A useless newbie trying to become less useless

Started school with everyone's favorite company, CR England. The first thing that I did while at home was to give them everything, including the ice based accident, that might disqualify me before I left. Then I turned down the 21 hour Greyhound ride and bought a plane ticket that they reimbursed me for. Not only was the ride long, but the bus was cursed. None of the 10 guys who came on it made it. Passed the physical and fitness tests, I wasn't concerned about the screenings. During the 2 weeks of class several were sent home for later alcohol consumption, a BAC of .09 the next morning, and for hiding parts of their MVR or work history. Then Phase I training.

This lasted 1 month and I had a good trainer. A driver who had run out his lease and was now making payments on his truck. He was a 5 year guy and we really put down some miles, 7,000 in one week including a wild 3,500 mile run. According to his quarterlies he was set to make 100K that year.

Phase II was completely different. It has been described by one of the instructors as two rookies trying to get a business going. The only qualification is that you are a new lessor. My driver had 1 month more experience than I did. He actually injured me a couple of times. We were bobtailed in a parking lot, I was in the sleeper getting my bedding down when he started rolling and then I was flying through the curtain and onto the Qualcomm. He said that his foot slipped of the accelerator and onto the brake. How does that happen? There were others, but that's for a different thread. After hearing this, my TC took only 2 hours to get me back to a school for solo upgrade. I only had to do 42 days instead of the 60 although I was going company. After I had begun the process, they raised it back to 60 days.

After 3 days off, I got a call from my DM saying that my truck would be coming with a relief driver that evening. About 5 he pulls into the hotel and I get my truck. We team drive some candy bars headed to TX. In Joplin the weather deteriorated to the point that I had to pull of at the Pilot. OK had closed I 44 and we sat on the exit ramp until LLE was able to get trucks cleared of the intersection. We were there for 2 days. Then when OK reopened it, I 44 and the US highways we were routed on were snowpacked washboards. Finally made it to Dallas and dropped him off then headed to Fort Worth for next day unload, overnighted in Dallas. When I got there, the guard had me park on the street since they had just closed 1/2 hr before. I eventually got turned around, it was pretty icy then, and parked behind the only other truck there. When I woke up, I found that two other trucks had muscled their way into an illegal space in front of him. This put me farther behind. I lost a really good load to Southern Cal. They then assigned me a load from Sunnyvale to Ogden, picked up assigned trailer at shipper, then loaded and found a serious air leak. Went to shop, didn't have part and the next day was Sunday. TA then bypassed the trailer air bag, but too much time had passed for a solo, so I went to Irving to turn it over to a team. Picked up a load from there for delivery the next to to Paris. Finally out of the DFW area. The next load was a pick up in Longview to Ogden.

I came through Dallas, rush hour accidents shut down I-35 and lanes of I-35E. It took me 2 hours to get from I-20 to Denton on I-35. Then I found that US 287 is a bad route if your truck is governed at 62. I spent more time sliding slightly to the right, so the trucks behind could see if they could pass without going into the other lane then slowing while they passed than I did going forward After Childress I hit Wyoming. From Childress to Amarillo looked just like Wyoming, 40+ wind gusts and blowing snow and me with just 9,800 in the box. I was all over the road, but made it to the Flying J in Amarillo in time for I-40 to close. I'm now shut down in Wyoming due to the winds on I-80. The last time I had to battle these winds I had 44,000 in the box, this is completely different. Elk Mountain seems a whole lot worse. Its been interesting so far and I hope that the next loads will start me headed home. 4 and 1/2 months away is a little long. Just hope that my dog remembers me.

 

Thanks, I actually had good driving weather today and made it into Ogden, dropped the load, and am now sitting here waiting for my appointment tomorrow to pickup a load for Clackamas, OR. The weather looks good for the next few days.