Anne & Craigs Great Adventure

Anne and I will both hit 100 hours behind the wheel today.  She probably already has since she was only 2 hours away.  I will end the day right at about 100.

Anne is hanging out in South Texas and Louisiana, rough.  Her trainer is working on routing to get her to Tunnel Hill the end of next week to upgrade and I will probably be a day or two behind her due to the weather.  We are having a great experience and we both have patient, conscientious trainers who a lot of fun to be with. Anne also got to meet Carl’s family in Houston where they stayed the night and got caught up on laundry.

Houston weather was so nice, I was in shorts for a whole day. After a long day unloading and running out to Beaumont we headed back toward Dallas with the plan being to get to the Irving TX terminal for some maintenance on the truck. I also needed to get some clothes washed. I was going to run out of hours 30 minutes short of the terminal so we stopped in Centerville for the night. A Truck Stop with Woody’s Smokeshop, great BBQ, for dinner. Nice quiet night and then get a call at 6:00 AM. Due to the crappy weather in Denver, they are way behind on loads, can we make a run today. The answer is of course yes. I had just passed halfway on my training so we are now allowed to run as a team. My trainer drove us up to Oklahoma to pick up the loaded trailer and we were off with me asleep in the back. We stopped for fuel at a Loves and then I took over with 9 1/2 hours to go to Denver. Started snowing hard just before the Colorado line but roads were fine the next 75 miles or so. Then it got pretty bad, almost white out conditions. I just took it slow and easy and we made it through. Pretty funny, I had about a half dozen trucks following me to Denver. If they only knew their “leader” had been driving for a whole month. Pulled into the parking lot of the store at 3:15 AM and hit the bunk. We woke up to about 8 inches on the ground and still snowing.  High was supposed to be 4 degrees.  Half the trailer went to this one store and it was a sunken dock. After waiting 3 hours for a plow to clear the driveway to the dock, Mike got the stores cargo off and then we had to wait for the wrecker to pull us out. All in all about 9 hours so we cannot make our second stop in the daylight (and the store is not in a good area, Bill of Lading says “Daylight Only”)  So we dropped the truck at the truck stop where we park our cars and Mike and I headed to our homes for the night. I got all the laundry done, did the dishes and got some groceries bought for Shelby, who wasted all her money on her bills…..can you imagine?

Mike is at the second stop this morning unloading. I expect to meet him about 9:00 am back at the truck stop and we are headed back to Oklahoma (where it is snowing this morning)

I also got to see the nice long line of shiny, brand new 2011 Freightliner Cascadia’s lining the back fence at the Irving Terminal, all with 10 speeds. I very much hope one has our name on it…..well, one at Tunnel Hill anyway. Somebody opened the checkbook, I hear that USX has just bought 3500 of these trucks.  Sweet trucks and I think it would be great to have a manual transmission since we just learned how to shift and I do not want to start over.  Word is that USX is getting rid of all of the automatics and going to manuals so we might as well take the plunge.

I’m at the Irving terminal getting ready to head to Baton Rouge. No wifi so will have to update later!

I made a joke on Facebook yesterday about Anne and I being two ships passing in the night.  Well today I drove through Dallas on my way to Houston and we will be heading back to the Dallas terminal tomorrow afternoon to get some maintenance done on the truck and watch the Super Bowl.  Guess where Anne is tonight???  The Dallas Terminal….and she is leaving tomorrow to go to Baton Rouge.  So close to seeing my wife.

I hit 77.25 hours behind the wheel today so I am over halfway and my trainer and I can now operate as a team.  That means one of us can now sleep while the other drives so we can start chewing up the miles.  I am happy for Mike because he gets paid for all the miles I drive and with all of the time off, he can start making great money for the next 10 to 14 days until I am done.  We are going to try and time it so that we are in Dallas when I hit 150 hours so I can head to Chattanooga from there.  It will cut a bunch off the trip.

Anne, as usual, is doing awesome.  Because she is actually running over the road and not dedicated like me, she is learning a lot of things we need to know that I am not getting.  So she will be my teacher on some stuff when we start driving together.  Going to be 66 degrees here tomorrow.

I AM WEARING SHORTS!

this weather is great experience for Anne and me.  Since we do not get paid by the mile and all that counts is hours behind the wheel, it is great to have those hours be tough ones.  I am feeling sorry for Mike as his pay is by the mile.  He is not going to make much when it takes an hour to go ten miles like it did last night.  I am VERY tired of cold weather.  We are heading to Houston and it is supposed to be 63 degrees on Monday, going to feel like a heat wave.  We will be spending all week in South Texas.

