Starting With Pride Transport SLC On 15 Feb 2021 Ask Away!

What's your truck number?

I'm not done with training yet. I am assigned to 4178 while in training.

So, I guess the Truckin Gods (if there is any) keep sending me tests. Tonight on the El Cajon Pass southbound was docked in with fog and traffic. Took me 2 hours to get to Riverside because of it.

That's not too bad. When you can't see the end of the hood, though....That's thick fog.

Another wacky day in the books. Maybe I'm just tired or maybe it something else, but I feel like today wasn't real. We picked up a load today in Hurricane and I **** you not, cause you all are my favorite turds, our load was 1 pallet weighing slightly more than a 1000 pounds. 1 pallet of tape that had to be kept at -10 degrees and the reefer had to run on continuous. This has really been messing with my cranial housing group. Are the trucking gods playing with their new acolyte? I think someone is messing with me. Then for icing on this layer cake of goofiness, the wind blew from the Virgin River Gorge all the way to Ontario. I swear my steering wheel was clocked at 2 o'clock the whole way. Oh and for a little cherry top, I snowed for a while in Mt Pass CA. As I read this it sounds fake, I assure you it's not.

Some days are odd. It's still Winter, and California can be windy.

As for that load being light, some are. I hauled one large, padded manilla envelope one time more than 600 miles. The trailer I was pulling was empty.

Some days are odd. It's still Winter, and California can be windy.

As for that load being light, some are. I hauled one large, padded manilla envelope one time more than 600 miles. The trailer I was pulling was empty.

Hahaha, I guess FedEx wasn't the way to go. That's crazy. We had a follow up of 2 pallets of ground coffee tonight.

So, I guess the Truckin Gods (if there is any) keep sending me tests. Tonight on the El Cajon Pass southbound was docked in with fog and traffic. Took me 2 hours to get to Riverside because of it.

Ironic because 6 days ago (when you posted this) I drove from Vegas to Corona CA to a friend's house. I was trying to explain to my husband how it was 70ish degrees in Apple Valley and hitting an actual wall of fog on El Cajon. I passed a Pride truck (it was the only one I saw), so maybe we met in a weird way lol That fog was more gnarly than it looked at first. So if you saw a black 4runner, sunroof open, blasting music...that was me :D

So, I guess the Truckin Gods (if there is any) keep sending me tests. Tonight on the El Cajon Pass southbound was docked in with fog and traffic. Took me 2 hours to get to Riverside because of it.

Ironic because 6 days ago (when you posted this) I drove from Vegas to Corona CA to a friend's house. I was trying to explain to my husband how it was 70ish degrees in Apple Valley and hitting an actual wall of fog on El Cajon. I passed a Pride truck (it was the only one I saw), so maybe we met in a weird way lol That fog was more gnarly than it looked at first. So if you saw a black 4runner, sunroof open, blasting music...that was me :D

Hahaha well I didn't see anything matching that description. I was hyper-focused on the road anyway.

The last few day have been pretty standard. We're on track to clear 5200 miles this week. I'm really liking the night driving, less stressful than rush hour.

I should cross the halfway point of team driving tomorrow and I get a few days off over Easter weekend. Trainer has a doctor's appointment and I have to meet with my VA advocate about my disability claims. Should be near the 150 hr mark by then. A week into April and I'll be ready to phase out of training and go solo.

Any update or news?

Any update or news?

Update.

The last week was fairly routine. Lots of night shifts, we did get one run to SLC to have some terminal time and a little love for the truck from the maintenance experts. Lots of yogurt and candy runs mostly. One fresh meat load and a load of spaceship insulation for NASA that had to be kept frozen. Weird? SURE! but I guess most things involved in space aren't average to us.

I started home time last night and have 154 hrs completed on my 200 hr team phase. The trainer is planning on the 7th or 8th for a run back to SLC to drop me off for my phase up to solo. I am well over the required backing at 103 dock bumps. The trainer has really thrown me some curveballs. Waking me up to back into difficult docks, making me blind side when I don't have to, and other little "advanced challenges". I had a blind side back from the street at one small warehouse and the trainer worked with the shipper so I had to blind side all down the length of the dock and take the last dock between 2 trailers when there was ample room and empty docks. He made me 180 in a tight place to create a blind side as well. I know he's pushing my comfort level and testing my abilities.

Noobs should take this lesson, my trainer is not just making my life hell, he's prepping me for tougher times ahead. We used to say in Battalion, "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle."

I met with my VA advocate and my claim is slowly progressing, it's been over a year now. The VA made me take yet another hearing test and wants me to upgrade to newer hearing aids. Which is all well and good but I am more bothered by the ringing in my ears. It's borderline obnoxious and I have to have background noise to drown it out. Even to sleep.

I have had the best sleep recently though. I think the noise of the truck/reefer/APU really suppresses the tinnitus, that and the exhaustion that follows driving for 9-11 hrs. Either way, the waking up every few hours, for a few hours, has completely stopped and I am sleeping 8+ at a stretch. That hasn't happened for the last 12 years or so. Winner, winner!

So now I need to find a lady to team with and she can keep the truck rolling so I can keep getting good sleep. All kidding aside the sleep has been a gift. For years I have tried all the tricks except drugs/alcohol, though I was getting desperate enough. White noise, meditation, black out curtains, you name it. Nothing helped and trying to live on what is essentially 2 naps per night was way less than ideal. Hopefully I won't have to drive a truck 9 hrs a day until I die to get good sleep. Lol

I should be back on the road tomorrow or the next day. My trainer also had a medical test to complete for an upcoming surgery. So as soon as we hear from dispatch, he'll be swinging by and I'll finish off my hrs.

Shipper:

The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.