Profile For Auggie69

17 January 2020

Yesterday, I got up early to drive the remainder to the 0600 delivery in Seagoville, TX. Got there, checked in , called to dock, unloaded, etc with no problems. Complete at 0704and waiting for the instructions for the next one.

The next trip was to drive 20 miles through Dallas Friday morning traffic in the rain to get to the next shipper for a live load. Fun times, especially when construction zones are added in. Arrived at 0828 and departed at 1038 with a heavy load of Alfalfa horse food pellets, bound for a Tractor Supply DC in Waco, TX (one of our biggest corporate customers). This drive was just under 100 Mike's south, with an open time window. Got there and was told to "drop it anywhere you you can find an empty slot in the lot". There were at least 200 trailer spots there, but only two that were open, so I used one. Very tight backing here, with minimal room to the front, so lots of pull ups and small movements -- a real geometry puzzle for some of the spots.

Dropped that successfully, then sent in all the required messages on the PeopleNet. I knew my next trip was originating from this same DC before arriving, so no need to find an empty trailer. The information came through eventually, and I went to the opposite side of the building to find my preloaded trailer. After hooking to it, and doing a trailer pre trip, we go inside to get our paperwork. Normally the only humans we interact with here is the guard at the gate. I could not locate my paperwork inside after looking through every box with the BOLs TWICE, so I walked back to the trailer to check the nose box. Maybe it's in there? Nope! Back I go inside to see if I can locate somebody. After more than an hour, I finally got somebody, then he told someone, that then found a supervisor. After another 90 minutes, I was on my way out the gate. This load goes to another Tractor Supply DC, 1406 miles away, in Hagerstown, MD to be dropped off on Monday.

Since my clock was running down, and it still being a rainy Friday afternoon, I decided to park about five miles away at a truck stop I spotted on my way in. Best part is there is a Harley Davidson dealer next door, and I can never have too many tshirts. After buying only two, I returned to the truck for food and sleep.

For Friday, I used 4.5 hours Driving 235 miles, and 0.7 hours On Duty, for a total of 5.2 hours.

Continued.....

Good for you that TS in Hagerstown isn't that busy this time of year and about a 1/2 mile south is a Pilot or AC&T travel center. If you'd rather a Love's they are about 4 or 5 miles north on I81

Applied for an "entry level" CDL-B only required (HazMat preferred) position in Des Plains, IL today.

Thinking that might be a way to go.

We contract with them to and from Florida.

I have a 2 year medical card. That is what is confusing about it. I have already gone to a doctor, had a physical and gotten a 2 year medical card. I see no reason to have that questioned or reassessed by another doctor who is going off numbers on a page. I have a lot of muscle mass, and i carry my weight in my thighs and butt....those do not constrict my airway. I think it is a bit presumptuous to look at a BMI and assume this person needs to throw out their perfectly valid medical card and go through possibly unnecessary testing...my main argument here is that I have already had a physical and been deemed fit for 2 years by a physician.

I have been with Prime 4 years. if you dont have apnea, it you will test negative. the test and machine were cheaper than the doctors back home in NJ with the insurance. i tested negative... gained weight 2 yrs later i was required to do it again and tested positive. i hated the machine

Cardinal Sleep is not a part of Prime... They are an independent that has a satellite office in our terminal. Phillips makes the CPAPs The machine that cleans the machine is SoClean.

SoClean's website specifically says to use a "reputable company like Cardinal Sleep when ordering replacement parts because conterfiet parts habe been sold on amazon"... something to that effect.

The Prime doctor is not evil either. i use them as my promary care... even got a pap smear and mammogram referrals there.

You get a 2 month card due to DOT regulations, not the company.

hang in there.... Primes great.

I agree with you but you go to a new employer and they can demand a new DOT physical. Sucks.

The worst I've encountered was a shipper that wouldnt let me use the bathroom. They had a sign in the shipping area going in that said no public restroom. I asked where the bathroom was and they told me the same, no public restroom to which I replied that I wasnt the public I was transporting their product. Still, no restroom allowed. They thought a previous trucker might have stolen something from the locker room/ men's room so blanket policy, no restroom usage. It was at least 45 minutes to a truck friendly place to go. I had no bottle to go in. That was the one and only time I have peed on a shipper or receivers lot. (I know I know but what ya gonna do?)

