Profile For Anne A. (and sometimes Tom)

Thanks for the update Laura. I too haven't seen her on here and sent an email to her but no response yet. Now I know what's up and hope to see her back here soon.

Omigosh....SEE HOW LONG I WAS TYPING ?!? I didn't even see your post, until I plastered my WALL OF TEXT up in here, haha!

Thanks so much, Navy. Really means a lot; you're an epic hecka good sir, with the background you (don't) boast; I'd love so darn much to meet you, for sure!!!!

Y'all make *(made)* and will continue to ......make my day. I'm ever grateful.

Please pass that 'BELATED' B'day wish on to the PackRatter, I so wanted to create an epic thread, with the glitz, cake, and cards.... I couldn't pull it off, dang me.

Dennis (Longhorn) and G'Town. . . . tons of thanks for your emails, as well. I'm really touched, y'all.

Kearsey, poor Kearsey; (just ask her, and yes you can tell 'em!) I had nobody to 'type' to; but YouTube is easier on the phone than this, so ... EVERY. SINGLE. VIDEO. that poor gal posted, my dumb arske had to post and ask and post and ask like 3 times!! I had to feel connected somehow, Laura and Scott were getting tired of me, hahahaha! No, really. Scott isn't shy.

Withdrawals of the Truckers I KNOW and LOVE, you'se guys !! (In my Joe Pesci / Marissa Tomei voice . . . )

I'm back, I hope...even if it's a few lines. This clipboard floating right above where I type even suggests silly pics/emotes to put in this post.... I can't much longer, stand it!! It's got a big purple W (like Walgreens logo) if any of y'all know what I mean ... and it wants to change my words with every click.... but it saves it.... so. Concessions, concessions... LoL !!

Speaking of . . . story for another day. Laura and Big Scott (and PJ and a few more via text) know that Tom is double guessing himself; fearing that he overreached. Perhaps, he did. Then again, opportunities never really DID quit knocking... It's just another IDKWTF in our lives...... sorry, if y'all need to bleep, and if you don't know what it's an acronym for, ask Laura ... I sent her the CliffsNotes, haha!!

I miss you all SO DANG MUCH. '87, (C****n) that really touched me in a huge way. Sometimes I feel like my lil' bit' o' me knowledge doesn't even hold a candle in these walls. FOR TODAY (and hopefully many) ... I feel otherwise.

You folks are so darn the best !!!

Always, always ....

~ Anne ~ (and sometimes, Tom)

ps: A few of y'all texted me; Harv, never DID get to ask about Portugal !!!! Seems that Starlink RV is being reserved (at least by us) about providing RV satellite to a huge pole/semi barn, on a few stable acres of land, not to mention the trees. The cost is quite high, and no guarantees of productivity. We're looking at June, 2023 ... soonest, for Starlink.

Others via text: George ~ GOT TO KEEP ON PLAYIN' FUNKY MUSIC !! You & I . . . we've got a day named for us, soon !!

One more texter, anyone heard from ... um whats his name, Ryan? He used to keep up w/us real good, text & all else.. nada lately.

BK, you USED to email me... when I peek in to the GPS, I look for ya... seems you don't post as much as stop in either... why???

PJ ... thanks for still calling, keeping up w/me AND TOM. He always learns so much, even advice wise... good sir. Him pulling tanks like AndHe78's .... yeah, nope. Sounds sexy & all but .... he listens to YOU, and Laura, haha!! (Me, not so much....) I could go on and on..... Yet, I'll err on the side of caution (re: no current nternet failures) and end with a smile, for now ~ before it flakes out!

In the spirit of ALL THINGS TRUCKING, my shoulder really HAS healed a bit more with the unwanted hiatus that embellished me.... I'm a day closer! Time to get back to my AthleanX videos (seriously) and exercise.. (ANOTHER STORY ABOUT TOM, re: that ... tell ya later. Some of y'all know, and disagree w/my interference.) Had Tom let me instill some better values upon him at an earlier time, it would've been a non issue. But, .. anyway.. chips fell in place; barely. I know, wasn't a smart idea on my part, but it worked.

I almost lost all this by an internet FING alert .... sheesh....

"Quit while you're ahead,"they said! ....and that was all JUST THE PS'S !!!

I don’t get on much, but noticed no comments in the forum from them for a while…

Very little is consistent in trucking, except hard work and long hours.

