning the truck in to maintenance to have a few minor mechanical issues looked at while off duty.

And that brings my first “tour of duty” to an end; 11 days on the road and about 3,300 miles driven.  As I’ve tried to relay to you with my posts, it’s been fun, frustrating, fast paced, exciting, frightening, intimidating, and generally one of the most fascinating learning experiences I’ve ever been through.  And as happy as I am to be home for a few days, I can’t wait to get on the road again.

See you in a few days…

Have I said “What a difference a day makes”?

Monday, 11/13:

OK, let me catch you up right quick on what happened yesterday afternoon:

• The tire guy showed up exactly when I was told he’d be there, and had the trailer reshod in about 30 minutes.
•  While he worked I got up with Customer Service and we came up with a plan; I was to guess how much driving time I had left when the tech got finished, calculate where I’d be by then, and pick a spot to relay the load to another driver.
• A Pilot Truck Stop in Bloomington, IL is where I said I’d meet the relay.  And, by golly, I was there within 5 minutes of when I ‘guessed’.
• The relay driver was pulling his truck around the lot after dropping his current load and flagged me down as I pulled in; didn’t have to search for him.
• We had our loads (trailers) and paperwork switched in about 15 minutes; he was off to make the delivery appointment, and I was off to bed! 

I couldn’t have planned a smoother scenario if I tried.  One thing I’m finding in this business is that things can turn from good to bad, and back again, in an instant.  Kind of shows me that it doesn’t pay to get too excited either way, just go with the flow. Anyway the relay load I picked up was only going a couple hundred miles north to Tomah, WI.  My next assignment came in while I was on the way to an early afternoon delivery, and it’s a dilly! 

I’m to pick up an empty trailer in Tomah and take it to be loaded in Janesville, WI at 8am tomorrow morning.
Janesville is about 130 miles south of Tomah, and from there the load goes to Pageland, SC.  Woohoo! My first 1,000+ mile load, and it’ll get me home for my scheduled TAH (time at home) starting Friday.  I know, I know…I just said that I’d try not to get too excited, but this is really a neat load for me.  I haven’t had a chance to just drive for a day or two and put a bunch of miles behind me on a single load.  Besides, it’s COLD up here… 

Oh, and by the way,  I called Terrie and talked with her for a while this morning.  We talk at least once each day, but there was something special about this morning; I guess it was knowing I was headed home.  God I miss her…

It Ain’t Gettin’ No Better Yet…

Sunday, 11/12: 

The short stay at “the World’s Largest Truck Stop” was….ehh.  It’s big alright, but really it’s only more of the same old stuff.  It was interesting to see but I doubt if I’ll be back. 

Anyway my next assignment came yesterday evening; picking up a load about 30 miles west of here in West Branch, IA and taking it to Indianapolis, IN.  The best part is that I actually had several hours to trip plan and do the necessary prep for the trip.  Also there’s plenty of time on the load for a change; around 400 miles and it doesn’t have to be there until 6 am on Monday. 

That was my thinking when I went to bed last night.  This morning after an early start I reread the pick up order and saw that it can’t be made until after 10 am today.  So much for the early start, but I’d still have time to make the delivery on time with no problem. 

When I got to the shipper things went progressively down hill.  First, the load wasn’t ready for 30 minutes or so.  Once it was I eagerly got the trailer coupled in anticipation of 5 or 6 hours of quiet, peaceful driving. Then I pre tripped the trailer.  Apparently the “gentleman” who dropped this POS at the shipper “missed” the three bad tires; one bald and completely flat and two that, while holding air, had to be throwing chunks of rubber as he pulled into the lot. 

I had no idea what the proper procedure was with regard to the load, and getting an answer from support on the weekend takes much longer than the shipper was willing to let me sit on their lot.  So I did what I thought best; finished the paperwork on the load and immediately called Schneider Emergency Maintenance (SEM).  Once I got through to them I was told that it would be at least 2 hours before the tire man could get to me. The guard at the shipper’s gate wasn’t willing to let my rig sit there that long, so it was suggested that I wait at the I-80 exit (only @ 2 blocks away) where there was a convenience store w/ truck parking space. 

Naturally the ‘plenty of time’ I had to make the delivery has evaporated, so I sent in the appropriate messages on the computer advising that I’d probably be late.    And with that, here I sit.  The optimist in me would like to believe that I’m getting all my bad luck over with early in the week.  Sure… we’ll see. 

