Taking 1st step

It's all official now. Word came down from the corporate office on high that I am a suitable applicant for employment. Boss man at my current job wants me to work the full two weeks I gave in my notice because he just lost two other drivers Monday and he's short handed. All three are local, home daily jobs with decent if not overly generous pay, so he shouldn't have too much trouble filling those slots without resorting to the first trained monkeys that show up. Bonus points for me too, since I'll still be running instead of sitting around with a can of vinyl cement patching tarps or something.

Feb. 3 will be my last day, then it's out with the old and in with the new. I've gotta say, OD is the hardest company I've ever tried to hire on with. I might be overstating, but I sure feel like I've accomplished something now. It makes me glad that I kept my record clean and put myself in this good position.

 

I'm running linehaul out of Indianapolis on the extra board. It's out and back so I don't have to bag out unless I want to. I worked the full two weeks of my notice at my previous employer so I got started at OD a little later than I expected. I spent three days with my trainer, then since that was up on a Tuesday and my regular start time is Saturday night he kept me on two more days so I could get a full week of pay. Pretty nice of him, and instead of doing his regular meet we did the extra board the last two days so I could visit some different terminals. He didn't have to do that, and I appreciate that he made the extra effort.

It's a whole different world from flatbedding, and I like it. The temperature yesterday was down in the teens and windy, and I woke up dreading the day until I remembered I didn't have to freeze my butt off securing and tarping.

 

Completed my first solo week and I love it so far, although I did forget my locks once. The dispatchers had a bet going as to how long that would take me. Apparently flatbedders always forget their first set. I'm glad I didn't disappoint.

My jaw dropped when I got my first check. I made pretty good money at the last place I worked, but this puts the other to shame. I should have made this move a long time ago.

My only complaint so far is that occasionally the route guides are a little unclear. I missed a turn in Chicago because of fuzzy directions, and while I figured it out and got turned around no problem it could have been unpleasant. When I've been to more places it won't be a problem going back. Now if Spring would just hurry up and get here, things would be just about perfect.