TITAN TRANSFER

Will post an update this weekend

 

This will probably be fairly long and discombobulated.



Started Monday morning off, by sending kids to school, then grabbing my stuff and heading to West Chester Ohio to meet my trainer and head to New York. Met up with him packed all my stuff into his Kenworth T-680, down the road we go. I knew he was going to teach me a lot...I never knew in the SHORT Week we were training he would change my life. I drove for a little while just so he could see how comfortable I was behind the wheel of a 40 ton vehicle. About 2 hours into the drive, we pulled into a truck stop, and he asked me how I felt. He said something seemed OFF about me, different from what he was expecting. I said " Can I be honest with you?" He said "I hope you can" I said "I honestly don't think I can do this....being away from the family for extended period of time, I long to do this but this is more difficult then I could imagine" We were scheduled to drop off in Port Washington and pick up another load going back to West Chester, he said I can't help you make up your mind but if that is what you want to do, you need to decide NOW, because I will just leave you at the yard in West Chester. So I had roughly 24 hours to decide if this was A) something I wanted to do and B) something I CAN do. Then it happened, he said, I feel God is wanting me to talk to you. So for the next 2-3 hours, he just talked (what he said isn't important to YOU all, it was between him and I and was LIFE CHANGING) He spoke from the heart, but it wasn't HIS Words, it was GOD Speaking through him. Reminding me WHY I was out there, to better MY life, to better the Family, to provide them with the life they NEED and Deserve. It was NO accident that MY original trainer wasn't available, God did that, he wanted ME to be in his truck for a reason. We got to our destination LATE Monday Early Tuesday morning, we went to bed...I did not sleep Easily, not because I was in an unfamiliar place, or even because I was in a bunk in an Semi 800 miles away from home, it was because what my trainer had said and GOD was speaking to me. He showed me how far I had wondered from him, how much I had Got God OUT of my life and put to much LIFE into my life. He told me to trust his perfect plan, and he would reveal his plan for me in HIS perfect time. When we come to a mountain we can do 2 things, turn away from it or we can climb it. So I chose to climb the mountain, is it going to be a simple walk up a hill? NO, it is going to be a huge mountain, I have to climb, but because mountains AREN'T Smooth, they have rough edges, we can use these as foot holds and hand holds, slowly hand over hand foot over foot, you slowly climb the mountain. Once you set your foot in the hold, you keep putting it in the FOOT HOLD and look up and climb.



Tuesday Morning we got up, and my trainer asked "how are you feeling today?" I said "Actually I feel AMAZING, what ever my issue was last night is gone, I am ready to climb this mountain, I am ready to stick with God on this path, climb the mountain he has set before me, I am not going to be angry about it, anger doesn't do anything to help you climb. I am going to look up, keep a foot hold and climb, It won't be easy, but God will be there by my side, step by step, keeping his hand on my shoulder. I have to FULLY AND COMPLETELY TRUST HIM and Surrender to his will, and trust that what ever he has planned for me, he is for MY Best and For my Family, it won't be in my time, it will be in his time.

We finished the drop, and was suppose to head up the road to pick up a load going to Arizona, when I got to the back of the trailer, there was several pallets still on the truck, so we had to go find warehouse manager and find out what was going on with the pallets. After about 2 hours of running around back and forth between our dispatcher and finally decided we now had to take this load to New Jersey. So we run down the road to the other warehouse. While they where unloading the trailer, we walked around the corner to a small mom and pop restaurant, had a good meal, and got into the truck and down the road we went. The rest of the week we basically ran the I 81 I 40 Corridor, it was pretty much a blur, what we did, but like the title says, it isn't always about the destination, some times it's about the journey. As we where riding up and down the highway, my trainer would pull out his bible, and turn to different places, and read several passages to me, and then we would discuss what I thought they meant and what he thought they meant, and how to apply them in our daily life.



We must choose EVERYDAY To serve God, to humble ourselves daily, we have to serve each other, because we serve an AMAZING Loving ALL KNOWING All Powerful GOD, A MERCIFUL GOD. We have to love each other and Love GOD First as he first loved us. Remember his first and greatest commandment is to Love Our God as he First loved us, then love one another. Every time we walked into a location, whether a drop lot, a truck stop, a customer, he had something positive to say, and made many people smile. I feel we should do the same thing. Every time you see some one, say hello, when you see someone serving you, (Whether it be a cashier at a restaurant, the cashier at the gas station, the janitor cleaning the building ) go OUT Of your way to say "Hey I see you work here, THANK YOU for serving, thank you for coming to work today, you are doing an amazing job THANK YOU" You never know what some one is going through. They may have asked to send them someone to give them a sign that tonight is NOT, the day they are going to die. Maybe that person is you. Be the light in someone's life, be the reason their day goes from meh to Amazing, tip the waitress, tip the bathroom cleaning. Call the manager over and tell them how pleased with you where with the service. Smile, never under estimate the power of a smile.



