Broke Down 69 makes a decision

A few of you may have noticed an earlier thread I posted about trying to find a job with a bit of a past. It been over a decade since I last ran afoul of John Q Law but trucking companies...especially the majors...seem to hold a grudge like a Confederate widow so I had to look for my first opportunity with a "second chance" company and the options, while plentiful, were a bit depressing.

I received numerous "pre-hire" letters which mean exactly nothing as they don't even check your criminal record or MVR until you are at orientation, at which point they may send you back home...possibly on your own dime. Low pay, beat up equipment, forced teams and CSA scores that just made you shudder sure in the knowledge you were going to stop at every scale house and be routinely subjected to "random" pullovers for inspections and just about every other negative aspect of OTR trucking.

Then a break. I have been dropping in at a local truck stop and talking to drivers...amazing what a $1.50 cup of coffee will get out of a tired, bored driver...best money I've ever invested. Anyhow, I was talking to a waitress when a beautiful KW T680 pulled in. I should explain at this point that back in the late 70' or early 80's there was a TV show on the air called BJ and the Bear. It was a shameless Smokey and the Bandit ripoff, but it had a really cool chimpanzee, the Bear, and a bada$$ KW Aeodyne cabover that was the coolest thing ever to a 10 year old boy. My loyalties were thus established and nothing has happened over the years to disabuse me of that position.

Anyhow, the driver hops out, comes in and I comment on his truck. I might as well have been commenting on the beauty of his infant child and he lit up and started telling me all about it. I buy the aforementioned cup of coffee and he asks if I'd like to look it over. So out we go. This thing redefined loaded. Sattelite radio, satellite TV, inverter, APU, fridge 96" cab that I could actually stand up in...I'm 6'4" Okay, one downside...autoshift 10 speed. I commented that he must have spent a fortune outfitting this baby and he said no, I'm a Trans Am Company driver, this is how all our trucks are set up.

Told him I was about to graduate fom CDL school and was looking down the line at companies that would hire a guy with a bit of a rogueish past. He laughs and tells me about his history which made me look like a choirboy and said that I should call the recruiter and just talk to them, tell them my story and see what could happen...on a side note he warned me off the L/O program, in which I have no interest.

Called therecruiter, filled out my app online and a few days later I get a call. We've pulled all your reports, checked all your references and work history and we'd like to offer you a job.

So there it is folks. I'm on my way to Olathe, Kansas in a couple of weeks to start out. I'm one happy nugget.