The title of this blog was seen just a few days ago on a guy's shirt at a Victorville, California truck stop. Boy, have I learned in just the thirteen days I've been on the road how true that is! There's so much to learn and so much to do. I'm being worked to the max right now as I learn the ropes of my new job with my 'mentor" instructor. It's been a constant go, go, go with my trainer who pauses to take no casualties. "Keep it moving" is his motto. He makes no money sitting idle!
So far in our travels we've spanned nearly 10,000 miles. Hard to believe. I never expected to travel so far in so short a time. It's pretty much eight to ten hours of driving and then ten hours of sleep only to repeat the process over and over again. One guy drives as the other sleeps. I've lost control over my life for the next several weeks, with not much of a social life these days, but it's worth the temporary sacrifice as my instructor tells me I'm ready to go "solo." He's confident I can handle the job alone but the company requires I remain in training for a total of 42 dispatched days. Just 29 more left to go.
It's been difficult to keep track of time and even to remember where we originated our loads. Was it early this morning, last night or days before? Is it Tuesday or Wednesday? I've resorted to keeping a written record of our loads, dates, origins and destinations, least I forget. I've been traveling America but in reality seeing only portions of it along the way. I slept as we passed through Council Bluffs and Omaha as just one example. This will change when I get my own truck.
Something I've grown to enjoy is the shortest routing which takes us off the regularly travelled Interstates. You know the type -- those two lane highways that join the small towns and communities you otherwise would never see. The kinds you see in the movies. It's just as the song says, "Get your kicks along Route 66."
In just the last few days we've been as far east as St. Paul, Minnesota (for a second time), including Chicago, Indiana and everywhere in-between. Two new states added to my discovery were Nebraska and Iowa. Among the highlights was our travel past Clear Lake, Iowa. I remembered it as the location where in 1959 singers Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens performed their last concert. Shortly afterwards their plane, taking off from the local airport, crashed killing all aboard. There are of course no signs along the roadway, that mention it's notoriety, but apparently there is a monument marking the crash site.
Since last Saturday, in addition to our trip back to Minnesota, we've been through towns like Cheyenne, Wyoming, Las Vegas, Des Moines, Iowa, Rialto and Santa Ana, California, as well as Salt Lake City and Seattle earlier today. It's been a long time since I've been to Vegas and I was amazed at the beautiful, huge and opulent hotels that have sprung up within feet of Interstate 15. Certainly an escape from the realities of life, to say the least.
Tomorrow we head out to St. Paul once again! The area reminds me a lot of western Washington. Lots of trees! My mentor says that last February it got down to 30 degrees below zero there. Thank the Lord it's nearly June.
Washington and other nearby states could learn a lot from the Rest Areas in North Dakota and Minnesota. Their settings are noteworthy, their buildings are stone and beautiful, and some of the hand blow-dryers operate at warp speed.
So far we've hauled facial tissue, paper towels, 4500 lb rolls of paper as well as empty tin cans out of Owatonna, Minnesota. There were 172,800 of them to be exact weighing nearly 19,000 lbs. In Salt Lake we picked up a 30,700 lb load of various detergent soaps and took it to southern California. Interesting to see a huge warehouse that deals exclusively in soaps, and the smell was aromatic to say the least! Eventually we made our way to Henderson, Nevada (outside Las Vegas) where we picked up our heaviest load to date. Just over 45,000 lbs of Ocean Spray products (Cranberry Juice etc.) to Associated Grocers in Seattle.
I'm back in my temporary home of Lewiston, Idaho for just one night, then we're back on the road tomorrow morning. I decided to treat myself to a motel room for the evening since it's the first time I've slept outside the truck in nearly two weeks. Even made a trip to McDonald's! It gets a little too cozy over time when you're sharing small quarters with another guy. But he's a good cook and has a lot of knowledge and old-fashioned "know-how" to share.
'Til we "talk" again, thanks as always for stopping by. And the next time you curse that 18-wheeler that stands before you, remember that everything you own got to you via truck.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Best Sign Seen
As you can tell I haven’t had a lot of time to correspond via the Internet. Save a few minutes at a small Truck Stop with free Wi-Fi in Montana I’ve had no way, nor really the time, to post anything. I’m not sure that this will change very much while on the road with my mentor for the remaining five weeks. But after a five-day, 4400 mile round trip to Chicago and Terre Haute, Indiana I’m back in Lewiston, Idaho having returned at 5:00 this morning. We’ll have a couple of days off until we hit the road again on Saturday morning. Time to get better organized, a haircut, and do my laundry etc.
It’s been a whirlwind experience to say the least, and I’ve learned a lot on this first trip. Except for once again having to learn a new shifting technique, driving this monster truck has been fairly easy-going. To give you an idea just how big these trucks are, I can walk beneath the side view mirror, with the bottom just barely clearing my head, and I’m 6’ 1“ tall!
