Swift - Starting the New Year training with Swift 1/7/13 - A long read...

I think I would if I went OTR again. I would probably try to drive out of the same terminal as well as they made my experience what it was.

But for now, I want to see how this day cab thing goes. It's just another chapter in the trucking life.

 

It is. We never did go there. It was just too expensive at this time for one night. But we have it on our bucket list to do at least one night there in the champagne glass room with the hot tub.

 

Happy (almost) New Year. To all of you out there driving tonight I hope you are safe and making the best of being away from your families. I feel for you guys and gals as I know what it's like to be out over the road on holidays. I give you a lot of credit in doing what you need to do for your families.

Cheers to you and the happiest of new years.

 

I've been hired!

I drove up to Jersey the day after Christmas and I just drove back to Virginia last night. It took me almost 7 hours to drive up this last time during day time hours and barely 5 hours flying down 95 back to Virginia last night.

Highlites of this last trip to the Garden State included a night out in Asbury Park, my first trivia night with Lauren and my cousin's trivia group (I think we came in second place - I didn't contribute much), checking out apartments, my orientation/driving test/DOT physical and eating a lot of delicious food I shouldn't be eating. That resulted in my longest, marathon gym session today of 6 hours and 25 minutes! Holy crap, did I really stay in the gym for over 6 hours today?!? To say I'm stiff and sore would be a huge understatement.

This past Tuesday I drove up from Toms River to S. Plainfield for my orientation, driving test, DOT physical and drug test for the potential new job. The pay system is kind of weird. It's a mix of mileage pay, stop pay, pay by each rack of bread, hourly pay for pretrips/post trips and things related to not driving and bonuses. It's confusing and different but from what I read on this site and corresponding with a guy that is familiar with this system, it sounds like it is all kosher. The best part I think is that IT IS A UNION JOB! Gotta love Jersey and its unions. I don't get into the union for 90 days and being the lowest guy on the totem pole I won't get a designated route for the first few months. I will be driving those routes for the drivers that are on vacation, etc. But the pay works out to be $21-23/hour, 50-60 hours a week consistent, 10-12 hours a day, five days a week. Since I will be delivering bakery goods I will be working bakers hours which means my days off each week will be Saturday and Tuesday.

I'm pretty excited about this new opportunity. I asked about spikes in "freight" and there aren't really any. It's bread mostly and baked goods so it is consistent year round. That's what I really need at this point considering the nightmare I signed up for this past June with the current company. I haven't worked there since before Christmas yet my truck still sits there with a lot of my things in it. The company hasn't even reached out to me to see when I will be rolling again. That's weird as Swift would have been hounding me after 4 days of the truck sitting. And rightfully so. This company? No. After my orientation this past Tuesday I called my driver manager at my current position in Virginia and let him know I'm giving my two weeks notice. So far I haven't heard anything about my truck that is in the shop with the DEF issue. And as far as the replacement truck goes, I haven't driven it out of the terminal yet. And I don't think I will.

When I called my DM and gave him my 2 weeks notice, it didn't seem to come as a surprise to him. I basically told him that since the job I got hired for has gone away that I have been looking for something else. He seemed fine with it. Actually he seemed pretty relaxed and expected as much. When I asked him about the procedure for quitting and the two weeks he said that I could leave whenever I want, that I wouldn't even have to wait the full two weeks and could leave immediately if I wanted. Or I could work the two weeks. Either way, he was fine. I called today about loads and asked if they had any that wouldn't leave me stranded over the weekend somewhere in the northeast. They said freight was slow with the New Year holiday so I don't think I'll be going back out again.

The driving test for the new job was pretty easy. But I admit, I was nervous. When I first showed up the safety guy started my orientation while we waited for the rain to stop. It has been pouring. Standard orientation fare. I was the only one getting the orientation that day. We stepped outside for the driving test. He told me that I needed to hook up to the empty 53'. I told him that I would pretrip the whole truck and trailer in the lot after I hooked up to it. It would be easier that way. Hooked it up and went over my standard pretrip. Im sure I was forgetting things but he seemed rushed and seemed pleased. The driving test itself was easy. I was driving a Freightliner day cab and it was the same as my OTR truck minus the sleeper. Pretty much a few turns, a trip down the highway, turned around and we came back to the terminal. I had a 90 degree drivers side backing that went smoothly. Made sure I did the old GOAL and it all went well. I met someone from HR, the acting terminal manager and then me and the safety guy went to lunch. They sent me to a clinic for a DOT physical (my 3rd in the past 12 months - Swift in December, new company in June and now this one). I got a two year card that should be waiting for me at the new employer. Success!!

