My Journey Continues - The Latest Gig

There's just something about the color green and Macks that go well together. :)

…and the sound.

There's just something about the color green and Macks that go well together. :)

Thanks OS. You’re right; no idea I’d be doing this at 63!

Ironically enough my first exposure/experience in trucking was working summers for an excavation company. Among other things I helped move heavy equipment and backed the 35T gooseneck in the yard. I had forgotten most of it…

That's really cool G-Town!

I'm betting you never dreamed you'd be pulling RGN trailers and heavy equipment when you were in CDL Training. You've come a long way.

I left SWIFT at the Pottsville WalMart for basically the same reason. My background b4 trucking was in manufacturing. There was this recurring theme where I'd get 'stuck' on night shift for decades because I could get 'numbers' with minimal crew/injuries & no supervision & I suspect since I had no children, which contributed to the no children thing. Once I was even offered 'night shift supervisor' at a job I'd only agreed to do a couple of months a year 'on nights' at the point of hiring. I promptly left when they offered their 'promotion'/title/raise which to me was a sentence. I don't enjoy a running sleep deficit + an irregular start time when pulling 80,000 lbs on public roads with shift that regularly last 14 hrs. The upside was less traffic.

As the story goes, best made plans don’t always go the desired way. No different with me; my intention and also understanding was to be assigned the next available PFG route covering south-eastern Delaware and parts of Eastern Shore of Maryland. Shore routes.

Initially I was running overnight doubles shuttle service between the primary terminal in South Jersey to the satellite yard in Lower Slower Delaware. As it turns out...action is way louder than words. Two openings were filled...while I was still running shuttle. I totally understand PFG is running a business and rightfully so, my shuttle was in their minds, running successfully. Why fix that which isn’t broken. Perhaps more difficult to fill than a route assignment.

I loved running doubles...absolutely loved it, but honestly and humbly admit that driving from 17:00 to 04:00 every day wasn’t my cup of tea. I believed that over time I’d adapt, adjust, get comfortable with it. Wasn’t meant to be...and an obvious physical limitation (turning into a zombie at 02:00) that remained after 4+ months, was addressed.

As necessary...I too made a business decision and began to explore other options local to southern Delaware. Didn’t take too long. I landed a job in early January with a company called Blue Hen Organics (BHO) with primary responsibility to transport mulch, tree grindings (from building sites), wood chips, compost, topsoil and eventually heavy equipment moving from job site to job site (already had first lesson and experience with this).

Secondarily, operate heavy equipment loading my truck, loading other trucks and maintenance of our ginormous yard. There are 10 employees of the BHO division; I’m one of two CDL A drivers.

I start my day at 6:30AM and typically finish before 5PM, M-F, occasionally Saturday morning. I’m like a kid in a candy store driving a kick-in’ Mack Pinnacle with a 10-speed Eaton trans attached to a 48’ Peerless Walking floor trailer. I’ve also become proficient running a wheeled loader with a rollout bucket. I’ve experienced driving and maneuvering (slowly) a loaded semi off-road...challenging most of the time, occasionally precarious.

I’ll continue updating this thread...as time permits and new photo ops occur. Having a blast so far.

First things first, for you Anne... the walking floor:

There's just something about the color green and Macks that go well together. :)

…and the sound.

There's just something about the color green and Macks that go well together. :)

G'Town, I am SO enamoured with your new gig (as you well know!!!) .. and so happy for you, over the jealousy that gurgles deep down, LoL, J/K! One thing we never got the opportunity to do. Transport National was an 'almost' for us (Tom) but, their Ohio locale just wouldn't work out, in the grand scheme of things. He was all but hired. Then again, wouldn't have had the 'toys' to drive in addition to, haha!

Sometimes, in HH/OS/OD, terminal locale DOES matter. You are blessed, good sir!

One of our pals in the trucking world you may know, ScottieD67, recently hailed a similar job. He'd had some construction background/experience, which helped, I'm sure. He started with Swift as well, and was a trainer. Moved on to JCT (John Christner) and they TERMED his lease (yeah!!!) a few months before pay off, and charged him back some huge amount... all for video taping. In. His. Leased. Truck. Think he's with Wilson now, as the OS/HH job was contract/seasonal.

Some of y'all get the opportunity of a LIFETIME. (Tom sees your pics, and says 'no fair!' ... but; it is.)

I wish you the best, and forever, with this gig of a lifetime, good sir.

You put your time & dues in, you dang sure deserve it!

~ Anne & Tom ~

ps: Hay Greybeard, Tom's Mack pulls green trailers; does that count ?!?!? :)~

It really doesn't matter what color the truck is as long as it's a Mack! Just my personal preference in trucks from days long ago. I Started in an A40, then progressed to B61, F600 and so many R models I can't count them all. I received a plaque from Mack Trucks years ago for 1 million miles driven in a Mack. That made me feel proud.

Thank you Anne.

I know how lucky I am… right place, right time and never saying no to learning something new.

“Hey wanna learn how-to load the excavator onto the low boy?”

Me: “Yes (gulp)”.

There's just something about the color green and Macks that go well together. :)

…and the sound.

There's just something about the color green and Macks that go well together. :)

G'Town, I am SO enamoured with your new gig (as you well know!!!) .. and so happy for you, over the jealousy that gurgles deep down, LoL, J/K! One thing we never got the opportunity to do. Transport National was an 'almost' for us (Tom) but, their Ohio locale just wouldn't work out, in the grand scheme of things. He was all but hired. Then again, wouldn't have had the 'toys' to drive in addition to, haha!

Sometimes, in HH/OS/OD, terminal locale DOES matter. You are blessed, good sir!

One of our pals in the trucking world you may know, ScottieD67, recently hailed a similar job. He'd had some construction background/experience, which helped, I'm sure. He started with Swift as well, and was a trainer. Moved on to JCT (John Christner) and they TERMED his lease (yeah!!!) a few months before pay off, and charged him back some huge amount... all for video taping. In. His. Leased. Truck. Think he's with Wilson now, as the OS/HH job was contract/seasonal.

Some of y'all get the opportunity of a LIFETIME. (Tom sees your pics, and says 'no fair!' ... but; it is.)

I wish you the best, and forever, with this gig of a lifetime, good sir.

You put your time & dues in, you dang sure deserve it!

~ Anne & Tom ~

ps: Hay Greybeard, Tom's Mack pulls green trailers; does that count ?!?!? :)~

Navy PopPop… Man it doesn’t get any better than this!!!! A40? Wow, precursor to the B Model. Duplex or triplex?

A million “Puppy Dawg” miles… this is really awesome!

It really doesn't matter what color the truck is as long as it's a Mack! Just my personal preference in trucks from days long ago. I Started in an A40, then progressed to B61, F600 and so many R models I can't count them all. I received a plaque from Mack Trucks years ago for 1 million miles driven in a Mack. That made me feel proud.

HaHa..

Growing up with those Haines and Kibblehouse r-series Macks driving around makes a boy dream of becoming a Trucker :)

…and the sound.

There's just something about the color green and Macks that go well together. :)

Navy... True color doesn't really matter. Though, I was trying to hint at a certain local company HKgroup.com (G-town and I are from same area) that been running Green Livery Macks since the 60s.

It really doesn't matter what color the truck is as long as it's a Mack! Just my personal preference in trucks from days long ago. I Started in an A40, then progressed to B61, F600 and so many R models I can't count them all. I received a plaque from Mack Trucks years ago for 1 million miles driven in a Mack. That made me feel proud.