My mentor tells me I am the best student driver he’s had, due in no small measure to my experience driving transit buses both on the freeways and streets of Seattle. It's just as I told him, "I'm a driving fool!" He was actually able to go to sleep and leave me on my own while I put in my time behind the wheel our first night out.
So far, in the past five days I’ve logged 45 1/2 hours of driving time covering, behind the wheel, a distance of 2413 miles. Along the way I’ve seen three states I’ve never visited before (North Dakota, Minnesota & Wisconsin). In addition I've revisited several I hadn’t seen for more than 20 years, reminding me of my days in the Air Force and later in television. We ventured past places like Missoula and Billings, Montana then on to Bismark and Fargo, North Dakota with St. Cloud and St. Paul, Minnesota not far beyond. We then made our way through La Crosse and Madison, Wisconsin. Eventually we reached Rockford and later Chicago, Illinois arriving there at noon on Monday. After dropping off our load, originating right here in Lewiston, we ventured further south through Kankakee and Danville, Illinois (the boyhood home of comediene Dick Van Dyke), and finally crossing into Indiana bypassing Indianapolis and then on to Greensburg and Terra Haute. While passing through Illinois we saw a sudden but brief change in the weather. There was heavy swirling winds and near zero visibility that made us wonder whether there was a tornado close-by. Then in Indiana we saw the aftermath of an accident involving a semi truck that rear-ended another losing it’s load along the roadside.
I’ve learned I have a lot to learn when it comes to ”real-world“ backing up into docks, especially when you have to back between two other trailers with less than two feet to spare on both sides! Not only that a real trucker, I’ve found out, can back up bending either to his ”sighted“ (or drivers) side or on the opposite ”blind side“ No Way! Not ”yet“ for me anyway.
Now that I’m back in Lewiston I’ll be staying in the truck where I'll wile away my time and spend my nights sleeping in the upper bunk. My mentor has gone home, some 45 minutes away, and has left the truck here at the Lewiston terminal so I’ll have a place in air conditioned comfort to stay. Better rest and catch up for the week ahead! No idea where we’ll be going but as a dedicated driver it’s likely we’ll be making similar trips to the same areas over the next five more weeks.
Finally, the best sign seen on this trip ... ”Rattlesnakes Observed in Area. Please Stay on Sidewalks“ (At a rest area in North Dakota)
It’s been a whirlwind experience to say the least, and I’ve learned a lot on this first trip. Except for once again having to learn a new shifting technique, driving this monster truck has been fairly easy-going. To give you an idea just how big these trucks are, I can walk beneath the side view mirror, with the bottom just barely clearing my head, and I’m 6’ 1“ tall!
My mentor tells me I am the best student driver he’s had, due in no small measure to my experience driving transit buses both on the freeways and streets of Seattle. It's just as I told him, "I'm a driving fool!" He was actually able to go to sleep and leave me on my own while I put in my time behind the wheel our first night out.
So far, in the past five days I’ve logged 45 1/2 hours of driving time covering, behind the wheel, a distance of 2413 miles. Along the way I’ve seen three states I’ve never visited before (North Dakota, Minnesota & Wisconsin). In addition I've revisited several I hadn’t seen for more than 20 years, reminding me of my days in the Air Force and later in television. We ventured past places like Missoula and Billings, Montana then on to Bismark and Fargo, North Dakota with St. Cloud and St. Paul, Minnesota not far beyond. We then made our way through La Crosse and Madison, Wisconsin. Eventually we reached Rockford and later Chicago, Illinois arriving there at noon on Monday. After dropping off our load, originating right here in Lewiston, we ventured further south through Kankakee and Danville, Illinois (the boyhood home of comediene Dick Van Dyke), and finally crossing into Indiana bypassing Indianapolis and then on to Greensburg and Terra Haute. While passing through Illinois we saw a sudden but brief change in the weather. There was heavy swirling winds and near zero visibility that made us wonder whether there was a tornado close-by. Then in Indiana we saw the aftermath of an accident involving a semi truck that rear-ended another losing it’s load along the roadside.
I’ve learned I have a lot to learn when it comes to ”real-world“ backing up into docks, especially when you have to back between two other trailers with less than two feet to spare on both sides! Not only that a real trucker, I’ve found out, can back up bending either to his ”sighted“ (or drivers) side or on the opposite ”blind side“ No Way! Not ”yet“ for me anyway.
Now that I’m back in Lewiston I’ll be staying in the truck where I'll wile away my time and spend my nights sleeping in the upper bunk. My mentor has gone home, some 45 minutes away, and has left the truck here at the Lewiston terminal so I’ll have a place in air conditioned comfort to stay. Better rest and catch up for the week ahead! No idea where we’ll be going but as a dedicated driver it’s likely we’ll be making similar trips to the same areas over the next five more weeks.
Finally, the best sign seen on this trip ... ”Rattlesnakes Observed in Area. Please Stay on Sidewalks“ (At a rest area in North Dakota)
Monday, May 14, 2007
Tissue Anyone?