Sadly my time with my first trainer ended Late Friday evening, and I will meet up with my new trainer Monday Afternoon, in Louisville Kentucky. Although our time was over, I met a GREAT God Loving MAN, who loves his GOD, loves his Family and loves his job, I will never remember the places we stopped at, that isn't important, what is important is I made life long friend, who CHANGED My life, changed my families life. This next 7 weeks is going to go fast, before I know it I will be in my own truck, making my own money, making life better for family. I learned how to make better financial decisions, but I will CHOOSE Everyday to get up in the morning, say my prayers read my bible, SERVE GOD, and try to make ONE Person's day better.



Love one another, serve one another, make TODAY The BEST DAY you have had so far, and tomorrow will be even better.

Is life PERFECT? NO? But YOU can choose to do what you do with the day, when everything in your life seems to be going wrong, you didn't get that promotion you had applied for, you didn't get the job you had applied for, you forgot your lunch at home, you forgot your notes for that presentation you worked so hard on. Are you going to sulk for the next week and have a bad week, or are you going to turn it over to God, remember WHY you are doing what you are doing. Maybe you weren't suppose to have THAT THING Happen. God has brought you "TO THIS TIME IN YOUR LIFE," sometimes you have to wait and TRUST that OUR GOD, has something even MORE Amazing for you, and when it is the RIGHT Time he will reveal His plan for you. Acknowledge that which is making your life miserable for that moment, and then move on. Tomorrow is a NEW DAY, then this will be in the past, never a good idea to dwell on the past, move on, smile and realize this is temporary. How Heavenly Father is Permanent and so is our eternal salvation. When life has been to much to bare, seems like the weight of the world has been dropped onto your shoulders, you are NOT Defeated, God is placing you in the perfect position to remember WHY you are doing what you are doing, Serving God, and making your life better. Easiest way to do that is to PRAY. God is with you ALWAYS, if he doesn't seem near, maybe look at who moved, I promise you it wasn't him.

Spread the word of God to other's around you, if you don't know what to say God said "Be Still and know I am God" He doesn't call the qualified he qualifies the called. Many Many times through out the bible God shows how he gives words to those at the right time, when they need it. I have on many times gone to talk to someone not having a CLUE what to say or how to say, then when I leave them, I look back and go "WHOA where did that come from....OH YEAH GOD did that gave me the words, to give to others. We can not do this alone, we can not do ANY OF THIS ALONE, ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST is ANY of THIS possible.



SMILE

LOVE

PRAY

THANK Someone

THANK GOD

LIVE SAFELY....

BE SAFE Live to drive another day



God Bless

Thanks for Traveling

firemedic2816

 

I am home till Monday afternoon then will be going out for 2 weeks
Got a new trainer because my original one was based out of Shelbyville Tennessee and I live in Northern Kentucky would be very difficult to get both of us home on weekends. If he dropped me off then went home I would lose pay on almost 700 miles a week, because only get paid while in the truck. New trainer is in Louisville ky which is only 70 miles from me.

 

Just a quick update, as most of you know I was off the first couple days this week because of pinkeye and also I had a stye on my eye but got that cleared up and I’m back on the road we’re currently heading west towards Phoenix Arizona and then from there we will probably either go out to California or down to Tucson and should be able to get back in Louisville sometime next Friday afternoon or evening I will update on here when I can, really glad I came to this company need to really think my wife and kids for allowing me to pursue my dream of doing this although the next seven weeks are going to be difficult they will be doable and they’ll go by pretty quickly my new trainer and I will be staying out about two weeks at a time which will hopefully get me through training and make it seem like it’s going faster at least then I can get into my own truck and start making some real money. Thanks for traveling with me, have a great day and weekend and I will update this whenever I can.

Love

Pray

Smile

firemedic2816

 

Sept 8 2018
The Eagle has landed
Okay not really but after this week it sure feels like it. What a crazy short week it has been, started out in Thursday Morning at Home, drove to Louisville to meet my new trainer, and down the road we went, I am up to about 7 1/2 hours of driving, (each week it goes up, so by week 5 the students are at 11 hours of driving) We got to know each other, seems like we are going to be a good fit. Our first night landed us just West of St. Louis in a small truck stop (see pics on FB) seemed like we had to walk a mile to get from the back lot down a hill, down 3 flights of steps to the building. We got up after our 10 our break, and boogied on down the road for a couple miles. We finished Friday Night in Amarillo Texas. It really is an amazing job to think I can be in my own bed Thursday morning then by Friday night be half way across the country in Texas. We woke up showered and got on down the road really pushing for our final in Phoenix Arizona for a Monday morning delivery. Why so early you may ask? Well in Trucking you are only allowed to drive for 11 hours a day BUT have 14 hours to do it in, and only can work 70 hours in a 8 day period unless you get recaps (I'm not gonna get into that now, maybe in another blog down the road) So you have to have a 34 hour reset, that means for 34 straight hours your truck CAN NOT MOVE, so we are up the road from our drop off at the Flying J to get a full 70 hours Monday morning, we are hoping to continue west to Calexico California to get a load returning us to Louisville Friday Eve, then will be home until Monday afternoon. So here we sit and thought would give me a proper time to do a proper update.



