Sure Need My GPS

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Well, I finished my training & got back home last Thursday. We got back to our terminal, I tested out & got my own truck. Got to go home that day & spend time with my family….it was great. I started on my first load as a solo driver on Tuesday. I got loaded with ice cream about 80 miles from the house in Covington TN. I then had to deliver it in Hazelton PA last night by midnight. My trainer had a GPS & I was so used to it, really hard on me starting without one. Didn’t make much money during training so I wasn’t able to get one before I left. I know in the older days truckers didn’t have them, but I really need it. They have truck routes built into them. There are certain roads that you can’t get on in a truck. If you have never been to that city, it’s hard to get around. I had a load today picking up in Gloucester City NJ & because of terrible traffic on the outskirts of Philly…I was late & missed my load. Now I am stuck here all night in a parking lot on the port waiting for a new load in the morning.

I am loving it so far but am so uncomfortable not having a GPS. I did get one ordered & it came in today but that does me no good here. The company gives us a route plan, but it just lists the roads….doesn’t say how far to go on one before you get to the next one, nor does it give you directions to the place you are going once you get into the city. I so miss her little voice telling me how far I have left, the speed limit, & what time I should arrive. Once I get that girl in my truck, think this will be my favorite job ever….lol. Gonna leave you all with this old building that I am parked in front of. Til next time peeps…

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Young Man & A Peep Show

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Ok fellas, remember growing up & you were taught to yank your arm up & down when passing an 18-wheeler to get them to reach up & pull that string to blow their loud air horn? Well, I got my first one of those last week. I glanced over to my left while driving & this young man was cranking his little arm really hard for me to do that. Well, the trucking industry is trying to phase those out because they are too loud & scare drivers so ours is just a button on the steering wheel & it doesn’t sound like much more than a regular horn. I am training in a 2013 International. I hit that little button & made him smile, but sure wish that I could have pulled that string & really surprised him. Still brought back good memories of being that little boy a long time ago…lol.

Now for the second part, I was driving up 55 North in Missouri heading to Chicago last night, I glanced over to my left & there was this mini-van riding right beside us. This big ole girl in the passenger seat had her left leg thrown up on the dashboard & had her big ole boobs flipped out & was just a smiling at me. Have heard about this, but this was my first time to experience it since I have been out. Nice little surprise while driving down the road. I have also heard all the stories about the ladies (basically hookers) at the truck stops taking advantage of the lonely truck drivers at the truck stops. They call them “lot lizards”. I have yet to see one of them yet. I’m sure as hell not gonna mess with one, but would be neat to just see one walking around the lot just to see what really goes on & to say that I have seen it. Gonna leave you all with a shot of the freeway we went under while cruising through Atlanta. Til next time peeps…

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Pretty Places

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When I first started out on this job there were a bunch of states that I hadn’t been to before. Now, I only have about 9 left to see. I know some of these won’t be a big deal to some of you because you may have been there, are from there, or live there now, but I just wanted to list a few that I thought were really pretty. My first week out we were up in the North East. Virginia & Pennsylvania were really nice driving around & through the mountains & hills (although kinda scary for a first time driver in a heavy ass truck). Really pretty colors in the trees & I love seeing all rock walls on the side of the road.

One that really surprised me was Albuquerque New Mexico. Not many trees or much grass, but all the rocks & stuff were really sharp. Back home where I’m from in between the interstate we have just boring grass. Here it was all decorated with different colored gravel in patterns & trees & plants. There were even guys out there raking the gravel in certain areas to keep it clean looking. Really cool to look at while you are driving.

The next two spots that just blew me away. Oregon & Washington. Really scary turns, hills, & downgrades for truckers (can especially see during winter time), but man what beautiful stuff to look at. Mountains covered in trees, rock, snow & amazing clearwater streams & rivers running all around you. I’m a huge fan of any kind of water feature. So beautiful & relaxing to me. Hell, I wouldn’t even mind retiring up there somewhere. If you get a chance, maybe plan your next vacation to one of these spots instead of the same ole one you always do (growing up we went to Destin Florida every single year). Gonna leave you with a shot of one of the rivers beside the road in Washington. Til next time peeps…

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Floating The Gears

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Ok, most of you have driven a stick shift before or at least have tried. I have been driving them all my life (driving life anyway). They have been anywhere from 3, 4, & 5 speeds. When I decided to get into this trucking thing, I knew they had alot more gears (8, 10, 13, 18), but had no idea about the “double clutching”. In your car you push in the clutch once & switch from one gear to another….easy huh? Well, in these trucks….you have to push it in twice between each gear. Yep, you push it in once & go to neutral, then quickly push it again to go on to the next gear. That is how the instructors in that school taught us. They also said that once we get out & get a job on our own we could “float” the gears, but they said they couldn’t tell us what it was or how to do it. They had to train us the right way. The clutches in your cars are synchronized, so pushing the clutch in once lets you shift. These big trucks have so much torque (power for pulling the heavy loads) you have to synchronize the clutch manually….that’s where the double clutching comes in. You have to get the RPM’s right & match it with a certain speed or your gonna grind them ( I’m sure some of you have done that in your cars).