Worden, Montana - It really is “Big Sky Country” out here. Some 634 miles out of Lewiston we’re now about 25 miles east of Billings. I’m writing this on my laptop for posting later. The North Dakota border is a little more than 200 miles ahead along I-94 and via Miles City and Glendive, Mt. We’ve just spent the night in the dusty parking lot of a small “bar and Casino” but the accommodations in the truck are good.
Our plans have changed some. Instead of going to St. Paul Minnesota our destination is Ellwood, Illinois located just south of Jake and Elwood Blues’ hometown of Joliet, in the Chicago suburbs. After dropping our trailer there we’ll head to Indiana where we’ll pick up another trailer in Greensburg, 40 miles south of Indianapolis along Interstate 74. We’ll cross the state westward and pick up an additional load in Terre Haute and then head back to Lewiston.
I drove 519 miles from 2:00 yesterday afternoon until 11:45 last night. A lot more than I had anticpated based on what we were told in Orientation, but I’m not complaining. I was ready for the task. Frankly, driving this truck with it’s 20,000 pounds of cargo, and a total gross weight of about 57,000 lbs. isn’t much different than driving those heavy tunnel buses, I grew accustomed to, that are part of the transit system in Seattle. In fact the buses weigh more, but these 18-wheelers are much more top-heavy causing one to have to exercise more caution.
I’ll refer to my mentor as “D” to protect his privacy. He and I get along well and he is pleased with my ability to handle his truck. We spent a lot of time just visiting and talking about some of life’s past experiences. I have quickly learned that some of what we’ve learned at the Academy and in Orientation doesn’t apply when you’re out here in the “real world.” But all the basics are there. I’ve had to relearn shifting technique due to this being different and newer equipment. The RPM’s and shifting ranges are a bit different and my mentor has me shifting through the eight gears with less useage of the clutch that I’m used to. It makes it a bit easier than what I had learned previously, but my shifts have been rough as I acclimate myself to the characteristics of this Kenworth truck. The truck has less than 78,000 miles on it and it’s big, roomy and purple! The bunk I sleep in is roomy and allows space for even some of my carry-on bags. “D” leases this truck at a cost of more than $2000 a month, but still is able to make a very good living. The truck is a 2007 Kenworth T-2000 and has most of the luxuries of home. It has plenty of storage space, (See photo above) including a small wardrobe closet, several drawers, lots of cubby-holes for miscellaneous, as well as a pull-out small table for preparing meals etc. It includes a great stereo system that pumps music etc. throughout the cabin, including separate controls at the bunks. There's a place for a small television with DVD player but my mentor has reserved that space for some of my belongings.
By-the-way, our first load in this my new career? More than 1600 cases of facial tissue! But hey, we’re what keep’s America in business!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Countdown to Zero Hour!
I've spoken to my mentor driver on the phone several times over the last two days. He called me again early this afternoon to confirm that we would be picking up a load from the Potlatch plant here in Lewiston tomorrow morning and making a trip straight to St. Paul, Minnesota. I'll meet him at 8 a.m. Zero Hour! Hee Haw!!! Where the heck is Minnesota??
Per MapQuest I find that this first trip will be a little more than 1400 miles intersecting four states via the northern plains. Nearly 350 miles of it will be travelled on I-90 through Montana, with 825 miles along I-94 through North Dakota and into Minnesota. By car it's estimated to take a little more than 21 hours of driving time.
Within minutes after posting my last blog I received a call from a woman at our Lewiston Terminal. Her task was to coordinate the myriad paperwork, checks and processes leading to final confirmation that I'd been hired. She said she needed me to sign a few papers. Turns out when I got there I find that my Driver Code was issued late the afternoon before making me an official employee of Swift Transportation. I was relieved knowing that i could make definite plans now to be on the road with my mentor this weekend.
My mentor it turns out drives a dark-purple Kenworth Tractor that I've recently seen parked here at the Terminal. Very, very nice! From what I understand it's a newer model. One of my priorities is to buy a new digital camera so I can better document my travels, but it'll probably be a couple of weeks before I'll be able to do that and post them on this site and possibly elsewhere. By-the-way, for those of us familiar with the Seattle area, Kenworth trucks are built at a plant in nearby Renton with their headquarters in Kirkland. Seattle's PACCAR is the parent company which also builds Peterbilt trucks. Kenworth and "Pete's" are considered by many to be among the cream of the crop in the trucking industry.
So the next 18 hours will be among my last here in Lewiston, at least for a while. I started out just over a month ago arriving here on April 10th not knowing for sure what to expect but confident, based on similar life experiences, that all would be well. I'd hoped it would be smooth sailing to this point and for the most part it has been, with just a few bumps along the way, both literally and figuratively!
