Memorable First Year Stories

O can add a new thing to my list today I was in oklahoma today anf driving down the road and starts raining its ### off and the wimds trying to push me around and im 79500 fully loaded with fuel well im just jamming to the radio listening to howard stern when the driver infront of me pulls over under a bridge hard I thought he blew a tire well kept going and was looking around come to find out I was running right along side a tornador that was a mile to my right

 

I had tried posting earlier to this, but this website is having issues. Anyway, I suggested you get a weather alert radio, a stand alone one, or a cb radio with weather.

Now maybe this response will be posted instead of thrown into la-la land

 

It went threw hey I got a free truck was except my rims hahah blue beacon

 

Being new on the job and makin deliveries to metro areas will test what ya learned so far for sure.
Houston, Tx, sometime in December 2012 I found myself at the end of a closed HOV lane, at a bus terminal! Only three months exp at that point so construction and GPS re routin had me very flustered. The road detours say one way and the GPS says the opposite, no bueno.

I end up back on the 610 s lookin for 10 w. Apparently I was too far over and I ended up on the HOV lane, obviously not a lane for big trucks. Haven't panicked yet cause I'm thinkin maybe no one will notice (yea right!) or maybe it'll eventually merge with 10 w. Nope! As illustrated below the blue line is me crusin on down to the bus terminal, I had to stop when the HOV ramp to get back on the freeway was closed. ####! What do I do? I popped the brakes and lit a Camel menthol cause that's what smokers do when things get tense (quit for good since then).

Not more than 5 min of me sittin there a motorcycle cop pulls up to give me ####. "Sir, ya think ya can just park anywhere huh?" Told em no, I'm new and construction and GPS and blah blah blah.. He says if I can back the truck up in the zig zag (RED LINE) without damaging public property he'll work with me. Backin the truck was never a problem so I handled that without any issue. At this point I'm the center of attention, on lookers pointin, laughin, and some even had their phones out (probably ended up on Facebook.) Look at the dumb trucker drivin through the bus terminal! (GREEN LINE.)

I park near the cop at the exit to discuss how big of a ticket I'm about to get, so I thought.. He compliments my backin skills and goes on about how issuin a ticket would do no good and that the lesson here was already learned. Not to mention it was around the holiday season, might of had a little to do with it. No citation, no verbal warning, he knew I knew I messed up. Moral of the short story is pay attention, especially when construction is goin on.

 

Although I am sure other drivers here have been in an area of a tornado, my time going thru Kansas and having one hit me and the co-driver, was not my first.

I was working for NAVL (North American Van Lines, Com Trans division) and I was at Bloomer, WI. I had just delivered a full trailer load of tin cans at the Big Red cannery for Green Giant?

I got down the road from there, and pulled into a small pub's parking lot, and hunkered down there till the storm passed. Again, back then, no weather radio, and my only indication of a problem ws the tree's nearly bending over and touching the ground.

I thought, HHHMMMmmmmm something must be coming. Funny, too, as patrons of the pub were waving me to go inside. I waved back at 'em.

I can only wonder the looks on their faces, when the storm blew over (rather quickly) I got out of there. I wondered for a while, if they thought I was "Gone with the wind", lol

 

First solo load after being with my mentor at Swift was a load of tin cans, empty, being picked up in Hanover, PA going to the Bush's Beans plant in western Wisconsin (don't remember the town.) Was kinda stressed since I got there late since dispatch made me come back to the terminal in Jonestown to pick up a lock for the trailer. Anyway, get there, check in and was told to back in this door. Ended up being a blind side back. Nailed it first try. Man I was a proud puppy. Guy to my left looks at me with a big smile and rolls down his window. "This your first load?" I said Ya with a big grin. He said, "Nice back, now you might want to open your barn doors so they can load you."

Ya, I did that.

 

My first load was boring comparatively but I too forgot to open my doors. It happened again a couple loads later. After that I put a sticky note "REMEMBER THE DOORS" on the dash. It was stuck there till I left the company.