They brought a lot of good to this forum. I am missing reading their comments…

Sent an email with no response as well…

They were an anchor in here, at least for me. Especially when I was was just starting out and on the road all alone. They always took the time to respond and offer help in any way they could.

Hoping they are ok!

Man, thank you so much for caring; for asking!!!! That right there . . . means WOW.TONS. We are, as can be. More on the job thing later, tho. Let's see how far I can get without losing all I type... I'm setting up the 'auto' clipboard but it's aggravating as heck; IN MY FACE, haha!!!

Yessir, I certainly DID get your email....dated 11/14 if I recall ??????? I sure didn't see it until 11/25, apologies! Oddly, a few of the gang emailed me; yours for some reason went into 'family' mail . . . .which if not starred, could be recipes, jokes, ... et al ~ so, SORRY !!! Hey, that's a good thing tho, right? I adopted YOU when I thought you were born in '87 . . . . .lol...rememeber? I made a mental note to reply... and I'm so dang sorry I've not... I remember the whole context, and will find it (and justly relocate it) today, Lord willin' and CenturyLink, too !!! Thanks so much, you . .. . a few words for the others:

They're doing well, there's an issue with their internet being extremely slow right now. It took her a couple days to respond to my email as well, but theyre doing well.

Rob T., again I thank you for reaching out; especially with giving me hope re: the EERO !!! I'm trying to get the CL tech to do it for me on the down low . . . . but he asked how 'long' my rates last for, thinking it may be a jeopardy situation....lol. We've not talked since.

SO, there's you !! I've been harboring this grandiose dream (wish) that you'd call me (us) and talk usn's through it all ..... (did I dream that, or ...?) It's really not supposed to be too hard, but ... Tom's WAY too out of the iT / telecom industry, I've definitely gotta do it when he's not home; I already know that from 'his' geek speak to mine & Franklin's. The kiddo is very techie, but ... not too much with the telecom part either. He just builds drones; creates flightplans, he's got so much going on, if he keeps it up and gets/stays ahead of the game, he'll get somewhere. His NEW thing is manipulating the yaw on a flight, at a certain angle. (Y'all catch that? Me neither!) Seriously ... I've read, studied, and then some more... and I chicken out. If I make it worse than .5mbps upload, I'm really toast!!! LoLoL...

For anyone interested, preferably with PayPal, email will direct such joiner to phone number for further instructions, hahaha!!

Anne and I text quite a few days of the week. Tom is doing okay at his new job and she has been fighting to get better internet service for the past month.

Laura

Yeah, we do !! Sometimes, when Tom's heading out at 03thirty . . . . and I'm fulla something to say, I'll keep m'lady awake, in her opposite time zone; ignoring the yawns, to ... complain to someone !!!

Ms. Laura, you always cheer me up, no matter. I'm just so dang mad I couldnl't post A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PACKRAT LAST WEEK !!!! Y'all, please pass that on. I texted him for a brief moment that day; wished him a good one, and no sooner did the WiFi go out; the POWER DID TOO..... so, I'm the only one prepared; USB lamps/lanterns .. charge, check. Phone/tablet charged, check. Candles in the ready mode w/electronic lighter, check. Wood beside the wood stove (if necessary)..check. The two BOYZ in the zhouse/hood . . . did not prepare. Stealing my charging bricks, everything. Well, I've got hide a ways... ha!

It's always something, y'all. I'm so so so happy that many of you have (and do) reach out to me, still. I know, Brett's pretty much lost patience; can't blame him (*to a point*) but then again, a computer PROGRAMMER, aka: know it all (sorry, in a GOOD WAY, bossman!) takes my hesitation to tweak & tune myself, as weakness. My words, not his. Jenn, keep him in line!! LoL..... I had a nice Fb message yester-morning; we were at Tom's mom's care center, though; I couldn't reply promptly (or at all....then.) Thanks, tho ... you know who you are; telling me some of y'all are missing me and asking and worrying; meant a lot. That stuff w/Tom's mom, Laura knows. Not fun, not much anyone (*esp me*) can do. Another balll dropped on us (me.) They are trying to put her *MIL* in a hospice, but no cancer; she's not dying. I've been reading; huge money grab it seems. Oh, and they got her mixed up on Xanax last month....... ended her up in the ER.. (Anyone see that movie on Netflix/Prime??? Dayum!) Of course, here's me running out of room... Don't y'all wonder what the heck, if my fingers need diapers now, or what? Tom said that. Dork!! Kinda funny, tho ... like the 'rrhea of the fingers is stymied messing up my .. hands!

