Starting training 8-24

Hopefully by next week. Lol
I doubt that will happen but it sure would be nice.

 

Sorry I haven't updated lately here are my notes that Ive been keeping while out here.

First Trip.

The trip out of Ohio didn't pan out. The load showed up around 1900, it was suppose to be there around 1700. Two hours late. I guess thats pretty good for trucking. The other driver dropped the trailer in the yard and we backed right under it. Hooked up no problems as all. Did a walk around, the ABS light wasn't working and one of the air skirts had a big hole in it. When we went through outbound they said the trailer had been placed out of service and it would be about 5 hours before all the repairs were made. My trainer didn't like this at all, honestly neither did I. All the time that I had been sitting waiting on this day to come and it got held back another 5 or six hours. Honestly I knew that is they said 5 hours it would more than likely be 8.
My trainer asked to be taken off the load and put on another one. We got a load out the next morning going to Aurora Illinois. SP time was 8am the next morning. I went back to Campus to stay in my room again that night. Up early to catch the shuttle back to millennium. We got in the truck picked a trailer up from the yard and headed to Kraft. Pickup there was fairly painless. Drop the trailer that we have on and pick up the loaded one. Done and Done, headed to Illinois. My trainer asked if I felt confident enough to drive out of Springfield. At first he was going to get us out on the interstate and then let me take over. Of course I'm confident enough, so I drove us out. I was a nervous as a man on death row. In my opinion I did great, didn't kill anyone and no damage to tractor or trailer. Not bad.
The first hour or so was a big eye opener. I had heard all the stories about wind blowing these trucks around, they are true. It wasn't bad because the wind wasn't that strong but it served as a good first lesson. The trip was pretty un-eventful, thats a good thing. We made it to the reciever about 9:00pm. It was pretty simple back into a wide open bay, unhook, then go find an empty. The back was so easy that I couldn't do it. I was nervous, tired and over thinking every move I made. My trainer would tell me what to do but it just didn't make sense. Everything looked good until I got it in the box. It was a little far to the drivers side and for some reason I couldn't get it over no matter what I did. After about 3 attempts he took over. He said I did good but he could tell I was tired. He was right. I was more tired than I thought I was. We unhooked and grabbed an empty. Parking is a whole different story in these things. We had to try a couple of different places since we were stopping so late. Finally we found a spot on an access road behind a BWW. We had dinner there and man was it loud!!! Monday night football was on and it was packed. I hated to sound like an old person but I had too ask them to turn it down. The saying if its to loud then you're to old just went out the window. After eating we went back to the truck went to sleep. I slept like a rock. The next morning we woke up to the Qualcomm going off.
The next load picked up in Chicago and delivered to Russellville Ar. My house is only about 45 miles from Russellville. We made our way to the pickup. I rode this morning to observe getting through tight city traffic. Man was it tight. (Insert perverted tight joke here) Everything about this pickup was tight. Traffic, pedestrians, curbs, sign, poles, even the dock was tight. It would have taken some serious doing for me to get it in there. I'm glad I didn't have to try. We had a live load there, it was pretty quick. Less than an hour and we were out of there. It went great except the fact that they loaded us to heavy. The truck and trailer weight right at 35000, a little under. We get the paperwork and they loaded 46,800, that doesn't work. I went back in and told them they said to go scale it and bring back the scale ticket. OMG I about lost it, but apparently this is common practice. They won't unload without a scale ticket. At least some of them won't. What a waist of time and money. So we fight traffic for two blocks and get to a scale. We weighed just over 81,000. Back to the shipper they unload 2500 and we are on our way. On the way out I drove. In my opinion I did pretty good. Just took it slow and easy. Man there were hazards everywhere. Look both ways, everything is clear and bam here come someone splitting lanes on a bicycle, pedestrians that pay no attention to lights. The biggest hazard was probably me though, lol. But again we lived and there was no damage to anything. We make it out on the interstate with no problems 2 hours later I'm looking at farmland. Thank God for the country!! Honestly downtown Chicago reminded me a lot of Baghdad. Trash all over the place, people not paying attention to laws at all, and I couldn't understand anything anyone said hardly. On to ARKANSAS!!