Being LTL we run into a few places like that. "No Public Restrooms". But if you're LTL it's ok.

Their explanation is OTR drivers bring in bags of human waste and deposit it into the trash cans; wash dishes, clothes, etc., and generally just **** the place up.

Not my words - theirs.

The local FedEx Ground terminal - which is contractors - has a sign in the bathroom - NO HUMAN WASTE IN THE TRASH CAN!

Be careful them FedEx drivers are a strange bunch.

If you hear a banjo start running!

Fort Campbell, KY main post gate two days ago. My final duty station in the Army from late '91 to 1992.

Did you drive on post or just drive by? I was there in 1984. Drove on post in 2007 on my way to drop my kid off at the airport to go to Germany. I couldn't find my way around it had changed so much.

If you found yourself in a situation where the roads suddenly became iced over, would you continue until you found a safe place (in this case 5-10 miles only doing 5-10 mph) or would you pull over immediately and park on the shoulder? The key is to avoid finding yourself in this situation, but even with how I was watching the forecast the sudden drop in temp wasnt expected. It was 35 degrees and rain and within a half hour it was 25 and everything was a skating rink.

With us: Get stuck = Preventable

Pull over due to conditions = OK

Day two... new diet. Vegan. This one Chipotle non-GMO. May just work!

Um, yay!

That continues making it all real, thank you!

I've been to Quebec a number of times and have been told that most locals can speak English but that disappears in the presence of an American..... which is what I can honestly relate, not sayin' anything otherwise about those Quebecers... :-)

You mentioned training with The Legion. Is that the Legion of Honour, the French society?

Surprise, surprise. Same thing happens in France.

Yeaterday I switched into my new truck, but when I signed into the peoplenet in my new truck it doesn't have the logs for the previous two days, as like I was doing a 34 or something when in fact I drove both days. All the other logs are correct, but the previous two days. Called the logs department and basically it says the same thing on there side.

So not sure what to do.

Tell it to Download Logs. Then reboot. This fixes most of the crud I find with PeopleNet.

If not, make sure all your previous logs are certified and any Unidentified Driver issues are resolved.

Ask before you leave your center if they can assign you empties to bring back

They can assign me specific empties? I forgot know that.

They actually wanted me to pull trailers from the doors to see if they were empty.

I wouldn't do that either.

When you get to a center you've never been to and everyone has gone home, just drop the trailers where convenient and enter ZZ into the handheld for their location.

I didn't know that either. I would just do my best to guess what line it was.

If you do get a run on a Saturday morning that is not a meet or a hot, call Central and ask if you can run it Sunday if you'd like. 

For voluntary weekend runs they ask when do I plan on taking it. I try to start the run before Sunday so that it goes on my next check and I don't have to wait 2 weeks for it.

IRT dropping the trailers: when first starting out, looking for where to drop and what empties to get are huge consumers of time. It could mean the difference between a great run with a so-so run. If you don't get a door assignment, just drop them in front of a line somewhere. They'll stick out and the next day crew knows they need to go to a door. Just mark ZZ on the bill manifest and in the handheld and drop the paperwork at dispatch. The hostlers will then know to search the yard for where the newbee dropped the trailer :) Once you get familiar with the centers and know where they drop you won't have to do this. Another thing is, when you do go to a new center go to dispatch (closed or not) and check out their billboards and stuff. A lot of times you'll see this info posted. And if someone is there, just ask :)

This job is a constant learning experience. I saw a road driver today at our center backing to his tail. He had dropped his tail and was maneuvering his lead and attached dolly to his new tail. I watched him for a bit. He finally was able to do it but it's something I could not hope to do as a time saver anytime in the near future. Besides, I think FXF frowns on doing this ;)

Ask before you leave your center if they can assign you empties to bring back. Central once told me that they DON'T have a list of empties. That was BS ( I was told later on). They actually wanted me to pull trailers from the doors to see if they were empty. Ah, no.