Finally on my own… (gulp!)

Hi gang.  Sorry for the delay in updating the blog, but it’s been one heck of a week!  It’s Saturday morning and I’m sitting at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop on I-80 near Davenport, IA.  Since I have the day off (read below for more on that) the opportunity’s finally here to catch up a bit.  I hope you are all doing well… 

Monday, 11/06: 

I had a nice weekend off, and went in for a few hours each day to ‘work’ on my truck.  Unfortunately I made the mistake of logging those few hours, which was a mistake that becomes evident as I neared the end of the week. By this morning I was anxious to leave on my first load.  I met with Mike (my STL) a little after 8 this morning so we could go over a few last minute admin things before I got my first load.  Once finished he showed me available in the computer and sent me to the truck to wait for my assignment to come in via satellite. 

About 30 minutes later the Qualcomm started to beep and my load was coming in.  I was to bobtail to N. Wilkesboro, NC to pick up an empty trailer and take it to Hendersonville, NC to exchange it for a loaded one.  The load was headed for Shelbyville, TN. All started off well; found the empty and made the short trip to the shipper in
Hendersonville.  I arrived late in the day, and by the time I had dropped the empty and coupled to the loaded trailer it was dark.  This is where things got a little hairy. 

The route from I-26 to the shipper had several tight turns and a few miles of road construction coming in, which were no particular problem in the daylight.  Coming back out in the dark was a different story. When negotiating tight turns you have to pay close attention to your mirrors to make sure you’re set up right and won’t drag the trailer over the curb, street signs, pedestrians, and the like.  Unfortunately at night, especially in construction zones where there are no street lights, you can’t see squat in the mirror and have to ‘know’ where the trailer will go based on where you steer.  This is probably not a problem for an experienced driver, WHICH I AIN’T. 

Of course by now I was tired from a long day and my imagination kicked in, helping me hear all kinds of bumps and crunches each time I rounded a corner.  I guess I made it out OK; nobody stopped me, I didn’t see any swerving headlights or signs of carnage behind me, and when I finally stopped for the night there was no sign of damage on the trailer. Once back on I-26 I headed north to I-40, then west.  Normally I would have worried about driving across the mountains at night, but after my experience driving out of Hendersonville in the dark I found it to be a piece of cake. 

By around 8 pm I was more than ready to stop for the evening.  I hadn’t thought to look in my highway exit directory for a truck stop, so I was happy to see a Pilot sign near Jefferson City, TN. Once I pulled in I realized I was ‘late’ ’cause every other trucker in the state was already there and occupying all the ‘real’ parking spots and most of the ‘imaginatively created’ ones as well.  There was one place near the exit and about ¼ mile from the building where my rig would fit and be out of the way for the night. It was still available because there was no room to set up to back into the space and all the experienced drivers realized it was a last resort spot.  At this point in my day I was happy to just nose in and shut down for the night.  I’ll get it out somehow tomorrow. 

I wandered in to use the facilities and look around a bit before turning in.  They had CB radios for sale (it IS a truck stop) and I’ve been thinking of getting one, but it was late and I was tired, so maybe tomorrow morning would be a better time to make that decision.  There was a Subway in the store so I got a sandwich and headed back to the truck. Had no problem falling asleep… 

Tuesday, 11/07: 

A good night’s sleep certainly made things look brighter this morning in spite of the rain.  I wandered back into the Pilot to brush my teeth, etc. and look again at the CB radios.  I had decided to get one and chose a Cobra 29 Classic.  I was surprised how much these radios have not changed since the ’70s. Getting out of the truck stop was interesting.  During the night another driver had pulled his rig next to mine (and I thought I had the ‘end’ space!) so backing out of my spot took a few minutes.  But I did it and was soon on my way. 

The drive to Shelbyville, TN was pretty uneventful and I arrived a little after noon.  The shipping guy had me back it into a spot in a muddy lot.  He tried to get me to take an empty trailer with me, as he was running out of room and needed the space.  My next load had come in however, and it specifically stated that I was to bobtail to the next shipper to pick up a loaded trailer. I arrived in Red Boiling Springs, TN (@ 100 miles north) just in time for my 3pm appointment.  The first thing the shipping clerk asked was if I had brought a trailer, to which I of course answered no.  She then informed me that they were out of empties and I would need one for a live load.  At this point she would discuss it no further and simply told me to “call my dispatcher”. Hmmm…. 

