Holiday Update...............

I’ve been out here now for approximately 37 days.  I need to complete 275 hours of driving time to continue to the next step of getting my own truck.  I have 79.25 hours to go.  If I’m lucky, should have them completed by December 6^th.  Then I will have to test out, hopefully not more than a couple of days, be issued my truck, and complete my first week alone.  That will earn me my bonus pay and I should be able to be home for Christmas.  Seems like I have been out here a lot longer!

My new Trainer (Tiny) has been great.  He’s an owner operator and likes to run his truck hard and be home every other weekend.  I have met his family and spent the Thanksgiving Holiday with them.  We relaxed, ate Turkey, played Texas Hold’em, and watched Dallas Cowboys pull out a sqeaker.  Tiny has taught me a lot and given me great information.  He seems to think I’m doing pretty good, although he cringes every time I miss a gear.  However, I will blame a portion of that on him, because he wants me to float the gears, which is shifting without utilizing the clutch.  Not an easy task!

I try to speak with Valerie (Wife) …………… (My Wife) …………. as often as possible.  Sometimes just listen to her mumble as she is doing her business, but it makes me feel connected to her and the family.  We are checking into a good Truck GPS system to assist me in finding my way around, so if anyone has some information that will help us, pass it on soon.  If my memory serves me, the one were looking at is a 5 inch “Garmin” with lifetime updates of traffic and maps for $288.00.  Also looking at a T-Mobile Springboard Pad or Galaxy Tab Pad, both with unlimited mobile internet.

Well, first paragraph update, 11/26/2011, they gave our load away to someone else 5 minutes before we got there and yes we were on time.  Sat there for 3½ hours, then went back to Tiny’s house for the night, spent the evening helping them set up their Christmas decorations in the front yard.  It was the coldest night of the year with high winds and I’m pretty sure my “A**” froze.  Sunday 11/27/2011, we have a load but it won’t be ready until 6:00 pm.  So I was able to finish my blog update!!!!  This however sets my finish training date forward until about Dec 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th……………!  Oh well!  Love and miss everyone especially my bed ………….. My wife was a given.   Happy Holidays and wish me luck.  Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Lost My Trainer after just 2 weeks...................

No!  I didn't run over him ................... although there were times ................ he hadn't been home for a few months, so was taking some time off to be with his wife, children, friends and beer.  He did act a bit friendlier the last couple of days and tried to give me as much information as he could.  So he dropped me at the terminal in Phoenix, AZ, they put me up in a hotel (La Quinta) while they figure out who will be my next trainer.  Went to bed early, and spent the next day checking out Phoenix, utilizing the bus system and my own two legs, walked about 7 miles total.  Looked for a game pad for my laptop, so I could do some gaming while sitting on my laurels.  Found a decent one and started looking for a game to play, selected "Duke Nukem" and "Prince of Persia Forever".  What I found out was that I need a new laptop if I want to do any gaming on the road.  So all you rich readers out there, Christmas is just around the corner and computer gaming requires, fast processing speeds and high capacity memory video cards.  I'll probably just get my other Playstation2 from home and bring it on the road, besides I already have lots of games for it.  Or maybe my Game Cube which nobody uses.  Better yet both.  Yaaaaaaa BOTH!

So the next day, Friday 11/04/2011 10:00 am, thought I was going to have another day to explore and return the items that I no longer require.  However, got a phone call, seemed urgent, said, pack, get down to the lobby, check out, sending terminal van to pick you up immediately ..................... I thought "ALRIGHT THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO SEE ME" ....................... My skills and expertise are needed "NOW"!  In record speed, threw everthing in a bag or trash can, checked out, ready, there's the van, in I go.  Arrive at the terminal, circle around to the back, what "No Air Force One".  Pull up to 2 Impala XLT's with a group of 6 men of varing sizes and backgrounds.  Their putting together another "A Team", coming back to reality after my previous disappointment I figured I should wait and find out exactly what's going on.  Approached the group, as one asked "You David?", yes, put your stuff in the back seat of that car and get in the back seat of the other.  Stowed my stuff and climbed in the back seat and buckled up.  Big guy, 6'1" 400 lbs, approached the drivers side and began moving the automatic seat back, when it got to my knees, I said "that's it!", he bent down and with a slight grin, said "sorry", and kept moving the seat back, finally my knees popped apart as the seat moved back until it got within 4 inches of my seat.  Two of the other guys got into the passenger side and the big guy squeezed into the drivers seat.  Trying to be positive, I asked "Anybody know where were going?", Yaaaa ...................... Dallas, TX, should be there in about 17 hours.  Again I won't go into the very boring details of the trip, these few words should describe it appropriately - Cramped, Long, Trying to Sleep, Cussing, Stinky and Crying!  Lots of Crying!

