From the schoolbus to Transland

This week started early with a phone call for us to leave staurday night instead of early sunday morning. No problem I am packed and ready at a moments notice. I am thinking this is the life of a trucker so get used to it.

Sunday. Our first load was to go to Ardmore, Oklahoma. We delivered early and then we DH to our next load which is in Pryor, OK. When we get there we find out that there are no papers for the load and we would have to come back the next morning. So this early start just shot us in the foot. So now we are at a convenience store with truck parking in the middle of nowhere oklahoma. My trainer sits in his truck, watching his tv, sitting on his bed, and calls in on his layover pay. Meanwhile I am bored out of my mind and there wasn't anything interesting within walking distance. It was only five PM and we were due to the shipper until 8 am which is just five minutes drive away. About 6pm we go to eat at this hole in the wall within walking distance and I payed $12 for 12 hours of serious heartburn and greasy nauseia. About 9pm I settle in the bunk and tryed not to throw up and get some sleep in.

This is where training kinda stinks. I am a guest in someone's home. My trainer is considerate to me but I have no control where we sleep or eat. As we were leaving Pryor I see just a couple of miles down the road were plenty of better restaurants and a superwalmart. If I had known that existed in this town and I was in my own truck I would have spent my time and money a lot better. Hell I would have at least bought a dvd player and some movies to watch at the walmart. At least I brought my MP3 player and could listen to my music on my headphones. I had that and a deck of cards for solitaire for my entertainment.

Monday rolls around FINALLY and we get our papers. While we were there switching trailers a lady at the dock kindly tells us that we could have gotten the papers early if security had done their job right. How was this info supposed to help us now? Great now we are even angrier about it. Yay. Thanks! (sarcasm)
Finally I get behind the wheel and I drive almost the whole trip up to Franklin, Indiana. We get lost due to bad directions and started seeing roads where big trucks were never meant to be. Luckily we find a construction site for a housing development to turn around in and after a quick phone call we found the right way. We do a L/UL and head to the shipper which is just down the road. Going back to Pryor. My trainer drives to about an hour outside of St. Louis and it's sleeper time.


Tuesday. In the morning he drives to Pacific, MO where we shower. I drive afterwards and we get a call to drop this at the yard in Springfield. After I drive to the yard we drop and then we pick up another trailer in the yard which goes to Olathe, KS. Since we are home I eat dinner at my house and spend a couple of hours with the family. I head back to the yard and trainer drives to KS.

Wednesday. We arrive at the shipper late tuesday night and we hit the sleeper until 5 am which is our appointment time. Then he drives to Independence, MO for our second pt of the load which goes back to Springfield. I drive to the shipper in SGF and then we pick up another load that goes back to KC in which I drive again. Finally I feel like I am getting more seat time. In KC we pick up and have another load back to Springfield. He drives all the way to Springfield. We get in and our next load is ready at the yard to go to Nowata, OK. We wait for maintenence to fix the lights and then he drives to Joplin where we get sleeper time.

Thursday he drives to the little don't blink town and we do a double drop. After that we get deliver that load in Joplin. They refuse the load and we take it back to the yard. I get to drive from Joplin. Now I am home until Sunday.
This week was more driving for me. Especially in rainy weather which was the case most of the week. I am looking at training as boot camp but I am definitely wanting to be in my own truck. Good news is that my trainer says since I am doing so well that I won't have to go the whole 10 weeks to train I just need to get the paperwork aspect down and build up my stamina. That part's hard when I am on someone else's schedule. Let's see what next week brings.

 

The jury is still out on that. They at least know you by name and not a truck number which is why I chose them. So far so good. It doesn't make it easy for a newbie like me who is all gung ho listening to a bunch of whiny drivers. Transland seems good and everyone seems ok there.

 

Week 4

Sunday started with my trainer driving. We went on to Okmulgee, OK. Stopped at the shippers where we slept. It was a load of pallets, and cardboard.
Monday morning we unloaded. The deal with this shipper was you walked into a booth and got on an old crusty phone. There was signs all around stating how to do the delivery process and a form to fill out. Plus a hundred signs stating there were NO RESTROOMS for drivers. If the public complains about drivers releiving themselves just anywhere or throwing urine bottles on the ground then maybe there there should be more driver facilities. After a quick unload we deadhead to Muskogee. We do a D/H and head back to springfield. Our next load I drove from Springfield to Omaha, NE. I29 is a nice smooth road until you get close to the border and then it throws you. Pretty drive none the less. Parked at shipper and spent the night.

