This Is The Life

We finally made it home and are being very productive. We got all the laundry done and took care of some various things in town. We stocked up on supplies for the truck like cleaning supplies and things to make life a little easier. We got groceries and were able to plan out some meals for the crockpot. We got Teddy all cleaned up and ready to roll tomorrow. My DM just called and verified that we were going to be ready to leave tomorrow and said that she is looking for a load for us.

I wanted to give everyone a list of stuff that we bought for the truck to give a better idea of what will be helpful on the road. I also wanted to give a list of what kind of food we bought to help others with meal planning.

Supplies: Disinfecting wipes- great for cleaning sticky messes and the brand we bought can be used on the floor without shredding Plastic forks and spoons Scotch tape- for taping receipts to paper for TransFlo Body wash and shampoo OxiClean- for laundry and cleaning in the truck Glass Cleaner Sketch pad- unlined paper for putting receipts on for Transflo Dry erase markers- for writing notes and driving directions on the windshield Heavy duty can opener- I spent the extra money on the heavy duty because we have a bad track record with cheapies Laundry detergent pods Bandaids Mesh Laundry bag Mouthwash Crock pot liners- to avoid having to wash the crock pot Aluminum foil- for lining my crock pot if I run out of plastic liners AA Batteries- for the tv remote Baby wipes Various medicines: Advil, tension headache (aspirin and caffeine for my migranes), nasal spray for congestion, melatonin, Benadryl for allergies Food storage containers- for leftovers

Food: Keep in mind that I do have a fridge with a freezer section I planned out for 3 meals which should make at least 1-2 nights of leftovers. I am going to be making all of these in the crockpot. Chicken with mushrooms: Chicken breasts, cream of mushroom soup and canned mushrooms Jambalaya: smoked sausage, jambalaya mix "Baked" spaghetti: big jar of spaghetti sauce, angel hair pasta, and mozzarella cheese. Just layer these in the crockpot and cook on low for 3 hours.

For easier meals I bought hickory ham and bread for sandwiches, summer sausage and cheddar cheese, flavored tuna packs, beef stew (we eat it cold), canned chicken, and canned tuna for tuna salad.

Snacks: canned black olives (my favorite!), banana chips, animal crackers, chips, pretzels, and Twizzlers.

Drinks: a case of bottled water, drink packets (Walmart has a ton of different flavors. I have pomegranate lemonade, sweet tea, raspberry lemonade, and pineapple with coconut water.), V8, small bottles of juice, and some sodas. I also bought 2 four packs of generic Red Bull.

FYI, I don't use them myself but Costco has a generic 5 hour energy drink that receives pretty good reviews. They frequently have them on sale for $28 per 48 pk.

JJ

Costco 5 Hr Energy Drink Link:

FYI, I don't use them myself but Costco has a generic 5 hour energy drink that receives pretty good reviews. They frequently have them on sale for $28 per 48 pk.

JJ

Costco 5 Hr Energy Drink Link:

I wish I lived near a Costco. It would definitely come in handy! I get energy shots at the local Dollar Tree that are two in one. So 50 cents for one! I usually only use them first thing when I get up because it takes me forever to get going otherwise.

Costco actually has free shipping on almost everything and you don't need a membership online. One of the other things I've bought from them over the years is a few of their emergency food kits. Granted you wouldn't want to actually live on them (it's an emergency supply) but it's a viable alternative and they basically have a 20 year shelf life. I switch them out every few years and experiment with them throughout the next several months.

JJ

Emergency Food Kits Link:

Walmart has wipes in the adult diaper section that are much bigger and stron get than baby wipes. I love them. They are called Assurance aND come 96 in a pack. Not only are they great for hands but for a quick washing between showers

Now I'm starting to get frustrated. I never heard back from my DM about a load so I sent a message to night dispatch. They just sent back a message saying they didn't have a load for me yet and to check back in the morning.

I'm ready to go!

It was an interesting morning to say the least. We got up at 0630 and headed out. Stopped at the store for a few last minute groceries (I got some more meal stuff. Ribs and pork chops for the crock pot!) After groceries I sent my regular DM a message asking if there was a load for me. She said there wasn't but that she should have something shortly.

So we headed up to my CDL school where I leave my trailers if it's empty. I also stay there if I have a loaded trailer because I can't drop a loaded. They have showers and bathrooms and there is a store with a café next door. Anyways, I got there right around the time all of the students were coming in. Every time I go home I make it a point to stop in and talk with the current students about TransAm and give them the opportunity to ask questions and check out my truck. Once I have been with the company 90 days I can make $250 each time I do that! So they all checked out the truck and even did a thorough pretrip on it! I also checked all my fluids.

Still no load. So we went and hooked up to the trailer and turned on the satellite dish. It was such a beautiful morning that we rolled down the windows and let the fresh air in. After watching a couple of episodes of Law and Order, I decided to try and take a nap. Around noon, my DM FINALLY called with a load for me!

We deadheaded up to the shipper which happens to be right next door to the terminal in Olathe. Talk about luck! My load wasn't ready, so we are at the terminal for a 10 hour break before heading out. It gave us an opportunity to check our car in the driver lot. Bad luck. It has a dead battery so whenever we decided to get it we will have to put a new battery in it.

So tomorrow we will be picking up our loaded trailer and heading to a Sam's Club DC in Johnstown NY! We get to cross a couple of new states off the list: Pennsylvania and New York. We really seem to be stuck on this route between KS and OH... But at least there is an awesome, gigantic rest area in Indiana that I know that I will absolutely be able to get a spot at. I'm still trying to get off of this crazy 3 pm to 1 am schedule as it makes the parking game stupid hard. I really like driving the 2 am to 1 pm schedule.

I'm still trying to get off of this crazy 3 pm to 1 am schedule as it makes the parking game stupid hard. I really like driving the 2 am to 1 pm schedule.

Chickie Monster, there are no schedules in this job. Well, there is the schedule of when the customer wants their goods. You are doing just fine - I think all rookies end up on that 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. schedule for about six months until they start getting their feet beneath them and begin to gain their stride at all this time management stuff. Most truck stops have got a core group of rookies circling around and around at 1 or 2 in the morning looking for parking - welcome to that club!

You are doing just fine, keep up your hard work, be diligent to stay safe and on time, and it will all start coming together for you. Once your manager gets a little confidence built up in you they will be able to pre-plan you better based on their experiences with you.

This is how I get my schedule switched around. Like Old School says, after a while you understand better "how things work-and this trick ain't hard. The secret is to drive a few short days - even 4 hours - and get up that much earlier each day.

Suppose you have an 8am appointment day after tomorrow 1000 miles away. (Use Day 1 for today, then Day 2 and deliver on Day 3.)

Trace the road back from your appointment location about 300 miles - that's about six hours driving to your destination. Pick a truck stop where you'll do your 10, starting around 3pm.

Between Day 1 and Day 2 you need one more 10 break. Just pick a place between the start and the final truck stop for that break. Be sure you can get your start early that first night/morning, too!

After you get your sleep cycle moved, the rest of your business will snap into place.

ChickieMonster just a side note there isn't much parking around that DC. A real small TA is about it, if you plan on parking near there you need to be early or reserve a space. I shutter every time I think about paying for parking but we do what we have to sometimes.