I'm excited to be finally hitting the road for some "real world" experience. I've received rave reviews regarding my mentor and I know I'll learn a lot under his guidance. There's no doubt about it, there's a lot yet to learn in these next six weeks, things they can't possibly teach you in school. In fact I've heard it repeatedly said that you never stop learning and growing in this business, no matter how long you've been on the road.
I hope you'll continue to check in regularly and follow along as my adventure continues. I'm not sure what to expect regarding my access to the Internet while on the road. I know many truck stops offer wireless Internet service for a one-time or even monthly fee. Depending on the regularity of that access I'll try to continue posting entries at least every few days. Regardless, I'll be thinking of all of my friends and family and looking forward to seeing all of you again, and some of the new ones I'll meet and make along the way.
It's a huge lifestyle change for me, that's for sure. But those of you that know me best know that it's a lifestyle, in many ways, that I've grown accustomed to over the last few years. It's amazing the changes and circumstances that have brought me to this point in my life. Who would have thought, just a short time ago, that I'd be doing this? But with me, what in my life has ever happened, according to plan? Not much to tell you the truth!
I often think of my father, who I never knew. I've been blessed to live 23 years longer now than he. That's a long time! There are others who i came to love, but who were taken from us far too early in their lives as well. I often wonder, why have I been so lucky? So, I often remind myself to be grateful for every day, every minute that I'm allowed to live on, regardless my circumstances.
It's just as singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett has expressed in one of his songs, and something I've shared in other places: "Some of its magic and some of its tragic, but I've had a good life all the way." So, why I ask, should the future be any different?
Per MapQuest I find that this first trip will be a little more than 1400 miles intersecting four states via the northern plains. Nearly 350 miles of it will be travelled on I-90 through Montana, with 825 miles along I-94 through North Dakota and into Minnesota. By car it's estimated to take a little more than 21 hours of driving time.
Within minutes after posting my last blog I received a call from a woman at our Lewiston Terminal. Her task was to coordinate the myriad paperwork, checks and processes leading to final confirmation that I'd been hired. She said she needed me to sign a few papers. Turns out when I got there I find that my Driver Code was issued late the afternoon before making me an official employee of Swift Transportation. I was relieved knowing that i could make definite plans now to be on the road with my mentor this weekend.
My mentor it turns out drives a dark-purple Kenworth Tractor that I've recently seen parked here at the Terminal. Very, very nice! From what I understand it's a newer model. One of my priorities is to buy a new digital camera so I can better document my travels, but it'll probably be a couple of weeks before I'll be able to do that and post them on this site and possibly elsewhere. By-the-way, for those of us familiar with the Seattle area, Kenworth trucks are built at a plant in nearby Renton with their headquarters in Kirkland. Seattle's PACCAR is the parent company which also builds Peterbilt trucks. Kenworth and "Pete's" are considered by many to be among the cream of the crop in the trucking industry.
So the next 18 hours will be among my last here in Lewiston, at least for a while. I started out just over a month ago arriving here on April 10th not knowing for sure what to expect but confident, based on similar life experiences, that all would be well. I'd hoped it would be smooth sailing to this point and for the most part it has been, with just a few bumps along the way, both literally and figuratively!
I'm excited to be finally hitting the road for some "real world" experience. I've received rave reviews regarding my mentor and I know I'll learn a lot under his guidance. There's no doubt about it, there's a lot yet to learn in these next six weeks, things they can't possibly teach you in school. In fact I've heard it repeatedly said that you never stop learning and growing in this business, no matter how long you've been on the road.
I hope you'll continue to check in regularly and follow along as my adventure continues. I'm not sure what to expect regarding my access to the Internet while on the road. I know many truck stops offer wireless Internet service for a one-time or even monthly fee. Depending on the regularity of that access I'll try to continue posting entries at least every few days. Regardless, I'll be thinking of all of my friends and family and looking forward to seeing all of you again, and some of the new ones I'll meet and make along the way.
It's a huge lifestyle change for me, that's for sure. But those of you that know me best know that it's a lifestyle, in many ways, that I've grown accustomed to over the last few years. It's amazing the changes and circumstances that have brought me to this point in my life. Who would have thought, just a short time ago, that I'd be doing this? But with me, what in my life has ever happened, according to plan? Not much to tell you the truth!
I often think of my father, who I never knew. I've been blessed to live 23 years longer now than he. That's a long time! There are others who i came to love, but who were taken from us far too early in their lives as well. I often wonder, why have I been so lucky? So, I often remind myself to be grateful for every day, every minute that I'm allowed to live on, regardless my circumstances.
It's just as singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett has expressed in one of his songs, and something I've shared in other places: "Some of its magic and some of its tragic, but I've had a good life all the way." So, why I ask, should the future be any different?
