Heading For Little Rock! Maverick

No backing on road test when I came through either, but my trainer would have me back in truck stops at all times, never pull thru to a spot, and we'd spend (what seems like) hours, when we had down time between loads, backing into parking spaces at truck stops--I remember more than once, not being able to hit a slot with 2-3 empty slots on each side. Glad he was so patient with me & willing to let me learn! Still enjoying your posts, Jim, appreciate the updates!

 

i still have more of a hard time doin this than when its the only one open

 

So jim. On a scale of 1-10. 1 being right on. How do you rate what truck driving is compared to what you thought it would be like?

 

6 hours have past. Dang jim is really thinking about this one........

 

that was wrong lol

 

From a guy who plays with dead chickens. HTFRU.

 

you're quite welcome. anything i can do to help at anytime even if you end up choosing mcelroy, i've helped their drivers secure and tarp too. especially if it helps me get through the loading line quicker. lol. A perfect week for me is learning something new every day, helping at least one other driver each day, 2300+miles a week, making someone smile, seeing a child pull their imaginary air horn cord to get me to honk the big horn for them and getting home on the weekend to change miracle child's diapers. lol. at least they dont make me gag anymore...

My student, D.H. , and i just finished our third week together and deliver in madison, ms monday so it'll be a sunday departure for me this week. 580 or so from the derby to madison. Raining outside so cant put MC's (miracle childs) swingset together. so here i sit. getting home thursday nite was nice. When I was waiting for paperwork at columbus coatings (watkins rd location) there was another maverick driver who was just checking in who said he was having some stomach issues and had been in the sleeper all day hoping to feel better so he could come in and load. If that driver happens to be a reader in here, i apologize for not staying behind to help you. Was cutting the 14 close to get home, but i did feel awful leaving a brother Maverick behind. I was glad to see there were other mavericks waiting to come into the building to load, one of which i had the pleasure of loading and unloading with tuesday and wednesday, both times we helped each other get tarped untarped, stowe equip, etc, so i'm sure he and or the others lent him a hand.

 

You said it. "it's a lifestyle" and a big change for yourself and your family especially if your previous job was one where you were home same time every day, every weekend. Hard on you and on your wife, husband, children, etc because you are no longer there like you used to be.

Maverick used to have a class called "trucking lifestyle" that i was shocked to hear they had removed from their orientation program. A.H. taught it when i went through, and one thing that really struck me was when the instructor, said you have to ask yourself..."what are you willing to miss?" as he went down the list of things in his life he had missed, the tears welled up in his eyes as his list of things missed because he was on the road got to his children's birthdays, wife's birthday, anniversaries, recitals, sports events, family get togethers, etc. I believe he even excused himself from the class for a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes. I think a coupla students were on a bus that night because of that class.

Nothing against anyone who chooses to stop and eat 3x a day but with the 14 hour clock ticking, i often wonder if those are the same drivers i hear saying they got talked to because they missed their delivery or pick up appointments. Or complaining because they only ran 1300 miles that week. More often than one item listed above, whats going to put you behind schedule is not even anything you do, but something completely out of your control: crane might go down, work stoppage, work slow down, short staffing, smoke breaks, lunch breaks, all employee meetings, employee attitudes, traffic, accidents, construction, etc etc etc. It can be a very frustrating career. I try not to get frustrated by what i cannot control but still get red in the face from time to time because of items listed above.

Tuesday, my student and i loaded at conshohocken, pa. Having deadheaded about 100 miles to the pickup, we both had to even the ballast shall we say when we got there. we walked to the bay that he was going to back into so 1. we could ask where the bathroom was and 2. He could see the area he was going to back into to get loaded. A "gentleman" employed there grumbled "wait in your truck" before we could even ask about the bathroom. Less than 5 mins passed and it was his turn to back into the bay. I walked to the entrance to spot him while he backed into the bay and another "gentleman" said why arent you in your truck. I told him my student was backing it into the bay. He replied "it'd probably go alot quicker if you did it instead." and added on "we got shift change coming up" My student put it into the bay without even a pull up and we had our boards set up ready for the load before the 2nd "gentleman" even had the load picked up from the floor. So there's another thing one might have to get used to in this business...our customers employees seemingly not giving a squirt about your time.

Not all customers we haul into and out of are like that, Majestic steel in bedford heights, ohio actually passed out camo hats with majestic's logo and $25 dollar gift certificates to myself and other drivers that were loading outta there during driver appreciation week. Forget about the bad experiences and remember the good ones.

Take P.R.I.D.E. in what you do.( Personally Require Initiative Dedication and Excellence ) when out there on the road. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Kill em with kindness. "Please and Thank You" goes a long way. Compliment a crane operator's or forklift driver's loading skills or pride in THEIR work when they look to see if the load is centered before they even ask you if its loaded good enough for you.

Only thing i can suggest re home time, is cherish every moment you have with your spouses and children when you do get home. CARPE DIEM--sieze the day. Volunteer to change the diapers, (even the poopie ones), do the laundry or something you dont normally do to make your spouses life a bit easier when you're home. Even though it was 0415 when baby woke up this am, the smile on her face when she saw me come through the door and her pointing at me and yelling, "Da!" made the early am wake up worth it. Granted she did point at the dog and the cat and yelled, "Da!" at the both of them when we came downstairs......but you know what i mean. lol

And by the way, the bathroom at Mittal in conshohocken, pa when loading outta door 19, is on the opposite side of the warehouse through beam number 59 if your standing at the door to bay 19 and the "gentleman" doesnt grumble at you to wait in your truck. Full PPE required of course. lol