West Coast Choice Program starting up

Sorry I've been busy trying to keep my keel straight, and running hard, then I got a break because a load delivered on Monday instead of the next day after I loaded it, and spent the day with my gf in Portland.
She brought me fresh made muffins and a BBQ chicken bake that she worked hours on with fingerling potatos and carrots. Also a huge bowl of chicken rice which is a family favorite. She's a blessing after a week and half or so on the road.
I picked a load from Ontario to Lebanon Oregon to try to get heading up where I know, and then was having fun finding anything decent paying in the area. So I headed back to the Nursery that was my first load and did another trip to Washington, this time to another Nursery north of Seattle. The place that sent the trees put one pallet in normal and the other sideways, alternating all the way to the front, which is ok if you have a forklift, but they were palletjacking... at one point they had to hook a chain to a pallet (which broke it partially) but it moved it enough to get the jack under it. I did the first part then the regular unloader guy showed up, and I was happy to let the younger person do the heavy lifting. Nice people, but their roads in the Nursury weren't exactly meant for highway length rigs. It was an adventure just getting into place.
Now I've slid over to central Washington and got another light weight load heading for Fontana, same as first load, different destination, and then after my reset I'll head for Texas hoping for better loads out into the middle of the country.
Thanks for checking in, I've been keeping my nose to the grindstone, and haven't had time to do much on the forum
Stay safe everyone!

 

I would have had to share the room, but Portland is so small that there was no one else to be in one with me. The only other person that was in the class lived across the river close by, and I drove, so thats all I know. I wished I'd gotten the motel by the end of the week, they throw so much at you. 7am 7am 7am then on the last day, conference call with all the classes and the head CSR guy in Green Bay, at 7 HIS time... so be there at 5am. Boy was I wipped. I'd love to take that class again now that I'm out here, I'm sure I missed a bunch when the Trainer put the conference call on Mute, so people could talk in the room.
It looked like the Fontana classes were much more organized and thorough than the Portland one. Dave's a nice guy, but he just started doing the IC stuff again, and he had a lot going on in the background.
As to pets, I've read its no problem. Just make sure you have an internet connection (hotspot or dedicated) and a laptop. You'll need it to use the load board on the road.

 

As to my last week, I've been running hard, took 2 days at the Ontario Airport Inn on my 34, then went to Oxnard in the boonies for a P&G load to Arizona with 2 drops. Word of warning. If the Appointment time says 00:15 be there. I got there the day before, called to the store and they told me the dock people don't work on Sunday. I said what time do they get in? Um 5am. So I walk over and find the second door, (not the actual one vendors go through) and it says Receiveing hours 5am to something or other. It is also written in hand writing, go around the front door to get in. I see one car there, and hear movement, but no matter what I try no one answers, and I'm thinking, the front is closed cause this place is locked up tight (main store) so I go back and set my alarm for 5. Get in there, and the lady says, YOUR LATE. You were supposed to be here at 15 minutes after midnight. I explain and she says it doesn't matter we don't receive these loads except between midnight and 5am... cause they are so big, and we have no dock space left.
So I end up with a reschedule for 2 days later and 2 service failurs for the company in one load (it was loaded for 2 different stores) That SUCKS.
The CSR said, if there is a time, and it says 00:15 and no one is there, call us. We will figure it out.
Live and learn, but a hard lesson. I did take a short run that day to help even out the wait, but tonight I'll head over and start getting things going on unloading them, then onto the next loads.
First weeks pay 0$ but I didn't owe with the money they gave as a bonus to help with the first tank of fuel and the 150$ for the week of orientation...and a 300$ draw, I was only 85$ in the hole
The next week I got a 1900$ deposit into the account. Of course there was no truck payment out, not till this friday.
Hopefully I get the first part of my sign on if I even get it after the service failures. That could be 1k.

So the next week will be ok, cause I'm working and I have a head start with the load held over from last week.
Also the Clima Cab AC and this black truck....it works for about 8 hours and then shuts down. Then it gets hot in here....

The truck has gotten almost 10 mpg with a tailwind and light load, but averages between 6.75 to 8, with 7.5 mpg being the average.
They've been good about finding me trailers, but the GPS system in the Qualcomm (named Julie I'm told) kinda sucks.
Will tell you take the Rondald Regan Freeway, Or the Freeway of Heroes.... geeze how about a number. Also it will say stuff like in .4 miles take the 70 freeway. You get there and there are two signs, two ways to go. (70E and 70W) No real word on which to take, thats bitten me twice so far. Yesterday I was sitting at the outlet of a Walmart DC. It couldn't find routing anywhere away from the road, and when I got to the road it said Right Turn .6 miles or something. But the blue line showed turning left. So i turned right. REROUTE. 2 miles in a big circle to get back on route... never mind the 303 in Phoenix where they've moved the freeway. It gets lost every time you take a detour onto the new section... reroute.... keep going, get back in the lane, then it finds itself... freeway takes a jog, reroute.... and apparently the exits are in different places? I'm learning once I'm on route, make note of how far it is, if it says reroute before that 20 miles or whatever ignore it til it finds its way. doesn't matter how many times you hit reroute.
On the brighter side, it does use truck routes.
Also the Qualcomm can take a LONG time to wake up, if you don't have to shut the truck off again to get it going again.
Happy Trucking everyone, back to working on my spreadsheet.

Btw thanks to Sadwar, he's a cool guy, and very helpful.

 

If this would help anyone, I took a rudimentary recap sheet that the trainer at Portland gave me (Dave Howland) and jazzed it up and gave it real times so that it is more accurate. Have to put it up on DropBox.

Open Office Version
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jxs1g0u29cfbtv9/Recap Version 2.ods
Excel Version
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0pob3lzrd3ftzjw/Recap Version 2.xls

 

Getting ready to go do my unloads tonight. Got trips planned for tomorrow through the 12th. Phoenix to Denver, then Denver to Fremont, Ca.

That will end a nice week.

Have a good one anyone who is reading....

Wheelwell

btw, they just sent a new discount over the qualcomm for anyone running Ca, Or. Wa, or AZ. other good rates for the other states, but not quite as much. Whoo Hoo!