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Sitting and Waiting
Well here it is Thursday and I've completed all my training. I've got my new Class "A" Commercial Driver's License in hand and I've been through the 2 1/2 day Orientation at Swift. After checking out of my motel room yesterday morning I was checked back in to the same room by early afternoon. Believe me over the last several days I’ve grown quite adept at packing and unpacking my things. A lot of my fellow students have left Lewiston for their homes and should be on the road in an 18-wheeler sometime between tomorrow and Monday. As for me, being low on funds and with all my worldly possessions in storage -- with no home in Yakima to return to -- I chose to stay here and live in the luxury of a local motel paid for by Swift.
There are only a couple of things keeping me from getting my "Driver Code," a six-digit number making me an official employee of the company. One is confirmation of employment at my first job in Yakima and clearing up another "loose end." I'm not worried about either, but it's a bit frustrating especially when the job confirmation issue should have been settled several weeks ago. But that's bureaucracy! Over the years, I've gotten used to it.
Orientation was a breeze! Some of it was a rehash of things we learned while in the Driving Academy. There were 18 of us in attendance. About half-a-dozen from my Academy class and others who are recent graduates of other schools. In addition there were a few seasoned vets of long-haul trucking looking to make a change in employer.
Our last several days were mostly devoted to learning about the company, it's benefits, policies and procedures. One of the more interesting things we reviewed was the Qualcomm Satellite system. It's a small keyboard unit and the link that will keep us in contact with our Driver Manager and other offices within the company. It's amazing to see all the data our supervisors can see about us and our trucks on their computer screens. Just by typing in our truck number they can see our current location, where we're going and where we've been. How many days we have left on the road as well as our average speed and how long our transmissions have been in neutral! If we're pulling a refrigerated trailer they can even monitor it's temperature! There's a lot more but I think you get the point. I'll also be able to send and receive private email with family and friends through the same system, it doesn't matter where I'm located so long as I've got my connection with an overhead satellite.
So here I am, drawn closer still to my ultimate short-term goal of getting assigned my own truck and becoming a "solo" driver. I expect that will occur in late June or early July at the latest. Before that however I'll have to go on the road for 42 "dispatched days" with a "mentor driver." That comes out to be about six weeks.
Mentor drivers are experienced drivers whose job is to train and prepare rookies like me in the rigors and ways of "real world" long-haul trucking. I've only scratched the surface of what I'll need to know while on the road. Mentors get paid handsomely for their sacrifice and deservedly so. I've learned that my mentor is a 60 year old who lives about 45 minutes from Lewiston. I spoke to him on the phone this morning. He's been driving 18-wheelers for 34 years, so I should be in "good hands" as the Allstate Insurance people would say. We'll be on the road beginning this Saturday morning. He does what's called "dedicated runs" for The Potlatch Corporation. An interesting company Potlatch is "a real estate investment trust, or REIT, that owns and manages 1.5 million acres of timberlands." It's probably Lewiston's largest employer with a big manufacturing plant along the banks of the Clearwater River. My mentor said to expect to travel as far east as Chicago as well as St. Paul, Minnesota (where there's a Swift Terminal), Lost Wages, Nevada, Salt Lake City and Spokane, Wa. So that's the game-plan for the near-term. Sounds like fun, especially the Las Vegas part! AND I've never been to Minnesota!
Orientation provided a lot of new information as well as answered a lot of questions while confirming many things I'd heard from other drivers. One of the best things about my job is that I can take my days off anywhere I want! I just have to ask my "Driver Manager" to route me to virtually anywhere in the country! This means I'll be able to visit family and friends and parts of the U.S.A I've never seen before. My Academy roommate and I are already planning to rendezvous at several locations. One of them -- at next year's Daytona 500, the granddaddy of Nascar racing! I'm looking forward too to visiting our Memphis Terminal, which I'm told, is just down the road from Elvis' Graceland. Best of all my transportation is paid for! The only thing I'll really have to fool with is renting a car if need be. And of course I'll have a place to sleep in my truck which will be well accommodated.
In addition to the standard bunk bed, air conditioning, cruise control and other fun gadgets that's found in all Swift trucks, I'll be adding a number of things to make it a more comfortable "home." Among them a CB Radio, a 13" TV/DVD player as well as a small microwave and refrigerator. I'm planning to replace the standard AM/FM/CD in-dash radio with a unit that's iPod and XM Satellite Radio compatible. It'll include a built in Global Positioning Satellite (G.P.S.) system with a pop-out touch-screen video display that controls the iPod, XM Radio and the G.P.S. features. It also has a remote control to page through and select from the various menus. One unit I've been told about is the Pioneer AVIC-N3 Multimedia AV Navigation Receiver. It's loaded and sells for around $1100 discounted. Sounds like a lot but the separate individual components would cost more and it's all in-dash with no unsightly wires. Over the next six weeks I'll be doing more research and of course will be saving my pennies!
One of the first things Swift requires, after I go "solo," is that I attend a "Simulator" course at one of 10 different Swift Terminals around the country. One of them is at the company headquarters in Phoenix. It's a course that only takes a "couple of hours" so the rest of the time, during my two or three days off, I'll visit visit with family and friends there. After "clearing solo status" I have 30 days to attend the class. I'm really looking forward to it, but it will probably be in July ... not the best time to visit the southwest! So let this be notice to all of you in the Phoenix area!