The first night that I went out for training, my trainer asked me if I was gonna “double clutch” or “float”. I said “double clutch” because that is how I was taught (had never even been in one of these trucks before that 1st day of school)….so I had to do it how I was taught. Plus, I told him that I wasn’t sure what “floating” was. Well, the next day he taught it to me……it’s shifting without even using the clutch. (If you don’t have to use the clutch, then why isn’t the damn thing an automatic huh)? This is where you really have to match the RPM’s & speed or it won’t work. I had some trouble with it that first day, but have it down now. I felt really weird moving my arm & not my leg at the same time. It really does save your leg since you don’t have to push that heavy clutch pedal twice with each shift. It was really hard on me since my little ass only weighs 160 lbs. Anyway, just wanted to tease you all with a little of what goes on in this trucking world that I have thrown myself into. Gonna leave you a shot of the shifter that is in this truck I am training in. Til next time peeps…

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Training Is Coming To An End

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Well, week 3 of my training is almost over. I have learned so much & getting better at backing all the time. You all should try to back a 53 ft trailer in between 2 other trucks at a truck stop…lol. I should be done by the middle or end of next week & get to come home for a few days to be with my family. Then I will get my own truck & be on my own….can’t wait. All my sacrifice, commitment, & hard work is about to start paying off. We have been almost 10,000 miles in 2 & half weeks & have seen (or been through) 12 states that I have never seen before. I am in the refrigerated division (reefer trailer) side of the company so we get to haul all the temperature sensitive stuff. You never know what in the world you are gonna carry next. We have hauled….ice cream, beer, candy bars, seafood, & now a load of french fries. That’s just a few of the things. It’s so funny when talking to my wife & saying “Guess what I’m hauling today”? Well, I’m gonna go for now so I can deliver these fries to Wisconsin (another state I haven’t been to). Gonna leave you with a shot of an old barn that was in South Dakota. Til next time peeps…

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Hello Everybody, I’m Back

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How has everybody been? I sure have missed you all. I’m sorry for the long time away. Since we last spoke, I have made a big change in my life & figured that I would have alot more to write about. I took out everything from the past except my “blog roll” that holds the keys to all the blogs for the great people I met along the way before. I wanted to start fresh & also have a new look (it was sure time for that).

Anyway, I got fed up with working hard for people or companies for crappy pay & that didn’t appreciate me or treat me right. I also was tired of not being able to provide for my family better. I started trying to figure out what I thought I would enjoy & that didn’t have people or bosses breathing down my damn neck all day & treating me wrong. I saw a commercial for a school over one weekend & talked to my wife about it. I gave my job a one week notice (the last week of March) & began school on April the 1st to become a truck driver. The school was 11 hours a day for 3 weeks. I graduated on April the 19th with a final grade of 98. There was alot more to it than I thought & it was really tough (especially for somebody that hasn’t been in school or had to study in 25 years). The bigger trucking companies came to the school each week to try & recruit us students. I narrowed it down to one out of the four that pre-hired me & have now been on the road with a trainer for 2 weeks & 2 days. After about 4 weeks if the trainer decides I am ready, I get to go back home & I get my own truck to start this on my own. It has been tough being away from my family this long, but it will be better for them in the long run. Once on my own I will be home more anyway. So far I love it (except missing them), but it has been tough. There is so much more to it than you can imagine. You are not just out there driving a truck. So much more & alot to remember & keep up with.

I decided to come back to you all in this new direction because I am sure I will have all kinds of stories from the road. Also, you all know about my photography stuff & I am getting great shots. Will try to add a new one to each post for you all to enjoy. I will be able to show you places that you might not get to see. I have already been to so many states that I have never been to.

Well, that’s enough to get this new adventure kicked off & plus I drove right at 600 miles today & am worn out. Hope you all come back & I hope to bring in some new friends as well. I also re-did my “About” page if you want to take a look. Here is a shot I got at a truck stop in Washington. Til next time peeps…

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