Just got home last night around 10pm. I really hope that this first week with this company isn't representative of a typical week here.
After spending Monday and Tuesday in boring orientation class, we did our driving tests on Wednesday. What a joke! I have been a professional driver for a number of years, as had everyone else in the orientation class. The idea of giving us a driving test is insulting.
But, this company is very selective about who they hire. A number of drivers were washed out during orientation for several reasons. One failed his physical, one had a criminal background, one failed the drug screen, a couple had lied or ommitted information on their applications.
After the driving tests, we were assigned our trucks. I was very surprised that I was given a brand new truck. It had a total of 90 miles on the odometer when I got it. When I rolled in last night it had over 1400 miles on it.
Well, then the fun started. Right off the bat the qualcomm (satellite communications system) didn't work, so several hours were waste while the shop replaced the unit and the programming had to be downloaded to it via satellite from San Diego.
Once that was finished, I was dispatched on a load picking up in Kingsport,TN and delivering in Brownsville, TN. I needed an empty trailer to be loaded. Guess what? No empty trailers on the yard! Well, they bobtailed me up to Bristol to pick up a trailer, but when I arrived I found that there weren't any.
I was bobtailed back to Greeneville, TN to the John Deere plant. Again, no empties. By this time it was midnight, so I told them I'd had enough fun for one day and went to bed. That was a horrible night as I had no sheets, blankets, or pillows because I was told not to bring them as I would be sent straight home to load my things in the truck.
Thursday morning a driver came into the yard to drop an empty trailer, which I immediately hooked to. I went to Kingsport and picked up my load of paper and off to Brownsville I went. I spent another uncomfortable night sleeping in the truck parked at a truckstop 10 miles from Brownsville. At about 3am the qualcomm woke me with a message that my next load would be loading in Memphis at 5pm on Friday afternoon. I shot back a message informing them that I didn't appreciate being awakened by a message that could have waited until a decent hour.
After delivery on Friday morning, I headed for Memphis. I arrived in Memphis about 10am and received a message that the load had cancelled, so I went to the truckstop to await my next dispatch. About lunch time, I went into the Arbys to grab a bite. While standing in a rather long line, I had finally made it up to about third in line, a 20-something kid tried to cut the line. Well, I wasn't in any mood for that, and neither were the dozen or so other truckers standing there. I grabbed the back of the kid's coat collar and asked him what the hell he thought he was doing. Well, he said he was in a hurry and didn't have time to stand in line. I politely pointed to the end of the line and told him he could wait like everybody else, or go someplace else. He started in with a string of curses, insults, and basic gutter slang, covering everything from what he thought of the white race, my stetson, boots, my lineage, parentage, and truckers in general. At this point I politely gave him a lesson in basic manners with a hard right to his jaw. He picked himself up and decided to go get his lunch elsewhere.
Well, I sat there all day Friday, all night, and at 7am Saturday morning I was quite pissed.
I called weekend dispatch and informed them that I was heading back to the yard to give them back their damn truck. Magically, they suddenlly had a load that was dropped at the yard that was going to Scranton, PA that would take me right to my house in Virginia so I could load up my things. Amazing!
Well, I got home last night around 10pm as I mentioned earlier. Jo Ann was working at the bowling alley last night (her part-time job) so I jumped in my jeep and headed over there for a much-needed cold beer.
Well, now, Sunday morning, we are having a nasty snow storm. Guess I won't be making it to Scranton tomorrow after all. I'll wait until tomorrow morning to see how the roads are shaping up, and let dispatch know when I think I can be up there so they can call the customer and reschedule. After the week I've had, I need the break anyway. What can they do? Take away my birthday?
Actually, I hate not making a delivery on time, but I can't control the weather, and no load is worth getting hurt or hurting someone. The storm will be over by tomorrow, the roads will be cleared, and it will be safe to drive on up to PA.
Such is the life of a trucker. Sure hope next week is better.