My First Solo Run Part One

Your experience is exactly why I passed on CRST when I used this site to apply to multiple companies. Too many variables teaming with someone you do not know.

Just keep doing your best not your fault other people are unreliable.

Okay okay I know what you're thinking wait aren't you a company driver for CRST and don't they use teams , the answer is yes and no. CRST has three divisions Expedited, regional and dedicated. As for as I know regional and dedicated are generally solo while Expedited is generally teams. However in very extreme circumstances even drivers with the Expedited division can find themselves driving solo. So I was on unwanted home time. Things had gone south with first co driver pretty much to the point I was ready to strangle him. We decided to part company and it seems like he parted ways with the company I will post about that experience later. So I am at home in Las Vegas waiting for a co driver when I learned that I probably won't get another co driver for another week. I am not happy, the wife is very unhappy. I sat down went over all the down time I had since getting hired and found out that since August I had nearly four weeks of not driving. Four weeks of not earning money. I went from unhappy to tick off. I waited for 24 hours and called my DM. I told them that if this was how things were going to be then I would need to persue other options. I was very polite and respectful and explained that this wasn't my first choice. The DM told me he would call me back A few hours later my phone rang and he asked how would I feel about doing a solo run? There was a load going from California to Pennsylvania but the shipper had no available trailers and the only one they could locate just happened to be in Las Vegas. So I said yes empty trailer from Vegas to L.A should be simple. Yeah So I get to where this empty trailer is and right away I realized that I was going to have problems. I was convinced that someone had use a crane to lower the bleeping trailer to where it was parked. Not only is there that problem but directly in front of the trailer is a parking area with a one car directly in front of where I need to couple and pull forward to turn out. So first I had to work on getting the trailer to right height so the king pin and 5th wheel would couple correctly. After dealing with that it was time to get out of there. So I got out the truck and walked around figuring out how I would need to pull forward , backup and turn to get out of this tight spot. So over the next forty five minutes I creep forward slowly turn and back up every time I pull forward, back up, turn I get out of the truck and walk around. Finally I get the truck and trailer turn so I can pull out. The next challenge was getting out of Las Vegas which took about another hour with traffic. Finally I am on the road going to California. I stopped in Barstow California for a bathroom break and to recheck the area I was going to. I wanted to be prepared for problems and oh boy there would be problems. So I finally reach the shippers. After checking in I am told to drive around this building and park by the fence. So I enter the yard and even though I had looked at this place using Google maps, it didn't show just how congested this place was. Someone hadn't park trailers there, they had come in and built them and left them in the worst areas possible. The first challenge was getting around the building. I realized that if I didn't want to to hit the building I needed to go around I was going to have to the Left as far as I could, I know that I am going to make contact with this trailer that looks like it has been there for years considering it didn't have tandems and was on the ground it probably had been. So I squeeze slowly by I can see my trailer brush up against the other trailer barely touching it. After I get by i get out to check for damages to my trailer and the other, none. Okay so I continue forward looking for a place to park. I find one but it's not desirable so I continue forward. I come to a dead end and the only way out is to turn around. To accomplish that I am going to have once again do a series of pull ups, back ups and turns to the driver side to get out of this area fifteen minutes I work at this. Finally I get out of this area go back to this other area turn around and get back to the only available spot for my trailer. I am going to have to back between these two trailers that aren't exactly parked straight. This will be my first time actually doing this by myself. Every other time I was with my trainer or co driver. But now I am on my own. I get out look (G.O.A.L-Get Out and look.). Trying to figure out out how I am going to do this. I realized that I am going to slowly be backing and turning at snail speeds to get the trailer into position. For the next thirty minutes maybe closer to an hour I work at this. Just like in Las Vegas I constantly get out and look. Finally I get the trailer park praise God Now it's time to go to receiving and find out when the load will be ready. I learned that it won't be ready till later in the afternoon, it's 2:30 am. I would end up setting for almost two days.

Welcome to trucking😂🤣😉😉