Another great benefit is the ability to take passengers along. Swift has a liberal policy in this regard allowing it's drivers to take anyone over the age of 12. Swift does not limit passengers to immediate family as many companies do. The paperwork is minimal and approval via fax can be accomplished in minutes. So, anyone interested in hitting the road in an 18-wheeler for just a few days, or up to two or three weeks, is welcome to let me know. If you could tag along for a full two weeks we'd be able to visit any part of the country you'd like. Now how fun could that be? Imagine the possibilities!
Well there's plenty more to tell, but it'll have to wait until another day. I'm always willing to answer any questions you might have or will write about something regarding trucking and the industry you might be interested in learning about. Just leave a comment or email me to let me know. While this is a diary for me to chronicle my travels and experiences, I hope it'll be something folks will enjoy periodically checking in to read. To make that experience more interesting I need your input.
As always thanks so much for stopping by!
There are only a couple of things keeping me from getting my "Driver Code," a six-digit number making me an official employee of the company. One is confirmation of employment at my first job in Yakima and clearing up another "loose end." I'm not worried about either, but it's a bit frustrating especially when the job confirmation issue should have been settled several weeks ago. But that's bureaucracy! Over the years, I've gotten used to it.
Orientation was a breeze! Some of it was a rehash of things we learned while in the Driving Academy. There were 18 of us in attendance. About half-a-dozen from my Academy class and others who are recent graduates of other schools. In addition there were a few seasoned vets of long-haul trucking looking to make a change in employer.
Our last several days were mostly devoted to learning about the company, it's benefits, policies and procedures. One of the more interesting things we reviewed was the Qualcomm Satellite system. It's a small keyboard unit and the link that will keep us in contact with our Driver Manager and other offices within the company. It's amazing to see all the data our supervisors can see about us and our trucks on their computer screens. Just by typing in our truck number they can see our current location, where we're going and where we've been. How many days we have left on the road as well as our average speed and how long our transmissions have been in neutral! If we're pulling a refrigerated trailer they can even monitor it's temperature! There's a lot more but I think you get the point. I'll also be able to send and receive private email with family and friends through the same system, it doesn't matter where I'm located so long as I've got my connection with an overhead satellite.
So here I am, drawn closer still to my ultimate short-term goal of getting assigned my own truck and becoming a "solo" driver. I expect that will occur in late June or early July at the latest. Before that however I'll have to go on the road for 42 "dispatched days" with a "mentor driver." That comes out to be about six weeks.
Mentor drivers are experienced drivers whose job is to train and prepare rookies like me in the rigors and ways of "real world" long-haul trucking. I've only scratched the surface of what I'll need to know while on the road. Mentors get paid handsomely for their sacrifice and deservedly so. I've learned that my mentor is a 60 year old who lives about 45 minutes from Lewiston. I spoke to him on the phone this morning. He's been driving 18-wheelers for 34 years, so I should be in "good hands" as the Allstate Insurance people would say. We'll be on the road beginning this Saturday morning. He does what's called "dedicated runs" for The Potlatch Corporation. An interesting company Potlatch is "a real estate investment trust, or REIT, that owns and manages 1.5 million acres of timberlands." It's probably Lewiston's largest employer with a big manufacturing plant along the banks of the Clearwater River. My mentor said to expect to travel as far east as Chicago as well as St. Paul, Minnesota (where there's a Swift Terminal), Lost Wages, Nevada, Salt Lake City and Spokane, Wa. So that's the game-plan for the near-term. Sounds like fun, especially the Las Vegas part! AND I've never been to Minnesota!
Orientation provided a lot of new information as well as answered a lot of questions while confirming many things I'd heard from other drivers. One of the best things about my job is that I can take my days off anywhere I want! I just have to ask my "Driver Manager" to route me to virtually anywhere in the country! This means I'll be able to visit family and friends and parts of the U.S.A I've never seen before. My Academy roommate and I are already planning to rendezvous at several locations. One of them -- at next year's Daytona 500, the granddaddy of Nascar racing! I'm looking forward too to visiting our Memphis Terminal, which I'm told, is just down the road from Elvis' Graceland. Best of all my transportation is paid for! The only thing I'll really have to fool with is renting a car if need be. And of course I'll have a place to sleep in my truck which will be well accommodated.
In addition to the standard bunk bed, air conditioning, cruise control and other fun gadgets that's found in all Swift trucks, I'll be adding a number of things to make it a more comfortable "home." Among them a CB Radio, a 13" TV/DVD player as well as a small microwave and refrigerator. I'm planning to replace the standard AM/FM/CD in-dash radio with a unit that's iPod and XM Satellite Radio compatible. It'll include a built in Global Positioning Satellite (G.P.S.) system with a pop-out touch-screen video display that controls the iPod, XM Radio and the G.P.S. features. It also has a remote control to page through and select from the various menus. One unit I've been told about is the Pioneer AVIC-N3 Multimedia AV Navigation Receiver. It's loaded and sells for around $1100 discounted. Sounds like a lot but the separate individual components would cost more and it's all in-dash with no unsightly wires. Over the next six weeks I'll be doing more research and of course will be saving my pennies!