I called Mike, and after sitting on hold for a while he found me an empty about 70 miles away in Bowling Green, KY.  Again I was about out of hours but managed to get to KY to pick up the trailer and bring it back to Red Boiling Springs before having to shut down for the night.  The shipping clerk on the night shift was much more pleasant and reasonable, and readily agreed to load the trailer overnight and have it ready for me tomorrow morning. Since I was not near an Interstate or other major highway, and the shipper didn’t allow trucks to park overnight, I had to hunt a place for the night.  Fortunately I remembered passing a Wal-Mart about 10 miles back, so I parked in their lot for the evening. 

Had no problem falling asleep… 

Wednesday, 11/08: As soon as my mandatory 10 hour rest break was up I drove to the shipper to pick up the load.  They had it ready as promised and I was on my way to Harrisonville, MO by 9am. 

While trip planning this load I found an almost direct route from the shipper to I-65 in Franklin, KY.  Part of it was back tracking roads I had traveled the night before but one in particular was unknown to me.  Since it was a numbered highway and wasn’t listed in my atlas as being restricted I decided to take it. What a mistake.  I followed the signs to this particular route and made my turn.  About ¼ mile from the intersection the road narrowed to (barely) two lanes and the lines in the middle of the road disappeared.  I found myself on what was obviously a local country road that happened to connect two well traveled highways. 

What I wanted to do was turn around but that was out of the question.  My only choice was to continue and pray that there wasn’t a low underpass or bridge that I couldn’t cross in front of me.  It was slow, and at times I felt like I was on a roller coaster as I twisted and turned my way along.  Believe it or not, this cow path actually had mile markers!  Someone in the Kentucky DOT has quite a sense of humor. I eventually made it to the Interstate and immediately stopped at a Pilot there to get fuel and weigh the rig.  I’m glad that Pilot was there, ’cause I was ready for a break even if I didn’t need those other things. 

Anyway the weight on all my axles was good, and with full tanks of fuel I headed on.  The rest of the day was fairly uneventful (thank goodness) and I got as far as the E. St. Louis OC before stopping for the night.  The Operations Center was a welcome stop as it was clean, quiet, and I could get a shower.  I also had a chance to install the CB I had bought the day before. Had no problem falling asleep… 

Thursday, 11/09:

Got an early start this morning and had a nice drive to the Wal-Mart distribution center in Harrisonville, MO to deliver this load.  The terminal was busy and I had to jump right in line with the rest of the drivers; that was somewhat intimidating since I didn’t really know what I was doing, and none of the ‘officials’ at the place had time to walk me through the process. 

In spite of the confusion (at least in my head) I did manage to get on the receiver’s roster and was told to wait in my truck and monitor CB channel 1 for a dock assignment.  (Looks like the decision to buy a CB was a good one)  After a short wait I was assigned a door, and once I had the trailer in place I started planning my next load. The assignment had come in before I arrived at this destination, and I spent my waiting time looking it over and trip planning.  I was to pick up a loaded trailer at another shipper just up the road in Harrisonville that was destined for Maquoketa, IA, which is just a bit north of Davenport. 

Once again there wasn’t a lot of time to make the delivery appointment, so careful planning would be important.  This seems to be a recurring theme; I guess they want to keep their drivers running hard as long as they’re willing to do so.  Or else (and more likely) I haven’t learned how to report my availability in a way that suits us both.

Wal-Mart finished unloading and I had the necessary paperwork by mid afternoon, so it was off to the next shipper.  I found them with no problem, dropped my empty, coupled to the pre-loaded trailer, and off I went in search of a scale.  There was a Flying J just a few miles up the road on I-435 near Kansas City so I pulled in to get weighed.  Once I saw my axle weights were OK I continued on, wanting to get clear of the city before stopping for the night. 

On the other side of KC I pulled into a little Conoco truck stop in Holt, MO.  This wasn’t much more than a convenience store with a large parking lot, but once again it had been a long day and I was tired and out of hours. Had no problem falling asleep… 

Friday, 11/10: 

Making my 3pm delivery appointment in Maquoketa was going to be tough, so I headed out at 4:30 this morning, again as soon as my 10 hour break was up.  The weather didn’t look like it was going to be much help today either; it was just raining lightly when I started out but deteriorated as I headed East. Since I was going right by the Des Moines OC I stopped in to top off my fuel tanks and grab a quick cup of coffee and bacon & egg sandwich.  By the time I got there the temperature was hovering in the upper 30s and there were thunderstorms blowing through.  I could only stay a few minutes and was soon back on the highway. 