You know as I traveled across this great country of ours the last few days, I am reminded of several things. First off in Genesis In the Beginning GOD Created the heavens and Earth and all things with it. Today I got to see and experience many of God's AWESOME Creation. I didn't get a ton of pictures because A) Camera won't do it justice, and B) I was driving for most of it. You look at something as simple a tree, while plain and simple in it's presence, seems random placement, that one tree is PERFECT in it's design, it is a living breathing thing, it creates life, sure it's made of wood, but it provides life for so many things, it is in the exact square inch GOD wanted it to be. Look at Mountains again from a distance simple looking design, Rocks rise and fall with the earth. WHO PUT THEM THERE? Who designed them to rise to 10,000 ft and fall as far in just a short distance? GOD DID In his perfect wisdom and design. Mountains are living breathing things, they provide life and shelter for various animals and in some parts of THIS country and some parts of OTHER company the Mountains provide shelter. They stop high winds from devastating towns near by, they sustain life for animals. They are not there by accident they are not there because some big bang, they are there because GOD SPOKE and it was so.



You encounter a lot of different things as a truck driver, you experience happiness knowing YOU are helping move goods and product across country, so that when AMERICA wakes up their stuff is there waiting for them. You experience ANGER, towards driver's in passenger cars (4 wheelers as we call them) weaving in and out of traffic, slowly merging, not signaling before they change lanes, but they figure BIG TRUCK BIG BRAKES BIG STOP, WRONG. I think they need to have a section in drivers training just dedicated to behavior on the road around big vehicles. Your average truck fully loaded can way as much as 40 Tons or 80,000 pounds or for the heavy and special haulers WAY OVER THAT, they can be anywhere from 30' long to well over 80' (for heavy haulers) they can be any where from 9'-14' wide depending on the truck. These things are as big as buildings they are slow but powerful. Next time you encounter a semi, LEAVE ROOM, if there looks like there is ALOT of room between my truck and the vehicle in front of me, oh sure you can slip your 4 wheeler between us, but you are taking your life into your own hands, I was leaving room in case the vehicle in front of me had to brake hard or swerve that pocket I had was plenty of room for me to react safely, but now I don't have that room, because you where to impatient and had to cut in front of me..GOOGLE Car Vs Semi Truck accidents and tell me if you want to be in one of those photos. Trust me YOU DON'T.

You experience loneliness, many many hours AWAY from family and friends (for example my daughter is celebrating her birthday tonight and having a sleep over, her birthday isn't until the 11th, as much as I wanted to be there I couldn't, I had to miss it because I am moving product across the country, for security reasons I am not going to tell you what I am hauling but, it is product that needed to get from Louisville to Phoenix Arizona. Driver's avg 70 hours of work a week, driving close to 3,000 miles a week, to get product, while the world sleeps we are moving. People would be Flabbergasted if they knew how many trucks are on the road and yet the HUGE Driver shortage we have. It's not an easy life style being away from your family for days on end, sleeping in your truck at different states. We sleep for few hours get up and have to move this large vehicle approx. 700 miles a day, go to bed in a SMALL apartment get up and do it again. We run the Gament of thoughts and emotions, you miss your family and friends, you miss your own bed, the creature comforts of home, I don't have TV avail 24/7, I spend MANY HOURS ALONE (well when I am off my trainer's truck) I can walk up to a half a mile from my truck to a building to go to the bathroom (yes some freaks pee in the parking lot, but I am a little more civilized then that)

You experience Excitement when you get your load delivered on time then wait for dispatch to tell you where to head next, are you heading back the exact same roads you just traveled or do you go somewhere you have never been. In my First 2 weeks of training I have traveled through, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia,Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania , Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Currently in Arizona and may actually make it to California as well. So in about 2 weeks I have travelled through 14 states. Is there money to be made out here YES, can you make an AWESOME Living out here? YES, people who say there is no money in trucking are living way beyond there means and probably should see a financial counselor and eliminate some of their debt. This summer I am going to be able to take my family on an amazing vacation to Walt Disney World we are going to stay at a nice resort and have fun, all of this paid for by TRUCK DRIVING.