One of the first things Swift requires, after I go "solo," is that I attend a "Simulator" course at one of 10 different Swift Terminals around the country. One of them is at the company headquarters in Phoenix. It's a course that only takes a "couple of hours" so the rest of the time, during my two or three days off, I'll visit visit with family and friends there. After "clearing solo status" I have 30 days to attend the class. I'm really looking forward to it, but it will probably be in July ... not the best time to visit the southwest! So let this be notice to all of you in the Phoenix area!
Another great benefit is the ability to take passengers along. Swift has a liberal policy in this regard allowing it's drivers to take anyone over the age of 12. Swift does not limit passengers to immediate family as many companies do. The paperwork is minimal and approval via fax can be accomplished in minutes. So, anyone interested in hitting the road in an 18-wheeler for just a few days, or up to two or three weeks, is welcome to let me know. If you could tag along for a full two weeks we'd be able to visit any part of the country you'd like. Now how fun could that be? Imagine the possibilities!
Well there's plenty more to tell, but it'll have to wait until another day. I'm always willing to answer any questions you might have or will write about something regarding trucking and the industry you might be interested in learning about. Just leave a comment or email me to let me know. While this is a diary for me to chronicle my travels and experiences, I hope it'll be something folks will enjoy periodically checking in to read. To make that experience more interesting I need your input.
As always thanks so much for stopping by!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Twenty-Three Days and I Made It!
I'm happy to report that I passed all three phases of my testing with the state examiner today. The Department of Licensing office, just across the Snake River in nearby Clarkston, is closed on Monday but Tuesday I will trade in my Washington State Commercial Driver's License Learning permit for "the real thing;" a new Class "A" C.D.L. I will never again have to take these tests so long as I keep my C.D.L. in force.As I expected the worse part today was actually the 100+ point Pre-Trip inspection. I was nervous at the start and felt like I had missed quite a few things. From the beginning "in-cab inspection" and then struggling to remember the exact "key words" on various components on both the tractor and trailer, I ended up very surprised to find out I missed only 5 items.
After I got out on the road I literally kept repeating to myself "stay calm, have fun, know what gear you're in, watch those downshifts, and don't forget that big trailer behind you." I made some mistakes along the way but was pretty confident when I made my last turn, before returning back to the starting point, that I had made it okay with error points to spare. There was one tight turn made much more difficult by an illegally parked car. I missed second gear on my first left turn (I never do that!), I ground the gears a few times, and allowed the truck to roll back a couple of feet while demonstrating a complete stop and shutdown along the road side on a fairly steep incline.
The only thing left to complete was the "alley docking" and the "straight backing" which, just as I predicted, was pretty easy although the cones and pavement had an entirely different look to them than what I was used to at the Academy Range. I only had two errors against me on the skills part and that was because I had to pull up twice to get my 48 foot trailer backed perfectly into the slot. I never touched a boundary cone and I stopped precisely within the two-foot box in both the straight backing as well as the docking maneuver. As they say, "Miracles never cease to happen!"
To say the least I am so relieved to know that I will be joining my fellow students at the two-and-a-half day Orientation beginning on Monday. I can't even begin to imagine the disappointment I would have felt had I failed today. It would have meant spending another week in the Academy, and having to contend with the continued stress, while my friends moved on. I'm sorry to report that the other Washington student I tested with passed everything except his alley docking test. He's the first to admit that he made a dumb mistake that will cost him at least five additional days at the Academy. He'll be able to retest probably next Wednesday and I'm sure he'll get it right the next go-around. As far as I know he's the only one of my classmates, who were together from start to finish, who failed to advance to Orientation.
I'll be leaving the Super 8 at noon tomorrow for my new classier "digs" near downtown Lewiston. I spoke to someone there on the phone today and asked, since we'll have roommates, if they couldn't team me up with my old roommate that I've spent the last three weeks with. She indicated that it shouldn't be any problem. I'll remind them tomorrow afternoon when I check in. He's at home in Montana and will return Sunday evening.
Will there be any celebrating or wild partying tonight to commemorate this newest accomplishment? Probably not. I'm happy to just "veg" here in my motel room with little else to do over the coming weekend, but bask in the prospects and opportunities that lie ahead.
Thanks again for stopping by and especially to those who have left me comments and messages of inquiry. Have a great weekend. I know I will! Life could be a lot worse!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
A Lonely Motel Room With Just 13 Hours to Go!