This is where I've been.......so far....

Don't really have internet access as readily available as I would like, so for the time being the Blog additions will be spaced significantly apart.  I'll be looking into a good mobile hotspot service for the road, hopefully I can find one with unlimited data for a reasonable cost.

So as to where I've been, hold on to your hats and put your coats on, because I'm going to take you on a coaster ride that spans half the distance across the United states and back again and just a little bit more!  As I had said before, started in the city of Fontana in So. California on Friday October 21, 2011, we then went through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and ended up in Joplin Missouri.  There were some stops in between, but I won't give to much detail, I wouldn't call it that interesting.  However, if you need a decent cup of coffee and like it strong, truck stop coffee is pretty good, not in the restaurants in the snack stores (7-11 style).  I get the excessively bold!  Well back to the road!  Rough estimate of miles driven so far is 1,720 mi @ an average speed of 50 mph.  Hold on here comes the return loop with a slight variation, left Joplin Missouri, to Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, steered upwards to Sacremento California.  Now add 1,870 mi.  Finally went over Donnor's Pass to Nevada into Salt Lake City Utah for an additional 653 mi.  Grand total 4,243 miles.

Sometimes, I drove for 10 hours straight, with no food stop, bathroom stop or stretch break.  Now that's a long distance to travel in nine days.  What's weirder is we did a lot of sitting around doing nothing except waiting.  Well my batteries about to die, so I'll leave you all now and hope to be back soon!  Love to all family and friends and I'll type you later!

Driving Day 4.........

Hello from the road,

I titled this Driving Day 4, but that's a little misleading.  It should probably be called sitting on my @$$ Day 4.  I drove for about 7 hours on Friday, as a trainee I am not allowed to drive between the hours of 12:00am and 6:00am, so went to sleep in the truck at a truck stop.  The Trainer got us going again around 5:00am to El Paso, TX with our load of beer.  In the 1920's I would have been called a bootlegger, haha!  We arrived about 8:30am at the location, then waited in line while the six trucks in front of us were unloaded.  Two hours later, we were next and there was a line of trucks behind that was beginning to impede traffic.  I guess they saw the problem and began moving us and the line in and out so fast that there was only 2 trucks left in line when we left.  Wish they had been moving that fast when we were at the back of the line.

Took our now empty trailer down the road a bit, dropped it at a yard and picked up another trailer with a load of Air Filters bound for Detroit, MI.  I typed that fast Huh, I could have typed that last sentence 2 million times in the time it took to actually do it.  Seems that Truck Driving has the same motto as the Military Service, HURRY UP THEN WAIT.  Finally got going again, I forget what time I got in the drivers seat, I think it was about 2:30pm, drove for a little more than 9 hours.  Trainer was dead tired from lack of sleep, wouldn't want his job, makes more money than a regular solo company driver, but less than a team company driver.  To me has alot more self inflicted stress!  Stopped at a Truck Stop for the night and then headed out again.  Trainer started driving, we went directly to refuel, certain stations give patrons amenities like showers if you buy their fuel.  However, every other truck driver knows that too.  So sat again, for again about 2 hours, now I'm all clean and ready to move this load down the road.