Tuesday we walk into the office and we are COMPLETELY ignored. After making a comment they finally acknowledge us and get a butt chewing on how the appointment was made the previous day at 7am and not today. Well don't shoot the messenger jeez. They inform us that we would get unloaded "whenever we can get to you" we bump dock and the shipping department was completely opposite. They were cheerful, got us unloaded quickly and helped make fun of the office people. We leave Omaha and hang out in a truck stop in Council Bluff. IA. Shower have breakfast while we wait for the next load. I go check out the area while the trainer napped. After an hour we were heading back to Omaha to Pepsi. After a three hour load wait we are off with a load on MT. Dew and it goes to Wichita, KS. We hurry as fast as a governed truck will let us to the shipper and we unload within a couple of hours. We spend the night at a parking lot outside of Mcdonalds.

Wednesday I finally get some good coffee at the mcdonalds and we take off to Coke in Wichita. You know mcdonalds has the worst food but the best coffee. Boggles my mind. This load of prized soda goes to springfield. We drop the trailer at the yard and we hook to another one and I drive to Ardmore, OK. Again we sleep at the shipper.

Thursday Morning my trainer says I am in charge so he wakes me up and I listen for our truck to be called on the CB. Once called I bump dock and take the paperwork in. This place is a Dollar General distribution center and is nice. A lot of room to manuever and they have good bathrooms and a decent breakroom with good vending machines including a coffee machine. Our next destination is Wichita Falls, TX. We deadhead there and wait a couple of hours to get loaded. I drive to just outside Tulsa and then the trainer takes it the rest of the way to Springfield. We get in about 9pm and I head home. Next up is Allen TX. We leave Sunday afternoon. Our mileage this week is 2260. That's just under 500 miles a day average. This is just how my trainer runs and this is the shorthaul division. I will be doing much more when I am in long haul. This week I alos learned about scaling the truck and sliding tandems and carrying max loads.

This weekend our company had a hiring fair/picnic. It seems for now I chose decently. I got to meet some of the veteran drivers and the owner of the company. My son got to see the inside of some new trucks and got to bring home some free stuff. My trainer is still saying the first week of June is when I will be on my own. I can't wait.

 

This week started with a sunday time of about 3pm. A load going to Allen, TX. My trainer drove and we slept at the shipper. The next morning I am the one who bumped the dock which thanks to the touchy clutch I hit harder than I should have done with the trainer in the sleeper. oops. He didn't give me too much hell and was joking about it.

Next we Deadhead to Dallas in the middle of rush hour where we had a pick up time of 9am. We got there at 905 and bumped dock after cleaning trailer out. It was just in time because this place was tight but no trucks were docked yet. Five minutes after we get docked about five more trucks approached each having a harder time docking due to the disappearing space. The load is going to Ok City and off we go. When we get to Ok. city we arrive at shipper and had to go through this elaborate security gate. ( I suppose it was too much to pay a guard at a booth like other places. At the gate is a phone. The person tells us that recieiving has been moved to the other side of the building. It took my trainer 15 minutes to turn the rig around in a space meant for city pup trucks. We get to the other side and finally deliver. We eat lunch while being off loaded and I go search for a bathroom. After the security doors and a chaperone practically. I get my relief and we head BACK to the other side where we were to pick up a load. We get assigned a door and bump dock. Three hours later my trainer goes in to see why were weren't loaded yet. After a discussion I feel the truck rattle and we finally get loaded. Apparently some one messed up on communication. Jeez. After were loaded we scale at a local Pilot and I get to drive all the way back to Springfield. I get to sleep in my own bed and arrive the next morning at the yard.

Tuesday is uneventful and we head for our next destination. I drive all the way to Muskogee, OK and do a d/h. My trainer drives back to the yard in springfield. I get another night in my own bed. Because the trailer we are taking isn't due back to the yard until midnight and delivery was only a couple of hours away.

