Update

Since I've been home I've been trying to line up a trucking job that has a more predicable schedule. Susan and I decided that what I was heading for at Werner (and it would be the same for rookie drivers with most companies) -- i.e., 7-14 days out and two at home with no way to know which two days or when they would come up-- was not going to work for us. So I've been answering ads.

One of those came from an outfit called Relay Express that's based in Cincinnati and has an office in Romulus. I interviewed for a job that would have had me driving parts of 6 days/week, initially on a dedicated route between Chicago and Romulus. They thought me too inexperienced for that, but gave me a chance at a job delivering Trane heating and air conditioning units in an area covering southeast Michigan and the Thumb. The pay was marginal for my needs, but I agreed to go out with a trainer last Wednesday & Thursday, reporting at 4:30am each day. I think I could have managed the freight, which the driver unloads, but the trainer didn't agree. I think he thought I would injure myself and he's probably right. I'm glad I tried it, though. The trainer was a piece of work. Late 50's with tattoos covering both arms. He used to be in a biker club and I'm sorry to say he fit the stereotype: a foul-mouthed misogynist and racial bigot, his speech was heavily riddled with MFs. So it was unpleasant much of the time, but definitely an educational experience of a kind.

I've also applied to NTB, Inc. for another over-the-road job. The difference between it and Werner is that they promise 5 days out and the same 2 days home each week. I hope to have an interview with NTB this coming week.

In the meantime, a couple of my Trainco classmates -- Lumpy and Craig --have completed their training and are getting their own trucks to head out as solo drivers. The others are in training as far as I know. Lumpy calls regularly with news.

I remain optimistic that I'll find the right fit. I miss the driving and the "open road."

Taking a Break

Werner has an option during training that allows a student to take a week's break at home half-way through training and I decided to take advantage of that. So I'm back home in Ann Arbor. This gives me a chance to reflect on my experience and, frankly, to decide if I want to continue.

To be continued.

July 3

Rex extended his home stay at least one more day, so I have some time to write. I did a quick tote and I've driven over 6000 miles since June 16 through parts of at least 17 states from South Carolina to California east to west and Louisiana to Ohio south to north. My shifting is improving day-by-day, though I still have problems downshifting going up a steep grade. I've learned how to move the trailer tandem axles (yes, they move) to balance load weight. I can "drop" a trailer and "hook" up to a different one (the transaction is called "drop & hook"). I'm getting familiar with the paperwork truckers have to do and there's lots of it. With about three weeks left in the training I still have a lot to learn, but Rex and I agree that I'll be able to do the job when I get my own truck.

Here are some random takes and observations.

During one of our longer layovers, at a truck stop near Little Rock, I took a walk to get away from the roar of idling diesels and found quiet less than a quarter mile away along a paved road next to a farm field. The road dead-ended in a way that led me to think it might have been part of an aborted sub-division. On the side opposite the field, the road was bounded by a thick stand of trees and shrubs that masked the sounds of the truck stop almost completely. I could hear birds and frogs and even the breeze, such as it was, blowing through the foliage. I found a shady spot to stand and make a few calls. It was a very welcome respite on a very hot day. Trucks are just noisy beasts.

At that same truck stop, I encountered a forlorn looking woman I judged to be in her late thirties or early forties who was asking male truckers if they were headed to Oklahoma. A sad character, she seemed to me like she had leaked off the pages of a Lucinda Williams song.

For several days last week, we ended up on what they call in this business a dedicated run, carrying Proctor & Gamble products between Alexandria, Louisiana and Lima, Ohio. We made that 945-mile run four times! I saw some beautiful countryside in Louisiana and Arkansas on U.S. 82 and other blue highways before getting onto the Interstate system again.

As of last Saturday, I am no longer a "rookie" driver, but a full student! That is to say, I can now drive between midnight and 6am. Rex took advantage of that Monday as I started a 7-hour stint at 11pm and drove though the night mostly on U.S. 285 through the Texas panhandle heading for a delivery in Albuquerque. I was OK until just before dawn when I got pretty drowsy. Unfortunately there was NO place to pull over, so I applied heavy will power and made it OK. Rex says everybody has trouble around that time. Not much comfort.

Once we leave El Paso, we'll be truly driving as as team, making long hauls and switching off with one of us driving while the other one sleeps. That will be interrupted periodically with longer stops, but it will be a heavy dose of driving. Since I find I can sleep pretty well while the truck is rolling and I can pile up those required driving hours more quickly this way, I'm OK with it. However, that will be all the team driving I ever expect to do.

It's been 95 in El Paso the last two days, a fairly dry heat. Apparently, they're in the rainy season, though, with the real heat still to come. I can attest to the season as I was marooned in a Wal Mart near my hotel yesterday during some very heavy thunder storms.

More as I can.

