Trucker Warren, From The Begining

This post is in response to some questions that Mark Stetson asked in one of his comments. I thought they were great questions so here we go:

How have your dealings with shippers and receivers been?

Well, it’s like anything else I guess. Some of them treat you real good and are extremely accommodating. And then there are the ones that treat you like dirt. Some of them have this power trip going on, but I just act humble and do as they ask. It’s not like I have to see them everyday. And I take satisfaction in knowing that I’m not stuck in the cage that they are.

Truckstops?

There again, you have good and bad. I am learning where I like to go and where I don’t. thus far I prefer Bosselmans, Pilot, and Loves. They seem to be the cleanest, best priced, and most accommodating to drivers. It also depends on which part of the country you are in.

Panhandlers?

I try not to make eye contact with them. Sometimes they will climb right up on the truck if you even acknowledge that they are there and start with the whole pitch. I keep the doors locked and the curtains drawn. I never leave the truck running when I am not there so as to not encourage theft. I had a girl try to talk me in to letting her come in and rest for awhile because her car blew up and she walked 13 miles, YEAH RIGHT. I’m married, but even if I weren’t, I still wouldn’t touch a lot lizard with a 100 foot pole. The thing about panhandlers that are trying to sell their wares is, where did they get them? If you ever do buy something from one of those guys and lets say that you get pulled over for something and the officer is having a bad day and decides to search your truck. You may be in possession of stolen goods.

Do you have an XM radio with you?

Not yet, my trainer had one in his truck and I loved it. I have had to make a few large purchases so I am a little tapped out for awhile.
I had to buy a cooler and a CB. Almost all of the shippers and receivers require you to have one so they can call you for various reasons. It is also a great tool for on the road. I bought the cooler to help combat the high price of truck stop food. It is also much healthier to make your own food.

Have your hours been moved around to accommodate appointment times.

There was only one instance that times had to be moved around like that, but no fault of mine or CR England. So far I have been running a tight ship and have made every deadline, sometimes with minutes to spare and sometimes with hours to spare. CR England has been really good about scheduling me enough time to get to where I need to be on time. Sometimes it’s pretty tight and other times I can be a little more relaxed, but never am I illegal.

Do you prefer driving day or nighttime? Take good care of yourself! Mark

I would much prefer driving during daylight hours. I particularly prefer the early morning hours when the trees cast a shadow across the road way and it’s cool and the smell of pine is sweet, it makes me feel like going on vacation. I also like the sunsets. Some truckers prefer to drive at night because there is less traffic. I, personally, find it to be more difficult, dangerous, stressful, and slower. Not to mention the road work is going on at night and that compounds everthing 10 fold. If you hit a road worker, you go to prison. It’s just not worth it. You can’t avoid it all together, but I keep it to a minimal.

I love to answer all the questions I can so feel free to either Email me or make a comment by clicking on the comment link below.
Thanks Mark for the questions.

Category: General