WSE - from my point of view

I am here!!! And doing well. Sorry for not posting regularly...I just find it difficult to simply post what I am doing. I think "who would care about that?"

I am having a great time driving all over the place. The company, WSE (who is still posting employment ads in the North Florida area by the way TELL THEM I REFERRED YOU!!!), is just as advertized. They are a great bunch of folks. I have a great fleet manager. Couple that with my saying yes to everything results in a great working relationship pretty quickly. I mean I am here to drive...not complain.

I have finally come to the realization that I am really doing this (something I really am enjoying) for as little pay as the industry commands for a newbie. This is not to put down the company or those who are driving and enjoying a steady job. Heck, I am enjoying a steady job, too. However, I have done again what I am so famous for (unlike most accountants who fail to act in life because of never-ending analysis), I typically jump in head first and then ask questions later. I am now earning about 30% of what I was earning behind the desk. So, I figured I would continue to drive until I can find a good opportunity in JAX.

With that said, I love driving. I find the job pretty easy. I find it really relaxing. Some of the challenges I have faced are more related to shippers and/or receivers and traffic in congested areas.

Some of these places were probably built when there was little else around them. Now, subsequent development puts these places in hard to reach areas, not to mention the difficulties of getting in and out of docks. I had one the other day where, with my doors open, I had about 2-3 inches on each side AND I had to jack the trailer to get it in the spot. Without the aid of the guard, I am not sure I could have done it. I really thought I ripped a door off when pulling out...boy, was I relieved when I found that the door was intact and not even scratched.

However, most shippers and receivers I have experienced are decent people and easy to work with.

I have found that Coke plants, shippers and receivers, are the most arrogant and slowest for getting you in and out. I sat in Needham MA the other day more than 8 hours to get loaded (they bumped the trailer about every 15-20 minutes) and another 4.5 hours getting unloaded in Alexandria VA. I could have loaded and unloaded this thing with a pallet jack and about an hour and a half. That is the stuff that really pisses me off. Needless to say, I didn't get very far down the road that evening. That is one of the biggest flaws with this business. The driver pays for all shipper/receiver laziness. If we are moving, we're not getting paid.

Anheuser Busch, I have found, is the best...all drop and hook loads on the shipper end...always ready on time and unloaded almost immediately upon arrival at the receiver-distribution center.

In Peabody MA, I had to back down an alley about a quarter of a mile because there was simply not enough room to spin around in the alley.

Driving in New England is absolutely nuts...more traffic than I have ever seen and add toll booths to that and you have total gridlock. Unfortunately, I was only able to travel during rush hours which made matters worse.

Heck, driving I-95 through the Bronx wasn't as bad as traffic further north. I found Miami (Hialeah) almost as bad. Drivers are nuts.

I have avoided all of the lousy winter weather thusfar. I do cold...I just don't want to experience the snow and ice and so far, I have avoided it.

This is pretty much like camping, in that, camping is awesome with the right equipment. OTR is not unlike camping.

I have a laptop, Sirius satellite radio (the best $$ I have ever spent), a USB HP digital TV tuner that plugs right in to my laptop and Streets and Trips with GPS.

I have great logbook software that allows me to do all my log entries and then print pages the morning after. If TripPak would allow us to scan from our personal printer/scanners, I could pretty much avoid even the truck stops.

Truck stops, or should I say "Travel Centers", are great. They are clean and I have not seen one person that I even thought was a "lot lizard". I have never had anyone bang on my door. Seriously, I have found these places to be very comfortable. The key is getting there early enough in the day to get parked.

So, I am in Bradenton FL waiting for a 1300 appointment at Tropicana and then headed to Wally World in AL.

My longest run was my run from Houston TX to Peabody MA...a little over 1800 miles. The rest have been in the range of 400-700 miles. So, not great in that regard however, I have only been behind the wheel about a month.

If you have questions...I will gladly answer them. However, I find it more difficult to simply post my daily travels.