Decision Made

I've decided to sign on with Werner Enterprises. Their trucks are various shades of blue with blue and gold lettering. It's a very large company based in Omaha. It had come down to Werner and U.S. Xpress and the nod went to Werner because they have more extensive driver training and more choices of regions, including a Midwest region that specifically excludes the Northeast. I'm from the Northeast and I love it there, but not as a destination for a delivery in an 80,000 pound, 65-foot truck!

I will be leaving by bus on Thursday June 12 for a 3-day orientation either in Springfield, Ohio or Indianapolis (whichever has the shorter bus ride!). Following the orientation I'll be assigned to a trainer and we will head out on the road for my OJT in his truck for 4-6 weeks. It's possible I'll get home once during that time, but I'm not counting on it. My trainer and I will get to know each other pretty well pretty fast. I've been told that I can ask for another trainer if the relationship doesn't gel. Our instructors at Trainco made it very clear that this training period may not be a lot of fun, but to stick it out. I fully intend to do that.

Tom, one of my two classmates who stumbled on their first CDL test, passed the second time around and is off this Sunday to orientation with U.S. Xpress. Craig, who also passed his re-test, started his orientation with Werner today in Indianapolis. Lumpy is headed for training with the flatbed company, Maverick, tomorrow. I talked with Lalo today and he is still in the decision-making process. That leaves just Greg and "Biker" Ed whose decisions I haven't heard about ("Special" Ed, the FBI agent doesn't need a job, of course).

Speaking of "Biker" Ed, I owe you a story about him. Ed has driven straight trucks for a number of years, occasionally making deliveries and pick-ups over the border into Canada. He does not intend to return to that country anytime soon. Here's why.

Several years ago he was sent to deliver some "prototype" dog food, developed by an Ohio-based firm, to a pet food company in Ontario. When he tried to clear customs, the officials found that the bill of lading did not list all of the ingredients in the dog food. They told Ed that he could go no further until the information was provided. He contacted the company and they faxed a list of ingredients comprising, Ed said, approximately 99% of the total. Well, surprise, that didn't satisfy the inspectors. So Ed called the company back. By this time, he had already spent about four hours at the border and he was getting edgy. Apparently the second call led to a much longer delay. Maybe the company didn't really know what they had put in the dog food. In any case, the time was dragging on and Ed had to either hang out in the inspection office or make many, many visits to find out if a new fax had come. Now Ed is a big guy and he is definitely not the patient sort. Somehow, the vibes he was giving off in the office were picked up by a Canadian driver who began to make disparaging comments about Ed's U.S. countrymen. Mind you, he wasn't exactly directing these comments at Ed, but he was a loud-mouth, according to Ed, saying things that one could best sum up as describing Americans as wusses. Ed, being a good Christian man, tried his best to ignore the guy, but on the umpteenth check in the office after a wait that had stretched to about 10 hours, old Ed had had enough and he decked the loud-mouth. Ed said before he knew what had happened he was pinned face down on the floor and handcuffs were being applied to his wrists. The Mounties had pounced. Ed was dragged off to a room where he was questioned by the officers.

Eventually, as the loud-mouth chose not to press charges, Ed was released with a summons to appear in court at some specified date. I don't remember whether Ed ever made his delivery or had to return the dog food to its developers, but he did go back out on the road. He contacted the Canadian court pleading guilty and sent them funds to cover the fine and costs. However, he was told, during a trip to California, that he would have to appear in court. I can't do it, Ed said, my work won't allow it. Not the response the Canadians wanted to hear. Twice Ed sent the money and twice it was returned. He gave it up and vowed to steer clear of Canada from then on, figuring there's a warrant waiting for him.