Quick Update

I'm writing this from El Paso TX where my trainer, Rex, lives. He's taking a few hours of home time. As for me, I'm comfortable in a Comfort Inn (at Werner's expense) having caught up on some personal financial business, done laundry and some shopping to restock for the road.

In the two-and-a-half weeks since Rex picked me up in Indianapolis, I've done nearly half of the 275 driving hours I need to complete my training for Werner driving several thousand miles around the country. Notwithstanding a bout with homesickness earlier this week, I'm holding up well and looking forward to finishing the training probably by the last week in July, if not before. There are stories to tell, but they'll have to wait for a later post.

On the road-Week 1

It's been 1 week since Rex picked me up in Indianapolis, and this is the first time I've had the time to post something. I'm at a truck stop in Amarillo Tx doing laundry and giving Rex a chance to get to sleep before I go back to the truck. Since Monday morning I've done little except drive, sleep and eat. From Indianapolis we drove to a town not far from Columbia SC to deliver 20 tons of dehydrated potatoes to a pet food processor. Since then we've been to Youngstown, Ohio, Kansas City, MO, Calexico, CA, Los Angeles, and now we're on the way to Memphis, where we drop part of the load we're carrying, then take the rest to Louisiana. The driving is going well, the shifting only fairly well (I struggled with down shifting in school and it's still a challenge). I've driven in heavy urban traffic and up and down mountains (the Smokies the first day!) and on the freeways through some spectacular country in Tennessee,New Mexico and California. I am pretty intimidated maneuvering in the big truck stops, which all seem to be crowded. I need a lot of backing practice, but it's only the first week.

I seem to be relaxed when on the highway, but my body is telling me that I'm undergoing high stress overall. I should say, my intestines are telling me. I'm trying to eat well, but it's been difficult finding good food at the stops we make and until today, we've been going, going, so there hasn't been time to shop. So I'm living on bottled smoothies, the occasional banana, granola bars, and sandwiches. With my appetite being low, I'm sure I'm losing weight. I'm also letting my beard grow for the duration of this training. I've had two showers in the last seven days and it's too much of a hassle to keep up with shaving. Many, many of the drivers I see at the truck stops are morbidly obese. That's not going to be me.

Thursday I had my first "walk away" moment, as in I just wanted to walk away and go home. It was an accumulation of stress and frustration that had me close to tears, but I weathered it. One of my friends said that he'd have been worried if I hadn't had such a moment.

One good thing--I've been able to sleep pretty well whether the truck is moving or not. A couple of times I've awakened to find that we're parked in a Wal Mart lot. The first one had several other trucks and a couple of NASCAR nomad RV's parked there as well.

I need to get off the computer now 'cause I'm posting on a paid WiFi connection that I need to save some time on.

I'll post again as soon as I can.

Heading Out

We finished orientation yesterday and got our company badges, so I am now officially an employee of Werner Enterprises. We finished in time for me to watch Tiger Woods' indescribable accomplishments on the back nine at Torrey Pines in the U.S. Open, bad knee notwithstanding.

After a good night's sleep I waited to hear from my trainer. Several of the guys were picked up last night and a couple this morning. My trainer, Rex, finally called about noon and he will pick me up at the hotel around 2:30 this afternoon. If my information from the Omaha office is right, we'll be heading for South Carolina.

I'm very excited and ready for this next step. I talked with my Trainco classmate, Craig, this morning. He is in Chicago where their truck is broken down, waiting for road service. He said he's been doing most of the driving, which is what I want, and he's having a ball so far. The more driving, the sooner the 275 hours is done.

My next post will finally be from...THE ROAD!

Orientation...so far

I'm at a Ramada Inn in the suburbs of Indianapolis, sharing a room with a second roommate in two nights. Last night's colleague had finished his training period and picked up his assigned tractor this morning. I had asked for and was assured I'd have a single room, but there's an amateur swing dance convention in the hotel this weekend. Overbooked, the desk clerk said. An early chance to be flexible in this new life, I thought.

Werner pays lodging and transportation for orientation (actually, until your trainer arrives on the scene). The room is OK, but there's only one small towel per person (I rate hotel rooms by the number and thickness of the towels). We have to be ready for a shuttle at 6am and the hotel doesn't provide breakfast until 6:30, so we get a bag breakfast of a very small container of juice and a muffin. No coffee. I did get some at noon. All told, not an impressive show, but I Know the company runs a lot of people through this program here and at several other sites around the country, and a lot of us don't stay. If you're wondering...I'm still determined.

I dodged one bullet when I decided to rent a car to drive here instead of taking advantage of the free bus ticket. One guy who did take advantage said a group of just-released prisoners were put on his bus. Another fellow orientator's bus arrived at 8pm but wasn't picked up by the hotel shuttle until 11pm. Whew.