Driving across Kansas yesterday was sunny and 40 degrees.  We stopped at a rest area and if I had a beach chair I would have sat down to get some sun.  Weird that the farther South we drove, the worse the weather got.  I will hit half way on my training time today after a dang month and it should have taken 10 days.  Cannot wait to finish up.  We are sitting at a truck stop in Edmond Oklahoma waiting for the sun to rise and melt some of the ice before we even try to head out.  Time for a shower and lots of coffee.

After 2 1/2 weeks stuck at home, it was really great to be back on the road tonight.  I only drove for 4 hours but it felt like 10.  On ice and I am telling you, when the drive wheels on a big rig start sliding on the freeway it is a very “interesting” moment.  We were only going 45 mph but there is now a crease in the seat from my butt cheeks clenching.  We are shut down for the night as we have extra time in the schedule and I would rather drive in the daytime.  We are at the Kansas border and we seem to have gotten past the storm.  Tomorrow should be a lot easier.

The really hard part right now is how much I am missing my wife.  I have not seen her in four weeks and it will be at least 2 and probably 3 weeks until we are together again.  I guess that is the bad part about marrying so well, being apart is not easy.  We are both going to be in Kansas tomorrow but nowhere near each other.  Also, when we do get back together it will be in Chattanooga and our new grand daughter is waiting to meet us there.  That will be amazing.

There is a chance I may end up at the Dallas Terminal on Sunday so I can watch the Super Bowl on the big screen in the drivers lounge.  I hope it works out that way.  Anne, being Anne, has kept in touch with all of the other student drivers (and some of the experienced drivers) that went through orientation with us and all are doing well.  We are very happy with US Xpress so far.

I am not going to give any details other than Anne’s trainer was driving.  I am sure she will be posting about todays experiences.

Stuck in a snowbank

Wow a lot has happened in the past 5 days.  I haven’t blogged since I  haven’t had the time and honestly am absolutely exhausted at the end of the day!! Internet is not easy to come by out here unless you have one of those air cards OR want to pay at one of the truck stops. Still have to figure out what we will do but I do have my iphone but didn’t feel like typing with one finger!!! We are sitting at a terminal in Mississippi and I am waiting to take a shower and wash my clothes. My conditioner spilled all over my shower bag!!! Totally sucks but could be worse. I am sitting in the terminal playing on my computer LOL.

Okay so now to update you on my life for the last five days. I must say I hit the lottery with my trainer. I was scared I was going to end up with the nightmare trainer and it couldn’t be further from the truth. Carl is my trainer. He is out of Houston TX which is the only bad thing I have to say. Just kidding. I had heard so many horrible things that I really didn’t know what to expect. He is married has 6 kids and 3 grandkids. He picked me up at my sleazy hotel (yes he agreed that is was sleazy) handed me a set of keys put me in the drivers seat. It has been a blast since. At least for me. I am having a lot of fun!! Carl has such patience and just gives me good advice and the correct way to do things. I have been in 5 states and by the end of today it will be 7. I am realizing that it starts to run together LOL. I have to think about what state I am in.

I am feeling really confident (except for alley docking but I’ll get to that later) I need to slow down on turns into truck stops and need some practice backing but that is what these 3 weeks are about.  My first stop was a ridiculous alley dock and I looked at Carl and said there is no way I am doing that. Next stop I had to try and it wasn’t a very nice dock. I did it but we won’t mention the Lexus I almost took out. Almost is the key word. It didn’t help that I had all the guys from the dock watching plus a work crew our front.  But I did it. I am really having a good time out here. Carl makes it a lot of fun! We have a lot of time to talk and thank goodness he does or it would be extremely boring. We talk a lot about our families which is nice!

There are some things I didn’t really think about. One for the ladies some of the showers are just gross. My first shower was hysterical because I didn’t want to touch the shower curtain and I didn’t’ want to use the towel they gave me. I used my own. I also didn’t’ know how to get dressed without touching the floor. LOL. What is funny is it wasn’t one of the bad showers.  I forgot my hair dryer which has been a little issue but don’t’ want to buy a new one so I’ll suffer. Carl gave me a hat to wear so it’s ok.

