Starting at Valley Transportation (Ashland, OH) Monday.

jatwell · Jun 18, 2011

Triad said: ↑

Well, it's been a fun couple of weeks. Lots and lots of new stuff out there I've been learning, seeing and doing and I just finished up my first week on my own. I did good, I think.

First, the training: Covered just about everything I need to know, and I've been calling my trainer now and then to ask about anything I'm unsure of. The best thing about the training is that I've been floating gears since day one at Valley and it's second nature to me now, though I'm still getting the hang of some of the timing, especially when going up big hills from a stop. There's one in particular, if I take a certain route back to the terminal in Ashland, that's real tough to get up in anything higher than fifth gear. There are easier ways around to get there, but this route (even with the Hill of Doom) is faster and on a Friday night, it's worth the hassle to just deal with going up at 10mph or less for 30-45 seconds to get there and get home a little sooner. But I'm digressing!

Load securement is dead simple. Dead as in you (or someone else) will be dead if you don't do it right and simple as in there's only one way to do it: The right way. that said, it's not too hard. There's a chart in the documentation Valley gives you, but I just use a pretty simple formula that accomplishes the same goal. One chain per every 12,000 pounds, plus one extra chain for suicide, and round to the highest even number for shotgun. E.G. a 21,000 pound aluminum coil would take three chains suicide, four chains shotgun. The rest (trip blocks, when/where to use straps, skidded coils, etc.) are all pretty straightforward and I learned how to do all of it through my training.

I do have one bad story, though! The story is titled: Get Your TWIC. My trainer, who had his TWIC, got a load coming out of a port in Philly. The guard said I wasn't allowed in because I didn't have mine, so I had to wait outside the port. Two things made this bad. The Greenwich Terminal longshoremen are about as organized and hard-working as... Well, union longshoremen. I stood out in the hot, baking sun without sunscreen for 4 hours while they farted around getting my trainer loaded. As I mentioned, it was hot and I was burning up like the morning after my uncle Jake's 3-pepper chili. Runners up in the "things that suck about Greenwich Terminal" contest are the massive amounts of trash, litter and filth just laying around on the ground (the place must double as the local landfill) and the wasp infestation (got stung twice, probably by the same wasp). The lingering aroma of urine wins bonus points for sucking. Fortunately, I had my iPhone with me, so I just sucked it up, sat on a concrete divider and played some games while I waited. Spent all weekend peeling my arms and neck, which was fun.

Meanwhile, they searched my trainer's truck twice because they thought I was hiding in the bunk even after he pointed at me and said "He's standing right there, idiots" more than a few times. One time, they even climbed in to his cab while he was on the trailer without even asking and started looking around, which he took some offense to.

Moral of the story is: Get a TWIC. And Philly sucks!

Now, all 5 weeks, my trainer was saying "Your first week is going to be hell. You're going to hate it, you're going to want to quit, blah, blah, blah." His negativity and pessimism about my first week knew no bounds! He may have been grossly exaggerating so that I would be expecting the worst, but be surprised by how relatively simple it was. Who knows! All I know is that my first week was not hell. He said I'd probably call him three or four times a day. I called him one time for directions and two additional times to get some help with securing a couple of loads I'd never seen before - more on that later. Other than that, I didn't have any trouble driving, securing, loading, unloading, checking in, doing paperwork, etc. thanks to a combination of good training and my ability to pick up on things pretty quick.

First week alone, I went from Uhrichsville, OH to Lewisport, KY, then Lewisport to Indianapolis, then deadheaded from Indy to Terre Haute, took a load from Terre Haute to Cleveland, then deadheaded from Cleveland back to Uhrichsville for another load to Lewisport. I have a load going to Clayton, NJ sitting on the truck right now for Monday, which is a great way to start a week. Still, these loads were pretty... unique, to say the least, and I spent a good deal of time cussing and grumbling while I took care of securing and tarping them. I'll tell ya, there's no end to how much better cussing up a storm at a coil makes you feel. It's all worth it when you get in to that truck, turn on the AC, rehydrate and get rolling, though. I think that's the greatest feeling in the world.