I'll try to make this short, but wanted to add an update. It's been a hectic week as I and my Idaho and Washington classmates made final preparations for testing with their states to receive their C.D.L.'s. In fact most of my classmates have already passed their tests in the last couple of days. Among them, my roommate. He, along with the others who have finished their 3 weeks of Academy training, have left the Super 8 to take the next few days off. They'll be back here in Lewiston on Monday to begin Orientation. All those in Orientation stay at a swankier and more conveniently located motel. It's a lonely room here tonight and I miss my new-found friend.
As for myself, I'll finally test tomorrow in Spokane after a couple of delays. The road test and pre-trip are more difficult in Washington than they are in Idaho, but I'm pretty confident I'll pass them both. No matter what, my plan is to have fun tomorrow and just take a leisurely drive through some of the streets of Spokane. The skills test should be a piece of cake.
Two of our five Washington students passed their tests yesterday while one of them, who came from an earlier class and failed the pre-trip the week before, managed to fail again. He'll retest sometime next week and, if he fails a third time, will be sent home without his license. His relationship with Swift will be over. All that remain for testing are myself and another Washington student, a 29 year old married school bus driver from the Seattle area.
We drove the two-and-a-half hour trip to Spokane on Tuesday and again today to familiarize ourselves with the road course. It's the same one we'll be required to demonstrate our driving abilities on. I've driven the route, which takes about 30 minutes, three times in preparation. With my 12+ hours of driving time behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler, totaling more than 300 over-the-road miles, the Academy instructors have done all they can to get me to this point. So it's up to me now when we make what I hope will be one final trip up north tomorrow. We have to be there by 8:00 a.m. and should be back to Lewiston by early afternoon.
Our instruction handbook and workbook says, "Many professional driving students will admit shifting gears looks to be the most difficult of all the new skills they have to learn." I'm no exception and it's been a big concern for me. My road instructor, whose patience matches that of the biblical Job, finally got me to the point today where I could consistently downshift through the eight gears as we made our way from Spokane back to school. It was a sudden and timely revelation after his repeated hammering away at me to understand what turns out to be a rather simple procedure. It's a matter of timing and coordination between watching our tachometers, while slipping the clutch into neutral, then quickly but smoothly raising our engine speed via the accelerator pedal some 400 RPMs. Then, at that precise range, re-engaging the clutch to make the transition.
As I've written before, it's not as I expected. It's nothing like driving your car's manual transmission or even a U-Haul moving van. They say it takes an average of 21 days to break a habit. We did it in just four.
Like my road instructor would say, "This ain't a car son, you're driving a big truck! It says 'Freightliner' right there on the steering wheel!"
Imagine that. Calling me "son!" God bless truck driving instructors.
Wish me luck as the time will pass quickly.
More tomorrow ...
As for myself, I'll finally test tomorrow in Spokane after a couple of delays. The road test and pre-trip are more difficult in Washington than they are in Idaho, but I'm pretty confident I'll pass them both. No matter what, my plan is to have fun tomorrow and just take a leisurely drive through some of the streets of Spokane. The skills test should be a piece of cake.
Two of our five Washington students passed their tests yesterday while one of them, who came from an earlier class and failed the pre-trip the week before, managed to fail again. He'll retest sometime next week and, if he fails a third time, will be sent home without his license. His relationship with Swift will be over. All that remain for testing are myself and another Washington student, a 29 year old married school bus driver from the Seattle area.
We drove the two-and-a-half hour trip to Spokane on Tuesday and again today to familiarize ourselves with the road course. It's the same one we'll be required to demonstrate our driving abilities on. I've driven the route, which takes about 30 minutes, three times in preparation. With my 12+ hours of driving time behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler, totaling more than 300 over-the-road miles, the Academy instructors have done all they can to get me to this point. So it's up to me now when we make what I hope will be one final trip up north tomorrow. We have to be there by 8:00 a.m. and should be back to Lewiston by early afternoon.
Our instruction handbook and workbook says, "Many professional driving students will admit shifting gears looks to be the most difficult of all the new skills they have to learn." I'm no exception and it's been a big concern for me. My road instructor, whose patience matches that of the biblical Job, finally got me to the point today where I could consistently downshift through the eight gears as we made our way from Spokane back to school. It was a sudden and timely revelation after his repeated hammering away at me to understand what turns out to be a rather simple procedure. It's a matter of timing and coordination between watching our tachometers, while slipping the clutch into neutral, then quickly but smoothly raising our engine speed via the accelerator pedal some 400 RPMs. Then, at that precise range, re-engaging the clutch to make the transition.
As I've written before, it's not as I expected. It's nothing like driving your car's manual transmission or even a U-Haul moving van. They say it takes an average of 21 days to break a habit. We did it in just four.
Like my road instructor would say, "This ain't a car son, you're driving a big truck! It says 'Freightliner' right there on the steering wheel!"
Imagine that. Calling me "son!" God bless truck driving instructors.
Wish me luck as the time will pass quickly.
More tomorrow ...
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