Hey, it's helping my SHOULDER, hahaha!!

I'll be back soon; one way or another !!!

~ Anne ~ (and Tomster!)

Been a little under the weather since Friday due to food poisoning. The more I age the less seafood agrees with me lol. Just wanted to update. I received a phone call from Witte Bros this AM, and was asked if I would be willing to do a phone interview tomorrow morning, to which I obviously said yes. I'll chime back in tomorrow after the interview. I will get back to those who have posted when I can, just not feeling staring at the screen with the nausea at the moment. TY to everyone who has replied with the plethora of information.

And TY Anne for all of your help and info too

Most welcome, Gabriel;

Anytime!!!! Hope you are on the upswing, and feeling much better soon. Good luck tomorrow, that's awesome! You'll LOVE Witte ... are you speaking with Darian by any chance???? Say hello from me, and mention Trucking Truth/Brett too!!

Go get a nap, and go nail it! Waiting to hear tomorrow; GOOD LUCK!!

~ Anne ~

I can only speak from my 22 months doing teams with CRST outta Calif. We consistantly ran 6000+ (up to 7400 twice) miles every week pretty much Their main headquarter/terminal is out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa......Not knowing where you're located, not in your bio lol.....As well as those already mentioned, shouldn't be too hard to find 1 that you'd get hired by.

I was thinking that first and foremost, also. Miss ya in the STATES, man! Our CRST Ambassador !!!!

Hello, My name is Ken and my wife is Mary Ann. We really enjoying this site and appreciate all the great posts. Before we start a trucking we were taking care of elderly veterans in our home as part of the VA program. We have to stop doing that for awhile because of COVID and we got into trucking to make ends meet. Unfortunately, caring for veterans isn't very lucrative, but we enjoy it very much. Our goal is to save enough money in trucking so that we can afford to make our house into a very special place for elderly veterans, and so that we can afford to take care of them well into our etirement. Our question is this: Is there a way to capitalize on a fact that we are willing to stay on the road year round, and only go home perhaps twice a year?

We got our CDL's in November 2021 & we've been driving on our own since March 2022. We would like to find a lane in a company where we could get at least 6000 miles a week consistently. Any insight to help us find something like this will be appreciated. Finally, could you please give us some advice of what we might want to haul that is recession proof since we think we're in for a bad one. Thank you in advance for your time.

Welcome to TT, Ken and Mary Ann ;

(I'm her name in reverse; AnneMarie!)

Sounds like looking around now is probably a sordid plan; I've got a few suggestions, as well.

First, being Hummer. We recently spoke to them, they're picky but awesome. Pay is high for solo, and moreso for teams:

Company Team Drivers, Starting at $2K/Year.

GP Transco also stands out to me/us; they love teams, and pay shows! GPTransco Team Drivers!

KL Harring is another great one; they're all (and maybe only!) about teams: KL Harring / Team Drivers.

We've heard a lot about US Xpress lately, in the team niche also: Top Team Pay, Sign On Bonus at USX!

Stop back; I'm sure others will throw in some more; hope that helps,

~ Anne & Tom ~

Yes thank you I did read the article and have been gobbling up other articles here as well. Lots of helpful information.

As for where I read about companies making people ‘redo’ schooling, I did read that in one of the forums topics here and a couple other web boards. Just enough to make me question if it’s a thing. Still not sure about which path to take -company or private school. Soooo many differing opinions and pro cons I am finding but that’s ok. Will probably end up coming down to timing opportunity and cost.

I have been reading that some people who choose to go private school and get their CDL and t he n get employed by a company that has their own school sometimes make the new hire go to their school anyway including signing the contract putting them on the hook for the training costs. Is that a common thing? Presently debating private bank company cdl school so if this is common practice it makes the choice clearer.

You didn't read that on here.

Glad to see you're still plugging along AT it, Marc !!

As far as what you've read and/or heard, it could be a reference which had been made to a training school/program not being on the national registry. This is explained within the following link, re: the ELDT that went into effect on 02/07/2022 explained in detail here:

FMCSA Entry Level Driver Training; About the Regulations.

