Good job ttownrunner. Glad to hear all is going well for you.

The Loves and Pilot were both packed when I got to Houston Monday afternoon so I went on over to a little fuel stop a couple of blocks from the consignee. Then it was to DeQuincy, LA. for a load of lumber going to Star City, Ar. then back to Simsboro, La. for a load of particle board to Grandview, Mo. for yesterday. While waiting to get unloaded my wife tells me they had just taken her 92 yr. old dad to the ER in Sherwood. At first they wanted me get a load of stone out of Bonner Springs, Ks. going to Ardmore, Ok. for Monday but when I told them I was coming home with it which would have been way out of route, they switched it to a Hot Springs load. My wife spent last night at the hospital with her dad. They're giving him a stress test today so I don't know what's going to happen from here on out.

It's kind of funny how we can spend several days on the road by ourselves and not think a thing about it but hate spending the night at home alone.

Originally Posted by ttownrunner

Made the delivery to Ryerson this morning and them I was dropped off at the terminal and evaled out this afternoon and now spending the weekend at the Galloway and get to meet my fm on Monday and get my truck. I'm ready to get started. Now the learning really . begins. The real challenge. Ya'll have a good weekend. I get to go home next week. First time in about 6 weeks.

Congrats ttownrunner! Like Jim said- REMEMBER!- Take your time! Slow down and focus on what you are doing when securing your loads and tarping. My trainer Sarge always said to me- "You speed, You bleed." (And that can mean either while driving of course- or rushing through the process of securing a load and tarping also.)
Rely on what you have learned so far, and never be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. And trust me, you will need to from time to time.

Originally Posted by RickSt

The Loves and Pilot were both packed when I got to Houston Monday afternoon so I went on over to a little fuel stop a couple of blocks from the consignee. Then it was to DeQuincy, LA. for a load of lumber going to Star City, Ar. then back to Simsboro, La. for a load of particle board to Grandview, Mo. for yesterday. While waiting to get unloaded my wife tells me they had just taken her 92 yr. old dad to the ER in Sherwood. At first they wanted me get a load of stone out of Bonner Springs, Ks. going to Ardmore, Ok. for Monday but when I told them I was coming home with it which would have been way out of route, they switched it to a Hot Springs load. My wife spent last night at the hospital with her dad. They're giving him a stress test today so I don't know what's going to happen from here on out.

It's kind of funny how we can spend several days on the road by ourselves and not think a thing about it but hate spending the night at home alone.

I hope that all goes well for you and your family. God Bless.

I watched other drivers , solo drivers do the job we were going to do and talked with my trainer. He said the same thing sarge said and the same thing I noticed of the solo guys, their was a method of doing thejob and you get the job done easier and faster taking your time and doing things once. Now that being said I made mistakes that I never made in the barn. Simple ones but I was trying to get through the process to quick and in a hurry. I learned that I will learn the process best by reception , the fewer trips you make up and down and side to side of the job is where the time is saved. You hurry you get hurt. My trainer talked to three or four of his former students every day. That was a big comfort. Looking forward to the challenge. One thing. One very important thing. I have to give a shout out to my wife and boys for being so supportive , my wife's support and the way she has handled things at home while I've been out for the last 6 weeks has been the thing that has enabled me to succeed to this point and in the future. She's been awesome. Anyways looking forward to meeting y'all sometime. have a great weekend.