Being out west a second thing comes to mind and that is the poem written
In the summer of 1893, poet Katharine Lee Bates, from the top of Pikes Peak, she described what she was seeing. The treck was long and difficult with out a car, but when she got to the PEAK and looked out this is what she saw.

O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea

O beautiful for Pilgrim feet, whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat, across the wilderness
America, America, God mend thine every flaw
Confirm thy soul in self control, Thy liberty in law

O beautiful for heroes proved, in liberating strife
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life
America, America, May God they gold refine
Till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine

O beautiful for patriot dream, that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears
America, America, God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea
Really is an AMAZING Country, to see land that people years before WALKED, to settle the west, to understand the true beauty that IS AMERICA. I encourage everyone to get out and DRIVE to the West, Follow Route 66 or the same path ( or close to it) of Louis and Clark when they went west. Sunrises that would take your breath away, seeing THE MAJESTY that GOD Created, the hills, the valleys, the clouds, the rain, the sunshine, the stars, the moon. ALLLLLL Created BECAUSE GOD Designed it to be so.
I can't even describe the beauty of this world.

I kind of chuckle because my teachers always said " I would never be able to make a living staring out the window) Ah well nobody is perfect. Time to get some shut eye, hope everyone has a beautiful weekend, get out side LOOK UP, look around at EVERY thing God Created.

Be Safe
Be Happy
Love Each Other
Smile
Smell the roses
Appreciate the simple things in life
and leave some space for that 18 wheeler hauling your goods

Thank You for traveling
firemedic2816

 

TRAINING UPDATE

Wow what another wonderful week on the road as a student. Started out meeting my NEW trainer in Louisville, we mounted up and headed west bound with a load to Phoenix Arizona, first night we stopped at Pacific Missouri in an interesting truck stop which sat on a good hill. Friday Morning we woke up and drove to Amarillo Texas for the night and a decent truck stop. Saturday we rolled into Phoenix Arizona LATE Saturday Eve. Because my trainer had started his 70 Monday, we had to do a reset. So we sat there for about 36 hours. Delivered Monday morning, then headed south to Nogales Arizona, which is right on the border between Arizona and Mexico, and drop off a trailer and grab a loaded trailer and head to Lithonia Georgia. Got to go through 2 Border Crossings. First one rolled up to, rolled down the window, Officer looked at trainer and me asked "Are you both US Citizens?" "Yes Sir" "Alright drive safely" Well that was easy, ( go check out the idiots who refuse to answer the BP questions...FYI This will land you in hot water most of the time. The Border Patrol agents have different rules then your local police officer, they CAN Detain you for no reason for a set amount of time, they ARE allowed to search your car with out your permission, and if you challenge them you can end up in court and guess what the Judge will side with them, also allowed to set up check points up to 90 miles as the crow flies from the border, and can investigate and detain ANYONE Who may or does pose a security threat to these united states with in 100 Flight miles of said check points WITHOUT EVER SETTING FOOT INTO A JUDGES Chambers for a warrant...It's Simple, THEY ARE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, if you don't want trouble answer them truthfully and DON'T Break the Law)

ANY WHO...We drove through Texas Canyon which is AMAZING AND COOL look it up, pictures don't do it any justice. So then we traveled across the GIANORMOUS State of TEXAS, and after MANY MANY Hours of Driving ended up IN Lithonia which is just outside Atlanta. Then went to Cartersville Georgia to pick up a load going to West Chester (which is my home terminal) Dropped the trailer there and headed south with another load going to Waverly Tennessee, then to our Lavergne Tennessee lot to land back in Louisville Kentucky at 0330, had to drive back home so got home around 0500 Saturday Morning. Driving 3100 miles for the week which is crazy. That is a lot of states and driving. But sitting at house for couple days to rest then ONWARD. Tuesday Eve I will finish my 3rd week of training which will mean I have 5 ish weeks left. typically we do M-F and off Saturday and Sunday for a 34 hour reset, HOWEVER My trainer does 2 weeks on the road, so we finish a "week" of training every 5 days, so since I will be doing 6 days at a time I and graduated early I am ahead of others which is fine, hoping to get to Team with a fellow classmate since we aren't allowed to have any riders with us for 6 months, why not team up and make the most money we can in the shortest time frame. So that is a brief lengthy update on me so far, I believe I counted 22 of the 50 states I have been to in only 3 1/2 weeks of training which is CRAZY to think about how many states I have already at least traveled through, maybe NOT stopped in the state.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend and enjoy my blogs, hoping to be able to upgrade cell phones soon and start putting these over on my YouTube channel.

Live

Laugh

Love

thanks for traveling with me

if you have any questions about the amazing company I work for (Titan Transfer Inc Shelbyville Tn) Feel free to ask me if you know anyone interested in getting a CDL-A and working with Titan hit me up and I will put you in touch with the right people, and answer questions you have)

GOD BLESS

firemedic2816