Trucker Warren, From The Begining

I finally made the last drop today. The whole thing ended up costing me a day and a half, just because someone didn't care to look for the bills. I really can't wait to get out of this East Coast time zone. It has been really hard on me to make those early A.M. deliveries as I am getting up and 4am and that is like 1am where I'm from. I can't go to sleep early enough and it's hard to get up. I have been paying for that first day all week. I just picked up a load in PA. that is going to Kentucky. It's only about 580 miles and I knocked out 100 of it this evening. I'm just going to wake up when I wake up tomorrow, no alarms. The load delivers on Friday and I can be there by tomorrow early evening.
My DM is starting to route me back towards CA. so I can get home by the 6th. I like my new DM. Every single time I have called him, he has answered the phone. He has had a solution to every problem, and has done really good working with me so far. Well, that’s it for now.

Category: General

I picked up a load in Grand Island, NE. I got there a day early and called their shipping department the next morning and asked if I could pick up early. It was supposed to load at 19:00hrs (7pm) local time and was looking to be a near impossible run and I was hoping to get out early. They said it would be ready at 14:00hrs (2pm). Great, I got there at 12:00 and checked in; I waited and waited and waited on the trailer to get loaded. This is the kind of place that makes you wait with your truck while they take your trailer over to be loaded. I kept up on the guard shack about my load and they kept saying it wasn't ready yet. 14:00 goes by, then 19:00 goes by. Now it's 23:30 (11:30pm) and the guard shack has a shift change. So I go check again and they say "Oh yeah, your bills are right here. I asked what time did they get there, they said at 16:36 (4:36pm). Needless to say, I was pretty upset. They refused to sign that I was held up so I refused the load. This is a meat load and is extremely time critical. Finally they agreed to give me a note but would not put their name on it, only that it was from the guard shack.
So now its midnight, I've had no sleep all day and I'm five hours late and its Saturday night. I contacted after hours, they are about as worthless as $%*#. They offered me no time solutions. Well, I took a 5 hour nap and headed out to Ohio at 5:00am. I can't exactly say how I did it, but I made it to my first drop 909 miles and 22 hours later. I have 4 drops on this load and after they got me unloaded at the first drop, I was sitting in my truck and it felt like it was moving, but it wasn't. I said to myself "Self, you’re not going any further". So I asked the guard if I could stay there and they said sure.
I woke up after 6 hours sleep and by now, my DM was in. I was expecting to have a dozen messages on the QualCom from him about why I was late. There was nothing but a weather watch. I called him and asked if he was aware of the situation and he said yes and said that it was okay and not to worry. He also got me detention pay for waiting and is working on getting me some extra pay for this whole mess.
I must have sent 20 messages to after hours and they never once told me what protocol was in this instance. That really pissed me off; here I was driving my ass off (not exactly legal). Anyway, it's all sorted out now and I am getting plenty of rest. But I have learned something thru all this, NEVER TRUST AFTER HOURS, and if you get a late load and it's not your fault, run it late and let your DM sort it out.

Category: General

First I would like to pass on a link to a song that Will Brown wrote called "Ode To Talk Radio" It's about trucking and true to life. http://www.isound.com/music/will_sterling_brown/

On Thursday they brought me back into Salt Lake City, UT. to upgrade from Q-Fleet to North American Division. They didn't bug me about the lease at all. I think I've got a good DM again, but only time will tell. Sorry it has to be short today but I gotta run.

Category: General

It was great to be home, didn't seem like enough time but thankful for the time I had. I pictured myself lying on the couch all day watching TV until the wife got home from work and then hanging out with her. Not so, Friends and activities took up every spare moment I had. I was sure to be home by the time my wife got home as to be able to spend time with her. I was anxious to see how I was going to feel once I got back to the truck but still savored each and every moment at home like a fine piece of steak.
I came out of the house Tuesday morning and was confronted with a grumpy mechanic at the yard right off the bat, lucky for him I just had home time, had it been on Friday, well, I hate to think what might have happened. I called a friend of mine as I hit the road and he said he was in Las Vegas, "No Kidding" I said, "I'm heading that way, lets get together". We ate at the buffet at the RIO and then went to the IMAX at the Luxor. It was great. I mentioned before that one of the good things about this job is getting to see old friends that have moved all over the country. Seems every where I go I have a friend close by.
Speaking of friends, all of you readers have been great support for me. The questions, comments, concerns, and well wishes are always appreciated and help keep me in touch with the outside world. It's not all fun and games out here, this is a hi-stress job and it demands allot from you.
So I called my trainer today and had to tell him thank you. Despite our differences, he taught me things that I would later find extremely valuable. I see other guys struggling with things that I have no problem with thanks to my trainer.
I am sitting at the Yard in Salt Lake City, Utah where tomorrow I will be processed out of the "Q-Fleet" and into N.A.D. (North American Division). I hate to lose my DM as he has been really good to me. They will likely try to pitch me the lease, but I have decided it would not be in my best interests at this time. Maybe it works for some people but I feel that there is just too much risk involved for me. Am I happy here? Well, the pay could be better but you have to consider that no one else will employ someone with no experience. England does and for that I am grateful. We all have to start somewhere and to be totally honest; it hasn't been a bad experience,
Keep reading as I will continue to report on the happenings here at England.
Oh, and if you are considering signing on, mention my name and driver code so I will get credit. Every little bit helps.
Warren Lark: Driver code is LARWA.