When you get to a center you've never been to and everyone has gone home, just drop the trailers where convenient and enter ZZ into the handheld for their location. That's if they've not been assigned doors before you get there. I actually griped about this the other day; that centers do not have similar naming scheme for their drop lots. So when you do go to another center you have no idea where lot AA or lot 1801 is.

If you do get a run on a Saturday morning that is not a meet or a hot, call Central and ask if you can run it Sunday if you'd like. Central told me to do this :) Obviously, if you're covering a run for a regular driver this probably won't work :)

Typically, "part time" driving positions are hard to come by. This type of market is heavily dependent on your location. What type position is this? Tell us more when you can. We often have people in here looking for part time driving positions, but we've had little to no success helping them find these opportunities.

Harrisburg, PA will probably offer more than most. Two railyards, DC's out the wazoo up and down 81, manufacturing and logistics providers. Just an example of what popped-up:

Description:

Job Description:

Penske Truck Leasing seeks highly motivated and qualified applicants to fill the unique position of Hiker (Vehicle Transporter/ Truck Driver). This position is responsible for vehicle delivery and returning vehicles to Penske locations and Penske customers. Primarily, this position moves our box trucks up to 26’ and for CDL Class A will include tractors and trailer movement. Position may also provide assistance to the service department to deliver parts and equipment.

This is a casual/on-call part-time truck driving job that is perfect for licensed CDL Class B or CDL Class A drivers seeking supplemental income and looking to work anywhere from 0 to 25 hours a week based on business needs.

Location: 801 Katie Ct, Harrisburg, PA 17109

Job Qualifications:

-2 years of driving experience required

-2 years of a clean DMV motor vehicle record required

-CDL Class B license required

-CDL Class A license preferred

-Ability to read and follow written instructions is required.

-Ability to work independently, customer service skills, organizational skills, and a positive attitude are required

-Regular, predictable, full attendance is an essential function of the job

-Willingness to travel as necessary, work the required schedule, work at the specific location required, complete Penske employment application, submit to a background investigation (to include past employment, education, and criminal history) and drug screening are required.

Auggie69 wrote:

"You fly airplanes you can back a trailer."

Pith. Brilliant.

Now, why didn't I think of that?

lol

Sometimes you just need to think outside the box ;)

(a whole 'nother page of responses were posted since I wrote this, and haven't read them yet!)

Hey, Marc...

yours has become for me a story of the human spirit, all the more poignant with the holidays upon us.

The vulnerability you've shared across twists and turns, ups and downs has engaged and elicited a supportive, collective best here. For certain, I'm not alone in learning along with you, and by measure of sentiments in the posts preceding mine, neither am I alone in rooting for your success...

Even the non-linear, perhaps more extraordinarily challenging journeys toward goals - while painful to the one undergoing them - can be instructive and motivating to others who identify with the challenges. Count me in those ranks.

So what exactly am I saying? Please bear with me; I'm pondering that as I write. A chord has been struck with me, for sure.

It's been observed that no tangible obstacle to the eventual attainment of your goal exists - an excellent premise for continuance. Some concrete training objectives have been suggested, and you've concurred ..... looks as well like some great resources being offered for pursuing possible next steps. Folks here have noted many strengths on your part ..... to those I'm adding your shared vulnerability, spinning up some lively forum threads! and the ability to create a solid support network. You have so much going for you!

Many fine posts speaking beautifully with encouragement have been written. I think what Old School wrote about desire being paramount under duress is what is resonating with me most. A relatively robust or frail desire status is uniquely personal and while neither I nor anyone else can speak to yours, you pretty effectively conveyed thorough enjoyment of, even delight with, some of your training experiences, and your commitment to making things work across multiple challenge fronts.

Old School eloquently identified his devil in the experience he described - a deficit in desire, and I'm paraphrasing - and he conquered that. I appreciate your thoughts, Old School - something useful being unearthed for me with this stimulus. I know trucking is hard and I have only much respect for all the wits and efforts that need be applied to succeed, but if confronted with a huge preponderance of challenges, I think that a similar fragility of desire could be my devil to overcome, too. Stuff for me to think about, there.

Marc, wishing you wonderful holidays and I'll chime in with other advice to use them for a good, self-care break - hey, being holidays, fortuitous timing! Reflect with gratitude on the positives from this latest Veriha chapter - valuable experience and good will earned.