Hope this helps,

~ Anne ~

I would advise you against picking a company because they have a short training program. We've had a good amount of transam drivers come in here because they get fired for excessive accidents, blame transam for lack of training and then have difficulty getting hired somewhere else.

Training is a small part of your career, but it's important. It's not something you want to just gloss over and end.

Indeed, Sir Banks; I read that suggestion as well, didn't mention however. ANOTHER thing with Trans Am, they tend to push lease.

Another paid training program that has presence in Va., is Stevens Transport, although many advise agains them; PJ's gal started with them, perhaps Ihe can elaborate.

PAM Transport via Driver Solutions is accessible via TT's streamlined app, and has a large presence in your state, as well. I'd give them a look, also. Honestly, terminal proximity is usually unimportant, but may just be, in your situation. Surely worth a try.

Just as Trans Am has a very short training program as mentioned, they tend to push lease. If you've not been educated on such, please read up on why NOT to lease, in many places within Trucking Truth.

Here's a link to blogs and articles: Blogs & Articles re: Leasing; Risk vs. Reward

Best again,

~ Anne ~

I wanted to post one more time to say thank you to everyone for your replies.

I had adopted my dog from a rescue organization and I also reached out to her former foster family to see if they would help.

They were more than happy to help us out so Mazie will have a place to stay that she is familiar with when I finally get on the road.

My plan now is to go part time with my current employer and start the next feasible CDL course. After that, I'll find an employer and get through my training without having to worry constantly about my 4 legged friend being neglected.

After that, I'll look forward to seeing you folks on the road!

Howdy, Darin!

Welcome to Trucking Truth; as it seems the others beat me to it this time... I've been MIA due to recent loss of WiFi, but I'll be back around..as time permits, as the resident "Welcome Wagon," per se.

On topic, so many folks are comforted by bringing a 4 legged puppers or kitty along in their rig; I know it will be a must for me, also. It's always nice to wake up to 'toe beans' or a 'derp' face; even their subtle snores!

Most of the first months, however; it is highly recommend by TT and companies alike, that you train with your 4 legged friend en absentia. The last thing you need are any extra distractions, as you learn the land, the truck, and all else. It's awesome you've got that part covered, tho!

Some great reading if you haven't yet, will open your eyes to what's to come:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Another great idea; if you may even consider going the company paid route: Apply For Paid CDL Training. No risk. This'll actually give you an idea what is asked of you, and what you are required to provide.

There's more when you're ready! I hope the above helps;

~ Anne ~

Good morning Anne. I was sitting here looking at new posts and thought about your and Tom's job adventure. Any luck yet in locating a new gig? I hope that you are able to land a good one that fits your lifestyle. Also thank you for your well wishes during Hurricane Ian. We came through with no damage at the house or the 5th wheel. Worse for us was surrounded by a rising retention pond out front and Shingle Creek in the back at my brother in law's house in Kissimmee. Take care and good luck.

I've gotta tell ya, it is SO HUGE to me, to hear from you, in each capacity....I'm sorry I went M.I.A.!

Short story: When Tom's company did their 'dealio' and I was scurrying on the job hunt with and for, our WiFi Provider decided to follow suit, and sell out, as well.

We all know how THAT type of transition goes. . . not good.

Short story, I think I'm up and running BETTER than before, and I'll keep y'all on the fence, re: his new home!

Thanks for asking, I'll update soon;

~ Anne ~

For over twenty years I have been a civil servant. This career has taking a heavy toll on my heart and mind as I deal with human tragedy and crisis day in and day out. For this reason I want to take a leap into something completely different. This has brought me to this forum. Presently I make $64k a year and need to sustain this number to make my budget work. Between the want ads, recruiters and advertisements this number seems achievable (and then some) in the truck driving industry. What I need to know is, is this realistic or just recruitment hype? What can I truly expect to earn starting out?

You've gotten many replies, Marc.

Any thoughts, questions, decisions?

Stop back; ask, update, or all the above!

~ Anne ~

You'll see some of these around Boise

Don’t know about the stinker! But the Sinclair’s on average have fairly good food.

That's awesome!! But for Cali, of course...in my opinion anyway...

Hey, maybe you can even meet up w/Laura and PackRat out that way, even at a Sinclairs, perhaps.

Stay safe, take pix;

~ Anne ~

ps: @IDMtnGal !