CFI At Crowder College

Yea i understand that or I sure I could prob stand the long bus ride heheh but first i still gotta do DOT physical and test clp and submit two week notice to boss

Yea okie dokie i think i may still drive there

Let them know when your ready and you will be on a Greyhound ASAP.

If you do, then go home to wait for a trainer after orientation, you may have to go back to Joplin if they can't get a trainer to you. Just something to think about.

Cool

Not a lot to update. Over the weekend, ran a load from Florence, SC to Lewisburg, TN. As I hit the dock, I was notified the load was going to Lawrenceburg, TN due to this location was "full". Made it to Lawrenceburg, and the down to Moody, AL for a load. Miles have not been good the last few days. 535 over the weekend and only 1940 for the past week. Had the battery issue and had to do a 34 hour reset Friday and Saturday, so once I manage my on duty time at shippers/receivers, etc., better the miles will get improve. I banged the dock pretty hard this AM. My foot slipped off the brake on a decline dock. Did not sound pretty.

We have all hit the dock hard a time or two.

Been out here 13 days now. Have been dispatched for 4450 miles in the first 13 days. Not good, but considering I took a 34 and dod some boneheaded logging mistakes (staying on duty ehen I should be off), I could still hit 5000 miles if get at least a 500 mile dispatch. Oh, the agonieses of making errors die to indecisiveness in a seconds notice. My worse on was coming to a 26 ton weight limit bridge and going down a street to miss it. Oooohhh myyyy. I came to a 180 u- turn under the bridge I avoided. How I got the truck-rather trailer around that squared u-turn with bridge pillars on the left..........I can only say the 'Trucking Gods' were with me. I had to use every....single....inch of that turn to get around those pillars. I am surprised I did not panic. I did think, 'Ohhh fuuuuudge'. If I can improve on my logs, I am sure I will be okay. CFI is great. I am a stickler for accuracy when it comes to payroll, etc., and they have paid me every penny earned. The dispatched (paid) miles is satisfactory with no big discrepancies. Of course, my missing turns and driving extra miles is on me. Haha. Worse thing being OTR is the loneliness. If you are an extrovert, trucking may not be for you. Sonce goi g solo, every one of my runs has either ended or started in Texas. With the exception of leaving home my first dispatch, Texas, Tennessee, SC and Alabama are where I have picked up or delivered. I should be on a dedicated Tractor Supply Company account. Hah!

Hey Don, You are really sending a well written and informative diary. It is so refreshing to hear someone learning by his mistakes and successes and taking everything in with "a grain of salt" as the saying goes. You will and are doing just fine and with your very positive attitude you will be successful in your career choice. I am willing to bet that almost everyone out here has been in a tight spot a time or two and some haven't come out as successful as you. Keep up the learning experiences and your diary as we all appreciate what you write. You are great.

Appreciate your comments Harry. Thanks.

Hey Don, You are really sending a well written and informative diary. It is so refreshing to hear someone learning by his mistakes and successes and taking everything in with "a grain of salt" as the saying goes. You will and are doing just fine and with your very positive attitude you will be successful in your career choice. I am willing to bet that almost everyone out here has been in a tight spot a time or two and some haven't come out as successful as you. Keep up the learning experiences and your diary as we all appreciate what you write. You are great.

It is Sunday afternoon and I am 230 miles from the Denver, CO area for a scheduled multi-stop tomorrow. I will be 26 miles short of my first 3000 mile week. Darn, just missed it! From the start of our new pay period Sunday and dropping off my final load for the previous weeks pay period on Tuesday AM, miles were just "okay" by Friday while I was sitting at a Pilot in Odessa, TX. Bummer. Waited a few hours for another load for the weekend. Well, I've been hauling a** since with this last load I picked up in Laredo yesterday noon, It will be my first $1000+ gross check (I am at .35cpm). I am pleased with how this week turned out, but my recaps for the next couple of days are bleak.

My backing is improving where I am feeling more confident. Still running 3 or 4am-5pm or so, so getting a routine that seems to work for me. None of this huge time changes with driving or sleeping all different hours...yet. Driving between 5-800 am seems most 'peaceful' before the madness starts, not to mention I can see. haha.

I saw a lot of deer the last two early mornings in Texas. I was hoping they did not run across the routes in front of me. I saw a few on or along the road that had been hit. Being an animal lover, I hate seeing it. Bummer.

Sounds like you're doing great.

I finished my multi-stops in the Denver area and picked up a Lowes load in Cheyenne, WY for delivery to Lowes in .........El paso, Texas on Wednesday. Ugh, another Texas load! Oh well, miles are miles. I am running on recaps. I'll have 10 hours tomorrow, so will have to push the pace a little tomorrow. Won't make the 637 I did Sunday, but may get in close to 500, but that will be pushing it. I'll gain 11 hours on Wednesday at 0000, so should be able to coast it in for deliver at 1200 Wednesday. Driving seems to be 'beat the clock' in a way. I don't have to push myself, but setting higher daily milage goals, especially on the first day of a run, motivates me to keep the doors closed. It is breezy hete in Wyoming, so may give 'Ol Bessy' some rest tonight.

Don

When you say you gain 11 hrs at 0000 on Wednesday, does that mean 8 days ago you must have drove 11 hrs, so therefore those hrs drop of your running clock?

Thanks Chris