Wednesday I get to the yard at 5 am and we head to Van Buren, AR. MY trainer drives and we get off loaded by lunch time. At this point I get to deadhead to Muskogee again and we do a D/H and I drive to springfield.

My trainer requested thurs through sunday off for a fishing tournament so my week is done. We don't leave until Monday and I think we are headed for NOLA. My trainer also told safety I was gonna be done by June 5th and to hopefully get me a truck by then. I am shooting for either a Pete or KW but I might end up with a Volvo so who knows.
Two more weeks.

 

Yeah sleeping in my own bed is nice. I can get up and use the bathroom.


As far as the vovlos, I don't really know. I guess it's the standard one you see on the road that everyone else has. I know they are nice on the inside and ride smooth but I have always been partial to KWs and Petes. I have heard that the Volvos have a lot of electrical and computer issues and they have airbags on the front suspension which I have heard negative things about. I am still new so I might get in one and like it so who knows.

 

Week 6
This week has been an adventurous one and showed me the darker side of truckdriving.
Monday -
This week I had a four day weekend. We got in last week on Wednesday and didn't leave this week until Monday (Memorial Day). As usual I showed up a little early and I loaded the truck with my weekly necessities. Our destination: New Orleans, LA. While doing that the trainer started the truck up and it showed a fault. Low coolant. He says we will bring it through the shop. Well we get to the shop and no one is there. This is rare because they usually have at least someone there during all but three hours in the early morning but this day is a holiday and the maintence shop seems to be going through some mangement/employee issues. We proceed with me driving and we hook to our trailer. We get thirty miles out when the truck overheats and I pull over. We see a major antifreeze leak and the truck shuts off. We pour more in, start up and limp the truck back to the empty shop. The only mechanic that shows up who was on call was the trailer mechanic. But at least he can look at it and determine to bring someone else in or take to the Pete dealership down the road. Fortunately he was able to fix the broken hose and four hours later we were back on the road again. I drive 400 miles to Winona, MS where we fuel at a Pilot. Miraculously (probably due to the holiday) there is parking we stay there for the night. Yay I will have morning coffee and a real bathroom to use in the morning.
Tuesday -
Trainer was super tired and he stayed in the bunk later than scheduled but wasn't too worried due to the fact that the load was gonna be late anyways due to our breakdown. He starts the day of driving. We get past the one mile marker into LA and suddenly BOOM! I look out the mirror and see our trailer tire blow apart. Luckily we were right next to a rest area/welcome center and we could be comfortly and safely off the road. We couldn't limp to the next service place because a scale was a mile ahead and according to the CB the scales were open. We pull up to the rest area and see another truck getting tire service. We make the appropriate arrangements and wait. Meanwhile we discover that a mudflap was also the victim of a blown tire and we needed a new one. Four hours later the service truck finishes the truck before us and returns with what we needed almost. The tire gets fixed but they don't have a start wrench that was neede for the mudflap. I looked at and asked if he had a socket and a pair of visegrips. No. Hmm. So the trainer finds some wire and ties the mudflap on. It will do to get across the scale and we would head into the Petro to get it put on the right way. It was only twenty miles up the road. We get to the petro and get a two hour wait to get five bolts put on. What did they use? A socket and a pair of visegrips. I make a mental note to bring tools on my truck once I get one and we park at the Petro. We get a large meal and just chill for awhile so we wouldn't have NOLA rush hour traffic to contend with.

Here is where it gets interesting. I have been to most of the 48 states. But one place I have never been is Louisiana. Since I was back at being a professional passenger I got to take in the sites of the bayou, swamplands, and the multitude of bridges. I even saw a gator swimming around. I also saw the worst parts of the Katrina damage and the amount of trash and poverty that has plagued NOLA. Now our destination. We find our consignee and it is in an abandoned looking small warehouse that is right on the outskirts of a residential area. One wrong turn into each direction and a truck would be taking a lot of powerlines down. Luckily we made the correct turns and we get to this "warehouse". We squeeze into the dock and I was told we were staying there until morning. I notice that the neighborhood was possibly a bad area for us but my trainer said before Katrina we would not be sleeping there but now it wasn't that bad. Ok but I still slept light. During the night we get one person knocking at the door. Some crackhead looking to score and the trainer politely told it to leave. I say it because he couldn't tell if it was woman or man. The rest of the night went without incident but I still made some more menatl notes for future use.

