tell me about your first run [load]

I don't remember my first load lol

 

I remember mine Dallas to Denver that dispatch thought would have to be repowered. Must have checked everything 3 times. Had 22 hours on the load. Drove my 10, took 8 hour break in Lamar, Co. then made Denver in time for delivery.

 

I remember my first load like it was yesterday.So I get my trk and on the qualcomm all kinds of jibberish I had no clue what it was.So of course I asked another driver at the term for help.He could'nt believe my dispatcher did this to me.She gave me a load going to Canada.I deadheaded to demoines from Omaha to get a load from a couple who could not enter Canada.I most of asked over a hundred drivers what do I do.Heck I could'nt even read a map.I kept in close contact with that couple and they helped me alot.I had nitemare runs from then on till I got home.Whatever you do NEVER tell your dispatcher to go easy on you,they'll do everything but that.

 

OH I remember my first load.

Got my truck at the terminal in Obetz. DBL tells me my load will be to my QC shortly. Load comes across, picking up an MT 3 miles down the road at Kraft, then driving over to the wal mart DC and picking up a loaded trlr and taking it to NC. I immediately get a message from the planner telling me not to worry about the delivery time, he knows I can't make it, just get there when I can. COOL, no pressure.

Get to Kraft, they had one MT, and it was TBO, totally bent landing gear. Called, and got permission to BT into walmart to pick up my load. Get in, get the paperwork, and can't find my trailer. Now, I think to myself, I am not stupid, but I KNOW our trailers are orange, and there isn't one with that number. Go back to the office and they tell me it is a white emerson trailer. Back out to the lot, and find my trailer. Hook up, pre-trip, good to go.

Then I notice the tandems are all the way to the rear. Walk back to pull the handle to move them forward, and there is no handle!!!!! Instead, a little button I have never seen. I pull out on it and I hear air release, but the button won't stay out unless I hold it, so the pins won't retract. 30 minutes I sat there trying to figure it out. Finally got ticked and decided to call my DBL.

Walk back up to the truck, go to grab my phone and see that I still have the trailer hold on from the pre trip. I turn it off and go back to give it another shot......wham, pins retract and I can move the tandems. I felt kinda dumb but I had never seen a trailer like that before LOL.

Rest of the trip went smooth as glass.

 

A load of water from Dallas to Arkansas.

 

load of damaged pepsi products to a recycler in east palestine ohio. Got there late , ran out of hours due to the hand unload of shifted pallets and hourly employees on OT doing the unloading. Shut down there for the night. Then it snowed. tight twisty roads in eastern hilly ohio. that was interesting to say the least.

 

My first week was a nightmare I was scared S!@#less! My first actual run I was looking for either a bus/train station to go home. First off it was blizzard conditons going to pick up in Adams Ma. I followed the gps like an idiot and it brought me through a valley on narrow twisty roads with crazy grades at night! I started to panic when I looked out my driver side window to notice the trailer was sliding out going down hill in about a foot of snow! I regained control and thought that was close only to find out that was the beginning to countless up and down hills. My trailer must of slid out about four or five times that night( luckily I wad the only idiot trying to drag a 53 foot box around aback country rd) and I couldn't see a thing(I thought I was going off a cliff or something). I was about to give up right there when my truck came to a hault on an uphill road. No traction whatsoever, no cell service even my Qualcomm was out of range. After an hour a salt truck came to my rescue. That night i drove in third gear for about three hours to go 10 miles. I finally made it to my destination panic stricken! Lol...


Looking back now. That valley is not as bad as I thought it was but I'm definitely scarred from it.
I'm very happy that I started in the winter season though to get that aspect out of the way because now I know what to expect!

Good Luck to you. Happy Truckin!

Beware of Adams in the winter! Lol...

 

John - did I attend orientation with you? I'm Jennifer.