Lauren is supposed to be coming down to Virginia this weekend. At least I hope she is. Every time I'm without her I miss her. She is more awesome each and every day and has become my best friend. She is perfection.

Haven't found a new apartment yet. I'm up against the odds here in getting a place with a lease right now. My credit is garbage (mostly from the marriage a few years back), my rental history over the past few years sucks because I was driving OTR and didn't keep a place and now my last few checks with the current job are horrendous because they have barely given me miles in the past 5-6 weeks. So I may just have to get a weekly place for now until I can get a few consistent good paychecks out of the new company and go from there. Either way, it will work out and I'll be near Lauren. And I have a new driving job! Woot!

 

I'm sitting in my room at the Twin Oaks Motel on the Route 35 Manasquan circle.

Although I would think most are familiar, for those not familiar with traffic circles, aka "roundabout" or "rotary", they are basically an alternative to a traffic signal. Set up in an actual circle design with various arms spurring off towards other roadways or highways, these designs require the user to understand the correct procedure to traveling within these devices. To breach protocol in using a circle results in near mayhem. As a result from where I sit in my room, every once in a while I hear some honking as a violator of the circle's rules is punished via car horn.

I'm starting my new job this Sunday at 12:30. PM. A few days ago when I was first told that I would be starting at 12:30, I hung up without further questions. I then called and spoke to Lauren and told her about my start date. Her first question she asked was "PM or AM?". I asked her what she meant.
"PM or AM? Are you starting your job just after midnight or just after 12 noon?" Oh ####e, good question. I probably should have asked that. I called my company back and asked. In his heavy, North Jersey accent this guy in dispatch tells me "Unless ya want to be sitting alone in dat parking lot in da middle of da night, come in at 12:30 in the afta-noon". Got it.

So for now I sit in my motel room until I start Sunday. I'm still waiting on the terminal to receive my DOT medical card that was mailed from the larger company. Should be hearing back today whether they got it. This is troubling a little since I can't drive if I don't have the DOT card in my possession. So I wait and see what I hear from them later. Hopefully they will say they have it. This DOT card thing has been slightly messy from the start.

Driving in Jersey has me a little concerned. I was raised here and so it may be a little bit easier for me to drive here, a little more tolerable, the driving and drivers habits a little more digestible. But that doesn't necessarily make it easier...

 

I wasn't aware of the magnet. Not sure if that particular DEF tank has the magnet. Although it wasn't a jug it wasn't a typical looking DEF tank like you would have at a truckstop. It was kind of a freestanding 500 gallon-ish DEF tank. But still even the fact that the two tanks, at least on my truck, are both so very different makes it idiotproof. I've never even come close to pumping the wrong fuel in the wrong tank.

 

Hey, happy New Year. Yeah I just keep posting on this Swift thread for the sake of continuity. I guess it has now morphed into an EPES and Bakers Express thread as well - from OTR all 48 to OTR dedicated regional to local delivery thread.

I did start yesterday. I'll post more about that below. I like the job so far although it is not going to be easy. I didn't expect it to be.

I'm not sure what local I'll be in. I'll try to find out today when I go back to work. They have me on a schedule coming in at 12:30 in the afternoon. It's good for traffic at least.

It sounds like I'll go into the city every once in a while but not often. The only stores I'll be delivering to are Shoprites and a place called PriceRite. I'm going to definitely have to do some research on each store before I get there such as Google Earth to find the best approach to hitting the docks as well as calling them to let them know I'm almost there with the delivery.

Great to hear from you and please follow along on this new adventure. Take care Juan and thanks again fore all the help. It's been invaluable.