I saw the avatar change and was dismayed to learn why. But I ask, why go back? Why not a new, interesting avatar..... one for a future point, somewhere you'd like to be, some target to work toward?

Best!

Rookie!

Words fail me! Enjoy the rare moment everyone!

You fly airplanes you can back a trailer.

Okay I will do that. I wonder what the best site is to order those fridges and cooler. I have one but I am not sure if it works anymore. Also do you have a specialized adaptor to plug in all of those? What about enough plugs for like microwave too?

I think it's a combination of things, too.

Diet, lots of driving a truck (you're still new), erratic sleep schedule in the difficult, unfamiliar environment of a moving truck sleeper. All of these take some getting used to, physically and mentally.

On my truck, I have two fridges, a cooler, a microwave, and a George Foreman grill. I prepare as much food as possible while at home. On the road, lots of grocery stores to restock. It takes persistence and a conscious effort to eat well out here, but it's definitely worth it.

Another thing you can do when you feel yourself drifting off and losing focus is to stop ASAP. Get out and stretch, walk around, do mild calisthenics (jog, push ups, jumping jacks) for a few minutes. Watch the carbs and caffeine. Do Not Touch The Energy Drinks! I'd drink antifreeze before that stuff.

I'm not a nutritionist or a health nut, but I'm trying to treat myself better, too.

Like PackRat said, I don't eat or drink any carbs when driving. I do much better without.

So yesterday I had a piece of metal in my rear drive tire. Took it ta guy pulled the piece out, it was a piece of race barren from a brake. He assured me it wasn’t deep into tire. Took my ten, this morning tire sensor going off. So I mix some shampoo and water and put on hole sure enough bubble, bubble. I let RA know I’m getting ta to look at again. Tech comes out sprays water on it , goes back emails prime it isn’t leaking. I go in, ask for shop supervisor I said please come out here and I will show u this tire is leaking. Now everyone comes out to see this tire. Poured my bubbles on it bubble, bubble. Guy said yep she’s leaking! Okay, now y’all let prime know you’re wrong and I need this fixed. Few minutes Gary, in RA calls me, he like what’s going on there? Nothing, tire is leaking near sidewall so I need a new tire so I can get to my 90. Women can drive semi; however still aren’t respected in mechanics shops!

Tell him to hire you at twice your current salary and to fire the idiot who said you don't have a leak

Hey all, I work for Central Transport and ELD are not approved as of today 13-17-2019. Me and 2 others have decided not to drive and have since been replaced by city drivers who will drive at night running our lanes. We've been told to call Friday to see if ELD is approved and if we will be running otherwise they will continue to run others in our place. So overall......I think we are right in doing what is right. We are getting **** from other drivers and an attitude from management. I just don't get it!

What an interesting question.

I would drive. Then again, I live on the edge.

I would drive and if you get nailed by DOT, tell them what you just told us. Mention they are not paying you for sitting your law-abiding butt at home. Yes, you'll get dinged, but it won't be life-ending.

Run a paperlog too to CYA. Might carry some weight.

How long you been working for Central?

Hey y'all, 3 months experience greenhorn here. Left CR England early, been watching a lot of YouTube and reading. Trying to make an educated decision on which company to get my 1-2 years rookie experience with...

Thinking between Melton, Navajo, and Covenant.

I trust your opinion, what company would you suggest?

As Packrat pointed out you were already declined by Wil-Trans , Prime, and CRST because of your job-hopping.

Your best bet is to apply to all three you are thinking of and cross your fingers.

I beg to differ Kearsay lol am stuck in Orlando, until Monday morning (p-up closed wknds) the freeways are a mess and the drivers? yikes!and I thought home in Calif was bad hahahaha......Haven't been to Joisy yet, MA & PA closest I've gotten (so far )

For giggles go to Gatorland off of South OBT. If north of Orlando go to the Willow Tree in Sanford for an awesome German meal.

West of Orlando you can hop in a wetsuit and swim with manatees. My girl and I did this. They loved her. Sucked on her hair and wanted their bellies rubbed :)

https://riverventures.rezdy.com/60137/swim-with-manatee-tour-endangered-encounter-3-hr-crystal-river