My First Run Is Coming Soon!

The day is nearing! I received a call this afternoon to meet our driver manager at the yard tomorrow and I will be driving him over to get my truck from the shop. I will then drive it over to the yard and transfer my stuff(sleeping bag, work gloves , et al) into it. My first load is booked for this Sunday , possibly early Monday AM from Vancouver WA to Boise ID. I am excited - nervous but excited for this challenge and opportunity. Overall my experience with my starter company has been very positive.

I passed all of the pre-screening application and US DOT drug test(i was rather nervous I had to study REALLY hard for that test man! :P). this was my first time dealing with the clearing house so I got my account set up there and gave my offering unto the cup. After all that was done I met our HR manager in her truck - she is a driver too. All of the office staff are or were drivers at one point.

I was taking time to look over the route today and some this weekend before I head out in order to get an idea of what I am walking, err well driving into. Its basically a straight shot down 84 over to Boise for a total of 442 miles one way. My DM is assigning me the Boise Amazon runs for a while in order to get a feel for me and see how I do on my own etc. I already know that is to be expected from previous jobs I have had (as with any job you do have to prove yourself) as well as the time I spent here on the forum.

I plan to give this my all and knock it out of the park and prove that I can handle more.

The good thing is , starting out at least, I will be able to take my 34 hour resets AT HOME. This is a real blessing as I feel like it is easing me into the OTR lifestyle and will allow me to discern what I will need vs what I wont for longer runs, get proper rest etc as well as some time to spend with my family.

We run freight regional from WA, OR , ID, MT, NV, CO, AZ , UT, CA and occasionally some WY runs (basically all states west of the Rockies). I feel like this is a blessing because I have been through alot of these states Except for NV and it will give me alot of practice on the mountains before winter hits.

My first truck is a 2017 Volvo 760 with a D13 with automated transmission. I am not complaining about the equipment, we all start somewhere, it has an engine, transmission , steering , DOT road legal and has a bed in it and the company keeps their equipment clean.

I was going to start a journal of my trucking ventures this weekend to keep yall posted. Thank you everyone for the kind words and kick in the butts doled out at just right time. I pulled victory from the jaws of defeat this year and now I am getting ready to start something I have wanted to do for over 3 years!

I'll be in touch again soon

Moe

That’s fantastic Moe! Best of luck, safe travels and of course...

Always Watch Your Wagon!

I am BEYOND proud of your perseverance, willpower, and drive.

Any questions you have, we're all behind you.

Awesome news Moe. Are you going through any training with this company or are they sending you out on your own immediately?

As I said before, your perseverance is inspiring to many.

Keep a sharp focus at all times, never letting the moment get away from you. Safety is paramount. The rest will fall into place. Good luck!

Congratulations!!! Cant wait to be in your shoes. Things are finally opening up here in the Philly area, time for me to get moving

That’s great! I am excited for you.

Congrats!!! Just remember to take things at your own pace and don’t rush. If you start feeling rushed or overwhelmed stop take a few deep breaths and think about the situation before you continue. You will do fine.

Hey RobT

Sorry this reply is late my brotha, I had actually read it a day ro two ago and life happened so I wasnt able to reply, then I was like oh yea, I never replied LOL.

I am going out on my own solo. I did a drive test with my Drive manager/dispatch yesterday and did great. He also had me do a back up test and I did good on that. Backing I took it slow, took me 15 minutes with four GOALS and I had to reset by driving around the yard and back down the lane. It was my first time backing a 53 footer

Turned out I pulled too far up and kept getting too uncomfortably close to the front end of cars and trucks parked on the opposite side of where the trailer was ro be parked. Most of my backing experience, actually 100 percent of it was on the 28 foot pup trailers. These 53s have a wider pivot which i did not account for initially.

After doing it, I did like the backing a 53 better it moves slower and swings a bit easier in my opinion. The main thing I learned is you really really really have to GOAL to check where your blind side may end up especially in tight spaces.

My first load will be an Amazon prime freight about 15k pounds. Not too difficult imho. Still safety is on my mind. I am going down cabbage hill for the first time. I have two things in my favor - a clear weather report and a lighter load. That puts my mind at ease.

I am going to study my route this weekend before I head out and plan fuel and rest stops etc like I have learned here on the site.

I will keep everyone updated!

Moe

Awesome news Moe. Are you going through any training with this company or are they sending you out on your own immediately?

Good luck Moe, we are all excited but for you but I really think this is a terrible idea. You're going out with realistically 0 training. I don't have much time right now to elaborate on it but hopefully someone else can chime in. Are you familiar with how weigh stations work as well? Going down steep hills/mountains? How many trucks does this company have? I'm not trying to bust your chops but i genuinely feel this is a bad idea. Most of the companies that are setup for helping new drivers at a minimum send new drivers out for 2 weeks. You spent 1 day just driving around. I really wish you the best. Be sure to GOAL and take it slow. We're all pulling for you and are available to assist you in any possible way.