 

We made it to Russellville Tuesday evening. I had let my family know I was going to be close and they met me there. I had dinner with my Mom, Dad, Son and X-Wife. We had a great time. They asked me a million questions. Ok maybe not a million but they asked me a lot. I felt bad because it was all about me, but I know they were interested. We talked laughed, caught up like we hadn't seen each other in years. It was kinda nice to do that. Absence make the heart grow fonder right? Thats what I hear anyway.
The next morning we dropped our trailer at Tyson. This time I backed into the dock myself. SETUP IS EVERYTHING!!! I did have one pull up but we are allowed one right?
From there we went to Streetsville Ohio. Pretty decent trip up. The leaves are starting to turn colors, there was some beautiful scenery. Ohio should be called the barn state. They have the most barns of any place I've ever seen. They are pretty nice too.
We get to to receiver, its a simple drop and hook again. This night we spend in a WalMart parking lot. Did some practice backing and serpentine moves. IDK but I have a hard time with the forward serpentine. Its getting better, but my trainer says I"m not trusting my turn. I feel like I'm going really far to the left and right but really I'm not affecting the rear of the trailer much at all. It will come, I have no doubt.

 

So its Friday morning nothing on the Qualcomm yet. I get up and start my morning routine. The WalMart has a subway in it so I figure a meatball sub sounds good for breakfast. About halfway through my delicious sandwich we get a trip. Dead head to Linova Mi pick up some produce and take it 34 miles across town to a Meijer DC.
170 deadhead for a 34 mile trip. Oh well they are the boss right.
The trip is going to take us about 4 hours and we have all day to get it done. We decide to wash the truck and take showers. The truck wash was packed. It was an hour just to get inside the truck wash. Man they did a great job though.
My first truck stop shower was a lot better than I thought it would be. We went to a Petro and the shower was way nicer than I thought it would be. My only complaint is that it was a little small. I mean how do they expect two men to fit in that small of a shower. HAHA I heard all the jokes about team showers and knew that was BS. I don't care if a shower cost me 20 bucks I'm taking one by myself.
Around 7 that evening we made it to a rest area just down the road from our pickup. We stayed there and headed out about 5 the next morning. Picked up the load and headed out for this long long trek across town. Thirty four miles!!! I'm big rig trucking now. LOL When we got to Meijer I had to to an alley dock. It wasn't that tight so it was good practice. I nailed it. One pull up just so I could finish the back with a straight line backup. Bumped the dock, done and done. Go in tell them what door I'm at and they change it. No problem I got this, no, no I do not got this. LOL
I did my setup exactly the same but got lost on my door. I started aiming for the wrong one. Tried to correct it but didn't feel right. As I was backing some of the workers were watching and they made me worry. The way they were watching and the looks on their faces made me think I was really messing up. All in all it wasn't to bad but I did have to do a couple of pullups to get it in there. It was not pretty at all.
Finished up that load and got dispatched to Loveland Co. I"ve never been to Colorado so I'm looking forward to it. The only thing that sucks is that it doesn't pick up until tomorrow (10-19). So I'm sitting at a TA doing laundry and catching up on my posts.
Had lunch at the Country Pride is was less than stellar. Oh well as one of my friends always says, it will make a turd.
I have found that I do better at rest areas. The temptation to buy stuff at truck stops is strong. I'm sitting here right now wanting to go in and grab a donut at Tom Hortons, is it Tom or Tim? I will resist, I have to resist.
I'll update more as it comes along.

(Still waiting to be loaded for the trip to Colorado.)

 

We did practice backing. But not at the TA. It's too busy there. We have been spending an hour or so a day doing a few backs . It's coming along nicely. I've done two more alley docks now and they were ok. Not perfect but will do for now.
As for the pretrip I study it all day everyday. I'm to the point in can do it by memory just imagining the truck in my head. As we drive down the road we do in cabs over and over. There are still some rough spots in my verbiage but that's on me. I get it done just get tongue tired sometimes. No abrasions bulges out cuts didn't want to roll off my tongue sometimes.