The Trainer got us going, 2 minutes later were pulled over due to a check engine light, that from my understanding, has been an on going problem for a few days now.  So this is Sunday, guess what's open on Sunday's in Oklahoma City, not Truck repair stations.  So to make a long boring story short, stayed the night in the truck at a truck stop, Monday, repair station says, although they haven't looked at it, that they have to keep the truck over night, so here I sit in a Starbucks, drinking coffee and blogging, with my bags in a hotel room with my Trainer.  Me, I went exploring on foot, had a good lunch at a Mexican fast food restaurant (Good Burrito), plan on leaving Starbucks in a minute to go over to the happiest place in Oklahoma "Walmart", then treat myself to nice steak dinner.  Darn, I wish I could drink, but not while training, it's going to be a long 6 to 8 weeks!  Wish me luck!

Driving Day 1.......

Hello All,

Trainer arrived late Thursday night October 20th, 2011, introduced himself (I would introduce you, but don't think he would appreciate it), so I'll refer to him as the "Trainer", when I get to know him better, maybe I'll consider letting him in on the "TruckExplorer" Blog.  We slept in the truck and left first thing in the morning.  He drove, I sat in the passenger seat, I will tell you he's a big guy, 6'7", next to him feeling all nervous and excited, I went from 54 to 15 years old.  It was so weird I almost bust out laughing.

He drove for a while, I truly lost all track of time and couldn't even tell you where I was for sure.  I believe he drove until we got out of California, "Oh Ya", I was picked up in Fontana California.  Well somewhere in Arizona, I was given the reigns of this "Giant Beast".  I say "Giant Beast" because I learned how to drive, manuever, these big trucks in a much smaller truck to get my CDL (Commercial Drivers License).  My experience had been in a day cab (truck is shorter and no sleeper area) with a 22' trailer.  The "Giant Beast" is a full sized truck with sleeper and a 53' trailer.  That's more than twice as long.  Well I'll tell you, that was something, grinding gears getting up to speed, "No Really", Grinding gears, bouncing all over the place thought it was going to fall apart.  Finally got it going and started cruising down the road.  1 hour, just 1 hour into driving, had to pull into a DOT inspection station.  Well they asked for some information, one of which was the "Proof of Insurance".  Guess who got a ticket for "No Proof of Insurance", ours expired August 2011.  We were insured, just no current proof.  Now is that "$%&*^#@*(&*)" or what?

That should give everyone a chuckle, I giggled a bit myself.  Well that's all for now, I'll post another in a few minutes, I have some time to get caught up.  I'll tell you why in the next blog, kind of like watching a cliff hanger television show without all the commercials ................... or pictures ................. and you have to read it yourself!  Please post any comments using the Anonymous option if you don't know how to use the URL or whatever that is option.  I couldn't figure it out either!

Just Starting Out

Hello Interested Readers,

     Today I start training for my career as a Big Rig Truck Driver.  I'm older than alot of you, and younger than some of you, but decided it was time to change professions, not completely of my own volition.  My previous profession was in accounting, not a CPA, just someone who likes the numbers to be correct and the information easy to find when being audited.  I didn't go to college till my late 40's and only completed city college, but I did manage to receive AA's in both Management and Accounting.  Unfortunately finding a job now has become more challenging than expected, my age seems to be a factor, even though all these businesses say it's not.  But why wouldn't a business prefer to have an experienced person with an excellent work history of 7 to 10 years per employer, in excellent health and expects to be able to work for another 15 to 20 years?  Instead they go for younger, inexperienced individual who will probably leave within 3 years.  Just doesn't make any sense to me, but then young people need job's too!

     So that is why today I am waiting in a hotel room, having completed my orientation, and ready to be assigned a trainer.  Actually the trainer has already been assigned, waiting for him to arrive from Sacramento.  Training in the actual truck will be for 6 to 8 weeks, barring any family, physical or learning problems.  I would then be authorized and issued a truck.  I'm looking forward to this new adventure and plan on documenting it here in this blog.  I will post pictures, observations, and general information that I deem interesting.  I will answer all questions to the best of my ability and hope family, friends and interested parties will visit often, click on links, and enjoy the ramblings of an old man on the road!