Category: General

I'm Home I'm Home. See ya all in about 4 days.

Category: General

First I wanted to answer a question that Kevin asked on one of my posts. Kevin Asks:
I'm a city boy, as I've said worked in an office all my life. I know where the gas goes in my pickup...other than that I know nothing about engines. Could someone like me make it as a truck driver?

Kevin, you need to know a few things, but they will teach you about those things in school. There are inspections you have to make daily on the truck. For the most part, all the service and repairs are made by qualified technicians. You don't have to touch a thing. Hope this helps.

Now, about home time, my DM stayed true to his word and got me a swap on Tuesday. I made the swap and am now heading towards Cali where the load delivers not far from my house on Friday. Yahoo!! I will be back in the truck on the following Tuesday. I will only be out for a short time as my wife has to have minor surgery on the 8th. I made it very clear that I would need to be home on the 7th of Sep. I will be there for my wife with or without a job; she means more then any job.
Interesting thing came up. I got a letter from the DMV in Cali. stating that I needed to come in and re-test for my CDL. I talked to some other guys from school and they all got the same letter. Later I found out that there are 168 of us so far that have been re-called to take our driving test. This really ticks me off for two reasons: 1. I paid good money for a license that is no good, and 2. Now I have to take time off to go down to the DMV and take the test.
Honestly, there were a few people that I wondered how they would ever make it as they should never have been given a CDL in the first place. I guess this is just the DMV's way of weeding out the flunkies. I'm not sweating it though, I know what I am capable of and I will pass again with no problem. Anyway, gotta go throw my laundry in the dryer.

Category: General

I've just got to laugh; I mean what else can I do. My DM promised me on Friday that he would work out a swap, and he did. I'm supposed to meet up with a team on Tuesday that is coming out of New York (New York City! Get a rope. It's an old BBQ sauce commercial). I should be home this coming Friday. Hopefully it all pans out. From Pittsburgh, PA. they sent me to northern Ohio to pick up and deliver to Arkansas. From there I headed to Tn. and picked up half a load then ran up to Springfield, Mo. where I sit right now. tomorrow I will run up to Lee Summit, Mo. where I will pick up the rest of this load going to northern CA. and then hook up with the team from New York. They have a load going to So. Cal.
I hope it all works out. At this point I don't know if it is fact or fiction. I will believe it when I am at home. I got to give my DM credit though; he has compensated me with many things that I wasn't expecting.
I got a company log violation today for speeding. Not sure how that happened, I went back to the log on the day in question and my miles divided by the amount of time I drove average 60mph. the rule is: you cannot average more then 5mph under the speed limit for the state you are in. For example: California is 55mph so no more the 50 average, you can drive faster then that but taken into consideration hills, traffic, Ect. Well, the truck only does 65, the speed limit in Wyoming is like 75 (that's where I was when I was supposedly speeding), and I averaged 60. They have a 4 level disciplinary system which includes losing some of your safety bonus money. I'd have to look up what it is for the first offense but I will fight it anyway. These little things really bug me. I work hard at being on time and efficient. I send in every Macro when I am supposed to and follow every procedure to a "T" every time. If a problem arises, I am all over it and calling my DM or whoever needs to be notified. I guess that's just the way it goes, but I will find out tomorrow.
Again, thank you for all your support, comments, and emails recently. I find it interesting hearing how you all respond to things I write, it really means allot to me that you do.
Well, that's all for now.
Warren

