Swift - Starting the New Year training with Swift 1/7/13 - A long read...

Jakaby I may just take your advice on hitting up Memphis. Actually I'm probably going to change my home terminal to Richmond if I like it. I just put in for some hometime on May 10th out there. Last time I saw my parents was last May and I was a 115 lbs. heavier so I'm looking forward to letting me see the old, not quite as fat "me". Even more so, I just miss my family and I'm thankful that this new job has given me the chance to see them more regularly and spend time with them. I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything.

I am definitely the road ranger. It's almost weird not having a place to call "home" outside my truck. I just picked up my mail and laminated, renewed driver's license today so I don't have to return to my old address other than to say hello now and then to my old roommates. It's definitely a change to not have someone to actually return to. I have pretty much accepted the fact that my exwife is not going to let me see my dog ever so I'm doing my best to accept this fact. I wish I could see her (my German Shepherd) one more time to say a proper goodbye but it's doubtful. This is the first time in my life I haven't had somewhere to return to. It's hard to describe. It's somewhat liberating. Somewhat scary. It's strange. Kind of nice.

My standards are so low at this point that I"m basically looking for a heartbeat and female anatomy. I really can't figure it all out other than to say that this profession turns most of the women off based on the fact that I don't have a place to hang my hat and I won't be cuddling up on the couch to watch CSI unless it is during a brief hometime visit. It's odd because my dating profile on this site is under the category "dating, wants nothing serious" or something similar yet once the layers of the dating onion are peeled away there is a woman there that wants something more. My standards are pretty low. I don't really look for a certain body type, income, ethnicity, etc...just a simple, initial attraction and a straight forward personality.

I honestly think that I just don't mix well with women here in Washington. They are, by far, the most difficult women to figure out. Everything is about guessing how they really feel, what they are really thinking and there is an underlying "Seattle Freeze" (a real phenomenon, if you want to call it that) of passive-aggression that I just can't get a handle on. Granted, the communication is different for men and women regardless of locale, but I have definitely not figured out this PacNW/Western Washington womens' language.

I am confused.

Sounds very similar to some of my experiences so far. I'm becoming a complete cynic in regards to this online dating thing. This is my first shot at it and I apparently suck lol.

Yeah, figure the pictures that people post are not going to be entirely accurate or at least an accurate and present portrayal of them. I was almost debating writing something on my experiences with this whole ordeal. Maybe research some of the other pay sites, put up multiple and varying profiles and then research responses and behaviors of others on the sites. I say this because I am amazed at how this subculture functions and the way human interaction and communication has just changed so suddenly and drastically in just a short period of time due to this new method of meeting. The whole thing is weird. I think part of the problem is access to potential mates in such a brief time. It's like someone standing there with a line of thousands of potential suitors wearing a brief description of themselves hanging around their neck. It almost makes it too easy to dismiss people based on one thing in a candidate's description that turns them off. I don't know if this is the best way of meeting people. I still like striking up a harmless conversation by chance with someone and then taking the time to figure them out and see if it's going to work. Not sure how I feel on all of this.

If anything, the redeeming value of these sites is reading the profiles. I never knew in my life, or experienced personally, that many people that like long walks on the beach, the outdoors, are sassy and sarcastic yet down to earth, etc. etc.

I find it interesting to see the difference between how people see themselves and describe their "likes" versus what is reality. I'm curious half the time if these descriptions are more of what that person wants to be rather than what they are.

Good luck on your meeting in person. At least with Facebook you have some knowledge of this person prior and have a starting basis, unlike these dating sites.

Thanks for the vote of confidence but I do not have a good handle getting back in the scene. Right now I"m blind, clumsy and just kind of fumbling around bumping into things while I figure this out. I hope to get a handle on it at some point otherwise it's going to be Asian massages in Nevada (as I saw advertised passing through there a few days back)....

I'm getting pretty decent mileage so far. I think I just missed the slower freight season or I at least just caught the tail end of it. I'm not sure with the pay thing yet. I have a bunch of layover pay I should have been paid for and some other things I need to check up on. This all occuring during training so I'm working with Phoenix corporate to figure it all out.

You definitely have to keep tabs on what you submit, your mileage, expenses, etc. Then make sure you are getting paid for it. We used to have a saying back at my old job "trust, but verify". So you need to do that with anywhere.

I'll say this about Swift, it's something that I like - they have a ranking system whereby as long as you don't get in any accidents, no Hours of Service violations, overspeeds, lates, etc. your status improves and subsequently your choice of loads and quarterly bonuses. I'm aiming for "platinum" status which I heard us solo drivers can get as early as 3 months after going solo. Currently, since I just started solo I'm "bronze" status. From what I understand from one of my mentors, if you get platinum status they will send you multiple loads (if they have them in your location) and you can pick and choose the load you want to run. Also, with platinum status, you accrue a penny or two extra a mile that is put into a quarterly check that you receive. That can end up being a nice bonus every 3 months.

I'm not sure about CRST but I know, personally, I can't run teams unless it's someone that I know really well and get along with. My privacy is so important to me. Yeah, it gets a little lonely sometimes but I love the solitude for the most part. Sharing a truck would be absolute misery to me. But, that's me.

Let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck with it all.