Wednesday - This is indeed the longest day we have had out here.
I wake up early and start looking for the convenience store I saw last night to see if I wanted to walk to it for coffee and bathroom. We had to go through a roundabout and while yesterday it was passable by foot now it wasn't. Too much traffic. In fact there was two cop cars that circled this roundabout to make sure people slowed down. I put a tire fire out and noticed another big truck asking for directions from one of the cops. It was easy to notice because big trucks stuck out like a sore thumb around this area. Sure enough he got in his truck and headed our direction. I flag him down and asked he was looking for this particular consignee. He said yes and I told him he was in the right spot. I could tell he had the same questions I had when I first saw this place. This was an off site warehouse for a particular store chain that they had set up. It looks like they aquired this abandoned building and was using it temporarily. Now that fact that we were already backed into the dock proved to be a good move because shortly thereafter two more trucks showed up. There is almost no room for four big trucks on this street and you could only half arsed fir two trucks in the lot. Amazingly this warehouse came to life. Within a half an hour about ten employees showed up and started to unload us.

We get our backhaul assignment. Head to the port side and pick up a load of plywood. The bill said make sure we tarp the load. Uhm... ok ( we are dry van not flatbed) we show up and wait for a dock. As we were waiting we noticed it was an open dock and we started wondering if there was a mistake. Transland has a flatbed division so a mixup was possible. Well it wasnt a mistake. We bump dock and start to get loaded. The trainer jokingly asked the dispatcher if he gets tarp pay for this load and we get our plywood. We pull out and go across thr street to a "truckstop" where we though we could scale and use the bathrooms. Apparently it was just a casino with a fuel island as an after thought so we drive 40 miles to the nearest Cat scale at Laplace. We also noticed that the airconditioning fan has gone out. It still worked for the bunks area but not up front. Going down the road blew some of the a/c in but not much. This wasn't a big deal to me because I brought shorts but the trainer likes to keep the truck a cool 65 degrees inside at all times.

We scale the truck it was a gross of 88,280!!!!! So we hightail it back to the shipper and we told them they had to strip the load or unload it all. We do the math and figure out how much each bundle weighed and told them what needed to be done. Take four bundles off. So they take two off. Luckily they had an onsite scale that was for "account holders only" but they let us use it versus driving back and forth to Laplace. Still too heavy but we had to play the "my people will call your people etc" and finally before they closed got two more bundles taken off. We scale ok but the weight on the drives are still too heavy. We go back to the Pilot in Laplace and break open a bundle and took weight off the drives and put it in the rear of the trailer BY HAND. It had to been at least 120 F degrees inside the trailer. An hour later we take some well deserved showers and we headed back towards the Petro of no tools to get our A/C fixed. This made me laugh uncontrolably. The petro was in Hammond, LA. We get there and the petro was packed for the solar trucks trying to park. We get in pretty fast but they took an hour to figure out that they couldn't do the repair because we needed a part they didn't have. Imagine that. We get back on the road and finally fuel at Winona, MS again and sleep at a rest area just up the road. The trainer has done all the driving at this point except the first 400 miles that I did.

Thursday -
I get the first drive and we head back to Springfield, MO. Around Black Rock, AR we stop at a convenience store where I had a deepfried chicken shiskabob. It was good but only to be enjoyed as a treat once a year maybe. We drop at our yard in Springfield and we get the a/c fixed. This week my trainer agreed to work this friday and we head out to Kansas city for a short run. We spend the night in KC at the consignee.


Friday -
The next morning we make the second drop and head to a beer shipper for our backhaul to springfield. We scale the load and I do the drive back. I get to bump the dock and drive into the yard. We fuel and I head home.
Next week is my last week training and apparently it's national harassment week meaning DOT will have an extra 10,000 employees out in full force. I learned a lot this week and saw some of the bad sides of trucking. I already knew about thses particular situations but to experience them made it even a more learning experience.