I am sitting in my own living room, typing this on my own Mac for the first time since, well, since the last time! This was not a planned home visit; as with many things in trucking, things can change. The delivery I have was delayed until tomorrow night, so I took the opportunity to "visit" my house, use some of my own hot water, and do my laundry! The only uncomfortable part is having to drop the trailer with a load of pretty expensive dairy products and a minus 10 temperature set on the reefer in a Walmart parking lot 16 miles away. I locked the box, put on a glad-hand and king pin locks, but there's nothing I could do about locking the reefer thermostat, so if some creep wants to crank it up to 40 or so, well, I can't stop him or her. Hopefully, however, the Walmart parking lot security crew will keep an eye out for nefarious goings on.
As I walked into my house, I came to the realization that I like my house. I like my living room and dining room and lawn and I even like the duck that has made a nest in the decorative row boat in my back yard. What that means is this: You, dear reader, probably remember that I retired from federal service last December and have undertaken this "career change" to check of an item on my personal 'bucket list.' I received a commercial driver's license and have been working as an over-the-road driver, which is all I really wanted to do. There are other things on my bucket list, too, including a visit to my deceased parents' hometown, Wilton, New Hampshire.
The bottom line is I don't know how much longer I will do this. There are some compelling reasons not to push my own good humor, not the least of which is the fact that I don't get to see my kids as much as I want, even though I've only been at this a short while. I am getting older and since I do have a very secure pension - well, as secure as anything created by Congress can be - I will drive as long as I want then turn my sites elsewhere.
That, dear reader, is what retirement is all about. Do the kind of work you want to do, as long as it's "fun," then do something else when it's no longer "fun!"
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
4/13/2012
I see by the listing that I have been remiss in writing about my progress. I shall fix that right now! I'm sitting here in a Flying J truck stop near West Rotterdam, NY, working my way through a 34-hour reset because I...well, let's just say there is a 70-hour maximum in 8 days and leave it at that. No need to talk about 71 1/2 hours or poor record keeping or elog misunderstanding, right?
What have I done on the past month? First, I successfully completed OTR training with Lee, though had I known then what I know now, I might have focused his attention on certain areas of my own development...like using the elog system properly. That would have been difficult because the company does not require ALL drivers to transition to electronic logs, only all NEW drivers like me. This is a problem because in my case, Lee kept paper logs and the day I finished my final road test with the Training Department, I went right on electronic logs. I had no training on the setup, the acronyms within the system, or how they interface. One could come to the conclusion that a new driver fresh to electronic logging and without adequate training and experience could, say, misunderstand WHEN to go "off duty" when at a receiver or shopper. Or the impact of not cutting those hours as much as legal because of the maximum duty time of 70-hours in 8 days.
Needless to say, this first solo week has been frustrating and not much fun. Tight schedules, bad weather - snow on I-88 in Western New York?!? Sup wi' dat, bro? - and not meeting my own high personal standards have not helped. In fact, I've cried out to the Great Freightliner In The Sky for one "normal" week like I had in training. Just one. I'm not greedy.
But I have seen Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois. I'm headed back to Penn to pick up some Kraft rejected goods to take to Byron Center, Michigan - not far from my house, though there is no convenient place to drop a trailer so going home is difficult. Maybe they'll let me leave it there for a day or two. Maybe not.
Oh. The best thing that happened to me this year happened on April 12...my daughter gave birth to my newest granddaughter, Macy! And if you think being here in West Rotterdam, NY, and not there in Oklahoma City with my kids isn't the toughest thing, let me assure you it is.
What have I done on the past month? First, I successfully completed OTR training with Lee, though had I known then what I know now, I might have focused his attention on certain areas of my own development...like using the elog system properly. That would have been difficult because the company does not require ALL drivers to transition to electronic logs, only all NEW drivers like me. This is a problem because in my case, Lee kept paper logs and the day I finished my final road test with the Training Department, I went right on electronic logs. I had no training on the setup, the acronyms within the system, or how they interface. One could come to the conclusion that a new driver fresh to electronic logging and without adequate training and experience could, say, misunderstand WHEN to go "off duty" when at a receiver or shopper. Or the impact of not cutting those hours as much as legal because of the maximum duty time of 70-hours in 8 days.
Needless to say, this first solo week has been frustrating and not much fun. Tight schedules, bad weather - snow on I-88 in Western New York?!? Sup wi' dat, bro? - and not meeting my own high personal standards have not helped. In fact, I've cried out to the Great Freightliner In The Sky for one "normal" week like I had in training. Just one. I'm not greedy.
But I have seen Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois. I'm headed back to Penn to pick up some Kraft rejected goods to take to Byron Center, Michigan - not far from my house, though there is no convenient place to drop a trailer so going home is difficult. Maybe they'll let me leave it there for a day or two. Maybe not.
Oh. The best thing that happened to me this year happened on April 12...my daughter gave birth to my newest granddaughter, Macy! And if you think being here in West Rotterdam, NY, and not there in Oklahoma City with my kids isn't the toughest thing, let me assure you it is.
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