Category: General

So I made my drop in Pittsburgh, PA. this morning (hope I never have to go back there again), and my DM sends me a load assignment to Arkansas. No problem, I thought, it delivers on Sunday. I thought great, then I'll get a load to So. Cal. then the second load assignment comes thru and it's to Northern Ca. and Delivers on the 22nd. To say I was upset would be an understatement. That would still put me home 2 weeks after I was supposed to be. Well, I sent a few messages to my DM letting him know how disappointed I was and that this was beyond unacceptable. I mean I've been away from home for 3 months and should not have been on this run to Pittsburgh in the first place.
Well, I then called my Dm and he said he was going to try to get a swap on Monday to get me home by Thursday. I've heard that before and there is no way he can promise that but he promised. I understand that he can only do so much, and he has been good to me so far, but if this is a sign of things to come then I might just have to start re-thinking my whole game plan. So we shall see what happens on Monday.
I wonder if they realize just how many people read this blog. So far I've said pretty much nothing but good about CR England, but honestly, this is really starting to change my mind. I told them last week that I was HITTING THE WALL.
Well, I better say no more.

Let me know your feelings on this subject by clicking on the comment button below or by emailing me at:
warrentrucker@yahoo.com

Thanks for all the kind words from my last post. I received allot of E-Mails and there are a good number of comments.

Category: General

Today, something totally unexpected happened to me. I drove thru the night last night because I sat all day and picked up at 11:00pm. I was going to stay at the TA in Denver but decided it would be better to get out of the city as to avoid traffic. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know how I dislike driving at night. Well, the road was wide open and for the most part straight. It was the first time I actually enjoyed driving at night. The plan was to make it to Wood River, NE. around 6am and take a 4 hour nap, then on to Des Moines, Iowa where I would take a full nights rest.
The problem started about an hour after I left Wood River. All of a sudden I hit the wall (mentally, not physically). I have only been at home for 12hrs in the last 3 months and was due for some home time on the 10th. They gave me a run to Pittsburgh, PA. on the 8th which is the opposite direction of home. Next thing I know, this wave of emotion just runs over me making me think bad things were happening at home, feeling like I was a prisoner in this truck, second guessing my career choice, wondering if I ever might get home, to name a few. I felt like I needed to get out of the truck RIGHT NOW!!!!
I started calling some friends and talking to them to try to help get me thru it. I called the Trucker Doc (Sheryl Youngblood) and she spent a couple of hours, on and off, with me on the phone trying to help me get a grip on myself. I miss my wife and a phone is no substitute for being there. So I called my DM (driver manager) and told him I was hitting the wall, he said "what wall, what do you mean”. I told him that I really needed to get home for a few days as the walls of this truck are closing in on me. So now he is working out a way to swap my load with another to get me to Cali.
The two things I need right now are lots of rest and some time away from the truck at home to recharge my batteries. It was strange how all of a sudden that happened when just hours before I was feeling fine and happy. In fact, I have been really enjoying myself this whole time, dreaming of where I would go next and who I might meet, wondering what the next challenge might be, then BAM, like a ton of bricks.

Have you had experiences like this? Tell me about them by clicking on the comment button below or by emailing me at:
warrentrucker@yahoo.com

Category: General

Well, I am finally finished with the Q-Fleet. I asked for some home time this coming week so I can take a couple of days off to relax and reflect back on the last 3 months. I have a big decision to make and I have received counsel from both sides of the fence. I am leery to lease as all the responsibility lies in my lap. I just think the whole thing seems a little risky. If I get sick or my wife needs me home for some emergency, I’ll get the days off, but as a friend said to me, the truck payment doesn’t take a day off just because you do. If the turck is down for any reason, I'm not making money. As another friend put it, "If you don't have enough money in the bank to cover 4 months of expenses, don't do it". I’ve talked to countless lease drivers and I get a 50/50 mix in response to how they feel about the lease program. Even my trainer said that he became a trainer because he tried everything else to make the lease work and that training was the only way.
There’s no way I would ever train, I value my life and there is only one person I trust. But the other side of the coin is that there are people out there that are on their 3rd and 4th lease that seem to be doing well. This really bums me out, I was really looking forward to doing the lease program, but my gut tells me NO, and every time I go against my gut I lose. The thing that worries me is the fact that a company solo drive is at the bottom of the list when it comes to runs. The company is Pro-Lease, so where does that leave me.
I’ve allot of things I want to report on but it’ll have to wait until after I get done with this phase of the process. I just can’t be my creative self when bogged down like this. Thank you everybody that has talked to me on this subject.
Let me know your thoughts on the subject. Is there anyone out there that has had any experience with a lease program?
E-Mail me at: warrentrucker@yahoo.com
Or click the comment button below and leave your comment there.
Thanks:
Warren

Category: General