Today has been pretty average, I suppose. Decided on who I am going to start work for next week, and arranged a hotel for orientation which starts on Monday morning at 7:00. After talking again with Swing I decided on Landair.
While the job at Swing actually sounds like the better job, practical considerations exclude them at this time. Firstly, the local 'home every night' positions have been filled. They wanted me to do a dedicated run. Still not bad, home a couple times a week and still off on weekends. Problem is, they only pay twice a month so I wouldn't see my first paycheck until Feb. 7th. Since they don't have a system for cash advances, I would have no means of covering basic expenses while on the road until the 7th.
Landair on the other hand does have cash advances, pays weekly, and I would be home on weekends.
Perhaps at some point in the future, another local 'home every night' position will open at Swing and I'll be more able to financially be in a position to take it.
After being out of work since November recouperating from the wreck, I need to get back to work and see some money as soon as possible. Being flat broke is no way to be.
So, I called the recruiter at Landair and told her to go ahead and book me into orientation for Monday.
She was going to buy me a bus ticket to get there, but I don't ride a bus for any reason. Geez, it's only 3 1/2 hours from here, and Jo Ann can drive me down there on Sunday to get checked in to the hotel. The recruiter said they would reimburse me the cost of a bus ticket for providing my own way there. That'll work.
I am looking forward to getting back to work after all this time. My back still bothers me, but I think it's well enough to be getting back out there. Being broke is pretty good motivation too.
Will be getting an early start tomorrow; going to PA to pick up my stuff. Guess that'll give me some idea of how my back will do riding for hours at a time.
Bad thing about trucking is the limitations on what types of medications we are allowed to take. Nothing we are allowed does anything to help my back, and anything that does help can't be in my system. Even if I take it while off duty, it's still illegal; can't be in my system at all. So I guess I'll just have to put up with the pain.
I stopped taking my pain medication a little over a week ago. My doctor said it would take about five days to get out of my system, so I should be clean now for the drug screen on Monday.
I really hate these boring orientations, but it's DOT regulations. No matter how long you have been driving, if you change companies you have to have orientation. YUK. Very boring. Always the same old crap. Oh well, what can ya do?