I barely made my appointment at the Family Dollar terminal and was assigned a door at the loading dock right away.  Once in place at the dock I had some time kill as once again I was to monitor the CB for a call that I was ready to go. As usual my next load assignment had come in while I was still headed for my delivery, and while I waited I started working on it.  Soon after I got into the planning it was evident that I had a problem; I was out of hours. 

I won’t bore you with the details of the “70 Hour Rule”, but basically you can’t work more than 70 hours in any 8 day period.  Remember how I have been leaving each morning as soon as my mandatory break time was up, and working until I was out of hours each evening?  Because of that I would have only 4 hours available tomorrow before violating the 70 hour rule.  I made a call to my STL and we decided that I would have to take a 34 hour ‘restart’ to clear out my hours.  That means just what it sounds like; I’d have to go off duty for 34 hours straight.  So once Family Dollar had me unloaded, and as the rain and hail blew in sideways, I drove to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop on I-80 about 30 miles away near Davenport, IA.  I’d be here until after 2am on Sunday morning, which is when I can legally go back on the clock.  Tomorrow morning I’m going to call my STL to discuss how this happened and get his suggestion on how to prevent it in the future. And once again, I had no problem falling asleep… 

Finished Training and Ready for the Road…almost.

It’s been hurry up & wait the last few days, and I’m still working on getting that first load…

Tuesday, 10/31:

My Skills Qualification Test (SQT) was scheduled to begin at 7am this morning and I was in the cafeteria waiting for a page at that time.  David called me shortly after and the process began.  He was an older gentleman (maybe even older than me 8^) with a pleasant manner and relaxed attitude.

We spent a little time going over several paperwork assignments I had worked on during my TE trip.  After scoring a 94% on those we discussed the actual skills I would be asked to perform, then headed out to Dave’s truck.

I started with a 4 point check on the truck, then Dave had me drive to the rear of the OC and watched while I coupled a trailer and did a pretrip on it.  With that finished we went on a fairly short drive around town, then back to the OC where he had me back the trailer into a parking spot.  That was followed by a quick uncoupling of the trailer and the test was over.

We spent a few more minutes in the cafeteria filling out yet more paperwork, and I was finished with my SQT.  Dave congratulated me on doing a fine job and wished me luck as he headed for his next student.  I stopped by Sharon’s desk (she’s the person who’ll assign me a truck) to see if she had a truck for me yet.  She didn’t, asking that I check with her again after this afternoon’s training.

After lunch two of us newbies were called to the Driver Services counter by Jacklyn, a young lady who would give us our last bit of formal training before we’re cut loose.  She led us through a few hours of classroom and driving practice centered around slow speed maneuvering and backing in tight quarters.  I found this to be one of the most interesting training sessions I’ve experienced since starting with Schneider.

We first went to a small classroom to spend a few minutes discussing what she would be showing us, then we headed out to her truck.  She gave us a demo drive first to demonstrate the first tight maneuver we would practice.

The goal was to guide the truck and trailer between two trailers parked very closely together*, starting from a tight right and/or left turn from less than a truck/trailer length behind them.  Frankly I wouldn’t have thought that it could be done at first, but Jacklyn showed us a couple of nifty little tricks to set the rig up for the turn and to tell when/if your setup would be successful.  We both practiced that turn a couple of times from both the left and right before moving on to the backing exercise.

(* The trailers we were maneuvering between were parked so that (when straight and centered) there was about a foot of space on each side of the tractor’s mirrors.  At one point during my first attempt Jacklyn got out of the truck to watch the back of the trailer.  To do so she had me put the transmission in neutral and set the brakes first because she had to crawl under the trailer to get to the back.)

Our backing exercise was similarly challenging; we had to back the trailer into a narrow slot (~18″ space on each side of the trailer) from an area in front that didn’t have room for the textbook 45* backing setup.  This was actually a little easier than the first, but it did require several pullups and a couple of ‘Get Out And Looks’.  G.O.A.L. is one of the accronyms we have heard repeatedly during training; as the name implies, we are encouraged to stop the truck to get out and physically check our proximity to obstacles rather than depending entirely on the mirrors.  It sounds simple enough but they do warn that it’s an easy step to skip when you’re in a hurry, or especially when you’re in front of other drivers and facing the peer pressure to perform like a ‘real truck driver’.