The Uhrichsville coils are something like 8 feet tall and you really have to mess with the tarp to get it over the coil, which is a pain in the butt. I cussed at the tarp both times a bit, but got it done nonetheless. Then the one I had going from Lewisport to Indy was one big, 18,000 pound suicide coil all nice and wrapped in plastic, with four little diamond plate coils already on skids in suicide position that were a hassle to secure. That was a weird load to place and tie down. The most annoying of the week was out of Terre Haute, five long, but small steel coils that I had them belly load. I had to put the binders inside the eyes because they were so short. And then that second Uhrichsville was the same as the first. Took me a while to secure all my stuff, but I'm getting better as I go along.

To make matters worse, my pickup's alternator died on me about 20 minutes from home last night at 2am, but it's all fixed now and I'm enjoying my day off. We'll see where next week takes me. All I can say is that I'm sore (especially my hands), tired, cut and bruised, dirty, will never get the grease out from under my fingernails and all my clothes are dirty as hell! But I love the job and it's very satisfying and fulfilling. I don't think I'll ever want to do anything else.
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awesome to hear man, especially that you love the job etc.. very cool. good luck

loweredgtp · Aug 27, 2011

Does valley Transportation hire drivers from the Detroit area????

chunk5207 · Oct 23, 2011

If your in the Detroit area u might want to call great American in dearborn. I think Detroit is bit of a stretch for valley.

Twscarp · Oct 31, 2011

Hi Triad, I'm trying to get on with Valley, right out of school (Great Lakes). How has the experience been so far? Thanks,...Tom

RJ33RD · Oct 31, 2011

Hey Traid good luck with Valley and I have ? For ya... why did u leave the IT industry ??? I'm actually going back to school to become an System Administrator hopefully in a Hospital or gov facility. Thanks

mickeyrat · Nov 27, 2011

I interview at 1pm tomorrow. After reading your posts , I'm leaning even more toward signing with them than I was after hearing Jim at roadmaster that day. I liked his little to no BS spiel and the fact it's a smaller company.

Jfaulk99 · Jan 20, 2012

Old thread revival! If anyone reading this works for Valley or knows anyone who does, and happens to be hauling out of AK Steel in Mansfield........Stay out of everyone elses way! Stop holding each others hands and move it, when your loaded throw a couple chains and pull around the building, if you want to wait on your buddy do it down the street. Don't know if common courtesy is a trait that Valley supports but it should be.

They all refuse to have their trailers open and ready to load until the coil tractor is waiting for them, then they insist on fully chaining and putting the sidekit together before moving. And they tie up the loading area until their fellow Valley drivers are done also. I guess they can't see the other trucks waiting in line. Also if you think that I'm the only one that notices you should ask the guys loading you and doing your bills because your annoying them as well. It's already been suggested to AK that if your not ready to load when you get back there that you should be sent to the back of the line.

Les2 · Jan 20, 2012

Jfaulk99 said: ↑

Old thread revival! If anyone reading this works for Valley or knows anyone who does, and happens to be hauling out of AK Steel in Mansfield........Stay out of everyone elses way! Stop holding each others hands and move it, when your loaded throw a couple chains and pull around the building, if you want to wait on your buddy do it down the street. Don't know if common courtesy is a trait that Valley supports but it should be.

They all refuse to have their trailers open and ready to load until the coil tractor is waiting for them, then they insist on fully chaining and putting the sidekit together before moving. And they tie up the loading area until their fellow Valley drivers are done also. I guess they can't see the other trucks waiting in line. Also if you think that I'm the only one that notices you should ask the guys loading you and doing your bills because your annoying them as well. It's already been suggested to AK that if your not ready to load when you get back there that you should be sent to the back of the line.
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Really it's just common courtesy and common sense!

Yeah I know not many seem to have that anymore.

Another thing is you guys showing up all at the same time. You keep doing that and they will start holding you to your appointment. That will really suck for you!

jayrock · Feb 13, 2012

Starting at Valley on Monday. My instructors at school all said they were one of only two companies they would work for out of all the recruiters that come in.

jayrock · Feb 13, 2012

Are you still with them. If so how's it been.

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