Triletter Update - A Year After CDL School

It seems like I might just have to start a journal just like you guys have done. Seems to be the going thing to do here of late.

It sure is....go for it! The more the better!

I've actually been spending a lot of time racking my brain as to how to get these threads prominently featured so more people will find them. Learning about the real-world day to day lives of drivers on the road is a huge help for people considering a career in trucking.

One of the things I'm going to do is add links to them in our Truck Driver's Career Guide. I can also add links to them in our High Road Newsletter Series that gets distributed to everyone that registers for the site.

But these threads are super valuable. "Driver Diaries" - maybe that's what we could call em to go along with our CDL Training Diaries?

Hey, maybe I should make a new section in this forum for these threads? hmmmmm.....I'm not sure. I hate creating too many sections of the forum because it breaks everything up too much and I'm afraid people won't find em. We'll have to find a way to get em prominent placement though.

Yeah, those journals are hard to write sometimes. Haha. You want to write it on the same day so your mind is fresh but at the same time you also want to sleep.

Ill most likely be continuing mine after my hometime in a week. There's so many people going into refrigerated I feel obligated to write my day to day.

Brett, maybe making sticky threads. Not sure if you heard of a sticky but it's basically a thread that's locked up at the top of the forum. It can't go down the pages, it simply stays on the very top. That way it's one of the first threads people see upon entering the forum. That would draw a bigger crowd because it'll be simple to access. But I do like sending it as a newsletter.

An interesting couple of days. Yesterday, I didn't get a load until after 1300 and it was almost 300 empty miles to NJ (2000 pickup) for a load down to GA. However, while it was a beautiful drive scenery wise, it was a nightmare traffic wise; NYC rush hour, George Washington Bridge in the dark during rush hour and multiple accidents and one semi broke down in the center lane on the approach to the city. As long as you are not in a hurry it isn't a problem. I will ensure I never go through that area without a full complement of hours.

Arrived at the shipper and the guard was new. Let's just put it this way, I got to use their scales MULTIPLE times and got to drop and hook twice because of his "issues". Made for a later evening that planned. A bit frustrated, but getting upset wasn't going to do me or him any good.

Up this morning and encountered a bit of traffic in Phily, but nothing big. Then hit a traffic mob on the south side of DC. I call it a mob, because there was never any indication of what caused it. Hell, maybe everyone was trying to escape the Senate's "nuclear" option.

While planning for today's trip, I noticed that something didn't make sense because they had me routed on I-85 and my destination is no where near there. So I asked on the QC. Response was "follow your map". OK. Sent another QC later (traffic was not moving) and got the same fuel stop on I-85. Needed a break anyway so stopped and called my DM. I told her where I was going and she told me I spelled it wrong. I said that is how it is spelled on the BOL (bill of lading). "Oh, hang on. Someone transposed two letters. OK, where do you want fuel at?" Every once in a while the mushroom has more information than the outside world.

Time for a bit of bragging. We have a driver score card each month that has a whole bunch of stuff that we are evaluated on. My first one, I was dead last in our fleet and not far from the bottom for the company. Last month I had improved and this month I am in the top 20% of our fleet AND the company. I have gone from bronze, to silver and now gold. When my rolling 90 day fuel milage is thrown in next month, maybe I can achieve platinum status.

Still having fun, but really looking for a little home time; hopefully next week. Crazy week for the planners, but 8 weeks out and I need a break. If I don't make it home for Thanksgiving day it will be soon after. Need to get this load off tomorrow early enough to get a decent weekend load that may be headed toward Yankee Land. Life with Melton Blue is an adventure.

Thanks for the props from Old School and Old Salty Dog. Love the flat bed life because each day brings a new mental AND physical challenge of some sort!

Hey! Just noticed that my avatar isn't "broke" anymore. Don't know what happened or who fixed it, but thank you. That is my trusty partner in crime on the road.

I love your analogies.

Every once in a while the mushroom has more information than the outside world.

Stealing it..

Thanks for the props from Old School and Old Salty Dog. Love the flat bed life because each day brings a new mental AND physical challenge of some sort!

Glad I can help in some small way.

Ernie

Hey! Just noticed that my avatar isn't "broke" anymore. Don't know what happened or who fixed it, but thank you. That is my trusty partner in crime on the road.

Yeah, I fixed it up for ya. I saw what picture you were trying to put in there so I hooked ya up.

I have gone from bronze, to silver and now gold. When my rolling 90 day fuel milage is thrown in next month, maybe I can achieve platinum status.

That's awesome! You have the character and wisdom to know you'll have to prove yourself every time you change jobs or fleets or dispatchers and you're doing it. So many people get their CDL and they think that means they've proven themselves already and should be treated like royalty from that point on. Heck no! You always have to keep proving yourself out there. Obviously the fact that you're quickly moving up the list means they've been keeping you moving pretty well so they've grown to trust you. That's what it's all about - developing that trust and a decent relationship with your dispatcher. Life is much better once those are established.

Brett, thank you very much for the avatar fix. Obviously not experienced enough to know all of the ends and outs of the business. My philosophy is just to work hard, ask questions and if I screw something up acknowledge the issue and learn from it. I think another key thing is communication; seek to understand the other person, not react to them. Last, and probably most important, treat people the way that you want to be treated whether it is a fellow driver, your DM , shipper , et al. A kind word, saying please and thank you, and keeping your cool will get you far in this world. I can be as competitive as the next guy or gal, but the bottom line is, HAVE FUN! The rest will come together.

Keep up the great work you do with this site.