Profile For Code Red NV

And it wasn't like it was a quick light either. I stopped and stared in disbelief for a long while before I even took out my phone for the picture.

... just beware of the wind.

Safe travels.

It comes out of nowhere, too. I mean, you can see a storm coming, or rain. But, when it's windy, one minute you're driving along fine then WHAM, your truck is five feet over into the next lane. Very scary.

You're in independence, California? 395 is one of the most beautiful drives in the state! I don't know if your going north or south, but if you haven't gotten to Bishop yet, see if you can get to Erick Schat's Bakkery It's famous.

Bishop is on the ever growing list of towns I have to go back to visit. I could only drive through this time but, man, it looked like a very cool place.

Hello, TT, sorry I haven't been around much.

I thought it was time to give a 3 month update.

Exactly like what everyone has said, it got easier. Mostly. The ground floor basics that I used to spend so much time worrying about (hooking and unhooking trailers, shifting, trip planning, etc) now come fairly easy. I'm learning that trip planning is less like a symphony, with every note planned out in advance, and more like a late nite jazz session, where you have to make music with what you've been given, and be able to improvise when the music instantly changes.

I'm also trying more and more of the smaller mom and pop truck stops. At first, it was Pilot/Flying J/Petro's or nothing. Tonight, I'm at the Fort Independence Travel Plaza, off the 395 in California. I'm in an enormous dirt lot with just 3 other trucks. For once, I'm hearing crickets at night and not the blasting noise of a thousand idling truck engines. It's glorious.

Schneider has been good to me, they've kept me running. Pretty much only Cali/Oregon/Washington and Nevada but, as I've said before, I'm ok with that. My DBL and I hardly speak, but I'm ok with that, too.

My truck has been a trooper, mostly. It conked out on my in Oregon a month and a half ago, a fuel injector went and that left me in a hotel room for four days (Thurs-Sunday), but past that she's been good to me.

Being away from home has had the biggest impact on me. Most days I look around and I'm amazed that I'm getting paid to drive down beautiful highways. But then, in the morning, when I'm brushing my teeth in front of a sink that's been spit in by a hundred other drivers that morning, or trying to live off Subway and whatever food I can carry in the truck that won't spoil, or not seeing my wife for weeks at a time, that is what's really bringing me down.

And, if I'm honest, I think the time I’ve been spending alone in the truck might be starting to get to me. I had a full blown argument with my GPS recently. You know the movie Castaway, and how Tom Hanks talks with Wilson? That was me. I was heading to the Schneider drop yard here in Vegas, on the 15 south coming back from Cedar City, Utah, and the GPS was directing me to exit onto Tropicana. To hell with that, I’m getting off on Russell. Trop is way to crowded, tight, and too many weirdos, especially just west of the 15. Russell has nice big lanes, less traffic than Trop, it’s just a better choice.

I was explaining all this to my GPS, until I realized I was explaining all this to my GPS.

Frightening.

Anyway, again, I apologize for not contributing as much as I should to this page, keep up the great work, everyone, I love how supportive everyone is here, it's a beautiful thing.

Drive safe, y'all!

Are you still with Schneider National?

Yes, going on my 7th week out on my own. Everyone said it gets easier, and slowly, it is getting easier.

Congratulations, and good luck!

I see some sparkling clean machines out there.

And some that look like they've never been washed. Which one are you?

Also, how much does it cost for a truck wash? And, if you're a company driver, does your company pay for it?

I saw this 1956 Kenworth outside of a TA in Vegas on Monday. This might be the single coolest truck I've seen.

The owner said the drivetrain had been updated, and the sleeper is from a Kenworth from the 60s (if I remember correctly).

I love everything about this rig.

I love Allie Knight, I've been following her for a few months now.

Congrats, that is such great news!

even a few pounds off is bad.

So, if you have low air pressure, where to you go for air?