Trucker Warren, From The Begining

Hi All:
Wow. The past week has just flown by. It has been a non-stop, action packed week. Today is Thursday and I will only be on this truck for 2 more days (thank god), then it is back to Salt Lake City, UT. where I will solo upgrade. After that I will spend another 28 days with a lease operator. I will be earning actual mileage pay while out on this run. When that is complete, I will then be able to go solo (I can't wait).
It gets a little cramped with 2 people on 1 truck; it starts to wear thin on your nerves sometimes. I finished driving at 1:15am this morning and got to sleep around 2:30. But I woke up to the sound of the engine revving up, then down, up and down. I started thinking "Oh Crap, my trainer is falling asleep". So I drew the curtains back and sure enough, we were only doing about 35 mph. I shouted "HEY, IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?" he promptly replied that it was. About 15 minutes later he woke me up and said it was my time to drive. Hmm, he usually drives more then 4 hours. Now it's about 5:00 in the morning, I feel like crap, there is no coffee and we are on a tight schedule. I got behind the wheel and he informs me that there is no where to stop and we have got to make time.
I was pissed off and happy at the same timem, mad that I didn't get any sleep but happy we weren't going to die. About 15 minutes into my run, I can't keep my eyes open. I am afraid to wake him up and say anything as he would be upset with me, but at the same time the words from all the instructors at school kept ringing in my ears, "better late then never" "there's no load worth your life or the lives of others". I decided that I had to get off the road. This was a lousy position to be in. "I'm getting off at the next exit, no matter what is there". As I approach the next exit I see a Pilot, "Thank you Lord". My trainer wakes up and asks what I am doing sharply, I sharply replied "I can't keep my eyes open, I am getting some coffee and walking around for a bit" He only replied to just pull thru the fuel island.
I got out and walked around for a bit, then got some coffee and a snack. But the walking around had the best effect. After going to the bathroom, I was wide awake.
What a scary morning it was today. I learned something thou. Plan your trips well and get plenty of rest. If it were just me, I would not have put myself in that position in the first place.
Final note; I really can't stand my trainer; he has an extremely abrasive personality. He has a daughter my age and treats me like I'm his son (not in a good way). You can't have any type of conversation with him because he thinks he knows all. Sometimes I will ask him a question and he will respond in anger like it was a stupid question. It has been all I can do to keep my mouth shut for the last 28 days. I figured that I can trust him driving and be able to sleep (at least until this morning), and that meant more then trying to be friends. I could do a whole segment on that subject. There are times he has been down right cruel. I'm not trying to scare anyone from doing this. I have talked to my other classmates about there trainers, one guy said that his trainer buys all the food, another one bought him shoes (long story). In fact, most of them have been getting along pretty well. Is it just me? I didn't complain to CR England because I thought things would work themselves out. I have a two page list of all the things that have happened. I'm not sure what to do with it. I guess I'll just wait and see what happens with my C.A.T. driver.

Category: General