Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

tow, I have to say again that the Barney pic fits you. I like it. : 0)

Yes, Officer tow, no, I won't do it again. Just a slip. Really. No, no, promise. Just a warning this time? Gee, thanks, Officer tow.

My lucky day, I guess.

: 0)

 

/The following post was in response to a post that the mods deleted. It flat disappeared! No explanation from TTR. First time I've seen that...

Off-topic is fine. Roehl comes to mind. Some of the important questions, though, include how often you want to be home, how long you want to stay out, what other financial and personal obligations you have. Pretty much all of that matters. You don't say whether your MVR and background are clear of blemishes, whether you have Haz or TWIC.

Carriers look at the trucking you have done in the last 3 years but it doesn't hurt if you can prove more. Companies may listen politely, but their insurance looks at your last three and calls the tune. Companies like Gordon, though, do self-insure. You don't say what tractor-trailer experience you have and sounds like you're looking for a place to get more experience.

Not sure Gordon will think they can get you home. So, that's a strike. You don't say why you want to go OTR, one of the lowest-paid category of trucking. Gordon hires drivers who can drive, not necessarily with Gordon-like OTR experience and clean CDLs...

 

Is that 80K in the last 3? I'm assuming tanker. Just for curiousity, smooth bore or baffled? Equipment hauling is a plus, too, in my book. What do you have in last 3? Clean record, a big plus.

/So NewTrucker = Wannabe? Well, if they deleted you once, they may delete you again.

So in the last 3, you have 80K TT, roughly 8 mos, is that right? (Rather than make a bunch of posts back and forth, just edit your post like I did above with a reply... with /)

/Well, you got the hang of the '/'. And you've started a thread. Been deleted once. You're busy tonight, bak. So 7 months in the last 3... how long out of a truck and why do you want to go OTR?

/You need to understand that Gordon probably can't get you back to ID weekly. When Gordon looks at your app, that will be a concern. Since you've been out of a truck 6 months and you have only 7 months plus some miscellaneous (altho anything in AK is a plus in my book--I loved Homer, AK in particular), very important to find something ASAP. Once you pass point where you've been out of a truck longer than you've driven, a lot of carriers will want you to get 6 months with someone else. The old Catch-22.

The good thing is that your experience shows that you can drive along with your clean CDL/background. That's a good start for Gordon. May sound like a dumb question, but can you live in your truck for a while? What kind of ties do you have to home? Typically I would rather you get a dedicated spot but irregular-route carriers like Gordon do have drivers who virtually live in their trucks, take their restarts or a few days at motel 6 or similar to regen the driver... Where did you apply? I would assume Indy or Pacific. If you did your app online, a personal visit is in order. I talked to Indy a few times over the phone but went in personally to submit my app info. It helped.

BTW the edit feature goes away after 24 hrs.

 

Before Gordon, I ran mail from Bloomington, Indiana to Cincy five nights a week. The first 18 miles and the last 18 miles of the night were 'special'. Between Bloomington and Nashville, Indiana on SR 46 is a roller coaster two-lane up-and-down and around, curvy, heavily wooded road. Excitement twice a night and it got so that the truck seemed to know the road and 'we' (the truck and I) pushed it, that section especially. Lots of deer, lots of close calls, somehow managed never to hit a deer. Learned that they respond quickly to sound, the engine, the horn. All but impossible though, to get on the horn as fast as they come up.

I got into a habit of sounding off with the horn in short toots as I approached spots where I had previously encountered deer. Some nights I still do the same in my car or personal truck, tapping the horn in deer-likely spots.

Apparently tow614 just hit a deer up in Michigan and bad enough to require a wrecker. I'm assuming he's okay, if shook up.


/Happily, sounds like tow's fine and didn't have to go home on a hook after all. Plastic bumper and headlight took the impact.

But, tow!! You let the darn deer (a buck) get away!!

/Thursday night. Listening to Little Steven's Underground Garage, Halloween special or one of. Got the three girls (laying hens--golden comets) in the shower for the night since it's cold and the coop's not ready yet. Cold all day today, icy hail this afternoon came down heavy like wet snow, but hard, small ice. Girls don't seem to mind, left me two (2) fat, brown eggs. They know what they like. Don't like onions. Like bugs, bread, wild bird seed, greens, lettuce. Well, I knew these were going to be expensive eggs...

 

Yes! (Worms like egg shells, too! I have two red wriggler worm bins.) Haven't baked any egg shells yet, though. Just toss 'em in the fridge for later. I did chop and crush a bunch up and brought them out in a dog dish for the girls. They seemed very happy with them. All gone now. I've heard of scrambling an egg or two (especially if you've got lots) and feeding them back to the chickens. Amazing how quiet they are in the shower once they roost for the night. Not a peep until morning.

Hey! Glad you're all right after the eggs-sightment tonight. Somewhere out in the Michigan woods is a very lucky buck (hopefully). With a tale or two to tell the young'uns about his run in with Officer tow...

They're calling for a hard frost tonight. I dug up some marigolds and brought 'em in today.

 

Well, I've been wondering and fearing the worst. Glad you're doing fine and still your pithy self. Ah, that's pithy as in brief, to the point. Not pissy. Some of TTR readership may be vocabulary-challenged, I think, and could misconstrue. : 0)

Sorry about your laptop. What a shame! I lost an oil filler cap at the TS next to Pontoon Beach. Had placed on the steering and forgot. I attribute that to my advanced years. Not nearly as dear as a laptop, though. And I STILL feel a little guilty about that. Can't imagine how you must have felt. Ugh!