Tag Archives: life on the road

Randy’s Home Time During Training – Part 1

Posted on January 26, 2010 by rbradyjohnsen

I LOVE “normal” life.  We got lots of errands done, I sold some stuff on Craigslist and Randy had a little pinstriping job – we made more money today than his last paycheck.  ;)   He keeps saying how nice it is to be home, and I keep telling him how nice it is to have him here.  Home will soon be somewhere else, and we’re going to start moving tomorrow. Continue reading →

Posted in Great Stories, On The Road In Training, Rhonda & Randy's Story, truck driving lifestyle | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Inside Trucking Part 3: Life On The Road

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Rhonda

With all the fuel that drivers purchase, it’s wise to get the driver payback cards from the truck stops that offer them. Its free, and it’s a way of saying thank you to the professional driver. For each gallon of … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Great Stories, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, Women In Trucking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Truck Driving in Winter Weather

Posted on January 19, 2010 by TruckerMike

Before I became a truck driver, there was nothing better than a good snow storm in the winter. Sliding around in my 4-wheeler, sledding, snowball fights, snowmen, hearing the scrape of the snowplow as is passes by, and the beautiful sight it leaves. That was then, and this is now! Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, Great Stories, Safe Driving Tips | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Inside Trucking Part 2: Understanding Company Expenses

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Rhonda

If you are the type of driver that thinks about the cost of doing business for your employer or the trucking industry in general, you are in the minority. If you’re not thinking about it, you should be – it has a major effect on your paycheck. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Current State of the Trucking Industry, truck driving lifestyle | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Randy’s Phase 1 CDL Training – Part 9 – He’s Done!

Posted on January 6, 2010 by rbradyjohnsen

I talked to Randy sooo much today.  We discussed EVERYTHING about trucking, the school, our experience so far, every aspect of our future, and how we’ve both been sort of “cracking under the pressure” lately. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories, Rhonda & Randy's Story | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Randy’s Phase 1 Training – Part 8

Posted on December 23, 2009 by rbradyjohnsen

I keep reading that the 2 most important factors for a successful marriage, especially in OTR trucking, are trust and communication…this week, we had neither one.  I suppose the added stress of all this didn’t help, and we both had a major thinking/behavior relapse.  This career truly does test a relationship, and any weakness that existed before WILL be magnified 1000 times. 
Continue reading →

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Another Night Of Driving And A Very Close Call

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Rhonda

Even when you’re just cruising along, minding your own business, and doing everything right, you never know when someone is going to do something incredibly dangerous right in front of you, and this was one of those times. Continue reading →

Posted in Great Stories, Stories of the Road, Women In Trucking | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Randy’s Phase 1 CDL Training – Part 6

Posted on December 7, 2009 by rbradyjohnsen

We’re about half way through with CDL training and Randy is hardly making anything out on the road with his trainer. He can’t wait to get done with training. He’s been through a lot already but unfortunately there’s still a good ways to go. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, On The Road In Training, Rhonda & Randy's Story | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Randy’s Phase 1 CDL Training – Part 5

Posted on December 2, 2009 by rbradyjohnsen

Another day stuck at the school, another interesting story…don’t know if it’s true, but it’s interesting. Supposedly, a student took a bottle of liquor on the truck while with an instructor and other students. They got 30 miles away at a truck stop, the safety manager and cops were called, and he got a D.U.I. If it really happened, it’s incredibly stupid! A lot of odd things happen at that school. Continue reading →

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Randy’s Phase 1 CDL Training – Part 4

Posted on December 1, 2009 by rbradyjohnsen

So, Randy has been acting very strangely and I can hardly get him to talk to me at all. Two days ago he was all happy, now he seems really uncomfortable again…something is going on in that truck. I suppose I won’t find out until he has some “alone time” again. Continue reading →

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Randy’s Phase 1 CDL Training – Part 3

Posted on November 30, 2009 by rbradyjohnsen

It’s been a few days for Randy on the road now and I think he’s getting a bit wacky :-) He’s struggling with some things but doing quite well overall. Being apart this long is not getting any easier for us. Continue reading →

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My 33rd Anniversary In Transportation

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Rhonda

October 27 2009 is a special day for me because it was October 27 1976 when I entered the transportation world. My only experience in this world was riding the school bus for all the years in school. What an amazing journey it’s been. Continue reading →

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Randy’s Phase 1 CDL Training – Part 2

Posted on November 24, 2009 by rbradyjohnsen

Yesterday I forgot to say all the states Randy’s been in, just since the beginning of the week: Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. Before he went to school, he’d only been in 2 of those states. I know this is super-exciting for him so far! Continue reading →

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Randy’s Phase 1 CDL Training – Part 1

Posted on November 23, 2009 by rbradyjohnsen

Randy just started phase I training out on the road. It’s a lot of pressure but very exciting at the same time. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, On The Road In Training, Rhonda & Randy's Story | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Randy’s Truck Driving School – Days 20 & 21

Posted on November 13, 2009 by rbradyjohnsen

Randy was SO excited the last time I talked to him because after a change of plans, he and his trainer are now going to Mira Loma, CA first. And they get to drive past Las Vegas at night, which sounds really cool! He knows he’s going to be working really hard and be busy learning new things, but there is a “vacation” element to this, for him. Continue reading →

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