Once finished with that I checked again with Sharon on the status of my ‘new’ truck.  She did have one for me, however it was scheduled for cleaning and wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow morning.  I was happy to have passed my SQT and formally finished training, so waiting another day for a nice clean truck would be no problem at all. With that I headed home for the day.

Wednesday, 11/01:

This morning we had a great plan; I was going to get my truck first thing, give it a good inspection and test drive, get all my stuff moved in, and finally meet with my new *STL.  With all of that done today, I’d be ready to get my first load and hit the road first thing tomorrow.

(*STL stands for Service Team Leader, who’s job is to be the driver’s primary contact for all their needs while on the road.  They are also the ones who track various performance indicees and handle most administrative functions on the driver’s behalf.  By the way, new drivers are placed on a “90 day board”, which basically means the STLs handle fewer drivers, thus giving them the time to give special attention to the issues a new driver may have.)

Well, you know how plans can go.  First of all, my truck wasn’t ready this morning.  In fact was a little after 2 this afternoon before I got the key to old number 35986.  I say ‘old’ lovingly, mostly in fear that the poor old thing will misunderstand my comment and collapse before my eyes.

I haven’t remembered to look at the registration yet to see what year model it is (a Freudian slip, I’m sure) but it has a little over 650,000 miles on the odometer.  Most of the netting on interior storage spaces is held in place by bungie cords, and there are a number if ‘interesting’ stains on the seats.  However the mattress, while old, doesn’t smell funny.  The ‘cleaning crew’ may have worked hard on this truck, but there was little evidence of it.  It took two trips to the dumpster to carry the trash I gathered from the floor.  I did look like they wiped down the glass and dash however, and I think they did vacuum the part of the floor that wasn’t covered with larger pieces of trash.

The exterior hasn’t been touched in quite some time, but there is an automated truck wash next to the shop that I’ll try out as soon as I get the chance.

I spent about an hour going over it thoroughly and then hit the road for a test drive.  Everything seemed OK with one little exception; the A/C didn’t work.  It would blow air from whatever vent I had it set to, but it never got cold.  Normally I wouldn’t worry too much about that this time of year, but I remember being in Laredo, TX two weeks ago in 90* heat.  So I turned the truck in to maintenance and ended my day with an estimate that it would be ready by 1 tomorrow afternoon.

Thursday, 11/02:

Not wanting to waste the entire morning waiting on my truck, I called my *STL first thing this morning to see if we could have our initial meeting before lunch.  We agreed to meet at 10am, and I was at his desk at that time.  He seemed to be a friendly and reasonable young man; in fact a couple of former ‘newbies’ stopped by to say hello while I was there.  He seems to be well liked.

We were finished around noon and I was anxious to spend the afternoon ‘moving in’, so I walked over to the shop to check on my truck.  It seems that they haven’t gotten to it yet; in fact I was told if I was ‘lucky’ they’d get started on it tonight, but more likely it would be tomorrow.  Either way I shouldn’t expect it to be ready until 5pm tomorrow at the earliest.

So much for plans.  I called my STL and let him in on the news.  He suggested that I check on it after lunch tomorrow “just in case they get to it early”.  Otherwise he doesn’t want to send me out on my first load over the weekend to ‘fend for myself’, so unless something unexpected happens it looks like I won’t get my first load until Monday morning.

While I am anxious to get things rolling (pardon the pun) I do appreciate the fact that nobody seems to be rushing me out the door.  I’ve been encouraged to take my time to make sure my truck was in good shape and that I was comfortably moved in.  So in keeping with that positive attitude I’m trying to maintain, I see this as an opportunity to take the whole weekend to get my truck ready for our first trip together.  Hopefully that plan will work out a little better.

On a side note you may remember me mentioning Joe and Mandy, the young couple in our class that was on my driver training team during the two weeks of Basic Training.  I’ve run into them a couple of times since we graduated and they seem to be doing well.  I got a call from them this evening; they’ve gotten their truck and are expecting to also have the weekend to get settled into it before heading out on their first load early next week.  I’ve become quite fond of them and have enjoyed staying in touch; I wish them the best of luck.