I am having a blast talking to people. Carl was laughing at me since people talk to us a lot. He says that he could sit there all day and no one would say a word. Guess being a female helps. I was told my first day I should be a movie star instead of a truck driver which of course made my day.  There are so many interesting things to see and the people are a hoot.  I guess I am such a newbie that everything is an adventure still even after 5 whole days LOL.

I am enjoying it way more than I thought I would. I do miss my husband, daughter and the puppies. I think Craig and I are going to have an absolute ball doing this trucking thing.

I also didn’t realize how exhausted I would be. I was worried about sleeping on a truck and would I be able to sleep. HECK YEAH!! I am so tired by the end of the day I fall asleep instantly. I didn’t think my body would hurt as much as it does. I ache all over!! Thank god for motrin is all I have to say. Your body has to adjust to this lifestyle. Yesterday while waiting for a load Carl and I went for a walk. We made a deal that we would do something for exercise every day if we can. After watching some of  the drivers walking around a truck stop makes me realize we need to stay on top of our diet and exercise LOL

Today we are heading to MS and then to TN but that might change. Tomorrow we are heading to Oklahoma. We started this trip in Laredo TX. One thing is out of 5 days I’ve spent 3 driving through Texas. Well it is time to hit the road. I am sure there is a bunch of things I meant to write but that will be another day.

Tonight I was telling a friend what I am doing: Getting into a truck tomorrow with a man I have never met and living in the same space for the next 3 weeks. How bizarre when you phrase it that way. I wonder how many other women are in the same position. There are not enough woman trainers so I chose to take either a man or woman. As long as they were a non-smoker I didn’t care. I hadn’t really thought about it till recently. I did have a few moments where I was like what the &$*&^ are you doing. Tomorrow I am meeting my trainer, that for the next 3 weeks is going to help me become the best driver I can be. I am being picked up in the morning and have our first load already lined up. I am excited, scared, and totally ready to get this started. It has been a long few weeks but now it doesn’t matter because tomorrow I start my new career!!!!! How cool is that. Guys reading this will most likely roll their eyes but I know the ladies will totally understand! Women think differently what else can I say. 😉

Quick synopsis for those who don’t know our whole story. I talked to two friends today who read the blog and wanted to know how this happened. Figure I’d give a short version to catch them up:

Craig as a joke mentioned becoming truck drivers together and do OTR (over the road). Flash forward we went to school, got our licenses, got our hazmats, got hired by a company. We both have 3 weeks of training with different trainers on different trucks. Craig has already started his training and I will start with my trainer on Wednesday at the latest. Once we complete our training we have to pass a written and driving test. Once we finish that we will get our own truck and start our new life!!! That is about it in a nutshell

Now to continue with my blog of the day:

Just got off the phone with my training coordinator and my trainer has a load heading 9 miles from my hotel. The load is picked up Tuesday and due on Wednesday but he is less than 200 miles so I am hoping he comes tomorrow to get me. Worse case scenario is I have to stay in my lovely hotel until Wednesday but know that I will be picked up the same day. WOO HOO finally going to start my 3 weeks of training. I don’t know much about my trainer except his age and name. I did ask what football team he rooted for but training coordinator didn’t know. I am so excited to finally have some concrete news about getting out of here.  The quicker I get picked up the quicker I will make it home!!!! I am definitely having to learn patience with this career choice but realizing it’s frustrating but in the long run doesn’t really matter. Take your time and enjoy your life. Rush rush rush. That is what we all do and sometimes we forget to just be quiet and enjoy our lives. I know I do.

I am writing this sitting in a hotel in Forest Park, GA. I have a trainer who they are trying to route this direction. I am missing home and not liking my hotel. My friend left for vacation so I moved to the hotel.  I hope I hear some good news tomorrow!! Do I sound like a two year old?? I have been waiting for two weeks for a trainer so it is hard to feel optimistic. Just a little frustrated but realize things could be worse. At least I have a trainer at last, even if it is taking him awhile to pick me up LOL!!! Living out of a suitcase since Jan 1st is getting old. I don’t want to pack again. To make everything worse the Steelers are going to the Superbowl. Just kidding I really don’t care that much but I don’t like the Steelers and wanted the Jets to win. I haven’t seen my husband since Jan 7. Oh well I can’t wait to get started!! Tomorrow will be the day I meet my trainer. The next step of my adventure will begin.